This week’s Animal Cafe podcast is exciting for two reasons. It marks the debut as a team member of Kelly Gorham Dunbar, co-founder and executive editor of DogStarDaily — the best dog training/behavior site on the planet — as well as a contributing editor at Dogtime.com. And her first guest is a rock star in…
K9 Nose Work: A Sport Even Frankie Can Love
Frankie has the cutest nose in the world, a little black button of a sniffer. I have a tough time keeping myself from touching it, much to his annoyance. But I have to admit, I’ve never thought of it as particularly effective. He just doesn’t seem to use his nose as much as other dogs…
Make Your Dog a Social Butterfly
Frankie is fearful. This apparently disturbs some people. Only this morning, a generally friendly guy (GFG) I often encounter on the trail expressed annoyance that Frankie stopped in his tracks when his (illegally for that area) off-leash dog passed us. “She didn’t even approach your dog,” GFG said, irritably. “I don’t know what he’s so…
Dog Assisted-Therapy: It’s Child’s Play!
Pets don’t judge us. And play is an important way for children to communicate. Those two concepts help explain why Dr. Rise Van Fleet’s Pet Play Therapy program has proved so effective. A licensed psychologist and registered play therapist supervisor, Van Fleet is also an approved evaluator with the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizens…
Shock Your Pet at Home!
The other day I got a press release from a company that shall remain nameless, one with a product that purports to “bring freedom to pet owners and pets alike” The premise The first paragraph read: When you come home to find Rover has mistaken the trash cans in the back yard for a snack…
Dogs + Babies: New Formulas for Success
If you’re like me, you’ve often gotten these email pleas: “Friends of mine have to give up their dog because he’s growling at the new baby. Can you help them find him a new home?” They usually go on to detail what a wonderful dog he is, and how heartbroken the family feels. I always…
A Cause without Teeth: Preventing Dog Bites in Kids
It’s difficult to get accurate data about dog bites, but one thing is certain: The majority of victims are children under 10 and they are more likely than adults to be bitten severely enough to require hospitalization and reconstructive surgery. That’s why the Be a Tree program, geared towards preventing children from getting bitten, is…
The IAABC, Decoded
When it comes to dog training and animal behavior organizations, it’s easy to get lost in the acronyms. I know about the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) because I am a member — no, I’m not a dog trainer, but I sometimes play one on my blog — and I know that CDPTs are…
What’s Unconditional Love Got To Do With It?
In some ways, cats have it better than dogs. When Sharon Castellanos (a.k.a. Grouchy Puppy) asked me in her Influence Positively Questionnaire whether I would like to return in my next life as a cat or as a dog, I reluctantly said that I’d prefer to be a cat because they’re less dependent on humans,…
Quick fixes & cover judging
My pal Debbie Jacobs recently tweeted that she had gotten a lot of traffic on her Fearful Dogs site for a post titled Stop Your Dog’s Problem Behaviors Instantly! People were, apparently, taking it seriously, driven by the desire for a quick fix. No question: Irony is dead. When it comes to dog training —…