FINDING THE RIGHT SPOT
Understanding Dogs’ Bathroom Habits Humans make countless decisions every day, but we usually spend little time or energy thinking about where we’ll use the bathroom. For your pooch, however, it’s often an intense decision. Dogs will frequently spend several minutes investigating their options and choosing precisely the right spot to relieve themselves.
Some people may also notice that their pup is shy. Dogs don’t typically care
much about privacy, but some insist on doing their business — especially number two — in the same spot over and over. You can even train your dog to do this in your yard! Just like some humans don’t like to use public bathrooms, many anxious dogs seem to want to keep their scent to themselves and only go where they feel safe.
Clien th ts e SWpr o e r a d ding Much of the agonizing over the right spot to go is dogs trying to determine what they want to say to other dogs in the neighborhood. After “reading” the messages on hydrants and telephone poles, they carefully select the best spot to mark with their scent. Peeing is more than a bodily function; it’s part of how dogs communicate. Though there seems to be no rhyme or reason why your dog prefers one spot over another, rest assured it makes perfect sense to them. There’s a science to all that sniffing, as dogs have extraordinarily keen senses of smell that can pick up all kinds of information we can’t. By smelling another dog’s urine or feces, they can determine its sex, fertility, mood, social status, and much more.
Incredibly, research has also shown that dogs tend to do their number two business according to the position of magnetic fields. An extensive, if unpleasant, study found that dogs prefer to align themselves with the north-south axis when they poop and almost entirely avoid the east-west axis. It’s unclear why dogs do this or whether it’s conscious behavior, but we clearly don’t understand all their canine motivations.
While dogs have many reasons for being choosy, it’s also not outside the realm of possibility that your pup is dawdling on purpose. After all, most dogs love being outside
and taking in all the fresh and mysterious new smells. They might learn with time that the faster they go, the shorter their walks are. Ensure your dog gets as much outdoor time as possible, so they have less reason to dillydally.
Ho C l F i o d e o s a t
k y i i v
e D e s og
Steffani Lehr Terry Cerise
Inspired by Rover.com
Jamie Mitchell Mary Zimmerer David Coleman Codi Nelson Destiny Magness Edgar Vaughn
INGREDIENTS
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2 tbsp coconut oil (melted) 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
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2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups oat flour
1 tbsp vanilla extract Natural food coloring
2 eggs
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 3. Use a food processor, electric mixer, or spoon to combine all ingredients and mix until a dough is formed. Add more flour if dough is too sticky. 4. Separate dough into several large balls. 5. Add natural food coloring to dough balls and knead with your hands. 6. Flour a work surface and roll each ball flat to about 1/4-inch thickness. Using cookie cutters, cut into shapes. Place cookies on the baking sheet. 7. Bake for 20 minutes. 8. Allow cookies to cool, then serve to your pup!
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