Search Results for: How To Pick The Right Puppy
How To Pick The Right Puppy
Once you have decided that you want a puppy and not an adult dog, there are still many considerations you have to make in order to choose the right one. Bringing a puppy into your home is a 15-20 year commitment, so it’s important not to take the decision lightly. What To Look For In Read More
Victoria’s New Puppy Book Now Available!
Victoria Stilwell’s 5th book entitled “The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Puppy: How to Train and Care for Your New Dog” will be released on October 1, 2019 in the US. The book is available to preorder now.
Introducing An Older Dog To A Puppy
Preparation is key. Start by picking up any toys or chew items from common areas. Then decide where the puppy will be during rest times or times in which you cannot supervise. Depending on the size of the puppy, this can be a repurposed playpen or an ex-pen with a crate inside, or even a small room.
Puppy Training: How to Get It Right From Day One
Bringing a new puppy home is a very exciting experience from your family, and it's very important that from day one, you're armed with the best possible positive training information.
Help! My Puppy is Deaf. What Now?
Ultimately, what I’ve realized is that living with and training a deaf dog isn’t harder, it’s just different. Here are a few tips to help new deaf dog pet parents get started. I hope these help ease your anxiety and fears during this transition.
This Is Where Your Cute Pet Store Puppy Came From
Imagine if pet stores had to "display" the parents of each litter next to the puppies they sold. Do you think people would be a little more outraged? Do you think they would think twice about buying a pet store puppy?
Case Closed in Cherokee County Puppy Mill Bust
Joy and Guerry Wise, the couple who owned and operated a massive puppy mill in Cherokee County, GA have now pled guilty to 25 counts of animal cruelty as part of a plea deal. They'll be on probation for the next 25 years, and were required to pay $1,305 each in court fines. The Wises must not Read More
Should You Think Twice About That Christmas Puppy?
Thinking about getting a puppy for Christmas? First, make sure you are ready for a 10-20 year commitment and can afford the money that it takes to raise a happy and secure dog. If all that is worked out, then you want to do your research to make sure you pick out the right breed for Read More
Victoria Gets Hands-On in Massive GA Puppy Mill Bust
Victoria Stilwell was among the first to arrive at the scene of a massive puppy mill bust, helping liberate over 500 dogs and puppies from a lifetime of suffering and neglect.
Puppy Health Problems
Puppies are highly vulnerable to disease and other health issues. Every puppy parent should be aware of the most common health problems to affect dogs in their infancy. Parvovirus Parvo is a highly contagious virus that is potentially fatal for puppies, especially if not caught and treated immediately. Symptoms include lethargy, depression, diarrhea, vomiting, and sudden Read More
Puppy Mills
People have an ethical responsibility to raise and treat animals with care and respect. The evidence is overwhelming – puppy mills (farms) are no better than factory farms for dogs. Apart from being cruel and abusive places there are many reasons why a consumer must stay away from purchasing a puppy from a pet store, flea Read More
Choosing The Right Dog
When looking to add a new four-legged addition to your family, there are many factors to consider. Before making this life-changing decision, you need to familiarize yourself with as much information about what type of dog will be the best fit for your household. Adopt or Shop? Whether to buy a dog from a breeder Read More
Habituating Puppy To Human Touch
It is vital to habituate a puppy to human touch as soon as the puppy is born. A new pup relies on touch to find its mother, to stimulate milk flow for feeding, and as a source of comfort. Mothers in turn lick and nuzzle their puppies from birth, improving the puppies’ circulation and encouraging Read More
Puppy Knowledge
Bringing home a new puppy is a fun and exciting time, but in order to avoid problems down the line and to ensure a lifetime of happiness and enrichment, you must do your research first! A puppy is a major responsibility and it is important to arm yourself with as much puppy knowledge as possible Read More
Picking the Right Dog for Your Health & Lifestyle
We're just beginning to understand the extent of the remarkable bond between dogs and humans. Adding a dog to your life can be a wonderful idea at any age, but it’s not a decision to take lightly. If you’re looking for a new dog for yourself or a family member, it’s important to take your time to find the right dog for your age, health, and lifestyle.
It’s a new year. Time for good resolutions, right? Let’s resolve to stop punishing our dogs by accident.
"But I'm a positive trainer, I don't punish!" you say. Well, I think we sometimes do, and don't realize it. I'm not talking about reprimand. That's a social act. A puppy gets too rough and Mama dog growls. A canine nose gets a bit too near the cheese and crackers on the coffee table, and Read More
Positively Success Story: Kaylee
Our story is slightly different than others as I began positive training with my puppy from day one. Surf was 11 weeks old when we got him and my intention was to train him over time to be my service dog.
What to Expect When Adopting a New Dog
Adopting a dog can be a wonderful and challenging experience. The dog will be confused, excited, anxious, worried, fearful and/or elated. Here are a 9 tips to help you through the first month.
“She’s a Rescue”: The Vilification of Purebred Dogs
"She's a rescue." I found myself wanting to say the words out loud as I walked my Labradoodle past a girl who looked at us disapprovingly and then shot me a judgmental glare. Why did I feel the need to justify anything to this complete stranger? Why have "purebred" dogs become so vilified?
My dog can’t keep still – he’s wild all the time!
“He’s always leaping about like a mad thing,” Jan said, as her large young labrador Jimmy thudded her in the stomach with his paws and jumped to try and nip her nose. Jan dodged her face just out of his reach, so he resigned himself to scraping her arm and chewing her cuff. She squawked, waved her hands about, pushed and pulled, shouted …
Terrier Shmerrier!
I thought I knew how to train dogs. Then I adopted a Terrier/Chihuahua mix puppy and named her…..Tricky! People warned me when I named her Tricky, jokingly and affectionately telling me she would likely embody the name I gave her. They weren’t kidding.
10 Simple and Fun Indoor Games For Your Dog
Looking for simple and fun indoor games for your dog? Check out this list of 10 easy games you can play inside to keep your dog entertained, exercised and busy.
How to Keep Your Dog Calm After Surgery
Keeping a dog from playing, running, and jumping for a few weeks is no easy task. Here are some simple tips to keep your dog calm after surgery.
Celebrating 20 Years of Pet Journalism
Summing up twenty years of authoring Tribune Content Agency newspaper column is easy. I do have a wealth of memories to recall.
The Ultimate Dog Adoption Survival Guide
Adopting a dog? Work in animal rescue? This is the ultimate guide for adopting a dog and successfully and safely acclimating that dog to your family and home.
The World’s Most Expensive Doggy Stairs
How did a set of $25 doggy stairs end up costing me $500? With puppies, mishaps are always possible (if not probable)!
Positively Success Story: Paisley
First off, thank you so very much for being a ray of light in such a dark world of training methods. I'm 20 , and I've had dogs my whole life, Boxers. So when I decided to get a dog of my own, it had to be a Boxer. To me, it's just not home Read More
Positively Success Story: Inky
One evening in December 2011, my wife, Karen, was picking up our lab Lily from day care and noticed a scruffy little black mutt in the corner of a pen. His name was Inky and he needed a home. Karen was told that Inky had been a stray puppy, that he and his brother had Read More
Dog Ownership: A Learning Experience
We’ve all been there, the day you bring home your new dog or puppy and they pee all over your floor, chew up something they weren’t supposed to and your find yourself suddenly questioning, “What did I get myself into!?”. I’ve done it, twice. But I can say that our two dogs are more than Read More
Animal Care
Taking care of a pet for her entire lifespan is a huge responsibility, but there are a few ways to ensure her well-being. 10 Tips for General Animal Care: Physical examination. A veterinarian should examine your dog at least once every 12 months. Do not miss yearly checkups, and keep your dog up-to-date on Read More
Shelter vs Breeder
One of the biggest decisions you will make is whether to adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue group or buy a puppy from a breeder. Please choose not to support pet stores by purchasing a puppy from them – learn more about pet stores and puppy mills. If you have already decided you Read More
Preventing Behavior Problems
The wonderful thing about positive training is that when used correctly and at the beginning of a dog’s life, it can prevent all kinds of common behavioral problems from ever developing. If you are about to bring home a new puppy, you have the opportunity to get started on the right track by utilizing positive Read More
Marking
Scent marking is a very normal and common behavior (particularly in male dogs), but it becomes a big problem when marking occurs in the home. Both sexes scent mark, but unneutered males are the worst offenders because the presence of testosterone stimulates signaling of sexual availability and claiming of territory. Resources such as toys, food Read More
Leave It
The 'leave it' cue teaches your dog an invaluable lesson in impulse control that can be useful in many situations. The 'it' in question might be food that has fallen on the floor, something your dog picks up on a walk, another dog, or even a child. Like the recall this is an important safety Read More
New Dogs
Choosing and bringing home a new dog or puppy can be an exciting and potentially nerve-wracking experience. For many households, choosing the right dog for your family is just the first step in the sometimes lengthy and complicated process of introducing your new dog to existing canine members of the household. If you do your Read More
K-9 Officer Rescues Unwanted Puppies
Sgt. Paul Corso is a seasoned law enforcement officer. As a K-9 handler, he has served the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department for over 20 years. Corso has seen a dark side of our world that most of us will never see or understand. It would have been easy for him to walk away when we Read More
Victoria’s Top 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Adopting a Dog
October is "Adopt a Shelter Dog" month, and you're likely hearing all the reasons why you should bring home a new addition to the family. But are you ready for the commitment and responsibility of a new dog? Have you done your research yet? Check out Victoria's top ten questions to ask yourself before you add a new dog to your home.
