Blog Profile / The Other End of the Leash
| URL : | http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Pets & Animals / Dogs | |
| Posts on Regator: | 319 | |
| Posts / Week: | 1.6 | |
| Archived Since: | July 25, 2009 | |
Blog Post Archive
What IS “training,” anyway?
My last post raised the question “when should one start training a dog,” and we’ve had a lively and interesting discussion about it in the comment section. Our conversation has raised, as good conversations often do, another issue that I think deserves attention: How do you define training? Many comments have said that we are [...]
No Training ’til 7-8 months?
Oh my. An alert reader sent me an blog from Psychology Today’s website. The essay is by Charles Lee Kelly, and argues that “dog training is no longer working that well” because we start “obedience” training too soon. The quote is actually attributed to Ian Dunbar, and Kelly uses that comment, and suggestions from psychologists [...]
My New Year’s “Not-Resolutions” — Yours?
Like many people, I’m classically conditioned to associate “New Year’s Resolutions” with broad, generic and doomed-to-fail pronouncements, like “I’ll be healthier!” “I’ll lose 20 pounds!” “I’ll be an all around better person!” “I’ll kind and generous to everyone I meet!” I made my share of impossible resolutions in decades past, and like most of them, [...]
Savings for Trainers; Favorite Photographs NZ
I don’t like to use the blog to promote things. The good people here at the office attempt to remind me that I have to make a living, but they have pretty much given up trying to convince me to use the blog as a marketing device. But on occasion they make arguments that even [...]
Peace
In your heart, in your home, and in the lives around you. From Willie and I, we wish you the best of holidays.
Holiday Photos. With Dogs.
I just did a photo shoot for a magazine cover with Willie (more on that later) and I was reminded while doing it how many pet dogs are going to be asked to participate in the GREAT HOLIDAY PHOTOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE. Except I don’t think dogs would use the word “adventure” if they could talk about [...]
Save the Date! Oct 29-30 Madison WI 2011
Oh boy oh boy. We’ve just finalized arrangements to hold a seminar in Madison Wisconsin on October 29-30, 2011. Inspired by the seminar I did in New Zealand, I’m going to give a completely updated version of Advanced Canine Behavior on Saturday. The day will include state of the art research on cognition, play and [...]
Birds of New Zealand
I can’t resist writing a post about the birds of New Zealand. No surprise to readers, I was fascinated by the animals of NZ, many of which have been brought in for a variety of reasons. As many of you know, NZ has no native mammals except two species of bats, and has suffered greatly [...]
More NZ photos; Working Dogs
Just a few photos now, more later when more time (and can download a video of a working Huntaway when we get home)…. We’re on the Banks Peninsula now, just south of Christchurch, gorgeous place, staying at a B & B called the Olive Grove (complete with olive trees and yummy high quality olive oil). [...]
We Made It!
Hardest thing I’ve ever done (voluntarily!), and the most rewarding. Here’s just a few photos from our adventures on the Milford Track, South Island, New Zealand. Our group had a total of 15 people, only 6 of us from the US, all good and true friends. Here we are on Day 1, after a 2.5 [...]
Give a Dog your Heart – Children’s Book
There’s a new book out for children that is designed to help them cope with the death of their dog. It’s titled “Give a Dog your Heart” and is written by Aubrey Fine, Ed.D., a child psychologist who has been using dogs in AAT as long as anyone. I’m not completely objective, Aubrey and I [...]
View from Titirangi, Seminar Notes
About to meet up with some dear friends, and leave for a visit to a Gannet colony, nature center, vineyard and sheep farm, but here’s a photo from the Shangri La where Jim and I are staying for a few nights. Ummmmmmm, yes, it really is this gorgeous. Can’t wait for the Gannets and the [...]
New Kiwi Friends
Couldn’t resist… here is a flock (should I say mob?) of some of my new Kiwi friends. What a great day we had together! (And thanks Karen for that yummy NZ lamb dinner and for all the good company. Looking forward to tomorrow….
Wooo Hooo! Made it to NZ
Sheep sheep sheep! Hardly surprising, since there are something like 70 million of them in New Zealand, but still fun to see them, even in a city park, like this one in the middle of the city of Auckland, Cornwall Park. Auckland, by the way, is a gorgeous city, surrounded by water with lots of [...]
Best Bird, Worst Song
I wrote this before I left for New Zealand, and I hope I can get on line to read the comments about this video. Many of you have undoubtedly seen the video of the now famous Snowball dancing to music on Youtube. Here’s another one, which had me practically wetting my pants I laughed so [...]
The Plays The Thing
Here’s a video I’m going to show in New Zealand of Willie, Hope and friend Mico, from this summer. I’m not going to say much about it, because I am curious what words you would use to describe what you are seeing. Watch it a couple of times, and then if you are so inspired, [...]
Lapping up water
So how would you get water in your mouth if you didn’t have hands and a glass? Carefully watching how dogs and cat lap up liquid may seem trivial, but it’s actually a great exercise in being a good observer. As you can see in the video below, cats get water in their mouths not [...]
Leaving on a Trip — without the dogs
A reader asked if I’d go through what I do to prepare for a trip when I can’t take my dogs along. I thought it was a good question for all of us, and a lead in to what could be a fruitful discussion. After all, leaving one’s dog(s) is hard, and the only way [...]
Stay Training – Phase I; Willie’s First Herding Dog Trial
Thanks for the discussion about the use of Body Blocks for teaching Stay, and to re-iterate a comment I made, they work equally well with dogs of all breeds and sizes (but you have to be a bit quicker with some breeds and with small dogs). If your dog is getting around you to the [...]
Teach Stay with “Body Blocks”
Working Willie on sheep in preparation for tomorrow’s trial reminded me of the first time I made a connection between the way Border Collies herd sheep and dog training in general. As you all know, BCs control sheep by what I call “space management.” They don’t bark, rarely bite, but “take the space” away from [...]