Who can resist those big brown eyes and cute doggie grin whenever we eat something beside our pet? Can a little reward from the table actually good for them or will it rather hurt them? Well, that depends on what it is and what's in it. 

While we consider dogs to be members of our family, feeding them the same food that we eat doesn't actually please them but can rather cause injury to them. For example, the oily, fatty foods that we eat are not something they are naturally born to eat. Eating this kind of food can can give them diarrhea and upset stomachs.

In fact, there’s a lot more of human food your dog should never eat. It’s not just because of weight but some foods are downright dangerous for dogs. Here’s a list of human food (some may actually surprise you or make yourself guilty) that you should avoid feeding your dog from now on:

1. Candies

Never give candies of all types for a treat to your dogs. Most candies contain xylitol, a sugar substitute, which can surge the insulin in your dog and in effect can drop your dog’s blood sugar to a dangerous level. Consuming candies and gums, even at low levels will damage their liver, kidney, or kill them.

2. Chocolate 

This isn't just an urban legend. As it is well-known already, chocolates are poisonous to dogs so you should never give them one even if they ask for it. The caffeine and theobromine in chocolates are highly toxic to them. It can cause panting, vomiting, and diarrhea and can also damage your dog's heart and nervous system. Just like chocolates, coffee and other caffeinated products too are also dangerous for them. 

3. Macadamia Nuts 

Being one of the most poisonous food for dogs, macadamia nuts should never be given to them too. No matter how healthy it is for humans, it's just not as healthy for the dogs. Macadamia nuts are part of the Protaceae family which can cause vomiting, increased body temperature, inability to walk, and lethargy. Even worse, they can affect the nervous system.

4. Yeast

One of the foods that your pet might probably love to ask from you is bread. Breads, especially those with with live yeast, are toxic to dogs once ingested. Live yeasts continue to multiply and begin expanding in the abdomen when eaten. The expansion of the stomach might be severe and will decrease blood flow to the stomach wall, resulting in the death of tissue.

5. Cooked Meat Bones

As raw bones are believed to strengthen a dog's teeth with its rich calcium content, cooked meat bones are rather dangerous. When bones are cooked they become brittle. Ingesting the splinter-like particles in the cooked bones may cause physical internal injury to your dog's throat, stomach, and other parts of his digestive system.

7. Fat Trimmings & Liver

As much as your dog loves to eat fat trimmings and liver, he is not aware just as much as you about its detrimental effects to him. Your dog could have pancreatitis or disease of the pancreas when fat trimmings are consumed, whether raw or cooked. Excessive ingestion of liver, on the other hand, could negatively affect the muscles and bones of your furry pal. 

8. Dairy Products 

Dairy products such as milk and cheese are one of the favorite of dogs and puppies. Yes, they can have it but you have to be cautious because some dogs may be lactose intolerant. Aside from this, excessive intake of dairy can cause allergies, diarrhea, and other digestive problems. Owners should then be cognizant of the symptoms of lactose-intolerance and might want to stick to giving their dogs water.

9. Citrus Extracts

Citrus fruit extracts, even a tiny part of the ingredients of a food, can cause digestive complications to such as diarrhea, intense vomiting, excessive drooling and trembling to your dog when eaten in large capacities. 

10. Avocado

Avocados, just like fat trimmings, are rich in fats and aren't healthy for your dogs. This can cause damage to their heart, lungs, and tissue damages in dogs, which can trigger abdominal problems, vomiting, and pancreatitis.  

11. Grapes 

Grapes, including raisins, often cause allergic reactions to dogs which may be followed by fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea, and worse, kidney failure. 

12. Onion powder

Of course you do not feed your dogs onion powder as it is, but there are snacks and baby food that you are giving them that might contain onion powder. Any onion product contains N-propyl disulfide, a compound that causes a breakdown of red blood cells, leading to anemia in dogs.

13. Onions & Chives

As previously mentioned, onions are harmful to dogs, as much as chives too. Whether the onion or chive is raw or cooked, consumption of these staples may cause anemia, hemolysis, or hemoglobinuria to your pal, eventually leading to weakness, lethargy, pale mucous, and discolored urine. 

Have you fed any of these to your dogs and felt guilty as you were reading along? Well, it is not yet too late! Now that you are aware of all these harmful human foods for your dogs, stop feeding all these items to them. This is not yet the complete list so always make it a habit to do your research before feeding them the food that you are eating. You don’t wanna have your best friend weak and unhealthy. Keep them happy, healthy, and energetic always!

Dogs can be our most loyal best friend and protector. Although they are very pleasing to us and friendly to others sometimes, every day isn’t full of rainbows and butterflies with your dog. There could be days where they’ll show undesirable behavior even if it does not necessarily mean that they aim to bring harm. As an owner, you have the power to control your dog’s behavior, mostly when his actions are the least that we expect. 

For others, they might find their dog regularly growling, snapping, or biting, and this can be a serious behavior problem on their hands. Aggression is one of the top reasons dog owners seek the help of a professional dog trainer or animal behaviorist. And it's not just larger dogs and so-called "dangerous breed" that are prone to aggression. Any breed is capable of becoming aggressive under specific circumstances.

This may sometimes be a big trouble for owners who try to take their dogs out for a walk in the neighborhood or park. Dogs with this behavior might just find several triggers in their surroundings such as other animals or even people. In order to achieve a properly behaved pet dog so you can both have a more normal life, you have to take care of them like how you would raise your child. It requires your full attention, time, care, and love.

Although incurable overnight, there are steps you can take to curb the aggressive behavior and help your dog remain calm or turn that aggression into an ideal dog’s behavior. Here are easy and simple ways that you can do at home to improve your dog’s behavior:

1. Housetrain your dog

You can always train your dog and teach them discipline at home. Doing this enhances your dog’s mental capacity, strengthens their bodies, and uplifts their mood, to keep them happy and healthy every single day. Having a happy dog makes a happy owner.

So how do you housetrain your dog? There are plenty of materials online that teach techniques on how to do it or you can always ask an expert to do it for you. One important thing is that you have to make your dog realize that you do not approve of a particular bad behavior. Whenever your dog displays a bothering behavior, quickly change the environment that might be the cause of the behavior. A training environment from any distractions is what you should create to keep your dog calm. 

2. Determine the triggering factor 

Be observant. Notice and keep in mind what causes your dog’s unwanted behavior. It could be when someone approaches them while they're eating or chewing a bone. Others react aggressively toward children or strangers. Sometimes, it is not just towards people but also other animals or inanimate objects, such as wheels on vehicles or yard equipment.

As soon as you determine your dog's triggering factor, train your dog on how to cope with it by giving him a task to divert his attention.

3. Create a reward system 

Every time your dog accomplishes your commands and successfully do the training sessions, always acknowledge his actions by having a rewards system. For example, every time your dog follows your command, reward him with a treat, and give him a light pat on the head.

4. Desensitize 

When your dog reacts violently towards other dogs or other animals, firmly hold the leash, then suddenly pull your dog away. As his owner, and someone he considers superior to him, doing this is equivalent to telling them that he should stop that behavior, which they will soon realize. If you fail in doing this, there are some desensitizing products you can find in the market. It can be easier for both you and you dog and it can even be more effective!

5. Train your dog to identify and react appropriately to his stress signals

When gradually training your dog how to deal with stress signals, you have to make to make an identifiable mark to avoid confusion. Don't forget to also apply the reward system to keep your dog motivated and easily identify every signal. 

However, when doing this, always take note of your dog’s reaction, progress, and behavior. If you notice that your dog begins to get anxious and uneasy, you should stop the session and try another time.

5. Dog-to-dog encounter

The most effective way to stop your dog’s aggressive behavior is to give him a face-to-face encounter with other dogs. Regularly doing this will definitely make your dog get used to other dogs' presence, mostly when you start rewarding him for being unaggressive towards them. Whenever you get the chance to encounter another dog, make it an opportunity to train your dog, but of course, be sure that you are ready to take control of the situation. Always consult with an expert's advice or do some research because this method can be dangerous for both dogs and for you.

These are the simple steps that you could do to stop your dog’s aggressive behavior. Remember that it can take time depending on the dog, so be patient and keep in mind that your behavior towards your dog could be reflected in them as well. Give your best when training them, but do not overwork them. You will see the improvements and changes in no time if you do it religiously.

As much as humans need to take a bath, dogs too to maintain their hygiene and cleanliness especially if you are keeping your dog inside your home or sleeps with you in bed. You may have your pet for quite some time and still don't have any idea how often to do it, what the proper ways are to do it, and how you can make your pet comfortable about it. With all these stakes, you always end up going to a grooming station randomly just when you feel the need to.

Bathing your dog at home should be simple and it doesn't have to cost that much. First thing first, you don’t have to worry about struggling to bathe your dog every day. Why? Because it’s not recommended to wash your dog daily. Doing it often would cause skin issues and irritations and can also affect the natural qualities of their coat. 

In order to do it correctly, consult with your dog’s vet on how frequently you could wash them since it will depend on their breed, the weather, and other factors. Every dog has its own differences and needs, which is why a vet’s opinion is valuable.

After consulting your vet about your dog’s bath time, you can now proceed to wash your dog. Here are some simple steps to do it: 

1. Brush dog’s hair

Before wetting your dog's fur, it’s always better to brush their hair first to remove tangles that can cause dirt buildup and skin irritation when they trap water. To make this step even much simpler and easier, brushing your dog's hair regularly should be done so you don't have spend a lot of time untangling the hair if you avoided it in the first place.

2. Perfect water temperature 

Find the best water temperature for your dog—it should not be too hot nor too cold. Hot water can easily damage and irritate their skin while freezing water can make dogs, mostly small breeds, uncomfortable and shiver uncontrollably. Dog’s skin is more sensitive than human’s, so you should always use lukewarm water.

You should take note at which temperature your dog will be most comfortable in to know the perfect temperature for them, and you should always wash them at this temperature in the future. Remember that it is not just about the temperature of the water that's important but also that of the room because they easily lose their body heat after taking them out of the warm water. With that, you also have to keep the room you're bathing your dog in warm. Turn off any fans, close the windows and turn on the heater if you need to.

3. Use the best dog shampoo 

Human shampoo, even if they also clean, is always not good for your dog. You have to choose the shampoo that specifically address their needs to prevent dry and irritated skin and damaged coat. Some dog breeds require specific shampoo formulations, so be sure to buy the right one for your pet.

Massage the shampoo evenly and gently on your dog, and avoid getting the shampoo into your dog’s eyes!

4. Rinse well

After putting shampoo into your dog, rinse well with same lukewarm water. When you leave the soap unrised, it can cause damage on your dog’s coat once it dries, so be sure to rinse thoroughly. 

5. Be careful when washing your dog’s face

If it is your first time to give your dog a personal bath, you have to take note that they never like shampoo or water getting into any part of their face such as ears, nose, and eyes. Health complications could arise if they get too much water in those areas.

6. Dry your dog

This is a given step as well. If you think you can just let your dog wet and shake themselves dry, you're definitely wrong! You may keep them in a warm room and dry them with a towel, but best if you have a blow dryer to keep them warm and to dry them faster. Leaving your dog wet after bathing, especially if your dog has a heavier coat, will cause skin problems that can leave a foul odor.

7. Reward your dog and always be patient

Don't forget the last step! Reward your dog by giving him a treat after bathing so he will remember next time that he will be rewarded after doing so, and so he would be patient on your next bath.

Cleaning shouldn't be a hassle at all if you will know correctly how to do it and if you understand its importance for your pet. One of the benefits of doing such is that you and your dog will create a great bond. And as your dog gets used to it, taking a bath will be more manageable. It can be a handful at first, but both of you will get the hang of it.