You gaze lovingly at your dog and see his beautiful eyes, wagging tail, and gorgeous fur. Have you looked at his feet?  I know, I know, you look at his feet all the time, but have you really looked at them? I recently was visiting a friend who was lamenting the fact...

Along with the warmer weather, comes swimming.  Along with swimming, comes the risk of a hot spot, especially if you have a hairy dog with floppy ears...that likes to swim. Now it must be said that swimming isn't the primary cause for hot spots but moisture is an...

For most dogs, swimming is a passion...ok, let me rephrase that. For some dogs, swimming is a passion, for most dogs, swimming is fun from time to time. (Then there are the few dogs who would rather take a trip to the vets than go swimming...but I digress) When the...

Last week we talked about how dogs cope with the summer heat.  This week we're going to talk about what happens when your dog gets too hot. You've all heard the horrible stories about dogs left in hot cars.  Even when they are removed from that environment, sometimes...

As our temperatures climb, we as humans have to change what we wear. We can add clothes in the cooler months and remove clothes in the warmer ones.  Dogs are different. They have evolved to deal with all sorts of temperatures with minimal work. Especially those with...

    Another sure sign of spring in New England is the emergence of skunks. For some unknown reason, dogs are attracted to them (kitty?).  The fact that skunks don't move very fast makes them irresistible to dogs. You would think with a dogs heightened sense...

All dog owning New Englanders know what comes after Winter. No, not Spring, Mud Season. The melting snow coupled with Spring rains turns the ground into a muddy mess that we hate but our dogs love.  There is something buried deep in every dogs brain that encourages...

Most dogs love antlers.  They instinctively know that they provide vital vitamins and minerals. (They are very high in calcium)  They taste good (for a dog) and compared to meat bones, they do not split, crack, or splinter.  They do not have a soft marrow core so...

Last week we talked about marking, what it means, and how to eliminate it. In that same light, we're going to look at canine behavior in the home. When I was young,I was always told that dogs were like wolves. There is always an Alpha  in the pack.  An Alpha in a...

Almost all dog owners, at one time or another, have to deal with an "accident" in the house.  There are several reasons dogs pee in the house and with the proper understanding, most can be eliminated. First, there's the new puppy that hasn't learned why peeing in the...