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K9 Drill and Demo Teams

What brings together heelwork, tricks, music, a little high school nostalgia, and takes it all to a whole new level? K9 drill, display, and demonstration teams are not new, but as more of us are looking for different ways to showcase the rewards of positive training to the larger dog community, the concept of drill and demo teams is gathering steam. The term “drill team” may evoke images of military marching routines (historically, military drill teams did occasionally include dogs), but today’s K9 drill and demo teams take many forms that involve dog/handler pairs. “I define it as a group of dog/handler teams, moving in unison to create a changing picture of shapes and lines, with or without music,” says Doris Herber, a retired dog trainer and behavior consultant who participated for several years in a drill team with her Basenji, Kodi.

Types of Dog Gates

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The selection of dog gates for use indoors – and even outside your house – has exploded in recent years. Here are the most helpful dog-gate types.
The best no-pull dog leashes can help with dog's pulling and trying to drag their owners around.

Best Affordable No-Pull Dog Harness

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Everyone wants to walk their dog without being pulled down the street. Not only is it unpleasant for you, but a dog who constantly pulls on his collar—and therefore his throat—can injure himself. A good no-pull harness is a training aid that encourages the dog not to pull without causing them harm, pain, or making the walk more punishing.
Long term shelter dog behavior can differ from dogs who have never been to a shelter, or only stayed short term.

What To Expect When Adopting a Long-Stay Shelter Dog

Adopting a dog who has been a long-term resident at a shelter can be an incredibly rewarding experience. Long stints in an animal shelter...

What a Waste!

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The animal shelter where I often volunteer is less than a mile from a big box super store. Both are located in a low-income town in a low-income county – a rural area in northeastern California (i.e., not one of the parts of the state that you’ve heard about). Donations to the shelter are welcome, much-needed, and scarce. So, when the shelter gets a call, as it does occasionally, from a manager at that big-box store, saying that he has some dented cans of cat food or ripped bags of dog food or kitty litter that he’d like to donate to the shelter, an animal control officer is immediately dispatched to go pick up that donation, with gratitude. These donations tend to be small, but regular, and they definitely help the shelter feed and care for more animals than it would be able to otherwise.

How to Create Just a Little More Physical Space Between You and Your Dog...

you can direct her out of your way by having her follow your hand with her nose.üStart teaching Off" with a tossed-treat lure; then
Man's hand giving cute small black and white dog medicine, pills for arthritis. The owner feeds the dog from his hand.

How to Give a Dog a Pill

Many medications can be compounded into flavored chews or liquid suspensions, but others cannot. For these wrapping the pills in a treat or a pet piller that keeps your hands free of your dog's mouth provide an alternative.

5 Things To Do If You Witness Animal Abuse

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 . . .
dog gear

Whole Dog Journal’s 2022 Dog Gear of The Year

Check out the most exciting and useful dog products you can use in the new year.
The biggest dogs in the world were bred for specific jobs, and this affects their behavior in ways you might want to consider.

Biggest Dog Breeds

What are some of the biggest dogs in the world, and why you may or may not want to share your home with one?

Best Dog Gear of the Year: 2016

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According to that book that everyone has been talking about for over a year (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up), we're all supposed to get rid of stuff that doesn't bring us joy. You may have been working on that, or not. That's your business. Our business is telling you about stuff that will bring you and your dog joy! Or, at the very least, keep him safer and more comfortable. That's something to be joyous about, in our book!
Two sartorial terriers, Zoe and Zak, on a winter stump in front of Lake Tahoe.

Dog Cold Weather Gear: Dressing Your Dog for Winter

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Healthy, adult, heavy-coated dogs may not need them, but sweaters and other cold-weather gear can help puppies, short-haired dogs, and older dogs keep warm to thrive in winter weather.