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Making Me a Match

Jeff Silverman | Fri, 04/18/2008 - 11:50

Few things about my work upset me as much as clients who give up on a dog. Regardless of the reason, it usually means broken hearts for the people involved. For the dogs it means lots of stress, likely homelessness, and even the possibility (or sometimes the certainty) of euthanasia. Even in the case of dogs who are obviously too dangerous to remain in their homes, I take every client’s dog that loses its home (or its life) personally. Some of the most upsetting cases for me, though, are those where the dog never really had a chance to succeed in a home. I’ve been seeing a lot of these bad matches lately.

A Cacophony of Dog Trainers

Valerie Pollard | Wed, 04/16/2008 - 11:51

When I started training, there was no such thing as camaraderie amongst dog trainers. You would never consider “sharing” ideas with fellow professionals, and it was more of a “cut throat” business. Things have delightfully changed in that regard, but the change has brought along its own batch of problems and confusion.

You’ve probably heard the statement, “The only thing two dog trainers can agree on is what the third one is doing wrong”. There is much truth in that, as dog trainers tend to be strong-willed individuals who have clear beliefs and feelings about their profession. Maybe that’s what it takes to enter into clients’ homes and lives to help facilitate change in their relationship with their dogs.

CONNECTING WITH OUR DOGS

Gillian Ridgeway | Mon, 04/14/2008 - 06:19

This is a vintage article, circa 1993 and one of the first things I had written that gained attention in the world of dog training. I would like to start my blog with this, as it is at the root of what I believe when we are dealing with our dogs. Keep in mind that 15 years ago we were all just on the cusp of discovering that “do it or else” training was not the only game in town. These thoughts were the beginning of a journey for me. While methods change, the core of the connection seems to remain the same.

CONNECTING WITH OUR DOGS

As I sat nursing what seemed to be my 100th cup of Cappuccino that day while overlooking the canals in Amsterdam, my mind was again consumed by the behaviors of the dogs that roamed these banks.

Obedience… Or Intelligence?

Laurel Scarioni | Fri, 04/11/2008 - 07:06

Dog intelligence is a topic that I find fascinating. People often tell me that they want a certain breed of dog because that breed is smart. But what exactly is intelligence…and do people really want to live with a smart dog? Professor Stanley Coren has put together some tests for owners that are supposed to measure their dogs’ intelligence. He has a book and video full of tests, but 6 of them are readily available on the internet. I thought it would be fun to test my dogs and see how they fared. Our three contestants for “Smartest Dog in the Scarioni Household” are: Edgar, a 3 year old Border Terrier adopt ed from Border Terrier rescue 1 ½ years ago; Tina, a 12 year old pitbull mix adopted from the Petaluma Animal Shelter 11 years ago; and Butch, a 12 year old Shih Tzu adopted from the Bakersfield SPCA 11 ½ years ago.

A Dominating Issue?

Dr. Nicholas H.... | Wed, 04/09/2008 - 12:17

Last weekend I took a longish trip north from my home in Central Massachusetts give a talk at a progressive dog training center in Portland, Maine called Happy Tails. The audience for my talk, Canine Behavior 201, comprised of dog owners, trainers, dog evaluators, veterinary technicians and veterinarians. Quite an eclectic bunch. The topics I covered ranged from aggression to compulsive disorders, with case vignettes and medical material interpolated. To my relief (always), I think the talk went well and the reviews were positive.

Years Gone By

Gillian Ridgeway | Wed, 04/09/2008 - 10:15

It is difficult to pin point the year, but I remember the event as clear as it was yesterday, compliments of a great long-term memory (not to be confused with a good memory for last week). It had to be in the early to mid 90’s.

It was a dog weekend, one held at a training school west of Toronto. We were all there to hear a presentation by Ian Dunbar amongst others. The one thing that has stuck with me all these years was not the information presented, but the feeling that I got during the dog games. I was there with my 6 month old Border Terrier, Preston. He was a great little dog, but not nearly as skilled as his more experienced competitors. The games consisted of many components requiring certain skills. Then, a miracle happened! There was a “best kisser” game. And you guessed it, Preston in all his exuberant glory won.

Oprah Exposes Puppy Mills: But is America Listening?

Nicole Wilde | Tue, 04/08/2008 - 06:00

It seems that anything Oprah turns her attention to these days is bound to not only get exposure to millions of people, but to engender action. The featured topics are vigorously discussed around the water cooler and in homes, organizations receive donations from around the world, and authors are instantly catapulted into the rarified stratosphere of the Times Best Sellers list. Careers are made, causes championed, and wrongs exposed. So when I heard that Oprah was going to discuss puppy mills, I was thrilled.

A training guarantee

Marie Finnegan | Sat, 04/05/2008 - 08:54

I admit that I watch a fair amount of Animal Planet. I like certain shows and whenever I leave the house I turn it on for the dogs to watch and listen to. My husband is less convinced the dogs care which channel is on. (maybe they don't but it makes me feel better) While watching AP recently I saw an ad for a dog training franchise. It said they could change your dogs behavior in less then two hours, for ANY problem, with a lifetime written guarantee. Whoa! Really? A lifetime guarantee?

So I did a little online digging. The company started in another country in 1989. They have been here in the states since about 1998. The good news is that it looks like they do use primarily positive methods. (From what I could see online though I have questions about the thing they are throwing around that they use as a "correction".)

Robo-Dog and the Docking Debate

Nicole Wilde | Fri, 03/28/2008 - 09:50

A Canadian newspaper recently reported on a study carried out at the University of Victoria. Scientists were interesting in researching the behavioral effects of tail docking in dogs—both on the dogs whose tails were docked, and on the dogs who encountered them.

The men used a life-like robotic dog they deemed “robo-dog” (I can hardly wait for the movie) that resembled a black Lab. They brought robo-dog to off-leash dog parks to observe how other dogs would respond to it. In half the trials, robo-dog wore an artificial tail that was roughly the same length as an average Lab tail; in the other trials, the artificial tail was the length of a typical docked tail. In both cases, a motor powered the tail so it could be wagged and held in various positions.

Impressive Training Results at Project POOCH

Cindy Bruckart | Thu, 03/27/2008 - 07:41

During my first visit to MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, OR to give CGC tests to Project POOCH participants, I had one team that needed to do more training before passing the test. It was hard for me to break the news to them, but there was just no way around it.

It seemed that the dog being tested had never met the handler before. She would look at anything but him. The handler was giving it his all, but it just wasn’t working. I could tell he was a little embarrassed, and a little frustrated, but I had to be honest.

So, I gave him some training advice, explained what exactly needed work and what was okay so far. I should mention that this particular handler wasn’t new to the program and had successfully trained other dogs. He knew what he was doing when it came to training. I think he’d just been a bit lax in his work with this dog.