Should You Demat or Just Shave Your Dog? When a dog’s hair becomes matted, you must decide whether to demat or shave. This is determined by the degree of matting. If the matting isn’t too severe, you can sometimes comb out the mats with a little effort. If the matting is extensive or extremely tight, …
How to Bathe a Dog Correctly Bathing may appear to be a simple and straightforward task, but it is the most important aspect of grooming. If you don’t bathe the dog properly, the hair won’t fluff up well when drying, and the oil and dirt left behind will dull or ruin the clipper blades and …
There are numerous places where you can have your pet groomed. There are also mobile groomers who will come to your home and groom your pet in your driveway, as well as in-home groomers who will come to your home and groom your pet inside. Everything is determined by where you live and who is …
The fundamental skill involved in retrieval tricks is the dog’s ability to carry things in her mouth. The secondary skill is the dog’s ability to carry things in her mouth from one place to another. Delivery tricks simply exchange the “from” and “to,” which, as these next few tricks will show, can be fun and …
Any dog can learn to pick something up in his mouth and bring it to her handler. Although some dogs have an instinctive talent to perform this behavior, even the most reluctant dog can learn to retrieve using operant conditioning by means of a clicker and treats. Each of these tricks involves the dog retrieving …
A fearful dog is a challenge to own and train. In familiar surroundings, he is a sweet, wonderful family pet, but in new places where there are strange sounds and people, he turns into a mess of jittery shaking nerves. If you own a dog like this, it is important to educate yourself and learn …
Housebreaking problems are the leading cause of abandonment. Owners get frustrated with their pets and make the decision to give up their animals to shelters across the nation. Nothing erodes the bond of man and dog quicker than a puddle or a pile on the carpet. Dogs have a natural housebreaking instinct that involves separating …
As uncomfortable and unpleasant as it is, pain has a purpose. It’s what tells a creature that it’s been injured, and it can prevent further injury by signaling danger. Amazingly, people used to think that dogs didn’t feel pain, but we know better now. The past decade has seen advances in recognition of pain in …
Because of a family emergency, business travel, or vacation, there’s a good chance you will need to board your dog at some point in her life. You might be lucky enough to have a family member or friend that is willing to keep your dog (or stay at your home with her) while you’re away, …
Every dog requires some degree of grooming. For shorthaired breeds, dog grooming is relatively simple: regular nail trimming, ear cleaning, and brushing (of the teeth and the fur or hair), accompanied by an occasional bath. Doublecoated breeds like German shepherds require more frequent brushing, as do drop-coated and curly-coated breeds, like Maltese and poodles, respectively. …
There are a variety of internal and external bugs that, at best, make your dog miserable with itching, chewing, and scratching, and at worst, cause serious, even deadly disease. Heartworms Once common only in the southern states, heartworm disease is now common in most states. The heartworm larvae are carried and transmitted by mosquitoes, migrate …
There are a variety of diseases that dogs are commonly vaccinated against, including distemper, parvovius, adenovirus, hepatitis, parainfluenza, leptospirosis, Lyme disease, kennel cough (Bordatella), coronavirus, and rabies. Puppy Shots Most puppies will be vaccinated for most or all of the above diseases as a matter of course during their initial three or four visits to …
One of the most important people in your dog’s life is her veterinarian. If you start out with a puppy, you’ll get to know your vet pretty well in the first year. And of course, accidents and illnesses — minor and major — can occur despite even the best intentions and efforts. The time to …
Living with a shy or fearful dog requires patience, commitment, and realistic expectations. If your dog is genetically shy, you’re not going to change who she is, no matter how much training you do. You can, however, help her become more comfortable in her own skin, more reliable in her behavior, and more confident in …
It is always something of a challenge to integrate a completely foreign species into a human household successfully. Because dogs have been living with us in our homes for so long — at least tens of thousands of years — it’s almost as though we expect them to become human, forgetting that they are a …
Dog bites are a serious issue, not just for the person who is bitten, but also for the health and safety of the dog and the dog owner’s property. Preventing Dog Bites The large majority of pet dogs will never bite anyone, but it’s always important to remember that dogs are animals first and pets …
Some breeds of dogs have reputations, although not necessarily deservedly so, as being dangerous. It’s not that they necessarily bite more often than other breeds, but due to their physical nature — their size, strength, and bite force — when they do bite, the resulting injury tends to be much more serious (and newsworthy) than …
Whether you only have one dog, two, or a whole pack, each scenario has its own unique set of benefits, drawbacks, challenges, and realities. Living with a Single Dog Living with only one dog is, for the most part, a little easier, or at least less labor-intensive than living with multiple dogs. However, only dogs …
Thunderstorm and fireworks or noise phobia are similar, but slightly different disorders. The treatments, however, are virtually the same. Some dogs suffer from fear of thunder or other loud noises. This fear seems to get worse with age, and the dog doesn’t get over it. Lightning storms are not the only time for loud noises, …
True separation anxiety is fortunately relatively rare, but when it is diagnosed, it can be extremely difficult, and in some cases, impossible, to treat successfully. Separation anxiety often has a genetic component, but can also be caused or encouraged by poor handling, usually by babying the dog and having constant contact with him. Preventing Separation …
Barking is a normal part of being a dog, and some barking is to be expected. Dogs that bark excessively, however, aren’t just a nuisance to their owners, but also to their neighbors. What’s All the Racket About? There are as many reasons for excessive barking as there are barkers. Some dogs bark to warn …
