Go Pet Friendly is a wonderful resource for those of us who like to travel with our pets. But whether traveling or not, I always gain valuable information from this great site.
Update: 01/28/17 – With Canine influenza moving slowly towards the Boston area, this seemed like a good time to feature this post on how to check your dog's vital signs.
While we rely on professionals to diagnose serious illnesses, we all should know how to do a basic assessment of a dog's vital signs. This post does a great job of telling you how to do just that.
You might be able to spare your pup the trauma of a scary visit to the vet if you assure yourself that all his vital signs are normal and that he's just tired from something like an extra long dose of exercise and not sick.
As you can see, some puppies (like our Poppy when she was only a few months old) are not at all upset by vet visits. She has been known to kiss the vet tech and fall asleep on the exam table! But most dogs would rather have you, the human they trust the most, doing things to them than some stranger.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
Go Pet Friendly is a wonderful resource for those of us who like to travel with our pets. But whether traveling or not, I always gain valuable information from this great site.
Update: 01/28/17 – With Canine influenza moving slowly towards the Boston area, this seemed like a good time to feature this post on how to check your dog's vital signs.
While we rely on professionals to diagnose serious illnesses, we all should know how to do a basic assessment of a dog's vital signs. This post does a great job of telling you how to do just that.
You might be able to spare your pup the trauma of a scary visit to the vet if you assure yourself that all his vital signs are normal and that he's just tired from something like an extra long dose of exercise and not sick.
As you can see, some puppies (like our Poppy when she was only a few months old) are not at all upset by vet visits. She has been known to kiss the vet tech and fall asleep on the exam table! But most dogs would rather have you, the human they trust the most, doing things to them than some stranger.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
But here there will be lots of flashing lights in the sky and big booms going off along the river. I'm planning on staying home, but even if I hide in the bathroom, I know it will make my building shake.
Tap your paw or click on the poster for easier reading.
And, just in case you were wondering, dogs and cats are not allowed at the Boston Pops Concert on the Esplanade. Only official, working, or service animals may attend. (But I don't know why any of us would want to go to this noisy, crowded place. Besides, we would only distract the police dogs who have important work that day.)
Have a safe and Happy July 4th!
Duchess Poppy Whitehead
P.S. Here's a link to all our Sunday Dogs. I'm in charge of recruiting the talent for these features, so let me know if you want to star some week.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
But here there will be lots of flashing lights in the sky and big booms going off along the river. I'm planning on staying home, but even if I hide in the bathroom, I know it will make my building shake.
Tap your paw or click on the poster for easier reading.
And, just in case you were wondering, dogs and cats are not allowed at the Boston Pops Concert on the Esplanade. Only official, working, or service animals may attend. (But I don't know why any of us would want to go to this noisy, crowded place. Besides, we would only distract the police dogs who have important work that day.)
Have a safe and Happy July 4th!
Duchess Poppy Whitehead
P.S. Here's a link to all our Sunday Dogs. I'm in charge of recruiting the talent for these features, so let me know if you want to star some week.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Dogs use their eyes for many reasons. Around my house, if Poppy’s meal is a few minutes late, Ed and I are treated to penetrating laser eyes as a silent reminder that she wants dinner now!
Poppy says, "I'm so worried I won't be served my dinner on time! "
Photography
I love to focus on dogs' eyes when I photograph them, but it’s often difficult because my large camera lens looks like a big eye to some dogs and they avoid looking at it. When I have time to get to know a subject, I’ll put the lens cap on and offer to let them sniff my camera before I use it again.
For dogs, eye contact takes on many meanings. A direct stare from a person or another dog can reassure, threaten, welcome, warn, question, or demand attention. For someone who wants a great relationship with dogs, there is a lot to learn about eye contact.
Communication
Before you can train your dog to do anything, you need his or her attention. Some folks use the cue, “Watch me!” pointing to their eyes and holding the dog’s gaze as they praise their pal for the correct behavior. That simple, “Watch me!” can come in handy when you need to distract your dog from something that might cause him to bark or react in some way that you don’t allow.
Once this is mastered, you can move on to training your dog to follow your gaze by looking and pointing to an object thereby directing the dog’s attention to something else. Start with fun things such as a toy you’d like him to bring to you or a place you want her to go to settle down.
Your dog may also try to communicate with you by making eye contact and then gaze at what they want or need. I love to let my dog solve her own problems and she usually does a great job of figuring out how to free a stuck toy or hold a chew to get the best angle of attack. But, occasionally, she will turn to one of us for an assist. Often, I can tell what she needs by the look in her eyes and where she tries to direct my eyes.
There is an emotional bonus to all this eye contact. A recent study by animal behaviorist Takefumi Kikusui found that, “When interacting and exchanging gazes, both dogs and their owners experienced rushes of oxytocin in their brains.” This increases your emotional bond.
Don’t make eye contact if …
While eye contact with your own dog can be beneficial, you really have to have a clear understanding of canine body language if you are going to make eye contact with a strange dog. An unfamiliar dog may read your stare as a form of dominance or aggression and react accordingly.
If you’re lucky, the reaction might be submission, but you could also find yourself facing a snarling canine. You are better off approaching a strange dog with your eyes slightly averted, speaking quietly, and using soft body language.
When you have the opportunity, observe dogs who are experts at using their eyes. Watch a sheepdog use her eyes to control sheep or a hunter keen on his prey. Notice how a retriever can focus on the object he’ll locate and return to his person. Pay attention to the way a guide dog checks the traffic before leading a blind person across a street. The eyes have it!
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
Dogs use their eyes for many reasons. Around my house, if Poppy’s meal is a few minutes late, Ed and I are treated to penetrating laser eyes as a silent reminder that she wants dinner now!
Poppy says, "I'm so worried I won't be served my dinner on time! "
Photography
I love to focus on dogs' eyes when I photograph them, but it’s often difficult because my large camera lens looks like a big eye to some dogs and they avoid looking at it. When I have time to get to know a subject, I’ll put the lens cap on and offer to let them sniff my camera before I use it again.
For dogs, eye contact takes on many meanings. A direct stare from a person or another dog can reassure, threaten, welcome, warn, question, or demand attention. For someone who wants a great relationship with dogs, there is a lot to learn about eye contact.
Communication
Before you can train your dog to do anything, you need his or her attention. Some folks use the cue, “Watch me!” pointing to their eyes and holding the dog’s gaze as they praise their pal for the correct behavior. That simple, “Watch me!” can come in handy when you need to distract your dog from something that might cause him to bark or react in some way that you don’t allow.
Once this is mastered, you can move on to training your dog to follow your gaze by looking and pointing to an object thereby directing the dog’s attention to something else. Start with fun things such as a toy you’d like him to bring to you or a place you want her to go to settle down.
Your dog may also try to communicate with you by making eye contact and then gaze at what they want or need. I love to let my dog solve her own problems and she usually does a great job of figuring out how to free a stuck toy or hold a chew to get the best angle of attack. But, occasionally, she will turn to one of us for an assist. Often, I can tell what she needs by the look in her eyes and where she tries to direct my eyes.
There is an emotional bonus to all this eye contact. A recent study by animal behaviorist Takefumi Kikusui found that, “When interacting and exchanging gazes, both dogs and their owners experienced rushes of oxytocin in their brains.” This increases your emotional bond.
Don’t make eye contact if …
While eye contact with your own dog can be beneficial, you really have to have a clear understanding of canine body language if you are going to make eye contact with a strange dog. An unfamiliar dog may read your stare as a form of dominance or aggression and react accordingly.
If you’re lucky, the reaction might be submission, but you could also find yourself facing a snarling canine. You are better off approaching a strange dog with your eyes slightly averted, speaking quietly, and using soft body language.
When you have the opportunity, observe dogs who are experts at using their eyes. Watch a sheepdog use her eyes to control sheep or a hunter keen on his prey. Notice how a retriever can focus on the object he’ll locate and return to his person. Pay attention to the way a guide dog checks the traffic before leading a blind person across a street. The eyes have it!
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
Boston has a wonderful array of parks and a few of them are dog-friendly. These are the places we love to go to sit on a bench or spread out a blanket and spend a bit of time enjoying dog watching, one of our favorite pastimes.
Christopher Columbus Park on the waterfront is a great destination for this game. You'll see dog walkers with packs in tow.
People running with their dogs.
Frisky frolickers like this little bit of a dog who was the fastest pup in the park during our visit. Zoom! Zoom!
Dogs and people who disagree on the direction of their stroll.
Pauses for sniffs while the person on the other end of the leash enjoys the view.
Great people watching, boat watching, airplane watching
Shady spots under the arbor
Walls and steps as extra seating
Great photo subject like dogs, boats, architecture, and skylines
This is a great activity for hot days when moving around is taxing on everyone. And remember that the trip to a cooler waterfront location can be made on the MBTA with your dog – outside of rush hour.
June is a great time to take a ride with your dog if this will be a new experience. As you can see in the photo above, off-peak hours often find the trains fairly empty.
Our Poppy has all the details about riding the T here:
Boston has a wonderful array of parks and a few of them are dog-friendly. These are the places we love to go to sit on a bench or spread out a blanket and spend a bit of time enjoying dog watching, one of our favorite pastimes.
Christopher Columbus Park on the waterfront is a great destination for this game. You'll see dog walkers with packs in tow.
People running with their dogs.
Frisky frolickers like this little bit of a dog who was the fastest pup in the park during our visit. Zoom! Zoom!
Dogs and people who disagree on the direction of their stroll.
Pauses for sniffs while the person on the other end of the leash enjoys the view.
Great people watching, boat watching, airplane watching
Shady spots under the arbor
Walls and steps as extra seating
Great photo subject like dogs, boats, architecture, and skylines
This is a great activity for hot days when moving around is taxing on everyone. And remember that the trip to a cooler waterfront location can be made on the MBTA with your dog – outside of rush hour.
June is a great time to take a ride with your dog if this will be a new experience. As you can see in the photo above, off-peak hours often find the trains fairly empty.
Our Poppy has all the details about riding the T here:
Looking for a place to go for a great walk with your dog? Click over to this page on the Trustees of Reservations site. Choose "Dog walking" as your activity and select the other options that are right for you. The result will be a list of very special places that welcome responsible dog folks and well-mannered pups.
From our files of wonderful memories, here are four of my favorite males heading into Halibut Point Reservation back in 2008. We had a wonderful day there and it's good to look back at the photos and remember a fine dog with a big heart.
Dog-friendly places alone are a reason for Sunday Dog readers to head straight for The Trustees site to join or renew their memberships. We did and now will not only have all these places to visit, but also will be the first to know about the events at the Boston Public Market that are managed by this same group.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.
from here to support this site!