But What’s With Their Tails?
Cats use their tails to help with balance. Think of the way you might hold out your arms to steady yourself as you make your way along a narrow ledge. Cats are frequently walking along narrow perches — bookshelves and so on — and their tails, which are long for their bodies, help them not to slip. Is it the same for dogs?
When Your Rescue Dog Turns Aggressive On You
You’ve had your rescue dog for a little while, and everything seemed fine at first. He was a bit meek, but you figured he’d relax after a while. Now, though, he is sounding a low growl if you go near his bowl while he’s eating — or baring his teeth if you go to pick up one of his toys. What’s going on?
Dog Language 101: Three Commonly Misunderstood Canine “Expressions”
Imagine if you reached out to shake someone’s hand and they grabbed you by the shoulders and kissed you on the lips. Dogs go...
When the Dog is Afraid to Be Groomed
Mike O’Hallaron of Frontenac, Missouri, is distraught. “We have a 7-year-old goldendoodle named Princess who has always been petrified of getting bathed,” he writes....
Why Won’t He Just Come When I Tell Him To?
For just about everything you teach your dog to do, you’re supposed to praise him after he gets it right. With “Come,” it’s important...
Why Dogs Sniff Our Groins — and How to Stop It
One reason dogs sniff our groins is that the area is right in front of them at nose level. They don’t have to jump...
Why Has the Dog Started Pulling Garbage from the Trash Can?
Seemingly out of nowhere, your dog starts going into the trash can and pulling everything out. What’s going on?
To get to the bottom...
One of the Most Important Words to Teach Your Dog: Wait!
One way to get your dog to wait is to cue him to “Sit,” which is the very first word many dogs are taught....
Therapy Dogs in Funeral Homes
While some people may consider a funeral service or a viewing to be an inappropriate venue for a dog, more and more funeral homes...
When Your Male Dog Urinates Like a Girl
You know how it works. Male dogs lift a leg to urinate; females squat. But sometimes a male dog squats to void urine as...
What’s In a Name? (A Lot, Actually)
Duchess, Lassie, Champ, and Spot are out. Lucy, Maggie, Max, and Charlie are in. Why the shift in the names we give our dogs?...
Authoritative Versus Authoritarian
Many of us have high expectations of our dogs, but how we respond to them when they follow through successfully makes all the difference...
