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Regarding your review of toy balls (Play Ball!" WDJ August 2001): We give a wholehearted FOUR stars to the Jolly Ball at our house

You’re lucky. You have a fabulous dog park in your community. But so far, you’ve hesitated to turn your beloved buddy loose with the pack of rowdy canines you’ve seen playing there. Or maybe your dog is so unruly that you’ve worried about your ability to get him back on leash once he’s been emancipated. Here are some tips to help you decide whether you two are ready to lose the leash at the park.

Opinions vary about how, when, and how many treats dogs should receive, but we’ll leave that to the dog trainers. If getting treats is a regular part of your dog’s routine, whether he gets one or two a day or a whole box each week, your first consideration should be the healthfulness of the treat. Any food that your dog eats regularly – even if it’s in small amounts – should be able to pass the same criteria as his food.

Dogs, like people, do better when they have something to do. It might be play or it might be work – I’m not sure dogs differentiate between those things. An Australian Shepherd catches a flying Frisbee, and a German Shepherd police dog catches a crook. Both exude a sense of satisfaction for doing their “jobs” well, and both are pleased with the loving pat and hearty, “Good dog!” they receive.

We know from innumerable modern research studies that a person's immune strength and resistance can be improved through a positive mental outlook, and that people who are happy heal more quickly than emotionally depressed people. Stated simply: emotional states can affect the physical body. Most veterinary health care professionals would probably agree that the principle is true for animals, too. For example, most healthy dogs are usually happy dogs – or is it the other way around? And have you noticed how, just as with people, very often an anxious or angry dog also tends to be prone to more injuries and illness than a content and cheerful dog?

I feel the cause of my dog's DI dates back to rabies vaccinations. Three weeks following his 1993 vaccination, we thought he was bloating. He was also in extreme pain in the kidney area. We rushed him to the veterinarian. Radiographs showed nothing unusual, but he showed some neurological deficits. We took him back the next morning for more x-rays, and did some blood tests, etc., but found nothing. The veterinarian gave him prednisone and he improved almost immediately. He showed no further problems until the next spring, when he had his next rabies shot. Same symptoms, but he didn't get better this time. We took him to Auburn University, and $500 worth of tests showed nothing. In August, he woke us up trying to lift the toilet lid, and getting in the shower and tub searching for water. He was finally diagnosed as diabetic, and went on DDAVP.

I am extremely pleased that you chose to not only highlight the sport of agility (my chosen dog sport passion) in the August 2000...

All dogs love a gentle pat on the shoulder or the rump. To them it can be a signal of a job well done or simply an indication of our affection. Touch strengthens the bond between dog and owner and is a basic building block of the canine-human relationship. We have already considered effleurage, the open-hand technique that resembles smooth petting strokes yet does so much for the dog’s circulation, relaxation, and balance. Compression, another open-hand technique, also affords enjoyable physical contact between you and your dog while providing important health benefits to your canine friend.

In every obedience match, tracking test, field trial, agility event, show ring, athletic competition and puppy kindergarten class, owners and handlers are eager to find whatever strategies, products, and equipment will give their dogs an advantage. One healthy shortcut to the winner’s circle comes from Mother Nature, for with the help of medicinal herbs, dogs can concentrate despite distractions, relax under stress, keep their joints limber, improve their coats, increase their stamina and possibly even improve their sense of smell.