Lara’s Blog

Keeping dogs safe in the heat is the responsibility of all pet owners. The risk of heatstroke Heatstroke is a major threat to our pets when hot weather hits and can lead to multiple organ dysfunction. Unlike us humans, dogs can't sweat to cool themselves so they can heat up very quickly if left inside a car in warm weather, taken out on long walks...

Winter can be tough on our dogs and is a time of the year when some owners can become complacent on providing the level of care their dogs need, so Winter safety for dogs should be a top priority as the temperature drops. Having evolved over millions of years to become our closest companion animal, dogs rely solely on us to provide them with the...

With the Easter long weekend coming up, many families are coming together and bringing along their pets.  To help keep your pets safe over this holiday period, Petstock vet Dr Tara Morris and I have compiled some of our top Easter safety tips for pets. Keep the hot cross buns, chocolates and lollies away While you might be serving hot cross buns, chips, dips, other...

When adopting a pet there are a number of key things you need to think about, in the same way you would if considering buying a puppy, kitten or other pet, to ensure that it is the right fit for you and your family - and for the long term!  As we celebrate the Petstock Foundation National Pet Adoption Month, here's some things to consider....

Independence training is important at all stages of a dog’s life to help build their confidence and comfort in being left alone. As a dog behaviourist, I am seeing many owners that are having problems with their puppies and even older dogs due to anxiety and a lack of proper socialisation, or even too much and inappropriate socialisation. Unfortunately, many puppies missed out on puppy...

With many friends and families preparing to get together over the festive season, I wanted share my top tips for keeping pets safe at Christmas during this fun, but often stressful time. With almost 70% of Australian households now being home to over 28 million pets, almost half having at least one dog1 and a third housing at least one cat2, Australian pet ownership is...

Dogs are social animals, so leaving them alone all day at home with nothing to do is a most common cause for many common dog behaviour problems due to boredom and anxiety. It’s no surprise then that doggy daycare has become a popular alternative. Dogs require a lot of daily environmental enrichment, which is more than just interactive toys. It includes daily exercise, social interactions...

Throwing a dog birthday party (or barkday party as tends to be the craze) for your pooch is something more dog owners seem to be doing these days. As I had never thrown a dog birthday party for Darcy and also missing celebrating Vindi's first birthday party when he first came to me (it took a while to find out his real birth date when...

Depending on where you live around the world, my tips for exercising a dog indoors will come in handy during some of the challenges many dog owners currently face. Whether you are currently in strict COVID lockdown and can't walk your dog outside at all. Or, the upcoming Summer heat or Winter freeze will make it tough to take your dog outside for walk as...

If you have ever wondered about exercising puppies and how much exercise your puppy needs, you are not alone. Many new puppy owners can be confused about how little or how much exercise is right for their puppy, and whether it is a good or bad thing to get them running about as much as possible during the day, in the hope of a peaceful...