Bark City Doggy Daycare

Emergencies are a type of event that you don't know you are going to have until you are having it. Some emergencies require a brief absence from your home, other emergencies require permanent evacuation. Your four-legged companion is part of your family. If you have family evacuation plans in place for your two-legged family members, shouldn't you also have them for your four-legged? It's always a good idea to have plans in place well before you actually have an emergency. Here are a few things you should think about while you a planning out your emergency protocol: Rescue Alert Sticker : These are those little stickers on your front door that tell emergency workers how many pets you have, what they look like, their names and your veterinarian's phone number. You can get a FREE sticker here .  Evacuation Plan : If you are not safe in your house, your pets aren't either! Please make sure you don't just leave them behind to fend for themselves. Develop a p

Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) is also known as Osteoarthritis. It is the progressive and permanent long-term deterioration of the cartilage surrounding the joints.  DJD is the #1 cause of chronic pain affecting one in five adult dogs.   For more information on DJD, please see these links: Canine Arthritis Treatment , The Whole Dog Journal, http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/10_3/features/Canine-Arthritis_15910-1.html   Vet Advice: Relieving Your Dog's Arthritis, The Bark, http://thebark.com/content/vet-advice-relieving-your-dogs-arthritis 10 Ways to Help an Arthritic Dog, Vet Street, http://www.vetstreet.com/care/10-ways-to-help-an-arthritic-dog    How to Treat Arthritis in Dogs: Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulfate, Steroids and NSAIDS , PetMD, http://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/evr_dg_remedies_for_arthritis_in_dogs#

Because we have a great Enrichment Program , I thought it would be fun to post some enrichment games you can make for your dog at home:  Image: Yes Missy The Muffin Tin Game is somewhat like Hide-and-Go-Seek, but with treats instead of humans. It's pretty simple and easy to put together. You just grab a muffin pan, and place a few treats in random indentations in the pan. Then, place tennis balls over all the indentations. You dog needs to A) figure out how to get the balls out and B) figure out which indentations hold the treats. A full tutorial can be found here: Yes Missy . Image: The Nerd's Wife This enrichment game was found on The Nerd's Wife and will keep your dog entertained for hours. I do want to write a little disclaimer: The Nerd's Wife tutorial on how to make this enrichment toy also endorses Purina Beyond Pet Food. Though Bark City thinks this is an awesome idea for an enrichment toy, we are not endorsing Purina Beyond.... Because, well...

Recently, I have been thinking about the first dog I owned and all the things that I did wrong that caused behavioral problems. I wish I would have had a short list of do's and don't s when I adopted that dog so long ago. It's always easier to think back on these things in hindsight. This week I have decided to compile a list of common mistakes and maybe it will help some other dog owner out there: 1. Treating Your Dog Like a Human : Dogs are not humans (Thank goodness!) They speak a completely different language. Things that humans find appealing may not necessarily mean dogs like them. Take for instance hugs. Most humans like hugs, but often a hug for a dog makes them feel stressed and claustrophobic. Hugs mean something completely different in dog language. As a dog owner, it is really important to learn your dog's language and how they communicate their different emotions. AND, it is equally important to teach your children. For more information on how to tra

Often as dog owners, we do everything in our power to make sure our furry family member is healthy and happy. We feed them top-notch food, we exercise them physically and mentally, but in our busy lives, we often forget one important element: Letting our dog play with other dogs. In my blog posts I have often talked about the issues owners have with treating their dog like a human. Dogs are not humans, they are dogs! And the more we humanize our dogs, the more neurotic our dog becomes. Dogs crave other dog interactions and when these needs are not met, we often get a depressed, stressed out canine companion. In turn, this leads to health problems, because stress and depression break down the immune system. As a human, imagine going your whole life living with an alien species that does not speak your language. I suspect you would eventually forget your native language or even how to be a human. You would eventually take on the behaviors of your alien family all the while fighting

  Do you have a new puppy, or planning on getting a new puppy soon? Set them up for success by getting them used to the grooming and bath process at a young age. The most critical learning period of a dog's life is in the first 6 months. By positively introducing the process of grooming to your puppy, you will help your puppy have a nice association with brushes, combs, nail clippers and handling. At all times, this process should be done gently, with positive reward. This is a process of gentle guidance with no resistance.  Handling your puppy-- In this first step, you will be helping your puppy get used to being touched in areas that a dog is naturally uncomfortable with being handled-- the face, top of the head, feet, bottom and tail. When the puppy is cuddling and sleeping next to you, start with belly rubs in a slow, gentle circular movement. If the puppy is ok with this, you can slowly start to pet other parts of the body starting with the legs in slow, downward strokes and m