by Lindsay Stordahl on March 13th, 2008
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Today was the second day of my experiment to walk Ace every day. Since it is really wet and muddy out, he did not get a chance to run today. His walk was his only exercise, so we went for two 20-minute walks, and he wore his dog backpack filled with some books. Ace ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 13th, 2008
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When I adopted Ace last year, I debated whether or not to take him to formal obedience classes. I am always trying to save money, so one question I asked myself was “Why pay for training when I know how to train him myself?” My boyfriend, Josh, said, “Does he even need it?” This made me want to prove I could train Ace myself even more. But we were not looking at the situation the best way. Any ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 12th, 2008
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Today was the first day of my 30-day experiment to walk Ace for a minimum of 20 minutes per day. The walk went way better than normal because I brought treats along. All he had to do to get a treat from me today was look at me when I said his name. This kept him very focused. And all I used for treats were pieces of dry catfood. We practiced random sits and different walking paces. ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 12th, 2008
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How many people can ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 11th, 2008
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When I’m at the dog park or when I meet another dog anywhere, I make sure not to feed it treats without asking the owner first. There are reasons I don’t feed other people’s dogs unless I know it’s OK. Feeding a dog will only encourage the dog to beg for human food or more dog treats. Plus, dogs have problems related to food, just like humans. Dogs can have diabetes, thyroid issues, food aller ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 10th, 2008
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Kill-free shelters do not euthanize any animals. Instead, all dogs and cats are kept until they are adopted. But this isn’t as good as it sounds, because some of these animals wait in cages for months, sometimes even a year or more. Meanwhile, thousands of other dogs across the country are turned away or killed because there is no room for them, or no more ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 8th, 2008
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I had to slow down every 10 minutes during today’s run in order to break the ice from my eyelashes. The temperature at 6 a.m. here in Fargo was a balmy 4 degrees, close to a record low for March 8. This is warm compared to some of the past Saturdays when it was -15 and my training group and I, my mutt included, still ran outside. We did decide to cancel a few weeks ago when it was -25 with a -45 wind chill. I m ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 7th, 2008
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A Gentle Leader is a collar that will stop many dogs from pulling. It works like a horse halter, by fitting over the dog’s muzzle and snapping behind her ears. It’s made of nylon and should fit comfortably, still allowing her to pant, bark, eat, drink and bite. It is not a muzzle. It is simply meant to give you better control of your dog. If you don’t like to use choke or pinch collars, or if they j ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 6th, 2008
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Many cities and states are enforcing rules against dangerous dogs, but when is a dog really considered dangerous? At what point has a dog’s behavior gone too far? Too often, a dog is considered dangerous after it bites someone. But really, a dog is dangerous long before he reaches that point. So many dog bites and attacks could be prevented by acting on the warning signs. For example, a dog left chained in a ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on March 5th, 2008
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One of the main reasons dogs and cats end up in shelters every year is because people buy a pet before they are committed to care for it. I adopted my mutt last year, and it was difficult for me to wait until I found the right dog. I wanted to rescue every dog at every shelter. But it was worth it to take the time and really think things through, because I found a dog that fits well into my lifestyle. Once you’ ...