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What Would You Do?

Laurie C Willia... | Wed, 03/11/2009 - 14:51

I really love What Would You Do. For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to watch, it's a hidden camera show, reminiscent of Candid Camera (boy did I really date myself there), that has unsuspecting people witness questionable acts and situations, and then the viewers get to see how they react. Will they turn a deaf ear and blind eye and just walk away or will they confront the offender and speak up? I've watched this show in disbelief as people stand back and say nothing while witnessing a man put an unknown powdered substance in his blind date's drink, a drunk get into her car with her children and drive away, a group of kids gang up on another child, a man verbally abuse his girlfiend, and even a stranger approach a little girl in a public park and lead her away. Unbelievable. Or is it?

Who are THEY anyway?

Nicole Wilde | Tue, 03/10/2009 - 19:09

“They say you should always walk your dog on the left side.” Ever heard that one? How about, “They say feeding from a raised bowl prevents bloat;” or, “Your dog should never sleep in your bed…well, that’s what they say.” Who are these mysterious “they” anyway?

Kids and dogs, safety first.

Marie Finnegan | Mon, 03/09/2009 - 19:45

I have been reading quite a few posts lately about kids and dogs, and seeing photos of kids and dogs, and videos of kids and dogs that are being shown as proof of how scary watching kids and dogs together can be. Whew, that was even hard to type!

Oprah Hearts Cockers!

Laurie C Willia... | Mon, 03/09/2009 - 14:25

If you are an avid Oprah-watcher like me, you witnessed her introducing her new rescued, purebred Cocker Spaniel puppy Sadie to the world. Yes, you read it correctly. From my observations, Sadie appeared to be a purebred American Cocker Spaniel, not much older than 10-12 weeks old. According to reports, Winfrey and her longtime S/O Stedman Graham visited the shelter completely unannounced the previous weekend and adopted the puppy on the spot. But wait, there's more, according to the PAWS Chicago shelter, the puppy was one of a litter of six purebred Cocker Spaniel puppies that were all up for adoption the day Oprah and Stedman came in. Hmmmmmm, okay, I guess this is possible. Unfortunately it's a fact that thousands of purebred dogs end up in shelters every year, but entire litters? And on a day when a high powered celebrity just happens to drop by?

Love Letters and Lessons: Part 2

Kelly Gorman Dunbar | Sun, 03/08/2009 - 08:48

As promised here are more letters to dogs written by our readers to their canine companions past and present. You can find Part 1 here.

“Dear Dog,
Thank you for always wanting to have walks with me and always enjoying yourself, whatever the weather. Thank you for introducing me to lots of interesting people and for taking me to puppy and training classes so I could start understanding you a little better and your friends that you like to play with. Thank you for also teaching me that you have a language with other dogs that I cannot always understand. So still showing me that I have and always will have lots to learn.”

“Thank you for keeping me grounded to the natural world. You are a minimalist. The basics that you live by are the basics that we humans actually need.”

“Dear Dogs (I have many)

The Benevolent Leader (TBL)

Rachel Friedman | Fri, 03/06/2009 - 07:18

I've been developing a routine lately (Pillar 4) of intense contemplation interrupted with bursts of writing activity only periodically interrupted by Life's Other Responsibilities (Pillars I-III) -- parenting 3 daughters, caring for my menagerie, and oh yeah, earning a living to pay the bills and all that other mundane stuff. I'm fully ensconced in the writing of content and the editing of video and the management of the currently 'invitation only' user group for my emerging tome, THE SIX PILLARS OF DOG TRAINING WISDOM and I'm marveling at how the whole process is impacting my own relationships in interesting and great ways.

A Cute Picture is NOT worth it!

Michelle Douglas | Wed, 03/04/2009 - 07:50

I received another e-mail today. You know the ones with a string of adorable pictures of babies and dogs. People send me these thinking I will love the cute photos of cute kids and cute dogs. I don’t. These pictures terrify me. They usually show a stressed out or aroused dog with a child who is too close. The videos that circulate are even worse! Children and dogs should not ever be set up for a photo opportunity. This is dangerous. A stressed dog can inadvertently smother or trample a small child, or scratch or bite them to stop them from screaming (or even giggling). Dogs can hurt babies by trying to play, or just in an attempt to get away, especially if mom or dad is there telling the dog to stay! This creates a conflict for a dog: instinct urges, leave the scene, but mom says stay, so how do I get out of this?

What it's like to be stage mom - to a DOG!

Lisa Spector | Tue, 03/03/2009 - 23:01

Being a concert pianist and having the experience of performing in many countries and concert venues, I know very well what it's like to be in the spotlight and get lots of attention, and quite honestly, I never grow tired of it. However, my dog, Sanchez, obviously had enough of playing second fiddle to the limelight. Sanchez has always loved a great deal of attention and thinks the world should revolve around him. Keep in mind, he has never lacked getting attention. When he was a puppy in training for Guide Dogs for the Blind, he even wore a green jacket that said his job description, but it might have well said, "Look at me, I'm the cutest thing in the world". Teenage girls would come up to us screaming "He's SO cute!!!"

Getting Started in Nose Work

Jill Marie O Brien | Mon, 03/02/2009 - 08:34

I have written about K9 Nose Work and folks have been asking me about what is needed to get started and the best way to introduce their dogs to a more formal nose work routine. The greatest thing about doing K9 Nose Work is how easy it is and portable it can be. Your dog’s nose goes everywhere and the world is an adventure.

My training partners and I generally start all dogs in class using cardboard boxes for searching. You can use any type of container such as shoe boxes, Tupperware with holes punched in the top, flower pots, etc. You’ll want to contain the odor, yet leave enough ventilation for it to be accessible to the dog. The greener the dog the more accessible the odor should be. We have found card board boxes to be the easiest and most cost effective. We start with 5 or 6 and the number and difficulty grows with time and experience.

The Holy Grail Of Dog Training

Dr. Ian Dunbar | Mon, 03/02/2009 - 07:10

Two-thirds of the Dog Star Daily team is in the Sierra Mountains. Yesterday, the weather was absolutely atrocious. Cold, windy, and wet. After trying to keep up with my son Jamie all day, everything below my neck ached — but nothing that a long soak in the hot tub and a blazing fire wouldn’t improve.

Still "ouching" on the couch (in just moderate pain), I decided I would check email… a whole bunch of messages, including four from our editor, one of which instructed me to write a blog post. I just felt too tired to write and anyway, why would Dog Star Daily readers be interested in a blog about weather conditions and skiing? I stayed prone on the couch.