Are dogs better exercise companions than humans?

Interesting thought: Exercise with your dog. One recent college study finds that dogs do a better job than people of getting older adults out for exercise.

The University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine Research Center for Human animal Interaction recently compared a group of adults matched with shelter dogs to a group partnered with a human walk buddy. After 12 weeks of walking on an outdoor trail for one hour, five times a week, researchers measured how the activity levels were improved for the participants.

It was reported that people paired with dogs improve their Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a fun time of the year with costumes, kids dressed up like animals and animals dressed up like people, candy everywhere, scary noises and special effects, everybody wandering around at night, haunted houses and many out of the ordinary events.   Pet owners might think ahead to some special precautions in order to protect our furry friends and keep them comfortable and safe.   We don’t want doggie to react defensively by biting what might be perceived as a scary threat.   We don’t want our cats and dogs to be the victims of pranks either.

  With all this noise and commotion, what steps can we take so that Halloween craziness will not over stress our little family members?  Consider these tips Read the rest of this entry »

“I’m sad.  Where is everybody?  Where did my pack go?”

When summer ends, the kids return to school, schedules change, and doggie misses the “pack”.   The house is so quiet, playmates are not coming and going, and maybe some family members who grew up with the dog will be heading to college and not returning for quite some time.   This is a time of transition and the stress of schedule changes impact the entire family, including the dog.  They are familiar with  the one routine and now must adjust to another.  With this separation anxiety and transition, behavioral problems can occur.   How can we help reduce this stress and help dogs ease back into a different sort of routine?

Liam Crowe of Bark Busters USA offers some tips: Read the rest of this entry »