Categories
Activities & Enrichment Dogs Training & Grooming

What Is a Reward? Every Dog Is Different

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes When your dog does something you want her to repeat, you offer a reward. You may think of a reward as a tasty treat, a cheerful “Good dog,” or a pat on the head. These are all rewards that work for most dogs, helping to show them you’re happy about what they just did. But […]

Categories
Activities & Enrichment Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home

How to Stave Off Canine Cabin Fever This Winter

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes If you have a puppy or adult dog with lots of energy, you know how much work it is to keep your pet entertained. And you’ve probably noticed how your dog’s stress level—and yours—goes up when he’s not getting enough exercise. High-energy dogs can develop behavior problems if they don’t get enough exercise and stimulation. […]

Categories
Activities & Enrichment Dogs Life at Home

How To Stave Off Canine Cabin Fever This Winter

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes If you have a puppy or adult dog with lots of energy, you know how much work it is to keep your pet entertained. And you’ve probably noticed how your dog’s stress level—and yours—goes up when he’s not getting enough exercise. High-energy dogs can develop behavior problems if they don’t get enough exercise and stimulation. […]

Categories
Dogs Fears & Anxieties Life at Home Training & Grooming

Relax on Cue: How to Help Your Dog Chill

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes As a certified yoga instructor as well as a veterinary behavior technician, I have found many similarities between yoga in humans and relaxation cues in our pets. In humans, yoga has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and regulate the fight or flight response. Animals do not have […]

Categories
Dogs Training & Grooming

How Dogs Learn to Detect COVID-19

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes A dog’s nose is a wondrous thing. He has the ability to separate breathing from smelling, to exhale without blocking incoming air and scents, and to use each side of his nose separately to determine the source of an odor. Paired with a remarkable scent memory, dogs can learn to sniff out cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, […]

Categories
Cats Dogs Holidays Life at Home Other Travel & Safety

Holiday Risks? What to Worry About and When to Chill

Article

Reading Time: 4 minutes Stealing boxes of chocolates. Climbing the tree. Eating the decorations. When it comes to celebrating the holidays at home, many of the things that make the season merry and bright for humans are potential dangers to four-legged family members. But not all of them are as dangerous as you may think. We take a look […]

Categories
Cats Life at Home Travel & Safety

Lost Cat? Detective Kim Freeman Is on the Case

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes Move over, Sherlock Holmes. Take a seat, Ace Ventura. When it comes to finding lost cats, most detectives are, well, clueless. But not Kim Freeman. As founder of Lost Cat Finder, Freeman is recognized as the world’s first full-time cat detective. She teams up with her purring partner, Henry, to find missing cats all over […]

Categories
Cats Dogs Fears & Anxieties Holidays Life at Home Other

How to Avoid Holiday Stress in Pets

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes The most wonderful time of the year is finally here. The holidays bring festive decorations, bustling preparations, celebrations … and too often, stress. While we worry about how to get everything done or how to adjust our plans to the challenges of the past year, we can’t forget to care for our beloved pets. The […]

Categories
Activities & Enrichment Dogs Life at Home

Put Down the Phone to Connect With Your Dog

Article

Reading Time: 6 minutes Connecting with your dog is more than attaching the leash and going for a walk together. Attention must be paid. When I first got my Pug, she was reactive to everything: dogs, people, cars, the sound of birds. She’s better now, but one thing she still barks at is kind of funny: people who are […]

Categories
Dogs Training & Grooming Travel & Safety

Safe Travel Means Buckling Up–for Dogs. Here’s How to Teach Them

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes The car salesman would not stop talking about cupholders. “This model features seven cupholders! That’s one cupholder for each person! More cupholders than our leading competitor!” he exclaimed. I sighed, a little impatiently. I needed a van for a specific purpose, and it wasn’t drinking. “I don’t care about cupholders,” I explained. “Just please hold […]