As dog lovers, we all want the best for our furry companions, including their nutrition. Whether you feed your dog a home-cooked diet, raw diet or high-quality commercial kibble, the following items should be at the top of your mind: UNDERSTANDING WHAT INGREDIENTS YOU ARE FEEDING- Learn how to read the label and don’t be afraid to ask questions to either the clerk selling you the food or the food company itself.  KNOWING IF THE FOOD IS FREE OF CHEMICALS, ANTIBIOTICS & HORMONES- The list of ingredients may seem wonderful, but where and how the food is sourced matters. Is the mea ..read more

As with any living creature, stress can have a massive impact on a dog’s emotional and physical well-being. The effects of stress can be observed through a dog’s behaviour and physiological functions. While the impact of stress can be monumental in a dog’s body, we as humans don’t always recognize the symptoms. This can happen for several reasons. One is that dogs can be incredibly stoic. It is not often biologically beneficial to them to advertise their vulnerability, susceptibility, and weakness due to stress or illness, and as a result, we may not always pick up on their earlier indica ..read more

What the heck is a raccoon dog anyway?  Well, I can start but telling you what they are not... raccoons! While they closely resemble our beloved North American 'trash panda', they are not even part of the same family of animals. While they both sport stunning and mysterious mask markings and have both been sought after for their luxurious furs, they couldn't even accurately be called cousins. While raccoons have those adorable little hands that regularly get them into trouble, raccoon dogs have paws similar to what you would expect to see on a dog.  Right, s ..read more

Keep reading for a special announcement below... With over 80 million dog owners in North America alone, it's no surprise there are tons of people reading about dogs. Whether you are a traditional 'sit-down with a paper book in your hands', a 'listen to an audiobook on a drive' or a 'read in bed on a kindle' kind of person, everyone needs books in their lives. Dog lovers of all ages enjoy relatable, feel-good dog stories to help them connect to other dog people, raise their spirits or maybe even get them through difficult times.  ..read more

It has taken years for reward-based training to become popularized and seen as the rule rather than the exception. Years of scientific research, studies and numerous books written by pioneers in the industry have finally set dog owners on a more ‘positive’ path.  Science has told us that dogs are more likely to repeat behaviour that is rewarded rather than refrain from performing behaviour that has been punished. That’s not to say that punishment doesn’t play a role in teaching and communicating with our dogs. Without getting too technical, there are four main quadrants in operant learnin ..read more

 All too often I am approached with a story of a 'good dog' who suddenly bites "out of nowhere". The story usually goes something like this: "I was just petting him and he snapped" or "He went over to greet my friend with his tail wagging and then all of a sudden turned on her".  These bites tend to be targeted towards familiar people, but not exclusively. They always seem to surprise the receiver who feels betrayed or deceived into letting their guard down because they thought the dog 'liked them' or wanted the interaction. So what went wrong?  It is imperative that prior ..read more

Time is changing and so too is the world of dogs. Whether you are a dog owner, groomer, retailer, trainer or walker, you need to be ready for the change COVID-19 will have on your life. How will our personal and professional lives with dogs be altered and what does a virtual dog world really look like? Although the dog world already has many different virtual aspects; such as online shopping, food delivery, educational webinars and social media; the dog world ahead of us will be much more immersed in a virtual realm. With the current COVID-19 health crisis across the world ..read more

Loose-leash walking is a simple behaviour made up of a variety of complex skills. If your dog does not understand or possess the complex skills, this 'simple' behaviour you are asking them to perform ends up being not so simple for either of you. Before you become frustrated with your dog's disobedience on a leash, consider your dog's skill set in the following areas: 1. Ignoring distractions: In order to walk calmly by your side, in a distraction-rich environment, your dog must learn to ignore distractions. You need to have a clear understanding of what level of distraction your dog can handl ..read more

What is fear? According to the dictionary, fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. Dogs exhibit fear in a variety of different ways. Depending the dogs' innate drives (breed and genetics), past experiences and learned behaviour, some dogs will attempt to flee, some will fight and some will freeze (or a combination of all three). Based on my professional experience, some dogs will even attempt to defuse the perceived conflict by using play behaviours. It is fair to say that despite the dogs' response to the fear, it is an uncomfortable emotion that ..read more

There are over 400 separate breeds of dogs throughout the world, not including the many new independently recognized hybrid breeds (primary crossbred dogs) which are becoming increasingly popular. Each purebred dog has gone through extensive artificial-selection at the hands of humans to retain certain behavioural and physical characteristics. Many believe that most breeds’ physical distinction was just an unplanned occurrence in the process of creating a dog with optimal behaviour and skill to fulfill each particular requirement. That is not to say that presently there are not physical standa ..read more