The Dog Blog

A dog ALWAYS has free choice. A dog can ALWAYS choose all "bad" behaviors, including biting. No amount of training reward or punishment will ever remove a dog's opportunity to choose.

There are trainers who report that they can. These people are fools, at best, who really believe that such a cognitive overhaul is possible. These people are slick salesmen, at worst, telling people what they want to hear in the interest of selling something, even though it isn't actually true!

Leadership is a grossly misunderstood concept. Leadership is often associated with words like “dominance”, “alpha”, “authority”, “respect”, and “challenge”. Rarely, if ever, is it associated with the word “trust”. Which may explain the tremendous lack of demonstrated leadership present in today’s human society!

Leadership is a role that requires the earning of trust from followers. Trust cannot be demanded. Force (the tool of the Dominator) creates resistance. Trust can only be given, not taken. Leadership, unlike "dominance", requires followers to CHOOSE to follow. Trust is broken in a heartbeat, but repaired, re-earned, only over a long period of time--not hours, but days, weeks, even months or years. Sometimes, it's irreparably broken.

For a national TV shoot, seeking a service dog in the Chicago area who has changed the life of someone with an invisible disability...such as a seizure detecting dog, or dog that predicts a diabetic crash before it happens. The reason why reasearchers are now looking at the viability of canines sniffing cancer is because anecdotally it's been happening for years. And scientists needed to prove it's real. It is! Email me privately - [email protected].

By the way, i'm a huge advocate of service dogs, and I'm not a lone. Senator Al Franken's first function in office - noting that there's a shortage of these dogs, and funds to pay for them....has passed a bill to increase their numbers and lower the costs:

Print story with Sen. Franken: http://www.stevedalepetworld.com/print-archive/tribune-media-services/weekly-features/416-franken-barks-up-senate-tree-to-help-dogs

We have three birds here at Dog Spelled Forward World Headquarters. Spike and Angel are a pair of cockatiels and Xander (who should be named Anya, but she was very young when she was found "stray" near our home) is a parakeet.

Angel is "my" bird. (Those of you who have shared children or pets with a significant other are undoubtedly familiar with the concept of "ours" and "yours." For example, "our" son finished near the top of his class and got a full scholarship to college, while "my" son did about $4500 in damage to the Prius last winter.) Angel would start screaming as soon as someone's feet hit the floor in the morning and would continue the racket until the cage was uncovered. When asked, I would simply say "ignore him and don't go near the cage until he stops." My wife would make half-hearted attempts, but it never worked.