Your dog’s sense of smell is fascinating, remarkable, and is currently getting a lot of attention from researchers. The scent ability of your best friend beats humans, paws down. I think about it this way. When you make pizza, you smell pizza. Us dogs . . . we smell every single ingredient in the pizza . . . the tomato, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper, the flour, the yeast, etc.
But even that is an unimpressive example of the acute ability dogs have to detect smells.
February is dental health month for dogs . . . My mom talks often about dental care. But did you know that 85% of dogs over the age of 4 have dental disease? Yikes! Not only does it cause bad breath but it can lead to infection, abscess, and heart issues as well as damage to other organs. So, get us regular checkups and consider brushing our teeth daily.
We talk a lot about dental care but seldom about orthodontic dentistry for dogs.
WHAT??? Dental braces for a dog??? . . . Are you kidding? NOPE! Look at me!
New Year’s resolutions are great ways to work on improving your lifestyle, but why not make some to improve your dog’s quality of life too?
1. Learn to Sit
Sit is a very versatile command that is easy to teach and can help improve your dog’s attention and focus while helping them learn some self-control. Everything from greeting someone, waiting at the door instead of running outside, to waiting patiently for their dinner or bedtime snack. You’ll be glad your dog knows this simple command and you’ll both love showing it off.
January is national walk your pet month and national train your dog month, and training doesn’t just have to be for trouble makers. Training your dog gives you a basis for communication and understanding and brings a whole new level of trust and respect to your relationship. While starting young sets your dog up for a lifetime of success, there is no such thing as a dog being too old to learn. That’s right! Old dogs can learn new tricks! Not only are they able to, but many of them thrive on it.
