Happy Dog Institute

06/18/2026

Good reminder from Healthy Pets Animal Hospital - if your dog doesn't do well with fireworks NOW is the time to reach out to your vet to order prescription medications that can help. Don't wait until the last minute.

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Fourth of July is fast approaching. If you need anxiety medications for your dog or cat, please don't wait until the last minute. Due to the higher demand, we may not be able to accommodate last minute requests. And if this is the first time you are getting medications, we frequently need to try a few different things well ahead of time to find what works best for your buddy.

06/18/2026

Congrats to Rosemary and Penny on successfully completing Puppy Primer! They both made huge strides - Rosemary on relaxing around friends and staying engaged with her human. Penny - on overcoming her nervousness (she went from hiding under the chair for the first two weeks to initiating play with other rambunctious puppies by week 6!)

Both families are doing such a great job raising their pups and we are so proud!

06/15/2026

How is everyone beating the heat today? Post your favorite dog summer photo in the comments. ☀️

06/15/2026

Please respect individuals with disabilities and ignore their working service dogs. Thanks Atlas Assistance Dogs for these great tips!

06/15/2026

Summer hazards to be aware of! Thanks to Pinehurst Veterinary Hospital and Surgical Center for these tips.

06/14/2026

It's going to be HOT today and tomorrow - know the signs of overheating and keep your dogs inside and cool during peak temperatures!

06/10/2026

Learning about proper dog movement, posture, and alignment is one of the best things you can do to extend your dog's quality of life - Canine Conditioning Coach is a fantastic resource for this. Thank you for these awesome graphics!

06/07/2026

For our lake lovers - here's a webinar on teaching your pup to paddle board with you!

06/07/2026

Great Graphic by ABC Dogs NZ about body language during dog/dog interactions

Are we sure it's a yes 🤔
Question is, how can you actually tell?

Because a wagging tail isn't enough.
A play bow?
Not enough info there either.

Both can mean much more than simply "play."

Looking for consent?

As weird as it sounds, stop watching what happens when they're together.
Start watching what happens when they're apart.

Do they come back to each other, loose and bouncy and wanting to continue?

There's a flow, an interest and usually an invitation.

What we do need to be mindful of is one dog insisting when the other has very little interest in continuing.

Consent can also be given and then taken away again, especially if one dog didn't appreciate what just happened.

But what happens next?

Are they willing to try again?
That's a good sign.

They may have simply needed a moment to work out the other dog's play style.

Dogs that are really good players don't base their decisions on just one moment or one signal.

Many need a few signals before they feel comfortable.

Maybe the biggest sign of consent isn't that they stayed.

It's that they left.

And chose to come back.

06/07/2026

There's still space in our upcoming Saturday Foundation Skills for Adults class.

Join us in our air-conditioned space this summer to either teach an old dog new tricks or boost and improve their current skills.

This class covers the basics but also teaches you how to implement strategies to work these skills in different environments, how to troubleshoot if things don't go as planned, and how set you and your dog up for success!

Click here to register: https://www.happydoginstitute.com/classes/foundation-skills-for-adults