Dogs

We consulted a vet expert and a plant expert to compile this list of beautiful, air-purifying plants that are safe for cats and dogs.,Because we and our pets spend much of our time indoors, having air-purifying plants in our homes makes sense. But not all plants are pet friendly. Some are toxic and can cause illness, or worse, if ingested. As long as you know which air-purifying plants are safe for your cat or your dog, and which ones you should avoid, you and your pet can breathe clean and easy. Though pet-safe plants won’t hurt your cat or dog if they’re ingested, coming home to a half-eaten plant isn’t ideal. If your dog or cat is prone to eating plants, consider utilizing cat or dog gates when your pet is unsupervised to ensure they don’t snack on your air-purifying foliage. 

“A service animal means any dog trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability.” – Bradley Phifer, executive director of the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers All service animals are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are awarded a specific set of rights. To be considered a service animal under the ADA, an animal must be either a dog or a horse. This is one big distinction between service animals and emotional support animals: While only those two species can be service animals, emotional support animals can be any type of animal. A service animal must do one or more specific job for their handler, aka the person with a disability whom they assist. Examples include: Guiding people who are blind Alerting people who are deaf Pulling a wheelchair Alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure Reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications Calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack These are just a few examples, not an exhaustive list. In general, if a dog performs any specific action that assists a person with their disability, they can be considered a service animal.,Jump to section Service Dogs Emotional Support Animals Similarities and Differences Traveling With Service Dogs and ESAs

Everyone wants a perfectly well-behaved dog. But not everyone realizes how much work goes into having a well-behaved dog. A lot of time and effort goes into building a strong relationship with your dog and helping them build good obedience skills. When done correctly, practicing obedience with your dog can be a great bonding activity that helps the two of you grow even closer. Here’s some insight and tips on dog obedience training. Why Is Obedience Training Important? While training your dog to do entertaining tricks like play dead, shake, and fetch can be fun, there’s a lot more to obedience training than that. Good, basic obedience can help you keep your dog safe. For example, a strong recall, where your dog responds and comes back to you, can get your dog out of a potentially dangerous situation (like running in the street). A strong “drop it” cue can help you keep dangerous or life-threatening items out of your pet’s mouth. Basic obedience can also help your veterinarian out, because it will make your dog a better patient.

House-training a puppy is hard enough without trying to tackle potty training in the winter. During the cold winter months, getting your dog to go outside at all may be a struggle. While it’s true that, yes, it might be more difficult to start house-training a puppy in the winter, it’s certainly not impossible. For a little advice on how to potty train a dog when the weather gets cold, we turned to Anthony Bracciante, owner of Sit Means Sit Denver Dog Training. “We’ll mostly see [an aversion to colder weather] in condo, apartment or high-rise dogs, or smaller breeds,” Bracciante says. “Often they’re more used to the comforts and warmth of home, and they don’t have a yard to explore and acclimate in.” If for whatever reason your pup is one of those who hates the cold weather, try some of Bracciante’s tips on how to house-training a puppy during the winter.

Why did the dog go through the pet door? That’s a no-brainer—to get to the other side, of course. The better, more useful question is, what if the dog doesn’t want to go through the pet door? Pet doors are truly wonderful inventions. They give your dog the freedom to come and go as she pleases. And for you, they provide the freedom to go to happy hour without going home to let the dog out first. The best part is that you don’t have to be handy to set them up. Most pet doors, like the Dog Mate Dog Door, can be easily installed in any door, and the PetSafe Freedom Patio Pet Doors for Sliding Doors fits right into your sliding glass door, so no cutting is required. Some, like the Ideal Pet Products Ruff-Weather Pet Door, have energy efficient flaps that provide insulation. While some dogs immediately understand the ins and outs of maneuvering through a pet door, others need a bit more training and encouragement. Here are some tips on how to train your dog to use the pet door and some techniques to help them through the first, most difficult step.

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Image via iStock.com/WhitneyLewisPhotography By Victoria Schade Finding a pet-friendly rental is hard enough, but trying to find one when your best friend is a Pit Bull-type dog is close to impossible. That’s why a Minneapolis-based nonprofit called My Pit Bull is Family is working to help families keep Pit Bulls and other large breeds. They are doing this by compiling a list of rental properties that welcome four-legged tenants, no matter the size or breed type. My Pit Bull is Family was founded in 2011 to address the issue of canine housing discrimination—one rental at a time—regardless of a dog’s appearance or weight. They believe that all dogs are individuals and shouldn’t be judged by the way they look. They want to dispel the myth that Pit Bulls are dangerous dogs by showing that they deserve to stay with the families that love them. The sad fact is that even “pet-friendly” rentals often have stipulations about certain breed types or sizes, preventing people with bully breeds from renting. Many dog breeds, like Great Danes, Chow Chows and German Shepherds, are often also excluded on an ever-changing list. Why Restrictive Rental Policies Hurt Dogs According to the Humane Society of the United States, one of the most common reasons animals are surrendered to shelters is a due to housing, moving or landlord issues, which means that these rental policies can tear families apart. Shannon Glenn, executive director of My Pit Bull is Family, states, “We have been told by shelters across the country that the number one reason why large dogs are surrendered is the lack of housing that will accept them.” Unfortunately, these restrictive rental policies are typically based on misinformation and generalizations about dogs with a certain look, which leads to more dogs ending up in shelters. To combat this problem, My Pit Bull is Family, a completely volunteer-based organization, has created the nation’s largest non-discriminatory dog-friendly housing database. “Each month, our volunteers call 400 dog-friendly apartments that are listed on Rent.com—these are apartments that advertise that they accept dogs already,” Glenn says. “Our volunteers call or research each one online, and we then enter the listings that accept all dogs into our database.” At this point, the organization has contacted over 2,500 listings in 2018. The site also offers tips for renters with dogs, like how to be an “extraordinary tenant,” as well as information for landlords about why renting to families with dogs of all sizes makes good business sense. Pet-Friendly Housing and Affordability Unfortunately, discriminatory pet rental practices aren’t restricted to a single region of the US. The organization has been contacted by close to 3,000 families this year who are searching for truly pet-friendly housing throughout the country.  Add to that the fact that even if rentals accept dogs of all breeds and sizes, those options might not be within financial reach for the average renter. Glenn says, “Affordable, pet-friendly housing that accepts all dogs is nearly impossible to find, so we are often contacted by families that cannot afford the listings in their areas.” My Pit Bull is Family recently launched a new initiative to help address the monetary hardships of keeping families together. The Together at Home Fund can assist with expenses like training costs, pet deposits, legal fees and even occasional repairs. Created in August of 2018, this fund is yet another way My Pit Bull is Family is attempting to level the playing field for Pit Bull lovers who are forced to juggle their devotion to their dogs with financial challenges. Renting With a Pit Bull Dog: A Happy Tale Though the organization’s rental search is typically used by families with dogs who are trying to find non-discriminatory housing, in one instance, the service assisted in the creation of a brand new family. Kathy Schuh had wanted to adopt a Pit Bull dog, but because she’d heard of the difficulties of trying to rent with a bully breed, she assumed that she’d have to wait to rescue one until she bought a house. But Kathy discovered My Pit Bull is Family on Facebook and found a truly pet-friendly apartment. With that, she was able to rescue a Pit Bull named Zeus into her new home a few weeks later. Now, 5-year-old Zeus the Pit Bull is paying it forward. He’s the ultimate host, helping to make his feline and canine foster siblings feel welcome as they search for their forever homes. Through community outreach, education and an ever-growing breed-neutral database, My Pit Bull is Family continues to support their mission to “lick discrimination” for Pit Bulls and the people who love them.

Looking for a way to support your local shelter? Of course you are—shelter and rescue staff and volunteers are heroes for pets and the people who love them. That’s why Chewy makes it easy for you to give shelters and rescues the products they need with one simple feature: Wish List. With Wish List, you can select the organization you want to support this holiday season, shop from the list of products they need, then check out and let Chewy take it from there, shipping direct to their door at no extra cost to you. What could be better than that?

The calmest dog breeds have an adaptable, gentle temperament and don’t get riled up easily. These pups love to lounge and aren’t known to be big barkers unless they’re alerting you to danger. But remember that, just like people, every pet is unique with their own personality, so proper socialization and positive reinforcement training are key to helping your pup live their best life and be calm in new situations. If you’re looking for a laid-back furry friend, check out this list of some of the calmest dog breeds to consider adding to your family.

You stash your prized possessions in a vault, bank, safe-deposit box, or under a mattress. Your pooch stows his treasures—dog bones, treats, toys, TV remotes—in a backyard hole or under a couch cushion. Burying objects is an instinct for dogs, says Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, owner of Pawsitive Results, in Lexington, S.C., and the author of several dog-training books.