Recent content by SpanielsRule

I've heard about animal communicators before and always wonder what my dog might be thinking. How does she feel she's being treated? How can I make her life even better? What does she like and dislike? Would she like a canine friend or is she content being the only dog in the home? There...

I wouldn't tell the landlord. If I thought the dog was being mistreated or abused, I'd contact my local animal abuse and neglect hotline, but that's the only time I would feel right about intervening.

I'm so glad your neighbor's dog is back! That is such a scary situation to imagine. I would be going out of my mind if my dog went missing. This is a terrific reminder to keep your microchip information updated. It can be so easy to forget to do this when you're moving because there's just...

The poor puppy was probably pretty traumatized by the Huskies. I'm sorry he went through that. I'm glad he feels safe in your home so he can let his guard down and be himself. Slow introductions are always important in multi-dog households, as @Vinny noted. Paying attention to each dog's...

I would take the dog to a vet to see if he had a microchip first. Then, I'd look around to see if I found any, "lost dog," posters in the area I found him. There are groups on Facebook where you can post about found pets, so I'd do that, too. If nobody came forward, I'd have to decide whether...

We generally try to stay in the grass when we take walks, but there are some parts of our walk where my dog needs to walk on the pavement. I worry about her little paws getting too hot on the pavement because it's been in the upper 90s so often this summer. I was thinking about investing in...

I try to walk my dog at least 15 minutes a day, more if the weather is nice. I also have a fenced-in backyard and let her out everyday to enjoy time in the yard. I try to play fetch with her in the yard for a little bit every evening after dinner. It's our time to bond.

My dog is middle-aged, so right now, she goes to the vet once a year and as needed for any illness in between our yearly appointment. She also gets blood work done once a year. Our vet says blood work every year is important because dogs age so much faster than we do, and blood work helps...

I know that there are some personality traits that seem to be genetically linked, as many dogs in the same breed will have some similar personality traits, such as intelligence. However, I believe the environment a dog is raised in also influences which personality traits end up coming out. A...

I would definitely ask your vet if he or she has ever worked with the facility and if they have any recommendations for you. I think it's a great idea to stop in and see how they operate. Stopping in during their business hours will give you an opportunity to see how they function...

I didn't know that steam cleaning could do that. It's definitely important for us to get the smell out so that our dogs don't think it's okay to continue to urinate in that spot. Personally, I really like the Nature's Miracle line of cleaning products. I hear baking soda and vinegar are also...

I currently only have one dog. I'd consider adopting another if the circumstances were right, but I don't think I'd ever have more than two dogs at once. How many dogs do you think is too many to have? How many dogs do you think you could reasonably care for at once?

Has your vet given you any suggestions on how to adjust your dogs' diets? If you are, "free-feeding," I would stop that and go to feeding your dogs at scheduled times. Measure each dog's portion of food, and feed them in separate rooms if you need to so they don't steal each other's food. I...

I've been thinking about enrolling my dog and I in an agility class to see if it's something she'd like to do. My dog is about 3 years old. Do you all think she could learn how to do agility courses at this age, even though she doesn't have any previous experience with them? Do any of you do...

I only have one dog, so I can't speak to this from personal experience. However, I have friends who have more than one dog. Some do separate training sessions with their dogs while others train their dogs together.