by Lindsay Stordahl on September 14th, 2009
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I realized yesterday that I am my dog’s entire world. This thought made me a little sad. Ace gets out if I choose to invite him. But I leave whenever I want, with or without my dog. Ace knows and learns what I teach. His behavior depends on me. His energy depends on me. Even his ability to make choices depends on me. Ace eats the food I choose to buy. He eats when I decide to feed him, and therefore his weight ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on September 12th, 2009
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Note: This is a guest post by Dr. Susan Wright who writes for Dog Fence DIY. Dog Fence DIY offers a variety of dog fence systems including the Innotek IUC-5100 and provides a full-reference guide for putting in your system and teaching your dog how to use it. We’ve all seen our dogs twitch, yelp and paddle their feet while they’re asleep. We usually have a chuckle and imagine them dreaming of chasing rab ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on September 6th, 2009
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I know of runners who don’t train with their dogs. Their reasons surprise me – too hot, too cold, the dog can’t keep up, the dog pulls. To me there is something terribly wrong with these excuses. Dogs are meant to run. As for me, I refuse to leave my mutt Ace behind, even if that means walking. Ace is a tall, shorthaired lab mix. He’s mostly retriever but has a lean frame with visible muscles like a Vizsla or ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on September 3rd, 2009
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Note: This is a guest post by David Sutton of Sutton Studios. David is a photographer from the Chicago area. His company photographs dogs, cats, horses and other animals, as well as kids and families. Portraits include anything from pets to families to commercial work. If you want to catch your dog’s spirit in photos, it’s important to understand how the pros work! These tips will help you capture your pup’s pe ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on September 1st, 2009
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Four years ago, I owned a purebred dog. This was before I owned a mutt, before I got involved in dog rescue and before I knew what a blog was. I’d never even thought about dog agility, starting a dog running business or fostering a pitbull. But each dog that enters my life really does seem to open a new chapter, and Ace has introduced me to a whole new world with dogs. Still, my life would not be the same without m ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on August 30th, 2009
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Well I can add a new obsession to Ace’s list – golf balls. Nothing frustrates me more than when my dog is so focused on a ball that he won’t respond to the most basic commands like come, heel, sit. So last week while Josh was hitting golf balls in the back yard (we’re fortunate to live along a large field), I took Ace out with us for a serious on-leash training session. I always tell people to work with the p ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on August 27th, 2009
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Volunteers participating in the 19th annual FM Humane Society Paws walk are now collecting donations for the Fargo humane society. Money raised will help care for the animals that stay at the humane society until they find forever homes. A 15-minute fun walk is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Sept. 12 at the main shelter in Lindenwood Park (1701 Fifth St. S., Fargo) for all volunteers and their pets. Donations will be coll ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on August 25th, 2009
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Housetraining a puppy is one of the main concerns of new dog owners and one of the very first things we teach our dogs. A pup will have very few accidents and can be fully housetrained within a few weeks if trained correctly. If trained incorrectly, we make the housetraining process last months or years. In the worst cases, we unintentionally train our dogs to pee in the house, in their kennels or even on themselves. ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on August 22nd, 2009
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Note: This is a guest post by Kate Jurras. Kate maintains the blog Dog City! which features many photos of dogs she encounters on her walks. Every decade or so criminals get their hands on a particular breed for fame, money or status (all the wrong reasons to own a dog) and tarnish the image of the breed. Dog whisperer Cesar Millan writes on his website, “in the ’70s they blamed Dobermans, in the ’8 ...
by Lindsay Stordahl on August 19th, 2009
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A dog does not have to be abused or traumatized by kids in order to be afraid of them. It could be that the dog simply has not been around kids enough and therefore sees them as loud, unpredictable and confusing. It’s always a good idea to socialize your dog by introducing her to as many different places, people, animals, noises and experiences as possible. If a dog is fearful of children, chances are she has not b ...