dogIDs "How-To" Dog Blog

November is Pet Diabetes Awareness Month, so I wanted to learn more about the signs of diabetes in pets, what causes it, and if there is anything pet owners can do to prevent their pets from becoming diabetic. Here’s what I found out:What is diabetes? According to Cornell University, diabetes is a complex and common disease where the body either: doesn't produce insulin (type I diabetes) or doesn't properly use insulin (type II diabetes) Insulin is a hormon …

If you're a pet owner, you know that one of the best parts of Christmas is getting to dress up your dog in an adorable, ridiculous, and festive costume. From reindeer antlers to Santa hats, nothing is off-limits when it comes to holiday cheer! But let's be honest, while we humans might be bursting with excitement to deck our pets out in Christmas bling, our furry friends often have a different opinion. Some dogs would rather chew on the Christmas tree than wear a festive outfit, and others look …

Depending on where you live, you may need to consider extra care for your dog’s paws in winter months. For example, winter weather can cause cracked or dry paws. Plus, some dogs are sensitive to the cold, snow and ice on their feet. For these reasons, I reached out to two veterinarians to get their advice on winter paw care. Should your pup wear dog boots? I wrote a whole post on dog boots last winter, and my opinion is that some dogs need boots and some don’t. It just depends on whe …

One of my favorite things to do with my dog Ace is taking him on off-leash hikes and walks.I had no idea this was such a controversial issue until I innocently posted about hiking with my dog off leash on another site and people (serious backpackers) told me a thing or two about how dogs should never hike off leash!Their reasons were: safety of other hikers &concern for the wildlifeAs much as I hate to admit it, they’re right. Dogs do cause a lot of problems.I’m going to go over some of those s …

Woof! Oops, I mean hi! My name is River and I'm the head office pup here at dogIDs. Being the top dog is a lot of work. There are so many things I have to get done in a day! Lucky for me I have an awesome team of humans to help me out.My typical agenda looks like this: 9:01 a.m. - Get to work and begin the search for butt scratches and belly rubs. 9:12 a.m. - Start the second lap of butt scratches and belly rubs. 10:15 a.m - Bark at mailman until he also gives me butt scratches. 10:42 …

Just for fun, I asked a couple of dog owners what they think their dogs might really want for a holiday gift this year.Here’s what they had to say:Charlotte the Yorkie & Pippa the Yorkie mix“Pippa would love food, food and more food!” said Emily Lyons about her Yorkie/Maltese mix (pictured above, right).Charlotte, on the other hand, would love a sling-type puppy carrier.“She constantly wants to be held.”Lyons said she would love to get her dogs some cute sweaters and outfits, however they both " …

While retractable leashes may seem like a way to make dog walks easier, you might want to take a second look. Below is a list of the top 4 reasons why we are absolutely, positively not in love with retractable leashes:4 Reasons to Ditch the Retractable Leash1. They’re dangerous for your dog. These leashes can practically extend across state lines. The extra length gives your dog freedom…to walk uncontrolled into traffic. In addition, if an aggressive dog approaches your pet while y …

What You Should Know About Active Duty Military Dogs Military working dogs are an important part of our military branches. After selecting Military Working Dog Team Support Association Inc. (MWDTSA) as our Paw It Forward partner for 2015, we quickly learned just how amazing these dogs really are. From this partnership with MWDTSA, the dogIDs pack was given the opportunity to visit a military dog training location and see these hard-working pooches in action!Visiting the Base When we pulled u …

March is Pet Poison Prevention Awareness Month, and we want to remind pet owners about some of the most common pet poisons found in and around people’s homes. Sometimes pet lovers are not aware that certain household items can actually be very toxic to dogs and cats. We created this infographic to help raise awareness about some of the most common causes of pet poisoning.Pet Poison PreventionFoods Many foods are actually poisonous to pets such as chocolate, sugarless gum, alc …

Christmas is less than two weeks away, and if you’re anything like us, you’ve waited until the last minute to get some of the items on your holiday list. Fear not. If there’s a dog lover on your gift, dogIDs has you covered. And it’s your lucky day…today (12/16) is the last day to choose priority shipping and still get your items delivered by Christmas Eve!Here are our favorites for last minute holiday shopping:The best mornings start with coffee and a dog…these cup helps create a perfect day!Ch …