5 Steps to Healthier Dog Paws

We all know that feeling of coming home from a long day out from work, school or simply grocery shopping and taking off those shoes. That wonderful feeling of relief from not having any restriction on your feet, the air on your toes and over all comfort is one of the first steps you take to relax. Your dog can’t do that. His paw pads are his biological equivalent to shoes and they’re on for good. They take the wear and tear of walking, hiking, running, chasing balls or squirrels and any other doggy things your pooch may do on a daily basis. Just like the soles of your shoes, his pads can crack, rip, dry up and become painful to deal with. A few steps can help to make your pup’s paws healthier and more comfortable.

Keep them clean! Dirty paws are gross for all involved, from your floor to your dog’s comfort. Those doggy feet go through grass, mud, concrete and stepping in all kinds of safe and nonsafe substance, including household cleaners, pesticides and more. If you don’t keep his feet clean after a trip outdoors, he just may take it upon himself to try and lick them clean. Imagine all the things he is eating off his feet that he walked in. You know that can’t be healthy! Instead, take a damp cloth or puppy bath wipe and clean his paws for him. Everyone will be happier for it!

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Keep Your Dog Safe During July 4th Celebrations

Your July 4th celebrations are a time to look forward to every year. Fireworks, grilling outdoors in the summer warmth and family gatherings can be an exciting and wonderful thing for us humans. Your dog, however, may not be so thrilled. Most dogs fear the loud booms of firework displays and time and time again humans are told to ignore their dog’s fears. Vets, trainers and other owners will all tell us that coddling our scared dog will only encourage his fear. This is very unfortunate, as it is a complete lie. Fear is an emotion, not a behavior, and thus cannot be reinforced. Just like a scared child, dogs often find some comfort in a soothing cuddle from their human, but if you follow these tips your dog has a higher chance of handling the July 4th hubbub with dignity.

Keep him indoors. Your dog will not enjoy the fireworks as much as you will, and he will feel safer inside his own home. You can offer him the ability to stay in his crate by leaving the door open, or confining him to a place he feels safest in. Perhaps you have a room in your home that blocks out more sounds from the outside than another and can help to muffle the bangs of fireworks. Provide his bed or a soft blanket to lay on and a special chew toy or treat that he can work on during the event to take his mind off the scary stuff.

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2 Healthy and Delicious Banana Treats for Your Dog

Bananas Today we have a treat, two to be exact, for all you dog people who love to spend some time in the kitchen as well – the recipes for 2 delicious banana treats for your doggy. We have chosen bananas to be the main ingredient of these two treats because as they contain a lot of vitamins and other highly valuable nutrients, they are really good for dogs to eat, occasionally that is.

By the way, dog treats that contain bananas are especially good for dogs while training as bananas are a good source of energy.

1. Banana-Oatmeal Cookies

Banana-oatmeal cookies are really easy to cook and you don’t even need a lot of different ingredients.

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Private Rescues vs. Shelters; Dog Adoption Options

When you make the decision to bring a canine companion into your home, you have made an important choice that can drastically change your life. You will have a walking partner, constant companion, someone to greet you when you come home and a furry friend to comfort you during trouble times. However, before you jump right in and bring that cute puppy home you should learn all you can about the various venues in which you can obtain your newest family member.

Private Rescue

A rescue is a private, non-profit organization typically run by all volunteers. The dogs they acquire are often times surrendered to the organization because the owners can no longer care for him. Rescued dogs can be already trained and well mannered or they can come with their own luggage and behavioral problems. Each and every dog is completely unique with his own history.

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Off the Leash; Letting Your Dog Exercise Without the Leash

It is nearly every dog owners dream to let their dog run freely without being tied down, fenced in or stuck on a leash next to their owner. All dogs love to run, and most dogs need it to really burn off their pint up energy. All of that energy builds and builds until it is expressed in behavioral problems like destructive chewing or excessive barking. Running freely can bring a dog great joy and make him a tired, yet calm and relaxed pet at home. However, few of today’s pet dogs can safely enjoy a good off-leash run or play session simply due to a lack of training. You and your dog must be prepared and always on guard during such a risky endeavor.

Reliable Recall

No dog should ever go off leash, even in a fenced area without a solid recall. Recall is the command in which you call your dog to come to you and he does at the drop of hat. Any dog should be able to immediately stop anything he’s doing, whether it’s in mid run to catch a ball or rolling in dirt to come to you when you ask him to. This is a major safety net that any dog should be able to do, but very few actually have been trained to do.

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What is Clicker Training?

If you’re new to dogs, or even a seasoned pet owner you will hear about the wonders of clicker training from various sources. Your neighbors, friends, co-workers, groomer and even veterinarian may recommend it, mention it, or talk openly about it. Confusion abounds in the dog world when it comes to clicker training, so how will you know exactly what it is and how it can help you? This method of training is incredibly simple, anyone can become great at it, and it’s a scientifically proven method of communicating with and teaching your canine companion!

Based on Science

Ivan Pavlov is a popular name used commonly amongst animal trainers. He was a scientist that brought learning, teaching, and conditioning into the scientific community and made understanding animal training far easier for the everyday animal lover. Through his experiments with dogs, he was able to discover that animals can make automatic associations between one unrelated thing, such as the sound of a bell, to the positive outcome of a bite of food. These are known as Pavlov’s dogs, and he proved that a dog could become ready and expectant of a bite of food from the sound of a bell, simply through operant conditioning.

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When Dogs Fight; Keeping Peace in a Multi-Dog Household

If you scroll through the local classifieds you may come across more than one dog looking for a new home because it’s not getting along with another in the same home. Dogs at the local shelter are, often times, labeled as aggressive towards other canines and must go to a home in which he will be the only pet. This belief of dogs being aggressive to one another due to things like jealousy, territory, or plain dominance are usually human-caused.

For example, that dog in the shelter who barks and growls at every other dog he sees when walking past the other kennels most likely is a very friendly and outgoing dog. By nature, dogs are extremely social animals especially with others of their own species. But that one dog may be labeled as too aggressive to live with another canine in his new home. Not only does that make it more difficult to find that one particular dog a home, his supposed aggressive towards other dogs may in fact be human caused. This means it can be solved through training and very basic canine care.

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5 Of The Best Dogs For City Living

Boston Terrier If you live in a city and you’re considering getting a four legged friend, you’ll want to know the best dogs for city living. Man’s best friend can adapt to any setting or surrounding but some breeds do better than others in the city – here are the top 5;

Chihuahua

This gorgeous, bulgy eyed cutie is ideal for inner city living and you’re unlikely to find a more loyal companion. Chihuahuas are easy to carry around if you want to take them out with you and require minimal grooming with short haired versions only requiring the occasional wipe or brush of their smooth coat. Best suited to an adult household with no children or larger pets, and they do need a little patience when it comes to house training – something to consider if you live in an apartment.

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Spaying or Neutering Your Pet: Whens, Ifs, and Whys

In today’s modern society, it is politically and socially correct to alter any and all healthy pets for the belief of ending pet overpopulation. However, as more studies and statistics have made themselves known from the no kill movement and shelter reform, we are learning that altering all pets has had very little, if any, impact of the shelter pet population as a whole. Furthermore, other benefits are explained to pet owners of the surgical procedure including a calmer pet with fewer health concerns. Some are true, but others are simply as false as old wives tales. Spaying or neutering your dog is just as much of a personal decision as your own diet, and it is up to you to understand the benefits and risks associated with this life altering surgery before you place your pet under the knife.

Debunking Beliefs

It is believed that altering your pet can reduce any aggression, marking behavior in males, and reduce activity levels. While it is true that your pet may slightly reduce his activity level due to the dramatic loss of hormones in his body, the belief that aggression and marking behaviors are only for intact animals is flat out false. Marking is a deep, instinct driven behavior that even female dogs do, and their reproductive organs play very little part in it.

Aggression, on the other hand, seems to take another turn when it comes to altering a pet. Studies in the past have shown that altered males are more likely to instigate a dispute than intact males, and especially when an altered male meets an intact male. Altered dogs feel threatened by the hormone levels of the intact male, and sometimes are the first to attack or make any aggressive moves. Females, however, are more accepting of each other and other dogs when they are spayed. An intact female may be more territorial as she feels the need to protect her whelping area, even if she has never been bred.

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Fear and Aggression in Dogs; What’s the Difference?

Typically when you think of aggression you may picture a certain breed of dog, standing on his toes with his teeth bared, growling, barking and lunging towards a human or another animal. While these are all signs of a dog’s body language that he should not be messed with at that point, it does not always point in the direction of true canine aggression. In fact, true aggression is an incredibly rare thing among dogs, while the large majority of dogs who are labeled as dangerous or aggressive are simply acting out in the only way they know as a defensive measure. This is a fear response, and can stem from things such as a lack of, or improper socialization to a past of abuse and pain. Most of these dogs do not trust, or do not trust easily. Respect must be taken to help these dogs through their aggressive actions to help them become relaxed, safe canine companions.

It’s In The Context

Judging and examining the context of any dog’s behavior is essential to figuring out the cause so that you can begin fixing the situation. Dogs are not randomly aggressive, nor do they attack unprovoked. When dog bites happen and humans claimed the dog was unpredictable, it’s typically a case of the human not reading the dog’s body language and context of the situation. For example, a dog bites a child during play, and the adult claims the dog was vicious. What probably happened was that the child was playing with a dog who was either in pain, sick, or wanted to be left alone for one reason or another. The dog gave his signals, such as yawning, averting his gaze, showing the whites of his eyes called whale eye, and maybe even growling. When these are ignored, the dog feels threatened and takes action to protect himself, biting the child. This could have been fear of being hurt by the child, or maybe the child was too loud, too fast and rambunctious for the dog. It’s all in the context of the situation.

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