Author: John Gilpatrick

Burkert, who calls Austin her winter home, believes it’s one of the most pet-friendly cities in the entire country. On the dog park front, her favorite is Zilker Metropolitan Park. “Dog park,” in this case, is actually a bit of a misnomer because Zilker is a regular city park – and a huge one at that, approximately 350 acres right in the middle of Austin. “When you put a fence around a dog park, it sort of constrains activity and can amp up the boisterousness and rambunctiousness in the dogs,” Burkert says. “You don’t have that with Zilker because it’s open, so dogs there feel free to roam and interact comfortably with soccer players, volleyball players, walkers and other dogs.” Of course, because Zilker isn’t fenced in, it’s extra important to keep an eye on what’s going on around you and your dog. Another great Austin dog park is Auditorium Shores. “If your dog loves to go swimming, this is right on Ladybird Lake, easily accessible from downtown Austin. It’s a little dog beach with little steps into the water,” Burkert says. Again, be careful to keep a close eye on your dog here, as not only is there no fence around the park, there’s also a bike path that cuts through it. Norwood is the best fenced-in dog park in Austin, Burkert says. The feeling of claustrophobia present at many dog parks is absent here. At two acres, it’s plenty spacious, and it separates large dogs and small ones into different sections of the park, so you don’t have to worry about your Chihuahua getting feisty with a Great Dane.,Whether you’re a Lone Star State local or thinking about visiting Texas for the first time, dog owners should know that many of its cities are very pet-friendly, with restaurants, shops, hotels and various other activities accommodating humans and canines alike. It’s also a state full of dog parks, which can provide you and your dog with a great opportunity to get outside, enjoy some fresh air and time together and let your dog cut loose. Amy Burkert, owner of GoPetFriendly.com, says the most important thing when considering taking your dog to an off-leash dog park is to know your dog’s personality. “Some dogs don’t like other dogs,” she says. “You need to closely observe him in this environment to know if he’s having fun and when he’s had enough.” Burkert also recommends that first-timers visit a dog park either early or late in the day, when parks aren’t as crowded, for a less overwhelming experience. If you’re ready to try a dog park, or if you already know they’re for you and your dog, here are some of the most unique, spacious and enjoyable ones in the great state of Texas:

A truly stress-free—or as close to stress-free as you can realistically expect—bathtime doesn’t happen overnight. You’ll have to start by teaching individual behaviors that, when put together, will make bathtime both successful and enjoyable, Thomas says. “Teach your dog to jump in and out of the tub. You’ll need that later,” she says. “Then, move on to teaching her to stay still while the water is running.” Arguably the most important behavior you want to teach them is how to love the water. Thomas says doing this in a low-pressure place, like a small lake or a kiddie pool, is perfect and that you should let the dog take as much time as she needs to get in and have fun.,A hot bath is soothing and relaxing — a great way to kick back and forget about the anxiety of the day. A bath for your dog, on the other hand, is probably the source of some of that anxiety. The fact is: your dog doesn’t want to be washed just as much as you don’t want to wash him. It doesn’t have anything to do with actually being clean and smelling fresh, but rather the lack of agency that comes with a hop in the tub, says Katelin Thomas, an associate certified dog behavior consultant and owner of K9 Turbo Training in Michigan. “Think about how invasive it is and how quickly the owner wants to get done,” Thomas says. “There’s not much choice there for the dog. Choice empowers them and makes them feel in control.” It takes time to help your dog feel like bathtime is another fun part of her day, but the payoff to all that preparation is that the water will mostly stay in the tub and your dog will now feel as calm as she is clean. So, how can that be achieved? Here are eight tips to make bathtime less stressful for both you and your pup.

The “kissing” behavior likely started just between dogs. Andrea Arden, an Animal Planet pet expert and dog trainer in New York City, said that infant puppies lick their mothers as a precursor for feeding. As such, the behavior continues into adulthood with whomever or whatever is the dog’s primary caretaker. Humans started taking over the caretaker role about ten millennia ago, according to Khuly, and it’s been equal parts cute and gross ever since.,Is there a purer expression of love than when your dog licks your face? Well … yes, there can be. Over time, dogs have associated licking with getting more of something, often food, said Dr. Patty Khuly, an award-winning, Miami-based veterinarian. “That’s why humans can be forgiven for translating licks as ‘kisses,’” she says. “They do, after all, seem to happen more when our dogs are relaxed at home and in situations where they’re most likely to be displaying affection.” But that doesn’t mean there isn’t an affection component, too. In fact, there’s a lot that goes into why your dog licks your face. Here are seven of the most surprising facts about dog kisses, as well as a few unexpected reasons why you might be covered in slobber right now.

There’s hardly a more quintessentially American activity than firing up a grill in the summertime, but what’s a gathering over hot dogs, burgers and potato salad if your family dog can’t partake in the fun? “Barbecues are communal, so being able to have your pets there is part of the fun — for you, for the pets and for any kids present,” says Dr. Charlotte Flint, a senior consulting veterinarian in clinical toxicology at the Pet Poison Helpline. But with so much food and so many people coming and going, it’s easy for a hungry canine to fill up on human-specific snacks, some of which might not be safe for them to consume in large quantities or even at all. Meat products are, of course, a concern. Whether it’s bacteria-laden raw meat or fragile bones that can become choking hazards, Flint says dogs should be closely watched or safely secured somewhere if large portions of meat are unattended. What about other BBQ essentials, though? The things that we spread, smear and snack on in order to complete these delicious summer meals — are they dog friendly? Find out whether or not your dog can have these grilling standbys:

Is there anything more heart-warming than your dog’s excitement when you get home from a long day at the office? Your furry little friend going absolutely crazy at the sight of you—jumping on you, slobbering everywhere? It’s love in its purest form and deserves to be reciprocated. While you might be tempted to wrap your arms around your dog in a warm embrace, that in fact might be the last thing your dog wants from you. Dr. Stanley Coren is a professor emeritus of psychology at University of British Columbia in Vancouver and the author of “Gods, Ghosts, and Black Dogs.” Recently, he and a group of graduate students noted overwhelming visual evidence that supports a theory some other dog behaviorists and researchers have been speaking to for many years: Dogs don’t like to be hugged. Ultimately, it comes down to their nature. As Coren explains, dogs are “cursorial” animals, meaning their primary instinct when they’re threatened is to run away as fast as they can. “What we’re doing when we hug them is basically fencing them in with our arms. On some evolutionary level, their mind tells them ‘I can’t get out of Dodge very quickly here.’ That stresses them out,” Coren says. Coren’s study, which he wrote about in Psychology Today, involved finding pictures of dogs being hugged online and observing the dogs’ stress signals. “It’s very easy to read stress in a photograph of a dog,” Coren says. The signs include breaking off eye contact, slicked-down ears, and yawning. Of the 250 photographs analyzed by Coren and his team, dogs in 82 percent of them showed visible stress signs. Only 8 percent seemed to be happy while being hugged, and 10 percent were neutral or ambiguous. Andrea Arden, a dog behaviorist, co-signed the general idea that most dogs do not like being hugged. “If you take a look at photos and videos and ignore the cute captions to focus on the body language of the dogs,” she says, “you’re likely to get a better sense of how hugs are typically not on most dogs’ lists of their favorite things.” She also adds seeing the whites of the dog’s eyes and lip licking to the list of observable signs of stress that can come out when your dog is being hugged. Both Arden and Coren agree that it’s easy enough to forget—but also very important to remember—that dogs can’t interpret the social meanings behind our physical actions. “Intention and perception can be very different,” Arden says. “While we may intend to express love by hugging our dog, they may not perceive this as an enjoyable experience,” which means our love gets lost in translation. So what are some better ways to express affection to your dog? “Pet him, cuddle him a little,” Coren says. “Dogs liked being touched, just don’t pen them in.” He also suggests giving them dog treats or speaking to them in a sing-song voice like parents often do with their human children. “Motherese,” he calls it. Arden adds that not only does the ideal expression of love differ from dog to dog, it also can differ with one dog from situation to situation or moment to moment. “A dog’s preferences will vary based on the environment and context,” she says. “The best way to express affection to your dog is whatever way your observations tell you is making them feel good.”