It seems like every few months a study comes out touting the benefits of pet ownership. According to the claims, stroking pets lowers our blood pressure, dog companions increase our exercise, and going to the dog park improves our sociability. But what most studies fail to reveal is the dark, dirty secret that up to 16% of dog owners don’t want you to know: THEIR dogs eat poop…a lot! Yes, according to a study presented at the annual ACVB/AVSAB Behavior Symposium in San Diego last month, 16% of dogs are serious stool eaters. That means they have been seen doing it 5

It’s fun to take your pooch to the park for off-leash play and dogs can look like they are having fun, but are they always learning the right things? One owner of a Bulldog knows all to well that the answer is no. “Max took a while to warm up to new people and dogs,” she says. “Then we left him with the breeder where he got to run around with other Bulldogs in what the breeder said was normal rough bulldog play. When we got him back he was suddenly barking and lunging people he would have just stayed

Anyone who frequents the dog park and knows about dog behavior probably has a few horror stories to share and I am no exception. A couple of years ago, I was at my neighborhood park, which is a private multi-use park for dogs and people. It was an off-hour so it was just me, my dog, Jonesy, and my foster dog, a little Corgi with a history of some fear and reactivity to unfamiliar dogs. Jonesy was off-leash and the Corgi was on a long line. Generally, when I’m just with Jonesy, who is reactive towards unfamiliar dogs, especially those

Everyone knows that if you have a dog you’ll take it on walks. But did you know you could also take your cat on walks? Taking a cat on walks works best if you’ve socialized the cat at a young age to new environments so he’s comfortable in the places you plan to take him. Of course, you’ll also want to train your cat or kitten to love wearing a harness.

“Ring! Ring!” whined the phone, “Ring! Ring!” followed by a polite, “Hello? How can I help you?” A minute of silence followed, then my assistant popped her head into my office and said, “The caller says she has a dog who needs rehabilitation and wants to know if you can help her.” “Tell her no,” I said, which took my assistant slightly aback. “I don’t deal with criminals, drug addicts, or alcoholics. But, if by chance, she wants behavior modification for a dog with some behavioral issues, then send her my way.” Okay, I know this reply sounds odd, given

Have you ever had a client walk in with their little land-shark of a Chihuahua or Toy Poodle in their arms and you needed to examine it or carry it and you know you won’t be able to get near it once the owner puts it on the table or floor? Or you have a little, bitey dog in a shelter,  kennel, or hospital setting you are carrying—because somehow you’ve already made friends with him—and the safest way for you to get him to be handled or transported by someone else is by handing him off to them? In that