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But where to put the poop that you pick up? Q: We know it’s important to pick up your dog’s poop to protect the environment. But where is the appropriate place to dispose of it? Also, how does dog poop differ from the waste of foxes, wolves, coyotes and deer, cows, and horses, all of […]

Why Dogs Eat Grass n Some people say their dog eats grass to help himself throw up when he has stomach upset. Others say their pet simply enjoys the activity. Who’s right? Both. Some dogs do seem to eat grass with a passion from time to time, followed by vomiting and then appearing perfectly relaxed. […]

It is possible to feed a healthful diet to an average-size dog for just a few hundred dollars a year. Why, then, do some people pay three times as much — or more? Frequently, they have fallen under the spell of “premiumization.” Premiumization is a marketing term that was first used in the alcohol industry […]

You know never to hit your dog and would never intentionally do anything to harm her. You know, too, that the best way to teach her not to do something is to redirect her attention by showing her what to do and rewarding her for getting it right. Still, you may be engaging in a […]

Nearly one out of every two dogs in the U.S. weighs less than 25 pounds, making small and toy dogs the biggest single category of canine pets. Waning are the days when people needed good-size cattle dogs to herd sheep or hunting dogs to ferret out a grouse for dinner. Adorably little is in. But […]

The Dog Aging Project, a national research effort to learn how to foster healthy longevity in canines and, by extension, in people, is looking to expand its pack of participants across the country. To date, more than 30,000 people with dogs have volunteered for this $23-million-dollar project, financed by the National Institute on Aging. But […]

Because dogs live an average of 10 to 15 years, and our lifespan averages closer to 80, we don’t generally expect to go first. Yet more than a half million pets are orphaned each year due to an owner’s death or disability. And shelters are full of pets whose owners died without making provisions for […]

You adopt a golden retriever because you know that breed gets along well with people, but as she grows into adulthood you find that she’s just not that much of a social animal. Some would even say she’s a bit aloof. What happened? Nothing. It’s just that, according to a new study involving more than […]

But why was the older dog left at the shelter? Q: My wife and I like the idea of adopting an older dog who might not otherwise have the opportunity  to live in a home, but what’s giving us pause is wondering why a family would leave a dog at a shelter in the first […]

Brush Your Short-Haired Dog, Too Even short-haired breeds like beagles and boxers require regular brushing, not just Afghans and collies. Why? Brushing doesn’t just make a dog look good. It distributes protective oils from a dog’s skin throughout her coat, removes dirt, helps keep her skin free of irritants, and, in general, helps the hair […]

Are you aware of the Food and Drug Administration’s pet food hygiene guidelines for minimizing the spread of harmful bacteria in your home that can make you or your dog sick? If not, you’re by no means alone. When researchers asked pretty much the same question of more than 400 people with dogs participating in […]