Training is the best gift you can give your dog for Valentine's Day or any day

How fluent are you in dog-speak?

How well do you know dogs? Take this qizz and find out

http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/quiz/how-fluent-are-you-in-dog-speak#content



Dogs can’t speak our verbal language, but they give us tons of information using body language. Everything a dog thinks and feels is spelled out clearly in how it holds its body, tail, ears, eyes and even the corners of its mouth. However, we humans have varying skill levels in understanding what our dogs are saying. So, how fluent are you in dog-speak? Take the quiz to find out!

The Intelligence of Dogs

Dogs are capable of understanding up to 

250 words and gestures, can count up to 

five and can perform simple 

mathematical calculations. 

The average dog is as intelligent 

as a two-year -old child.

Will My Puppy Get Parvo If I Socialize Her?

By Dr. Marty Becker | November 4, 2011

Dreamstime

Q. I’ve read in training books that puppies need to be socialized. But my veterinarian says my puppy will get parvo and die if she leaves my house or yard before her last shot at 16 weeks. Who’s right?

A. Your veterinarian is right to warn you about the risks of taking your puppy out before completion of the initial series of protective vaccines. That doesn’t mean you have to neglect the important work of socializing your new family member — but it does mean you have to be careful about where and how. Keeping a puppy protected from exposure to potentially deadly diseases will help get him to adulthood, but socializing him properly will protect him for life from other potentially deadly problems.

Over the course of a lifetime, a dog is more likely to die from behavior problems than disease. The adorable puppy who grows into an out-of-control oraggressive dog becomes a candidate for a trip to a shelter, where he'll be unlikely to get a second chance. A pup's best chance at becoming a loved member of a family for life has a lot to do with the effort put into raising him properly.

Behavior experts, such as my friend Dr. Ian Dunbar, say a puppy needs to meet 100 people in the first 100 days of life. A puppy needs at least that many new experiences as well. If you’ve gotten your puppy from a source committed to starting puppies off on the right paw, some of that work is done. It's up to you to keep it going.  

Places to socialize a puppy in relative safety can be as varied as the outdoor patio at a coffeehouse or the waiting area at a car wash. Take lots of small, juicy treats for friendly strangers to give to your puppy and keep the experiences positive. Visiting friends and relatives who have healthy, friendly dogs current on vaccines is also an option.

Another place to socialize your pup is a good puppy class. Trainers who run them — such as my daughter, Vetstreet dog trainer Mikkel Becker — make sure the classrooms are clean and safe before puppies are brought in. Once in a well-run puppy class, a youngster can safely learn to play nicely with other dogs and pay attention to people, both important skills for a lifetime.

In general, you’re looking for places unlikely to have attracted dogs you can’t vouch for, especially unsocialized, unvaccinated and possibly contagious ones. That means skipping dog parks and other areas with heavy use by a large number of dogs. When your puppy is fully vaccinated, those places will no longer be off limits, but they are at first. Be careful even at your veterinarian’s office; carry your puppy in from the parking lot and keep him on your lap in the waiting room.

So, yes, you do need to be careful with your puppy, but you also need to leave the house before all those shots are done. It’s about managing risk, and the payoff of a well-socialized family pet makes it important to socialize your puppy safely and sensibly.

If you SEE something DO something

Cold Weather Alert

NEWS ALERT                                           516-THE-SPCA Nassau County SPCA Announces   Pets need extra protection in extreme cold weather     If it's too cold out for you, it's probably too cold for your pets.

With snow coming today Tuesday, and temperatures predicted to plummet into the single digits Wednesday night, wind chill values will be below zero. The Nassau County SPCA is asking all pet owners to limit their pet's time outdoors and to bring pets that are normally kept outdoors inside, this includes outdoor cats. Prolonged exposure to cold results in a drop in pet's body temperature and hypothermia. Frostbite can also occur in pets to the parts that are the most exposed and least protected by fur. It often accompanies hypothermia. Frostbite tends to involve the tail, ear tips, pads of the feet, and other exposed areas. Think about how we would behave tends to be a good rule. If we don't want to go out and expose ourselves for a long period of time to the cold because of the risk for hypothermia and frostbite, we wouldn't want to do that to our animals, right! So please protect your pet during this cold snap!  It is time to take special precautions to make sure animals are protected against the cold, so here are some cold weather pet tips. To Report Animal Cruelty call 516-THE-SPCA, email   crueltystoppers@ncspca.us or use our online form    Visit www.nassaucountyspca.org   About Nassau County SPCA   Located in Nassau County, New York, The Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a 501(c) (3), nonprofit organization originally designed to protect animals in the county from abuse and neglect, and to provide basic welfare. We hold special authority to enforce NYS Agriculture & Markets Law, and all other state and local humane laws. We are the only animal protection agency officially designated to operate within the county's borders. The NCSPCA is a volunteer organization dedicated to the rescue, care and placement of needy animals. The Society is run entirely by unpaid volunteers and its operations have been historically funded through contributions solicited from the public and through corporate grants. The NCSPCA receives no public funding, is in no way affiliated with, a subdivision of or funded by any other local, state or national organization and every contribution, large or small, helps to provide the critical care needed to help homeless, abused and neglected animals in Nassau County. The continued success of each program relies entirely on donations. No money given to any other spca organization aids or benefits the NCSPCA. Your generous contribution will help the NCSPCA in all of its efforts

With snow coming today Tuesday, and temperatures predicted to plummet into the single digits Wednesday night, wind chill values will be below zero. The Nassau County SPCA is asking all pet owners to limit their pet's time outdoors and to bring pets that are normally kept outdoors inside, this includes outdoor cats. Prolonged exposure to cold results in a drop in pet's body temperature and hypothermia. Frostbite can also occur in pets to the parts that are the most exposed and least protected by fur. It often accompanies hypothermia. Frostbite tends to involve the tail, ear tips, pads of the feet, and other exposed areas. Think about how we would behave tends to be a good rule. If we don't want to go out and expose ourselves for a long period of time to the cold because of the risk for hypothermia and frostbite, we wouldn't want to do that to our animals, right! So please protect your pet during this cold snap!  It is time to take special precautions to make sure animals are protected against the cold, so here are some cold weather pet tips. To Report Animal Cruelty call 516-THE-SPCA, email   crueltystoppers@ncspca.us or use our online form    Visit www.nassaucountyspca.org   About Nassau County SPCA   Located in Nassau County, New York, The Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a 501(c) (3), nonprofit organization originally designed to protect animals in the county from abuse and neglect, and to provide basic welfare. We hold special authority to enforce NYS Agriculture & Markets Law, and all other state and local humane laws. We are the only animal protection agency officially designated to operate within the county's borders. The NCSPCA is a volunteer organization dedicated to the rescue, care and placement of needy animals. The Society is run entirely by unpaid volunteers and its operations have been historically funded through contributions solicited from the public and through corporate grants. The NCSPCA receives no public funding, is in no way affiliated with, a subdivision of or funded by any other local, state or national organization and every contribution, large or small, helps to provide the critical care needed to help homeless, abused and neglected animals in Nassau County. The continued success of each program relies entirely on donations. No money given to any other spca organization aids or benefits the NCSPCA. Your generous contribution will help the NCSPCA in all of its efforts WE NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE Nassau County SPCA PLEASE HELP US HELP THE ANIMALS MAKE A DONATION TODAY Nassau County SPCA REMEMBER ANIMALS CAN NOT CALL FOR HELP

My New Year Resolution