Superfantastic TV Trainer

There are a lot of dog training shows on TV these days. People are always asking me what I think about this TV trainer or that TV trainer... and to be honest, some of the superfamous trainers out there are a little bit creepy... frequently using choke collars... going on and on in a slightly paranoid tone about how your dog "might be trying to dominate you"... etc., etc. The only TV trainer that I reallyreallyreally consistently like is the British trainer, Victoria Stilwell, from Animal Planet's It's Me or the Dog. Victoria's show is the one show I feel truly, 100% comfortable recommending to clients. It's full of excellent tips, and fun to watch, too. Her methods are creative, clever, modern, and (most importantly!) kind. I have yet to see her use a technique that I wouldn't use myself, which, in a business often marinated heavily in strong personal opinion, is a rare thing, indeed! New episodes air every Saturday at 8pm, and old episodes are scattered throughout the week.

Free Animal Emergency Rescue Aid

The ASPCA website has so many really cool resources. Right now you can order a safety window decal that alerts rescue workers (firefighters, police etc.) of how many non-human "pet kids" you have at home who might need help during an emergency. You can also order an Animal Poison Control information magnet (perfect for the fridge.) Best of all, these life-saving items are... free (yippee!)

Costa Mesa Family Pet Expo 2008

Woohoo! The America's Family Pet Expo will be back in Orange County the second weekend in April. People in the industry fly in from all across the country for this annual Southern California event. There are all kinds of seminars, workshops, demos, animal shows, rescue groups, lots of vendors with pet stuff to buy, and even pony rides and a petting zoo. Tickets are waysupercheap ($12 for grownups, $6 for kids 6-12, and freeeeeeeee for kids under 6!) This huge-giant event is a popular draw for animal careery people, and just as much fun for nonanimalcareery pet-lovers, too!

Doggie Owner Look-Alikes

Can you even believe how much these dogs look like their humans? These are photos of a national dog food contest's winners. Silly as it may seem, recent studies at UCSD show that when people pick a breed of dog, they tend to choose a pure bred that resembles them! If your pup looks like your canine twin, the Arbor Dog Park and Seal Beach Animal Care Center are having a look-alike contest at their Wags to Riches fundraising event this Saturday, March 15. Festivities run from noon to 4:00pm and will also include lots of raffles, pet stuff vendors, rescue groups, and more!

Going Postal (Puppy Vs. Mailman: The Origins of Angst)

Ever wonder why so many dogs seem to truly, sincerely HATE the mailman? Besides the edging-on-creepish outfits (scary uniform-style shorts, spooky wheely-contraption bag as accessory...), many freaked-out pups are simply reacting to their natural doggy drives.

It's really quite simple (and comical, actually!) Most dogs don't understand that it's the mailman's JOB to come to the house everyday, drop off the mail, and then... leave . Unless he's been taught otherwise, a dog is thinking: "Here he comes... that relentless bad guy is going to try to get into my house AGAIN... if he thinks he's going to get in this time, he's wrong! I'm going to bark and growl until I scare him away!" After the postman leaves, your dog feels quite pleased, because he believes he has successfully thwarted an evil-doer's dastardly plans!

Trainers call this self-rewarding behavior. Instead of treats, your dog's repeated behavior has been rewarded with that warm, glowy inner feeling of accomplishment called... self-esteem (it's as good as praise, and almost as great as chicken!)

Understanding why a dog does things is superimportant. Knowing that the motivation is well-intentioned often softens our feelings of annoyance, and it can also give us greater insight on how to attempt to remedy a situation. As always, each dog is an individual, and there are different techniques to fix this problem depending on your dog's age, breed, and temperment. One often highly-effective technique is to change your dog's perspective of the mailman from intruder to... friendly human treat dispenser. You'll basically be putting the TREAT in peace treaty :)

Unfortunately, a lot of postal carriers have had really negative experiences with dogs! But (assuming your dog is not aggressive), if you approach your postal carrier with your dog trainer, your mailman may be more willing to meet your dog (on-leash, of course.) He can then help you start the desensitization process: by silently tossing your dog an ultrasupercovetedfavorite treat. He or she may be willing to repeat this each day he or she drops off the mail (make sure that your dog only evereverever gets this supertreat from the mail carrier, and that when it happens, your dog is always supervised, on-leash.) Pair the treat-giving with lots of calm, loving praise from you, and soon mail delivery will be like Doggy Christmas.

If your dog begins to become overstimulated and starts barking, respond silently, unemotionally and immediately... away you go to another location: No treat.

Over time, most dogs will come to associate calm behavior around the mailman with yummy goodness. You might even begin to find your dog waiting happily at the front door in anticipation of your postal carrier's delicious Santaesque arrival! After lots of practice (we might be thinking weeks not days; although this will greatly depend upon your postal carrier's willingness to participate), the mail carrier can stop tossing out treats, and when he or she arrives, you can give your dog the treats, instead. Once you observe that the positive association is really solid, you can gradually begin to phase the treats out completely.

Training Dogs (and Husbands, too!)

For a wonderfully campy, fun read, check out Amy Sutherland's just-released new book What Shamu Taught Me about Life, Love, and Marriage: Lessons for People from Animals and Their Trainers (special thanks to LuLu's Uncle for the referral!) The book is based on Amy's New York Times article What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage (if you have not yet read this, you MUST, it's just too amusing to pass up!)

In the original article (as well as in her recent NBC Today Show Interview) Amy talks about how she applied the positive training techniques professional trainers use on animals... on her husband. She uses the primary concepts we talk about all the time when working with dogs: focusing on desired behaviors, rewarding successes, ignoring negative behavior, redirecting, etc. In the book, she elaborates on all her goofy experiments and offers insightful facts & creative tips for working with species of all sorts.

Although some might initially find Amy's "husband training" slant rather creepy (namely...um... husbands), the premise is actually great. Whether you're interacting with puppies, dolphins, your co-workers, preschoolers (ahem), and yes, even husbands, patience & positivity seem to be the most effective (and loving!) universal motivators :)