Sometimes it appears that a dog licks excessively.  Dogs will lick for a number of reasons.

Licking is primarily a submissive social signal allowing dogs to show deference to dominant "pack members".  Puppies will lick to solicit food from their mothers when they are being weaned and continue to lick to show that they are hungry.  Other dogs lick as a sign of affection or because they like the taste of your skin. 

Licking is usually harmless however if carried...

A hot car can kill your pet.  If stuck in traffic with no air conditioning the accumulating heat can be deadly.  In as little as ten minutes a car's interior can rise from 85 F (30 C) to 100 F (38 C) and within half an hour the temperature can soar to 120 F (49 C).  Cracking the window open will not do much to alleviate the temperature increase.  If your animal is stricken with heat you must get its body temperature down gradually by hosing the animal completely over with ...

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unbleached flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 apple chopped or grated

1 egg - beaten

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed

3/8 cup water

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray cookie sheet with vegetable oil.  Dust surface with flour.  Blend flours and cornmeal in large mixing bowl.  Add apple, egg, oil, sugar and water.  Mix until blended.  Roll dough on floured surface to 7/8 inch thic...

It's common for dogs to yank on their leashes when being walked.  A simple solution is to use a "Gentle Leader" that hooks onto a leash.  Instead of wrapping around the dog's neck it's attached with a nylon strap above the muzzle and behind the ears.  Looking somewhate like a muzzle, it doesn't prevent a dog from opening its mouth unless the leash is pulled.  Tugging forces the dog to turn its head back toward you and tugging harder only makes its head turn more sharply so...

Pete and I would like to thank you for being such loyal and consistent customer’s to Hometown Kennels & Grooming over the last 2 years. Your satisfaction is very important to us, and we hope we have been successful in providing you and your dogs with excellent care and customer service.

For the last two years, we have charged the same daily boarding and day care rates to care for your four legged family members, even with many facility improvements. As much as we would like ...

1 jar baby food dinner, vegetables and beef, strained

1 cup rice

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 whole egg

1 package unflavored gelatin

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 cup powdered milk

1 package of yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 beef bouillon cube

Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.  Add yeast, egg, oil, baby food and disolved beef bouillon.  Knead and form a ball.  Ro...

If your dog is a shorthair breed think about getting a warm coat or sweater with a high collar.  Look for a garment that covers the dog from the base of the tail to the top of the animal to the belly to cover underneath.

Never shave your dog down to the skin in the winter.  Longer hair in the winter reqires more frequent brushing due to dry winter air and static electricity and when you bath your dog make sure that the animal is completely dry before taking it outside.

P...

Dogs suffer from separation anxiety for many reasons however much of it is caused by boredom. 

It could be separation anxiety if your dog chews on things that smell of you and only chews on these when you're gone; if your dog pees or defecates while you're gone; the dog barks continuously during the day and shows these behaviors when left alone even for short periods. 

To deal with this problem make departures and arrivals low key' interact with your dog on your terms ...

Hometown Kennels would like to let everyone know, the kennels and grooming will be closed from Jan 12/18 to Jan 20/18.  We will be having a week away for some family time and R & R.

We wouldl like to thank everyone for their business, and look forward to seeing everyone soon.

From our house to yours have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Is your dog suffering from itches?

Any dog irrespective of the breed or size may have itchy woes. Skin conditions are the foremost reason people bring their dogs in for veterinary care.

In this blog post, we explore how to help your itchy dog with the much-needed healing relief.

Why is your dog itching?

The first thing to remember here is that – Itching is a symptom, not a disease!

There are hundreds of recognized skin disorders in the dogs. Your dog may ha...