Walk beside you on a leash?…No way! Running and sniffing is much more fun. Come on, let’s go! Puppies are not born knowing all the rules we humans have for living together. As a responsible owner, it is up to you to teach them how to coexist peacefully. When you come home from work, no doubt, your puppy is going to be excited to see you. So like any normal dog, he wants to jump and kiss your face. No self-respecting puppy would greet his new parent any other way, of course. Don’t worry; contrary to popular belief, he is not, in fact, trying to dominate your world.
Many of us have pets for a variety of reasons. They can lower our blood pressure, offer companionship, and help fight depression and loneliness. In fact, statistics say that 62% of U.S. households have a pet. That’s 78.2 million dogs and 86.4 million cats that are a part of our families and everyday lives. And when it comes to taking care of those pets, we spend big. In 2011, we spent 50.96 billion on pet supplies alone.
When Yelling "Stop Doing That!" Isn't Working: Distract and Redirect
Your dog can exhibit a number of behaviors that you would prefer they didn’t do. They bark at people as they walk down the street, they charge the delivery man as he brings your packages; they chew on shoes, and steal our socks. The list could go on and on. There are thousands of things you don’t want your dog to do. That is why it is so important to teach them what you DO want them to do. You could spend your entire day yelling at your dog to stop doing this, don’t do that, but what fun is that?
How Much is that Doggy... Going to Cost My Allergies?
The desire to bring a dog into my family has always been there despite having discovered that I couldn’t breathe upon picking up a puppy in the second grade (which led to a diagnosis of asthma). I have always loved animals but they have not really loved me back so well. Not only have I been known to have trouble breathing, but also to break out in hives and terribly red itchy eyes. So, whenever the thought of bringing a canine companion into our home came to mind, I usually would dismiss it reluctantly, convinced that it was never to be for me.
My Sirius Life: Sirius Proves (Once Again) He's One Champion Dog
When I am training, sometimes it is necessary for me to take along a dog with me. I have the perfect dog for that. I was working with the most loveable boxer the other day that also happens to be leash aggressive. This is such a shame. Some people, but mostly dogs, don’t get to see how cool this dog is because he scares them away before he can show them. So, we had done several weeks using "Rowdy," my life size stuffed toy lab, and he was showing real progress. It was time to bring in the big guns. This is where Sirius comes in.
We just had to say goodbye to a dear, furry family member after almost 13 years of constant companionship. Not just any dog, but a Golden Retriever named Skipper. I remember driving through a blizzard to pick him out 13 years ago. He was the slightly older puppy that followed my shoestring and sat in my lap. He stole my heart, and I think he knew he was meant for us. He helped me raise 4 little children.
This was the summer of the puppy. I told my kids I was going to adopt a new family member once they both were off to their various institutions of higher learning in the fall, and they said, "GET ONE NOW!" But why now? We won’t be able to go on vacation if we get a puppy. The whole summer will be all about the puppy. Both the Kid and the Girl protested- If you get a puppy after we leave, it won’t know us. And, they reasoned, if you get a puppy now, you’ll have two extra people with flexible schedules to help you care for it and potty train it. Yeah, right, I thought.
"What is this little guy’s name? I can’t get close enough to see her tag." she asked. I looked down at the little min pin who was quietly standing near her. She looked a little nervous about being at doggy daycare and a little on edge. While I was thinking of the dog’s name, the girl started walking quickly towards the dog (because the dog was trying to move out of her reach). With hands outstretched, she grabbed her collar, picked her up, and held her up to her face so she could see the tag on her collar. "That’s a good way to get a good bite in the face!" I said.
I grew up in a house full of animals. We always had two dogs and a cat or two cats and a dog. For a short time, we had two hairless rats and a cockatiel. You would think I would be used to the chaos that comes with this chosen lifestyle, and I thought I was until…This fall, we introduced a 5-month-old puppy into our house already occupied by our two 5-year-old cats. I bring up their age only to demonstrate how set in their ways they are. Cats are notoriously opposed to change.
