The Dog Blog

Ever wonder why dogs and cats are always smelling each other’s rear ends? If you guessed that they were sniffing for us-- the anal glands-- then you are probably right. Anal glands don’t like to toot our own horn, but we are very important in most animals. Many creatures use the fluid we produce for marking territory or self-defense. (The skunk always wins “Anal Gland of the Year.”)

In dogs and cats, we are located on the lower right and lower left hand sides of the anus. This strategic location means that your pet will stop defecating if we get too full. And then he will be constipated and have a sore bottom. Double Ouch!

The training of dogs has grown in leaps and bounds during the last several years.  There are huge organizations supporting the profession; seminars; conferences and certification.  The growth of the concept of “positive” training has also moved to the forefront and is being recognized as the most ethical, humane way in which to train a dog (as well as horses, parrots and exotic animals).

By now most of us are aware that the “reality” shows that have crept into our lives though the TV are not as real as we were once led to believe.  We understand that many of these shows manipulate the episodes and that much of the footage is edited for the viewer.

Added to the reality TV shows mix are a few dog training shows.  These shows will follow a certain dog with their family and track progress made.  The trainer will give advice to the family, and miraculously their dog related problems are solved.  In fact, some of their other relationship problems seem to have also been solved by these dog gurus.  The real problem with the shows is that they have to have an entertainment factor in order to have a following.  Unfortunately, these days entertainment can often come in the form of over-the-top dramatics.  They are promoted almost like secrets, like whispers, that are aimed at selling books and DVDs.

“Last Thursday, my sister came to visit. No, it was Wednesday actually. I remember clearly because I had to pick up Jake from soccer practice and drive him to cooking classes. The traffic was horrendous. Actually, it was Thursday. Yoga. Jake was at his Dad’s. Anyway, my sister doesn’t like dogs and so we put her in the non-dog guest room.  She says she’s allergic to dogs, but I don’t believe her. I mean for goodness sakes, she lives with six cats. But anyway… we put the dogs away while we had dinner and after clearing the dishes, we went upstairs and saw that Bandit had forced his way into her room… that door never closes properly… and he had ruffled the bedspread and urinated on the sheets. They were a wedding present. Egyptian cotton with a beautiful rose pattern. Do you think he sensed that she didn’t like him? Or did he smell her cats? You know, he always does get very tense whenever he sees suitcases. Or was he just being vindictive?