Food for Thought

Boredom busters Our favorite enrichment toys to keep your dog’s brain busy and entertained during a summer heatwave You can never have too many enrichment activities  especially puzzle toys–during a heat wave. With temperatures too high to go outside for much of the day these last few weeks, the doggos have been doing lots of indoor sniffing, chewing, rolling and chomping. If you could use some more independent occupations for your pups, here are a few of our favorite puzzle toys with a mini review from our resident testers : …

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FREE dog training advice! Top tips on how to solve ANY behavior struggle Ok, so that headline was clearly clickbait. I’m sorry. That’s not really my style. But since you’re here, it obviously worked. Please don’t feel cheated. There will actually be free advice on how to solve your dog’s behavior problems – it just might not be what you expected. There is sooo much information on how to train your dog on the internet: videos, blog posts, Facebook groups, ebooks… Type in any kind of struggle like “How do …

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So you called, but she ignored you. Let’s first make sure we’re talking about the same thing. We’re going to assume that your dog has a good idea of what you want. She has repeatedly responded in a way that makes you think that she understands what you mean when you say “sit,” “fetch” or “come here” – in various contexts, not just in your kitchen, on Sunday, just before dinner.Since dogs aren’t born understanding English, you would have had to have taught her the meaning of these words somehow …

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5 Tips on How to Get Through a Heatwave With Your Dog 1. Get up early Yeah, I know. But seriously, you don’t want to sit around all day doing nothing (well maybe YOU do, but your dog would appreciate the opportunity to stretch his legs and do some nice sniffing without breaking into a pant. And you could use the exercise. Ask me how I know.) Go for a nice, chill morning walk in the shade. Keep it short. Bring water. ⚠️Walk on grass and in the shade whenever …

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One of the awesome benefits of teaching with food, toys, social interaction and other life rewards to positively reinforce behaviors is that the thing your dog learns becomes fun to do. A cue is an opportunity not to be missed, not a command to be obeyed (or else). Our dogs are actively trying to obtain reinforcement (food, toys, attention, pee mail…), not avoid punishment (pain, scolding, removal of attention, food, toys, sniffing…).

I love it when my dog gets it right because I get to give her what she wants. It makes me happy to see her happy. That’s positive reinforcement working on both of us. This means asking your dog to do something he will likely get wrong sets both of you up for failure. That’s not efficient learning, that’s frustrating – or discouraging, or infuriating, depending on your personality.

We love dogs and we love to show our affection by being physical, kissing, and hugging. So what’s wrong with that? Have a look at these images from some of the popular free stock photo providers.

Non-dog people might look at these interactions and see affection, dog-people mostly cringe.

So for this Valentine’s Day, before you post a photo of yourself and your dog on social media, ask yourself, “Does my dog look like he is enjoying this interaction as much as I am?” Can you share a picture that shows what people and dogs look like when they seem to delight in each other’s company?

Happy Hounds for the Holidays 12 tips for celebrating a safe and fun holiday season with your dog It’s that festive time of year – when you’re running around in a frenzy trying to wrap last minute gifts while baking cookies and decorating your home before the guests arrive. Who’s got time to take care of the dog? But beware – failing to prepare your dog for the holidays could literally bite you in the butt. Here are my 12 tips on how to celebrate the holidays so you and …

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Agility is magical! I have been playing agility for many years, yet I have never competed in a single contest. It was Gemma who chose this activity. One far distant day at the local dog club, while doing our umpteenth leash walking circle, she stared at me intently when she spotted the ring next to us: “Did you see what they’re doing over there? That’s so cool!! We are falling asleep here while they are having all the fun.” And so began a new adventure. I am not a competitive …

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How to choose a dog trainer? So you just got a new puppy. That puppy needs to go be socialized and learn the basic commands. Or you adopted a rescue who had a rough start in life and could really use some obedience training. Or your dog has developed a behavior problem you’d like to fix. You need to find a dog trainer. Trouble is. There are so many. Dog training is an unregulated industry. Anyone with a few days of free time can answer a multiple choice test and …

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