One of the most difficult cases to resolve in my experience are cases that involved at home dog / dog conflicts. The motivation(s) behind the conflicts or fights can at times be difficult to parcel out. In addition, these kinds of situations require constant and competent supervision by those living with the dogs. One (still)…
Category: How Dogs Learn
Stocking Stuffers, Part 2
One of the things I like most about living with dogs is seeing them play. Let’s define play first. Most experts will agree that play is an activity which the sole purpose is to have fun. Play can have rules or not and, of course, it covers a wide range of activities. However, the fun as the…
Step UP or Step OUT – A call to breeders everywhere
A few of you have contacted me as a result of the last week’s post: Buyer beware. Just like you, I feel the pain and sadness when I hear of yet another puppy gone bad, just because of human ignorance or worse human greed. Now, one can only take so much of hearing these heartbreaking…
Your Dog Is Doing What? and Book Signing
Come learn how to help your dog become a “civilized” hound: One that does not chew your stuff, pees in the home, is mouthy, too energetic and is basically out of control. Learn how to resolve most dog problems. The Details: Held at Marty’s Meals 1107 Pen Rd, Santa Fe, NM Saturday, November 12th 2016….
Just give me a minute, please
The dogs and I are playing outside with the beloved “orange ball”. Deuce is running to get the ball while Rio is tugging with gusto with me. I see Deuce running past me holding the big ball tightly in his mouth. He is dashing towards the house literally ignoring me as I call him to…
Beyond doggy daycare
As a follow up to last week’s post, I want to share some ideas for keeping your dog’s life interesting and engaging. This is a really dear topic/issue for me. I get such joy in knowing that dogs are having fabulous lives and on the other hand it pains me deeply when they don’t. A…
Should your dog attend day care?
Doggie daycares are the rave these days. As with any service, the quality of the establishment can vary to very good (really hard to pull off) to terrible. Personally I do not see doggie daycares as the solution to dog home alone. I think some dogs can benefit from attending a *reputable* daycare perhaps once…
Anyone wants a chewy?
I am at my client’s and we are talking about how her tiny Chihuahua pup loves chewing on deer antlers – the ones made especially for dogs. “Good, good, I tell her, it is great that Katie enjoys these so much! The point I am trying to make is that giving dogs something to chew…
What a missed opportunity!
I am sitting at a local eatery waiting for a friend to arrive. A group shows up with a dog and sits almost in front of me. I like the fact that the owner of the dog immediately positions the dog next to her and away from foot traffic. Nice! I think to myself. Someone…
Who wins? Who Looses?
Life is really an ongoing set of evaluations and negotiations affecting those that are part of our lives, be it a child, friend, parent, and even our pets. If reaching a consensus where all parties get something they want or need is difficult, imagine when there is one silent partner “sitting at the negotiation table.”…