You’ve undoubtedly noticed that your dog is much smaller than a horse. (Well, most are anyway.) Nevertheless, most horses are much more frightened of dogs than the reverse. That creates unique problems - for dog, horse and the person who has to govern both. Read more

As descendants from wolf packs, dogs have and seek a natural hierarchy in which some are dominant (alphas) and others follow. Struggles among young pups to sort of who is which start early, in some cases three weeks after birth. Read more

Dogs, like humans, show a wide range of tolerance for others. Some are immediately friendly with every new dog, cat or lizard. Others are forever hostile to even the opposite sex of their own breed. Considering dogs are by nature territorial the diversity is odd, but there it is. Read more

Question: A Timid German Shepherd

“I have an 11-month-old German Shepherd. We got him from a private breeder at the age of 8 weeks. He was a very happy puppy, and to this day he has never been beaten (at least that I know of). But now, he’s such an introvert that it’s pitiful! He’s scared to death of everybody except for my family and myself. We live on a carnation ranch so he shouldn’t really be too bashful – there are always people around; but still, he’s scared. Can you tell me what to do, and why he does this?” Read more

When raising a new puppy, you will find all kinds of information and articles that help you understand how to feed your puppy, housetraining, and grooming tips. Today we want to brush up on how to get your puppy to experience a positive upbringing by way of socialization. Read more

The next time you decide to put on a small barbecue party in your backyard during the warm, sunny summer months, make considerations for your dog and other guest’s dogs. Most friend and family gatherings are planned and entertained without a single thought of providing an atmosphere where both dogs and people can enjoy themselves together. Read more

Young puppies are just too curious and active to sit still still and quiet while you groom them. But the ones that learn how to sit nicely while being groomed will eventually learn to tolerate and even enjoy being brushed, bathed, trimmed, and clipped.  A puppy that experiences all forms of being handled at an early age will be easily trainable and better socialized when around veterinarians, children, groomers, and pet sitters. Read more

Dogs and cats may not be considered to be the most compatible of animals, but statistics show otherwise. In fact, there is a survey recorded in the American Veterinary Medical Association back in 2002 that stated that over 15% of every household in the United States has at least one dog or one cat. Read more

The secret to starting and maintaining a loving relationship between your dog and a new cat (or vice versa) lies within how carefully you introduce them to each other. You have already made the decision to bring a different species into the house so invest as much time and care as you can in order to ensure that both of your animals start off with a positive experience with one another. Read more

When you first introduce a dog and cat together, 9 times out of 10 the cat will be the one that is fearful and the first to bolt away. There are of course rare exceptions, especially for smaller dogs that are poorly socialized. I remember one of my Chihuahuas who would never go near a cat again after the very first one he came close to hissed and swatted at his little nose, tearing a big gash across it! Read more