Enrich Your Dogs Mealtime With Paw5 Bowls GIVEAWAY!

Hey, guys!Happy Leap Day!Today I have a really fun new puzzle feeder dog bowl to share with you from Paw5! Paw5 is a new company offering a new way of feeding your dog. This environmentally friendly, mentally stimulating bowl takes mealtime to a whole new level. Mental stimulation is just as important as physical work, and Paw5 understands this. Theyve even generously offered one (1) of my readers a choice to win their very own bowl!This USA made bowl stimulates all of your dogs senses with its innovative design, keeping food time fun, engaging and challenging. The contrasting colors and erratic movement of the bowl engage your dogs sight. The various openings allow plenty of scent...

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Dog Bite Prevention in San Diego

By Kay Thompson BSN RN, CPEN, CPDT-KAWe hear the same story way too often at Rady Children’s Emergency Department here in San Diego. “Our dog has never bitten anyone. The kids and the dog play nicely together all the time. Then today, out of the blue, he bit him.” As we prepare for the plastic surgeon to arrive and repair these tiny faces, we often wonder, “Why do we see so many dog bites?” As a trauma nurse and a dog trainer, I decided a few years ago that I wanted to find out more about dog bites. My hunch was that people can prevent nearly all of them. I am now certain that this is the case. The way we can prevent dog bites is by educating the entire community.In 2009, I was honored...

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Books for Before After you get a Puppy Dog

Whether you’ve lived with dogs since you were in the womb, or you’re first bringing a dog into the home at 46, how do you know where to turn when you’ve got a question? And everyone -- from the most experienced dogger to a first timer -- is bound to have a few questions along the way.Unfortunately, not all books are created equal, and “Googling it,” can pop out some pretty scary answers. In response to a request on our facebook page, the Do You Believe in Dog? team has put together a short list of easy-to read books for before and after you get a puppy or dog. These books that are not only short and easy to read but they are easy on the wallet or even free!Before and After You Get...

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Do Dogs Need Canine Friends

By Lisa MasonThere are a lot of different opinions about whether a dog needs to have other dogs around them to have a happy life. Some will say that their tiny little dog hasn’t seen another dog since it left its mother. Other pet owners will clutch their small dog protectively when a larger dog approaches. They worry that the small dog will get hurt rough housing around with the bigger canines.All the while that we humans are holding our small dogs in our arms to keep them out of harm’s way, typically the dog is struggling to get free to go play with the other dog. We keep our dogs indoors and away from other dogs because we fear that another dog may have fleas or some other disease that will...

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How to Love Your Dog Its Not What You Think!

Think that your dog likes hugs and kisses? Well if he is like most dogs, then he does not enjoy this type of human affection. Children want to show love to dogs by giving hugs and kisses, because this how they show affection to people they love. Hugs are not a natural form of canine interaction to show affection. To show your dog that you love him, learn to give him the things that he really does like and teach your kids to do the same.Most dog bites are to children, by the family dog or another dog known to the child. Hugs and kisses are a major cause of facial bites to children. Doggone Safe offers suggestions for safe ways to love your dog that the dog will appreciate.Children (and adults...

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Dogs dont speak English Give it a Name

My name is Not a command.You can train your dog using the dogs name before a command as in "Joe Come" or even use the dogs name as encouragement after calling him but the dogs name itself should Never be used alone as the command.Say for instance, you always call your dogs name, "Joe", to get him to come to you. The word "Joe" has now taken on the meaning of the command "Come". Likewise, if you yell the dogs name when hes snooping through the trash can or about to steal your lunch off the kitchen table, the dog learns that his name means 1) hes in trouble or 2) he should get away from something. This can be very confusing for dogs as one command cannot be associated with every action. Dogs become...

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Throw another dog in the data pool

Hello Julie,My, oh my! What an exciting time it was last week, witnessing Dog Spies migration to the Scientific American Blog Network. Such a great day for dogs, for science and for YOU!  Yah! for this recognition of your fabulous writing achievements, communicating the field of canine science to a broader audience. WELL DONE!As for your question about writing and how I do it, I have to admit Im between systems currently. By this, I mean that I sometimes map out ideas and plan my writing on paper before hitting the laptop; other times I just let rip straight onto the keyboard. I dont know if Ill ever migrate to a completely paperless system, but I feel that Im moving in that...

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New Zealand farm working dogs Doug Langs TED

By Dr Clive DaltonToo many Ag GradsI arrived at the Whatawhata Hill Country Research Station, near Hamilton, New Zealand from Leeds University in 1968, after the UK government in its wisdom, in the hands of PM Harold Wilson and Sir John Wolfendon of the University Grants Committee (UGC), decided that we were turning out too many ‘agricultural’ graduates, and we needed more ‘agricultural science’ graduates. Our Leeds Vice Chancellor Sir Roger Stevens, an ex Foreign Office diplomat who knew nothing about agriculture bought this con, and we were on our way – out the door!Closed downThe UGC closed the Agricultural Schools at Leeds, Oxford and Glasgow and the end result, that I heard from colleagues...

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Holiday Dog Bite Prevention Tips

Holidays Are Stressful for DogsThe holidays are especially stressful for dogs due to changes in routine and the comings and going of visitors. Many dog bites happen at this time of year.When visiting a house with a dog, children should be taught not to approach the dog (even if the dog has been friendly on other occasions). If the dog comes to them they should stand still like a tree and let the dog sniff. Only if the the dog is wagging and panting and coming to them for attention, and parent and dog owners are supervising and have given permission, should a child touch the dog. Dog owners should gauge their dog’s reaction to visitors. If the dog is overly excited, barking or growling, cowering...

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Training Your Dog to Run

How to Train Your Furry Friend to Be Your Running PartnerDogs truly are a gift to humankind. They offer a unique companionship. Without ever saying a word, a dog will always want to be with you, always be happy to see you, and always love and depend on your love for their entire life. The friendship is pure and irreplaceable as a dog will never expect more from you other than your love and care. Naturally, if youre a runner and/or enjoy hiking adventures, your dog can be an amazing companion who will want to go however far you go, however long you go, whatever time of day. Being a responsible pet owner is being prepared so they can enjoy these adventures with you. Since the moment I began...

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