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I've been trying to explain Sisci to my golden retriever-loving coworkers who just can't fathom what I see in the bitey beast. I say I got her to do agility/flyball/disc/herding with, not to love everyone she meets. They ask why a dog can't do both. This got me wondering about top-level...

What's your most cost-effective source of decent fish oil?

I don't own a particularly fluffy dog, but I love the forced air dryer we use at work. They're particularly useful for looking at Brisbane's skin, and also for finding ticks and foxtails. Does anyone own their own dog blow dryer? Are there brands/models to stay away from?

We went to my parents' house for Thanksgiving, and brought all three dogs. My sister and her husband brought their three kids, ages 1,3, and 6. I had Sisci crated in a closed bedroom because we're still working on her coping skills with non-dog people. Two years ago my sister's oldest kid did...

Our new training club allows bark collars to be used on crated dogs during practices to help keep the volume down as a courtesy to the neighbors. While none of my dogs have an issue, it got me wondering about bark collars in general. What is your opinion of bark collars (spray, shock...

I heard about PetzLife gel here and I'm wondering how anyone has convinced their dog that it won't kill them. It's an oral care gel and they're not supposed to be getting food at the same time, and mine are absolutely convinced the bottle contains the spawn of Satan. Clearly it must taste...

I'm taking the dogs with me to visit my cousins in Boise next month. We're from the beach in California and do a lot of hiking so I'm used to rattlesnakes and the occasional Search and Rescue helicopter landing to tell us to get off the trail because a brush fire was headed our way. My...

My coworker has a really lovely, calm, angelic rough collie and would like to get another. The breeder of her current dog stopped after that litter. After a lot of research she though she had a breeder picked out, but then learned that they were knowingly breeding dogs with hip dysplasia. I told...

Sisci the stumpy puppy is here to stay, but I'm really not happy with her name. She knows her name and responds to it very well, and nothing on my list if beloved names really fits her. I love long, ridiculous, and unusual names, and I'd love to find something with the syllable 'sis' in it...

A discussion in a different thread got me thinking about which breeds I consider to be the biggest shedders. I wash and brush a ton of dogs at work, so my frame of reference is how much fur comes off a dog during that process. The consistently biggest hair factories I see are: 1. Great...

Lately a lot of the local rescue community has taken to using standard rope slip leads as head halters. The lead is just looped figure-8 style around the dog's neck and nose and then the slide keeps it from loosening too much. Is this common anywhere else? Or just here? I'm not a huge fan of...

Ru likes to lick stuff. A lot. Like a baby with a pacifier, he likes to snuggle up in his blankie and then lick, lick, lick, lick, lick, lick, lick, lick, lick as he falls asleep. He's not too particular , whatever he is laying on will do. I don't like Ru licking stuff because he leaves wet...

I took my entire temporary pack of heelers to a tennis court to play fetch late at night, and brought a light-up ball for them to chase. This was less exciting than anticipated, they all avoided it almost immediately. When I went to pick it up I realized why, it completely obliterated my night...

My coworker wants to move to Colorado next year, but has a possibly-pit-mix dog and will need to rent. No idea what city/region yet, it really depends on where they can find a place to live with their dog. Any ideas?

New foster dog is intact and likely not going to be fixed for at least another heat cycle. After trying various solutions we have determined that keeping pants on her is the best solution when she is in heat. I know there's plenty of people with intact bitches here. What are your favorite dog pants?

My current foster thinks discs are totally amazing. She loved chasing rollers and won't tug with anything but the disc. Nobody in my area does this sport so I can't find a class or practice to join. It really looks like fun, but I'm not sure where to go from here. Is there a book or website...

I'm dogsitting for an ACD/basenji mix that is an accomplished escape artist. She can slither out of almost anything, including any kind of slip collar and most harnesses. She's currently horribly obese, which just makes her rounder with less parts to help keep her in. The list of stuff she...

Foster puppy Xena gets so excited to see me that her brain temporarily overheats and shuts off. This results in her barking hysterically, leaping through the air, spinning in circles, and smashing into everything in the immediate vicinity until she cools off a bit. I've been patiently addressing...

We've all seen some combinations of dog gear that make us tilt our heads quizzically. Sometimes they are ill-advised, other times just confusing. What makes you twitch, secretly judge people, or just scratch your head? I've seen a number of head halters with flexis, which seems like a bad...

I need some veterinarian-authored articles/publications/sources I can cite when explaining to my employers why it's not such a great idea to be pushing dogs into a sit. I have plenty of reasons, but I need some medical sources to back them up.