Lifestyle

The Whole Dog Journal staff and contributors provide their top picks for the best dog gear to take care of your canine companion this year.

To most people, the word “house-trained” refers to a dog who has been trained not to urinate or defecate indoors. For my parent’s generation, this bit of training was usually accomplished by Mom, who stayed home while the rest of the family went to work or to school. As double-income families became the norm, the home-alone dog was faced with a serious problem. By the time you add a lunch hour and commute time onto an eight-hour work day, a house dog may have to “hold it” for as long as 10 hours before someone finally comes home to let her out. Her legs are probably tightly crossed for at least the last two.

Remote dog treat dispenser can reward a dog even when you can’t (or don’t want to be) directly next to them. Remote rewarding can be useful to teach a wide variety of behaviors where the handler isn’t physically close to the dog, from driving forward in dog agility to building duration sit and down stays at a distance, to helping with door manners.

An immaculately groomed Australian Shepherd sitting at his owner’s feet in an airplane’s bulkhead row. A yappy Malti-Poo in a shopping-cart seat at Target. A furiously wagging Lab-mix in line at the bank. If all three of these fictional Fidos were wearing vests that read “Service Dog,” you wouldn’t give them a second thought. Or would you?

Dog or human, nobody likes being bored. While some boredom is inevitable—this is, after all, real life we’re talking about—proper mental stimulation for dogs...

The biggest risk for dogs from chewing on antlers is broken teeth. Antlers can also splinter and damage a dogs digestive track, or block it.

Here’s something that all of us can agree on: No one should ever buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills are horrific...

My friend has super fast dogs, and they compete in agility. I always imagined that the magnets on the back of her vehicle indicated just how fast they could run: MACH speeds! And C-ATCH: Catch me if you can! Obviously my Border Collie, Duncan, and I didn't get far enough in our brief agility career to earn any titles (he preferred to make up his own courses). But when my curiosity got the better of me and I looked into what, exactly, those letters on my friend's car actually meant, I quickly learned that there are countless titles and certifications that can be bestowed upon our canine companions.

The best safe and durable dog crate is the one that fits your dog and is able to withstand any escape attempts.

Is a collar or a harness better for your dog? It mostly depends on the dog! But the quality of the gear, its design and fit, and how you introduce and use it, will influence how well it suits your dog.

Age, arthritis, and injuries can interfere with your dog’s enjoyment of beds, sofas, and rides in the car. Dog ramps can help inactive dogs enjoy their favorite places again.

Rob was one of the inmates in the Pen Pals program when I spoke there several years ago. It was a delightful surprise to see him at the Pet Professional Guild trainer conference in Tampa, Florida, last fall and have a chance to chat. It is clear from his comments that the program contributed to his successful reintroduction into society. Rob is currently working with a mentor trainer to gain additional experience and knowledge in the field of dog training and behavior.