10 Things to Teach Your Puppy
Ten practical foundations for raising a puppy: safe socialisation, housetraining, chewing, recall, gentle handling and trust.
How Long Should a Puppy Eat Puppy Food?
Should a large breed puppy eat puppy food until 12, 18 or 24 months of age? This question is often given very definite answers. I don’t think you should judge by the calendar alone. A puppy doesn’t become an adult the day it reaches a certain number of months of...
Lumps under dog skin: when should you worry and what should you do next?
People who have never dealt closely with cancer may take a small lump found under a dog’s skin fairly calmly. Those who have know the other reaction: your fingers find a lump and, within a second, your mind is already at the worst-case scenario. I tend to belong to the...
Dog Licks You: Is It Safe, and Should You Allow It?
Dogs have a habit of licking people. Some aim for the face, others for a hand or leg, and some would happily keep at it all day. To me, licking has always felt like one of a dog's ways of saying, “you are my person.” As I have got older,...
Fish for dogs: benefits, risks and sensible portions
Fish can provide useful nutrients and omega-3 fatty acids. Its value depends on the species, preparation, portion and the dog’s overall diet.
A Confused Dog: What Should You Pay Attention To?
We talk to our dogs every day. Some of us more, some less, but it is easy to assume that we communicate brilliantly. I read Dr Karen Shaw Becker's discussion of ten habits that can confuse dogs or undermine their wellbeing. Dogs do not speak our language. They learn largely...
Waterborne Hazards for Dogs: What Could Be Lurking in Lakes and Ponds?
Summer, dogs and water seem made for each other. Once a four-legged friend catches the scent of a lake or the sea, most need little encouragement. Yet inviting-looking water and trouble-free swims in the past tell us very little about what may be living in that water today. When I first...
Bones for dogs – which bone and for what purpose?
Some time ago, I was asked to write about which bones are suitable for which dogs. The starting point for this article was, and still is, the approach of integrative veterinarian Dr Peter Dobias, who divides bones into three groups according to purpose: for eating, for cleaning teeth, and for...
Feeding a Puppy: Choosing Food, Portions and Supporting Healthy Growth
There are many recommendations about feeding a puppy. Some say that the food received from the breeder should not be changed. Others recommend immediately eliminating chicken, giving only one protein, or switching to raw food as soon as possible. But what does a puppy really need and how do you...
Arthritis in dogs: how to preserve mobility and reduce pain
Arthritis has been a familiar subject in our home for a long time. When I decided against surgery for six-month-old Oscar, or Ossu, I knew that his structural joint problem could eventually lead to osteoarthritis. Surgery might have influenced load distribution and the course of the condition, but it would...