It’s one of the busiest times of year for most people. Everyone is running from store to store trying to find that perfect gift, hanging up lights, decorating the tree, and baking all sorts of yummy treats. With all that chaos going on, don’t forget about you four-legged loved ones. And no, I don’t mean to remember to wrap up a new bone for Rover or buy Kitty some catnip. The holidays bring a handful of hazards for your pets. Please take the time to read my previous blog Holiday Hazards that Can Ambush Your Pet and have a happy and safe

Question: We have a Boxer and a Lab. Both are 5 years old. They get into the cat litter and we can’t seem to break them of this habit. We have a covered box for the cats and keep the opening facing the wall but cannot keep them from actually turning the box and eating the poo. Definitely yucky! Do you have any suggestions? Answer: Newsflash! National pet food marketing firm reports, “Next to week old fish, decaying road kill, and napkins from a woman’s monthly you know what, dogs vote cat poop favorite flavor.” Yuck is right, because immediately

If I were judging this book just on it’s overall cuteness and character, this book would get a top score. The cartoons are engaging, the rhymes catchy, and the overall message of “dogs are fun” is great. It’s clear that the intentions of the book are good. The authors are encouraging children to make the pet an active member of the family.  The problem is that a number of the recommendations are actually dangerous. In fact, the recommendation from which the book takes its title is the most dangerous recommendation of all. While the authors suggest to kids to, “Smooch

While a dog’s or cat’s breath will never smell like a bed of roses, if it carries a stench that could wilt a dandelion, something’s amiss. That means it’s time for a visit to the vet. The most common cause of bad doggy or kitty breath is a losing battle with the bacteria or tartar in the mouth. In mild cases, the teeth are slightly speckled with tartar, the gums are inconspicuously inflamed and the odor is only faintly foul. In really bad cases, the gums are screaming for help and the teeth, blanketed under a calcified, yellow brown crust

I recently saw a great video  that laid out the steps for teaching a dog to identify objects that match the item you are holding. That is, if you hold up a squeaky toy in the shape of the mouse and there are 5 different-shaped toys on the floor, the dog should pick up the one that matches the toy you’re holding. This is a dog trick that KayLaurence, a member of the ClickerExpo faculty from England has been teaching to students for several years. With the steps laid out so clearly, I decided I’d train my dog, Jonesy as well as my dad’s dog, Lucy

In the last blog I summarized a research study (A comparative approach to dogs’ (Canis familiaris) and human infants’ comprehension of various forms of pointing gestures by Gabriella Lakatos, et. al.) that found dogs can use human pointing cues to infer the location of food. The dogs in the study chose the correct location 80% of the time if the human pointed with a straight arm. In fact, according to the study, dogs could even infer location if the pointing was with the leg or elbow but only somewhat (about 65% of the time). To see whether this could possibly be true,