Guides
Plain, practical guides to the everyday jobs of living with a dog or cat, from measuring for a harness to lifting hair out of the carpet. For anything about your pet's health, ask your veterinarian.
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Buying guide
How to Choose a Dog Collar: Type, Width, Hardware and the ID Tag
A flat collar sized to the neck suits most dogs; martingales and breakaways solve specific problems. Here’s how to pick the type, material and width, read overlapping size ranges, check the hardware and decide what goes on the ID tag.
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How-to
How to Brush a Long-Haired Dog: Line Brushing, Section by Section
Brushing over the top leaves knots at the skin. Line brushing fixes that: part the coat into thin rows, brush each one out from the skin and check it with a comb. Here are the steps, the friction spots to check daily, what changes for double, silky and curly coats, and how to split the work across the week.
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How-to
How to Bathe a Puppy for the First Time, Step by Step
When a puppy can have a first bath, why a warm washcloth comes before shampoo, and how to set up the sink, keep the face and ears dry, dry off fast and end on a treat, plus how often to bathe and what to do if your puppy panics.
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Guide
How Much Playtime Does a Dog Need? By Age, Energy and Health
There's no fixed number of minutes. See how play needs change from puppy to senior and with energy and health, the signs of too little or too much play, and how to fit short games into a busy day.
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Guide
How Long Should You Walk a Senior Dog? Pace, Routes and Signs to Stop
Older dogs usually do best on shorter, slower walks spread through the day. Here's how to find your dog's comfortable length, pick easier routes and a harness, adjust for heat, ice and dark evenings, and spot the signs that mean head home or call your veterinarian.
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Guide
How Long Should You Walk Your Dog? By Age, Size and Energy
Most healthy adult dogs do well with about 30 minutes of walking a day in total, split over two walks, and high-energy breeds need a lot more. See how age, energy, size and health change the answer, the five-minutes-per-month guide for puppies, signs a walk is too long or too short, and how to build up safely.
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Guide
How Long Should a Dog’s Nails Be? Signs and How Often to Trim
A healthy nail sits just clear of the floor when your dog stands. Here's how to check, the signs nails are overdue, how often to trim by lifestyle and age, and how to bring long nails back without cutting into the quick.
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Checklist
Home Renovation With Pets: A Checklist for Dust, Fumes and Open Doors
A checklist for keeping dogs and cats safe while work is done on the house: a closed pet room and a crew briefing, ID on all day, the hazards to clear, quiet jobs for loud hours, the evening sweep and when boarding is the better plan.
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Guide
How Hot Is Too Hot to Walk a Dog? Pavement, Timing and Warning Signs
The AKC says the ground may be too hot to walk a dog at 85°F or above when the pavement hasn’t cooled. Learn the ten-second hand test, which dogs struggle first, how to plan cooler walks, and the overheating signs that mean it’s time to stop.
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Guide
Hiking With a Small Dog: How Far, What to Bring and When to Carry Them
Small dogs can hike, on the right trail. Plan by time and climb rather than miles, clip the leash to a snug small harness with ID on the collar, offer water and tiny snacks often, watch heat and cold closely, give big dogs and coyotes room, and bring a backpack your dog already knows for the way back.
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Checklist
Hiking With Your Dog in Hunting Season: A Trail Checklist
Trails shared with hunters need a few extra steps: find out whether and when hunting is allowed where you hike, put blaze orange on you and your dog, keep a 6-foot leash on, skip dawn and opening weekends, and know what to do if shots sound close.
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How-to
How to Help a Cat Adjust to a New Home After Moving
A settling plan that starts at the new front door: what goes in the base room, how arrival day and hiding should go, why the old bed and litter stay, when to open more rooms, how to secure doors and screens, how long settling takes and when to call your veterinarian.
