Okay the title is a trick question. I would argue that yes some dogs are gaining too much weight because they are given too many treats, and perhaps high caloric treats in addition to their daily meals. A dog that is even a few pounds overweight can be considered obese so it is really important…
One of the fun things about living with more than one dog is that you get to experience their different personalities (or should I say dognalities) and in some way experience life from their unique perspective. In my case, my dogs could not be more different. Rio, now fully recovered from 3 months of very…
As I was describing in part 1, living with fearful dogs is not an easy task. It requires constant management of some kind, and constantly assessing how comfortable the dog is at a given moment when presented with the scary stimulus. There is so much that one can do (and I would argue should do)…
Living with a dog that is afraid, especially of people, is very hard. It is very hard for the people, and of course, a living hell for the dog. While every case is unique, there are certain things people can do to make everyone’s life better. I am working with a couple who have a…
I just came from visiting with a family whose dog decided to take a paw at landscaping design. The dog was thrilled with the results; the owner not so much. As I explained to them, unfortunately for us digging comes naturally to dogs. It is part of their ancient wiring that frankly as all natural…
This is a continuation of last week’s post on same household dog fights. As I mentioned on that post, having to manage and live with dogs that are injuring one another is not a picnic. It can be very stressful for the dogs as well as the people. Also, depending on the severity and frequency…
We are at the vet’s office having Rio’s bandage changed when an acquaintance walks through the doors with her dog. Her dog appears somewhat shaken-up and has a bloody injury close to his eye. “What happened?” I inquired. They tell me that this is the fifth time their dog has been attacked by their other…
As I have previously written, we are smack in the middle of Rio’s recovery. She needs to wear a cast for 4 for more weeks. She cannot lick, or worse, chew on it at all. The recommendations are for her to wear a really cumbersome Elizabethan collar all the time to prevent her from doing the…
My dogs are inside their crates working a juicy bone as they always do when I have a client at my place. I finish up and I come to let them out. After leashing Rio up, we go outside. The dogs love going outside to find out who was here and whether they left any…
As I am writing this I am sitting next to my two dogs. They are both lying down, but Rio unfortunately is wearing one of those very cumbersome Elizabethan collars. She just underwent surgery a week ago and we are looking at to 8 -10 weeks of lying low with little in the form of…