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

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

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,

ONE dog can make a lot of noise. Is there an equation that measures the increase in decibel levels when TWO dogs see the garbage truck? I’m pretty terrible at math so I won’t even attempt this one. All I know is, a pomeranian mix and a Cairn terrier, fenced in and highly indignant that a vehicle should appear and STOP in front of THEIR house, are likely to wake up the neighborhood at the bracing time of 6 AM. Consider it a community service alarm clock. Another dog – a Blac

Households with two or more dogs are more common than you think. Here’s the scenario I hear over and over: “We went to the breeder and there were only two puppies left. We had only planned to get one, and we picked out the one we wanted, but then the other one looked so sad to be left behind, so we took that one, too.” Uh-oh… This occurs so often that I’m beginning to wonder if breeders put two puppies in the pen and remove the other littermates to some other place while ther

The pandemic makes life challenging for us in so many ways, big and small. Its not just people who are attempting to live this new kind...

8 year old Murray is a well-behaved Bichon Frise. He lives with a retired couple who adore him and give him a very cushy life, with the...

I’m at a lesson to help with a common dog problem. For demonstration purposes, one of the family members goes to the door and selects a...

Eleanor is a 5 year old German Shorthaired Pointer. Among her litany of unwanted behaviors – she’s an escape artist, a counter cruiser, a...

….only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong. Dogs are pretty opinionated creatures. There are plenty of dogs that greet visitors to...

Two year old West Highland Terrier Stella takes her job as protector of the house and its contents very seriously. So much so that she...

Some of my clients swear that their dogs watch TV. I used to be skeptical about such claims. But then I witnessed a Shepherd mix appear...

In all of my years of dog training, I have encountered just about every breed and nearly every behavioral problem possible in the canine...

Sam is a 4 year old Terrier mix. He lives in a nice suburban development with tidy houses and wide lawns. His back yard is fenced and he...

Let’s face it: your dog can’t do any of those pastimes. Nor can he take himself for a walk, go to the gym, or call a friend for a chat....

Usually its because they have added a puppy to their household when they already have an adult dog. The puppy, being a puppy, wants to...

I confess I am amazed at the number of dog owners who resort to chasing their dog when he runs off with an item he has stolen. Let’s...

Edgar is a 2 year old Miniature Dachshund who has never known a day without his siblings Rottweiler Hannah and Pitbull mix J.P. All of...

I confess my own dogs are getting older. They are 14 and 16 years old, and although they are both little guys, the aging process is...

This is not a post about hot cars and dogs. We all know by now that they don’t mix. In the summer, leave the dog home unless you want a...