Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes Not long ago, a woman contacted me about her dog. He was an accomplished trash can raider and recently had surgery to remove several foreign objects from his intestinal tract. “I guess it’s time for him to be trained,” she said. This idea that training is something that happens to the dog is not unusual. […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes A good friend of mine is afraid of spiders. She’s not so afraid that she’s going to burn her house down if one is inside, but as she says, perhaps she’ll just scorch the house a bit. Her fear is not incapacitating, but it is overwhelming enough that she must do something about the spider […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes Last week I picked up my RV, Astrid (yes, I named my RV!) from the storage spot and brought her home. Once the dogs realized she was home, they sat at the front door nicely, with only smiling faces and wildly wagging tails betraying their excitement. They’re experienced road dogs; Bones, five years old, has […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Puppies learn to toddle away from their bed (usually the pile of siblings) to relieve themselves almost as soon as they have control over their bowels and bladder. It’s this instinct to not soil the nest that allows us to teach puppies and adult dogs not to relieve themselves in our nest–our home. Sometimes, though, […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes I share my home with two English Shepherds, Bones and Hero, who, as herding dogs, follow me everywhere. If I’m in the shower, both dogs are within eyesight of the door. After all, I might need help. Some people consider this constant companionship annoying, but I’m used to it and even enjoy it. Herding dogs […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Have you ever slipped on a slick floor? The feeling that you’re about to fall, or actually falling and hurting yourself, is a scary one, sending the stomach flip-flopping with anxiety. Dogs might seem to have an advantage with four legs to balance on, but slippery surfaces can be just as frightening to them as […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Not long ago, a woman contacted me about her dog. He was an accomplished trash can raider and recently had surgery to remove several foreign objects from his intestinal tract. “I guess it’s time for him to be trained,” she said. This idea that training is something that happens to the dog is not unusual. […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Bones, my five-year-old English Shepherd, is an athlete. He twists, turns, dashes, and runs hard. He leaps, jumps, and climbs. While all this hard exercise keeps him physically fit and mentally happy, he is tough on his paws. Once in a while he’ll scrape a pad or come up with a cut on a paw, […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes A good grounding in nail anatomy is one of the secrets to a nail trim that doesn’t cause your dog to run away in fear and you to stress out over giving it. Understanding exactly how and where to trim helps to ensure that you don’t “quick” your dog, a painful experience that typically leads […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes You’ve brought home your new car, loaded it with the things you normally carry, and you’re ready to go for a drive with your dog riding shotgun (safely secured, of course). But when you invite him to jump in, he puts on the brakes. Your faithful canine companion knew your old car. This car is […]