Forming a strong bond with your new dog will take time, but you want to start the process on a positive paw, so to speak. A little preparation before bringing your dog home will go far in helping your pup makes the adjustment smoothly.

Timing is Everything

Consider adopting when you have time to spend a few days with your new pet, which can ease the adjustment period. Be prepared for jealousy if you have other pets at home already. Meet with your family beforehand to designate doggie duties – who will walk, feed, and care for him? This is an opportune time to establish house rules pertaining to discipline and training of the dog, too.

Welcome Home Wagon

No wagon is necessary, but the right supplies certainly are. Beyond toys, a leash, and a collar, you’ll need food and water, which you should introduce your pet to right away – they’ll likely be thirsty after the stressful ride home! If you’re not sure what food the dog prefers, then get a couple of small bags to try out before investing too much. If you’re planning to crate your dog let him know where it is, and don’t be surprised if a shy dog primarily stays there for the first few days.

The Potty Works

Now, it’s possible that your new friend relieved himself before you came inside, but take time to introduce them to their official ‘potty zone.’ It’s not unusual for house trained dogs to have accidents when moving to a new home, so be patient with him and establish a set a routine for walks.

The First Few Days After Bringing Fido Home

Try to keep things around the house as quiet and calm as possible, especially if your dog seems intimidated or outright scared. Some dogs take to their new surroundings right away while others may take as long as two months to get comfortable. If your dog seems ready, introduce him to the art of playtime!

Get to the Vet

Do take time to make an appointment with a veterinarian fairly quickly after bringing your dog home so you can have a checkup, get any necessary vaccinations, and purchase heartworm and flea treatments if you haven’t already.

Most importantly, make your new dog feel loved by spending as many hours together as possible having fun and bonding.

Canine intelligence comes in various forms. Some dog breeds are more advanced in areas than others, but some are more intelligent overall. Whether you own a dog and are interested if you chose one of the most intelligent breeds or plan to add a dog to your family here are the smartest dog breeds.

Border Collie

Border collies have an astounding work ability and are very intelligent. This is displayed in their instinct in addition to their need to keep busy.

German Shepherd

This breed are not only intelligent but they are loyal, dependable and brave. Due to these positive attributes they are commonly used in the police force as well as the military.

Poodle

Poodles are not only exceptionally intelligent but they are a very active breed that is very easy to train. They have the ability to learn to hunt and guard. Poodles also love to be around people.

Golden Retriever

This breed is very worthy of being categorized as one of the smartest. They learn commands quickly, have the ability to learn tricks, and prefer to have a job to do. In addition to intelligence, golden retrievers have a great temperament. They are loyal, patient, and great around children.

 Doberman Pinscher

The doberman pinscher is also a very smart breed of dog that is often used in the police and/or military. Aside from intelligence, they are loyal, assertive, and courageous.

Overall, the smartest dog breeds include border collies, german shepherds, poodles, golden retrievers, and doberman pinschers. These five breeds are not only bright but are easy to train and have wonderful temperaments. All in all these breeds are supreme and will make a great companion to the right owner.

Finding a place is tough. Finding a place when you have pets that you’re not willing to part with is even tougher. If you want to ensure that you and your furry friend have a place to hang your respective hats, keep these points in mind:

• Look Off the Beaten Path

You can apply to every apartment complex in town, pay their hefty application fees, and wind up without a place to stay after all. If you use services like Craigslist to find people subleasing or renting out small apartments, on the other hand, then you may be surprised at how flexible people can be.

• Talk to Friends

Friends with pets? Ask them to keep you in mind in case anyone moves out of their neighborhood any time soon. A recommendation from a current tenant can go a long way with a landlord, and you can get your name in there before someone else can swoop in and take the place.

• Get Rural

Do you really need to live in the city? Living just outside of town, renting a small home in the country not only helps to ensure greater chances of finding a place that allows pets, you’re also going to be saving money, as rural property tend to be less expensive, and taking a load off, as rural life tends to be less stressful. This isn’t an option for everyone, but if you telecommute, or if you drive a long distance to work regardless, country living can be a great way to facilitate the animal lover in you.

An animal is a responsibility, but it’s a responsibility that few of us would ever want to neglect. If you’re patient, then it shouldn’t be difficult to land a great pet-friendly place.

At one time, dogs were trained through methods that involved dominance and punishment. Over the years, however, studies have shown that positive reinforcement methods tend to be far more effective. Let’s look at five simple steps for training your dog through positive reinforcement.

• 1) Start off by creating one-word commands for your dog. They can be any words of your choosing; however, you must be consistent. For example, if you want your dog to sit and your command word is ‘down,’ you can’t switch it the next time to the word ‘sit.’
• 2) When your dog follows your commands, give him or her a treat as well as verbal praise. Even if you’re handing out treats all day long, for the first few weeks, your dog needs to be rewarded for every good thing that he or she does.
• 3) Don’t be mean when your dog doesn’t follow commands and directions just as you expect him or her to. Training will take several weeks, perhaps even months. It’s always important that you keep your training sessions short as well as fun.
• 4) After a few weeks have passed and your dog is consistently following commands, begin backing off a bit on number of treats you give. After a couple of months, there shouldn’t be a need to give out treats, but giving your dog verbal praise is something that should always be given.
• 5) For every new command that you want your dog to learn, remember that positive reinforcement is the best training method to carry out. Not only does it help to teach your dog certain behaviors, but in addition it will help strengthen the bond between the two of you.

Your dog is more than just an animal that lives in your home — it’s a part of your family. Chances are your four-legged companion enjoys eating some of the same foods you do, perhaps even eating food straight from your kitchen table. But not all foods are permissible for a dog. In fact, your canine’s dietary restrictions include many common household foods that could prove toxic for your pet.

Avocados

Avocados contain Persin, which is potentially toxic to dogs. The good news is that avocados are only toxic to dogs in large quantities, so don’t be too anxious if you have been guilty of letting Fido lick the bottom of the guacamole bowl after your last party. Just don’t let it happen again.

Grapes

These tiny little fruits are notorious for falling out of the refrigerator or slipping out of the hands of toddlers and preschoolers. But if you have a dog in the house, you may want to keep a careful eye out for rogue grapes. All varieties of grapes, as well as their shriveled counterparts, raisins, are capable of causing kidney failure in dogs.

Chocolate

This is one of the most dangerous foods for a dog, due to its caffeine content and the presence of theobromine. Each of these components work as stimulants that can cause the heart to race. Because theobromine is digested very slowly in the canine body, it can cause your pet to become very ill or even die.

Macadamia Nuts

These nuts, as innocent as they seem, are highly toxic to dogs. Just one or two traditional macadamia nut cookies could be enough to make your dog very ill, potentially causing neurological debilitation and vomiting.

When it comes to your pet’s diet, it is always better to be safe than sorry. If you are not positive that a food is safe for your pet to eat, don’t give it. And as always, ask your pet’s veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet or introducing a new food.

Dogs hump for a number of reasons, the simplest of which is that they get into a sexual position when they are excited. When a dog is under a year old and is humping, they are trying to have sex. If they are older, the dog has not learned that this behavior is not acceptable when out at the dog park.

Older dogs hump when they are excited, as a form of playing and because they are proving that they are dominant over another dog.

Although it can be funny when a dog begins to hump your leg, a pillow or another dog for no apparent reason, this behavior quickly becomes embarrassing as it continues.

Dogs that are not properly socialized might exhibit this behavior because they have not learned how to play with other dogs. Humping feels good to the dog and if they have not been social with other animals in the past, they just don’t know what to do.

Dogs that are not neutered and under a year are humping because they are sexually excited. Dogs will outgrow this behavior if they are neutered and are trained properly that this behavior is not acceptable.

If you have a dog that has started humping benign objects, stop the behavior as soon as it starts. Without quick intervention, this behavior becomes a habit that is much harder to break as time passes.

Although it’s funny or cute at first, no one wants to have the dog that is constantly humping other dogs, people or toys. Keep your dog regularly exercised and on a routine to minimize excitement and anxiety.

 

We admit it. We have a problem. We love pet blogs. We love the cute pictures, we love the great stories, we love the pet blogs that give great advice, the blogs that tell us the best new pet toy, really – we love it all. Whether it’s a pet blog all about your family dog or blog about the latest in cat nature, they all have a place in our heart. We wanted to spread the love, so below we’ve complied a list of some of our favorite reads:

We love the quick photo posts and captions that Angie shares at CatLandLady. Her cats Saffy, Cosmo, and Phoebe are full of daily entertainment.

Want to know if your dog’s food is safe or if their toy is free of harmful chemicals? Consult Raise a Green Dog first. Originally a Squidoo lense, RAGD has expanded as pet owners have become more and more concerned with environmental pet safety and health.

Champion of my Heart is the real-time memoir of Lilly, Roxanne Hawn’s border collie. Lilly suffers from vaccine-induced brain inflammation and and Roxanne regularly posts updates on Lilly’s condition and struggles. Roxanne is a heartbreaking beautiful writer. A must read.

Dog Milk, a branch of Design Milk is the leading source for trendy, cool pet product reviews. We love finding the latest trends and hot products from Dog Milk.

All Things Dog Blog is a great resource for all dog-related articles, reviews, and fun adventures. Carrie is great at helping readers solve  pet problems and her writing always inserts her fun, happy attitude.

Pretty Fluffy is our go-to source for the latest in trendy, luxurious dog lifestyle products and ideas. The founder, Serena and her pup Soda have great features: from pet treat ideas to stylish pet photography.

 Under the Blanket is the blog of BlanketID. Blanket ID is a great tag that holds a record of pet details and photos online so that if your pet is ever missing or stolen you can immediately send alerts with the information to your local animal shelters and hospitals.

 Love Meow is one of our favorite places to see adorable cat photos and videos. Ever having a rough day? Just check out Love Meow and we promise you’ll feel better almost instantly.

Did we miss any blogs? We sure to share your favorites in the comments below.

If your dog suffers from a gluten-intolerance, you know first-hand how difficult it can be to find food and treats that won’t cause an allergic reaction. Reading ingredients and researching new dog foods can be exhausting. Sometimes it’s just simpler to make the food and treats yourself. Worried you aren’t a master chef? Think again. This gluten free dog treat recipes are simple enough for anyone to make.

Here are some of our favorites we’ve found around the web:

 These Grain-Free dog treats from A Cozy Kitchen feature banana and peanut butter as main ingredients. We’re especially partial to the cute heart cookie-cutter shape.

 Rice flour is the star in these Gluten-Free Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Puppy Treats from Betty Crocker. Get in the festive spirit and cut these puppy treats into adorable candy cane shapes.

 The homemade Peanut Butter and Banana Dog Treats from Whole Foods have a secret ingredient – parsley. Sneak parsley into the treat to improve your dog’s breath.

 Pumpkin seems to be the name of the game for gluten-free dog treats, and this recipe from Cleo is no exception. Your pup will jump for these delicious snacks!

Do you make your dog’s treats yourself? Will you now that you see how easy it is?

Do you include your pets in your Christmas cards? Our precious furry friends are definitely an integral part of our family, so we couldn’t imagine not including them in our family photo. Plus, who doesn’t love pictures of cute cats and dogs?

Here are some of our favorite funny Christmas photos we found around the web. Which one is your favorite?

 

 

Is it dusty in here or is it just us?

Kidding, there’s no shame in getting teary over this fantastic collection of videos from BuzzFeed. Visit the site to view the full list of 18 Tear-Jerking Moments of Soldiers Reuniting with their Dogs.