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June 2013

Incomparable

My mom met her best friend when she was in high school, and they remained close friends until my mom’s death in 2002. They met their husbands-to-be at about the same time, married within a year of each other, had a similar number of kids. They arranged for their two families to spend a lot of time together, and all of us kids became friends, too. As we matured, we grew closer to our moms’ best friends than we were to our genetic aunts.

“Complete and Balanced” Dehydrated and Freeze-Dried Dog Foods

Subscribers Only We haven’t reviewed dehydrated diets for quite some time – long enough that there have been quite a few additions to the pool of companies who make and sell this type of dog food. It’s increasingly popular, for a lot of reasons.

Looking for a Fun Trick to Teach to your Dog?

The trick “Take a Bow!” is basically an exaggerated play bow, put on cue. The first part of training any trick is figuring out how to get the dog to do the behavior. A bow is a great example of how different methods can be effective with different dogs. You can teach a bow by capturing, shaping, or luring. My favorite method for this particular trick involves a physical prompt (a tummy tickle) and a lure (to bring the nose to the ground) and shaping (using approximations to get to the final behavior).

Five ways that teaching your dog to do “tricks” can improve your training.

High-five. Fetch. Jump through a hoop. Spin, twirl, and take a bow. There is no doubt that tricks are fun to train, and even more fun to show off to friends and family. But they are so much more than just a good time! Here are five things tricks can do for you, your dog, and your training.

How to Deal with a Dog Who Eats Poop

Subscribers Only Most of us find a dog’s habit of eating feces to be the most disgusting thing that a dog can do. The clinical name for this behavior is coprophagy (pronounced kä - prä - fey - je), from the Greek words copro, which means feces, and phagy, which means eat. The habit is not just revolting to us humans, it’s also potentially harmful to the dog’s health.

How to be a "Dog Person"

Subscribers Only If you are involved in dogs outside the four walls of your home – competing in performance events like agility or obedience, helping out with a rescue group, going to your local dog park – then, inescapably, you are involved with dog people. And no matter what the context, or how altruistic the goal, any time more than two people gather in the name of something they are passionate about, there are politics – and drama, mama.

How to Train Your Dog to Go to the Bathroom Outside

Subscribers Only House training concerns are probably as old as the roots of our relationship with canis familiaris. I suspect prehistoric humans were as unhappy about having those early canids poop and pee in their caves as we are today when we find a pile or puddle in the middle of the living room rug. If you have always had the good fortune to share your home with easy-to-housetrain dogs, it may come as a surprise to you – or even a shock – if your next dog is one of those who doesn’t come with a well-installed “clean den” ethic.

Dog Games You Can Play if You are Physically Impaired

How to exercise yourself at the same time you exercise your dog was the subject of “Fitness Together” in the April 2013 issue of WDJ. But there are many reasons the human half of the equation may not be up for much physical exercise, some permanent and some thankfully temporary. Fear not, there are ways to exercise your dog physically, whether he’s outside at the end of a leash, or inside, playing games that permit him to run around a less-than-active you. Your dog needs exercise; your job is to figure out how to meet that need, even if you can’t join in. A tired dog is a content, well-behaved, relaxed dog, one more likely to choose to snooze while his people are at work.