Tag Archives: old dogs

Weekly Woofs from the Web

Weekly Woof from the Web

Ooops, we seemed to have missed a Woof so will make it up with two this week!

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The GORGEOUS Jessie, who needs a new home!

The key to teaching any species is first understanding how they learn about the world; this is a great place to start:

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But training/learning is for all species, in pretty much the same basic way, so here are some lions with an awesome recall and stationing behaviour: Recall

We’ve all seen our dogs apparently act out some intense scene in their sleep, but do humans and animals have similar dreams?

Not only do we teach dogs how to behave around children and teach parents how to monitor child-dog interactions, we can teach children the best ways to behave around dogs too: How to be a kid dogs feel safe with
And some great tips on keeping interactions safe too: A dog will always tell you if he’s about to bite

We are pretty bonkers about enrichment for dogs – anyone handy want to build us one of these?!

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Older dogs require a little extra TLC to make sure they have the best quality of life for as long as possible: 6 Tips for Caring for Older Dogs

Just as it’s important to take care toward the end of your dog’s life, it’s also vital that great care be taken at the start of your dog’s like: Puppy 101

We have talked about the importance of looking beyond daily-walkies as a way of entertaining your dog here; this piece looks at this too, with some nice ideas included: What’s in a walk?

Muzzle training is a must for ALL dogs, before they need to wear one: Muzzles: limiting or liberating?

Such an elaborate operation, and clearing away the evidence too:

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Here’s another super talented canine:

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And on stealth, I think this fella has them all beaten: Ninja Husky

Weekly Woofs from the Web

Weekly Woof from the Web

There’s always time for another Woof!

Reward based training isn’t about pushing-cookies, it’s about applying what we know about how dogs learn to teach dogs in an effective and efficient manner (works for all learning species too!): The truth about positive reinforcement

Never presume that a change in your dog’s health or behaviour is ‘just age’ – have a chat with your vet, even if it is a normal part of aging, there may be excellent treatments available that can greatly improve your dog’s quality of life, including with arthritis: So your dog has arthritis

Know someone who has kids and dogs, or is soon to have dogs and kids? Send them this: Pregnancy, Pups & Preparation

Not a dog but these same strategies can be adapted to arrange the training environment so that husbandry procedures, like nail clipping, can be stress free: Restraint-free nail clipping for  Allen, a Bearded Dragon

Although manners training (e.g. loose leash walking, recall, stay etc.) is a great start and very helpful, some dogs and some behaviours need more help, and generally regular training classes won’t be the way to help them: “Needs Training”

This is a thought provoking piece – neglecting to look after a dog’s behavioural, training, social and environmental needs can and does certainly impact its welfare: Poor Little Rich Dog

More on University of Lincoln’s work looking at our dogs’ pretty amazing capacity for appreciating human (and canine) emotion: Dogs can read human emotions

(Warning: tissues may be required) What we do for them at the end, says a lot about how we loved and lived with them: The Last Meal I Gave My Dog

We love the ScienceDog blog; here’s a great covering of some work on dog-dog social learning: Doggie See, Doggie Do?

Here are some great tips of introducing a dog to a cat

But sometimes it’s not a match made in heaven: Cats stealing dogs’ beds

More very smart, stealthy, and sneaky animals stealing food!

And perhaps the stealthiest of them all: An A-door-able Thief!

Weekly Woofs from the Web

Weekly Woof from the Web

A busy week so a packed round-up for you:

Older dogs with grey muzzles are heart-melters and we of course want to make sure that their twilight years are the best.
Some great advice on keeping the senior canine family member happy and healthy, especially when there is a young upstart under the same roof from Smart Dog University.

On the subject of seniors, making decisions about their treatment Vs their quality of life is always difficult; here Marc Bekoff examines What’s a good life for an old dog?

Helping bonded dogs cope with the loss of a canine companion can be very tough; here’s one take.
And not just difficult for canine companions, but also the other end of the leash too. Has grief for a dog who died every overwhelmed you? Don’t worry, you are not alone.

Training your dog is vital, not a luxury. You really need ten reasons? 10 Reasons to train your dog and 10 Top Tips from Dr Yin!

Trick training is not only fun but behaviours taught can be useful in sports, conditioning and working with your dog plus you develop an excellent relationship with them, all the while having a great time. Lexus and Jesse provide lots of inspiration!

Even when you might enjoy the scents of aromatherapy, there can be harmful effects for our pets: Aromatherapy: Relaxation or Torment for Pets?

Finding a good dentist can be tricky, and so can finding a good dog trainer – don’t worry always ask us for help in choosing a pet care professional!

Animals are naturally stoic and don’t want to be too obvious about showing serious pain. Pain is a major stressor leading to often misunderstood, subtle and even surprising behavioural changes – that’s why if there’s a change in behaviour or behaviour issues present, the first port of call is the vet!
Your dog can’t be in pain as he runs & plays? Think again!

Veterinary medicine really has come such a long way but important considerations are always required when it comes to pet anaesthesia: Canine Anesthesia
Being an informed pet owner also means knowing what questions to ask too: Questions to ask before anesthesia

I know we all love a hug, and love cuddling a cute canine even more, but for some dogs in some situations, this might not be as much of a joy for them: Why dogs don’t like to be hugged and Does your dog like cuddles?
Just as we would prefer to be asked before being touched, ask does your dog really want to be petted?

Philip Tedeschi delivers an insightful TEDx talk on the human-animal bond.

Be more dog: How to be a dog

Did you know that we can teach all manner of animals to be willing participants in their healthcare, even for invasive procedures? This originates in work with large, exotic animals in zoos and collections – it’s pretty tricky to restrain a large cat or hyena and sedation is stressful and dangerous. So, why do we continue to restrain dogs and other pet animals, causing untold levels of distress (to all) and presenting potential health and safety nightmares; instead try husbandry training like this fantastic example.

A streaker!

Squishy and stretchy; dogs squeeeeeeezing through cat-doors!

And my favourite clip this week; it’s always the little ones!

So many great bits and pieces, we might even have enough for another WWW this week!