Ark Lady

White House Going to the Dogs

Wow, this week has been filled with an insane amount of focus on what type of dog the Obama family should bring to the White House.

Not to be over shadowed, Barney (the Bush family’s terrier) bit a reporter. Gina over at the Pet Connection voiced my sentiments that and many of us would like a glimpse of real news instead of a lot of speculation and the excessive Obama dog related commentary.

First, let me say that reporter Jonathan Decker broke the rules of proper petiquette and so got bit by Barney–who is currently in the dog house–I mean White House.

Is Barney grumpy because the White House will no longer be his home or is he grumpy because Democrats will take over his residence in a short time?

Hard to say.

My big tip for the day: I’d caution reporters (and others) to be less invasive of an animal’s space in the future. Let them approach you before taking liberties to pet them.

Above: Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Road to the Dog House

Then of course the Daily Show had to jump on the band wagon with the Road to the Dog House Report.

Funny.

So, far the one poll I’ve seen indicates that people want the Obama family to get a mixed breed shelter dog.

Don’t you think it is a bit presumptious to tell the new President Elect and his family what type of dog they should get?

Besides the NY Times already reported that Malia Obama has been researching dog breeds (you go girl!) and was considering a goldendoodle.

Would you like if everyone told you what type of pet to bring into your home?

I certainly wouldn’t.

Now the world is celebrating this President Elect like has never been done before–so is this a sample of what to expect in the life of a public figure?

I can only hope the family stays grounded enough to deal with this issue and the many others that will surface.

What do you think about all this hoopla over the puppy headed to the White House?

Blog Posted November 8, 2008 at 1:00 pm

My Smart Puppy DVD (Review)

Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson with support from the Iams Company and other sponsors produced this great resource that will get any person off on the right paw if they have just brought a puppy home.

I’ve had it in my pile for ages and decided it was time to take a look at it–and boy was it a nice change from the hours of Cesar Millan’s Mastering Leadership Series!

My Smart Puppy DVD is beautifully produced and the abundance of puppy footage will put a smile on your face.

The My Smart Puppy DVD offers an abundance of good advice that will get any household with a new pup to mold the canine into a great pet, well mannered citizen, and cherished family member.

Most people wait too long to work with their dogs or to extinguish behavior problems and so I was glad to see this product specifically for puppies.

Puppy training is different from training adolescent dogs and this product helps give you the right knowledge of how to do the training in a gentle, interesting, and upbeat manner.

Puppies require a lot of attention and consistent efforts to gain success–but play training and short sessions get you to the final goal–a happy and responsive pet.

My Smart Puppy DVD covers:

House Training
Out
Sit
Down
No Biting
Look at Me
Come
Calmness
Leash Work
Non-Competing
Wait
Door Dashing
and more!

In addition it touches onto

Socialization
Dangers of Overheating
Flea Control

I didn’t appreciate all the aspects of this DVD such as the body blocking for counter interest/food stealing.

Both Sarah Wilson and Brian Kilcommons work with high verbal and high treats without a discussion about it. So I would have liked to see mention of weaning off the treats but they do talk about a few important aspects–such as getting longevity to a behavior.

Some real life examples with some pet owners would have been nice, too.

The blatant positioning of the sponsors products was a bit obnoxious but over all this is a great DVD and I would recommend the book and DVD set to any puppy owning household.

Purchase My Smart Puppy DVD or get the My Smart Puppy Training Book & DVD)

Blog Posted November 7, 2008 at 6:00 am