Bark City Doggy Daycare

Cute picture of the child hugging the dog, huh? But, it is images like these that compel me to write a blog about teaching children rules for being around dogs. There are certain elements of respect that we would give humans that also should be given to dogs. If we follow these rules, accidental dog bites and injuries should be kept at bay: Do not hug a dog. Yes, humans like hugs, but dogs don't and dogs are not humans! Hugs make dogs nervous. Dogs can be trained to tolerate hugs, but it's not really their cup of tea and they would rather you stay out of their personal bubble.  No Running. Children must be trained not to run up to a dog. This could startle or scare the dog. In addition, children should not run in front of a dog even while playing with the dog. This could trigger the prey instinct in a dog and will often result in a child getting nipped in the butt or getting knocked down and bitten.  Don't touch body parts. Dogs should be pet from head to the base ...

  Often, people don't crate train their dogs because they view putting their dog in a crate as a punishment. This could be because we humans view it as a cage--a jail. Or, it could be because we do use it as a punishment for our dog when they have become mischievous. But, these are all human attributes we are assigning to our dog. The fact is, dogs are naturally den animals and enjoy small enclosed places. A crate can be a place of security that calms a dog's anxiety. The key is not to accidentally train your dog into thinking of it as a negative space because you use it as "punishment" for dog behaviors you don't want to deal with or haven't trained your dog not to do.  A crate should be a place your dog is naturally inclined to want to use to relax. So, how do we do that? 1. A crate should be the right size. You will need to find a crate that not only fits your lifestyle, but fits your dog. Buy a crate that is the adult version for the specific breed of your...

At Bark City, we love dogs. I don't have enough fingers or toes on my human body to count the ways dogs are awesome. Recently, some new research on a somewhat old presumption is surfacing that gives one more reason to treat dogs like super heroes: Pet exposure may reduce allergies in humans. We all know someone who has an allergy to something or other. Research has been suggesting over the past few decades that allergic diseases are increasing: Asthma has tripled in prevalence since the 1970's and food allergies have doubled (1). Some humans carry the presumption that having a clean, sterile household, free of pet dander will ward off allergies. This may be true for adults (and older children) that already have allergies, but may not necessarily be true for a baby yet to be born or a young infant. It seems that exposure to pets in infancy, especially while in utero through the first three months of life, influences the child's immune development and may decrease the pr...