EVERYDAY DOGCARE

So many dogs love those plastic ball chuckers, and why not? They allow a person to fling a ball faster and farther than they could with their arm, affording a pet a happy, frenetic run at top speed in order to chase the ball down and bring it back for more. Some dogs, in fact, are absolutely obsessed with the game.

Children 5 to 9 years old are more apt than any other age group to require treatment immediately after a dog bite. And most of those bites are from the family dog when the pet is resting and a child approaches, says Meghan Herron, DVM, associate professor of veterinary clinical services at Ohio State Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine. With that in mind, Dr. Herron advises the following:

But imagine how great your pet would feel if you showed him affection according to his rules. It becomes even more important when youre greeting a dog on the street whos not familiar with you. You dont want to make a dog feel frightened or, worse, like he has to protect himself. With dogs emotional comfort in mind, here are some tips for petting and greetings in general. Theyre standard for a dog you meet on the street, but if you try them on your own dog, youll also see very satisfied responses.

Orthodontics in dogs is never done for cosmetic reasons. Nor do dogs get those silver railroad tracks you see on kids. So why do some dogs get braces? And what kind do they get?

Coyotes are well adapted to both suburban and urban areas - theyve even been spotted in New Yorks Central Park. And you may have been seeing more of them because while coyotes tend to be born in the spring, they often spend much of the summer in and around their dens, both being protected and fed by their mothers and being taught to fend for themselves by learning to hunt.

Do dogs ever get C-sections?

While all dogs like to run to a certain degree, some make better running companions than others. Dalmatians, Doberman Pinschers, Labrador and Golden Retrievers tend to make good running partners, as well as herding dog breeds (but they can get easily bored and look for something to herd along the way, such as a car).

Many dogs are sent to shelters because they dont learn how to take their business outside. Its understandable. No one wants their home to be turned into a canine bathroom.

Q. Over the last year or so, the urine of my 12-year-old coonhound, Rhythm, has taken on a foul odor that is noticed not...

Thinking of choosing a new veterinarian? If so, one of the first considerations should be whether you prefer a large practice or small. Small practice benefits: Your dog will see the same doctor - or two - every single visit and will therefore develop a bond with the vet and feel less scared about going for medical care. The atmosphere will be less harried. The vet will have intimate knowledge of your dogs baseline health and will be in…

With which of these three animals do women get the best nights sleep: a dog, a cat, or a person? A dog, according to a survey of 962 women across the U.S. whose results were published in the journal Anthrozoos.

The delays, the people in Zone 4 trying to get ahead of you during boarding, the sterile atmosphere, the fear of flying…there are all kinds of reasons not to like waiting for your flight to take off. But what if you could pet or cuddle with a friendly dog to take your mind off the tedium and anxiety? At more and more airports, you can. Around the U.S. and Canada, airports have been instituting programs whereby people come and walk their friendly, well-behaved dogs around the terminal to soothe travelers strung-out souls.