As I walk through the city of Toronto on a daily basis, I am still shocked to see how many people still tie their dogs up outside outside stores and leave them for a stretch of time. I'll admit to doing it up until last year when we had a series of dog-nappings in the city and my eyes were opened to the dangers. It was…

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Does your dog make an embarrassing display at the end of her leash? Does she bark, snark and lunge?

”Reactivity” and “Aggression” are generally misunderstood and misused.

Just because your dog is grumbly on leash, doesn’t mean she’s aggressive. There is an important difference between the two terms and it’s key to know this before labeling your dog.

Aggression is reactivity on a higher scale with the intent finally to injure if all the other communication…

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This was a question asked of me this week and it struck a chord. I can rant all day about the dangers of using leash-corrections, alpha-rolling a dog, hissing and jabbing a dog in the neck or the haunches, or forcing a dog into submission in a fearful situation...but will my words make a difference if people don't know why they do what they do? Likely not.



This is that hardest part of my job – watching people do the above to their so-called "best friend". Would you put a prong…

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Does your dog snarl and growl if another dog approaches her when she's eating or gnawing on a tasty chew? Does she freeze and look sideways when her canine friends try to join her on the bed or couch? How about starting fights at the dog park when there's a ball in play?



If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, you're not alone. When a dog acts possessively over an item, place or person we call it "resource guarding" and it's more common than you think.



What you may… Continue

” ʻPound seizureʼ is a term commonly used to describe the practice of using lost, homeless and abandoned dogs and cats from animal control facilities or pounds for use in experimentation (research, teaching and testing).

Animal Alliance of Canadaʼs (AAC) opposition to pound seizure is shared by all Canadian humane societies and animal protection organizations throughout Canada. Ontario is the only province left in Canada where pound seizure is the law. Quebec…

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"My dog refuses to sit when we are outside on our walks – he knows what I'm asking but he's being stubborn."

 

The truth of the matter is that dogs aren't stubborn; they don't do things out of spite or to drive us crazy. If they are failing to comply with our request, we need to look a little deeper. We need to understand how dogs learn and how we can best set them up to succeed long term. 

There are four stages of…

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As part of Dog Bite Prevention Week, I wanted to jot down a few ideas on how we can prevent dog bites in our homes and communities.

Early Socialization

When bringing your puppy home, be sure to start socializing them right away - people, dogs, cats, puppies, children, vehicles, noises, wheelchairs, everything. Don't miss a thing - these…

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I often hear dog owners say "oh, my dog would never bite anyone" and I always have to correct them. Unfortunately, no one can predict whether or not their dog will ever bite. It's like saying that you'll never put your hands out to catch yourself while falling. For dogs, biting is a natural behaviour in many situations as they use their mouths the same way we use our hands. If something comes too close to us, we use our hands to put distance between us; dogs will use their mouths. If something… Continue

Choosing a Trainer is not as easy as it looks. There are so many out there, but there are also many methods to choose from. It's always ideal to enlist the help of a trainer before bringing your dog home, but if you've "missed the boat", don't worry; better late than never!

Do some research online and get out and talk to other dog owners. Ask them for a training reference and take notes so that you have a list of five trainers in your area that you would like to call. Schedule…

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Fitting a great walk in for your pooch AND getting to the gym? How often does that actually happen?



Fetching is here to help. We combine exercise for YOU with obedience and agility for your dog, all in 1 session. A few details:



- Located in Kew Gardens in the Beach.

- Classes for all ages / fitness levels.

- First 2 classes are completely FREE!

- Sessions run Tuesday & Thursday evenings.

- Visit… Continue