In a 2016 YouTube video, dog trainer and Animal Planet personality, Zak George listed the benefits of crate training your pooch.

“When used in moderation crates can be a fantastic way to help with overall training. They can give your dog a secure place to rest, save your property, assist with accelerating house training time and give you some freedom when you're distracted from puppy training,” explained George.

Now, it can get a little tricky when it comes to the training part. Ideally, you will begin crate training when your dog is on the younger side. While speaking to AKC in November 2021, a dog trainer at PUPS Pet Club, Anna Flayton, shared some suggestions to make training go without a hitch.

For starters, you should purchase an appropriately sized crate.

“Depending on how big your dog is going to get, buy the right crate for their adult. Then get a divider so you can build the space and grant them more and more space,” explained Flayton.

Pup parents can make the area even more enticing by handing their furry friends tasty treats and toys while they are inside the space. Flayton also noted that when you are first training your pooch, only leave them alone inside the crate for about an hour at any given period. Over a few months, you can start increasing the length of time you are away from your dog.

Zak George also noted that pup parents should refrain from keeping their dog in the crate for more than a few hours.

“Minimize the amount of time though your dog spends in the crate. So 15 minutes to an hour here and there and overnight are generally recommended. In cases where you have to work though avoid leaving your dog in a crate more than four hours at a time and less for dogs under four months of age,” said the dog trainer.

Do you crate train your dog? Let us know in the comments below!

However, that simply is not the case. The fact of the matter is that dogs may have to be muzzled for several reasons. For instance, canine behavior specialist Robert Cabral explained in a May 2020 video uploaded on his YouTube channel that dogs may have to be muzzled at a veterinary clinic if they exhibit nervous behaviors. He shared that vets typically use cloth muzzles, which “prevents a dog’s mouth from opening.” He warned, however, that this type of muzzle could be potentially dangerous. 

“When you close the dog’s mouth, you take away the dog’s ability to pant, so it’s really important that you consider that if a dog is panting or is stressed or is hot. If the dog can’t pant the dog could go into shock, the dog could overheat, and many other things,” explained Cabral. 

That being said, some dogs do need to wear a muzzle for behavioral issues and there’s no shame in that. For example, if you know your furry friend is reactive around other dogs and you decide to put a muzzle on them before you go out in public, you are being a responsible dog owner. Cabral recommends that dogs who “have bite issues” should wear basket muzzles. 

Now, this type of muzzle may look like it could be uncomfortable. However, according to the Animal Humane Society “[w]hen used properly, a well-fitting muzzle should never cause your dog any pain or discomfort.” The organization noted that our canine companions “are able to pant, drink water, and even take treats with ease once they’re used to their properly fitting basket muzzle.” 

That being said, dogs don’t usually take an immediate liking to basket muzzles. For this reason, Cabral suggests that an owner give their dog treats while slowly introducing the muzzle. 

“Always teach your dog that putting a muzzle on is a good thing and a really easy way to get your dog to understand that is to take a little piece of kibble, drop it inside, and give it to your dog,” noted the dog trainer. 

During a 2017 YouTube video, Melissa Fenstermaker, Head Trainer at Union Lake Pet Services, warned, “for your dog’s safety you don’t want to leave the muzzle on for extended periods of time.” 

“We also don’t want you to leave it on and them unattended. We want to make sure you are supervising them at all times so they are not going to hurt themselves trying to get that muzzle off,” said Fenstermaker. 

Have you used a muzzle on your dog before? Let us know in the comments below!

For instance, tail wagging can indicate a few things. According to the American Kennel Club, when your pup wags their tail it “means that the dog is emotionally aroused,” which is not always a good thing. Basically, your pooch is either super excited or anxious. 

If you can not determine how your dog is feeling through situational context, check out how their tail is positioned. AKC noted that research published in Current Biology found “that dogs tend to wag more to the right when they feel positive about something, like interacting with their owner. Tails wagged more to the left when dogs faced something negative.” Similarly, if your “dog’s tail spins in a circle… that’s a happy wag.”

You will also want to look where your dog’s tail is pointed. For instance, pups who have downward-pointing tails are most likely “feeling fear and stress,” while “dogs with their tails held up like a flag are feeling confident, perhaps even aggressive.” 

Your dog will also let you know if they are distressed by “hunch[ing] toward the ground” or “exposing their tummy.” Conversely, if your canine companion is in a playful mood, they will pounce into a “play bow” position. 

According to the Animal Foundation, looking at your dog’s ears can also help you figure out their emotional state. Dogs who feel content will “relax their ears in a position that is natural to them.” However, if your pup is “feeling aggressive or dominant,” they will “raise their erect/tense ears higher.”

Before you send Fido to etiquette classes, you should know that there is an important reason that pups smell each other’s behinds. According to VCA Animal Hospital, your dog is simply trying to gauge the appropriate way to interact with a new pup.

Essentially, dogs will use their superior sense of smell to figure out if they have a potential new playmate. Not only do “dog noses contain 150 million olfactory receptors,” they have something “called Jacobson’s organ,” which “communicates with the part of the brain that deals with mating.”

Simply put, unlike us humans, dogs can figure out a ton of details, like sex, emotional state, overall health, and diet, just by sniffing another pup’s backside. 

Now you may be asking why they specifically need to smell each other’s bum. After all, there are much more pleasant places to sniff. 

The VCA Animal Hospital reported that “aroma emanating from the anal region is a unique form of canine identification.”

You may also have noticed that your dog insists on being the one to get in the first sniff? Well, that’s because she views herself as the dominant dog! 

Do you have any other strange dog questions that you would like us to answer? Let us know in the comments below!

One of the most popular training courses is the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen Program. According to the AKC’s website, the program was established over 30 years ago and has had over 1 million participants, of both the human and canine variety. 

The program, which consists of “ten basic skills that instill confidence and good manners,” is open to dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes. The initial training process can also be done in the comfort of your home, which is rather convenient in our current circumstances. 

That being said, the AKC recommends going to in-person classes to “ensure your dog has proper socialization and expert training.” 

Participating in the program has a myriad of benefits. For one, your pooch will be taught many skills that will improve their overall behavior. The AKC also claims that the program will “deepen your bond” with your dog, allowing you to “become a more connected pair” and “the best companions for each other.” In addition, there is a good chance that your dog will have an easier time becoming a therapy dog if they have a CGC title, as it is sometimes a prerequisite.

PetHelpful noted that for your pooch to become a Canine Good Citizen, they must take 10 skill-based tests in the presence of a professional evaluator. The tests range from “accepting a friendly stranger” to “walking through a crowd’ to “supervised separation.” It should be noted that a dog “must pass each of [the] 10 various ‘tests’” to qualify for the title. 

The publication recommended that pup parents seek out a professional instructor before your dog takes the test. If you attempt to train on your own, be sure to review the AKC evaluator's guide. 

As noted by the AKC, once your pooch passes the test, you will go over “and sign the CGC Responsible Dog Owners Pledge.” The Pledge can be found here.   

While not necessary, owners are also encouraged to have their dogs retake the test about every other year, so that they can be sure that their dog has retained the information from the initial training period. 

“In the most general terms, hydrotherapy is exercise in an aquatic environment [that is] used to achieve functional goals in rehabilitation,” explained Dr. Molly Flaherty, DVM, to PetMD in 2019. 

She went on to say that she “would recommend this type of therapy if any type of weight-bearing is painful for the dog.”

This specific form of physical therapy may be suggested by your veterinarian if your dog just had surgery, is overweight, is partially paralyzed, has hip dysplasia, and/or is suffering from canine arthritis.  It is recommended for dog owners to take their furry friends to a rehabilitation center with certified hydrotherapists. Also, dogs who are prone to chronic ear infections, should not seek out hydrotherapy, as there is a great risk of the inside of your dog’s ears getting wet. 

The most popular type of hydrotherapy for dogs is to walk on an underwater treadmill that had been submerged in a tank while they are connected to a harness. 

“Underwater treadmill offers better ‘on-demand’ control of an exercise program and allows modifications to be made more specific,” noted certified canine rehabilitation practitioner Dr. Tari Kern, DVM in a March 2020 interview with the American Kennel Club. “The depth of the water and speed of the treadmill can be quickly adjusted to provide different experiences for the pet. This allows the effects of the exercise to be tailored more specifically to the overall goal of hydrotherapy and each pet’s unique needs and possible limitations.”

Simply having your dog swim in a pool accompanied by a certified hydrotherapist can also have a myriad of benefits. 

That being said, canine hydrotherapy is not a guaranteed cure for your pup’s ailments. 

“Water-based exercises can help to rebuild muscle mass, promote cardiovascular output and improve stamina. However, it cannot target specific individual muscles for strengthening or reducing local inflammation or pain. The best rehabilitation plan should be individualized for each pet and incorporate a combination of modalities that best help to address all of the problems that need to be corrected,” asserted Dr. Kern. 

While there is not a set cost for hydrotherapy sessions, typically a half-hour will run you about $30 to $50.