Food and Friends
My friend Leonora owns my dog Woody’s best friend, tiny Samson. Woody and Samson are the exact same age, and both are “foster fails”...
If your dog gets distressed by fireworks, take action now!
For the first 8 or so years of his life, my senior dog, Otto, was not bothered by fireworks. Honestly, he couldn’t care less,...
Pitfalls of Retractable Leashes
I know it’s low-hanging fruit to criticize people for misuse of retractable leashes – but there are an awful lot of first-time dog owners...
Keep Emergency Contact Numbers On Your Dog’s Tags or Collars Up-To-Date
Hello! Here’s a reminder to update your contact information on your dog’s tags or collars – and with your dog’s microchip registry. Have you...
“Teenage” Dogs Can Be Difficult
Dog trainers are most likely to hear from new prospective clients when the clients’ dogs are in the throes of adolescence – and it’s...
Predatory Behavior
A reader commented on my most recent blog post (about my dog, Woody, coming face-to-face with the first rattlesnake we’ve seen this year). I...
First Rattlesnake of the Season
I have relatives visiting from out of state, and after a two-day drive to get here, they want to stretch their legs on a...
What do you feed your dog? And why?
The other day, I happened to go into a pet supply store that I had never been in before, and was looking at their...
Thankful for Dog Love in Times of Loss
Just a super-short post today: My family is mourning the sudden loss of my sister’s husband, Dean. Yes, this is the family with three...
Dog Food Recalls and Salmonella Contamination
Over the 23 years Whole Dog Journal has been published, we’ve discussed pet food recalls due to contamination with Salmonella a number of times....
A Registered Microchip Helps, But Doesn’t Solve Everything
I heard a crazy story recently: My son’s neighbors lost their cat. It was an indoor/outdoor cat and just went missing; one imagines the...
Sisyphean Housecleaning With Dogs
My stepdaughter and her son are coming to town for a visit. Hurray for vaccinations! They live in New Jersey, and haven’t been to...
Latest Blog
Take the Canine Good Citizen Test
I have been aware of the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen program for ages, and I always imagined that my dogs would rather...