Laurel Scarioni

I just got home from a Canine Nosework seminar a few hours ago and am so, so, so excited about this awesome new sport!  My Border Terrier Edgar has always been very interested in following his nose and I've wanted to get him involved in some sort of nose sport but couldn't find something in my area that fit what I wanted.  When I heard about Canine Nosework, it sounded perfect, so I signed up for an introductory course.  It was amazing to watch all of these beginning dogs learn that they were allowed to use their noses!  We weren't teaching them to use their nose, because they all know how...

I was reminded again yesterday how dogs have the power to bring people together, without even trying! I was returning to my car yesterday in a downtown parking lot. The car parked next to me was an old, beat-up low rider with 3 rather intimidating young men sitting in it. I needed to get into my driver's side door, but their doors were standing open blocking my way. That is when I noticed the cute little terrier sitting on the passenger side floorboard. I smiled reflexively and commented on what a great dog they had.

The “place” cue is a must-have item for dog lovers this holiday season!  A “place” cue works great in many situations in which people commonly ask their dogs to sit or lay down and stay.  For example, dogs can be sent to their place when the doorbell rings, when guests are entering, when the family is eating dinner, and while everyone is relaxing in the evenings.  When a dog is on his “place”, he can’t be running out the door, jumping on guests, begging at the table, stealing food off the counters, climbing on the couch, or chasing the cat.  It is also a great skill for dogs that travel with their families because it gives the dogs a familiar place to hang out in new surroundings and the security of being given a well-known cue to perform.  It is easy to bring a mat along to friends’ houses, hotel rooms, and even outdoor eateries.  

When President Bush moved into the White House, no one asked Barney if he wanted to come along.  Nobody asked him if he wanted to schmooze with world leaders or work in press relations…. but Barney did try to tell everyone how he felt about it on Friday!  If anyone had been paying attention to Barney’s body language, they would have known that he wasn’t interested in socializing with the press. 

Unfortunately, the language of dogs seems to be as indecipherable to the average American as any other foreign language they’ve never learned.  Despite their regular exposure to dog language, most people are still taken by surprise when a dog bites… especially their own dog, who they really should be able to understand!