Articles: dog behavior

Decoding the Fearful Dog is a Sound Beginning Program on December 9 to communicate the latest animal behavior news. The speakers are John Ciribassi DVM, DAVB (co-editor of the book Decoding Your Dog, authored by members of the American College of Veterinary Behavior; Steve Dale, CABC (also co-editor Decoding Your Dog)  and Steve Frost, KPA CTP, SBA,…

What has John O’Hurley not done in show in business? He’s really done it all, from hosting game shows to being J. Peterman on Seinfeld to broadcasting golf events to appearing on stage in many productions – including on Broadway. And for 17 years, with David Frei, he’s hosted the National Dog Show Presented by…

Anxious pets on Halloween and Halloween safety are the topics of my discussion on the Jam on WCIU-TV with Carly Henderson and Felicia Lawrence. Because SO many pets are lost on Halloween, it may be best to keep the them behind a closed door – even if they don’t get stressed by seeing all those…

Blah! Blah! It’s scary. And you’re not alone, as more than 4.2 million dog-owning households and nearly two million cat-caretakers will be treating their furry companions to ghoulish goodies and grisly toys this Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Also, according to the NRF, pet “moms” and “dads” will spend over $440 million…

Amy Shojai is a superstar among pet writers. She may not be a household but she sure is among the households of those who write about pets, and who are deep into reading about pets. Shojai has been an important and prolific author of pet books for over 20 years Shojai has been awarded the…

Thunderstorm anxiety is a problem for many dogs, and indeed thunderstorm season continues only for a short time for many dogs but it’s year-round for much of the country. And when dogs are better at predicting weather than the National Weather Service, you know you have a problem. And the fear may be called thunderstorm…

Fear Free is taking off: From Fear Free veterinary medicine (veterinarians and entire practices certified as Fear Free) to Fear Free certified dog trainers to Fear Free certified animal shelters to Fear Free Happy Homes and pet caretakers who simply love their pets. On Steve Dale’s Pet World, I speak with the founder of this…

Some people think dogs afraid of thunderstorms will figure out over time that the storm won’t cause dogs with thunderstorm anxiety any harm.  But that hardly ever happens. In fact, often, without intervention, the fear can worsen. I argue it may be inhumane to merely let even mildly anxious dogs deal with storms without any…

I almost feel sorry for the famed Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan after watching this video: And this video only offers the highlights – both good and not so good. While all our lives are a bit of a roller coaster, his has been a particularly wild ride. I am writing about Millan again because Petcube, a…

The Fear Free initiative first began to minimize fear, anxiety and stress for pets at the veterinary clinic. And veterinarians and veterinary nurses have had to actually become certified as Fear Free, working toward making the experience FAR better for their 4-legged clients. Now, entire veterinary practices can be certified. Visiting Fear Free practices, compared…