Whole Dog Journal reviews dog food, dog toys, and dog health and care products, and also teaches positive dog training methods.

If you live where plants produce spikey seeds that cling to a dog’s hair, you’ve probably encountered burrs. These seed or fruit pods with tiny barbs, hooks, or sharp spines can be difficult to remove, but the right equipment will simplify the task.

The term “balanced dog training” is often misunderstood to mean taking a holistic approach to teaching dogs. However, in the dog training world “balanced” refers to the use of both aversive and non-aversive training methods. A growing body of research is showing that dogs trained using aversive techniques (e.g. leash jerks with a choke or prong collar, shock delivery through e-collars, hitting or yelling at the dog) experience poorer welfare both within and outside the training context compared to dogs trained with reward-based (positive reinforcement) methods.

Whether you have a nervous pup who needs lots of counter-conditioning or you just want to keep your dog’s recall sharp, carrying treats with you in a dog treat pouch is vital. You never know when a training opportunity will arise, and one of the best ways to positively reinforce your dog is with a tasty snack. We tested five popular options and came up with the best dog treat pouches and bags for hiking, training, and more. Read on for how we tested and our top picks:

The U.S. is home to three species of foxtails: yellow foxtail, green foxtail, and giant foxtail. It doesn’t grow in some lucky parts of the country—namely Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia—but can be found in the rest of the U.S.

Goat milk has gained popularity among dog owners as a superfood that is a natural source of nutrients and digestive support. It’s true that goat milk contains vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, but is it really a good choice for adult dogs?

The ability to pick up a large dog requires more than just strength. You need to use the proper technique, understand canine anatomy, and pay careful attention to your large dog’s comfort and safety.

MSM is methylsulfonylmethane, a naturally occurring compound of sulfur, carbon, and oxygen it is is included in most dog arthritis supplements for good reason. It works and has research backing up its use.

An abundance of grooming tools flood the market for dogs who battle hair mats. I urge you to do your due diligence if you prefer to handle much of your dog’s grooming yourself. All tools are not right for all dogs, making research and listening to user reviews very important. Also important, as you will see here, is keeping up with mats and grooming.

Adequan is an injectable medication for the treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs. It is a disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD), meaning it can reverse some of the damage that occurs in arthritic joints.

If your dog’s eyes are rapidly moving, seeming uncontrolled, your dog may be suffering from nystagmus. It’s usually part of vestibular disease, which is common in older dogs.

Do you use hand signals to communicate with your dog? You should! When dogs know both hand signals and verbal cues, they are far more likely to respond to the hand signal than a verbal cue. A study published in Animal Cognition shows that “while dogs respond to both gestural and verbal requests, gestures are more salient than words.”