Dogs are very intelligent creatures, and like all smart animals, they need to be kept engaged. For some dogs this may take the form of high energy physical activity while in others it may be more lowkey. Regardless of how your dog expresses his or her need for a challenge, it can be hard to keep them engaged and entertained on days when you’re stuck in the house on a rainy or bad weather day.

There’s one thing that almost all of us are guilty of when it comes to spoiling our dogs: treats. Let’s face it, it can be almost impossible to say no to the little faces of our dog friends when they’re in full begging cute mode. Treats are, in and of themselves, not a bad thing for dogs. In fact, the right treats, at the right time, in the right amount, is one of the best ways to reward your little friend while making sure he/she is well behaved.

Dogs and humans have been evolving together for tens of thousands of years. They are our greatest animal friends and yet, even among friends, fights can break out. When a dog lashes out and bites his or her owner, it can be a traumatic experience. And not just physically traumatic – usually the bite itself isn’t life threatening, but the emotional stress of being bitten by your best friend and companion can be hard to recover from. So, what do you do in the unfortunate situation where your dog bites you?

It may come as a surprise that humans aren’t the only ones suffering from an obesity problem in this country. Pets, especially dogs, are also more likely now than ever before to be overweight. In fact, some people estimate that as many as half of American pets are overweight. As with people, being overweight comes with all kinds of side effects: Heart and kidney disease, arthritis, diabetes and more. Our pets aren’t just our friends, we’re responsible for their well-being and even though it’s hard not to indulge them, we have to consider their health first. Luckily, there are so many easy things to do to get your pet back in shape or, if the little guy is already healthy, that he stays that way.

Dogs have evolved with humans for thousands of years so it’s no surprise that they have become great communicators. Of course, if you know people you also know that we don’t always listen or pay attention to what we should.

The relationship between working service dogs and their handlers is one of the closes bonds anyone can have with an animal. These caring, thoughtful, hardworking dogs are literally their handler’s lifeline for years.

Think about all the things you carry when going on a long trip to make yourself more comfortable. You might have a book, a hat, some snacks, a neck pillow – some people even carry a change of socks in their backpack! While a dog might not need as much as you do, they’re still sensitive and intelligent animals that do better with some creature comforts. Just like you wouldn’t get on a 12-hour flight with nothing but the clothes on your back, your dog shouldn’t have to suffer through an already stressful experience either.

Training a dog isn’t just about teaching it to sit, roll over, and shake hands. In fact, although these tricks are fun, they can miss the point. The most important thing you’re doing when you train a dog is ensuring that it can live safely and reliably in a busy world full of people (and other dogs). It’s tempting to let your dog “run free” in the yard and live a life free of human bondage. But in reality, this is actually a cruel thing to do to a dog. These animals were bred to live with and amongst humans, and by failing to give them the skills to do so, we’re making their lives, and ours, less enriching.

Researching the right breed of dog, preparing your space to make it dog friendly, and showing your new friend all the love and attention they deserve are all parts of caring for a happy and healthy animal. But there’s a lot more to doing what’s right for your pet than just that. A healthy dog is a happy dog and there’s one big part of dog health that every responsible owner should know about: vaccinations.

One often overlooked aspect of being a responsible and caring pet owner is trips to the veterinarian. Usually, we take our dogs to the vet when we first get them to make sure they are up to date on shots. Then, for many people, their dog doesn’t see the inside of a doctor’s office again unless there is something noticeably wrong with them. There are really two issues at play here.