The Real Dog Blog

Tamar Geller

Last night, 20/20 did a segment on dog training with Tamar Geller, author of The Loved Dog. It was a relief to finally see a dog training session on tv that was not focused on the use of coercion, force and physical training methods. I think training takes time and there are no "quick fixes" to severe behavior problems. Tamar's methods are more closely aligned to those used by well known trainers such as Karen Pryor, Ian Dunbar and Patricia McConnell. I'm glad to finally see some airtime for these types of methods, which are endorsed by humane associations across the country.

How we say things

One of my pet peeves….the way we use our words.  For instance, some shelters are coined "high kill" while others are referred to as "no kill".  Of course, the term “no kill” sounds sooooooo much better to us that it makes the other shelter sound like a horrible place.  What do those terms normally mean?  Normally they mean that one of the shelters (usually the “kill” one) cannot legally turn away any animals and therefore must end up euthanizing due to space constraints, while the other shelter has the luxury of turning away animals so they don't get overcrowded.  The way I see it, both groups are working towards the same goal....but one is given a verbal “black eye” because of what people call it.  It’s really not fair to those wonderful workers in any animal shelter.  (Incidentally….I prefer the term “limited admission” and “open admission” as terms for these types of shelters). Here's a great article, albeit a long one, about why we should use caution in how we use our words.

Animal Kingdom

Ok, this isn't about dogs, but I couldn't resist putting in on the blog. This is an amazing video of water buffalo, lions and crocodiles. It ends happily and is well worth watching the 8 minutes of footage.

$1 Million Dollar Law Suit Over Dog Bite

Here's an interesting article about a man who picked up someone elses dog at a dog park. The dog was agitated, in a scuffle at the time. The man was bitten and is now suing the owner of the dog. I think we'll see more suits like this in the future.

Rabies on the Rise in Virginia

Now that the warm weather is here, many of you will be doing more camping and hiking with your dogs. Be sure to keep your dog's rabies vaccination up-to-date. Rabies is on the rise in Virginia.

Update on the Dog Food Recall

It seems that more and more dog foods are being added to the recall list. It's hard to keep track. This website is a huge help. Sign up for free emails so you will be notified when new foods are added to the recall list.

Dogs in Iraq

Here's a post about the dogs working with the Marines in Iraq. Click here to read it.

Scuba Diving Cat and Dog

Now here is a bizarre idea. Talk about finding something you and your pet can do together...this cat and dog go scuba diving. Click her to see the video

The Dog Whisperer - Cesar Milan

I often receive information about National Geographic's hit show, The Dog Whisperer. Many people ask me for my thoughts on the show. ...so here they are.

I have watched the show, and I have trained (many years ago) using some of the same techniques seen in the show. However, I consider the methods used fairly old-fashioned and prefer to use a different style of dog training.

You can train animals in a variety of ways. I choose to use more dog-friendly methods. The methods I use don't rely on intimidation or force. When methods rely exclusively on intimidation and force the training is often easily accomplished by the trainer, but not so easily accomplished by the owner. Methods based on intimidation can work. However, when they don't work, the handler is at great risk of getting bitten and making the dog worse in the process of training. (Hence the "don't try this at home warnings on The Dog Whisperer).

I don't believe dog training is all about 'the ends justify the means". I think dogs should be trained using minimally invasive techniques based on principles of learning and not methods based on force and intimidation.

The Dog Whisper is a great show to watch if you would like to observe signs of stress and fearful body language in dogs though.

For more information about training methods click here.

Chicago "Dog Whisperer" arrested

Speaking of “dog whispering”..here’s another article about animal abuse.  This is a long article but well worth reading.  It's rather rather disturbing, but it also gives a good overview of the history of dog training.  If you’re looking for a dog trainer, check out the guidelines here.