Michelle Douglas, President of the Association for Pet Dog Trainers, and Maryna Ozuna, a professional dog trainer, talk about dog bonding and problems with five-week-old puppies on the “My Doggie Says…” radio show.
Archive for the ‘Dog Bonding’ Category
Dog Bonding and Problems with Five-Week-Old Puppies: Podcast
Friday, September 24th, 2010Celebrating All Things Canine: Laurel Hunt, Author of Angel Pawprints, on the “My Doggie Says…” Show
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010Here’s how Laurel Hunt describes her “mission” on her web site:
My mission became to explore and honor the enduring bonds that we form with pets, and to understand the deeply felt grief when we lose them.
Now, this web site celebrates all things canine, the occasional feline, and perhaps a few equines, through book reviews, interesting web sites and organizations I come across, poetry and quotations, pet loss resources, and stories about how dogs enrich and change our lives. I welcome your comments and stories!
Listen to her guest appearance on the “My Doggie Says…” show:
Dog Bonding Lessons You Can Learn from the Pros
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010What do Dean Koontz, Ted Kerasote, Kyra Sundance, Michelle Douglas, and Tom Sullivan have in common? For one thing, they love dogs. Secondly, they have very strong and caring relationships with their dogs. And, finally, they have been guests on the “My Doggie Says…”radio talk show on KFNX-1100, in Phoenix.
Every Wednesday night, on the “My Doggie Says…”radio show, I interview one of the top dog-book authors in the country, or one of the best dog trainers, or someone else who’s life, or livelihood, depends on dogs. One consistent message is that many dog experts get into very close relationships with their dogs. It’s a trend that I like to call “dog bonding”– building a strong connection with your dog.
The notion of “all alpha all the time” or making sure that you are dominant over your dog at all times, is giving way to kinder, gentler training methods. Many trainers are working on “positive reinforcement”methods, where they try to always reward good behavior without penalizing bad behavior.
An Exercise in Learning "Dog Talk"
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010At 2:00 in the morning, Callie Golden Retriever walked to the side of my bed and sat facing me. She “snorted.” I don’t know how else to describe the sound she makes. It’s not a bark, or a “wuuf,” or a growl. It’s just a “snort.” Usually, she uses a “snort” to get my attention.
Sometimes, Callie walks right to the edge of the bed and sits down in a place where I can reach her neck to give it a vigorous “puppy scratch.” And sometimes she sits down a few feet away facing the door. This means, “I gotta go pee!” But this was different. She was facing me, but too far away for a “puppy scratch.”
So, what’s she trying to say? Running out of options, I guessed maybe she wanted to go out. So I dragged myself out of bed and walked to the kitchen door that leads out to Callie’s side yard — her place to pee and, maybe, chase a racoon or possum. Got it. Right?
Wrong! She didn’t walk to the door. Instead, she sat down in the middle of the kitchen. Not close enough to the puppy treat bowl to be asking for a puppy treat. Just in the middle of the kitchen. Then I noticed that her food bowl was on the sink and that it still contained a few bites of dinner.
That stinker! She remembered, at 2:00 in the morning, that there was still a little dinner in her bowl, and she was asking me, very politely, to serve it to her.
I’m sorry, Mr. Research Scientist, but when was the last time a 2 1/2 year old kid did something like that? I swear; dogs are smarter than we think!
Sometimes, to understand what your dog is saying, you have to go through all the possibilities and be real creative about trying to understand what they are thinking. On the other hand, “food” is probably the answer more often than not.
Callie, soccer dog, shows off her “nosers” (Video)
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFUsWS7lmxQ
When Did Man and Dog First Form Their Partnership?
Friday, June 18th, 2010Jonathan Franklin, author of “The Wolf in the Parlor,” has re-written the narrative about the long-time relationship between Man and Dog. Conventional wisdom has Man domesticating the Dog somewhere around 6,000 years ago. But Jon Franklin, through extensive research, has shown that Man didn’t really “domesticate” the Dog. Instead, approximately 12,000 years ago, Man and the Wolf evolved simultaneously into a partnership in which Dog (the evolved Wolf) took on the responsibility of guarding over Man, and Man accepted the responsibility for the care and feeding of Dog. At the same time — archeological records show — Man’s brain mass decreased by about 10% (because he didn’t have to guard the fort at night) and Dog’s brain mass decreased by about 20% (because he didn’t have to scavenge for food). It’s a fascinating story, well told. It truly explains the warm psychological bond between Man and Dog.
The My Doggie Says… Radio Talk Show
Friday, June 18th, 2010Fred talks about ways you can improve your dog communication, dog relationships, and dog bonding skills — intermixed with tracks from the “Dog Tracks CD: Songs by Dogs” and the “Dog Appreciation Lessons” CD.
Dean Koontz tells how his Golden Retriever, Trixie, opened his eyes to some aspects of life that he had come to see as “mundane.”
My Doggie Says… Radio Talk Show
Thursday, June 10th, 2010Host Fred Haney talks about dog bonding, dog communication, and dog relationships. Hear sound clips from the “Dog Tracks CD: Songs by Dogs” and the “Dog Appreciation Lessons” CD.
What Does A Professional Animal Trainer Say About Training Dogs?
Saturday, June 5th, 2010Kathy Sdao, animal trainer and faculty member for the “Clicker Expos,” discusses her approach to dog training on the “My Doggie Says…” radio talk show.
As If I Needed Ten More Reasons To Love and Appreciate Callie Golden Retriever. New Reason No. 1
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010You can tell from this blog that I really love Callie Golden Retriever – and that I am very bonded to her. We have a terrific two-way, give-and-take person-dog relationship. My favorite activity with Callie is our daily soccer game – because it’s her creation, from the first day she arrived at my house, at age eight weeks.
But our daily soccer game is just a small part of our relationship. Another important part of our dog-person relationship is my ever-increasing “appreciation†for dogs in general, and for Callie in particular. Dogs continue to amaze me. I know, I know, the scientists say they have the intelligence of a two-year-old kid. But there’s something more going on with dogs.
Maybe it’s all the cute things they do to endear us to them. Maybe it’s their complete honesty and openness of their dog personalities and dog nature – the way they reveal their dogginess to us every day. Maybe they have figured out how to get a reaction out of us. Or maybe they take “cute pills†when we’re not looking.
Anyway, visiting Lake Arrowhead with Callie is always a special treat. She loves being outdoors, having lots of new smells to check out, going on long walks, and swimming in the lake. On our most recent visit, Callie did ten special things that made me appreciate her even more. So I decided to write them as a serial adventure in “Dog Appreciation.â€
If you’ve ever wondered how we arrived at “Dog Appreciation Lessons†as the title of our first CD, now you know. These are the kinds of fun stories that make up the CD – and our fascination with “dog appreciation.â€
So here’s installment No. 1 of “As If I Needed Ten More Reasons To Love And Appreciate Callie Golden Retriever.â€
One of our extended walk/jogs at Lake Arrowhead takes us past the UCLA Conference Center and two tennis courts that are separated from the road by a twenty-foot high row of bushes. In the past, I have found an occasional tennis ball tucked away between the bushes and the tennis court fence.
Realizing from whence these tennis balls were magically appearing, Callie started, some months ago, to search the bushes herself. She would run along the edge of the bushes with her eyes firmly fixed on the area behind the bushes, where an errant tennis ball might be hiding. She has found three or four tennis balls this way – and they become her treasure for the day. She carries them home and stays close to them until bedtime – and sometimes after.
Well, this last visit, Callie amazed us by taking the tennis ball search to a higher level. She climbed behind the bushes whenever she could. She pushed right through the opening between two of the bushes and walked along the gap between the tennis court and the bushes. Unfortunately, this time, she did not get rewarded with a ball, but we were amazed at her creativity and persistence.
It won’t be long until she finds a tennis ball this way.
I don’t know if this qualifies as “smart†or not, but it’s certainly clever and creative behavior. And another one of those little endearing “dog appreciation†moments for me.
Watch this space for nine more “Reasons.â€
