Seeing dogs with their heads out the car window looks cute, but with strong, high-energy dogs, it isn’t always safe. Ours are curious enough that I couldn’t trust them not to jump. Keeping excitable dogs contained brings a few extra challenges — especially for dogs that are muscular, reactive, or easily overstimulated by what they…
Last summer, I realised my dogs had figured out their own way to stay cool — digging into the garden until they hit cooler ground. It worked for them, but it left me repairing muddy patches and thinking there had to be a better, more practical solution that’d help them stay cool. Dog cooling mats…
In our house, harnesses beat collars every time. When you’ve got two Staffies who can pull like freight trains, you want strength, control, and gear that won’t give out mid-walk. Over the years, we’ve tried various harnesses with our two and even ended up modifying one to work as a no-pull setup. The big lesson…
Every situation is different. I thought we had a dog with anxiety. Turns out, he just doesn’t like change. Nevertheless, I’ve been down the rabbit hole of looking up what the best treatment for dogs with anxiety is, and I can tell you, it starts with identifying the triggers. That’s because there’s different types of…
Brushing your dog does more than remove loose hair. Done properly, it supports skin health, spreads natural oils through the coat, and keeps grooming comfortable rather than stressful. Whether you brush wet or dry matters less than how you brush and what you use. Problems often start when brushing feels uncomfortable — the wrong technique,…
Regardless of what your vet tells you, dog ticks cannot be prevented. Walk your dog in long enough grass where ticks congregate, you’re likely to have to remove a dog tick. Collar or not. There are products that retailers and even vets claim prevent them, but read the guidelines, they’ll also state that you need…
The cliff notes: For dogs that struggle to settle alone, the biggest improvements come from calm departures, gentle desensitisation to your leaving cues, and slowly practising short absences. Comfort, enrichment, and steady routines help support the process. A behaviourist or vet can step in if things feel too big to handle alone. When your dog’s…
Most dog pooper scoopers seem fine at first. Until you use one on the wrong surface. That’s when problems start. Some designs work well on grass but struggle on gravel. Others suit walks but feel awkward in the garden. The right choice depends less on brand and more on how you use it. The best…
Short-haired dogs do shed. Coat length does not determine whether a dog loses hair — it only affects how noticeable that shedding may be. Short coats are often assumed to mean low maintenance, but shedding is influenced more by breed and coat type than by hair length alone. In most cases, hair loss in short-haired…