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People Training

Cindy Bruckart | Fri, 04/10/2009 - 07:42

I've been asked to help Project POOCH (www.pooch.org) in a new way. My new mission is to help three of the youth develop their skills in training other trainers. This means helping them figure out how to get their own knowledge and skills into the hands of other youth in a way that is meaningful and effective for the new trainers and the dogs in their care.

This is a BIG task! Dogs are easy to train. People are much, much trickier! Teaching humans to teach humans is daunting. Luckily, it's a subject I'm passionate about and very excited to continue to discuss with the guys at Mac Laren Youth Corrrectional Facility.

Last Thursday we discussed some of the issues they've been having as trainer mentors. Much of what they face is similar to what I deal with in my own clients. As I've looked over my notes and thought about how we'll move forward, I've been giving a lot of thought to why it's so much easier to work with dogs than people.

Guide Dog Har-Vest

Rachel Friedman | Fri, 04/10/2009 - 06:09

Late last year I got the call for a dog modeling job (in this case, I got to bring along good ol' Boomer, a wonderful yellow lab who simply does anything I ever ask him with such good cheer he is a regular in my life! He probably had more fun last summer).

In this new job, Boomer had to act like a seasoned guide dog with a middle aged male model who had to act like a blind man who worked alongside a seasoned guide dog in a downtown Cleveland photography studio.

Trust me, when you are handling dogs in the world of modeling when neither man nor beast is trained to lead the blind or, in this case, even blind and comfortable with dogs, you earn your money!

A Great Day to be a Dog Trainer

Jeff Silverman | Thu, 04/09/2009 - 13:25

Most of the time I enjoy helping people train their dogs so much that I feel almost guilty getting paid for it. Still, even the best job can get frustrating at times. Sometimes I get a really difficult class or a stretch of trying clients at the same time that I fall behind in paperwork, and start to look at work as a chore. At those times, I like to remember cases – or even just small moments – that can remind why I love what I do. I had one of those cases just recently. It was a simple case, but one I won’t forget soon.

Saying Thank You

Cindy Bruckart | Thu, 04/09/2009 - 10:57

I will admit that there are days when I just don't feel like teaching classes. It's not often, but it does happen. Once I start a class, however, I forget about whatever it was that got me sidetracked in the first place. I don't think about housework, paperwork, finances, being tired or anything other than the dogs and owners in front of me. That's how I know I'm doing what I should be doing.

After class, I often marvel at the commitment of my students. It's easy to forget sometimes that my students might not feel like coming to class either. They have families, jobs, housework, TV shows to watch and probably a million other things to do. But there they are, dependably taking time out of their busy life to learn how to do their best for their dog.

Give it Time

Cindy Bruckart | Wed, 04/08/2009 - 06:42

What a difference a year makes! Last year I wrote about gardening with dogs here on DSD. Well, here we are again knee deep in Spring projects with five dogs running around the yard.

But this year is different. My dogs are now 1, 2, 2, 7 and 13. They are still curious about what I'm doing, but don't get quite as excited about helping me dig a hole or tasting any new thing I might plant.

Their paths through the yard have been well established and I don't plant things that will get in their way. Their recall is great. They respond immediately to, "Get outta there!" All digging, wrestling and pooping happens in appropriate areas of the yard.

Doggie Ambassadors

Laurel Scarioni | Tue, 04/07/2009 - 09:32

I was reminded again yesterday how dogs have the power to bring people together, without even trying! I was returning to my car yesterday in a downtown parking lot. The car parked next to me was an old, beat-up low rider with 3 rather intimidating young men sitting in it. I needed to get into my driver's side door, but their doors were standing open blocking my way. That is when I noticed the cute little terrier sitting on the passenger side floorboard. I smiled reflexively and commented on what a great dog they had.

The Willing Client

Cindy Bruckart | Sat, 04/04/2009 - 16:07

How do I describe this client of mine who always leaves me smiling? Her dog has issues. His previous owner got him at eight weeks and promptly plopped him in the garage with an older, not-so-friendly dog where he stayed until he was four months old. Somehow, he was able to adapt to his new home, complete with small children and another dog who is about the same age.

His issues? Well, he tends to start any meeting with a new dog by fighting. Originally, he would lunge maniacally on-leash toward any stranger or dog...but we've gotten past that now. He is still quite nervous about stange men and does the funniest air-snap I've ever seen. I know, air-snaps are warnings and they aren't funny...but his just are! He's a goofy looking Lab mix whose name is Bubba, which refers to his Bubba Gump style.

A Great Day!

Laurie C Willia... | Fri, 04/03/2009 - 15:58

In one of my first posts here on DSD I shared some information about some clients of mine who'd become frustrated with their highly active, adolescent Shepherd mix, and showed up one day in class with him wearing an oversized choke chain at the recommendation of some neighbors. I pulled them aside and re-explained why I thought that was a bad idea at this point in time, encouraged them to stay the course, yadda, yadda, yadda, and then they disappeared. It bothered me. I know we can't save them all, but still, I knew I'd always wonder how Rebel was doing. This was just before the holidays and I hadn't seen them since. Well, I'm ecstatic to report that they're baaaaaaaaack!

craigslist puppies?

Jennifer Merritt | Fri, 04/03/2009 - 09:12

Within the past few months, I've had a boon of clients with puppies and dogs adopted through the online networking site craigslist. People list everything on craigslist from job listings to personal ads to items for sale including the kitchen sink (literally). There is little regulation of the millions of self-published ads on the site, other than ads being removed if fraud is reported.

Some dogs from craigslist were "free to good homes" while others were purchased or include a mysterious "rehoming fee" from private individuals. Many pups younger than 8 weeks old, in critical socialization periods and have already had a least one "owner" with ads that include similar phrases such as "moving and can't keep" or "son/daughter allergic".

Some Stuff For Your Dog

Rachel Friedman | Fri, 04/03/2009 - 08:34

I remember when my first daughter was born how mind boggling all the "stuff" was that accompanied her tiny little self. It wasn't just the stuff in the house -- bassinet, crib, changing table, swing and high chair, to name the obvious few, but the stuff you had to take on the road -- the carseat, blankets, diapers and their diaper bag, onesies, wipes, spit rags, slings, backpack, snugly and later, baby food jars and Goldfish crackers and OMG it seemed to get exponentially bigger as she got older until suddenly there was no more emergent need to have on hand all that stuff. Of course in my situation there were two other daughters who also went through that phase but now that the youngest is 10, we can travel pretty light these days. This is because they can walk on their own, buckle their own seat belts, use the bathroom and use pretty sophisticated language to get their needs met.