There are a lot of important pieces in the pet adoption puzzle. Getting people to see shelter pets as desirable is a primary one. It’s the impetus behind my Pet Adoption Videos that Don’t Make You Want to Kill Yourself series. Getting shelter pets to actually be desirable is even more crucial. Dogs barking, jumping,…
Andrea Arden Talks Dog Training – & People Training
Kelly Dunbar had a terrific conversation with Andrea Arden on Animal Cafe this week but before I get to the substance, I need to get a little gush — and one small whine — out of the way. I’ve seen Andrea on various Animal Planet shows and I’m a huge fan. I was trying to…
Master & Commander: Decoding Dog Training Terms
I like to think I’m sensitive to the nuances of language. I spent a great deal of time in graduate school doing close readings of literary texts, especially poetry, and as a writer I struggle for precision, laboring over every sentence, sometimes every word. I also know that good dog training is based on communication.…
Stress-Free Dog Training: A Chat with (The Original) BATwoman
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…
Animal Cafe: Have You Hung Out There Yet?
Observant readers of this blog may have noticed a pattern: Once a week I write a post that refers to a podcast that appears on another site called Animal Cafe. Really observant readers — okay, if I’m lucky, members of my family — may have noticed that once a month I’m the one doing the…
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…
About My New Book: Am I Boring My Dog?
I met my friend Michael for dinner the other night, and excitedly hauled out my advance copy of Am I Boring My Dog. After browsing through it for the requisite time to indicate interest, he said: “I thought it was just going to be a bunch of funny anecdotes. This looks very informative.” Perhaps I…