Raising Healthy Dogs

Any dog owner will tell you that all dogs are special, amazing even and they enhance our lives every single day. Of course there are many hero hounds but everyone that lives with a dog knows that their particular canine friend is the best dog in the world. Well, they are! Mine especially!

Dogs, like many other animals, come in many shapes and sizes. From Great Danes, who can weigh upwards of 200 pounds, to miniature Chihuahuas that tip the scales in mere ounces, there are many choices available to the prospective dog owner.

Vote for Chef Riley in the Modern Dog Magazine Dog of the Week Contest, click on his picture below and vote.  You can vote once each day.

No one knows when man really domesticated the dog, but scientists think it happened about 15,000 years ago, though some think it could have happened about 30,000 years ago. It is not known why the wolf diverged from its evolutionary path and began the path to domestication, but some scientists think that wolves that had less fear of humans and were content to scavenge around campsites were the first steps towards the evolution of the modern dog.

Sylvester Stallone packed up his new puppy in a box and took him home. He was a pudgy brown ball of fur, and at about 6 weeks old, full of energy and spunk. Once home, Sly gave the little dog a blanket for his box, which he promptly ate.

Regardless of your political views, all dog lovers can find common ground as we near inauguration day. We can rejoice that we will have four more years of Bo! Bo Obama is, of course, the First Dog.

It is certainly difficult not to comply with the requests for exercise when if you shift position an enthusiastic hairball hops to his paws and either runs for the door or whines pitifully that its “way past walk time”.

Dogs have the ability to help us in so many ways and over the last few generations there have been increasing awareness about training specific dogs to provide support and help to people with disabilities.

Are dogs colorblind? It’s something most of us were told in childhood and we’ve never questioned it. It’s sort of like my mother telling me that eating the bread crusts makes your hair grow long. In reality, dogs aren’t colorblind. And, for the record, a steady diet of bread crusts never turned me into Jan Brady.

Annie’s Search for Sandy” was one show I didn’t want to end. I wanted to see more visits to shelter, more grateful shelter workers, more potential stars, and more of the training process. Seriously, I wanted to see a weekly reality show. But that would have taken Berloni away from his ultimate task of turning a shelter dog into a Broadway performer.

Sergeant Stubby appeared one day at a field in Connecticut where groups of soldiers were training. Corporal Robert Conroy quickly grew to like the little dog, and when it was time for his unit to ship out, he smuggled Sergeant Stubby onboard his ship.

You know the thing, when a couple has been together for a long time they begin to take on each other’s mannerisms. Finish their partner’s sentences and sometimes even wear the same clothes. We can certainly achieve that same relationship with our dogs; there is no doubt about this.

There is an old saying that owners can look like their dogs. It is true; there is always someone at the park who seems to be straight out of the same gene pool as their loyal canine.

With the holidays upon us, you are probably finding yourself with a shopping list as long as a Basset Hound’s ears! If you normally bake treats for neighbors and friends, why not try something different for the dog lovers on your list? Instead of delivering million calorie tins of butter-laden cookies to people who are already on a sugar overload, whip up a batch of treats for their canine companions.

There are many benefits to owning a dog. Health, companionship and well-being are very important for people, and pet ownership is one way of reaching these lifestyle goals. However, perhaps the greatest benefit of all belongs to the dogs themselves. Being loved and cared for is all a dog really wants, and taking on the role of dog ownership will give a puppy the chance to be a part of a family, and have a loving and happy relationship to last him all the days of his life.

For dogs that are home alone all day, DogTV is meant to relieve separation anxiety. I will admit that I have left music on for my dogs when they are home alone for several hours. I have no idea if he enjoyed it, but I thought it did and it made me feel a little less like a heel for leaving them.

Old dogs have spent a lifetime trying to please their people. Sometimes the mounting vet bills or the increased care concerns cause long-time owners to surrender their aging hound to a shelter. It’s a crushing reality. Fortunately, for those of us who love old dogs, that means there are numerous volunteer opportunities.

I’ve always heard that dogs look like their owners, or vice versa. Though I must confess that I’m probably not observant enough to notice similarities between a canine and its human unless the person wears a collar and drools a lot.

When it comes to boarding your dog, you will find everything from a kennel at your veterinarian’s office to a five-star doggie resort. Which you choose depends on your dog and your budget.

Guest Author Sally Gutteridge is back. Sally is a professional dog trainer with much experience and extensive knowledge in our canine friends.  But today, we hear from her dog Chips. First of all let me introduce myself,  I’m Chips and I am a dog. I am a dog that was taken home by my humans two years [...]

If you have children in you life, or if you just want to sneak some juvenile reads for yourself, I have some recommendations for you.

As the festive season approaches, thoughts turn to buying gifts for those you love. Of course, your shopping list has to include your canine best friend. Maybe you’ve been to one of those mega-pet stores, where there are so many choices but most of them just don’t seem special enough. A bag of dog treats [...]

The only fault that our dogs have is that they don’t live long enough. The faithful friends, that dog lovers the world over, live with grow old before our eyes and eventually break our hearts. However between the well learned middle aged dog and saying the final goodbye is the oldie.

Dog lovers share a compassion that seems to be lacking in so many areas of our world today and we should be proud because selfless love is an achievement that is rarer that you think. In my humble opinion the capacity to love a dog is an admirable quality indeed! Keep it up folks!

Any time that your dog is away from home, or interacting with other people, you need to understand how to practice good social behaviors with the dog. Using good dog owner etiquette simply means that you are giving others’ respect by taking their feelings into considerations in regards to how they feel about your dog.

For all the dog mom’s out there, your dog wrote you this poem. Me love you long time mom.

Relationships just don’t work well without clear and frequent communication between both parties. This applies to your relationship with your four legged best friend. If you take the time to learn how to better understand what he is trying to tell you, and how you can clearly tell him how you feel, then the relationship will be stronger and more enjoyable for both of you.

Most dog owners have witnessed their furry friend seemingly being sound asleep and then all of a sudden their whole body starts to twitch or their feet move as if they are running. Some dogs even growl or bark in their sleep. It seems obvious that your pet is having a dream. But in reality, do dogs dream?

Most pet owners don’t enjoy leaving their furry friends behind when they go on a family vacation. After all, aren’t Venkat and Fluffy family members as well? These days, there are ways to take your pets with you by finding a pet friendly hotel.

Everybody loves a vacation and your dog is no exception. Whether traveling by car or train, summer or winter, you and your best friend can travel in comfort. Follow these simple tips and your trip should be stress free.

Memorial Day is a day to give thanks to our heroes; those brave men and women who served their country so proudly. But let’s not forget our four legged heroes. Did you know that thousands of dogs have served our nation’s military, and have died in action?

For all the dog mom’s out there, your dog wrote you this poem. Me Love You Long Time Mom Me love you long time mom Me love you from start Me love you so much mom Me love from the heart Me thank you for taking me Home to your own place Me thank you [...]

Naming your new puppy or rescue dog is a personal choice. But when pondering the issue of naming a new dog I started wondering why Fido is the generic name for dogs. After researching, I truly believe that Fido has had his day.

If you’ve been following the Raising Healthy Dog posts, you know that we buy all our dog collars from CollarCorner.com.  The founder, Cathy, is a great friend of mine but she had this thing – she believed that male dogs should not wear pink.  For years she would not sell me a pink collar for [...]

If you woke up one morning and lost your sense of smell, what scent would you miss the most?  I used to work with a guy that actually did lose his sense of smell and he said he missed the smell of gasoline. Gasoline? Really? Now that is interesting.  But for me, I would miss [...]

Let’s face it.  Dog toys can be expensive; and if your dogs are destructive like mine, they may not last very long.  This makes it hard to justify spending so much on one toy.  So why not make some for your pup?  Not only can it save money, but it can be fun too and [...]

Regular play time with your dog or puppy also ensures regular interaction and connection between the two of you, which is a must to maintain that all important guardian-dog bond. Bonding with your canine should be fun and rewarding for both of you. This bond, as well as the regular physical exercise and mental stimulation [...]

When most people think about dog collars, they think about something that is required to attach a leash to.  They think of a dog collar as a commitment and I must confess I used to think that way too.  Then I met Cathy, someone who makes dog collars for a living.  All my friends were [...]

Daily play is just plain fun for your dog.  So if you do not have time to go for a long walk or f the weather is too nasty outside have an indoors treasure hunt. Ask your dog to sit/stay and then show her a treat.  While your dog is watching you, place the treat [...]

Did you know you can teach your dog to trim their own nails? You can create a scratching post and teach them how. Here is a link to an article  with instructions.  http://www.shirleychong.com/keepers/nailfile.html

OK so many of you have read the studies that say kissing a dog is good for our health.  Showing affection to our dogs  lowers blood pressure and generally helps us live longer.  But did anyone need to read a study? Don’t you just feel better after kissing your dog? I know I do.  So [...]

If you are tired of picking up toys, here’s a cute trick to teach your dog. First you will need a container to hold the toys.  Keep the container in a fixed place so your dog will always know where to go.  If you are like me and have multiple toy boxes, that’s OK.  Train [...]

Like small children, puppies like and need toys!  But you wouldn’t give an infant toys with small removable parts, bead eyes or long strings because those could pose serious safety hazards for your baby.  Puppies are essentially baby dogs, so you need to use the same good judgment when you buy the best toys for [...]