Boredom and excess energy are two common reasons for behavior problems in dogs. This makes sense because they’re meant to lead active lives. Wild dogs spend about 80% of their waking hours hunting and scavenging for food. Domestic dogs have been helping and working alongside us for thousands of years, and most are bred for a specific purpose, such as hunting, farming or protection. For example, retrievers and pointers were bred to locate and fetch game and water birds. Scent hounds, like coonhounds and beagles, were bred to find rabbits, foxes and other small prey. Dogs like German shepherds, collies, cattle dogs and sheepdogs were bred to herd livestock. Read More…

Got 2 Minutes?

Pet With Purpose Instead of zoning out watching SNL and absentmindedly patting your pup, focus on your dog while you pet him. Like people, your dog can tell when he has your attention. Feel free to spill about your day, even. Your BFF—best furry friend—will appreciate the extra effort and it will have a cathartic effect for both of you. Read More…

Routine Exercise

Many dog owners underestimate their dogs’ exercise needs in relation to keeping their dog healthy. Destructive behavior may lead to a diagnosis of separation anxiety or other behavioral problems. While these conditions truly exist, in many cases the behavior is actually the result of an energy surplus. If you feed your dog a healthy diet, it should give her plenty of energy. However, if your dog can’t release that energy with exercise, it may be released on your furniture, carpet, doorways, or even your prized collection of rare books. Read More…

There was a time when every dog had a job. The border collie herded sheep, and the komondor guarded them. The Siberian husky moved the men of the North, while the Alaskan malamute hauled freight. Depending on geography and game, any number of breeds helped bring home dinner. Meanwhile, back at the homestead, terriers kept busy chasing the fox out of the hen-house and exterminating any vermin that crossed their path. Read More…

Dogs can make terrific running partners as long as you take their physical condition and abilities into account. Also keep in mind that your dog may need time to work up to your intensity.

Make sure you check with your veterinarian before taking your dog running, and follow any recommendations that may be provided.

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Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Dogs are very intelligent animals and they blossom in environments where they have plenty to do. City dogs are often required to spend substantial periods of time inactive. “In the old days”, dogs lived on country properties and spent their days exploring the grounds, scrounging from the compost, trotting after the tractor, rounding up the livestock, playing with the kids, and napping under the shade of an oak tree. The average urban dog experiences a very different reality: after 7-8 hours of sleep, they get a brief morning walk around the block to eliminate, followed by a well-balanced breakfast served in a bowl. Read More…

How much exercise does your dog get? How much daily training? How often do you play with her? How long are you separated each day? How often does she socialize with other dogs appropriately?

Many dogs have deficits in socialization (with humans and dogs), mental stimulation (training, toys, play), and/or physical stimulation (running, swimming, walking, hiking, playing). Make sure to provide your dog with an opportunity to engage in all three daily. If dogs are not provided with this stimulation, boredom digging, chewing, barking, will likely ensue. Fulfilling basic needs remedies behavior problems related to boredom. Read More…

It’s that time of year: champagne cocktails, “Auld Lang Syne” and, in many neighborhoods, the bangs and booms of celebratory fireworks.

About one in five dogs experience noise phobia, animal behavior consultant Jo Jacques, owner of dog behavior consulting company Wigglebums, told Paw Nation. Cats aren’t quite as sensitive as dogs, she said, but plenty of kitties have been known to run and hide when firecrackers are exploding outside the windows. Fortunately, Jacques explained, there are steps you can take to keep your nervous pet happy on New Year’s Eve, or anytime noise is an issue.

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