With over 52 million pet dogs in the U.S.alone and a multi-billion dollar pet food and supply industry, it’s clear dogs are part of family life in America. To those who actually own and live near dogs, another fact is also clear—some dogs just talk too much. It’s “Bark! Bark! Let me in” or “Bark! Bark! Feed me” or “Bark, Bark! A leaf just fell.” Dogs can be such champions of conversation that many communities have passed ordinances forcing them to shut their yaps. Anyone who’s experienced these annoying oratories in the dead of night is probably wondering, “What’s the

Question: “My dog is great with people most of the time but sometimes when strangers rush up to him when we’re on our walks, he backs off and growls. The behavior seems to be getting worse. Why does he do this?” Answer: The problem here is that people don’t know how to politely greet your dog. All would be well if humans heeded the two golden rules—never pet a dog without owner permission, and always let the dog make first contact.  Instead, well-wishers approach too quickly, crowd too closely, or loom over like a thunderstorm ready to dump its load.

Question: I have a dog and 2 cats on a homemade raw diet made under recommendation of a holistic vet. I grind whole chickens with bone and skin, raw veggies and add vitamins and essential fatty acids. I have been doing this for about 3 years and my pets have well formed stools and shiny coats. My dog started all of this because of skin allergies, which since have disappeared. What is your advice on raw diets? Answer: While the majority of pet owners use commercial pet foods, others opt for diets that seem more natural. The idea behind diets

Question: I have two one-year old male cats Sergeant and Figaro. Sergeant had been waking me up every night …due to his noisy midnight explorations. Sergeant’s latest discovery has been the spiral door stopper which makes a lovely Boinng sound. I have had to remove all of them in my apartment. I have tried keeping them up all day by playing games with toys, hoping they will sleep through the night. However, that is impossible when I have to be away in the daytime and it is time consuming. I now close them both in the bathroom where the litter

All in all it was a magical hour and a half. I highly recommend that everyone who visits Chicago visit the Shedd Aquarium. It will give you a new appreciation for the husbandry training that can and should be done in all zoos.

          Narnia Laura Monaco Torello’s ridgeback puppy is having a great time during the handling lab. This weekend featured another successful workshop and low stress handling lab in Chicago at Narnia Pet, a fantastic positive-reinforcement based dog-training facility. While I have held most of these labs for veterinarians and their staff, most of the attendees at this lab were dog trainers, groomers, doggie daycare providers, as well as some veterinary hospital staff. With 9 little dogs and 8 large dogs participating, each team of three to four humans got plenty of practice while keeping the dogs