Articles: dog behavior

Dog trainer, pet book author and TV personality Victoria Schade has a new book – a witty celebration of dogs – a fictional take on life as a dog trainer, called Life on the Leash. Catching up with Victoria on my national Steve Dale’s Pet World radio show: We talk about why the main character…

Just a couple of years ago, most people didn’t know veterinary behaviorists even exists as a specialty in veterinary medicine. Veterinary behaviorists are specialists just as veterinary cardiologists or veterinary oncologists are – but I argue they may save more lives, though there are fewer than 85 boarded behaviorists in the U.S. far less than…

Some pets are like the Grinch; they just don’t appreciate the Christmas spirit. Everything in their lives are upside down. The family is busily trying to attend to last minute shopping, and frazzled attempting to keep up with your kids’ Christmas parties. Meanwhile at work, end of year deadlines loom, and you feel the pressure.…

Here are 12 safety tips to insure your pets enjoy a healthy and safe holiday: 12) Candles Burn Bright: Curiosity can kill. If a candle is knocked over, a house fire can start. A pet can get singed brushing against a candle. Scented candles, which you may think of as benign, can be life-threatening to…

Flying with comfort animals/service animals has become very complicated in recent years. In part, because some abuse the system. However, in my view, the airlines themselves are also responsible as are ignorant pet caretakers. Delta Airlines said Monday that it will ban all emotional support animals on flights longer than eight hours and will ban…

Keeping pets safe in winter can be a challenge. Some dogs delight romping in the snow and appear as impervious to frigid temperatures as snow is to polar bears. Malamutes, Great Pyrenees, Huskies and many other large dogs seem friskier in weather that chills us to the bone. On the other paw, Toy Poodles and…

If an image tells a thousand words – this one is it as Sully Bush mourns. THIS is the human-animal bond. President George Herbert Walker Bush’s service dog, Sully, lays by his companion’s casket. Sully doesn’t know or care that Bush 41 was a good President or not, or what his legacy will be. Dogs…

Q: I have a 5-month old chocolate Labrador. My problem of Labrador Chases the cat is when she starts playing with my cat. She chase’s the cat around the living room and kitchen then takes a flying leap down the family room stairs then jumps on the couch at full force no matter who is…

The 2018 American College of Veterinary Behavior Symposium of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists was held in Denver in July, just prior to the Convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association. This is where much of the latest research in veterinary behavior is first revealed. One of the most fascinating presentations was from ethologist…

I hesitate to write about this – but it really is that time of year. The temperatures have fallen, the snow is falling, and people and dogs in winter are slipping on the ice. For small dogs, sight hounds, and very elderly dogs a sweater or coat is a good idea. It’s funny how this…