Lifestyle

So while you’re busy learning how to change a diaper, allow us to resolve at least one of those concerns for you as a belated baby shower gift: Introducing your dog to your baby.

You know that feeling when you come home after a long, stressful day at work to find your dog waiting anxiously for you at the door, tail wagging, and ready to greet you, like he thought he’d never see you again? Affectionate, loyal and loving, our canine companions have a way of making us feel like the only people in the world.

For most of us, winter marks itself with chapped lips, icy sidewalks and severely limited parallel parking. Though for our pets, real hazards take precedence over frustrations: Our four-legged family members may not have the same ability to regulate their temperatures, change their circumstances and self-soothe as the season whirs along.

You’re probably familiar with service dogs for people with challenges like vision-impairment, diabetes and PTSD, but have you heard of a migraine alert dog? Believe it or not, dogs can be trained to alert humans who are about to have a migraine. But first, they have to be trained to identify the signs that you are about to have a migraine, so they know when to raise alarm.

Just like humans, it’s easier to teach your dog good habits if you start from a young age. But what about if you adopt an older dog or realize you want to establish new habits in your adult dog? Are you doomed to simply accept their behavior as is?

Potty training your dog requires patience, time and determination — no matter what kind of dog you have. But some dog breeds are notoriously harder to potty train than others.

When emergency strikes, having a plan can make all the difference. If you live in an area that’s prone to inclement weather, it’s a good idea to have a few steps in place to make sure you’re prepared for the worst, including having a plan in place for your canine pal. Here are some of the preparations you can make now so your dog is safe later.

Here’s some good news for those allergy-prone would-be owners: There are a handful of dog breeds that are actually hypoallergenic. Low-shedding or with a coat that more closely mirrors human hair than dog fur, these breeds are suitable for those with animal sensitivities, and their presence won’t leave you sneezing or with watery eyes. We here at Nom Nom have determined the most popular small hypoallergenic dogs using 2019 data (released on May 1, 2020) from the American Kennel Club dog breed popularity rankings and dog breed characteristics. Each dog breed on this list is registered by the American Kennel Club, is small in size, and does minimal shedding—a common cause of allergies in pet owners. Click through to find your new, sneeze-free, furry best friend.

While the holiday season comes overstuffed with to-dos and but-once-a-years, you can always make a little extra time to make sure you’ve got your house properly pet-proofed before the celebrations begin. Next time you find yourself with a free afternoon (as if there were such a thing in December), here’s what you can do to make your winter wonderland the absolute safest it can be for your dogs and cats.

They can manage to get into all sorts of places on your dog, from their face, to their genitals, to the cracks in between their toes. But the discomfort doesn’t end there. Foxtails can actually burrow into your dog’s skin and become a painful splinter and even cause an infection.