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Who Is Your Daddy?

Did you see this news brief? A shelter in the San Francisco Bay Area is conducting some small studies regarding breed identification and adoption rates. Like many shelters, they are often overrun with dogs of a certain type: Chihuahua-mixes. Wondering whether potential adopters might be biased against Chihuahuas, or might be biased toward a dog who had other desirable breeds in the mix

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...

Emerging Variants of Coronavirus May Affect Pets More Severely

Just over a year ago, the first article I ever had to write that mentioned COVID-19 was published in this space. It seems like...
3 dogs lined up

Keeping the puppy: The new normal

The news that I’m keeping my former foster puppy is leaking out. I loved him from the get-go, when I agreed to foster him...

Good Teachers Rephrase the Question

A short blog post today, to remind myself (and perhaps others) of something so simple I forget it all the time: When a dog is having trouble learning something, pose the question" differently!Case in point: I'm fostering a puppy
senior dog lying down

Ode to a Senior Dog

Not one but two friends said goodbye to their beloved senior dogs in the past week. I read their tributes to their beautiful dogs...
dog being dragged by leash

What should you do when you see someone mistreating their dog?

My 10-year-old grandson is visiting from Boston and we went for a bike ride today at midday, to a local park. We were riding...

Puppies Don’t Belong on Craigslist or Facebook

Overrepresented in particular on Craigslist are puppies for sale from pitbull-type dogs of every description. The ads try to make them sound exotic and special – so-called red-noses and blue-noses and dogs of bizarre dimensions, large and small. The fact is, far more of these bully breeds" are being bred than anyone can find homes for

Peanut-Sized Dog With a Mastiff-Sized Attitude

Over the years, I’ve received dozens (if not hundreds) of letters from readers saying, “Thank goodness for WDJ; you just published an article on (fill in the blank) the moment that I needed it to help me deal with my dog.” There have been times that I’ve had the same experience – in which a problem crops up with on of the dogs in my life and -- voila! -- one of my writers submits an article that we’ve not previously discussed. Well, here we go again: Last month, WDJ Training Editor Pat Miller asks whether I’d be interested in an article on dogs who guard their “resources” (food, treats, toys, beds, humans, whatever) from other dogs.

Please Don’t Panic About the Grain-Free Thing

Please note that the FDA's headline did not say anything about grain-free diets" causing heart problems – though almost all the blog posts and articles in other publications have been saying exactly that. If you read the FDA's statement

The 10th Adoptaversary of My Dog, Otto

Otto on the day I brought him home. He was estimated to be about 7 months old. He was about 40 pounds at the time, and I thought he might not get much bigger. But he's still rocking his adult weight of 70.0 pounds.üThe view from my computer chair is dominated by a giant photo of Otto (complete with his adoption date); photos of my previous heart-dog, the darling Rupert; and a photo of my horse best friend, my companion from childhood through young adulthood. I really should have a photo of my son up there, too, shouldn't I?

Lost and Found

Jay did not panic. He went back home. Knowing that Fred is not a fence jumper

Latest Blog

Parallels between Force-Free Training and Gentle Parenting

Both gentle parenting and force-free training emphasize empathy for the living being you're responsible for, and patience with their behavior as their core tenet.