As pet owners, we all want our furry friends to live happy, healthy lives. But have you ever stopped to think about what that really means for your dog? For many dogs, a fulfilling life means having a sense of agency and choice in their daily routines. This is where the four L.E.G.S. model developed by dog behaviorist Kim Brophey comes into play. The four L.E.G.S. stand for: Learning Agency and choice in a dogs life is essential for a happy, well balanced dog Environment Genetics Self These four components work together to create a dog's overall behavior and well-being. Let's break the ..read more

One very common request I get as a dog trainer is "How can I make my dog walk better?"  While I do not think we need to make our dogs do anything, there are tips to help you and your dog have a more enjoyable and beneficial walk.  All of our staff at Milwaukee Paws Pet Care are taught these tips as well- they are generally easy to implement and go a long way in helping our clients enjoy their dog walking time more. Tip #1: Know Your Dogs Exercise Needs Many owners do not fully realize what their dogs exercise requirements are.  We need to remember that every breed of d ..read more

Why do we need to talk about reactive dog training and how it can help? Simply stated, when we bring a dog into our families, we have an idea of what life will be like with this new family member.  As a dog trainer, I often have the opportunity to hear the stories clients share of what they hoped life would be like with their dog.  Some see doing long hikes in the woods, others see sitting on a patio at local restaurants with their dog, soaking up the energy of the city on a warm summers evening.  Of all the stories I hear, not one person has said to me that they were really ho ..read more

The raw food diet for dogs is the gold standard in canine nutrition A Raw Food Diet in Dogs is the Gold Standard of Canine Nutrition What is the benefit of a raw food diet for dogs, or even. fresh food diet for dogs?  Almost every human has heard the adage "you are what you eat".  We stress it to athletes, children, the elderly- really anyone seeking improved health or fitness gains has heard how important nutrition is.  I personally know the benefits that a healthy diet brought to my life.  For years, I struggled with health conditions that brought on chronic pain ..read more

Why Capture Calmness: Some dogs are calm, chill and relaxed most of the time.  It seems that their default is to relax and stay calm.  For other dogs, reaching a state of calmness is harder to attain and not their go to behavior. Capturing calmness is key for dogs who are more hyper, high energy and not able to teach themselves to relax.  It’s important for every dog to learn calm behaviors for a variety of reasons like going to a cafe patio, when you guests in the home, or are trying to speak with someone while your dog is on leash. Calming behaviors can also help with stress r ..read more

Each year, as the new year begins, I like to reflect back over the past 12 months.  I take this time to reflect on the year, the successes and challenges it brought, how well I handled them and where I struggled.  I find this time helpful to give me perspective, to help me remember how much I have grown over the past year.  It also helps me to develop goals and a plan for the next year. In this post, I am going to share some of this process with you.  I'm going to write about the year 2021 from my business perspective, and set goals for 2022.  While this post will p ..read more

Before traveling with your pet, teach them the cues that will make your trip safer and more fun for all of you! Traveling with our canine companions can be a lot of fun and can really help to strengthen the bond between pet and pet parent.  Before you hit the road with Fido, though, there are a few things you will need to consider, such as finding dog friendly accommodations, selecting activities that are both dog friendly and suitable for your pet and ensuring that your dog knows some basic commands (or cues, as I prefer to call them). When your dog knows and responds to these seven cue ..read more

While we at Milwaukee Paws Pet Care have always stressed the importance of cognitive enrichment for pets, especially cats and dogs, we have noticed that this year, there is a marked increase in the number of companies shifting their focus to it as well.  This makes us happy- cognitive enrichment is such a vital and important part of pet ownership, but it is often overlooked simply because pet owners don’t know better. When more companies stress the importance of this aspect of pet ownership, all pets win.  This makes us so happy!  One area that has become very popular is offeri ..read more

I am often asked what dogs need to be safe and comfortable in winter.  The truth is, this depends on the dog!  You need to look at whether your dog is bred to be an outdoor dog in winter or not, is your dog a large breed, small breed or somewhere in between?  Also, consider your dogs coat, age and history when deciding what your dog needs. For example, a large Great Dane still needs a jacket in winter as this breed does not have an undercoat to keep them warm, however a Siberian husky is built for winter and will be perfectly content relaxing in the snow with no jacket at all ..read more

As the holiday of Thanksgiving approaches, I wanted to share with all of you what the staff at Milwaukee Paws Pet Care are thankful for this year.  This year has been hard for so many of us but I wanted to shift the focus to what is going well and what can we all be grateful for- because there is so much that we can still be thankful for!  Each team member was asked only to submit 3-5 things they are grateful for and why- no other direction was given.  I feel that what each person offered as their answers gives a glimpse into who they are and why our team is among the best out ..read more