Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes Life can be a bit tricky for senior dogs. They don’t hear as well as they used to, and sometimes they don’t see that well, either. Arthritis can cause pain in their joints, too. All this can lead to anxiety in older dogs, who don’t feel as able to get along in life as well […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Your dog has been injured or you come across a dog who has been hit by a car or sustained some other injury. A dog who is hurt can be fearful. What’s the best way to proceed? When it comes to handling an injured, fearful dog, take the advice of Leni Kaplan, DVM: less is […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes If your senior dog seems to be a little forgetful these days, has started howling at what seems like nothing, and behaves fearfully in situations that were never traumatic for him in the past, he may be undergoing some age-related cognitive decline. Yes, dogs can develop what’s called canine cognitive disorder—sort of a doggie version […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Independence Day is an exciting holiday for humans, but it can be a stressful one for dogs. The loud noises and bright flashes from fireworks can frighten them so severely that they run away, ending up lost or in shelters. Fortunately, you can take precautions to help your dog be less fearful as well as […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Can fear, anxiety, and stress be stealing precious heartbeats from your beloved pet at home? That’s the theory being studied by Dr. Robert Hamlin, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM. His work is examining the idea that stress, especially when it triggers the body’s fight or flee “sympathetic storm” mechanism, not only affects the quality of your […]
Reading Time: < 1 minutes Dogs and cats aren’t capable of multitasking; they live in the moment. So if pets are busily and happily eating, it’s impossible for them to worry about anything else. In this case, I am certain Ethel had no idea that she was pricked with a syringe containing a vaccine. She never saw the needle. She […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Have you ever felt you are about to die? I mean that literally, like you’ve been held up at gunpoint or held out a window by your suspenders 30 stories up? I’ve suggested for years that too many of our pets at the veterinary clinic feel like they are being held up at gunpoint or are […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes When your dog meets you at the door, head low with ears slicked back and eyes averted, is that a canine apology? Does your dog look guilty? The behaviors certainly mimic what humans associate with feeling shame or apology. Whether or not this accurately reflects the dog’s true feelings is open to debate. Not all […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes When Christie Keith adopted a 12-week-old Greyhound/Scottish Deerhound cross-breed puppy named Gryphon, she wanted him to have something her other adopted dogs didn’t have: a good time at the vet. Keith had adopted two adult Greyhounds who came to her with extreme fear and anxiety when they went to the vet — anxiety so severe […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes I’ve long thought dog sports were good for dogs’ souls. More than their souls, really — sports help them to face the world with confidence in themselves and their handlers. But never have I found a sport so suited for helping dogs gain confidence as nose work. Founded in 2008 by detection dog handlers Ron […]