Once your dog has recovered from his accident or illness, how will you keep him active and healthy?  What changes will – or can – you make in your lives to ensure your dog’s happiness and welfare?  The answer requires each dog owner to know his dog and to think creatively. *************** Since I have [...]

When running with your dog after he’s been injured, be thoughtful and plan ahead. First give your dog time walking to warm up his muscles.  Build your dog up to more mileage little by little. Use a (stop) watch and time your dog.  Pay attention to the weather; heat will dehydrate him or her – [...]

It’s really important to give your dog exercise after an injury. However, the timing is very important.  You also need to build up his strength little by little and you need to know when to stop. ************ Dad and I are running together every few days.  This morning he took me out at 5:45 a.m., [...]

Dogs, too, experience stress. Knowing how old your dog is in “dog years” helps to gauge how much to expect of him in terms of healing, and how quickly you can expect him to heal and get back in shape. Your dog’s temperament is part of this formula. We’ve gone through so much these last [...]

How will we know that it’s okay to take our dog running again after ankle surgery?  Keep in touch with your dog’s doctor.  Observe your dog carefully when he is resting, walking and running, and going up and down stairs. We did it! The other day my dad got up early. He went running and [...]

After an injury, your dog will bond to you even more than before. He may follow you around and want to be with you even more than before. Maybe he will even be more obedient! Jane’s learned a lot about me since I was hit by the car. My Dad didn’t mind it when I [...]

All my posts include something about my parents. I sometimes call them Mom and Dad and I sometimes call them Jane and Phil. I ask, are they my owners? Are they my parents? Are they my friends? Are we all just in one loving pack? Since I’m a dog, I don’t have to define the [...]

The harness has a lot of advantages for a dog that a collar does not. It does not tug, it distributes the pressure more evenly than a collar, doesn’t slip off like a collar does, and it allows the human handler to be on either side of the dog.  Harness are commonly used for dogs [...]