Training

This is Joe. He looks like an angel, and he is, but he has extreme separation anxiety. (Picture Credit: Patty Parker) Many of us pet parents have one or more dogs who suffer from separation anxiety to varying degrees. I have a rescue dog, named Joe, who spent the last seven years of his life

(Picture Credit: Westend61/Getty Images) Picking your pooch’s name is probably one of the first things you’d do as a pet parent. Over time, it’s easy to give additional nicknames, adding “boo” or “patootie” or other cutesy titles. After all, it’s hard not to give your baby a cute baby nickname, right? However, new research suggests

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) Some dogs nip when they feel startled. While it may not be your dog’s fault that they bite in response to surprises, it is a behavior that you probably want to stop. The startle reflex is instinctive in animals, and it’s not uncommon for a sleeping dog to bite when awakened

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) Biting everything that moves is normal puppy behavior, but that doesn’t mean it’s fun to live with. Puppies explore their world with their mouths, just as toddlers touch everything they can reach with their hands. So it makes perfect sense that your pants wouldn’t escape your pup’s curiosity. So what can

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) Cars, squirrels, cyclists, skateboarders, cats, and joggers — they’re all would-be targets, any one of whom could lure a chase-obsessive dog into a potentially dangerous situation. The behavior can also trigger understandably hostile reactions from people who see it as aggression when a strange dog comes bounding after them. Until you

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) Bringing a new dog home can be challenging, especially for first time dog parents. But whatever problems you’re facing, know that you’re not alone. If you hop onto our DogTime Facebook page you’ll meet lots of other dog parents with tons of advice and support for you. If that’s not enough,

(Picture Credit: Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Recently, I became audibly and visibly upset about something going on in my personal life in front of my two dogs, Hank and Charlie. As I sat on the floor crying, Hank came and sat right next to me and licked my face. Charlie laid

(Photo Credit: Meleva Steiert) I asked a friend recently if she kisses her dogs. She’s a big-hearted dog lover and regularly rescues and fosters animals in her suburban, Los Angeles home. She told me that she does kiss some of them, but others were not receptive, and one in particular would probably become violent if

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) Important: The following is meant to provide a general overview of dog-dog aggression. If you’re dealing with an aggressive dog, seek help from a reputable behaviorist. Dog aggression toward other dogs is a very serious matter. Until your dog is successfully treated, keep them a safe distance from all other dogs — “safe

(Picture Credit: Amanda) I started researching the topic of separation anxiety in dogs because my day job will be bringing our department back to the office soon, and my work-from-home days for the last few months have looked like this: My dog, Leia, and I have been loving all this together time. Almost every waking

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) Noise anxiety in dogs is a phobia or strong feeling of fear around loud noises, like sounds from fireworks or thunderstorms. It can result in many anxious behaviors or even cause dogs to bolt out of fear and get lost. When young children hear a scary noise at night, they often

(Picture Credit: Ekaterina Nosenko/Getty Images) Dogs may try to escape from their homes and bolt for many reasons. Maybe your pooch regularly runs past you when you open your front door, or maybe they try to dig under or climb over the backyard fence. At best, the problem is a nuisance. At worst, it can

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) We love coming home to our dogs. No one is more excited to see us and shower us with love as soon as we walk in the door. Our pups can sometimes barely contain their excitement! Unfortunately, that can become a problem. Many of our dogs show that high energy and

(Picture Credit: dageldog/Getty Images) Dogs and chickens getting along may seem counterintuitive. After all, aren’t dogs related to animals that eat chickens? However, like most domesticated animals, dogs and chickens can get along if their humans train them well and carefully introduce them to each other. While pet parents should absolutely take precautions to prevent

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) While eating disorders are well known in humans, not many people know about the eating disorders that affect dogs. Animals have different reasons for having unusual eating habits, but they can be just as troubling for concerned pet parents. Here are six eating disorders that can affect dogs. 1. Overeating (Picture

(Picture Credit: Wavetop/Getty Images) Perhaps one of the most daunting tasks for first-time puppy adopters is housetraining. But experienced dog parents know that our canine friends can learn where to go potty surprisingly quickly, especially if you know how to teach them properly. The keys to rock-solid housetraining are to start the day your pup

(Picture Credit: Krista Kumpf) Do you want a dog who’s friendly and trustworthy around both people and other dogs? You might think all you need to do is adopt the right breed, and your job is done. But how you care for your canine–and socialization training in particular–plays a big role in how they respond

(Picture Credit: Gonalo Barriga/Getty Images) If you go to the dog park you’ll see a wide variety of human and dog interactions and parenting styles. Some people are more attentive. Meanwhile, others sit in the shade, talking on the phone or reading a book, barely paying attention to their dog. Which type of pet parent

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) The positions dogs sleep in, the way they twitch or move, and the amount of time they spend napping can reveal a lot about how they’re feeling. Sleeping habits can give clues about a dog’s health and happiness that you can interpret if you know what to look for. Of course,

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) Do you have a velcro dog? Dogs are pack animals, and you are your pack’s leader. It’s natural for your dog to want to follow you. While some dogs follow their owners everywhere they go out of sheer love, sometimes the reason why dogs stick to their owners like velcro is

If your neighbor’s dog won’t stop barking, it can go beyond a minor annoyance. A barking dog who doesn’t belong to you can disrupt your sleep, ruin your peace of mind, or become a headache-inducing nuisance. It can even cause your dogs to misbehave as the constant barking becomes a distraction, and you might find

(Picture Credit: Maya Karkalicheva/Getty Images) The more you can be around for your puppy to take them in and out for bathroom breaks, the more quickly they’ll pick up on their housetraining. But what if you can’t be there during the day? Or you’ve got a young puppy still vulnerable to catching diseases in public places

(Photo Credit: Shutterstock) Housetraining can be a daunting task for new pet parents. You may have a routine in place during the day to make it go more smoothly, but what about during the night? Luckily for humans, dogs and puppies don’t need to pee as often at night, so you don’t need to wake

(Picture Credit: foodandwinephotography/Getty Images) Daylight Saving Time starts on Sunday, March 8th in 2019 at 2:00am. Remember to “spring forward” and set your clocks! For humans, the skipped hour when Daylight Saving Time begins might just mean we miss out on an hour of sleep. But for dogs, the effects can be very different. Animals

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) When it comes to leash training your dog, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Puppies aren’t born knowing how to walk on a leash, and new owners need to work with their puppies–or even full-grown, adopted dogs–to make sure they are safe and obedient on their walks. Does your

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) Growling is one of the many ways dogs communicate, and it’s important for humans who interact with dogs to understand what it means and the proper way to react. You might be surprised by your own natural ability to interpret growling. In a study on humans’ ability to understand dog growls,

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) There are so many popular dog training methods out there that it can be frustrating to find out which is which and what method is going to be best for both your dog and you as an owner. If you find it overwhelming and confusing, you’re not alone. There is even

(Picture Credit: quiLie/Getty Images) Dogs don’t come with instruction manuals, but the best dog training books from famous trainers and authors can certainly help you figure out how to teach and bond with your pup. The books on this list have helped thousands of people train dogs over the years, and they’re some of the

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) We all want to be good dog parents, and part of that is training our dogs to be well-behaved. Training is meant to be a positive bonding experience between humans and their pooches. Few people intend to make things unpleasant for their dog during training, with one notable exception: when punishing

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) You’ve got a new furry addition to the family, and you can’t wait to start training your pup to do all kinds of tricks. You’re going to have the most well-behaved, happy, friendly dog on the block. But hold on before you jump into it. There are lots of mistakes that