DOG OWNERSHIP

The game of Tug has an undeserved bad rap in some training circles, while others, most notably the Agility world, have fully embraced it as an excellent activity to create focus and high arousal. Those two extremes aside, its a great game just because its fun, many dogs adore it, its the perfect play activity for human family members who might otherwise want to get in appropriately physical with the dog and its a terrific energy-burner.

One of the most commonly-heard myths about playing Tug is that it makes the dog dominant. Theres so much misinformation passed around about hierarchy in dogs - this is just another log on the fire. If you are concerned about what Tug might do to your relationship with your dog, just remember that the definition of leader is the one who controls the good stuff, and orchestrate your Tug-play accordingly.

Your best option for finding compatible playmates for your dog is to identify your dogs play style and select dogs of similar size, energy level, and play style preference.Size matters. No doubt there are dogs of significant size disparity who can play well together, but as a general rule, its wise to keep the difference in the realm of 25 pounds or less. A playful dog can easily injure a little dog, even

Everyone in the family, including children, should play with their dogs. Even young children can be suitable playmates for many dogs, with some important caveats. Assuming your dog likes to play, the more humans she gets to play with, the more humans shell think are wonderful because they make good stuff happen, and the better socialized shell be. Dogs who are will-socialized are far less likely to bite or otherwise engage in behaviors that are…

Sooner or later, your dog will get chewing gum, tar, tree sap, burrs, or some other sticky or tenacious substance in her fur. To get rid of sticky stuff without cutting the hair, work some vegetable oil into the goo with your fingers. The oil will help break up the goo into smaller pieces, which you can gently pull out of the fur. When youre done, bathe your dog with a mild dog shampoo to…

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I was not thrilled. Our border collie Franklin had an infection that, after blood tests and medications and the requisite cone around his head so he wouldn't lick the affected spot, cost us almost $500. But then I read an article that demonstrated Franklin and the other 80 million or so dogs in the United States (along with other pets) are helping to save …

Any reader of this newsletter has got to like a woman who writes a book about animals in general but entitles a chapter near the beginning, The Dog: I Have to Admit, Hands Down My Favorite. That woman is Tracey Stewart, who followed her heart more than 15 years ago and left the field of design to become a veterinary technician, or animal nurse. Her love of animals started with dogs - well, one dog in…

1. At the beginning of the twentieth century, pit bulls were among the most popular family dogs, even given the moniker nanny dogs. In the 1980s, they became the dog of choice for drug dealers, dogfighters, and gangs, living in deplorable conditions and becoming aggressive as a result of their circumstances. Much of their …

For some 50 years, there have been guidelines in human medicine for what constitutes a level I trauma center and what constitutes a level...

Veterinary trauma centers come with equipment and staff not found at the typical vet's office: the ability to give blood transfusions, surgeons who can...

Patti Moran chided us in a recent letter about something we printed in the November issue on finding a pet sitter when youre going to be away from home:

I was very pleased to see the article exploring pet-care options for traveling pet owners….However, I was very concerned - and quite surprised - that a publication like yours did not encourage pet owners to seek professional pet-care options or…