Apparently, a dog fight has been brewing in my dog pack. At the end of a particularly stressful day, I took my pack for an off leash hike on my property. I was sharing a great bottle of wine with a great friend. Then a vicious dog fight breaks out in my pack. My two lead male dogs, Gumbo and Savior, had waged war. Both locked on, screaming, blood, the works. It was terrible. All the other dogs ran and … Read More
What to Expect From Your Adolescent Puppy Are you experiencing the adolescent puppy blues? The holidays have come and gone, and many of us were blessed with a fluffy and irresistibly cute addition: a puppy! That adorable little bundle of fur was quickly enrolled in a puppy training class and you thought he was well on his way to being a polite, well-behaved member of the family. But wait… is that a yellow stain part way up the drapes? After … Read More
This post includes dog food tips and information about the different types of dog food available as well as how to transition your dog to a new food where to buy feeding guidelines and suggestions links to helpful websites for more information I am a bit of a health freak when it comes to dog food. It’s actually kind of funny – my friends always joke that my dogs get fed better than I do! I am not a canine … Read More
You love your dog, and so do we! Some of us love our dogs so much that we may even dream about having more “just like him!” However, to breed your dog is a monumental undertaking, and is a decision that should not be made lightly. As we mentioned in an article a few months ago, breeding dogs should not be a hobby or a “one-off” event. Things to Consider before you Breed Making the choice to breed your dog … Read More
We wanted to share a special note we received recently from some of our favorite clients, Annie the Bassett Hound and her mom Carole. Annie (an 8-year-old Bassett Hound) is quite the character and we love her sweet personality and how she is always so quick to make us laugh!
Frequently at Wags, we will recommend a secret weapon to our clients to help them better manage or work with their dogs. Our “secrets” may involve unique treats, a walking tool, or another piece of equipment that we have had great experience with. Unfortunately, sometimes for our clients, we may be speaking a different language! We thought it would be nice to explain some of our most frequently recommended items in one place for our clients to peruse. Even if … Read More
Tuna Fudge is a favorite dog treat recipe of both our dogs and the Wags & Wiggles family in attendance at dog agility trials. It’s nutritious and easy to make. The dogs crowd around us in anticipation of their tasty reward. We have had great success with this dog treat recipe as a training tool for finicky dogs who are not normally inspired by treats. Below is the version we have more-or-less perfected. A 15oz can of Salmon (in … Read More
Can you just look at a piece of wood and immediately know how long it is? What about if I asked you the distance driving from your house to your work? Would you be accurate? I probably would not be. I can be directionally challenged. In agility, this can be a problem for dogs and humans that don’t naturally calculate distance well. On course, do you notice the distance between jumps changes? Sometimes they are closer together and sometimes farther … Read More
Trip to Kentucky The trip to Kentucky for the USDAA Agility 2011 Nationals was a good trip but not a great trip. We didn’t come back with any wins or trophies this year. While I was proud of what we did, we just had an off trial. Gumbo, my steady Catahoula, and I were just not in sync. After close examination of the video, there wasn’t anything obvious I did most of the time – we were just off. He … Read More
Most clients would like to know how to stop their dog from chasing squirrels or how not to pull on the leash. Those questions are somewhat easy to answer with a well-laid training plan. A few days ago, I was asked a different sort of question that I found much more difficult to answer. Identifying the Issues This client’s agility dog struggled with several issues: separation anxiety, counter surfing, start line problems, bar knocking, and a few other things. … Read More