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Obesity is an epidemic in pet dogs and cats, but there are pets who need to gain weight, usually due to a medical problem. So is your “skinny” pup really skinny, or are we just not used to what “normal” looks like? Here are some ideas I offered to a dog owner writing about her […]

We had a beloved blind dog, Shakira. I share some of what we learned with this dog owner struggling with her dog’s vision loss. Q: My dog is losing her eyesight. How can I help her adjust? A: Blindness doesn’t seem to stop the average dog. When eyesight goes, the nose and ears take over […]

Dogs have personal “bubbles” just like people do. They also have specific ways they do and don’t like to be petted. In the final video in her training series with our friends at Bissell, my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker, discusses and demonstrates the good and the bad of petting. This video, like a couple of […]

The cat lapping at a bowl of cream is a familiar image in cartoons, children’s books, and popular imagination. But this reader wasn’t sure her cat should be consuming dairy products. Here’s what I told her. Q: My cat enjoys drinking leftover milk from my cereal bowl, but my mother says I shouldn’t give it […]

Few noises are more universally hated and feared by pets than that monster, the vacuum cleaner. But you can teach your dog to accept and not fear his former enemy (and yes, it involves treats!). In this latest video in her ongoing training series with our friends at Bissell, my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker, shares […]