All Things Dog Blog

by Carrie Boyko

Five Month Old Tanner Wonders...

"Is This My Size?"

Oh my! A reader's letter brought light to something I had not considered. A wrong impression; a perfect dog family? Not!

When I write about successes I have had, it is merely an individual behavior, command or dog issue that I address at the time. Apparently, for at least one reader, it appeared as if I were describing the perfect dogs and family. Most assuredly, we are not that. Oh...the pressure.

While Tanner, Xena and Oliver are a reasonably well-behaved bunch, they do have their moments and their issues. Ever the social butterfly, Tanner still gets excited at the fence when a dog passes by without greeting him. Imagine that! While he never met a dog he did not like, Tanner seemingly is offended when a dog walks by with an aloof attitude. How dare he ignore Tanner!

Oliver still has his occasional middle-of-the-night potty runs. As many toy-sized dog owners know, these pint-sized pups sometimes need a break more often than their bigger house mates. The good news is that Oliver ASKS to go out, when needed. Never, no never, does he use his crate for a bathroom.

Xena is on a whole different plane. At the tender age of 13 1/2, she is still quite able to manage her bladder (thank goodness) but has her senior moments that often confuse me. Why is she staring into the darkness of the street at night, barking? Why won't she leave that one spot on her side alone? And finally, will she ever stop being our weather alert dog?

These and other issues are all ones that I am working on. As I solve or improve a problem, I often share it with you in the form of their story. This entire blog is made up of solutions to dog problems, issues, behavioral conundrums, and health tips, many of which have been personally experienced by us and therefore can be attested to with great authority. Yet this authority is only mine. Please know that neither I, nor my dogs are, or ever will be, perfect. To my mind, 'perfect' is much like 'never'; not a word to be used lightly.

If you have an imperfect dog that needs help, you can write to our ASK THE DOG TRAINER columnist, Judith Joseph. She may be reached at LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com. We love hearing from our readers, and hope to hear from you real soon.

Also, Check out my latest guest post at:

Dog Care Journey

Socializing Your Puppy or Dog: It's Never too Late

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