If you live in NYC, then you are familiar with the term “PLEASE CURB YOUR DOG”.  It’s printed on little signs and placed on many of the tree beds that line the residential streets of the city.  Many homeowners consider the sidewalk in front of their buildings to be part of their home. They can be seen sweeping it or hosing it down. They are in fact responsible for cleaning the snow and ice from it and can face penalties if it is not shoveled and salted in a timely fashion. It shocks me however at how few people actually know what it means to curb your dog. Very simply it means don’t let your dog urinate or defecate in…

I had a great time at the NYC pet show and would like to thank Peoplepets.com for having me. I got to meet lots of great dogs and lots of great owners. Some issues were small and some were pretty hairy but everyone seemed to appreciate some advice and I wish them all the best of luck! Here are some nice words from the good folks at peoplepets.com as well as some more pics from the NYC pet show.

Have realistic expectations of your dog. If you have a 5 month old jack russell who is home alone during the day and sleeps for 8 hours at night, don’t expect him to be calm during evening hours when you are home with him. He is a high energy, under stimulated little guy who needs some activity. If you don’t find him some he will find it on his own.

After 6 years in our current apartment my dog Max still occasionally stops at the 2nd floor apartment although we live on the 3rd floor. He seems baffled when I come down and show him the way. It reminded me about keeping realistic expectations of out pets and that some behaviors are just not that big a deal. Max is awesome and well trained, if he never figures out what floor he lives on its cool with me.

I performed a behavior evaluation with a Pit bull named Jakey for a rescue group called Ruby’s Rangers last week. He is currently at Animal Care and Control in Brooklyn NY. Jakey passed his evaluation with flying colors. He shows no sign of aggression around food (even when i pushed his head away). He is warm and very friendly toward people of all shapes, sizes and color. He showed very little aggression toward other dogs. The little he did show was toward an un-neutered mail and had to be provoked quite a bit before he let out a low growl.  Jakey would need to go to an owner who can handle his size and has enough experience to work with…