Unleashed My Dog

11/16/2024

10/20/2024

Dogs think and learn. Dogs feel emotions. But dogs are not people. Don't blame your dog for not always understanding what you want.

10/08/2024

10/05/2024

08/15/2024

Adult dogs need socialization too! Introduce them to new things slowly. Let your dog make their own choices. If they're uncomfortable (fearful, growling, pulling away, etc.) it's too much/too fast. Then give them relief by moving them away to a place they feel safe and calm.

05/20/2024

Know anyone who feeds Pedigree dog food? Please share.

Mars recalls one lot of Pedigree dry food. See a complete list of all dog food recalls and FDA warnings since 2009, by Dog Food Advisor.

05/09/2024

Here's a fun short video to teach your kids about dog body language. Please share it with your kids

Meet Charlie and his human, Alex! Together, they teach children how to be safe around dogs! Charlie the dog uses his body language to communicate to Alex tha...

04/24/2024

04/12/2024

Whether you have a dog or not, please take time to look over this table...

03/21/2024

The prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain involved in decision-making, is not fully developed during adolescence. This can look like a dog barking and lunging at something, becoming easily and frequently distracted, a lack of inhibition, and/or not listening to verbal cues as well as they once did.

If you’re feeling frustrated with your adolescent dog, take a breath and try to remember this is temporary. 😮‍💨

03/18/2024

Anyone have experience with bSerene for canine anxiety? I just got an email from Fear Free Shelters promoting it. It's a pheremone-based product.

If you’ve got a cat that scratches, hides, or urinates outside the litterbox, she’s not a bad kitty—she’s simply a stressed cat who needs your kindness and attention. How can you help your pet feel relaxed? Create a more comfortable environment for her, all day, every day—naturally, with b...

03/14/2024

03/03/2024

Shake it…shake it off…

A recent study by two researchers in France looked at sniffing, pulse rate, and leash length on walks. Sixty-one dogs were taken on three separate walks, five minutes each walk, once with a 1.5m leash, once with a 5m leash, and once without a leash at all (walk order was randomized for each dog). Off-leash dogs sniffed the most, more than 3x as long as the dogs on short leashes. Dogs on long leashes spent nearly as much time as unleashed dogs sniffing, almost 3x as long as dogs on short leashes.

This study also found that sniffing resulted in lowered pulse rates, and the more intensely they sniffed, the more their pulse rates lowered. Pulse rate was also lowered when dogs “shook off” during walks on all leash lengths. The “shake off” behavior was often seen when the dog’s pulse rate was particularly high.

Read more about it below!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HX77kp2HBDiTxmq/?mibextid=Le6z7H

https://www.tuftsyourdog.com/everydaydogcare/giving-your-dog-time-to-sniff-on-walks-will-literally-soothe-his-heart/

What else can we learn about dogs from their walking behavior? Take your best friend on a Sniffari and see what you observe!

02/21/2024

May we raise children to love the unloved things...
The dandelion, the worm and the spiderlings
Children who sense the rose needs the thorn
and run into rainswept days the same way we turn toward the sun

And when they're grown and someone has to speak for those who have no voice
May they draw upon that wilder bond...
Those days of tending tender things
AND BE THE ONES

Nicolette Sowder