One of the most common concerns we see with dogs is anxiety. Anxiety is a normal emotional response to stress or danger, but when it becomes chronic or severe, it can have a negative impact on a dog's well-being. In this post, we will discuss what anxiety is, the signs of anxiety in dogs, why it matters, how to prevent it, and how to treat it.

What is Anxiety in Dogs?

Anxiety is a state of unease or distress caused by a perceived or real threat. In dogs, anxiety can be caused by a variety of f...

Yesterday I had another story of a dog dying at a pet care facility come across my feed. In this case, a larger dog killed a small dog. Unfortunately, it’s one I’ve heard many times before. A quick google search on deaths at dog daycare brings up a long list of new stories. While I don’t know all the details on these, and it’s a risk for any dog care facility, a large majority of these can be prevented. The first step, separating play groups based on size. 

While we operate a day school trainin...

 For the past 10 years, Dogma has hosted an Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt for the dogs. The initial goal of this was to create a fun Easter event that we could participate in with our dogs. It started as a half-day event and has now evolved to a multi-day scavenger hunt. We’ve always loved hosting events at Dogma. Many of these events were modified or cancelled with the pandemic, and I’ve been reflecting on why these mean so much to us and are such a big part of the #DogmaDifference. I’ve learned a ...

It’s National Animal Poison Prevention Week and we wanted to share some tips to ensure your dogs stay safe. Accidents happen, but there is a lot we can do to ensure we avoid accidental poisoning. Much of it has to do with awareness, ensuring things are stowed safely out of your pet’s reach, and teaching some important skills that are useful in an emergency.

Household Items

There are many common household items that are fatal if ingested by dogs. It’s important to know what items are dangerous ...

Summer is our favourite season – with the warmer weather and the longer days come the outdoor festivals! The best part about these festivals is that many allow our dogs to join us. This enables us to spend more time with them and include them in more fun outings. There are even festivals that are all about dogs and have a wide range of activities geared towards them.

As much as we love dog-friendly festivals, we see too many unhappy, stressed, and over-heated pups. We are proud to have driven m...

I looked down and noticed that my boots were on the wrong feet. I took them off and realized I was barefoot on the cold tile floor of the hospital. As I was putting them on the right feet, I panicked that I was not wearing a bra and looked down to see what I had on - my jacket was not done up and I was wearing only a t-shirt and pajama pants. We were in the middle of a February deep freeze and I was numb as my husband, Kris, and I, awaited news from the vet on Duke’s condition. My last memory...

The pandemic has moved the world online. Although there have been some downsides to this, we have been thrilled with what it has enabled us to do at Dogma. On top of navigating all the uncertainty, keeping the business afloat and supporting our team and clients, we have managed to move all of our programs online. This was a complete and fast restructuring – a story that is a post on its own. For now, I want to focus on virtual dog training and why this is one outcome of the pandemic that will be...

The New Year is a time of new beginnings and planning for a great year ahead. Many people set out a list of resolutions to make the next year the best it can be. Considering that dogs bring so much into our lives including happiness, unconditional love, and loyalty, we should include them in our promises to improve our lives in the upcoming year. I’ve outlined some ideas below on resolutions we can make with our dogs to enhance our bonds, ensure we enjoy our time with them, and help us both stay...

Learn how to better manage your dog and its environment to prevent reactive responses

“I don’t think the training is working. My dog still reacts at every dog we see!”

This is actually a common thing for us to hear in our classes and we understand how frustrating it can be for a student. However, it has nothing to do with the actual training and everything with how we are setting our dogs up to fail. Prevention and management is the key to any training program, but it is critical when dealing ...