Kelly Gorman Dunbar

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Kelly Gorman Dunbar is a cofounder and the executive editor of dogstardaily.com and a contributing editor at dogtime.com and Animal Cafe.

She is the Founder and President of Open Paw, a non-profit organization devoted to addressing the unwanted animal problem in a whole new way, arming communities worldwide with valuable user and animal friendly training and behavior information with the goal of keeping cats and dogs out of shelters by keeping them in their original homes. Kelly lectures internationally on the principles of Open Paw and consults for animal shelters regarding layout, and staff-and-animal training protocols and procedures.

She is a Director of the Center for Applied Animal Behavior, a multi-faceted business that focuses on teaching people how to train their dogs to be the best canine citizens possible via fun and efficient training techniques involving games and environmental enrichment as rewards for desired behavior. She is a Director for the K9 Games Corporation, a venture dedicated to bringing fun and games to the process of dog training in order to make it easy, entertaining, and accessible for all people, including children.

Kelly recruits and trains the instructors for Dr. Ian Dunbar's SIRIUS Puppy & Dog Training company based in Berkeley, CA. She is the creator of the SIRIUS Sniffers scent-dection curriculum and is also in the process of bringing the French sport of cavage to the United States. Kelly has titled her French Bulldog Hugo-Louis via National Association of Canine Scent Work and enjoys competing in both NACSW nose work and AKC rally trials with her dogs.


Blog posts by Kelly Gorman Dunbar

Puppy Love For Seniors

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Thu, 02/25/2010 - 10:03

Another guest installment from my mother, Mary, who is now approximately one-year into life with a dog again. ~ Kelly

Coming home to an enthusiastic welcome, the jumping up, running in circles, and KISSES, KISSES, KISSES really beats coming home to an empty house. It is just about one year since we got our Rhodesian Ridgeback from Susan Tinch in Georgia.  If you have been following the senior’s corner you know Leo was a rescue.  When he came to us he was a resource guarder with high value items.  Also, he had a hard-ish mouth, extreme carsickness, and still needed some basic training.

I still say this is a great deal for a couple to take on when they are in their retirement years. I believe that a little older dog that has been trained and is more settled is a better match.

 

The Gift of Dog

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Wed, 12/23/2009 - 11:56

I get a little nostalgic at this time of year, thinking of the people and 4-legged critters I’ve been fortunate to share my life with thus far. Luckily, Karen Wild and Intellidogs provided me with the perfect outlet to reflect and share some of my best canine memories and lessons learned through my dogs.

 

Batteries Not Included

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Wed, 12/02/2009 - 09:29

We live in the age of technology. A world of entertainment and convenience at our fingertips, on demand movies and entertainment, 24 hour shopping online, pills to help us sleep when we need it, fresh produce of any kind regardless of the season, cars and jets to take us where we want to go in mere hours. You get the picture, we’re pretty used to getting what we want when we want it, on our schedules.

However, some things in life do not come with a power switch or auto-programming options, and a dog is one of them.

 

Is NILIF Nasty?

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Thu, 10/01/2009 - 17:54

Recently I read a piece that lumped NILIF into the “nasty” category of dog training tools. My initial response was, "that’s preposterous"! But then I got to thinking…

The article mentioned, among other things, that using NILIF is stressful “because the dog loses all predictability and routine in his life, and loses all control of access to all of the rewarding elements of his life”.

The article also unhappily implied that NILIF is a rank reduction program based on the (faulty) belief that dogs need humans to be a surrogate “pack leader” or alpha in order to respect us enough to “follow our orders”.  

You may ask, what is NILIF?

 

Italian Lesson

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Fri, 09/11/2009 - 05:06

I’m in Italy this week and it’s absolutely lovely. The September weather is ideal, sunny and warm with a gentle breeze; there’s a perfect mix in the air of the fading bloom of summer into the crispness of the promise for a spectacular fall. The golden landscape is gorgeous and each town we visit has a rich past and plenty of historical sites to prove it. The people are friendly are and of course the food and wine are divine!  

However, as wonderful as it is, it’s also been stressful. You see, I don’t speak Italian, and, especially in the small villages we’re mainly visiting not that many people speak English.

 

Just Do It

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Wed, 09/09/2009 - 05:25

Are you a dog-lover? If so, one of the very best things you can do for dogs is to teach them how to best navigate our human society. The standard is high, and getting higher every day, especially with the threat of anti-dog legislation breathing down our necks. For dogs to continue to succeed as our constant companion in today’s world, they need to be mannerly and social, comfortable around people, and savvy enough to stay out of “trouble”.

Training is one of the best things you can do for a dog. Providing exercise and appropriate outlets for natural doggy behaviors is another, and actually facilitates the training process as well. Socialization is the third component is this triad of canine triumph.

 
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Ian & I AudioWoo!

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Tue, 08/04/2009 - 10:59

I’m loving the new forms of communication that are cropping up on the web. Audio is really having a resurgence.

 
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Best Accomplishments

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Thu, 07/16/2009 - 14:03

 Lately on The DSD Dog Blog there has been lots of talk about what not to do when training dogs, who is wrong and why, etc. This kind of discourse can be useful, but often simply deteriorates into ugliness and intolerance. I’d like to step away from that for a moment to focus on the good stuff in dog training by asking our readers: 

What dog training/behavior accomplishment are you most proud of in you and your dog? What is your proudest moment and/or best achievement? How did you get there? 

 
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Does Your Dog Have A Job?

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Fri, 06/26/2009 - 08:36

Today is Take Your Dog to Work Day and lots of people who don’t normally take their dog along with them to their workplace will do so today. Hopefully it will go well. A dog’s got to be well trained, socialized, and have a solid temperament in order to both enjoy the experience and serve as a model canine ambassador to help persuade more businesses to become dog-friendly year round. So please only take your dog to work with you if he or she is ready for it.

There are many benefits to dog ownership, such as mood elevation and stress reduction, most of which could also benefit people in the workplace.

 
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Dog-Friendly Summer Tips With A Twist

Kelly Gorman Dunbar  |  Mon, 06/22/2009 - 09:44

Summer is here and animal lovers are being inundated with important safety tips such as how to keep your dog cool, symptoms of heat stroke, and reminders not to leave dogs in parked cars – especially with the window up! This information is terribly important and I implore you to read all of the tips you come across on the topic even if they seem redundant because it’s info that could save a life.

 

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