Dogs instinctively understand human hand signals better than just about any other animal species. This can useful when your dog is chasing a tennis ball. It’s not unusual for your dog to anticipate your throw and start heading off in the expected direction before you have a chance to toss it. If you are a few seconds late your dog… read more →
Dogs love to curl up and nap by your feet. Awww. It warms your heart that it wants to be so close to you. That’s probably true. But another reason your dog has for such proximity is that when you move, it will be alerted that something might be happening. Dog’s love to be underfoot for that reason. Too often… read more →
When your dog reaches its senior years and has been an ideal companion, faithful in every way, show it some extra consideration. Like older humans your dog is apt to have good days and bad days. Some days your dog will be ready to romp. You might even see glimpses of its former puppyhood. On other days your dog will… read more →
Beetle Bailey is an old school comic strip and it shows! This strip may illicit a cynical laugh, but we know better. It’s humor is predicated on outdated notions about dog intelligence. “Dumb dog” is an uninformed invective. As pointed out in this blog, in The Heart of Your Dog, and elsewhere, dogs are surprisingly intelligent and perceptive animals. Now,… read more →
For as long as there have been people “training” dogs, the dog treat has been a tool box staple. Most dog’s will eagerly comply to earn the reward. Like mice in a lab experiment their behavior can be manipulated with a simple reward for the forced behavioral scheme. In the mind of the dog it is a simple transaction –… read more →