The ultimate goal of pet ownership is a well-trained pet that follows commands easily, can be trusted to stay home alone, and engages with humans of all ages without incident. However, obedience to this degree isn’t instinctual for most pets. When pets are young, proper training is essential to teach basic commands to make your life easier. In addition, pets adopted from shelters sometimes come from unfortunate circumstances and must be retrained due to neglect or abuse.

What Is Cognitive Dysfunction?

If you have ever had a senior pet, you may have noticed that as they age their behavior can change. Just like people, cats and dogs can get behavioral changes that can look a lot like changes we see in elderly people with dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Sometimes, we witness our dogs acting strangely or doing something that makes us curious. Much like humans, dogs have habits, rituals, and personality traits that make them unique, and we're left to decipher what they mean in the absence of human conversation.

From wrapping their paws around your arm to tilting their head, we've compiled the top 10 most commonly asked questions about dogs and their surprising answers.

Dogs are awesome. Some of their behaviors aren't always so great, though. From incessant begging to jumping up on people to begging for food, there are plenty of ways that even the most loveable dog can be pretty annoying. Dogs develop obnoxious behaviors and strange habits for countless reasons, and even the most loving pet parents often become frustrated and unsure of how to put a stop to them.

Fortunately, we have some good news for you.

A common myth about dogs is that barking, growling, lunging, biting, and baring their teeth means the dog has an aggressive demeanor. Presenting any combination of these behaviors often leads to a dog permanently labeled as aggressive and needing supervision around other pets and children. Even worse, this increases the dog’s chance of being euthanized at shelters.

If you’re witnessing your dog constantly itching, licking, or running their ears or rear along the carpet, you might be scratching your head, wondering what is wrong. They might even wake you up at night as they scratch incessantly and shake the bed or rattle their dog tags. While occasional scratching is normal, there are many reasons why your dog’s itchiness has elevated to an obsessive level.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “There’s no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners.” And as a dog lover, you likely share that belief. While the statement isn’t inherently wrong, it is far too simplistic. Dogs, like people, have unique personalities, traits, and genetic makeups. Each one is unique, and most have both positive and negative qualities.

Chew toys for dogs can be kind of a controversial topic for numerous reasons. There's so much mixed information, especially online, that it's hard to sort through and find a genuinely accurate source. It's so important to be able to stimulate your dog's mind and give them something to do during the day. Safe and effective toys are hard to find, though, so that's why we're here to help you make educated decisions. Enjoy this blog all about safe chew toys and how to find them!