Lifestyle

Friendly wolves, pet heroes, canine yoga, dogs underwater, puppies shaking - and so much more! Check out Whole Dog Journal's January book recommendations. Last month, we listed just a few of our favorite dog reads. There are so many great books out there, we had to do it again!

See Whole Dog Journal's top dog accessories of 2015. We cover reflective gear for your nocturnal hound, artisan leather collars for the posh pup in your life, indestructible dog toys, biodegradable waste bags, a treat dispenser that does more than your smartphone, paw cream for salty winters, and much more!

Give the gift of love by sheltering a foster dog or volunteering at your local animal shelter this season. Whole Dog Journal editor Nancy Kerns recounts why, even in the most trying of times, there's no greater feeling than opening your home to a life in need.

See our top-pick pet memoirs, nonfiction books and dog ownership guides! If we had limitless time and funds, we could spend months reading nothing but dog stories. But time is short, so here's an overview of recommended dog-related books published since 2010.

Discover the works of Dr. Overall and Dr. Yin, whose books have sparked a movement canonizing holistic and force-free handling of animals.

check with your neighbors to learn whether he also barks – or barks more – when you're not home. Frequent barking can turn a nice neighbor into a resentful one very quickly.üSome of your guests won't mind when your dog jumps all over them

Jeanine Konopelski is a spokesperson for Assistance Dogs International (ADI), a non-profit coalition of more than 100 organizations working together to promote assistance dogs and the benefits they provide to people with disabilities. Konopelski recommends the phrase assistance dog" as an umbrella term that covers a variety of working dogs who are specially trained to aid people in different ways. "

Whether it's the most common violation of these three Acts (ADA, Fair Housing, and Air Carrier Access) or the one that makes advocates for the disabled the angriest is a matter of debate, but the most talked-about abuse of legislation that protects the rights of disabled people has to do with fake service dogs." "

Responsible service-dog handlers aim to keep their dogs as inconspicuous as possible, and are quick to take corrective action if the dog's behavior becomes problematic. When they don't, businesses are legally allowed to ask the handler to remove the dog. While many business owners are afraid to exercise this right, not doing so has created significant problems for the disability community.

Moe has been Steve Killips' service dog for 81/2 years. The handsome Labrador, who was trained by Paws With a Cause in Wayland, Michigan, often helps pull Steve's wheelchair, vastly increasing Steve's ability to enjoy the outdoors.üPaul Vaughn of Kennesaw, Georgia, purchased Hunter as a puppy. Paul and his wife trained Hunter to be Paul's service dog. Hunter's primary duties are to help Paul around the house, picking up and giving Paul items as needed. And when Paul's arm falls off his armrest, preventing him from driving his power chair, Hunter pushes Paul's arm back up on the armrest.üBri Benton is a Florida dog trainer who trained her own service dog, Dallas. Bri's disability is invisible. She suffers from vasovagal syncope and severe allergies that can cause anaphylaxis. Dallas has been trained to detect changes in Bri's chemistry and consciousness and alert Bri in time to summon help.

A hot button" topic within the service-dog community is the availability of online prescription letters for emotional-support animals. It's important to remember that an emotional-support animal is required to mitigate a disability. The legal definition of disability is when one or more of a person's activities of daily life is severely impacted. If you are truly experiencing the impairment of a major life function

Recently, I found myself with too many dogs who needed exercise, and not enough time to put in the miles that could have worked off all that excess energy. I rooted through the dog-toy baskets in my office, looking for things I could throw for the pack to fetch. I used to have a Chuckit! tennis ball launcher, but some puppy or other chewed up the part that holds the tennis ball, so I threw it away and hadn't yet replaced it. Then I remembered that I had bought a very similar device that is used for launching small rubber discs for dogs to chase: the Winga.