Dogs in General Archives - Page 3 of 26

Learning from My Mistakes. What I’m Doing Differently with Riley.

February 1, 2023 / Dogs in General, Life of Riley / By Karen Shanley / Leave a Comment

I loved my life with my previous animals. All of them were incredible for different reasons. Kiera was my beloved brilliant partner. Graidy was my sentry dog who probably adored me more than any animal I’ve lived with. Finn was the perfect cat (minus furniture scratching) because he was essentially a dog in a cat’s body. And Wink… Wink was the embodiment of joy and love.

But in starting anew, I’ve had a chance to think about what I would … Read More

5 Things You Should Not Cut Off Your Dog

January 24, 2023 / Dogs in General, Life / By Karen Shanley / 1 Comment

Since we’re all adults, I’d like to discuss a few dog parts that have really good reasons why they should never be cut off a dog. Animals come with all the body parts they’re meant to have. If it’s there, it’s there for a reason. Certainly, none of the following should be removed for human vanity reasons.

1. Male Dog Penis Guide Hairs

Some people feel compelled to trim male guide hairs (don’t know what the technical name is for … Read More

2024 Rate Your Dog Food: Does Your Brand Get an A or an F?

January 20, 2023 / Dogs in General, Tech Tips & Product Reviews / By Karen Shanley / 17 Comments

Updated for 2024: Is your dog food cutting the mustard?

We all want to make sure our dogs are getting healthy, safe foods. (To keep abreast of the latest pet food recalls, go to DogFoodAdviser.com. You can even sign up for alerts.) It can be hard to sift through all the advertising and positioning. Should we go with Dry? Wet? Raw? Freeze-dried? Some combo? Too many options!

I offer the following lists, chart and quiz to help you sort … Read More

What is the Best Gender Combination for 3 Dogs?

January 18, 2023 / Dogs in General / By Karen Shanley / 71 Comments

I’ve had so many readers ask me over the years what I think is the best gender combination for 3 dogs. Having lived with multiple dogs for more than 30 years, following is what I think based on my experience.

These are pics of the most recent combination of my 3 dogs—two males and a female, all different breeds, and each spaced about 3 years apart in age.

What You Need to Know About Dog Gender Combinations

Because I started … Read More

Is Having Three Dogs Better Than Two or One?

October 25, 2022 / Dogs in General, Funnies, My Dogs and Me / By Karen Shanley / 48 Comments

[Since Google is sending people here re 3 vs 2 dogs (which I wrote as a fun fluff piece), please also read this more serious post for my honest opinion: “What I Really Think About Having 3 Dogs vs 2 Dogs “ first before you decide. Updated 10/25/22]

I’m often asked if there are benefits to having multiple dogs. I’d have to say it depends on the number of multiples you’re considering. For instance, is having two dogs … Read More

What I Really Think About Having 2 Dogs vs 3 Dogs

October 22, 2022 / Dog Training, Dogs in General, The Mail Bag / By Karen Shanley / 211 Comments

Q: From the Mailbag: Natasha asks, I currently have two male dogs (a Labrador 5 yrs and a Yorkshire Terrier 2 yrs) and they both get along great. I’ve always wanted a Rottweiler. Do you think it would be a bad idea getting a 3rd dog? What sex would you say would be better? Thanks.

A: Natasha, having had one dog, two dogs, three dogs, and four dogs at various times, my favorite number is two. Adding a third

I Used to Be Normal…

October 6, 2022 / Dogs in General, My Dogs and Me / By Karen Shanley / Leave a Comment

…Two dogs ago.

When I saw that tagline, I laughed and thought, yep, that was me. I used to be normal. Before I started adding more dogs and a cat to our animal family. My life used to be sane back then.

But life often has other plans for me. You can read about a couple of those plans here and here.

You see, as I have often written about, two dogs are the perfect number. For so … Read More

My New Dog

August 19, 2022 / Dogs in General, Life, My Dogs and Me / By Karen Shanley / Leave a Comment

Meet Bob. My new dog.

He’s a pound puppy. Well, actually a pound old man; he’s around 8 years old. And he’s sweet as can be.

I know I said I was going to wait at least a year but…

Well…

I sort of am still waiting.

Bob is a dear friend’s dog that we’re dog-sitting for. Her usual standby wasn’t available and she had a terrible experience trying someone on Rover.com. (Not all Rover experiences turn out poorly. You … Read More

Dogs in General

1. Male Dog Penis Guide Hairs

What You Need to Know About Dog Gender Combinations

[Since Google is sending people here re 3 vs 2 dogs (which I wrote as a fun fluff piece), please also read this more serious post for my honest opinion: “What I Really Think About Having 3 Dogs vs 2 Dogs“ first before you decide. Updated 10/25/22]

[Since Google is sending people here re 3 vs 2 dogs (which I wrote as a fun fluff piece), please also read this more serious post for my honest opinion: “What I Really Think About Having 3 Dogs vs 2 Dogs “ first before you decide. Updated 10/25/22]