Most people simply don’t have the time, energy or patience to devote to training their dog or puppy. For some, the answer is to outsource the effort to a professional trainer. As with any profession, quality and costs vary. And, like many professions – especially those involving human-animal interactions – training philosophies vary considerably. So, [...]

Dogs have a natural tendency to seek and adhere to a hierarchy with an alpha (leader) at the top on down to an omega at the bottom. ‘Down’ is one effective technique for enforcing your alpha status. It also has practical benefits. When a dog is in the ‘down’ position, it isn’t knocking over the [...]

Every dog should receive annual vaccinations to keep him healthy and safe from diseases and viruses that can potentially harm him or worse. A vaccination is when you give your dog a shot that contains a tiny portion of the bacteria or virus and that works to build up his immune system. This allows the [...]

If you own a dog, you likely know that they are complex creatures. Some studies suggest that number of dog breeds reaches as high as 800 in Western countries alone. Taking into account that distinguishing one breed from another can be carried to ridiculous extremes. Complicating the picture still further is the well-known fact that [...]

Even the dumbest of dogs are clever animals. Just think of the many ways they get humans to do what they want. Few can resist the soulful eyes and the offered paw when eating something the dog also views as tasty. One of the reasons for the association between humans and dogs is the latter’s [...]

Most dogs display a tendency to jump on people that visit and this can quickly become bothersome for you and your guests. One theory about why dogs jump suggests that they are trying to get close to the person’s face – not to attack, but to interact. Other dogs, especially of the same breed, have [...]