Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes I’d just taken my senior Poodle, Peach, outside to potty. Instead of doing her business, she stood blinking at me, shivering a bit in the cold despite her little sweater. I kept the sliding door open in case she changed her mind, and sat down to eat lunch. Peach squatted next to my chair and […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Most dogs love snow, the exceptions being some small dogs and dogs without much haircoat. That said, throw a jacket and some booties on them and even dogs such as German Shorthaired Pointers love to skijor and sled. Here are some ideas for winter fun with your dog. Backyard Play The best snow for dogs […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s an all-too-common sight (particularly in large urban areas) to see dogs outside businesses with their leashes tied around bike racks or no-parking signs while their people are inside buying a doughnut or picking up their dry cleaning or even grocery shopping. People who tote their dog to the store and then tie the dog […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Tricks are perfect for puppies. They’ll help your puppy learn to pay attention to words, and to you; they’ll demonstrate the joys of cracking a joke and making people laugh; they can reinforce training; make for a better partnership; instill confidence in a new puppy; and give you, the human partner, a chance to show […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes Road traffic accidents happen. Whether it’s a minor fender bender or something more serious, if your pet is in the vehicle, you will have to assist them and keep them calm until other help arrives. Ensuring pets are restrained will help to minimize injuries and possibly reduce the severity of the situation. Here’s what you […]
Reading Time: 5 minutes Clicker training techniques allow us to communicate with our animals using positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement (which you may sometimes see abbreviated as +R) is one of the quadrants of learning. It involves adding something desirable to the interaction to increase the likelihood that an animal will repeat a behavior. To enhance its benefits, positive reinforcement […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Dogs everywhere seem to be afflicted with the zoomies these days. With the arrival of winter’s challenging weather coupled with the spike in COVID cases, many pet parents and their dogs are forced to stay socially distant, spend more time in our homes and cancel travel plans for at least the upcoming winter months. That […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Getting a cancer diagnosis for your dog is like a punch to the gut (yours). The first thing to do is to sit down and take a deep breath. Many cancers are treatable, a few are curable, and there are many ways to give your dog quality time until the end, no matter what. Where […]
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 […]
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. […]