Lifestyle

For 20 years, Whole Dog Journal has upheld its reputation as a leader in dog companionship and care information. We take our mission statement seriously, and we've gained a lot of respect for that over the years, bringing us more and more new readers every month! However, now we'd like to share with our readers both new and old three aspects of the dog guardianship world you will NOT find in Whole Dog Journal.

There are several words that will instantly rouse our three Rhodesian Ridgebacks from even the deepest of sleeps. “Breakfast,” “cookie,” “dinner,” and “out” all result in Aero, Opus, and Amber running enthusiastically toward the kitchen for food or toward the door to be let out in the yard. But there is one magic word that far exceeds the impact of all others: RUN. Saying the “r” word in the Sarubin household results in sheer pandemonium with three big brown dogs frantically campaigning themselves to be “the chosen one” that day. Forget actually saying a word about going running! These dogs know the difference between [IMGCAP(1)]running shorts and regular shorts, running tights and pantyhose, or running shoes and hiking boots. Simply putting on a headband sends them into a frenzy. My running partners for 14 of my 18 years of running have been dogs. In my experience, dogs are, by far, the best running partners. They will run any distance, anywhere at any time, and are always happy about running. They never complain about the weather, let me choose the route, allow me to set the pace and distance, and motivate me to run on an almost-daily basis – more than any human running partner ever could. If you own an athletic dog and are a runner already, or are considering beginning a running program, you have the best of all running partners already living with you.

Contrary to the strongly held opinion of some training and behavior professionals, I'm generally pretty comfortable with allowing canine family members on their humans' beds. In our family, two of our five dogs sleep with my husband and me. Scooter, a Pomeranian, routinely sleeps with us; Dubhy, our Scottish Terrier, graces us with the privilege of his presence on our bed only from time to time. Trainers who adamantly oppose dogs on the bed mostly fall into the old-fashioned training camp, and often, they also buy into all the dominance stuff that's been pretty much discredited by behavioral scientists. Chances are good I would differ with them on many dog training and philosophical issues, not just this one. The dog who wants to sleep on your bed isn't trying to take over the world. He just wants to be close to his humans —and comfortable!

but functions similarly.üCanine Camper is essentially a sparse wire crate encased in canvas."

The term “recovery collar” is becoming the standard term to refer to what has been called an Elizabethan collar, a pet cone, or more humorously, a lampshade, a pet radar dish, and, of course, the misnomer “cone of shame.” There is no shame in needing help! The term Elizabethan collar is still heard frequently, but because it tends to be shortened to e-collar and because that’s also a shortened version of electronic collar, the phrase is falling out of use for this application.

page 24, for contact information for the makers of these products, including this one, the K9 Bike Jogger (formerly known as WalkyDog).

You either love it or hate it: the wet, warm sensation of a dog licking your face. Many of us seek out this kind...

I don't know a single dog owner who hasn't, at some point (or quite frequently), spent an inordinate amount of time trying to capture a stray or lost dog. I know I've caught more than my share in the small town, or its rural surroundings, where I've lived for the past five years. I've caught burr-covered, obviously lost hunting dogs; dogs whose injuries suggested they'd tumbled from the back of a truck; as well as some fluffy little lap-escapees who looked like they were just out for an adventure.

Are you thinking about adding a second (or third, or fourth) dog to your household? Will your current dog be thrilled with a new friend? Will the dogs play with each other, romp together, and keep each other company in your absence? Or will adding another dog to your home create disharmony, chaos, or worse?

Thinking of taking a road trip with your dog? Road trips can be a lot of fun and are a great way to see...

I assume that most Whole Dog Journal readers are as upset as I am when I see someone treating a dog badly. What should you do when you see someone being rough with their dog? Hard as it may be, I urge you to be calm and take several deep breaths before you act. Then . . .

The whole world is aware that we love to buy stuff for our pets; more than $70 billion was spent by U.S. owners on their pets last year. But we have to say that a lot of that spending was a waste! There are tons of cutesy, low-quality products out there that fail to deliver any real benefit to either dogs or their handlers. That's where we can help, with five pages of top-quality stuff that you and your dog will truly enjoy.