An astounding 54% of dogs in America are overweight or obese, according to the Association for Pet Obesity. That’s right! A whopping one-third of American pets fall into that category. And while most people don’t seem too concerned with their pet’s weight (I mean, they’re just dogs right), this can lead to some serious health …
How to use a body condition score before your dog goes from fit to fat. Read More »
If you are new to the concept of fitness training for your dog I’m here to help you understand from the ground up how canine fitness can help your dog no matter their age, their daily activity, and whether they are a working, sport, or a loving pet. First in this blog post we’ll just …
Tomorrow we have a vet appointment for our 14 year old Chinese Crested, AJ. A vet appointment that I’ve been dreading. No, it isn’t THE vet appointment quite yet but still every vet appointment for a senior dog can be life changing. You see AJ has a long , beautiful, slender neck and inside that …
Something incredible, magical, almost miraculous happened the first Sunday in June. It was time, it truly was that time to try to complete our first NW2 level NACSW Nose Work Trial. And I couldn’t have been more proud, and frankly completely surprised, of the outcome. Luckily a local host was approved for two days of …
With warmer temperatures finally here in the midwest, more people are out and about. I don’t blame them. The parks and trails are now over flowing with people out for a stroll with their dogs. I love that. But that brings up a point about traveling safely with your dog. Are you doing enough to …
Some people might think I’m crazy but training a dog to recall , or come when called, is one of my favorite things to train and trouble shoot. In my opinion it is one of the most pinnacle skills a dog parent should teach. First it should be fun. Second, a recall could be a …
April is Animal Anticruelty Awareness month. How are you going to get involved? Every year my employer holds a giving campaign over the period of a couple of weeks. It is a time of year that we reflect on our passions and the diverse organizations that we support. One of the creative activities for the …
If you can’t adopt, 3 other options to save a dogs life. Read More »
We all know that bees are amazing. If you don’t know that I’m here to tell you, they are. They support the worlds food supply, isn’t that enough? But not only that, they produce some pretty awesome superfoods themselves. One of them is bee pollen. What is bee pollen exactly? Flowering plants produce pollen and …
My boyfriend and I have wanted to take “our boys” on an RV vacation for years and we finally did the fall of 2018. We’ve traveled with the dogs many times before but being in RV was new for all of us. I’ve loved camping and being in the outdoors my whole life but Mark …
February is not just about valentines and candy hearts. Another reason to love February is that it is National Pet Dental Awareness month. Dental health is a very important topic and can often be overlooked for our pets. When was the last time a visit to your trusted vet included an exam of your pet’s …
4 ways to help maintain your dogs healthy gums and teeth Read More »
The Chinese animal zodiac is a repeating cycle of 12 years. Each year is represented by an animal and its reputed attributes. In order, the 12 animals are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. 2018 was, in essence, the year of the Dog. And even though it is …
How did you celebrate the Chinese Year of the Dog? Read More »
Do you have an itchy dog? A dog that suddenly has issues with certain foods or proteins? Maybe a dog with chronic yeasty ears or feet? Doesn’t that seem peculiar that suddenly your dog became allergic to the environment or their food? Or why sudden overgrowth of yeast? These symptoms of dis-ease …
Titer Testing: Step by Step to Protect Your Dogs Health Read More »
Do any of these sounds familiar? Your new puppy’s rear half seems to move at a different speed then its front half. The sweet senior dog struggles to get to its feet after a cozy nap. Your high speed “powering through life” sport dog is dropping bars or jumping short of their personal best during a …
Did you know your dog has superpowers? Let me remind you about their incredible ability to detect scents. Dig into this blog post and I’ll share the some benefits of playing around with scent work and maybe even trying it out for sport.
Nail trims, the dreaded nail trims. There are few things that are more hated by most dogs. Luckily I’ve trained Chase to relax on his side as I dremel each nail. I don’t trust myself with nail clippers and every time I took him to a groomer he just screamed when they touched his nails. …
As a kid, I remember the dog foods of the 70s and 80s. Many of these brands made their way into our family home. The criteria was simple, what ever was on sale. They were convenient, inexpensive , and these companies poured money into their marketing departments to appeal to the growing numbers of …
Deb’s journey to feeding her dogs a whole food diet. Read More »
I can remember the very first dog training class I ever attended. I was a young girl just starting in 4H. My mom and dad agreed to take me and one of our family dogs to a 4H sponsored training class. I shudder to think about that class today. One trainer and a circle …
First let me preface this blog post in saying that you never, never, ever have to compete in a nose work trial in order to have sniffing fun with your dog. The benefits for you and your dog from the training process of scent detection can never be replaced with ribbons and records. But this …
My first dog sport, tips for participating in Nose Work trials Read More »
It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine? Could you be mine?… Won’t you be my neighbor? I think we all know the tune to the above lyrics sang by the beloved Mr. Rogers. If you think about the word neighbor, what comes to mind? …
What if you … …could understand more clearly what causes your dog stress or why they behave a certain way in a situation? …weren’t sure what your dogs favorite treat was? …wanted to know what your dog thought about the new puppy you brought into your pack? Well, what if I told you ……you can! …
