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Soko's Addiction

Nicole Wilde | Fri, 05/18/2007 - 08:31

I have a confession: Soko, my German Shepherd who passed away last April at the age of 13, was an addict. Yes, friends, if she could have stood on a dog house in a yard filled with her canine peers, she would have barked out, “My name is Soko and I am a tennis ball addict.” No doubt the malamutes would have woo-woo’d a warm, “Welcome, Soko!” The other Shepherds would have nodded knowingly. The Border Collies, of course, would simply have stared.

Training Songs for the Musical Trainer (Sung to the The Wizard of Oz tune, "If I Only Had a Brain")

Sue Pearson | Mon, 05/14/2007 - 11:05

If I’d gone to puppy classes, I’d not have chewed your glasses 
Or caused you such great pain 
Oh I woulda been a good dog, and I coulda been a good dog 
If I only had been trained.

I would not be just a nothin’, my mouth all full of stuffin’
 From your new couch and chair 
I’d behave – you must believe me 
Don’t you know you’re s’posed to leave me  In my crate when you’re not there.

(chorus) 
Oh gee, I’m running free – I slipped out of the door 
You can chase me but you’ll never catch me cause 

Canine Juvenile Delinquents

Cindy Bruckart | Mon, 05/14/2007 - 09:10

Many dog owners falsely believe that their four, six or eight month old dog is still a puppy. Well, I suppose she is in the same way that my 23 year old daughter is still my little girl. However, my feelings about my daughter do not change the fact that she is most certainly an adult. Likewise, the cuteness or playfulness of any dog doesn’t change the fact that a dog becomes an adolescent around four months of age.

You Get What You Reward

Nicole Wilde | Tue, 05/08/2007 - 09:01

I just returned from a training appointment with one of my favorite clients. Cory and Carol are a forty-something couple who have a twelve-year-old son and a Golden Retriever named Vinnie. Perhaps it’s my Brooklyn roots, but the dog’s name strikes me as funny and adorable. The dog is both.

Beach Dogdom III

Kelly Gorman Dunbar | Mon, 05/07/2007 - 07:49

On my routine evening strolls along one of the most gorgeous beaches I have seen in my life, I watched the typical sunset “scene” and pondered the life of the dogs that lived and played in this quaint little surfer town.

Great Expectations

Sue Pearson | Sat, 05/05/2007 - 10:00

A few years ago, I brought an adolescent dog home from the shelter. You know the type – part beagleshepherdspaniellabrador. A robin stalking, trail sniffing animal who liked to herd birds and paddle water out of her bowl as fast as I could put it in. She was a four-legged piece of imperfection with soulful eyes and poetic ears, and while furtively stealing my socks out of the laundry basket, she also stole my heart.

Socialization…’Till I’m Blue in the Face

Cindy Bruckart | Fri, 05/04/2007 - 14:37

In the middle of a conversation with a daycare client the other day, I was interrupted with, “…I know, I know. Socialization, socialization, socialization.” The client rolled her eyes as she said this, and we both laughed. She’s heard my mantra many times and she knows I’m passionate about it.

Beach Dogdom II: A pleasant surprise

Kelly Gorman Dunbar | Thu, 05/03/2007 - 09:16

It has been a while since I’ve reported on the dogs of Costa Rica and it’s because I couldn’t bear to sit at the computer while in such a gorgeous place. Instead, I spent my days enjoying the atmosphere and trying to savor every detail, making notes on a hotel message pad in order to remember as much as possible about my brief stay.

Help, We’ve Created a Monster!

Valerie Pollard | Sat, 04/28/2007 - 08:15

“We need to you come over right away! Missy is trying to bite us!” The elderly woman’s voice was tight with distress on the other end of the telephone line. This was a totally unexpected call, because Missy was the friendliest, most submissive Golden Retriever you could ever meet; the type who came up to greet you with her rear end wiggling and tucked in, head sideways and licking the air, all aglow at the prospect of getting some attention and petting from everyone around her.

Protein Requirements in Senior Dogs - You Might be Surprised

Nicole Wilde | Thu, 04/26/2007 - 12:11

As a dog trainer, enthusiast and dog-mom, I try to keep up on the latest developments in canine behavior and health. In fact, I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to researching the latest findings. So imagine my surprise when I learned that what I and so many others had believed about older dogs needing less protein in their diets is untrue.