by Lindsay Stordahl on March 12th, 2010
13 Comments »
My previous dog Brittni was trained to follow the commands “stay” and “wait.” Each command had a clear meaning, and I was consistent about how I used each. The trainer I worked with at the time taught me to use the two commands because stay should always mean stay here in this exact position until I return and release you. Wait should always mean wait here until I give you the next command. A ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 4th, 2010
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Note: This is a guest post by Christina over at Buoyant Dog. Pictured is Christina’s dog Glory and their buddy, Squirt. If you only want to learn a little about gastric dilitation-volvulus, commonly referred to as “bloat” in the dog world, then it is important to learn the signs and symptoms of this condition, above all else. Bloat occurs when a dog’s stomach fills up with air and makes breathing diff ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 2nd, 2010
13 Comments »
I’ve had multiple people ask for my advice on the same problem – their dogs were going to the bathroom indoors for no apparent reason after being housebroken for years. People hope for some kind of magical solution or an easy explanation for their dogs’ behavior problems. They also suggest that the dogs misbehave as a way of getting back at them for something. As convenient as it is to believe a dog ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on February 25th, 2010
2 Comments »
Note: This is a guest post from Minette at TheDogTrainingSecret.com. Her tips are a good reminder for all of us to be consistent with our dogs – something I need work on! One of the problems I deal with frequently is that the dog or dogs in the house only listen to one of the owners or family members and not everyone. There are several possibilities and reasons that this problem occurs, and it is important to ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on February 15th, 2010
17 Comments »
All dog lovers want to adopt more dogs. Our significant others and family members have learned this the hard way. I know that at some point there will be a second dog in our household. This very day, week or month is not the right time, but that could easily change. My problem is not whether or not to adopt a second dog, my problem is deciding on “the right” dog. I know the correct way to adopt a dog R ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on February 14th, 2010
14 Comments »
Note: This is a guest post by Omar Reyes of Dog Care Journey. Designer dogs, hybrid dogs, puggles, goldendoodles, schnoodles, and yes, Labradoodles have become more popular recently. But aren’t they all just mixed breed dogs? Well, in a way, they are. So what makes them so special? Let’s take a step back and present a more “formal” definition of a hybrid or designer dog. A designer dog or R ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on February 10th, 2010
19 Comments »
I’m not a big fan of using treats for dog training. Treats encourage begging and obsessive behavior, and treats make some dogs too excited. I’m all for positive reinforcement and use a lot of treats when teaching a new concept, but other than that I expect my dog to listen regardless of whether I have a treat or not. It annoys me when some dogs will not obey a command unless they think they will get a fo ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on February 3rd, 2010
6 Comments »
Ace and I received a generous amount of free products from k9cuisine.com, which may or may not have influenced this post Ace is not a very good reviewer since he will give an A+ to anything he manages to consume (cat turds, Purina One dog food, cigarette butts …). So you’re going to have to trust my judgement instead. And no, I didn’t actually taste the dog food. Ace did the tasting, I did the ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on February 1st, 2010
8 Comments »
Dog owners are always reading about dogs and talking to other dog owners, vets, groomers, breeders and trainers. We watch dog videos and TV shows and start dog blogs and volunteer with rescues and shelters. We can’t get enough about dogs. Learning about dogs is an ongoing process, according to Omar Reyes of Dog Care Journey. That’s part of the reason why he started his blog in November 2009, to try to ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on January 26th, 2010
26 Comments »
In 2007 a pitbull mix waited at a high-kill gassing shelter in the state of Georgia. She was fortunate enough to be rescued and transported to Fargo, N.D., but spent two years living in boarding facilities because no one would foster or adopt her. This is the story of Georgia, a “lucky” dog who now sleeps under the covers every night in a warm bed. Georgia is a dog who taught me and many others a thin ...