Dogs, just like us humans, tend to get dry skin specially during Winter. There are many things that I could recommend such as: changing his food, running a humidifier, making sure he is drinking enough water, etc. to avoid dry skin, but do you know what? This is the one thing, above all, that will keep your dog from having dry skin: brushing him once a day, at least. Yes, that’s it! Brushing him once a day. Very simple.
Posted in Breeds, Dog Equipment, dog trainer, Dogs, Outings
Tagged dog behavior, dog brushing, dog grooming, long haired dogs, relaxation, short-haired dogs, Stoughton
Prince, “I am so tired. Please turn off the light for me. Thanks!”
We waited until after midnight to go to bed in order to wish each other Merry Christmas, but our canine companions were ready to go to bed already so we followed Prince’s example, and it was lights out for my pack.
Abby, “Moms, could we our breakfast and presents already? Please!”
This morning, my impatient girl, Abby, was eagerly waiting for breakfast and presents in the form of treats. Prince, on the other hand, was a lot more casual about it. We wish you a Merry Christmas to all of you!
Posted in Breeds, Dog Equipment, Dogs, foster dogs, Training
Tagged Beagle, Bulldog, dog behavior, dog training, ma, Portuguese water dog, Stoughton
Alex, “Moms, this feels good!”
When a dog gets sufficient mental and physical stimulation, she will be well behaved and balanced. The majority of the “issues” pet parents encounter with their canine companions is due to a lack or inappropriate amount of mental and physical activity.
There are many ways to exercise your dog, these are just some suggestions: running, walking, swimming, kayaking, etc. However you decide to exercise and stimulate your dog with, please start slowly. How do you exercise/stimulate your dog?
Posted in ACL Injury, Breeds, Dog Equipment, Dogs, foster dogs, Nutrition, Outings, senior dogs, Training, Walking
Tagged dog collars, Gentle Leader, Halti, leashes, ma, Pit bulls, Stoughton
Abby, “Mom, did you hear that?”
Since the weather was terrible, to say the least, Abby volunteered to help me put our laundry away. Oh, she was also on guard duty, as you can see.
Abby, “Mom, this is not folded properly”.
To be quite honest, I don’t know how much help Abby really was, but I know that she always tries her best to help me out with chores at home.
Abby, “Mom, I am so tired. Helping you takes a lot out of me”.
I know, I know. I shouldn’t work Abby so hard. Let’s keep in mind that she volunteered to help me out. Enjoy your weekend!
Posted in ACL Injury, Breeds, Dog Equipment, Dogs, foster dogs, Humor, Nutrition, Outings, senior dogs, Training, Walking
Tagged Beagle, beds, dog behavior, dog trainer, dogs, ma, Stoughton
Abby, “Mom, listen to me, move it a bit higher”.
This year – for the very first time – we decided to include Abby and Champagne in the decoration of our Christmas tree. Abby, as you can see, took the job of decorator very serious and was micromanaging Cynthia’s every move.
Champagne, “Excuse me, I need to see some ID”.
Champagne, the beautiful pit bull, was our security guard. While on guard duty, she found an intruder. Oh, never mind, that’s Abby.
Being on guard duty really got Champagne tired. Not to worry, both Abby and Champagne were handsomely rewarded with treats for a hard day’s work.
Abby was exhausted too so it was lights out for her.
And this was the end result. I’d venture to say that decorating with doggies was a good idea after all. What will you be doing to include your doggies during these holidays?
Posted in Breeds, dog trainer, Dogs, Humor, senior dogs
Tagged Beabull, celebration, Christmas and holiday season, Family, Massachusetts, pit bull, Stoughton, Tree decorating
And this is how we started our Thanksgiving day, with an uncooled turkey. Cynthia started to cook right after breakfast.
Abby, “Where’s the cooked turkey? I am already hungry”.
We, of course, explained to Abby that the turkey doesn’t magically turn up cooked, but as you can see in the above picture Abby wasn’t buying our story. Let’s remember she just finished having breakfast.
Once everything was cooked, we set up the table and showed it to Abby. She was very happy, to say the least. She got a nice helping of turkey, potatoes, and carrots. It all worked out perfectly.
Abby, “Mom, let me kiss you”.
Abby was beyond grateful for the food she inhaled. Yes, inhaled. We had a great Thanksgiving day, and at least for me, what I was the most grateful for was having Cynthia and Abby with me. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving day
Posted in Breeds, dog trainer, Dogs, Humor, Nutrition, Walking
Tagged Beabull, Beagle, Bulldog, dog behavior, dog boarding, Massachusetts, Stoughton
I know, chaos may be an exaggeration, but for most people holidays tend to be pretty busy and somewhat stressful. What I like about holidays, of course, happen to be the food “we” cook, I am using we very loosely since Cynthia is the one that cooks, while Abby and I end up being the “critics”. I know, what a hard life we have, but hey, someone’s got to do it. Right?
Along with all the food we are planning to enjoy, comes plenty of relaxation and/or sleeping, which Champagne gladly demonstrates for us all the time.
Abby, “Mom, did you remember to pack my food?”
And then we have those that will be traveling to visit family. That won’t be us this year, but for those that are traveling my suggestion would be: have patience; carry food and water; take your dog with you; and above all, enjoy your family. What plans do you have for these upcoming holidays?
Posted in ACL Injury, Breeds, Dog Equipment, dog trainer, Dogs, foster dogs, Humor, Nutrition, Outings, senior dogs, Training, Walking
Tagged behavior modification, dog behavior, dog food, dog trainer, dog walking, Holidays, ma, Stoughton
If anybody tells you that dog behavior modification is fast, easy and simple to do, that person would be lying to you. In order to modify the behavior of a dog, you really need, at a minimum, 3 weeks. Whenever I am going to work with a dog, I do a meet and greet to make an assessment of the dog and the expectations of the pet parent. Abby, a 2 1/2 year old Beabull, ate so fast that she would toss her cookies right after she inhaled her food. I tried a lot of different things, including a funny looking dish and at the beginning it worked, but later on she went back to puking on and off. Because of that, I changed the way I did things with her: she started by eating in her kennel; I did not talk to her at all, no commands, nothing; I was the only one feeding her; and all I asked from her was to give me eye contact right before I put her dish down.
So, how is Abby doing right now? She hasn’t tossed her cookies in a long time and I no longer have to use the funny looking dish I got for her unless I want to. What I was doing with Abby was behavior modification, and I can tell you from experience that it takes time, consistency, patience, repetition, and a thorough knowledge of dog body language that most pet parents lack. For that reason, I’d recommend that you find the right person to help you. Ask a lot of questions, and don’t buy the, “I can fix your dog in 1 week for only $1,800”. If you find someone like that, don’t walk, run, and run fast. Behavior modification takes time and depending on what you are trying to change it can be quite complex.
Posted in Breeds, dog trainer, Dogs, Training, Walking
Tagged anxiety in dogs, dog behavior modification, dog trainer, dog walking, ma, shy dogs, Stoughton
In the majority of pictures I post, you see Abby working, but does she ever take some time off? Yes, she does and I have plenty of pictures to prove that.
See what I mean? My girl works hard, but she also takes plenty of naps in her favorite bed. Yes, she has a few beds.
Abby is relaxing this weekend and whenever she has friends over they follow her lead. Of course, this is after we have taken a nice long walk. Enjoy your weekend.
Posted in Breeds, Dog Equipment, Dogs, Humor, Outings, senior dogs, Training, Walking
Tagged active dogs, Beagle, Bulldog, dog bed, dog walking, Pit bulls, Stoughton
If there’s one thing Abby and I – Ok sometimes some of Abby’s friends as well – do is walk. The above picture was taken in Plymouth, MA. I go through shoes really fast, as you can imagine, but I enjoy walking with dogs.
Walking is a great exercise for you, pet parent, and your canine companion, therefore lace up your shoes and go for a nice long walk. The above picture was taken in Provincetown, MA. Yes, we take Abby everywhere we can with us. Have a great week.
Posted in ACL Injury, Breeds, Dog Equipment, Dogs, foster dogs, Humor, Nutrition, Outings, senior dogs, Training, Walking
Tagged Beagle, Chihuahua, Dog breed, dog trainer, dog walker, Massachusetts, Stoughton
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