Okay, so you’ve done your research, identified the right breed for your lifestyle, found a reliable
breeder or shelter to work with, and have finally arrived home with your NEW best friend.
Congratulations on taking these first important steps. But your work isn’t done yet. Unless
you’ve shelled out for a professional trainer prior to getting your pet, you have a lot of work to
do to make sure your furry friend has all the skills to live a happy life with you and your family.

With Summer coming up and the weather just getting hotter in general, a lot of future dog
owners may be asking what breeds are best for the hot climate. And if you live in a part of the
country that experiences extreme heat for large amounts of the year, asking this question
should be near the top of your list. Even people who do their research into a new pet
beforehand often leave out this hugely important consideration. Keep in mind, no matter how
well the dog you choose fits into your lifestyle and housing situation, all of that is meaningless if
the poor guy is too uncomfortable to truly enjoy life. Because many people choose muts as
pets, instead of discussing specific breeds, it’s probably better to instead identify the traits that
a good hot weather dog has.

We’ve talked about dog psychology in some other posts because it’s one of the most important
things to understand about our pets. People are always looking online for answers to questions
they have about dogs. Everything from questions on how to better train a dog, improve their
behavior, or even find the right animal for your lifestyle, can be better answered when you
know about how dogs think. We already touched on whether or not dogs get jealous,
understand concepts like revenge, or feel guilt. Let’s consider a few other important things to
know about how a dog’s brain works.

Dog psychology is a tricky area for a lot of pet owners. On one hand, dog psychology is certainly
more complex than a lot of other animals and they experience a lot of more complex emotions.
On the other hand, despite their intelligence, we sometimes apply more complex human
emotions onto them than we should. Knowing a bit more about how dogs think, and how they
don’t think, is vitally important to better understanding how to make them happy and keep
them in a good emotional place that’s best for everyone.

Dogs and humans have a lot in common. We both value companionship and friendship, we
both love to eat and play, and we both can suffer from allergies. In fact, allergies are more
common in dogs than most people realize. Some breeds are more susceptible than others, but
any dog can potentially be afflicted. Also like humans, dogs can suffer from both seasonal and
food allergies. On top of that, it’s not uncommon for dogs to suffer from allergies to bug bites
from pests such as fleas. For owners, it can be hard to see their furry friends suffer. But before
you can begin reading about treatments, it’s important to be able to identify symptoms.