Walk This Way
What if you had cancer and, while going through treatment, couldn’t walk or care for your dog? Or if you were physically unable to take a 30-minute romp with your dog? That’s why Dogster wags it up for Corinne Conover, her dog Sonny and her organization Paw It Forward NY because they step in to lend a helping paw. Corinne and her rescue dog Sonny set out to become a therapy dog for cancer patients and those who are disabled or seniors. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out when Sonny failed his audition twice. But,...
The Canine Co-Captains of Sea Tow
It is a dark and eerie night on the water, and you’re stranded in a boat that’s having engine problems. You wonder, “Who will come to my rescue and tow me back to town?” Have no fear — the dogs of Sea Tow are here! These pups and their professionally trained human co-captains aid thousands of boaters in need each year. Sea Tow is a membership service that provides on-water assistance up and down the Atlantic and Gulf Coast, Southern California and select inland lakes. Sea Tow has a 24/7 dispatch and can get to...
Dug Up with Dogster: April 2022 Dog Events and Holidays
Finally, the weather is warming up and so are our April 2022 dog events and holidays. Grab your dog, his leash and some training treats and get out and have some fun with these great Spring dog events. Don’t see your dog event on the list? Email us at dogstermag@belvoir.com and we will include your dog event. Monthly and Daily April 2022 Holidays Heartworm Awareness Month Adopt a Greyhound Month Pet First-Aid Awareness Month Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month April 8, 2022: Dog Fighting Awareness Day April 10, 2022: Hug Your Dog Day...
How to Teach Your Dog to Skateboard
Why skateboarding? Learning any new trick is fun for both you and your dog and increases your bond. Plus, skateboarding teaches balance and confidence, and whose dog couldn’t use more of that? Skateboarding is also a great training example of splitting behaviors and then chaining them all together. Think of splitting like all the ingredients in a recipe. Chaining is then like combining the ingredients together sequentially to create a finished outcome of ability that cannot only be repeated, but is something your dog chooses to repeat...
Rat Terrier
Quick Facts Weight: Height: The Look of a Rat Terrier Rat Terriers are small, compact, muscular and somewhat brawny (displaying their sturdiness and strength). They have small heads, medium-length muzzles, black noses and ears that stick up. They have strong necks and shoulders, deep chests and sturdy legs. Their tails can be either long or short at birth. Rat Terriers have short, medium-dense coats that come in red, yellow, black, black & tan, black tan & white and blue & white. Overall, Rat Terriers have a tough, alert and...
Care for Cushing’s Disease
To be honest, he’s become a lot like my husband.” Danny the Dachshund was 10 years old, had put on an extra 5 pounds, was losing his hair, slept all day and had to get up to pee during the night. Stealing a glance at the drowsy gentleman holding Danny in his ample lap, I got it. “So he’s just an ‘old dog,’ right, Dr. Ward?” For a second I didn’t know if she was referring to the spouse or the sausage dog. I went with the latter. What is Cushing’s Disease? As we say in medicine: “Age...
Dogs in the Classroom Program
Jackie Brown Pet expert Jackie Brown has spent 20 years following her passion for animals as a writer and editor in the pet publishing industry. She is contributing writer for National Geographic’s Complete Guide to Pet Health, Behavior, and Happiness: The Veterinarian’s Approach to At-Home Animal Care (April 2019) and author of the book It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: Making Sense of Animal Phrases (Lumina Press, 2006). Jackie is a regular contributor to pet and veterinary industry media and is the former editor of numerous pet...
Most Unusual Pet Insurance Claim
Jackie Brown Pet expert Jackie Brown has spent 20 years following her passion for animals as a writer and editor in the pet publishing industry. She is contributing writer for National Geographic’s Complete Guide to Pet Health, Behavior, and Happiness: The Veterinarian’s Approach to At-Home Animal Care (April 2019) and author of the book It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: Making Sense of Animal Phrases (Lumina Press, 2006). Jackie is a regular contributor to pet and veterinary industry media and is the former editor of numerous pet...
If Dogs Celebrated April Fool’s Day
Sweaters, birthday parties, fake throws, dog shaming, pranks involving blankets and disappearing … the rigmarole we put our canine companions through is never ending. What if the tables could be turned and they could prank us? What if dogs could celebrate April Fool’s Day? I shudder at the thought. The payback would be harsh. ©Julia August | Getty Images “I’ll trick my human into thinking I haven’t already been fed once.” We certainly would be fools if we didn’t think that every single dog on...
#TrendingInTraining: Giving Choices = Better Behavior
Dine in or carry out? Go to the gym or out for a run? We make lots of daily decisions without much thought. But what about our dogs? We decide what they eat, where they sleep, whether they have a yard and when they get walks. We decide when they play (and usually who with) and even where and when they do their business. All these restrictions can make for unhappy dogs. But by giving our dogs more choices we improve how they feel, and better behavior often follows. Dogs are faced with the daily challenges of living in a human-centered world,...