Whether to Offer Stuffed Toys to Your Dog Can Be a Messy Topic…So Let’s Tear into It!
by Daniel Antolec There are many ways to provide dogs with enrichment, and providing stuffed toys is one of them. When I discuss this option with clients, many of them are already giving such toys to their pets, but sometimes I hear concerns about doing so. Let’s explore those concerns. “Stuffed toys are too expensive, and my dog just tears them apart.” Stuffed toys can be expensive, and they can also be quite affordable. Toys that I am willing to spend more money on are made of durable materials, though… Continued
Make Every Walk with Your Dog Fun for Both of You!
Walking the dog. Wikipedia describes dog walking as “…the act of a person walking with a dog, typically from the dog’s residence and then returning.” Sadly, the definition suggests nothing about the walk being enjoyable or, better yet, fun for the dog. Some people might view walking the dog as an obligation to ensure dogs get physical exercise, which entails walking around the block or some other regular course, at an unvarying pace, with the dog in a perfect heel position. That’s not the type of walk where your dog… Continued
Let’s Go on Sniffari!
Should people allow their dogs to sniff during walks, or is it all about marching forward in lockstep? I suppose the tone of the question predicts my response. I suggest that dogs not only be allowed to sniff but should be encouraged and empowered to do so…and here is why. As a professional dog trainer and behavior consultant, I enjoy educating the public about dogs. My motivation is to help others avoid the many mistakes I made with my puppy in 1983, when I knew nothing about raising a puppy. Note to… Continued
How Much Fetch Is Too Much?
How does a pet steward satisfy a dog’s strong desire to play without turning it into an obsession? Most dogs love to play, and some dogs love it so much that it can become an obsessive behavior. When my wife and I adopted Bruno, a chocolate Labrador, the foster family told us that he would play fetch for hours. Uh-oh. When I worked at a dog daycare, among the 200 dogs I knew, there was one who herded plastic balls constantly, all day long, for several days a week, never taking… Continued
How Can Sniffing Improve Your Dog’s Life?
Our dogs make no secret of how much they love to use their noses and have a good sniff. Some dogs make a very respectable career out of their nose power, detecting drugs or explosives. Others though, put their noses to much more embarrassing use, crotch sniffing visitors or poking it where it’s really not wanted! So why is sniffing so important to your pet? And what can you do to fulfill their sniffing needs without any embarrassment? As humans our primary sense is our sight, but for our dogs,… Continued
Looking for a Fun Way to Enrich the Life of Your Cat? Give Agility a Try!
Modeled after the equestrian sport of show jumping and adapted first by the dog world, feline agility is a team sport whereby a handler directs a cat through a preset obstacle course. By the very fact that agility is a team sport, it can strengthen the bond between you and your cat. Agility has physical and cognitive benefits too. It gets everyone off the couch, burns calories, and builds muscles. Because it draws on environmental memory, agility helps cats adapt more easily to new situations. Finally, agility uses cats’ natural… Continued
Visiting Public Dog Parks, or Not
It seems public dog parks are popping up all around the county I live in, and clients frequently ask me “What do you think about dog parks?” to which I reply, “I like the concept, but not like the consequences.” What Is the Concept of a Dog Park? A fenced property is provided for public use where folks may take their dogs to either play by themselves or with other dogs. Some parks have a single fence while others are divided into small dog spaces and large dog spaces.… Continued
Should I Play Tug with My Puppy?
Should I play tug with my puppy? Yes, with only a few simple rules. There are many myths in the world of dog training. One such myth is that playing tug with a dog encourages aggressive behavior. There is no evidence supporting that notion, so you can relax and play tug with your pup. So, why are puppies so mouthy? One common, if not universal, complaint I hear from puppy families is that their pups grab their clothing and tug. Consider that everything in the puppy’s world is a new… Continued
Summer Fun for Dogs & Puppies
It’s summertime (in the Northern Hemisphere) with longer days, meaning that we can spend more time enjoying the nice weather with our puppies or dogs. For Dogs Who Love Water If you are spending time in the garden, make sure you provide shade and water. If your dog or puppy enjoys a paddle, then you can provide a paddling pool for your pup to play in and you can buy toys that float. Be careful with your dog or puppy around your sprinkler and limit the use or buy a… Continued
Why is Play So Important for Your Relationship with Your Dog?
Isn’t playing with your dog just the best? Playing with your dog is something that can be done anytime, anywhere. We can use play as a great way of bonding with our dogs, and also use it as a motivator for training. Bonding with Your Dog Through Play Here are our thoughts on why play is so good for strengthening the relationship between you and your dog: It gives your dog a workout. Play is a great way to exercise with your dog, help them burn off some energy and… Continued
Dog Parks, a Closer Look!
Everyone seems to get excited at the prospect of a new dog park arriving nearby. I get it! Our mind’s eye pictures the many dogs running, chasing and having a great time! We catch ourselves with a gleeful smile at the happiness this visit will bring for our own four-legged loved one. Dog Park Perceptions vs. Reality The first dog park was opened in 1979 in Berkeley California. Since then they have continued to pop up across the country with a call from dog lovers that these locations… Continued
Six Ways to Keep Your Dog Cool During the Summer Months
1. Baby pool Some dogs might not enjoy swimming in their big backyard pool, but enjoying laying in a baby pool. Some even like to roll around in it. 2. Sprinkler Some pups might not enjoy submerging themselves in a pool, but love to run free through a sprinkler. 3. Slip and Slide We’ve had many dogs grace our homes who enjoyed the slip and slide. They can run down it, lay in the water, dash through the water feature. 4. Splash Pad This combines the fun… Continued
Safety Tips for Dogs Who Love Water
When the weather turns warm, we all enjoy a cool dip in the pool. Our dogs are no different. Safety should always be a priority. These tips will help your dog stay safe around water, so you can have a fun summer season. Whenever your dog is around water make sure he/she is wearing a life jacket. I teach my dogs that they can only swim if they are wearing their life jackets. My dogs are also only allowed on a boat if they are wearing a life jacket.… Continued
Therapy Work for Pet Dogs
Many people feel that their dogs are missing out on something as a pet, or feel that others could also enjoy their dogs. Therapy work is a great way to give your dog a job that can improve life for both you and your dog, and also people in your community. Opportunities For dogs with very calm temperaments and basic training, there are many opportunities for you both to pay visits to specific places such as schools, hospitals, retirement homes, and other workplaces to offer help to others. Therapy… Continued
Agility for Cats!? A Cat Behavior Consultant Answers What, Why and How
Our three cats coax us daily for their agility time in our basement! Agility is also a sport that I have introduced to more than one of our foster kittens and taught to more than one of my clients and/or students. What is Agility? It’s a sport whereby a handler directs a cat through a preset obstacle course. Modeled after the equestrian sport of show jumping, and adapted first by the dog world, agility is designed to demonstrate coordination, intelligence, beauty of movement, training, and speed. In competition, cats… Continued
Assistance Animals: It’s NOT All Work and No Play!
Every dog wants to have fun, at least some of the time, and that goes for assistance animals such as service dogs, emotional support dogs, and therapy dogs. While some assistance dogs need to be on the ready 24/7 to aid their handlers when a need arises, that doesn’t mean they never get a break. Handlers of working assistance animals love their dogs and are grateful for the support they provide. They see their dogs as friends and trusted family members, and they want to enrich their lives as much… Continued
The Essence of a Dog: A Free Education from a Free Choice Walk
By giving our dogs as much autonomy as we safely can, we can learn a lot about body language and social interactions from observing their behavior © Karolin Klinck One cold day last spring, snow still clinging to the ground and ceding to the warm sun only on the tips of south-facing hillocks, I decided to do something new. I wouldn’t walk my dogs; nor would I walk with my dogs. I would instead be walked by my dogs. I decided to simply follow my dog Mischa for… Continued
Enrichment – Providing Pets with Activities to Improve Welfare
You know we don’t really think about our pets as being in captivity but if you think about it, they are. Animals that are held by humans and prevented from escaping are deemed to be captive. The term captive is usually applied to wild animals that are held in zoos and theme parks, but this can be a general term used for all types of animals confined whether it be in zoos, farming and agriculture or our pets. Think about this for a moment. Our pets are captive animals. What does that… Continued
Environmental Enrichment for Equines
If you share your life with cats, dogs, or even birds, then you have likely heard of the term ‘Environmental Enrichment’ (or Behavioral Enrichment in some circles). But did you know it can be used with equines, too? Fundamentals The fundamental strategy of enrichment for animals is to consider a species’ natural behaviors and the individual animal’s unique personality to devise ways to encourage and increase their expression. Horses, for example, are grazing animals that move long distances in small increments while foraging for the perfect grass; how can we… Continued
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