If you’re ready to take your dog training to the next level, beyond basic obedience, get started with the spin trick. Learn how to teach your dog to spin with our easy step-by-step guide below. Remember, when it comes to dog training, choose the methods that help your dog succeed. Use positive reinforcement to encourage your dog to spin, and resist attempts to force them to move quicker than they are ready; training should always be enjoyable for both dogs and humans. With the below steps, imagine your dog going around a clock face. 1. To get started with the…
Author: kaitech
This article explores the topics of seizures and epilepsy in dogs. In particular, it looks at some of the research on the natural compound cannabidiol, also known as CBD oil, and its anticonvulsant properties. Finally, it covers the state of research in veterinary medicine regarding CBD for dog seizures. According to theAKC Health Foundation, seizures in dogs can have a variety of causes, including exposure to toxins, illness, injury, a specific stimulus (such as a loud noise) or problems with metabolism. Three basic categories of seizures in dogs have been identified: • Idiopathic Epilepsy: The most common type of seizure…
Dog’s name and age: Bandit, 6 years Nicknames: Bandito, Ban-Ban, Band, Mr. Squeakyballs, Fluffy Butt, Bear Adoption Story: At age 34, I had a stroke. Over the next year, I did physical and occupational therapy to relearn how to walk and use my hand again. On the first anniversary of having a stroke, I saw Bandit up for up for adoption. When I saw him in person, it was love at first sight. I knew having Bandit in my life would help me continue bouncing back from my stroke, and we have been inseparable for the last six years. Bandit got…
People have a remarkable ability to remember and recall events from the past, even when those events didn’t hold any particular importance at the time they occurred. Recognizing what we ate yesterday for breakfast or remembering who we talked to the week before is something that comes naturally to us humans; it’s called episodic memory. But pet parents often wonder, do dogs think about the past like I do? Researchers in 2016 investigated this idea with a study on the topic of canine memory. In the journal Current Biology, the group published a report showing that dogs have that kind of “episodic…
All in the family: The modern ‘multispecies’ household meshes pet/people dynamics After generations of evolving from large agrarian families to nuclear families and then morphing into single-parent families and no-parent families (married or unmarried), behold the modern “multispecies” family. The current status of our beloved dogs and cats has ushered in a new type of household unit comprised of tightly-knit human and nonhuman members. We see evidence of this in legislation allowing divorce courts to consider custody of the family pet and millennial home buyers with pets who pass on a home unsuitable for their dog. Community demands that rescue…
A key part of being a pet parent is the fulfilling and nurturing relationships we build with animals as part of our families. Dogs (and other pets) are ever-present in our lives, and their influence has been shown to be beneficial to the physical and mental health of children, adults, and seniors alike. But how did animals become so deeply rooted in American homes and lives? In the new book, Just Like Family: How Companion Animals Joined the Household (New York University Press: 2021), SMU sociologist Andrea Laurent-Simpson dives into the question of how the modern family–the multispecies family–came to…
Have you ever seen what you thought was a lost dog but, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a coyote? Coyotes are often encountered by those near wildlife reserves, forests, or farms—but that’s now changing. Now more than ever, we must be aware of their increasing co-existence among humans in urban areas when walking alone or with our pets. However, it is important how we choose to coexist as coyotes are incredibly beneficial for our natural ecosystem. As omnivores, coyotes are our cities’ top predators, also known as “nature’s clean-up crew,” reducing the population of rodents and scavenging on…
With over 3 million dogs entering U.S. animal shelters every year, there’s never been a better time to help our furry companions. Stray dog sightings can be a typical sight in my community, and this was actually how I found my own dog. I found him wandering the neighborhood as a stray, later discovering that he was dumped a few weeks prior after his owners decided they no longer wanted him. It’s fortunate that I found him and was able to keep him because if he were to end up in a local overcrowded shelter, he likely would have been…
Reuniting you with your lost pet only scratches the surface of what a GPS dog collar promises these days. A new generation of “smart” dog tracking collars can save your pet’s life in more ways than one. By monitoring your pup’s health and fitness — tracking everything from their activity levels and sleep patterns to water intake and food portions — pet parents can be alerted to changes in their dog’s behavior which could signal early signs of illness before the symptoms are advanced (not to mention, more expensive to treat). If you, like us, are always wondering what your…
With adoptions on the rise and nearly three quarters of U.S. households owning a pet, it makes sense that we, as pet parents, are eager to find the answers to all things dog. Recent studies have found that mixed-breed dogs represent more than half of all dogs who share our homes — more than any single purebreed. The mixed-breed dog truly is America’s dog! If your mixed-breed pup has really unique markings, curious behavioral tendencies, or chronic health issues, you can’t help but wonder where those traits came from. Are Poodle-like curls a sign that your dog could be hypoallergenic?…