Care

Dogs that compete in field trials, agility or herding competitions or those that play fly-ball or Frisbee automatically come to mind as canine athletes. Then there are seeing-eye dogs, rescue dogs, police dogs, drug dogs, and a host of others whose work is just as athletically challenging. It is easy to understand how these top performance animals might benefit from massage. The fact is, however, that even our four-legged friends who aspire to perfect their skills as couch potatoes are athletes in their own right.

There are dozens of grinding tools on the market – products specifically for trimming dogs’ nails, as well as rotary tools designed for woodworking...

There are seat belt laws in most states now, and young children are legally required to be restrained in safety seats in cars in all states. But nowhere is there a law requiring dogs to be safely contained in vehicles. Those that do only address restraint for dogs in the back of open pick-up trucks. (And even when dogs are safely restrained in the back of a truck, the potential for the dog to be severely injured in an accident is great.

Looking for a special gift for a friend – or, better yet, a friend’s dog? We've put together this helpful gift guide for dogs,...

Regarding your recent article on vaccination - thank you for confirming my belief that its the excessive challenging of the dog’s immune system that is responsible for so many auto-immune disorders. I am a non-practicing LVT in New York state and I have three dogs, two of whom have autoimmune disorders. I used to vaccinate religiously, and even brought the vaccines home to administer them.

When you use a dog walking app service, you are inviting a stranger into your home who you have not vetted. You are handing your four-legged family member, with all his or her unique quirks, to a well-intentioned dog lover who most likely does not have the requisite education and training to keep your dog safe by understanding body language, recognizing early warning signs, knowing how to avoid incident, and what to do should something go wrong. This puts your dog at greater risk.

It might be an exaggeration, but dogs that don't pull seem to be an exception rather than the rule.

Get water out of your dog’s ear at home with a cotton ball.

As you may know, because for months I've talked about almost nothing else, I've been on a puppy-fostering jag since November. My shelter has a hard time with keeping large litters of puppies clean, warm, dry, and healthy, particularly in the winter; I guess that's true for many if not most shelters. So I've been taking on one litter after another, starting with my first-ever foster-fail pup Woody, who was one of nine puppies; then a litter of six Chihuahua/terrier-mixes, all boys; another litter of nine cattle dog/pit-mixes, all adorably freckled; and I'm at the tail end (no pun intended) of a litter of seven German Shepherd/hound/who-knows-what-mixes. Playing with and caring for the pups has been fun, challenging, messy, expensive, and interesting! But here is the latest thing I've been fascinated with: the people who come to adopt a puppy – and end up walking out, or at least trying to walk out, with two.

Dry skin in dogs contributes to dull coats, dander, hair loss, skin odor, itching, scratching, and irritation. Relieve your dog’s dry skin discomfort with simple home remedies that work.

Some behaviors don't lend themselves well to a total choice approach, but you may be able to use a Choice/Conditioning-hybrid procedure, still giving your dog some sense of control over his own world. Here's one such procedure:

There are many different types of plant oils that people use to supplement their dogs’ diets, including oils from flaxseed, olives, coconut, vegetables, hempseed, and more. Some of these oils can provide benefits, but others are not helpful and may even contribute to inflammation.