Is it okay for my pet to have free range of my home?

A lot of owners learn this lesson the hard way. If your dog is used to staying in a crate when you leave the house, throwing them into a free-roaming situation out of nowhere is likely to result in some confusion and anxiety, which can result in a gutted living room. Start by letting your dog be alone in their designated area when you go outside to water the garden for five minutes. Over time, build up to longer outings: a quick run to the store or a visit with a neighbor. Then, start giving your dog access to different areas of the house, but take it slow. Pushing your dog too quickly will not only make the process harder in the long run, it can also undo training that you’ve taken months or years to achieve (for example, a dog who you’ve trained not to urine mark inside may return to this behavior under stress).

Is all pet food the same?

Many natural pet foods contain only fresh, wholesome and natural ingredients for your animals. There are also ingredients in natural pet food that really help the health of your pet's skin and also your pet's coat. A vast majority of pet owners go for dry pet food for its convenience and ease of storage. The cheaper dry pet foods are made from soybean, rice or corn, while many premium dry dog foods are made with all-natural, human-grade ingredients. so in short, not all pet food is the same.

Does it really matter if I train my pet?

Here are 5 reasons why you should.

1.      It could save your dog’s life.  The more time you spend working with your dog on commands, the more likely you will have voice control over your dog.  If something horrible should happen, you have the ability to get your dog back to you safely.  Your dog is less likely to bolt or slip out the door and run away if you have worked with your dog on preventing this.  If they do manage to escape, you have your recall command to safely call your dog back to you.  If for some unfortunate reason, you had to place your dog in a shelter or rescue, a trained dog is considerably more likely to find a new home, than a dog that has never received obedience training.

2.      You get to take your dog with you to more places. Your dog will be welcome in far more places, environments, and situations if they have been taught some basic manners.  When you have guests over to your home, you won’t need to banish your well-behaved dog to another room, or crate, for fear that they will embarrass you.  You will be able to take them camping, hiking, to public parks, public beaches, pet stores, groomers, and even to hotels or other businesses that allow dogs

3.      You will develop a stronger bond with your dog. The process of bonding with your dog begins as soon as you bring them home. If you have a young puppy, the process is usually very quick, but if you have adopted an older dog, bonding might take a little more time, especially if the dog has been mistreated or is grieving his previous owners.  The initial bond with your dog is a tentative one; you don’t know each other very well yet. To strengthen that bond, you must spend time with them and do things together. When you do, you learn what makes your dog tick, and how to teach them, work with them, and play with them. Your dog learns how to respond to you, what makes you happy, and what makes you angry. As you do things together, you build respect and trust, and the relationship you have deepens.

4.      Training allows you to understand your dog. The more time you spend with your dog, and more bonded you are with your dog, the better understanding you have of what their needs are, and what they are trying to communicate with you.  You will start noticing things like the position of their ears, tail, body, lips,etc.  All of these small things add up to knowing your dog better, and the need for a translator (trainer) is diminished.

5.      Both of you will live happier lives.  From adog’s perspective, being able to be in the home all the time, go with you when you leave, meet new and interesting people, being more confident, having closer relationship with you, and being understood, means a happy dog.  The happier your dog, the less likely they are to develop behavior issues, which means a much happier life for you.  You can avoid many stresses by not altering your lifestyle to accommodate your dog’s issues.