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The best in health, wellness, and positive training from America’s leading dog experts

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Behavior

Dogs dig for a variety of reasons, instincts, stress, or just because they enjoy it.

Why Do Dogs Dig?

Are dogs digging in search of invasive creatures like gophers and voles? Are they doing it because perhaps once upon a time, a bone was buried there? Are they doing it just because it’s fun, like a child digging in a sandpile? It may be all of the above.
When your dog is drooling a lot it can be for behavioral, structural, or medical reasons.

When Dog Drool is More Than Just Gross

Dogs drool. Some just drool a little once in a while, while others drool a lot. Some dogs are also just plain built to drool. Drooling can happen for structural, behavioral, and medical reasons.
The flehmen response in dogs is a reaction to new or unique smells.

Flehmen Response in Dogs

It is possible that a dog who is panting more out of interest or excitement rather than fatigue may be using that open-mouth tongue-out posture to bring more air past Jacobson’s organ to help identify a smell.
Calm a scared shaking dog with a calm presence and soothing words.

How to Calm a Scared Dog

You are your dog’s person, his caretaker and partner in life. When he is scared, he will naturally look to you for comfort. Your job in these situations is to stay calm and be his rock.
Be BiteSmart aims to keep kids and dogs safe by educating kids about dog body language and preventing bites.

Be BiteSmart: Teaching Children to Speak Dog

Without proper education and supervision, children (and adults, too) can—in all innocence and with the best of intentions—put a dog in a position where the dog feels like her only recourse is to bite.
What you do with a dog that bites their owner depends on the dog and what is driving the biting.

What to Do with a Dog Who Bites Their Owner

Living with a dog who bites their owner, or other people for that matter, can be scary, stressful and in some cases - dangerous....

Why Do Dogs Wag Their Tails?

It’s something we all know: our dogs wag their tails because they’re happy. Because they’re thrilled to see us. Because they love us. But it turns out that what we “know” may not be the truth. Or it may be only part of the truth.
Boy sneaking dog food from the table

My Dog Is Not Eating

If your dog won’t eat, you have a small window of time to evaluate the situation, The better you know your dog, the easier it is to decide if it is something serious or just a phase.
Jumping is one of the most common dog behavioral issues.

Addressing Common Dog Behavioral Issues

There are quite a few behaviors that are normal and natural for dogs that just don’t work very well in the human world. Luckily, there are often training solutions for these common dog behavioral issues.
Dogs that suck on, chew, or lick blankets may be seeking a sense of security.

Why Do Dogs Suck on Blankets?

We’ve all seen human babies sucking on pacifiers, their thumbs, or even on blankets and child experts tell us that this kind of instinctive sucking calms babies and makes them feel more secure. The same is likely true for dogs who can suffer from anxiety and stress.
Why do dogs like belly rubs? A combination of emotion and instinct.

Why Do Dogs Like Belly Rubs?

Have you ever thought about why your dog seems to like belly rubs so much? I know why I like to give them: the belly fur is generally the softest and silkiest, and caressing it simply feels wonderful. That begs the question though: does my dog like it just as much?
Reintroducing dogs after a fight has a good prognosis if the fight was mild.

How to Re-Introduce Dogs After a Fight

Fights amongst dogs living in the same home are common and can be a very scary experience for dog guardians and their dogs. Dog fights can vary in severity from relatively mild, consisting mostly of noise (barking and growling) and minimal, if any, injuries, through to severe, resulting in serious injuries and even death.

Latest Blog

Assessing Frailty in Dogs

If we’re lucky, our dogs live a long, healthy life and, when their bodies wear out, they close their eyes and make that journey to the bottom of the Rainbow Bridge. Unfortunately, a simple death like that is rarely the case leaving owners judging quality of life.