DOG TRAINING AND BEHAVIOR

Q. My 7-year-old terrier licks his paws constantly, as if they are itching. My groomer said it is just a dog’s habit, but I’m...

You hear it all the time: people say their pet is a “people dog” or a “dog dog,” meaning the dog either likes people...

Along with “Sit,” “Leave it,” and “Come,” the cue for “Down” is one of the basics you should teach your dog. It means “lie...

Just when you thought dogs’ noses couldn’t get any more incredible — in some cases they can sniff odors at up to a millionth...

Staring, aggression toward family members, excessive drinking…. No, we are not talking about your in-laws. We’re talking about people’s dogs, yours included. A study on...

It’s hard enough to adopt a dog only to learn that she’s anxious enough to lunge and snap at strangers, or perhaps other dogs....

We’ve all seen it a thousand times — people telling their dog to “Come,” and then saying it louder and louder and with more...

You know how it seems your dog can tell if you give him three biscuits instead of four, or whether you followed the usual...

Having a dog as a child might reduce the risk for schizophrenia in adulthood by as much as 24 percent, but not for the...

People show their emotions with facial expressions all the time, even if theyre alone. Its involuntary. Not so dogs. Particular facial expressions they make are intentional and occur only when you make eye contact with them. That is, theyre more than shows of emotion. Theyre forms of communication.

I have an 8-year-old male dachshund who is usually good, but in the last 2 weeks he has been shredding everything in sight. He is also defecating on the floor, which he never did before. I work 10 hours a day, but I feed him and take him out to go to the bathroom before I leave. I also give him plenty of hugs and love before I go. Yes, hes spoiled! But still, this behavior is not like him. Im wondering if, since I took some time off recently, this is the problem. I love my dog more than anything else and also need him, as I am almost deaf and he hears for me. Anything you can say to help me would be greatly appreciated. I cant drop him off at doggy day care because he doesnt get along with other dogs.

Warriors with nightmares and other symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were described as far back as the Bronze Age in Assyrian literature. Fast forward 3,600 years to 2009, when researchers found that some military working dogs were unable to go back to their jobs as bomb sniffers following exposure to combat in Afghanistan. The researchers, a combination of PTSD experts in human psychiatry and psychology along with veterinary behaviorists, came up with a strict set of criteria for canine PTSD in those military dogs. They included escape or avoidance of work-related environments; changes in rapport with their handlers; and interference with critical tasks, including controlled aggression.