Weekly article archive

The following questions and answers have appeared in my weekly column in the Albuquerque Journal since July, 1996. Each week a new one is added. You'll find information on the physical and behavioral maladies of dogs and cats and a few other species too. I invite you to use the search feature to find the specific answer that you and your pet need.

Puppy crazy, jumpy, nippy mouthy

Have you thrown a can of pennies? How about yelling and jerking? A different home? You’re breakin’ my heart. It can be much easier and a lot more fun.

Don’t Say “No to Drugs”. Say “Yes” to Modern Medicine

Last in a series Koko’s anxiety extended far beyond her antipathy against aerial aliens and her TV predator panic. She pestered for attention, nudging and pawing her people to distraction.…

Don’t Let a Good Kitten Go Bad

House soiling, fighting, furniture damage – you don’t want it. A great cat’s life is not a random event. Good behavior starts with a healthy structure.

Hiding from Life’s Problems: A Good Strategy

Fourth in a series Koko’s fear of her backyard and its airborne threats were making her crazy. There would be no point in applying human behavior solutions; she wasn’t a…

Dog Parks – the Good the Bad & the Ugly

Running and playing with other dogs is good exercise and fun for everybody – unless your dog or someone else’s reacts badly. Should puppies go too?

Airborne Monstrosities – High Anxiety

Third in a series Jan and Marty enjoyed watching the hot air balloons drift over their Corrales home but Koko’s arrival changed that and a whole lot more. This wigged-out…

New Baby Dog

The Nichol family is planning to add a puppy. I’ll share my preparations and training plan. Everybody can win.

The Sky can be a Scary Place

Second in a series “Little Dog” had matted fur and a dangling leg but he was in otherwise good shape, for a 20# canine street urchin. The damage was long…

Barking, Yapping, Whining, Yelping

It’s driving you crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy… Trash and canine trash talking cause more human angst than theft, murders and all the rest of the mayhem.