Search Results for: blog training mouthy puppies

Homecoming: Casey

I was home in New Jersey for a few days, and had the opportunity to visit some friends. One stop I couldn’t miss was the home of my friends M. and L. and their dog Casey. Casey has appeared in the Pets Blog before. I used to be the first choice pet sitter when M. and L. went away for a weekend — she would happily romp in the yard with my dogs Moose and Lally. I’ve known her since she was just a puppy, and was with L. when she picked Casey out at a pet adoption event. When … Continue reading →

Games of Chase

Do you have a dog (or cat) who loves to run and chase? My Lally likes to chase and be chased. If you want to play some running games with your pets, try one of these. Dog-chases-human. This one is quick and easy — just get your dog’s attention and run away from her. Stop when she’s within a few feet and reward her with praise and/or treats. Why stop? Because that will prevent chase from turning into “nip at the human’s ankles”. That’s always a good idea. Hide and chase. My brother’s dog Lily LOVES this game. The idea … Continue reading →

DIY Chew Toy

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My brother’s two dogs are super chewers. We often have a hard time finding toys that will survive for more than a few minutes around their powerful jaws! Recently, I wondered if I could make a toy that would stand up to a power chewer. In theory, it isn’t hard to make a dog toy. Just take the fabric of your choosing, sew it into a simple shape like a rectangle or circle, stuff it with cotton batting, and close the hole. Easy, right? But when you’re dealing with power chewers, you have to be even more crafty. You need … Continue reading →

Pets and Pregnancy

One of my best friends in the world is pregnant, and I’m just delighted. You might remember her dog Casey, who’s appeared in a few stories here and there. Now that my friend has entered her second trimester, Casey has started to act differently. She’s been having accidents in the house — specifically in the kitchen and the bathroom — both while her owners are home and while they’re out at work. I turned to one of my favorite online dog communities to see if anyone else had experienced something similar during their pregnancies. They had! Several ladies wrote in … Continue reading →

Reducing and Preventing Aggression

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You can reduce and prevent aggression in dogs of all breeds and all ages. If you have a puppy, or a dog under one year old: Socialize your dog to a wide variety of people: different ages, sexes, and body sizes. Socialize your dog to a wide variety of friendly dogs. Teach your dog to bite softly. Attend puppy kindergarten that uses reward methods for training and allows puppy play time. Handle your dog all over to get her used to being touched. Start as early as possible; the best age for socialization is between three and twelve weeks old. … Continue reading →

Recognizing Signs of Aggression

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You may not want to believe that your dog can be aggressive. It can be a hard thing to recognize — we often try to assign human motivations to animal behaviors. We try to reason with our pets: “It’s only the mailman; you don’t have to bark at him.” But our dogs don’t think like people. They think like dogs. Aggression is not a breed problem. It can exist in any dog, any breed, at any time. Signs of aggression can include: Growling Snarling Baring teeth/curling lips Mounting people or other animals Lunging Snapping Blocking your path Aggressive barking Biting … Continue reading →