Your dog may understand far more than you realize. When you say the word “ball,” your pet isn’t just responding to a command.

Poppy, a large Weimaraner cross, was a high-energy dog with reactivity issues. Managing her excitability was challenging. Before I trained as a dog behaviorist, I believed that giving Poppy a lot of ...

When a dog places a paw on you, it’s more than a cute habit. This subtle gesture is a powerful form of communication that ...

In this guide to the canine adolescent years, Christopher Pachel, DVM, DACVB, CABC (IAABC), breaks down this critical phase—from hormones to the prefrontal cortex—based on his 2026 VMX session in ...

Does your dog always try to sit on your lap, and refuse to leave your side, even when there are a million more interesting things they could be doing? We all love it when our pets show us their love, ...

Dogs can be quite funny, sometimes engaging in behaviors that have us scratching our heads. If you find yourself asking why your dog is licking furniture, then you know exactly the sort of behavior we ...

Dogs have lived alongside humans for thousands of years. Over time, they developed an extraordinary ability to read human cues, including body language, tone of voice, and even facial expressions.

There is ever-growing global interest in human-dog relationships. Not only can they help us along, but we can also help them enrich their own lives. The best human-dog relationships are those in which ...

Every neighborhood has one. Maybe you met one at the dog park strutting past the other dogs as though the red carpet had been rolled out just for them, or maybe you watched your friend's dog and ...

Whether you’ve had your pet for a long time, or are just welcoming a new addition to the family, pet behavior training can be incredibly helpful. Most of the time, animals aren’t trying to annoy us, ...

Is your dog’s digging in your yard driving you crazy? Have you given up trying to maintain a lawn or flower bed because your four-legged friend destroys it in a matter of hours? You are not alone!

This essay was written by Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., and force-free dog trainer Mary Angilly. Many guardians start their training journey by enrolling their dog in a basic manners class, which is often seen ...