January Awareness Topics

By Lynn Stacy-Smith

With the start of a New Year come the usual New Year’s resolutions. By now many people have already broken and discarded those resolutions and dogs, well, dogs don’t make resolutions, which may be one reason why we love them so much. January is both National Train Your Dog Month and Walk Your Pet Month, both of which are great to start off the New Year not as a resolution but as a way of life.

National Train Your Dog Month

great dane pup training - train your dog awareness

 

Dog training is more than just something you should do to have a pleasant life with your dog; proper training can literally save your dog’s life in multiple ways. The stay/wait command can be lifesaving if your dog ends up off leash on a busy street or next to a partially frozen lake or other hazardous area. A solid sit/wait will keep your dog out of harm’s way. Consistently obeying the come/here command can also save lives if your dog bolts from you, whether from your home, car or yard. As far as training treats go, your Canine Caviar dry dog food makes a fantastic small training treat!

 

 

 

Walk Your Pet Month

walk dog - train your dog awareness

Even dogs with the most fabulous fenced in yard still love to go for walks. Walking can help you meet your New Year’s resolutions to be more healthy and help your dog get more physical and mental exercise. Going on walks is a great way to work your dog’s brain as they sniff all of the new smells, particularly when you change your route daily. Walking a young dog or puppy can help keep your pup calmer because using mental energy is more tiring than using physical energy. Just use caution in the winter and be aware of ice and ice melting chemicals. It is a good idea to rinse paws off after each walk to remove ice melting products from roads and sidewalks in the winter and lawn application chemicals from neighboring yards and parks in warmer months or climates.

National Squirrel Appreciation Day
January 21

squirrel - train your dog awareness

 

Yes, there is really a National Squirrel Appreciation Day. While we do not advocate scaring or harming squirrels by letting your dogs chase them, who can appreciate a squirrel more than your dog or cat? Open your curtains on January 21 and let your pets watch through the window and imagine the thoughts going through their head…SQUIRREL!