Fear Free Happy Homes
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. […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Whether you call them mutts, mixed breeds, Heinz 57s or some other moniker, who doesn’t love a canine cocktail? It’s no wonder that we have a special day to celebrate them: National Mutt Day, which falls on December 2 this year. Whether you are looking for a dog who will love everyone, alert you to […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes The destruction was everywhere. Shredded furniture. Bent window blinds. Gnawed baseboards. Scattered throughout the house were shreds of random papers, from magazines to bills. The area rugs reeked of urine. As I took all this in, the distraught woman pointed at her leather couch, which featured a giant, ragged hole in the once-plump cushion. “He […]
Reading Time: 5 minutes Have you ever developed a food aversion? To this day I avoid artificially flavored grape candy because that was the flavor of the cough syrup I had to choke down when I was sick as a kid. The same thing can happen to pets when they don’t feel well. Several months ago, my dog Dorie […]