Arthur is not a camper. The outdoors has no comfortable chairs, so Arthur wanders around the campsite in misery, until someone lays a blanket on the dirt. He will briefly settle there, but jump up at any indication that they might be leaving for home. His humans insist that he come with them on hikes and canoe trips. The hikes are fine, just a walk in the woods, but being on a boat makes Arthur positively distraught. He must be picked up physically and placed in the canoe. On

My idea of a pure, indulgent pleasure is to have a pedicure. For 40 minutes, I can close my eyes and have someone else make my abused feet look presentable again. I happily pay for this privilege. If I could afford it, I would do it weekly. As a kid, I would convince my Weimaraner Misty to sit patiently while I did her nails, usually with a holiday theme. This breed of dog has lovely clear nails that made applying nail polish especially rewarding to an 8-year-old budding aest

Five year old Beagle Carlos hates the dog next door. He can’t see Cockapoo Sheldon. An 8 foot stockade fence separates the two dogs. It doesn’t matter, though. The first thing Carlos does when he is let outside to do his business is to race the fence and skim the base of it with his nose, hunting for Sheldon. Then, let the barking begin. How the Carlos/Sheldon feud began is a mystery. Carlos’ owners moved into the neighborhood first. When Sheldon’s family arrived, it appeared

It’s the white elephant in the room whenever there is a Mastiff, St. Bernard or Bloodhound present. Owners of these breeds – and other loose-lipped dogs – typically carry a rag or handkerchief tucked into a pocket or purse for on-site damage control. The walls of their homes are coated with scrubbable paint. Their furniture is upholstered in forgiving fabrics. Their clothes are machine washable. I’m talking, of course, about Drool. There are two kinds of drool. The drop or t

The big black Labrador meandered slowly up a Delmar street, much to the consternation of my client. She froze and clung to the leash, aware that her own dog would, at any moment, see the loose dog and go into a barking frenzy. We backed away, turned and worked on maintaining confidence and purpose so that her dog would not react negatively. In the meantime, the Lab, oblivious to cars stopping to let it pass, wandered away. A little Cairn Terrier stumbled down the busy street,

I always ask my clients to let their dog greet me at the front door they way they would with any other guest. I like to see how a dog reacts to the arrival of a stranger on his home turf; it tells me a lot about the dog’s temperament and standing in the house. If I could describe the greetings I have received over the years in a poem, here then is an ode to the exuberance of dogs at the door: How do I greet thee? Let me count the ways. I greet thee by body-checking you at ful

Labradors are mouths on legs. Not all Labs put everything in their mouths, and there are undeniably other dogs that will ingest anything and everything. But Labs are notorious for considering the sidewalk to be their own personal buffet. There is a scale of ingestion by Lab color: Eats 80% of stationary objects = Black Labs Eats 90% of stationary + dead objects = Yellow Labs Eats 110% of stationary + dead + moving objects = Chocolate Labs Moses is a 9 month old Chocolate Lab.

On a trip to Maine one weekend, besides racking up many hours of driving, we gained some important insights about traveling with our dogs: 1. The term “dog walk” at thruway rest stops means a strip of ground too disgusting for anyone’s feet or paws. Watch for glass, garbage and other debris, and bring your own poop bags. 2. “Low balance” at two consecutive EZ Pass tolls will mean “No cigar” at the third toll. 3. Try to arrange for a hotel room on the first floor.

“My parents absolutely spoil my dog. I love that I can bring Eddie to their house and leave him there when I have to go out of town, but when he comes home, it’s like all of his training has gone out the door!” Here is what you tell your parents when you ask them to take care of your dog in your absence: Eddie eats at 7:00 AM and at 5:00 PM. He gets a cup in the and a cup at night. No scraps or table food. Eddie is not allowed on the furniture. Make sure Eddie sits before you

On any given day, Pretzel is both a sweetheart and the terror of the neighborhood. Pretzel is a Cockapoo with two owners. One of Pretzel’s owners – let’s call her Debbie – adores Pretzel. The dog is in her lap whenever she sits down. Pretzel follows her throughout the house, even when she is in the bathroom. Debbie swears that she and Pretzel have a very special bond, that they communicate with each other without words, that they are soulmates. Pretzel’s other owner – Dave –

It’s the existential question for humans and dogs: where is my place? If dogs could meditate, PLACE could be their mantra. PLACE…..PLACE…..PLACE…… if I had a PLACE, I could go there when…… Whoever is cooking in the kitchen doesn’t want me underfoot; When there are guests that don’t particularly like dogs; At mealtime, so I don’t beg at the table; I need a quiet place to go when I’m feeling overwhelmed; I’m really hungry and dinner isn’t ready yet; Before a walk, so I don’t go

Owners of two or more dogs will tell you that dogs are just as guilty of peer pressure as any group of teenagers. Herd mentality, mob rule, collective behavior, flocking, swarm intelligence, or team players – whatever the terminology, dogs (and people) in packs act differently than they do on their own. Chance and Joey are two male Havanese, age three. They are from the same litter and have been together all of their lives. They are rarely, if ever, separated. When they are,

I can hear you groan already. Please, you say, not another pitful puppy mill story. Bear with me. You can read this one without a box of tissues, because this one is going to have a happy ending. We fostered a 2 year old Bichon Frise, courtesy of Waggin’ Tails Pet Rescue, that we named Patsy Cline (any country music fans?). She was a breeding female at a Pennsylvania puppy mill. She was caged around the clock, never walked on the grass, wasn’t even given a name. Patsy was bro

I’d heard about the street dogs of India before but never thought I would see them firsthand; but then, I visited India myself. My oldest daughter was on a fellowship in Mumbai (Bombay) for a year. That’s way too long for a mom to go without seeing her child, so I traveled to India to spend 10 days with her there. I won’t depress you by telling you all the details of the poverty, the beggars, the homeless children sleeping on the sidewalks, the garbage everywhere you look. Su

“I don’t believe in crates,” said the new puppy owner. I don’t want my dog to be confined; it’s cruel. She’s part of the family; she shouldn’t be in a cage, she should be with us.” If you are guessing that this owner called me about housebreaking issues, you would be correct. I’m not sure when the idea of crates became an ideology with its share of advocates and detractors. Crate-resistant people get really adamant – and vocal – about not using crates. 8-month-old Cavalier K

It started with Lassie, the Collie. Or maybe it was Rin Tin Tin, the German Shepherd. Or that dog Petey from The Little Rascals, an American Staffordshire Terrier. Asta, the Jack Russell Terrier, from The Thin Man series. Fala, the Scottish Terrier, FDR’s companion. Beethoven, the St. Bernard. 101 Dalmations. Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Bo, the Portugese Water Dog. Dogs made famous by movies and their celebrity owners have inspired many people to get that particular breed. Once

Some dogs seem to regard bicycles, motorcycles and yes, skateboards as entrees on the run. Three-year-old Shepherd mix Simon enjoys napping on the sunny spot in the dining room, tossing his Wubba, and playing with his friends at the dog park. His favorite sport, however, is chasing anything that moves. Lately, this includes not only motorized vehicles, but also hapless joggers and even strollers. His owners suspect that an early run-in with a tricycle may have caused his obse

No one would ever mess with Joe, a 2-year-old American Bulldog. Not just because he is 90 pounds of intimidating muscle, or because he roars instead of barks. He lives in a walk-up third floor apartment in a marginal neighborhood, and you can hear his heavy tread above you as you enter the foyer of the building. No, to me, none of those factors is particularly off-putting. I’ve worked with larger dogs, in worse communities. To me, the most daunting aspect of Joe is that the d

After spending some time recently at my local dog park, I have decided that there are lessons to be learned there. For example, contrast the arrival of a newcomer to a high school in any teen movie, say, Mean Girls, with the appearance of a newly arrived dog at the dog park. The new girl in school is usually scrutinized, avoided, and gossiped about. She is made into a pariah unless another teen, one who had been treated just as shabbily as she in the past, takes pity on her

Because some dogs can swallow a sock faster than I can stop them Here’s the thing. All dogs can be trained – that’s my motto and my goal. Does that mean that every single dog responds the instant I walk in the door? Of course not. Here’s what can happen (and HAS happened): A Doberman eats money - actual dollar bills -and checks, too - with or without Dave's Insanity Sauce; A Husky swallows socks - the sock touches the floor, the sock is inhaled so fast you're not sure