Archive for March, 2009

Guide Dog Pups

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

When I went to get my first guide dog Luther, I was fortunate to be given the chance to hold a 6 week old yellow labrador!

The little guy had just been born at the California campus, and was weeks away from being adopted for a year of tender fostering.

I remember clearly thinking that I could just simply slip him into my pocket and nobody would be the wizer!

Now, thinking back, I laugh about that because, once upon a time, nearly 10 years ago, Luther, yes my Luther would’ve been that small.

Trying to fit Luther into my pocket nowadays, would be trying to fit Shaque in a mini coop, thus you see the funny side of this analagy.

I came across a video of 2 week old Guide Dog Puppies that any animal lover will surely enjoy looking at. These guys, actually 5 girls and 1 “man” look defensless right now, but one day they maybe entrusted with the life of a blind handler, how cool is that?

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Iditarod dogsled race Claims 5 Lives

Monday, March 23rd, 2009

Was reading an interesting story from Google News the other day about the Iditarod dogsled race that takes place each year in Alaska.

This year’s version of the Iditarod dogsled race has taken a toll on not just the mushers but on the dogs as well.

As many as 5 dogs have died this year, which as one might guess does not sit well with animal rights advocates.

The dogs that died, did so of what one can only presume to be the combination of cold and fatigue, as the race is more than 1700 km in length.

Last year 3 dogs died, and the same number died in 2007’s version of the popular race.

The first Iditarod race was held back in 1973 and since then more than 145 dogs have died while helping pull sleds.

Do you think that Iditarod dogs are being subjected to cruel treatment?

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Teach Your Dog to Spin on Command

Saturday, March 14th, 2009

Teaching your dog to perform a 360 rotation on command is probably one of the easier tricks to teach, either that, or I just have 2 very attentive dogs who pick things up very quickly.

Below is the method I used to train both Luther and now Lars to spin a complete rotation on command:

- Place your dog in a sit, facing you

- Show them that you have a treat in your hand

- Move the treat in a circle around the dog’s head, the dog will follow the treat and will have to spin to do it.

- Once the dog completes the full rotation, praise him/her and give the treat

If you add this little exercise to your daily doggy playtime, sooner than later, you will have a pooch that will spin on command!

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Martha Stewart’s Doggy Dies in Kennel Explosion

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

In a story over the weekend, it was reported that the new Chow puppy owned by Martha Stewart died in a kennel explosion.

According to reports the explosion occured when a delivery of propane was being made to the kennel.

17 dogs died in the explosion, including Martha’s dog.

The driver of the truck was also hurt during the explosion but will survive.

This brings the question to mind, who really feels secure with their decision to leave their dog at a kennel?

The chances of your dog dying in an explosion at your kennel are not high obviously, but there are many things that can go wrong, this being just one example.

When I go anywhere and have to bord my dogs, I am always wondering if that is the last I will ever see of them.

I know that they are in good hands, but still, I still wonder, as I’m sure other dog owners do when dropping off Fido at the kennel.

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E-Book Is Complete

Friday, March 6th, 2009

So my dog training e-book is finally complete!

The book is 52 pages from front to back, and is packed with information that no new dog owner should go without.

The book touches on all aspects of dogs from things to consider before bringing your puppy home, to training that puppy when you get it home, and so on.

My next step is to figure out how to install it on the site, something I will probably need to enlist the help of a tech guy to figure out.

The same designer who made my book look cool, is making a logo for the site, which should be done within a few days.

Hopefully my e-book will be installed on the site sooner than later!

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E-book Update

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

So my ebook, or the “ruff” copy of my ebook is complete!

I got a copy of it late last week, and I must say I do like the layout!

The guy that is making it for me, is doing a really good job with it, adding graphics, and formatting it as I want it to appear.

I’m hoping to have it up and running on the site before I take off to Florida for a 9 day training camp at the end of March.

The book touches on many aspects of dog training, and targets first time dog owners.

I am planning to advertise the book using Google’s AdWords program, as by doing this I can directly target dog owners.

This will be an interesting experiment for me, as I have never before delved into this method of advertising.

I am also coming up with a list of promotion options that I can use to promote my book, and will be putting that list into effect when the book is ready for the public eye.

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