2011 Barktoberfest, our first ever costume party and fund raiser event did not go as planned. Who knew that we would get a blizzard and several inches of snow on a Saturday in October?!

Still, some AMAZING people showed up with their Amazing dogs!

Together, we've collected more than $100.00 and two bins of food, both human and pet food items.

This all came from 7 people!

Checks are still arriving in the mail and the support from my clients, friends and the community at large has been overwhelming.

 I understand why folks are reluctant to do any crate training with their dogs. Dogs are not birds and keeping them in a cage might seem cruel. So, Why would I recommend crate training? I am after all a positive trainer, right? Aren't crates a place to put the dog in jail?

Lets take a minute to look at all the situations where a dog might need to be "crated" or otherwise confined.

The dog that goes to the groomer. Yes, they have drying cages!

Have you ever been to the zoo and watched a Polar Bear playing with a ball in his pool? Have you ever seen a Tiger cub ripping up a pumpkin? That's enrichment!

With thunderstorm season upon us, I have been reading many articles about noise phobia in dogs,. It seems everyone has an opinion about how to deal with a thunder phobic dog.

Some folks will recommend flooding techniques, playing a tape of thunderstorms while simultaniously feeding or playing with your dog, gradually increasing the volume, so that the dog will  supposedly, learn to associate the sound with something positive.

So you are having or just had a baby? Great! Congratulations!

You think it's a good time to get a puppy, so they can grow up together?

You have a  2,3,4,5 year old child? How nice!

You want him/her to grow up with dogs and not be afraid of them

Thinking about getting a puppy as a gift for your child, because

he/she REALLY wants one this year? There is the cutest puppy at the pet store/breeder/online.

 The pet food industry is a multi million dollars business and we all know how many choices are out there of things to feed our furry family members. Lately there have been so many recalls, 3 so far from Proctor & Gamble this year! A recent study showed that children are more likely to pick up Salmonella from touching pet food dishes, then from actually eating contaminated foods.

Working at the Animal Hospital, we get the latest news about these things directly from the FDA and it's terrifying!

 Working in a veterinary clinic, I see tons of dogs ( and cats) that really don't like coming in to see the Doctor. Who can blame them, it's scary! The place smells funny and sometimes not so pleasant things happen there. The staff and Doctors at our clinic are very kind to the animals and we try to make every visit as comfortable as possible for all of our patients. Delicious, meaty treats are always offered and we even have special hypoallergenic cookies for dogs with allergies.

A few days back, on another site, I commented how dogs are so good at reading us silly humans.

Dogs lick us and we understand that as the dogs version of a "kiss"

Dogs put their heads in our lap and we understand that as a dogs version of a "hug"

Dogs understand a frown and a smile.

Dogs 'read' us all the time. They watch our faces, our posture, our hands and they know what we are feeling. I asked my readers if they had hugged their dog today. Most had. Sweet right?

WRONG!

When our dogs are doing things that we don't like, it can be very frustrating. Jumping up on people is one of these common problems, especially with puppies and smaller dogs! Chewing on hands & feet is another puppy behavior that drives owners crazy. Eliminating in the house, The list goes on & on.