Beware the Giant African Land Snail
Beware the Giant African Land Snail By Kimberly "Kim" Archer, CPDT-KA, CTDI The Giant African Land Snail is an incredibly dangerous snail invasive to Florida, and it is also irradicated with an equally dangerous bait, metaldehyde. Florida has previously successfully eradicated these snails, and plans to do so again, but in the meantime everyone should remain vigilant for both themselves and their pets, as thousands [...]
Say “No” To Dog Parks: Here’s Why & Better Alternatives
Say “No” To Dog Parks: Here’s Why & Better Alternatives By Kimberly Archer Dog Behavior Technician As a dog parent you just want the best for your pup, and as such most of us want to provide our dog with a rich social life. The easy way to do this is to regularly take your dog to the dog park... or is it? Though dog [...]
Laser Pointers & Our Dogs: Are They Really Having Fun?
By Beth Napolitano, CPDT Many of us are familiar with the red or green beam of light from laser pointers that may be useful during presentations to direct the attention of an audience. Perhaps even as a toy for our cats who seem to love chasing that little beam of light? Sometimes these laser pointers are also used as a toy for our dogs. [...]
Animal Abuse Harms People Too
by Daniel Antolec If you are reading this blog then I may safely assume you are an animal lover, but sometimes love is not enough. Sometimes advocacy through direction action is required. I post this as an urgent call to action to help pass animal abuse legislation which Humane Society of the United States (Wisconsin) state director Melissa Tedrowe declared in her testimony to be [...]
Goodbye Food Allergies, Hello Play Training!
Angelica Steinker was interviewed for a cutting edge new product that offers hope for allergies. "This is Power, a seven-year-old purebred Border Collie who up until recently has continuously suffered from both environmental and food allergies. As a result, he would experience rapid weight loss and frequent vomiting. A friend of mine found out about AnimalBiome's unique therapies." Read the full story here >
Quality of Life for Blind/Deaf Dogs
By Debbie Bauer I receive a lot of great ideas for new blog posts – Thank you so much for those. I’m always looking for ideas to write about that will be useful to each of you as readers. One idea that truly intrigued me was to discuss what quality of life a blind and deaf dog can have. I think it caught my interest [...]
How to Teach Your Deaf (and Blind) Dog to Wake Up Gently
Here is a wonderful blog by PPG member Debbie Bauer on how to teach a blind or deaf dog to wake up gently. There is a myth that deaf dogs can be “dangerous” because they will bite when they are startled or woken up. Could this ever happen? Yes, it could. But it could also happen with a dog that can hear just fine. [...]
Reel It In – Why I Don’t Like Retractable Leashes
Here is an interesting Blog by WholeDog Journal on retractable leashes. Click here to read.
Why Prong Collars Hurt
Thank you Eileen Anderson for writing an informative blog on the physics of a prong collar. Please see additional note at the bottom of the post. Prong collars, also called pinch collars, are metal chain collars for dogs that include links of prongs whose ends press into the dog’s neck. When a dog pulls on leash, moves out of position, or is “corrected” with a [...]
Dog Car Safety: Help – An Escapee!
by Louise Stapleton-Frappell Recently, my nephew and I saw a dog running down a busy main road. She was very lucky as between us we managed to redirect her down an alleyway away from all the traffic and eventually I got her to come near enough to me so that I could take hold of her collar. She was obviously very frightened and stressed. [...]
Choke Collar Pathology
by Daniel Antolec Recently I persuaded a local pet supply store to sell me all his choke collars (at cost) and refrain from restocking them, in return for recommendations for safe body harnesses such as Perfect Fit and Balance. He was persuaded by data I presented to him about the pathology of choke collars.“I never knew they hurt dogs, and only carried them because [...]
Agility equipment safety
When it comes to dog agility training it is important to pay attention to some details to keep our dogs safe. This article by the Agility Nerd highlights some potential issues. Always check agility equipment for safety prior to letting your dog play on it. Contact Equipment Safety in Photos by Steve Schwarz I'm always concerned about our dog's safety on course and I'm [...]
