Barking is natural. It’s just what dogs do and it’s unreasonable to expect or demand that a dog not bark at all. The problem with barking is that it can become excessive and disrupt what would otherwise be a nice quite day not only for your own family, but for your neighbors as well. Should your neighbors complain and call animal control or the cops about your barking dog, you could face a citation! Here are a few suggestions you can try to stop dog barking problems.  read more »

What some people fail to realize is that socialization of a dog isn’t an option. It’s a requirement. A lot of strange puppy behavior stems from a lack of proper socialization that only generates fear, aggression, or fear-aggression from things that aren’t threatening at all. This article therefore expands on the importance of socialization just so there’s no doubt left about the topic at all.  read more »

Dog vaccinations are an important part of preventing canine diseases. They contain antigens that trigger a dog’s immune system. This article introduces dog vaccination pros and cons, and cautions as well.  read more »

As mentioned in our article about dog obedience training, a dog trainer works with a dog suffering from a specific behavior problem in the environment that it’s most comfortable in: its own home. This article expands on the topic of dog trainers in more detail.

In addition to training dogs, a dog trainer also teaches owners how to handle a problematic pet. But because these lessons take place at the owner’s home, they’re much more expensive than classroom lessons.  read more »

If you ask any dog owner for the one thing she wishes she could do with her dog, the answer would probably be to understand what it’s trying to say. Just think about it – If there were a way to finally understand what all the dog barking sounds, growls, and whining truly meant! Consider this article your best bet toward interpreting dog sounds. It might not be perfect, but it’s the closest thing you’ll probably find. Enjoy!  read more »

Like barking, chewing, and jumping, dog digging behavior is natural. You’ll especially see dog digging behavior in dogs that have been bred to do so. Dachshunds for example, were bred to chase after badgers through tunnels and into dens. And Yorkshire terriers were bred to chase rabbits and other burrowing animals underground. Spitzes not only dug up food, they buried what wasn't consumed and also dug tunnels of their own to give birth in warm dens. Today’s dogs don’t dig for the same reasons. Today's dogs dig because they need to exercise, relieve boredom, bury toys or bones, make personal beds, or simply to satisfy the curiosity of what’s beneath the ground. Here’s how to redirect the tendency toward a more appropriate place.  read more »

Like barking, digging, and jumping, dog chewing and puppy chewing is a natural canine behavior. It helps clean teeth, strengthen gums and the jaw, and quite honestly, it passes the time. Here’s how to redirect that energy toward something more productive.  read more »

Got chasing dogs? A dog that seemingly chases everything is satisfying its natural disposition toward chasing prey. It doesn’t really matter what the prey is (a rabbit, a bird, a car, leaf, or another person). If it moves, chasers chase it. That spells trouble when you consider dogs don’t understand safety precautions and can’t predict danger the way we can. Confining a chasing dog is one approach to solving the problem, but there are other solutions.  read more »

In the past, you would typically find an assortment of dog food available in three specific types: puppy, adult, and senior. Today, you'll find a wider assortment of the best dog food available addressing specific needs: ages, breeds, sizes, and health conditions. This is because of what we continue to learn about dogs every day. Dogs are about as individual as they can come, and it can be a health risk to feed them assuming otherwise.  read more »

For whatever reason, dogs love to dash out of any door that leads to the outside. Whether it’s the front door, the back door, the garage door, or the doggy door, all dogs try to run to the other side of them without much warning at all. As you can guess, this is extremely dangerous – especially if the door opens to a busy street. Fortunately, this is one of the easiest dog behaviors to correct.  read more »