Skip to content

Enjoy Free Shipping When You Spend $99+

4knines blog homepage

4Knines Blog Home Page

When Animals Age: How to Care for Your Aging Pet

When Animals Age: How to Care for Your Aging Pet

Is your dog no longer jumping around like a puppy? Has your playful pooch started to sleep the day away?   Dogs mature differently depending on their size and breed, and it is guessed that for every one year of a human life, a dog ages 7. So, by twelve, he’s equivalent to an 80-year-old man. Wellness is of huge importance to health and a major factor in your dog’s happiness and comfort. Just like us, an aging lethargic dog often feels gloomy, while an invigorated dog faces life with a smile. We can help improve the aging process – …  Continue reading →

Learn more
What to Do When Your Dog Won’t Listen

What to Do When Your Dog Won’t Listen

Let’s face it, we’ve all been there. That dog that was so well trained has now stopped listening, doesn’t come when called and basically does what he wants. It can happen for a lot of reasons: Not practicing Not enough positive reinforcement Changes to your daily routine Not asking enough of your dog I have a multi-dog household, so sometimes if practice or training time is limited on my part, they start to slip and the pack can take over in no time. Sometimes you need to just hit the reset button and re-start your training (and your mindset!). Our …  Continue reading →

Learn more
Help! Why Does My Dog Bark and Lunge at People and Other Dogs?

Help! Why Does My Dog Bark and Lunge at People and Other Dogs?

If you have a dog that barks and lunges at other dogs and people, it can be very stressful. After work, you want to take your dog on a relaxing walk to unwind but you end up more stressed than when you started! This is particularly perplexing for you if your dog is a sweet and loving angel at home with people and dogs that he or she loves. I not only work with these dogs every day, I also have had dogs like this myself. Sometimes these dogs come from shelters or rescues with these behaviors, other times the …  Continue reading →

Learn more
How to Make Sure Your Dog Is Eating a Biologically Appropriate Diet

How to Make Sure Your Dog Is Eating a Biologically Appropriate Diet

What is a biologically appropriate diet for my dog?   A biologically appropriate, also known as a species appropriate, diets for your dog is simply what their genetic makeup is designed to digest. Or what their body and mind are made for. Fortunately, my day job, has given me the opportunity to become an expert on the topic. Okay, maybe not an expert, but a good start to becoming one. So let’s talk about the dog’s basic biology, how it relates to their diet, and how feeding the K9 species the foods their bodies need in a form their brains …  Continue reading →

Learn more
5 Effective Ways to Calm a High Energy Dog

5 Effective Ways to Calm a High Energy Dog

A dog with a high energy level can be a challenge to deal with on a daily basis. Depending on the breed, certain dogs require more mental and physical exercise. Otherwise, their pent up energy may lead to destructiveness, nervousness, separation anxiety, and aggressive tendencies.   Not only is it important to drain your dog’s energy physically, it is also important to drain your dog mentally. Below are five solutions for satisfying your dog’s mental and physical needs: A Calm Dog Walk First and foremost, frequent dog walks are very important, between 20 to 45 minutes a day, multiple times …  Continue reading →

Learn more
Why You Should Not Shave a Siberian Husky

Why You Should Not Shave a Siberian Husky

Ahhh, summertime is here! It is the long-awaited season of fun in the sun and having our furry best friends accompany us on so many of our adventures.   With summer, comes that ol’ hot summer heat, and while a double-coated northern breed dog, such as a Siberian Husky, may make you feel hot looking at all that fur, and you may be tempted to shave him/her, I am here to tell you, don’t do it! Maybe you have seen one of those so-called “funny” shaved Husky memes going around on social media, but the truth is shaving a Husky, …  Continue reading →

Learn more
How to Educate Your Children on Canine Behavior

How to Educate Your Children on Canine Behavior

As the owner and head trainer of Michael’s Pack, a dog training company devoted to canine behavior issues, located in Long Island, N.Y., I am constantly called upon to address issues between children and their interactions with dogs, be it the family dog or a dog they meet on the street.   Children and dog interaction are usually quite different from adult/dog interaction. Parents need to educate their children on canine behavior to help ensure their child experiences a positive rather than a negative and/or dangerous experience when meeting dogs. The first thing is to understand that all dogs are different. …  Continue reading →

Learn more
Help My Dog Is Scared of Thunderstorms

Help My Dog Is Scared of Thunderstorms

Ah yes… thunderstorms. If ever there was a common fear among so many dogs, it is the dreaded crack of thunder rumbling through our homes during a storm. Where I’m from, since the warm weather hit, we have had storm after storm after storm. Luckily, my huskies don’t seem to mind them. My human kids on the other hand… but what about the dogs that literally shake and hide with fear during a storm? In my dog groups on FB I have seen so many pleas from people – help, my dog is scared of thunderstorms! So today, I thought …  Continue reading →

Learn more
The Evolution of Dog Training

The Evolution of Dog Training

Over the years dog training has evolved just like almost everything else in the world! Although evolution and change can be scary, it is an important part of our lives.   As humans, we are constantly striving for “something better” or to learn more about things. Because we have a desire for “something better,” we have eliminated deadly diseases, we have mini computers in our pockets, we can travel around the world and we live much longer. These changes did not come easy and many people feared the changes. Change can be scary and if we learn that we have …  Continue reading →

Learn more
How to Give Your Dog Choices and Listen to What They Want

How to Give Your Dog Choices and Listen to What They Want

How often does your dog refuse to do what you ask?   If you are like most people I have worked with, at some point you get frustrated with your dog. I have always owned Siberian Huskies and they are known for their independence and stubbornness. Some dogs love to please their owners, some dogs work for food or toys, and other dogs want to do what they want to do. I have one of the latter and he has taught me to let him make his own decisions about some things. As an example, I have a friend that …  Continue reading →

Learn more
How to Help a Stressed Dog

How to Help a Stressed Dog

We often recognize stress related behaviour in members of our own species but do we recognize stress related behavior in dogs? Once we learn to recognize indicators of stress in dogs, we can help a stressed dog.   Dogs can feel stressed by a variety of things. Stressors can include threatening or aggressive behavior (perceived or real) from other dogs or from people, use of punishing equipment, play periods that are too long and overwhelming, or too much or too little activity day after day. Stress can also be caused by pain or illness, hunger or thirst, or nutritional deficiencies. … Continue reading →

Learn more
How to Handle Dog Barrier Frustration & Aggression

How to Handle Dog Barrier Frustration & Aggression

We often use barriers for the dogs’ protection but at times these barriers can have side effects; one side effect is barrier frustration. The challenge to owners is missing the right cues and trying to fix the wrong component. Barrier frustration can be stressful for dogs and owners alike. In this article we’ll take a look at one common barrier and its side effects. Leashes are used to keep our dogs safe and near us as well as to respect the space of others and their dogs, etc. Many places have leash laws requiring dogs to be on leash in …  Continue reading →

Learn more