What are You Doing This Week - For Your Dog?

The Healthy Happy Dog Summit is Free!

I pleasantly just discovered a series of 30 FREE webinars (lectures, interviews) created by Tails online magazine (link here) and 30 dog professionals! However, they are free only this week (of 7 days plus next Monday when the most popular talks will be repeated). After that you can purchase the sessions at a very reasonable price.

I missed the first day of four interviews/PowerPoint presentations so I hope some of those will be repeated next Monday - but, I stayed up late last night and woke up early this morning to listen to and watch most of yesterday’s offerings. Note: each day offers four or five interviews but only for 24 hours so I have to plan out the rest of my week carefully!

Veterinarians, Groomers, Dog Sitters, Canine Nutrition and More!

Have you heard of Victoria Stillwell but never had the time to catch her on TV? Here is your chance! Tune in to your computer on Friday.

Want to know about dog park etiquette or canine body language (today)? What is a holistic veterinarian? What vaccines does your dog really need? Learn about puppies, dog first aid, canine allergies, toys, and even dog-friendly gardens. And more. And even more!

No prior knowledge is assumed and the experts are very user-friendly. As a matter of fact, the interviewer is the best I have ever heard! The PowerPoint slides are excellent – brief, to the point if you want to take notes, and with adorable dogs. What more can one ask for?

For the complete line-up and to access the webinars, click here. You’ll be glad you did!

Will the Real Dog Whisperer Please Stand Up?

Yes, I have seen those TV “stars” who claim to be ‘dog whisperers’ but SHOUT in canine body language. One, especially, is cute, though, personality-wise, and also easy on the eyes.

But so is my neighbor-dog cute. She is a 4 year-old yellow lab named Mia. Cute name, too, huh?

She is a dog and she whispers so she must be a dog whisperer!

So, What is a Dog Whisperer?

A real dog-whisperer does not shout with his body but uses smooth movements and gives the dog a few seconds to comprehend. A real dog whisperer trains with body language and hand signals. Only when the dog understands that, does a real dog-whisperer use verbal cues but never issues commands (commands, when not complied with, are followed by punishment – on the other hand, a positive-reinforcement trainer offers a dog opportunities to be rewarded and if the dog does not comply [rarely], nothing happens)

But Who is the REAL Dog Whisperer?

Mia-the-dog lives in a condominium complex that resembles a resort. The dozen buildings are small with four units to a side (two sides) while sidewalks weave like paths among all the buildings – a really cute place to live - and relatively safe.

Mia loves to perch herself on the sofa with her head on the arm and gaze out the window, only occasionally falling asleep, most often after breakfast for a few hours.

But she wakens quickly when she smells or hears someone (or some dog) walking past on the paths between the buildings, which are quite popular. Then she barks. And barks. And barks.

Could it be. . . ?

Fortunately I have trained Mia the Dog to bark once and then whisper (woof), so maybe she really is the Dog Whisperer. I like a woof here and there and the neighbors also prefer a woof over a bark and a bark and a bark, ad infinitum.

Life is so much better for us and for the humans in Mia’s family – and for our neighbors, now that we have a Dog Whisperer.

“Raise with Praise”

 But the original real ‘dog whisperer’ is perhaps Paul Owens, a dog trainer (for 43 years) in California who is also a ‘puppy whisperer.’ He is also the author of The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training, and The Puppy Whisperer: A Compassionate, Non Violent [sic] Guide to Early Training and Care, and The Dog Whisperer Presents: Good Habits for Great Dogs as well as dog training DVDs.  Owens, the real and original dog whisperer, became influential among dog people and positive dog professionals more than 15 years ago and even has his own training program to certify new family-dog trainers. Check him out! You’ll be glad you did!

And then you will turn your TV off – after all, one cannot learn how to train a dog merely by watching TV!

EverythingDogBlog: The Other Side of the Story

Oblivious Dog Walkers can be Dangerous

I was driving home the other night and came to a stop at a stop sign, where I noticed a small white dog was crossing the street in the crosswalk in front of me, seemingly alone.

I couldn’t believe it!

A dog alone, at night, in a crosswalk?

Way behind the dog I finally spied the owner but I still totally expected the dog to run out into traffic in one direction or another. I had to stop anyway (stop sign) but I stopped with my heart stuck in my throat, holding my breath, finally realizing that the dog was on a retractable leash (often called a Flexi leash but that is the brand name).

Dangers Lurk in Retractable Leashes

Besides being thin, nearly invisible, composed of wire, and therefore potentially dangerous to people if the dog takes off, suddenly startled, and the person drops the leash, the dog is then dragging a long wire with a noisy contraption on the end, scaring him even more.

If the owner is not injured by the wire severing a finger, other dangers are possible if a dog bolts.

Consumer Reports and Professional Dog Trainers

A startled dog dragging a retractable leash may become tangled in the wire and try to pull free, causing more havoc. Just check out Consumer Reports here.

Most of my dog trainer colleagues recommend retractable leashes only for highly trained dogs (and even few of us dog trainers have such a dog – we tend to have the difficult dogs!) and well-coordinated people – certainly not children.

So, be wise and don’t use a potentially dangerous retractable leash. If you must, use some common sense and reel it in when crossing the street. It’s the right thing to do.

Be seen and be safe.

Read more about it: Ten Reasons not to use a Retractable Leash

The Dogington Post

BARk

ABC News

Need I say more?

EverythingDogBlog: Beware the Jogger - Final Words

Whatever Happened to Jogging Etiquette?

Years ago when I was in training for the Marine Corps Marathon, we were told to pass walkers on the left (like cars do) and announce our intentions beforehand by saying, “Passing on the left.” Bike riders often do something similar – perhaps that is why they have bike bells to ring!

Challenge to You

Therefore, I hereby challenge every jogger (runner and biker, too) to display a wee bit of etiquette and common sense, and announce to the person you are overtaking that you are approaching. Help prevent an accident! It’s just the right thing to do. Especially for the dog involved. Thank you.

I repeat: it’s the right thing to do.

Tomorrow: Even Dog Walkers can be Dangerous

EverythingDogBlog: Beware the Jogger, part three

And, as for me, . . .

And just in the past two days, the very same things happened to me! Could it have been the same biker and jogger, or was it just coincidence, or is it more common than I first thought? My dog and I were passed by a fast bike rider and a runner on a path and on a narrow sidewalk, startling both my dog and myself. I asked both persons to please announce their presence before they get close in the future and they said they would.

But will they remember?

The Right Thing to Do

A dog can lunge when startled. . . so to protect yourself and prevent from startling others on paths and narrow sidewalks and just to be polite, please announce that you are coming up from behind. We will get out of your way. It’s the right thing to do.

Comment about this blog series on my Facebook page:

Now send it to Runners World, etc... And make sure they know I have witnessed a dog walker so startled, that the open poop bag struck the jogger when she gasped and jumped!

Tomorrow: Final Words to Joggers, and Others