Dogs and young families

A great article about deciding whether (or not) to get a dog when you have a young family.

Dogs and fear

In this month's BARK magazine, there is a wonderful article by Karen B. London about dogs and fear:  "Cautious Canines: Understanding and Helping Fearful Dogs".  The article isn't online (at least not yet), but I'd really encourage anyone who knows a shy, timid or fearful dog to read the article.   It's a great overview of dogs and fearfulness.

Here is another great article (by the wonderful Dr. Patricia McConnell) about reducing fear in dogs.  As she points out, "A gentle hand or a tasty treat doesn’t reinforce fear, it reduces it."  

My very favourite resource on dogs and fear is Debbie Jacobs' fantastic website, www.fearfuldogs.com.   This is THE place to start if you know a dog that you would describe as shy, timid, cautious, or fearful.  This site will help anyone who has or works with a dog like this.

Finally, I'd also like to link to a fabulous Yahoo group Shy-k9s.  The group description reads, "The shy-k9s mailing list is for the discussion of shy, fearful and/or fear-aggressive dogs and positive solutions to their problems."  Another great resource and source of support for people who have fearful dogs in their lives.

Punishment: A Cultural Phenomenon

I may be opening a can of worms here...   Here is an interesting article about punishment and our society.  "Punishment is a completely ineffective way to change anyone’s behavior", whether human or canine.

Children hugging dogs

This is a great article on children hugging dogs, and why it's not a good idea.

Getting the most out of puppy class

Wow, it's been far too long since I've even thought about this blog!  My apologies -- sometimes life gets away from me.

I just came across this great article on how to get the most out of puppy classes.  Perhaps it should be handed out at registration!

Three articles about the holidays and pets

I have been terribly neglectful of this blog lately.  December has been a busy month so far!

Here are three good articles about pets and the holidays:

• Holiday safety tips
• The Life of the Party: Holiday entertaining success for dog owners
• Holiday havoc or heaven with your dog or cat

Canine communication - Dogs don't always get along

A great article about canine communication:  "No Fighting, No Biting - Dogs Don't Always Get Along".  This article has great insight about dog body language, how dogs communicate, and the dangers of people trying to suppress the natural communication dogs do.  As humans, we don't all get along all the time, why do we expect our dogs to be able to do so?  It's so important for us to understand how dogs communicate, so we don't get in their way!