Pit bulls, BSL and media sensationalism of dog bites are never far away from the limelight:

Excellent solid advice from Drayton Michaels on responsible and sensible media interactions in relation to dog bite incidents: Addressing the Media and on a similar note from Teresa Lewin: Five Great Tips for Writing to the Editor About a Dog Bite Story

I really like this Guardian article responding to the now infamous BBC documentary on so-called dangerous dogs legislation in the UK: Who do we fear more? The dogs or their owners?

A critique of the show from Company of Animals: Critique of Death-row Dogs programme  and a press release from the Dog Assessment Focus Group.

This is one from Casey Lomonaco that I have been mulling over for a while: Can we have a discussion about BSL without seeing red?

Anytime a dog bites it’s shocking and upsetting for all involved and especially so when it happens on live TV:

The clip that started it all: Dog bites news anchor Kyle Dyer in the face and several other clips covering the story here.

The channel brought in Matt Levien an Animal Behavior Technician to discuss the bite and offer possible explanations and advice.

One of the best of many analyses of this incident from Michael Baugh

Excellent analysis of this sad situation from Family Paws: Dog bites reporter….why?

Jeff Silverman’s sensible response: The Blame Game

Family Paws uses this incident as an opportunity to educate: Learn from 3 bites to 3 news anchors

We’ve posted this before buts it’s appropriate here: Dogs bite when humans greet inappropriately and also from Dr Yin, a Dog Bite Prevention PSA.

Sticking with controversy, tonight on ITV1 the first ad just for dogs was aired - were dogs jumping up and taking notice or is this just a clever marketing ploy?

For Valentine’s Day tomorrow: How to love your dog – believe it or not!

And one of the more controversial of Super Bowl 2012 doggie themed commercials featuring Mr Quiggly and friends.

Excellent advice in here about teaching dogs to love love love it when people are around their stuff: Give and Take

Another great clip, this time on teaching that all important skill, self control

Super KPA Tip of the Day: Ready…set…for groomer and vet!

Threshold is such an important concept for dog owners to get and this fantastic analogy really helps make sense of it: How are dog bites like tetris?

Really interesting report on recent work looking at the efficacy of dog-child safety education programs; although this is only one piece of work the important things to take away from this have long been preached by dog-child safety advocates: parents must supervise closely, regularly and consistently revise dog-child safety protocols with their children and be a good example by behaving appropriately around dogs and kids.

Interesting little ditty from Dr Coren: Why do some puppies go limp when you lift them up?

There has been some controversy stirred up about methods and how aversives impact teaching and living with dogs; here Joanne Brokaw presents the issues in this beautiful and appropriate piece: If dogs think and feel, do aversive training techniques cause harm?

Great resources for DINOS in the form of helpful handouts.

Although a re-post, it’s a fab piece and deserves re-reading (and re-reading and re-reading): The myth of ‘normal’ dogs

Winter puppies often suffer from lack of socialisation due to bad weather and shorter days; some tips to help here: Wintertime Puppy Training 101

Winter often means that we can’t get our dogs out as much as we (or they) would like but its important to implement mental stimulation strategies all year round: Brain Games for Dogs

Looks like this is going to be a good series: Dogs and Psychoanalysis, Part 1

Beautiful account of a beautiful dog who stole a person’s heart meaning they are devoted to dogs for life: Becoming a Dog Person (tissues at the ready!)

Fantastic freestyle piece from Richard Curtis and Jazz – Thriller routine

For some dogs going on walkies can be too exciting and push them over threshold or perhaps walkies are not possible due to injury or old age (to doggie or owner) or bad weather so here are some great ideas for exercising at home - How to exericse your dog without leaving the house - in fact, we think that some of these ideas should be implemented along with walkies  for daily fun and activity (minus the laser lights – we’re not really big fans of those for dogs!)

Lots of very good bits and pieces around on the problems with dominance as a training paradigm (or indeed a living-with-dogs-paradigm); here’s another from Gail Fisher: Please don’t dominate your dog

On a somewhat related note, an interesting review of Cesar Millan’s The Pack Leader Tour and from the same author: What’s wrong with Cesar Millan and dominance based training?

Think we might have posted these before but we all need reminding and revision so here they are again: Polite Walking Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3

Fun way to keep your dog’s nails trim (and a great trick too!): Stress free nail clipping And here is a great clip showing some ways to help your dog love nail clipping: Is your dog scared of having his toe nails cut?

As always some great advice from Dr Marty Becker: How can I protect my pet from an accidental poisoning?

Again, I think this might be a re-post but its a good one: The Ethics of Shock-Collar Containment Fences for Dogs and Cats

Love this piece from Veterinary Rescuer: I cannot do it all…

Fantastic list of all kikopup’s free videos, some real gems in here so check ‘em out!

Teaching ‘leave it’ is easy, important and has wide reaching implications (good ones) for your dog’s behaviour; and here’s part 2 if you want more!

See? this is how important teachng leave it is: My dog eats rocks, and other strange things

I really like this little article from BAD RAP rescue and especially love the categories of dogs relative to how dog social they are – Understanding Different Dog Tolerance Levels. All forms of dog aggression are poorly understood and misinterpretted so clear explanations are essential so pet owners can understand their pets behaviour. There is no replacement for a qualified dog behaviour professional to help you guide your dog’s behaviour in the human world. And this is a great piece on continuing adult dog-dog socialisation: Does your dog get along with other dogs?

Help for reluctant fetchers from Dr Yin: How to train a dog to play fetch

Dog-speak is nothing if not ambivalent and worth pondering; this is a great piece investigating the meanings (plural!) of one of the best known of canine signals: When is a play bow not just a play bow?

There are a couple of excellent doggie themed ads from Subaru; this one is my favourite: Camping

Socialise your puppy month

Day 31 recap for those puppies-soon-to-be-adolescents!

Train your dog month

Day 31 recap for the grown-ups too!

More work showing how in tune dogs are with humans - Another reason dogs rule: they know what you’re thinking

Great Q&A with Ken Ramirez: Thinking Beyond the Cue; from Ken “My message would be simple: training is not a luxury, but a key component to good animal care. Everyone who has a pet should understand that basic fact. Training is a way to enhance the quality of life for our pets. It is far more than just teaching a dog to do a cute trick. Training is about teaching a dog (or any animal) how to live in our world safely.” – says it all!

Great little piece on contrafreeloading – having your pet work for his ‘living’ is enjoyable and necessary!

Interesting look at dogs’ circulatory system and how they can keep their feet from freezing – make sure however in cold conditions to regularly check your dog’s feet for damage, snow, ice and matting.

Excellent resource list, especially useful for DINOS (dogs in need of space)

A couple of clips discussing that old favourite: Dominance Debunked – the myths and realities of dog training and Is the dog a pack animal? and Steve Dale and Dr. Patricia McConnell on Dominate Your Pets?

Love love love this little piece: Treat your kids like a dog - there’s a lesson in there!

Teaching a retrieve is easy, fun and there is no need for aversives; just a clicker and treats: Shaping and Chaining the Basic Retrieve 

This is some of the most important advice when it comes to our dog’s social life – actively supervising dog-dog play, keeping everyone happy and making sure playtime stays fun – Shaping Dog Play

Adorable and some great training: Leroy’s Fit Pit Dog Aerobics Workout Video

Socialise Your Puppy Month

Day 30 bringing some LLW challenges and recall exercises – don’t worry that the days are gone eskew, just accommodating the 2012 calendar.

train your dog month

Day 30 training challenges for the grown-up doggies too

Socialise Your puppy month

Challenge Sunday for the puppies!

Train Your Dog Month

And a challenging day 29 for the big doggies too!

Today’s Top Training Tip:

There is often lots of discussion among trainers about training equipment such as leashes and collars, toys and treats.  Although we at Pet Central have some pretty clear ideas about equipment we like and don’t like no matter what it is it is just a tool.  Tools are for teaching – if they are not helping the dog’s behaviour to change then they are not working.  The real test comes when you remove the tool: does your dog still behave?

socialise your puppy month

It’s the last Puppy Party Saturday for this Socialise Your Puppy Month but doesn’t need to be the last of your puppy - don’t worry that the days are a little eskew, just accomodating  the 2012 calendar

train your dog month

Day 28 and a pretty challenging one for the big doggies!

Susan Garrett shares an important tip on the duration of the tug sessions - tug and other games are powerful tools so must be used responsibly so that they maintain their value as a reinforcer and great impulse control teacher.

The economic downturn the world over is affecting pets too with many people having to rehome their dogs because they can’t find rented accommodation that will accept a dog: Vet pleas for landlords to allow pets.

Not my favourite piece of walking equipment and great care must be taken when using them: The right (and the dangerous) way to use a retractable dog leash.

Excellent review of the hype that is generated as a result of dog attacks: Lessons to Learn from Tragedy. This is a concise covering of one of the most misunderstood and poorly reported phenomena: Reality Vs Perception: Dog Bite Related Fatalities 2011 and another dose of reality from the KC Dog Blog: Dog Attack Fatalities 2011 Final Report

Great tips on housetraining in this handout from the APDT (US).

Stanley Coren Ph D looks at the pet-person bond: Do dogs love people more than they love other dogs?

Great covering of a very important message, from Dog Gone Safe, Dogs don’t like hugs and kisses

Love this from Jennifer Messer on welcoming a new baby into a household with a dog already very much part of the family: Pregnancy, babies and the family dog

Interesting review of the groundbreaking veterinary discoveries that revolutionised 2011 - wowsers! it really was a busy year!

Nice and straightforward piece on muzzle training from APBC – Preparing your dog to wear a muzzle or head collar

Sadly many older dogs are moved on during the Christmas season and these sweethearts are likely to be passed over by eager adopters. Older dogs can be a great addition as a pet so consider an oldie if thinking of adopting: Out with the old, in with the new? Not in this house! And some of the most beautiful and touching pictures of animals I have seen featuring some stunning oldies: What we can learn from old animals, from photographer Isa Leshko.

Training and abuse are not synonymous, there is never any need to intimidate, scare, shock or ‘dominate’ any animal in the name of teaching: The Dark Ages of Dog Training

Wonderful piece espousing puppy management, R+ based training and the relationship that will develop as a result: Puppy Reflections

No excuses! You can certainly train a reliable recall with your dog… here, have some horses show you!

Wonderful ad to look forward to: The Bark Side

Today’s Top Training Tip:

Make sure your dog gets plenty of rest and quiet time everyday.  This is especially important for young dogs, who just like children have difficulty behaving nicely if over tired.  Dogs that don’t get enough quiet time are living in a constant state of excitement – this is very taxing on your dog and may lead to anxiety and poor impulse control. By teaching your dog to be calm and then helping to do this even in exciting situations will help to keep your dog healthier and better behaved. 

socialise your puppy month

Day 27 socialisation and training plan

train your dog month

Day 27 training plan