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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Book Review: THE CAUTIOUS CANINE, by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D

Book Review: The Cautious Canine (Second Edition); Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D; 2005.

Calling this item a book is a bit of stretch. I was supremely disappointed when it arrived. It is nothing more than a 30-page booklet. For six bucks. Yeah.

It does not offer any fresh information. I have found the same advice, explored more thoroughly, in other training and behavior books. Avoid this “book.” Take a look at some of the other books recommended on this and other sites instead.

Rescue Mommy

Monday, February 14, 2011

Book Review: WHY DOES MY DOG DO THAT? by Sophie Collins

Book Review: Why Does My Dog Do That? By Sophie Collins, 2008.

This is the sort of book I like to keep by the bedside, for those nights when I do not want to become too intrigued in a book. The book poses over 50 questions about various dog behaviors. Questions range from “Why does my dog ignore me when I shout at her?” to “Why has my puppy begun to guard her food so fiercely? “

The answers to each question are short and sweet, so I will keep this review short too. Buy this book. It is a great little book to have around for times when you just want little information, not a 400-page study of animal behavior. Plus, some of the answers are rather entertaining.

Happy reading!

Rescue Mommy

Friday, February 11, 2011

Safe Pet Toys - THEBARK.COM

I read an interesting article about pet toys on their website. Here is the link:

http://www.thebark.com/content/choosing-safe-dog-toys

Be sure to read the comments at the end. Folks offer interesting tips for finding safe toys.

Rescue Mommy

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

BARK magazine, February/March 2011 issue

The new issue arrived in the mail on Saturday. If you have a senior pet, you should definitely pick up a copy. It contains several articles about dealing with older dogs.


It also has an interesting article about fearful dogs. I ordered a couple of the books mentioned in the article. I will let you know if they offer any useful tips.

The magazine has a website, thebark.com. Some of the articles from the magazine are located there too.  (If you are patient, they add more articles from past issues later.)  Happy reading!

Rescue Mommy

Monday, February 7, 2011

Puppy Bowl VII on Animal Planet

Why watch the Super Bowl when you can watch the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet? Every year, the Animal Planet network airs a two-hour long show featuring puppies playing on a miniature football field. It begins mid-afternoon and repeats all night during the Super Bowl.

They use puppies from shelters and rescue groups, which is great. According to an article I read on cnn.com, all of the puppies except Big Red were adopted prior to the show’s airing.

If you missed it, you can watch highlights here:

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/puppy-bowl/

Also, if you want even more cuteness, check out:

www.subaru.com/dogs

Subaru, who has long been a supporter of the ASPCA, aired its series of “Dog Approved” commercials during the Puppy Bowl. You can watch the commercials on their website. (The two dogs featured in the ads are both rescues; good for you, Subaru.)

Enjoy!

Rescue Mommy and Daddy

Friday, February 4, 2011

Stop Tugging!

Gracie tugs on the leash whenever she first starts her walk or sees something of extreme interest (rabbits, squirrels, moving cars, other dogs, et cetera). In a previous post, I mentioned the Wacky Walkr leash. It is very effective. I like to use it whenever we go on little outings.

I do not use it on our daily walks, though. Why? Well, I am lazy. I like having long, leisurely walks where we can spend time with each other. I do not want to spend the entire walk fighting with her.

Last weekend, we watched “It’s Me or the Dog” on Animal Planet. Victoria Stilwell is the trainer on the show. On this particular episode, she was addressing issues a family had with their pit bull. One of the issues was tugging on the leash during a walk.

Whenever the dog tugged, she recommended stopping the dog and retreating a few steps in the opposite direction. Then, turn and restart the walk. If the dog tugs again, repeat the process. The idea is to reward the dog for positive behavior (no tugging) by continuing the walk (positive reward).

On our next walk, I tried the trick with Gracie. She is a very smart dog. It only took two tries for her to figure it out. I like this approach much better for our daily walks. You might try it with your dog if you too are trying to stop the tug of war.

Rescue Mommy

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Human Medications and Your Pet

I read an interesting article in our local paper on Sunday. It stated that human medications are at the top of the ASPCA’s list of top 10 toxins. I found a link for the article:

http://www.wtae.com/r/26653580/detail.html

It is definitely worth reading.

Rescue Mommy