Clients frequently tell me that they think their cat or dogs like each other but they aren’t sure. They sometimes point out that their pets sleep together, but does that mean they’re best friends? It could but it doesn’t necessarily. They could just be sharing beds because it’s comfortable or convenient. True “friends,” actively seek each other and hang out, play together, and perform affiliative gestures such as mutual grooming. Here’s a photo of Jonesy and his bratty younger, but bigger sister, Lucy. Jonesy pretty much just tolerates her. Sometimes he puts up with her pestering, and other times he

I’ve heard that a tired dog is a behaved dog. Will exercise solve most of my dog’s problems? Dogs are natural athletes and, as such, need exercise every day; however, exercise is not a substitute for training. In fact, for many dogs, vigorous exercise just gets them into better shape. For instance, my Jack Russell Terrier can easily run 18 miles and still have enough energy to bounce up and down when he thinks I’ll play fetch. When I’ve taken him out for a 10 mile run, I frequently forget as soon as we’re back that he’s been exercised. Do I

The dogs pose in front of Sam Elliot’s store (the black lab). I remember in high school math class thinking, math wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the word problems. Now, as an adult, I think, if you can’t do the word problems, which represent math in real life, you don’t really know math. Similarly, with dog training classes, it’s great when dogs know how to sit, and heel and focus on their owners in the controlled class environment but what they really need is to be able to do those things in real world. That is, it’s

Lucy at 8 weeks of age. When we last left off, I’d dropped Lucy, the 8 week old Australian Cattle dog with my parents after taking a week to train her through the puppy learn to earn program at my house. Before I brought her down, she seemed virtually perfect. She would automatically sit to be petted, to get her leash on, to go out the door, to have her toy tossed, and even when she greeted guests, including young toddlers. She could fetch and would chew on appropriate toys. And she could walk on leash in heel position and come when called

The Holiday Season is always filled with unexpected expenses. Like monsoons in Manilla, you never know exactly when and how one’s going to hit. Will it be more gift-giving than planned or higher heating costs than last year? Well, if you’re an out-of-luck pet owner, it could be a surprise veterinary bill, because believe it or not, the season to be jolly also doubles as the season for Spot to visit the vet-on emergency. If you think about it for a second the reasoning is clear. The house, usually just a ho-hum array of couches, chairs and tables, suddenly becomes

This is a common problem that many new puppy owners have. And it’s made worse when they let the whining puppy out because then the pup quickly learns that whining works and now, can whine for hours on end. If you can get her to understand that being calm and controlling her emotions is what gives her access to you, you’ll have a puppy who can quietly sleep in her closed crate whenever you want!