Teach Your Dog Manners: Why Your Dog Should Wait To Eat

Dogs love food.  Well, most dogs do.  Some have better manners than others, but most treat dinnertime as a free-for-all.  Dinnertime is a great opportunity to teach your dog, and using that time to teach your dog manners means they won’t be knocking the bowl out of your hand, or fighting with each other.

Learn about why your dog acts up at dinner time, and how to get him to knock that nonsense off.  It’s important in the long-term respect that your dog should have for you, as well as keeps your kitchen clean and family safe.

How to Stop a Pushy Dog

As a life long retriever person, I know a lot about pushy dogs.  Labs love everything.  They are not known as a breed with impeccable manners. When my Labs want something, they go for it with much enthusiasm and not much forethought.  I haven’t met a Lab that wasn’t a pushy dog in some way.

So, when trying to maintain a pack of them, I had to teach them all to wait for my command, because otherwise anarchy reigned.  I learned these techniques to keep my pack in order and my sanity intact.

Taking Care of a Kitten: The Master Kitten Raising Guide

Taking care of a kitten seems easy, right? Litter box, food bowl, water dish, and a few toys, and you’re set, right?

Well, yes–if your only goal is to keep the kitten alive. To raise a well-adjusted kitten, it takes a little bit of planning and making good rules from the beginning. I’m going to use my Master Kitten Raising Guide to teach you how to raise a well-mannered, friendly, and fun cat.

Seven Reasons Your Cat Won’t Use the Litter Box

Most people keeping cats desperately fear the day their cat won’t use the litter box.  Thousands of cats find themselves homeless after refusing to use the litterbox and instead urinating or defecating in any number of places.  Many cats choose the bed, or the laundry.  Others choose the bathtub, or defecate just outside the box itself.

Sometimes their owners don’t even know that they’ve stopped using the box–they just smell an odor and eventually find a mess.  Maybe they punish the cat–but the cat has no idea why.  The cat had a specific reason for refusing the box, and punishing only means they must try harder to hide their mess.

Most cats stop using the box for one of these major reasons.  Most problems resolve quickly if treated quickly.

How to Get Your Dog’s Attention

A few weeks ago, I finally had the opportunity to attend a dog show again.  I used to show my Labradors in conformation and obedience, and even dabbled in agility and working certificate tests.  My son and his father are allergic to dogs, and neither can live with them in the house.  It was a heartbreaking necessity to place my pets.

I miss this part of my life, so I went along to hang with the old crowd.  The Ann Arbor Kennel Club put on the event, and over a thousand dogs entered the show.  The show is held outdoors, under a large tent, with smaller breeds inside.  As I was standing under the tent, they handed me a leash to hold, with the warning that “Walker is naughty.”

I stood under this tent, with this “naughty” dog, and began thinking about the huge divide in “naughty” between breeders and pet owners.  This “naughty” dog occasionally pulls on his leash or tries to play with other dogs.  He was engaged with me and my requests of him, and actively looked for direction.

Wouldn’t you love for your definition of “naughty” to include those behaviors?  “Wants my attention.”  “Occasionally checks out other dogs.”  “Mostly stands around waiting for something to happen.”  We’re standing under a tent, with hundreds of other dogs, and can’t hear any barking.  No dog fights.  Every dog in the place behaves, except one little English Springer puppy that doesn’t want to be brushed.

I was amazed by this realization.

7 Important Reasons Why Every Dog Needs a Dog Crate

Dog crates are often seen as a “necessary evil.”  Many pet owners feel squeamish about locking up a beloved companion, especially for hours when the pet is alone.  I’m here to assure you that a dog crate is not only helpful, but nearly necessary for helping your dog maintain a positive relationship with the human world.

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Five Mistakes New Puppy Owners Make

New puppies are oh so cute, and you never want to scold or punish them.  But puppies turn into adolescents, who turn into adults with bad habits.  I’m going to give you five new puppy tips that will help your puppy turn into a fabulous adolescent and adult.

7 Fabulous Tips to Housebreak a Puppy

You made your decision.  Your family will be adding a puppy to the mix.  Congrats!  Puppies are so cute, and so much fun.  Your family needs to housebreak your new puppy, otherwise he might not stick around.  Follow these 7 tips to housebreak a puppy in no time at all.

Baby-Proof Your Dog with These 7 Easy Steps

Ooh, Congrats! You’re expecting! That’s awesome! But your “first baby,” your dog, never lived with babies. Babies and toddlers are fragile little beings, hell-bent on mayhem and chaos. My son’s allergic to dogs, but still won’t keep his hands off them. Most dogs need some specific training to feel comfortable with a new baby, but most dogs also become very attached to their new human. A baby-proof dog keeps both your children and itself safe.  Here are my top seven tips to baby-proof your dog.

No-Fail Strategies For Fixing Separation Anxiety

Oh, such a touchy topic.  Every time someone’s dog tears up the house, the phrase “Separation Anxiety” comes right out.  Pet owners hate separation anxiety.  Dealing with a dog that trashes the house, screams, defecates and urinates all over the house, can cause so many problems.  Problems between spouses, repairs, vet bills, and ultimately the dog ending up in rescue or at a shelter, or worse.

I’d like to invite you to check out my e-book on the subject.  Treating Separation Anxiety: When Your Dog Can’t Be Alone is my first in what hope will become a whole series on troubleshooting dog issues.  It’s completely free with the Kindle Unlimited program.  The below article has the major points, but my e-book goes in-depth into the issue.  Read the article, and if you think you need more help check out the book.