When your dog greets you at the door and their tail thumps against the furniture, you probably aren't thinking about the complex work being done by the last part of their spine. We think of happiness, perhaps of canine body language. Yet the tail plays a role in communication, movement...
Ten practical foundations for raising a puppy: safe socialisation, housetraining, chewing, recall, gentle handling and trust.
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,...
When a puppy pees in the house, there is usually nothing mysterious about it. They are still learning when and where to go, and how long they can hold it. But if an adult dog who has been reliably house-trained for years suddenly starts peeing indoors, that is a different...
As spring arrives, many dogs become very interested in nibbling fresh grass. Some pick out only the longest, softest blades, others eat almost by the handful, while some show no interest in grass at all. And then the owner starts wondering: why does a dog eat grass in the first place? Does their...
When a puppy bites hands, sleeves, trouser legs or feet, it can be surprisingly painful. Especially when you live with a tiny German Shepherd-type shark whose teeth appear to have been manufactured in a sewing-needle factory. At the same time, it is important to distinguish between two things: normal mouthing...
