If you're a runner (and even if you aren't), you may have considered running with your dog. Including your dog in runs can be a great way for both of you to get exercise, but it takes training and preparation. The following tips will help ensure an enjoyable running experience for both you and your dog.

Dogs are pack animals. With human owners as the "pack," domesticated dogs naturally prefer the companionship of their humans. It's one thing to have your dog follow you around the house amiably, however; it's quite another to learn that your dog howls relentlessly when you're at work or defecates in the house to show his displeasure at your absence. When your dog's behavior in your absence seems extreme, he might be experiencing separation anxiety.

Editor’s note: Premises for reality shows seem to be unlimited these days, so it came as no surprise when reality television went to the dogs. Greatest American Dog, which debuted on CBS in July 2008, featured twelve extraordinary teams of dogs and owners from across the nation, living together and competing against each another to determine who had the best-trained dog. Each week, the dog-owner teams competed in different training challenges, and each week a panel of three judges voted one team off. The last team standing earned the title of “Greatest American Dog” and $250,000.  

For trainers of all skill levels, proofing a behavior for reliability despite strong environmental distractions is one of the most elusive training goals. But hope is on the horizon. Here are 10 techniques that can set up both you and your dog for successful distraction training.

So you've become a clicker trainer! Naturally you are very excited. You want other people around you to stop using punishment-based methods and start clicking. So you introduce the clicker at your dog club or high school or wherever you are using it. And guess what: people not only don't change, they get mad at you.

Sify News In a study on mice engineered to produce a protein showed that a specific brain region, called the hypothalamus governs aging and longevity. [more]