Americans are not the only ones whose waistlines are expanding…our pets are getting bigger too. “In 20 years, I have watched pets get supersized in front of my eyes!” says Ernie Ward, DVM, author of Chow Hounds: Why Our Dogs Are Getting Fatter, and founder of the APOP, Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. The fifth… Read more »
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Male vs Female Dogs
I once had two puppies from the same litter… a boy and a girl. I’ll refer to them as Fido and Fifi. They had such stereotypical male and female personalities. Fido was rough, daring… He was always the one in-charge, first to try new things, first to get in trouble. He would dig a hole… Read more »
5 Stages of Handler Aggression
By Holiday Barn Pet Resorts Professional Dog Trainers, Jeff Postle and Schylar Postle Handler aggression is a term used to describe dogs that have learned to use aggression to stop pet owners and various pet professionals from asking things from them that they simply don’t like, or deem as unfair. Most of the time these… Read more »
So You Want to be a Groomer
True or false: to be a successful Groomer, all you really need to do is love dogs? Answer: contrary to popular belief, the answer is false! Ask yourself these questions: How do you feel after being on your feet all day? Do you have a strong back? Do you have the patience of Job? Are you… Read more »
What are Dog Booties and When Should I use them?
True story: My last dog constantly slipped and slid on our hardwood floors. In the bathroom, she slid on the tiles. We kept her nails short, and the hair trimmed between her pads, but she would slide anyway. It was pitiful to watch her walk gingerly through the house, all the while trying to maintain… Read more »
Cats and Boxes
Love and marriage, horse and carriage, peanut butter and jelly, biscuits and gravy, thunder and lightning… You know this game! What else? Cats and boxes! That’s right! Everyone knows how much cats love boxes. You can google it in images and have a literal melt-down from all the adorable pictures. There is even a facebook… Read more »
Understanding Why Dog Day Care Orientation Is Important
I read a scathing blog this morning by a woman who was livid over her dog being “rejected” from dog daycare (NOT Holiday Barn Pet Resorts, BTW!). She was angry. After bad-mouthing the entire organization, she decided that her dog was just too good for daycare anyway! Humph! The writer probably felt that her dog… Read more »
Five Principles of Dog Training
There are five main principles to always consider when training your dog. These principles are the core ingredients to behavior modification and are always at work, whether training the family pet or teaching a police dog to track felons. Understanding how these principles work is the secret to clear communication between you and your pet…. Read more »
How Dogs Know When We Are Sick
It’s pretty much universal…bring it up in a crowd of people and most will validate your story with a similar happenstance in their own life. Our dogs know when we’re sick or in pain. • Holiday Barn Pet Resort’s Pack member, Heather, had ACL Reconstructive surgery a few years back. Her dog, Duke, who is… Read more »
Doggie Play Dates!
Do you sometimes feel a bit anxious in a crowd of people? Is your idea of a good time an evening shared with one or two close friends, rather than in a large group at a party? There are a lot of people like that. Truth is, there are some dogs like that too. Either… Read more »
How to Avoid Being Bitten by a Dog
Dog Biting Series Part III – How to Avoid Being Bitten by a Dog Did you know that approximately 4.5 million dog bites occur each year in the US? Wow, that’s a lot. And if I had to guess, I’d say that 9 times out of 10, those dog bites could have been prevented. Okay,… Read more »
How to Train Your Dog Not to Bite
Dog Biting Series Part II - How to Train a Puppy Not to Bite Puppies, like babies, use their mouth to explore their world. “Mouthing” helps them to learn. That’s why a baby will stick everything in its mouth. And that’s why your puppy does the same thing – including his littermate’s ear or paw! Ouch!… Read more »
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