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Bubbles at 6 Months

Rachel Friedman | Thu, 05/19/2011 - 07:01

You nurture them. Food, water, exercise. Instruction, structure, guidance. Rest, play and exploration. They grow. If you're consistent, fair, patient and kind, they thrive. Educate, socialize, manage and train. So by six months you have a solid foundation of basic manners in many locations. Sure they test people, what teenager doesn't?

Pootie Pads

Rachel Friedman | Tue, 05/10/2011 - 13:46

Lest you think I am exclusive to dogs, think again. Cats rule -- Grace and Tank are useful in helping socialize dogs to their feline brethren. So when I learned about the heavily catnip infused quilted Pootie Pads produced by sisters Ann and Sara Reed of Portland, Oregon, I had to get me some.

Kelly Gorman Dunbar and Dune, American Bulldog

Want To Talk Dog? You've Come To The Right Place...

Kelly Gorman Dunbar | Mon, 05/09/2011 - 08:46

Fun times ahead! Today will be a big media day here at Dog Star Daily headquarters, and for us that also means it’s a family affair. Ian got home at midnight last night for a brief, 48-hour respite before heading out to give yet another seminar. (He’s gone Wednesday through Sunday most weeks this spring so it will be good to have dinner with him and Jamie and catch up tonight.)

I’m filming a local TV segment on the origin of Open Paw this morning, and then Jamie is coming by to record more episodes of iWoofs. By the way, if you have any questions you’d like us to address in our podcasts, please get in touch via our Dog Star Daily Facebook Page. We love hearing from you.

article national dog bite prevention week dog star daily leslie fisher elkton md

Bite is a Four Letter Word

Leslie Fisher | Fri, 05/06/2011 - 09:01

BITE. The very word conjures an array of human responses: anger, fear, sadness, confusion amongst others. Dogs bite. Dogs bite for reasons very clear to themselves. Humans often have difficulty comprehending the chain of events leading to a dog bite, hence my sharing of education by dedicated professional Joan Orr of DOGGONE SAFE . Joan has been busy promoting National Dog Bite Prevention Week May 16th – May 22nd. Of note: a staggering 70 % of all dog bites occur to children under the age of 15, according the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Would you want to love your best friend again & again & again?

Sue McCabe | Thu, 05/05/2011 - 13:04

In 2005, the world welcomed its first cloned canine-Snuppy the Afghan Hound. Great promises of replacements for our beloved pets, scientific breakthroughs in canine disease and research were all hailed as possible outcomes for the South Korean achievement.

For the lay man out there, it’s hard to understand exactly what goes on, but I’ll try to explain in very brief terms. DNA from the cell of the dog to be cloned is implanted into a donor egg. Somehow (details are beyond the average person’s understanding, including me), this DNA fuses with the egg and triggers embryo growth. The embryo is then implanted into a surrogate bitch producing a cloned puppy, born after normal gestation and whelping.

A Strange Notion

Dr. Nicholas H.... | Thu, 05/05/2011 - 11:20

A short while ago I attended day-long veterinary students’ “Behavior Club” meeting. It was truly something. What a line-up of speakers. As I milled around after the meeting, I struck up a conversation with one of our basic science researchers. A “mouse scientist”, so to speak, she began talking about her murine experiments. “I have just learned that mice can see ultraviolet light”, she said. Now all my experiments will be messed up because I did not allow for that.”

“What do they see in the UV range?” I asked.

“Oh, urine marks,” was the curt reply.

“What,” I exclaimed,” you mean mice see urine marks as well as smell them?”

“Yes, that seems to be the case,” she said dejectedly.

Then we got talking about dogs and cats. What if they could also see in the UV range? Then it struck me. I bet they can. I went digging around on the Internet for evidence to support this crazy notion.

Calming Signals Language

Rachel Friedman | Sun, 05/01/2011 - 19:59

Sent in the non-refundable deposit to The University of Rochester yesterday on behalf of my oldest daughter's entry into university life. Her intended major: American Sign Language. I embrace her interest in learning both a language and a culture that is beautiful to watch and the communication for an estimated half a million people. There are about 75 million dogs in the U.S.

The Problem Poodle And Overly-Silly Setter

Dr. Nicholas H.... | Thu, 04/28/2011 - 00:29

Once in a while I get a case that is a really tough nut to crack. It might be a dog with high level aggression and uninhibited bite; it could be a dog that kills other dogs, or an extreme, pharmacologically unresponsive phobia of some sort. Uncontrollable excitement toward other dogs when on leash is not a problem I would typically put in this category, until recently that is.

The two dogs in question are an Irish setter and a Standard Poodle. They are both cookie cutter versions of each other so I will center my account on one of them, the Standard Poodle. This poodle is a neutered male and about 2 years old. I did not believe the level of excitement the dogs was showing toward other dogs until I saw it for myself. He would strain at the leash, screaming, spinning, jumping, twisting and turning in flat out hysteria and responded to nothing his owners said or did.

A Tale of Two Trainers

Jeff Silverman | Wed, 04/27/2011 - 21:10

At first, Steve’s story sounded pretty typical: a family with three small children had lost control of their dog. Murphy constantly grabbed, chewed and swallowed toys, sippy cups, socks, and anything else that wasn’t nailed down. He ignored basic obedience commands. The family’s impressive efforts to manage the environment ultimately failed. When Murphy was loose in the house, they spent most of their time chasing after him and prying things from his mouth. Unable to control him, they reluctantly resorted to putting Murphy outside or in his crate almost all the time. Then one day, he bit the nanny as she went to pull something out of his mouth. He did no damage, but his place in their home was now in danger. I get calls like this all the time, but one thing was different about this family. They had already spent thousands of dollars on intensive dog training.

Leashed Love?

Kelly Gorman Dunbar | Sat, 04/23/2011 - 08:11

I’m in Marrakesh, Morocco right now. It’s been quite the cultural experience and has got me thinking… Yesterday, while walking in the Medina I saw a guy with a monkey on leash. It upset me. This poor monkey was alternately doing back flips (without being cued) and sitting looking at his owner while holding one end of his leash, near his collar, in his hand.

I thought, “Poor monkey, trapped like that, he looks like a slave.” But then I thought, “What’s so different about this situation than the typical dog on a leash scenario I see everyday back at home?”

I guess one could argue that a monkey is a wild animal, not domesticated, and that, in-and-of-itself makes it a less palatable situation. I’m sure that was part of what bothered me. But also, for me, it was the fact that the monkey had to be kept there next to the man by force. That’s what the collar and leash symbolized to me, an unbalanced relationship.