Yeah yeah, I am busy...

I know, I know...things have been a little hectic where it's kind of hard to get to my blog. This last month and a half have been crazy because not only do I have a ton of clients, but I am traveling alot. In fact, I am leaving for New York for my 30th birthday on 9/7-9/12. My birthday is actually on the 15th, but that was the best weekend we could go.

Don't worry people, my traveling will be done until the end of October when I am going to Portland and then to Florida in mid November, both of which are short weekend trips. Soooo, I will be around for your doggies!

Just be patient with me, I will keep posting. In fact, I have to share about the wonderful experience Jamie had dog sitting and the reactions of the owners when they got home...it's good to be a dog trainer.

Buying a dog a big decision

Monday, August 28, 2006
By D.L. STEPHENSON
dstephenson@repub.com

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Although it goes almost without saying that you must love dogs if you decide to acquire a four-legged friend, sometimes love isn't all you need.

Four dog shows on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition that began on Thursday and ended yesterday featured more than 150 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club, the sanctioning body for the shows
Each show also included obedience trials and gave the public an opportunity to ask questions.
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However, the message was clear at all four shows: Buying or adopting a dog, regardless of its pedigree, is serious business and never to be done on a whim.

According to Gloria McClay, show chairwoman for the Great Barrington Kennel Club, reputable breeders always ask prospective owners a series of questions and expect those looking to buy to do the same.

"If the breeder talks like a salesman, then you don't want to buy a dog from that person," McClay said of those breeders more concerned with profits than the future welfare of their animals.

She said that it's also important for prospective owners to do their homework on the breeds they like in order to select the right kind of dog for their lifestyle.

As well, reputable breeders - those who do not run "puppy mills" or sell their dogs to pet stores - will also know of groups and organizations that rescue purebred dogs.

McClay said there are plenty of purebred rescue groups in existence because, unfortunately, there are numerous unfit "dog parents" who abused, neglected, abandoned or relinquished their animals to animal shelters.

Certain breeds such as rottweilers, Doberman pinschers, American bull terriers, German shepherds, Alsatians and other large dogs, often attract people looking for dogs that look tough and mean. And frequently these large breeds fare the worst, though any dog can end up with a bad owner and in need of rescue.

People who say they want a particular dog primarily because of its looks or tough image raise a red flag for McClay, who breeds small schipperkes and has bred a litter of rottweilers.

For professional handler David C. Fitzpatrick of East Berlin, Penn., who breeds small, apartment-friendly Pomeranians, "I use my intuition when I talk to people."

He insists that people who want to purchase a dog visit his kennel at least three times and ask him questions about not only the breed, but also about his qualifications, background and professional practices as a breeder.

Fitzpatrick said nice people can be bad owners, too.

Dogs are social animals and do not deserve to be home alone every day for hours on end, which is the norm in a society in which most people work outside of the home, he said.

"Socialization with dogs is very important. So they may be great people, but if they don't have the time, I don't sell them one of my dogs," Fitzpatrick said.

I will be in Ohio until Tuesday

I am flying there to see my family. I am very excited! I will have my cell phone and my laptop so I will be available should you decide you would like to contact me.

Thanks and see you Tuesday!

How to Make Your Dog Younger

Keeping your best friend's DogAge as young as can be helps ensure that the two of you will have more time to spend together. To help make your dog younger, your dog should follow these 7 steps:

1. Maintain a lean physique, with a clearly defined and tucked-up waist. Controlling your dog's caloric intake and increasing exercise helps to prevent obesity and other health issues, which can make his or her DogAge up to 1.8 years younger.

2. Eat only the amount of dog food necessary to maintain an ideal body condition. Measure servings with a standardized measuring cup, and monitor body condition regularly. Prevent your dog from overeating by putting the dog food bowl out only at mealtimes and removing it as soon as your dog stops eating. Monitoring your dog's diet can make his or her DogAge up to 1.8 years younger.

3. Be trained to respond to commands the majority of the time.Well-behaved dogs are safer dogs. Obedience training can make your pet's DogAge up to 1.3 years younger.

4. Enjoy teeth-cleaning chews or biscuits and brush teeth three times per week. Next time you want to reward your pup with a snack, choose a treat that's teeth-friendly. Your dog will enjoy the biscuit, and you'll appreciate his or her smile. Keeping your dog's teeth clean can make his or her DogAge up to 6 months younger.

5. Exercise or play actively at least three times per day for a minimum of 15 minutes each time. Keep playtime interesting by diversifying your dog's activities. For example, occasionally swap playing catch in the yard with visits to new parks. Keeping your dog active regularly can make his or her DogAge up to 6 months younger.

6. Get vaccinated and visit the veterinarian for regular checkups.Many veterinarians agree that pets should be vaccinated to help prevent illness and diseases; ask your dog's vet which vaccines are necessary. Vaccinating your dog can make his or her DogAge up to 6 months younger.

7. Be safe in the yard, on walks, and on trips by using protective barriers and gear such as fences, leashes, and dog carriers.The less trouble your dog finds, the younger and healthier he or she will be. Protecting your dog from harm can make his or her DogAge up to 6 months younger.As you make changes to your dog's lifestyle habits, don't forget to update your pet's DogAge Test. Updating your dog's test every 3 months will enable you to monitor his or her progress as well as motivate you to continue to make choices that will keep your pet as young and healthy as possible!

Learn 3 more ways to keep your dog young at DogAge.

Join the Healthy Steps Program.

How much younger is your dog? Update your pet's DogAge Test today!

3 dogs in bootcamp

As some of you know, bootcamp is pretty time consuming and tedious. It's a lot of work.

Jamie took on a job that requires her to train 3 dogs (puppies!) while my client is away for 2 weeks. Mind you, they didn't start the training before they left...we started it. She is living there 24/7, I visit to make sure everything is going smoothly. She is doing great and the dogs are learning!

I had to take over on Saturday because Jamie had a seminar she had to attend, so I took over the bootcamp and it was crazy. I felt like a drill sargeant...when one would misbehave, they all would, so I would have to stand over them to make sure they were getting it. It's a lot of work with just 1 dog, but 3 is just overwhelming at times, especially puppies.

So, kudos to those who train multiple dogs...I have a couple of clients that are doing just that...I need to remember to acknowledge them for it!!

The Kiss

He had just saved her from a fire in her house, rescuing her by carrying her out of the house into her front yard, while he continued to fight the fire.

She is pregnant.

When he finally got done putting the fire out, he sat down to catch his breath and rest.

A photographer from the Charlotte, North Carolina newspaper, "The Observer," noticed her in the distance looking at the fireman.

He saw her walking straight toward the fireman and wondered what she was going to do.

As he raised his camera, she came up to the tired man who had saved her life and the lives of her babies, and kissed him, just as the photographer snapped this photograph.

http://aad.lomag.net/The-Kiss.htm

Thank Dog Sitting adds another...

Because of the overwhelming response to my sister petsitting for my company, I have recently added Charlotte Cramer to Thank Dog pet sitting. She is my best friend and has trained dogs with me in the past. I took her under my wing awhile back and then she got an acting gig and had to put it on hold...now she is back!

Charlotte (I call her Carrie) knows a lot about dog behavior and how to care and train them. She is a great addition to Thank Dog... I am very excited to have her.

She will be offering the same packages and pricing as Jamie.

Leaving soon? Call us!

Doggie Style

Just wanted to give shout outs to a little dog clothing store in Silver Lake (California).

1639 Silverlake Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Phone:
(323) 664-DOGS (3647)

They have adorable clothing, my sister and I go there often. Anyway, they also have an online store should you not live in CA. www.ladoggiestyle.com

Bootcamp while you're away

As you know, Jamie and I have added pet sitting to Thank Dog as a service. We have many packages you can choose from, but the one that is most helpful is the bootcamp package.

It's great, my clients are happy...it couldn't have worked better.

How it works is like this...

If you know you are going away and you haven't started training yet, we start with a behavior consultation where both Jamie and I will come to your house. When you sign up, we will then have a first lesson right before you leave so you know exactly how it works. It's a lot of work, however, when you leave, Jamie takes over bootcamp (the training) while living at your place. This way, you get a petsitter and training!

If you are already a client, then Jamie will just pick up where you left off.

I visit throughout the time you are gone to make sure everything is going smoothly and the dog is learning what he is expected to. When you come back, your doggy is on track and further along than when you left. I will come to teach you the remaining lessons and soon enough, your doggy is where you want him. It's beautiful really.

We have already started these services and have references to back it up. It's definitely different than any training offered out there...here is why:

• Your dog gets to stay in his own environment while you are away and not in a kennel which could cause a lot of anxiety
  
• Your dog will be trained the entire time you are gone
  
• Behaviors specific to your dog in the household will be dealt with
• Jamie is literally living in your home so your doggy will hardly be left alone along with your home being secured.
  
• I will be spending extra time with your dog which would be a dream come true for my clients (haha, they always ask me to live with them which is very cute)
• Best one of all...your dog gets all kind of love and attention while getting basic obedience (dogs who are sent away to be trained live in a cage the entire time except when he goes out to potty and out to be trained.)

It's pretty fantastic. Email me if you are interested in pricing!

Tags: petsitting, In Board Training, Basic Obedience, Dog Training

Dog training rocks!

If you think about it...I have a pretty rad situation. I get to make money by meeting new people and playing with dogs all day long. It's really cool going into people's homes to see what their situation is like, or hearing their stories and life experiences. One of the things I treasure most is the trust people have in me to solve their problem or confiding in me on whatever it is they would like to share.

Most of all, I love it when clients actually become my friends...Yes, dogs included.

What Dogs Think.......................

1. Blaming your farts on me... not funny... not funny at all !!!
2. Yelling at me for barking...I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG, YOU IDIOT!
3. Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose walk is this anyway?
4. Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose... stop it!
5. Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your stuff up when you're not home.
6. The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Whoooo Hoooooooo what a proud moment for the top of the food chain.
7. Taking me to the vet for "the big snip", then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!
8. Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet.
9. Dog sweaters. Hello ???, Haven't you noticed the fur?
10. How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Look, we both know the truth, you're just jealous.
11. Now lay off me on some of these thing's, We both know who's boss here!!! You don't see me picking up your poop do you ???

Awwwwww

Do Dogs Have a Sense of Humor?

Does your dog ever make you laugh on purpose? Does he know he's being funny? An even stranger question ... does your dog find things funny?

There are countless stories of dog antics and behavior that are funny, but most of those you'd have to say are unintentional. Humorous behavior may be repeated because of the positive reaction received. In this case, you can't say the dog has a sense of humor, but is acting on positive reinforcement.

But dogs may be a little smarter than that. Just as some people enjoy making others laugh, it would seem, so do some dogs. Author Stanley Coren tells of his Cairn Terrier, Flint, who frequently seemed to try to amuse his owners. On one occasion, Stanley's wife Karen was having friends over for coffee. Flint hung around the guests, perhaps hoping for a morsel of food. Karen shooed the dog away and told him to go find something interesting to do. Flint obediently left, only to return with one of Karen's undergarments in his mouth. Coren writes, Evading capture, he proceeded to flagrantly snap it from side to side with great joy to the amusement of the company and the dismay of my wife.

Did the terrier know he was being funny? Hard to say, but Coren says Flint did get a great deal of enjoyment out of it.

Now, there are many levels of humor. There's basic physical humor like slapstick, up to very high-level humor that requires visualization and imagination to appreciate, such as the type comedian Steven Wright so dryly delivers. A dog's world of humor would have to be mostly on the physical level, through simply behaving in a goofy manner, or playing little tricks on you.

Of course, some really intelligent dogs may even enjoy a little psychological humor. One dog owner blogs, "I guess you could say that I startle easily. And now, I live with The Crow - she's an unusually smart dog with a wicked sense of humor. She's decided it's funny to ambush me from the shower stall. Ha ha. Ha. Now I know she's likely to be there, and it doesn't scare me anymore ... not much, at least. Still, there's always a small start when I don't realize she's in there and I turn to see this."

It's really not so hard to believe that dogs have the mental prowess to grasp humor, since they so readily grasp the concept of play. Dogs completely understand the difference between play and something more serious, and are careful to make the distinction. For example, one tiny Yorkshire Terrier named Missy is exceedingly careful to make sure the line between play and not-play is very clear. Missy loves to growl and yap ferociously when playing a game with a person. But she'll abruptly call a time out by running over and licking her human opponent most humbly, as if to say, "Hey, you know this is only a game, right? You know I wouldn't hurt you." (As if her five pounds of fluff could ever be a threat.) Once Missy is satisfied that all parties understand that itâ's only a game, she'll go right back to it, acting out her savage beast within.

W. H. "Hank" Halliday, of Wolf Awareness Inc. in Ontario, Canada contends that if dogs have a personality, why not a sense of humor? Since personalities are a fact in these canids (dogs and wolves), I would suggest humor cannot be far behind. When my dog plays, it is not mechanical. He changes the rules to have "fun" with me. He certainly teases me and I would suggest that teasing is a form of humor.

As these stories illustrate, if you've ever suspected your dog was making you the punch line to his joke, you were probably right.

Want to know more?

From The Dog Daily:
Does your Dog Have a Sense of Humor?

From PBS:
Dog Gets a Good Joke

Winners of the "I Look Like My Dog" Contest

Finally caught up

Wow, what a long couple of days. I finally managed to track down all of my clients! Phew!!

Thanks to everyone who read my blog and contacted me with their information...pretty much saved my ass!

I have a lot of new clients and will have more stories, tips and information to spread in a couple of days. My weekend is pretty much maxed out with lessons, I think the most lessons I have ever had on both Saturday and Sunday combined. It will be pretty exhausting but fun!

As for my seminar this past weekend, I wrote about it in my sister's blog, but I will copy and paste some of it here:

Wow. Yep, that is pretty much all I have to say about my experience. Well...nevermind...I take that back, I actually have a lot to say about my experience. BUT, if I had to sum it all in one word, it would be, "wow".

I found exactly what I needed...my act. The very thing that makes me the way I am today. Having a better understanding of what that is is exactly how one can overcome their fears, insecurities or whatever else is going on.

First, for those of you who don't know...your act is something you use on a daily basis to deal with any tragedies, failures, insecurities or any uncomfortable situations you come across. In the process, it causes the "bad news", or the awful truth about you, to unknowingly come into play. This happens so often that before you know it (and usually you don't), you become a certain way of being. This way, dictates the results you get in life and that isn't for the positive.

Sometimes this way brings what Landmark calls a strong suit. A strong suit is a part of your act. The best way to describe it is, strong suits to an act is like scenes are to a movie. They all come together to form the big picture...you...but it really isn't you, it's your act.

Strong suits play into your insecurities. They are often good qualities, however, they allow people to use them to avoid real life. For example, if someone is being yelled at, they will use humor to get through it...humor being the strong suit.

Your act is something that is created at an early age, usually from an incident. Once it's there, it never leaves - you literally live by it, you ARE your act. Knowing where it started and what it brought to your life is exactly how one moves forward to live powerfully.

Ok, so, what does this mean for me? A TON of things. I definitely came out of this weekend feeling powerful. I mean, I was able to go way back to figure out what my incident was that set the path of how I have been living.

I am not going to tell you my incident only because the person that was involved would feel bad and there is absolutely no reason for them to. I was very young and the person was just teasing me, but I think I was too young and sensitive...I would have laughed at it today. Anyway, the way I dealt with it totally explains how I am today.

I did not voluntarily share on my own at all this weekend until Sunday when I found out my act. I guess you can say I was one of the quiet ones. However, realizing how dumb my insecurities were enlight of my incident, allowed me to raise my hand and share for the first time in Jill Landmark history.

After my defining moment (not really...haha), we were let out for dinner only to come back for what really was my defining moment. One by one, we had to go on stage and declare who we are and the act we are giving up. We had to mean it and if we didn't, we would have to do it all over again. This was an exercise to get you to literally transform infront of the room. The only way for it to happen is for you to actually believe what you were saying.

I wanted to get this over with, so I volunteered after about 15 people went, which is crazy for me. As I went up, I heard the 3 claps (it's how you are introduced to start your transformation) and took a step forward. I was sooooooo scared. I decided to "be with" the audience before beginning, meaning, I tried to get present with them while taking deep breaths. I said:

"Who I am is the possibility of self worth (this is when I start crying) and self expression.
((deep breath)) The act that I am giving up is "I'm ok, now leave me alone",
and THAT is who I am."

The entire room got up so quickly, screaming and clapping and literally gave me a standing ovation. Although I was uncomfortable, I loved it. I had to stand up there and take it. I felt so supported it was unreal. I will NEVER forget it.