Positively | Victoria Stilwell | Forum

Emmabeth, thank you. I am not sure it would be a good idea to special-order a custom-made harness from the UK, though. I want to be able to try things on Addy, to see for myself that they fit properly and comfortably, and to be able to form a real idea of whether it's going to work for her. However,...

Playing tug "by the rules" really does let a dog satisfy its natural play style, have fun with you, and learn bite inhibition. A win-win-win situation.

Lis

I live in a very small house with no back yard (just a common parking lot for six households, where the kids ride their bikes and play ball), a tiny unfenced front yard facing a street that is not Main Street but is fairly busy, right next to a small variety store, and across the street from a garag...

Honestly, I realize everything you said Lis, is exactly what I need to do. I just need to buckle down and do this. I try to keep an eye on her but she does get out of my sight. And even just a few seconds is all it takes and it is done. That's what the umbilical tether is for, and crating when it's...

Hmm. So, I clicky on the linky, and what do I find? Information, examples, statistics? No. Just more of the same unsupported that of course halties and Gentle Leaders will cause your dog horrible injuries--with not even a single token anecdotal example. Dog head halters are stupid because they don't...

Mattie, some poking around on the internet for "trail harness" or "tracking harness" is retrieving things that from appearance and description seem to be intended for activities where the dog is supposed to be pulling. That's not what I'm looking for. It's one thing not to rely o...

First, you need to clean every single spot she's ever used to potty inside with a good enzymatic cleaner. It's not enough that you can't smell it; you need to be sure she can't smell it. Then, you need to teach her that outside is the place to go. Part of that is never, ever giving her a chance to m...

I hate those things, they can do a lot of damage to a dog's neck even when they have been introduced to them properly. It only takes one time for a dog to see something and attempt to go after it for his neck to be damaged. When a dog leaps forward to go after something and gets suddenly to the end...

How did you introduce the head halter? Patience and lots of treats are really important for most dogs, because it's a really different sensation from the neck collar that they're used to. Addy adapted quickly and is much happier with it than she was before, but not every dog accepts it that quickly,...

Petsmart has large, clean, pleasant stores with generally helpful staff--and they are cheaper than PetCo for everything that both stores carry. Plus, if I want to go into the store and pick up one or two things quickly, I can do that at Petsmart. There is no such thing as a quick in-and-out at PetCo...

The multiple sets of shots for puppies are because until the antibodies from momma are completely out of their system, the vaccination has no effect. There's no easy way to determine when that is, and so they get a series of three complete sets, starting shortly after they are weaned. If you get an ...

Lots of dogs learn to cope quite well and to be happy, well-adjusted dogs with owners who work full-time jobs outside the home. Having a dog is not a privilege reserved for the wealthy, those who work from home or can take their dogs to work, or are part of a couple one of whom stays home. However, ...

Rage syndrome is a form of epilepsy, and therefore not really correctable by behavioral methods. The dog is not "choosing" to attack; it's having a seizure. Because of this, it cannot choose not to attack. Unfortunately, this is more common in some lines of spaniels, and a good breeder wou...

I think they were both very disrespectful of each other, and that did get addressed. The husband's smug, smirking, "I don't have to care about the dogs that aren't mine; I don't feed the puppy mill rescue" being presented most openly and directly, got addressed most openly and directly. Ho...

"Allergic" may be the wrong term, but lots of dogs can't handle a raw diet. Dogs have lived with humans for a very long time, now, and mostly eaten human leftovers, which, since humans started cooking food before we were fully human, has meant mostly (not exclusively, by any means) cooked ...