Culture of Denver Dog Works: Self Development
By Robert Forto, PhD
This is the sixth installment in a series on the Culture of Denver Dog Works. I am not only doing this to give our readers an idea of what we are about at Denver Dog Works but also as an exercise for us here at the training center to make sure we are all on the same page and delivering exceptional customer service and training a client's dog to be one of the best trained dogs in the world.
The 10 Elements of Culture as defined by Denver Dog Works are:
Integrity
Professionalism
Development
Service Availability and Belief
Character
Self Development
An Event Culture
Structured Activity
Leadership
Fun
Self Development at Denver Dog Works and our Culture:
If you want more you have to require more from yourself--Dr. Phil
Being a business owner is tricky business. It takes a tremendous amount of time and even more risk. It is not for the faint at heart or the ill-prepared. It takes a decade of learning in every decision you make every day but you don’t have time to hit the books or research a topic before making a decision that could mean the difference between success and failure of your business.
At Denver Dog Works we pride ourselves in allowing everybody involved to be creative and chase after what they want in business while we give them the tools to make them the best dog trainers in the world. Its hard to share your trade secrets with others. Many even ask me why I do it. It’s simple. I want to be the best dog training school not just in denver but in the world.
We do this in seven key areas: they are: Working Toward Success, Building a Better Team Acquiring New Skills, Giving Back and Getting Back into Focus, Strive Forward to Fulfill our Company Purpose, Help Others with Professional Development and Balancing Work and Life.
Working Toward Success
Our main goal at Denver Dog Works is to continue to work toward success. Not only in business or in our industry but personal achievement as well. If we continue to build our success through our strengths and recognize and correct our weaknesses we will be a much stronger company in the next year. Our goal is to continue to learn from those who have walked a mile in our shoes and to teach those that are looking for guidance.
Building a Better Team
First and foremost my goal as the training director is to build the right team to grow our business. By training most of our team from within in our canine career courses we harvest new talents to complement our business in different training disciplines and philosophies.
Acquiring New Skills
Our business manager’s mantra is: Learn! We continue to learn everyday from our clients, attending seminars, lectures and CEU’s but also from each other. We strive to coach our team in all aspects of business not just dog training. We encourage daily discussion of challenges and issues and offer advice and guidance on these matters.
Giving Back and Getting Back into Focus
At Denver Dog Works we have a service dog training program. This is one way that we give back to our community but it is also how we get back into to focus. A service dog training program takes approximately two years to complete and in that two years you have to be totally focused on the goals that you want to achieve. By training service dogs it brings everything in our culture to the forefront so we can be the best that we can be.
Strive Forward to FulFill our Company Purpose
At Denver Dog Works we strive to improve communication in every way we can. We strive to have organization amongst our team and complete an ambitious list of projects, maintain a high level of customer service, and coach our clients in training their dogs to be the best.
Help Others with Professional Development
At Denver Dog Works we help our team preserve with integrity and to always encourage continual learning as they strive to reach their goals and vision. This is done by working closely with our team and helping them see what they don't know and helping them over come.
Balancing Work and Life
This is the most important area of Self Development in our culture at Denver Dog Works. There has to be a clear boundary between work and personal lives. If one of our trainers, or even us as the owners, work non-stop it will kill any personal goals that we have. You have to have fun and you have to let loose every once in a while because constant work will burn you out. It will become more difficult to muster the energy to work. If you don’t have the energy to work you wont fill inspired and don't have time to enrich your soul. Work affects life and life effects work.
I encourage any feedback you may have and of course share the culture of your business as well. I can be reached anytime by email at train@denverdogworks.com
Next Week: An Event Culture
__________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Dog Works Training Centers and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show which can be heard every Saturday at 9:30 am in the Rocky Mountain West or download it anytime. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Showing posts with label denver dog training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label denver dog training. Show all posts
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
How Dental Disease Can Affect Your Pet
How Dental Disease Can Affect Your Pet
By Robert Forto, PhD
I will be the first to admit that I don't bush my dog’s teeth. I know it is a bad thing to do and as a canine behaviorist I should be the strongest advocate for canine health care this just one of those things that I always forget to do, as do most pet owners.
When I adopted my Siberian Husky, Ineka, many years ago the first thing I noticed was he was missing a Canine tooth, one of the large pointed ones. I don't know if he lost it due to injury or decay but it didn't seem to bother him. After several years and of course many bones (said to work well in canine hygiene) we did take him to our vet’s office to have his teeth cleaned. Mind you he was well over 10 years old at that time. They had to do blood work on him to make sure that the anesthesia would not harm him and they had to put him to sleep for the procedure. Several hours later his teeth were cleaned and they had to pull a few of them because they had cavities. I was told this is how they do it now.
Dental Care for Your Pet
If you notice an odor coming from your pet’s mouth it may be a result of some form of dental disease. Your veterinarian can correctly diagnose the problem and suggest treatments. Here are some of the basic facts about dental disease.
According to experts, many pets over the age of two have some form of periodontal disease. Any odor other than nice, clean-smelling breath may indicate a problem. Dental disease is graded in four steps:
Grade I - some tartar and breath odor.
Grade II - heavy tartar and some gum recession; gums are reddened and infected.
Grade III - severe tartar and gum recession; teeth are often loose, gums very reddened and inflamed, severe breath odor.
Grade IV - severe tartar with tooth loss, severely infected gums, gums very receded, swollen and bleeding, and tooth roots are exposed, severe breath odor.
Considering that a human visits the dentist for a toothache, imagine how your pet feels with inflamed gums, heavy tartar and loose teeth. Eating may become difficult. In addition to the discomfort, your pet is at risk for serious health conditions. As bacteria collects along the gum line, it produces acids. These acids gradually inflame the gum tissue, and the ligaments that hold teeth in place. As tartar builds, and works its way under the gum, bacteria and acid continue to erode more tissue. Teeth become loosened, and may start to fall out on their own. Bone from the jaw also becomes affected and starts to reabsorb, leaving loose teeth. As the mouth tissue becomes more swollen and infected, it will eventually start bleeding. Now the bloodstream can pick up the bacteria from the mouth and circulate it through your dog or cat’s entire body. Dental disease has been linked to kidney, heart and sinus infections. This is why your veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics before your pet has any dental work done, as well as after any procedure.
Many clients have said their dog acts like a puppy again once the diseased teeth and resulting infections have been addressed. Loose teeth are usually removed, because too much damage has already occurred, and they can not be saved. Your dog or cat can actually eat quite well and get along with no teeth if necessary and can live a longer and healthier life with a healthy mouth. We urge you to visit your veterinarian and have your pet's teeth and gums evaluated.
This article is provided as a general overview of the topic. Always consult your veterinarian for specific information related to diseases or medical care for pets.
Source: ABKA
______________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the the training director for Denver Dog Works and the host of The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached at through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
By Robert Forto, PhD
I will be the first to admit that I don't bush my dog’s teeth. I know it is a bad thing to do and as a canine behaviorist I should be the strongest advocate for canine health care this just one of those things that I always forget to do, as do most pet owners.
When I adopted my Siberian Husky, Ineka, many years ago the first thing I noticed was he was missing a Canine tooth, one of the large pointed ones. I don't know if he lost it due to injury or decay but it didn't seem to bother him. After several years and of course many bones (said to work well in canine hygiene) we did take him to our vet’s office to have his teeth cleaned. Mind you he was well over 10 years old at that time. They had to do blood work on him to make sure that the anesthesia would not harm him and they had to put him to sleep for the procedure. Several hours later his teeth were cleaned and they had to pull a few of them because they had cavities. I was told this is how they do it now.
Dental Care for Your Pet
If you notice an odor coming from your pet’s mouth it may be a result of some form of dental disease. Your veterinarian can correctly diagnose the problem and suggest treatments. Here are some of the basic facts about dental disease.
According to experts, many pets over the age of two have some form of periodontal disease. Any odor other than nice, clean-smelling breath may indicate a problem. Dental disease is graded in four steps:
Grade I - some tartar and breath odor.
Grade II - heavy tartar and some gum recession; gums are reddened and infected.
Grade III - severe tartar and gum recession; teeth are often loose, gums very reddened and inflamed, severe breath odor.
Grade IV - severe tartar with tooth loss, severely infected gums, gums very receded, swollen and bleeding, and tooth roots are exposed, severe breath odor.
Considering that a human visits the dentist for a toothache, imagine how your pet feels with inflamed gums, heavy tartar and loose teeth. Eating may become difficult. In addition to the discomfort, your pet is at risk for serious health conditions. As bacteria collects along the gum line, it produces acids. These acids gradually inflame the gum tissue, and the ligaments that hold teeth in place. As tartar builds, and works its way under the gum, bacteria and acid continue to erode more tissue. Teeth become loosened, and may start to fall out on their own. Bone from the jaw also becomes affected and starts to reabsorb, leaving loose teeth. As the mouth tissue becomes more swollen and infected, it will eventually start bleeding. Now the bloodstream can pick up the bacteria from the mouth and circulate it through your dog or cat’s entire body. Dental disease has been linked to kidney, heart and sinus infections. This is why your veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics before your pet has any dental work done, as well as after any procedure.
Many clients have said their dog acts like a puppy again once the diseased teeth and resulting infections have been addressed. Loose teeth are usually removed, because too much damage has already occurred, and they can not be saved. Your dog or cat can actually eat quite well and get along with no teeth if necessary and can live a longer and healthier life with a healthy mouth. We urge you to visit your veterinarian and have your pet's teeth and gums evaluated.
This article is provided as a general overview of the topic. Always consult your veterinarian for specific information related to diseases or medical care for pets.
Source: ABKA
______________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the the training director for Denver Dog Works and the host of The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached at through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The iPad and How Denver Dog Works will Utilize It
The iPad and How Denver Dog Works will Utilize It
By Robert Forto
As many of you know we offer a course at Dog Works Training Centers to teach people how to become the best dog trainers in the world. In our course we provide an interactive learning environment that is partnered with cutting edge technology and over nineteen years of living with dogs.
With the recent announcement from Apple today and the upcoming March release of the iPad, Denver Dog Works and Dog Works Training Centers plans to include an iPad with every course and include it in the student’s enrollment package.
Our next canine trainer career course starts on April 13th, 2010 and is a 24 week course that consists of three days of training every two weeks on Friday-Sundays. You can find out more information on our canine career courses by visiting our website at http://www.denverdogworks.com and http://www.dogworkstrainingcenter.com
Over the next couple months I will be re-writing our companion course book to include video links, .pdf exams and projects, interactive lessons and more. A perfect partnership of class lectures, our video library, and the iPad technology.
You may think I am crazy to jump on the iPad bandwagon. To the contrary. We have always offered a low-end net-book computer to our canine trainer students but with the release of the iPad it will take our training school to new heights.
Use of the iPad in our every day business operations at Denver Dog Works
We at Denver Dog Works also plan to utilize the iPad in our every day business tasks such as credit card processing through Cynergy Data’s Lucy Gateway and Paypal as well as training contract review with clients, training plan utilization and more.
If you would like to have a career that you love and want to become one of the best canine obedience instructors in the world, give us a call at 303-578-9881 and speak to Robert Forto or Michele Forto anytime.
________________________
Dr. Robert Forto, PhD is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
By Robert Forto
As many of you know we offer a course at Dog Works Training Centers to teach people how to become the best dog trainers in the world. In our course we provide an interactive learning environment that is partnered with cutting edge technology and over nineteen years of living with dogs.
With the recent announcement from Apple today and the upcoming March release of the iPad, Denver Dog Works and Dog Works Training Centers plans to include an iPad with every course and include it in the student’s enrollment package.
Our next canine trainer career course starts on April 13th, 2010 and is a 24 week course that consists of three days of training every two weeks on Friday-Sundays. You can find out more information on our canine career courses by visiting our website at http://www.denverdogworks.com and http://www.dogworkstrainingcenter.com
Over the next couple months I will be re-writing our companion course book to include video links, .pdf exams and projects, interactive lessons and more. A perfect partnership of class lectures, our video library, and the iPad technology.
You may think I am crazy to jump on the iPad bandwagon. To the contrary. We have always offered a low-end net-book computer to our canine trainer students but with the release of the iPad it will take our training school to new heights.
Use of the iPad in our every day business operations at Denver Dog Works
We at Denver Dog Works also plan to utilize the iPad in our every day business tasks such as credit card processing through Cynergy Data’s Lucy Gateway and Paypal as well as training contract review with clients, training plan utilization and more.
If you would like to have a career that you love and want to become one of the best canine obedience instructors in the world, give us a call at 303-578-9881 and speak to Robert Forto or Michele Forto anytime.
________________________
Dr. Robert Forto, PhD is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Who Are You? Canine Trainer, Leah Morse
Who Are You, Anyway?
Contract Trainer, Leah Morse
By Robert Forto, PhD
We are members of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and they have one of the best dog training journals around, especially for us in the canine training industry, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog. Each month in their highly acclaimed magazine, they have a member profile edited by Nicole Wilde. While we haven't been privy to be showcased in this column yet, I thought it would be appropriate to showcase each one of our trainers over the next few weeks so that you can get to know us and what we are about.
This week I will be interviewing Leah Morse. Leah is a graduate of our canine obedience instructor course and offers contract training at Denver Dog Works.
Let’s get to know Leah Morse, certified canine trainer:
Business Name: Denver Dog Works
Location: Denver, Colorado
Phone: 303-578-9881
Email: mforto@denverdogworks.com
Website: www.denverdogworks.com
Years in Business: 2 years
Personal Training Philosophy: Training a dog should have an equal priority level to proper nutrition and health care for a dog. Use as many techniques as possible to get a dog to think for himself and to choose to do the right thing happily. Dogs need an owner that provides adequate leadership, a safe and happy environment, structure and training.
How long have you been in business and what types of services do you provide?
I have been educating people how to raise and train their dogs for my entire adult life but professionally for 2 years. I have 20 years of retail pet experience, 10 years of vet assisting experience and have been raising and training dogs for over 30 years. I encourage touch free training but am prepared to incorporate all types of training. I offer private and group classes, in home private lessons and semi private lessons, puppy socialization “kindergarten” classes, basic obedience and some advanced obedience classes, behavior therapy. trick training, CGC (Canine Good Citizenship) prep.
How did you get started?
A phone call to Denver Dog Works, researching training facilities for a friend, and was informed by Michelle Forto of Denver Dog Works School for dog trainers. Next an interview with Dr. Forto and then I was well on my way to becoming a professional dog trainer and certified.
Are you involved in and dog sports or activities?
Would love to learn about tracking and herding but currently I am investing time in a competition obedience dog and an up and coming conformation show prospect.
How do you get business, and what is your relationship like with veterinarians in your community?
I have a very good relationship with my local veterinary practice in Bennett CO. I give the vet technicians free lessons to test drive the trainer and they refer clients to me. I have donated obedience private lesson packages to the local recreation center’s private auction. I also have acquired clients from Facebook, advertising in the employee lounge at my other employment, current word of mouth and soon to be a website.
Do you belong to a trainer networking group, or otherwise consult with/refer to other trainers in your area?
I work with Dr. Robert and Michelle Forto of Denver Dog Works and Sandy Chiavelli with Prairie Dog Acres in Strasburg. I have applied for membership with Colorado Dog Trainers Network. I am a member of APDT, a certified CGC evaluator, a member of MSDTC and am currently registered with TeachStreet.com and am in the process of connecting with some local Doggy Day Care Providers.
What do you believe are the three most important things to teach a dog?
That the owner is a confident Leader that provides a safe and structured environment and is worthy of respect.
That training is a fun game to play daily
That it is a pleasure to work for their people
What types of cases do you find the most challenging and why?
The most challenging cases are the owners that come for some or even all of the classes but don’t practice at home with their dogs. You see the dogs that are being regularly practiced with and the ones that aren’t and how much the practiced dogs progress compared to not. The frustration that then ensues between owner and dog (the unpracticed pair) could have been avoided by even a few quick sessions daily. There is such potential that is not being realized by the owner such as better relationship, a calmer dog, better owner/dog communication and the satisfaction of accomplishment. Basically as they say “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.
What teaching techniques or philosophies have you found helpful in dealing with your challenging cases?
Pay attention to the emotional status of the owner and the behavior/mood of the dog and try to add encouragement or stress release techniques if necessary. As tactfully as possible, point out what is observed and, quite often, the owner is harboring left over negative feelings from home or work or frustration at the dog.
Work the dog for the owner if the owner is really having a hard time.
What advice would you give to other trainers about working with dogs and their owners?
Allow new dogs to sniff around and get comfortable with the training environment prior to the session.
Pay attention to the demeanor of the owner and watch for calming signals given by the dog.
If the dog allows the trainer, demonstrate the techniques to the owner with the owner’s dog, as this shows that it can be done.
Can you offer a specific tip or trick for working with dogs or owners that other trainers might find helpful?
It is great that we all love dogs but you have to develop a love for people too. Loving/appreciating people, helps you to be tolerant and be more in tune to what a client actually needs. People know when you are frustrated with them or if you are disinterested. Common sense for you may not be for others, it just means that you heard it or learned it more than they did. Don’t judge an owner on their inadequacies but help them through them. You help the dog more in the end of if you connect with their people.
What was your scariest moment with a dog (or client)?
Watching a young handler get attacked by an aggressive dog he was working with. Fortunately it ended alright.
What would you say are the top three things you have personally learned as a trainer?
Patience, Patience, Patience,
Be flexible to a point
Be Personable
What was the last training related seminar you attended?
I am still progressing through a correspondence course as I am working towards another certification.
Are there any specific books, authors, DVDs that have influenced you as a trainer?
Many of the Leerburg training DVDs.
Don’t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor.
Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas
Caesars Way
Tender Foot Training DVD
Monks of New Skeet
It’s Me or the Dog Cable Show
Anything else you would like to add?
It is my goal to help as many dogs stay home and out of the shelters and to help prevent as much as possible, future dog bites and behavior problems through prevention training, starting with young puppies by educating their owners.
I would like to see more professional dog trainers start to work together instead of against each other.
______________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director for Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show which can be heard every Saturday at 9:30 am in the Rocky Mountain West or downloaded anytime. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Contract Trainer, Leah Morse
By Robert Forto, PhD
We are members of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and they have one of the best dog training journals around, especially for us in the canine training industry, The APDT Chronicle of the Dog. Each month in their highly acclaimed magazine, they have a member profile edited by Nicole Wilde. While we haven't been privy to be showcased in this column yet, I thought it would be appropriate to showcase each one of our trainers over the next few weeks so that you can get to know us and what we are about.
This week I will be interviewing Leah Morse. Leah is a graduate of our canine obedience instructor course and offers contract training at Denver Dog Works.
Let’s get to know Leah Morse, certified canine trainer:
Business Name: Denver Dog Works
Location: Denver, Colorado
Phone: 303-578-9881
Email: mforto@denverdogworks.com
Website: www.denverdogworks.com
Years in Business: 2 years
Personal Training Philosophy: Training a dog should have an equal priority level to proper nutrition and health care for a dog. Use as many techniques as possible to get a dog to think for himself and to choose to do the right thing happily. Dogs need an owner that provides adequate leadership, a safe and happy environment, structure and training.
How long have you been in business and what types of services do you provide?
I have been educating people how to raise and train their dogs for my entire adult life but professionally for 2 years. I have 20 years of retail pet experience, 10 years of vet assisting experience and have been raising and training dogs for over 30 years. I encourage touch free training but am prepared to incorporate all types of training. I offer private and group classes, in home private lessons and semi private lessons, puppy socialization “kindergarten” classes, basic obedience and some advanced obedience classes, behavior therapy. trick training, CGC (Canine Good Citizenship) prep.
How did you get started?
A phone call to Denver Dog Works, researching training facilities for a friend, and was informed by Michelle Forto of Denver Dog Works School for dog trainers. Next an interview with Dr. Forto and then I was well on my way to becoming a professional dog trainer and certified.
Are you involved in and dog sports or activities?
Would love to learn about tracking and herding but currently I am investing time in a competition obedience dog and an up and coming conformation show prospect.
How do you get business, and what is your relationship like with veterinarians in your community?
I have a very good relationship with my local veterinary practice in Bennett CO. I give the vet technicians free lessons to test drive the trainer and they refer clients to me. I have donated obedience private lesson packages to the local recreation center’s private auction. I also have acquired clients from Facebook, advertising in the employee lounge at my other employment, current word of mouth and soon to be a website.
Do you belong to a trainer networking group, or otherwise consult with/refer to other trainers in your area?
I work with Dr. Robert and Michelle Forto of Denver Dog Works and Sandy Chiavelli with Prairie Dog Acres in Strasburg. I have applied for membership with Colorado Dog Trainers Network. I am a member of APDT, a certified CGC evaluator, a member of MSDTC and am currently registered with TeachStreet.com and am in the process of connecting with some local Doggy Day Care Providers.
What do you believe are the three most important things to teach a dog?
That the owner is a confident Leader that provides a safe and structured environment and is worthy of respect.
That training is a fun game to play daily
That it is a pleasure to work for their people
What types of cases do you find the most challenging and why?
The most challenging cases are the owners that come for some or even all of the classes but don’t practice at home with their dogs. You see the dogs that are being regularly practiced with and the ones that aren’t and how much the practiced dogs progress compared to not. The frustration that then ensues between owner and dog (the unpracticed pair) could have been avoided by even a few quick sessions daily. There is such potential that is not being realized by the owner such as better relationship, a calmer dog, better owner/dog communication and the satisfaction of accomplishment. Basically as they say “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.
What teaching techniques or philosophies have you found helpful in dealing with your challenging cases?
Pay attention to the emotional status of the owner and the behavior/mood of the dog and try to add encouragement or stress release techniques if necessary. As tactfully as possible, point out what is observed and, quite often, the owner is harboring left over negative feelings from home or work or frustration at the dog.
Work the dog for the owner if the owner is really having a hard time.
What advice would you give to other trainers about working with dogs and their owners?
Allow new dogs to sniff around and get comfortable with the training environment prior to the session.
Pay attention to the demeanor of the owner and watch for calming signals given by the dog.
If the dog allows the trainer, demonstrate the techniques to the owner with the owner’s dog, as this shows that it can be done.
Can you offer a specific tip or trick for working with dogs or owners that other trainers might find helpful?
It is great that we all love dogs but you have to develop a love for people too. Loving/appreciating people, helps you to be tolerant and be more in tune to what a client actually needs. People know when you are frustrated with them or if you are disinterested. Common sense for you may not be for others, it just means that you heard it or learned it more than they did. Don’t judge an owner on their inadequacies but help them through them. You help the dog more in the end of if you connect with their people.
What was your scariest moment with a dog (or client)?
Watching a young handler get attacked by an aggressive dog he was working with. Fortunately it ended alright.
What would you say are the top three things you have personally learned as a trainer?
Patience, Patience, Patience,
Be flexible to a point
Be Personable
What was the last training related seminar you attended?
I am still progressing through a correspondence course as I am working towards another certification.
Are there any specific books, authors, DVDs that have influenced you as a trainer?
Many of the Leerburg training DVDs.
Don’t Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor.
Calming Signals by Turid Rugaas
Caesars Way
Tender Foot Training DVD
Monks of New Skeet
It’s Me or the Dog Cable Show
Anything else you would like to add?
It is my goal to help as many dogs stay home and out of the shelters and to help prevent as much as possible, future dog bites and behavior problems through prevention training, starting with young puppies by educating their owners.
I would like to see more professional dog trainers start to work together instead of against each other.
______________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director for Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show which can be heard every Saturday at 9:30 am in the Rocky Mountain West or downloaded anytime. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Saturday, January 23, 2010
H1N1, Captain Trips and the Swine Flu
H1N1, Captain Trips and the Swine Flu
Hello All,
As a frequent reader of my posts you will know that I have been highly suspect of the media fueled swine flu epidemic and have written about it on my blog a few times. My most recent is: http://fortoblog.com/2009/04/30/the-...swine-flu.aspx
On Monday, I thought how could I go wrong: go to Walgreens and pay 18 bucks for the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine. 18 bucks is a lot better than missing countless days at work if and when I come down with the dreaded flu right?
How wrong could I have been? I have been laying in bed since Monday night with the worst case of the flu that I have ever seen. It hit me like a brick wall at 8:15 pm and I haven't been the same since. Let me put it this way, have you ever seen the Dumb and Dumber movie when Harry has to use the restroom in the fancy bathroom in Aspen.... I know that analogy was not politically correct but neither is the government saying that "systemic side-effects" rarely occur.
For this 18 dollar vaccine that I thought would keep me from getting the flu has now cost me at least three days of productive work and countless contacts with my clients. I guess you could look at it this way, just how bad would have the flu really been if I hadn't gotten the vaccine in the first place? I guess thats why 16,000 people have died from it already.
Your thoughts on what you think of the swine flu and its vaccine? Lets keep the discussion alive!
Regards,
Robert Forto, PhD
Denver Dog Works
http://www.robertforto.com
Hello All,
As a frequent reader of my posts you will know that I have been highly suspect of the media fueled swine flu epidemic and have written about it on my blog a few times. My most recent is: http://fortoblog.com/2009/04/30/the-...swine-flu.aspx
On Monday, I thought how could I go wrong: go to Walgreens and pay 18 bucks for the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine. 18 bucks is a lot better than missing countless days at work if and when I come down with the dreaded flu right?
How wrong could I have been? I have been laying in bed since Monday night with the worst case of the flu that I have ever seen. It hit me like a brick wall at 8:15 pm and I haven't been the same since. Let me put it this way, have you ever seen the Dumb and Dumber movie when Harry has to use the restroom in the fancy bathroom in Aspen.... I know that analogy was not politically correct but neither is the government saying that "systemic side-effects" rarely occur.
For this 18 dollar vaccine that I thought would keep me from getting the flu has now cost me at least three days of productive work and countless contacts with my clients. I guess you could look at it this way, just how bad would have the flu really been if I hadn't gotten the vaccine in the first place? I guess thats why 16,000 people have died from it already.
Your thoughts on what you think of the swine flu and its vaccine? Lets keep the discussion alive!
Regards,
Robert Forto, PhD
Denver Dog Works
http://www.robertforto.com
Friday, September 18, 2009
Learn from a Dog
LEARN FROM A DOG
A Dog's Purpose, from a 4-year-old...Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.
We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life, like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"
The four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
(Robert Forto) I received this story from a colleague the other day and thought I had to share it. While I will always give credit where credit is due, I do not know who wrote this article so I am posting it anonymously. If you do know who wrote it please have them contact me directly at train@denverdogworks.com.
I struggle with this the context of the story every day. My old dog and my best friend is a 12 year old Siberian Husky named Ineka. It is supposed to mean "rescued friend" in a Northern Canadian language. Anyhow, Ineka has been through thick and thin with not only me, but my family, since we adopted him from a Washington shelter in 2000. They told us he was four at the time but I checked the wear patterns on his teeth and he was closer to two.
I have talked about Ineka a lot over the years in my articles, in my blog posts, and in my canine trainers classes at Denver Dog Works. I even dedicated my doctorate dissertation to him- Chasing the Dream: The History of Human-Canine Communication in the Sport of Dog Sledding (Forto 2005).
I will be sad when his time comes to pass over the rainbow bridge. Who am I kidding, it will devastate me for a long while. But I will pull through and his legacy and what he taught me will live on. As the young boy says in the story, dogs already know how to live the good life, like loving everybody all the time so they don't have to stay long.
Ineka, well all dogs for that matter, share a special place in most people's hearts don't they? They are just the right fix when something is wrong, just the right size to hug when you are feeling blue, listen just long enough when you have a secret, have just enough energy to finish that hike, just enough strength to pull you through the day, just enough courage to keep you motivated, just enough tail wags to make you smile, just enough wisdom to teach the new pup the rules, and just enough love to keep you sane in the worst of time.
So I encourage all of you to get out and do something with your dog today, everyday for the matter. Dogs were put on this earth to teach us something about ourselves. Is that a way to learn or what?
__________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Giving Medications to Pets
Giving Medication to Pets
By Robert Forto, PhD
At Denver Dog Works we teach people how to become the best dog training instructors in the world. One of the chapter’s that is included in this course called medications and vaccinations. We have included this is our course because it is important that dog owners know the proper way to give medications to their pets. This article discusses this in detail. Of course if you have any problems please contact your veterinarian.
Providing medication for your pet may be done for two reasons: as a preventative step (heartworm medication) or to treat disease (anything from an infection to major illness such as cardiac disease). Giving the medication as directed, and making sure the pet takes it are extremely important. Unfortunately, medication doesn't work unless the pet swallows it.
Giving Pills and Tablets
The most effective way to give a pill is to put it into the mouth and make sure it is swallowed. Some pets, especially cats, dislike having their mouths opened or objects placed in them. With practice, giving pills takes place in only a few seconds, and it is over before the pet can put up a fuss.
Place one hand over the pet's head so that the index finger is on one side of the mouth and the thumb is on the other side. Tilt the nose upward. Hold the pill in the other hand between the thumb and forefinger. Using the middle finger, push down on the teeth of the lower jaw while applying slight pressure to the corners of the mouth with the restraining hand.
Drop the pill as far back into the mouth as possible. If plausible, give it a poke onto the back of the tongue with the index finger. Close the pet’s mouth quickly, and stroke the throat to encourage swallowing. Often a quick short breath of air onto the nose of the pet will startle a pet into swallowing quickly.
An alternative- and less invasive - method of giving pills is to put them in food. A "meatball" of canned food, peanut butter, cheese or regular butter will all work - if you have a pet that will gobble up the treat quickly. If your dog or cat likes to take his time licking away at the food gift, the medication may remain on the floor as a leftover. It may also be spit out as soon as your pet can taste it.
Precautions: Some medications may not be broken into pieces because they have a protective coating. This coating dissolves at the appropriate rate for absorption of the medication into the body. Breaking the pill into pieces may alter the absorption. Many pills are made to rapidly dissolve, and will become a mushy pile of medication once placed in the mouth or in food.
Giving Liquids
Administering liquids is generally easier than giving pills. Most liquid medications come with a dropper for measuring the dose, and are commonly used for cats and small dogs.
Hold the pet's head in the same manner, but do not open the mouth. Slide the dropper into the cheek pocket and squirt the medicine between the teeth. It runs between the teeth and to the back of the mouth to be swallowed. Keep the head tilted, but not too high, until the pet swallows. Without swallowing, most of the medication will be spit out when the head is released.
Precautions: Holding the mouth open and squirting the liquid into the back of it may result in gagging. If the sudden squirt of liquid startles the pet, some of the medication may be inhaled (aspirated) into the lungs. Holding the head and giving medication between the teeth will prevent this.
Other Considerations
Some pets, particularly cats, will salivate and drool excessively when given medication. Medications may have a bitter taste, which induces the salivation. Cats must often be restrained by a second person to ensure that medication is given in a quick and efficient manner. Wrapping the cat’s body in a towel helps keep nails from doing damage.
Many pets will learn to recognize the medication bottle and disappear at the sight of it. If giving pills totally eludes the pet owner, talk to the veterinarian to see if the medication comes in a liquid form.
Most animals will tolerate being given medication reasonably well. If a treat follows it, they may even look forward to receiving the pill! Although administering medication is awkward at first, anyone can become proficient at it with practice.
This article is provided as a general overview of the topic. Always consult your veterinarian for specific information related to diseases or medical care for pets. If you have training questions or would like to find our more information on our dog trainer career courses, please contact Denver Dog Works at 303-752-2818.
Citation: ABKA
________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and is the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be contacted through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
By Robert Forto, PhD
At Denver Dog Works we teach people how to become the best dog training instructors in the world. One of the chapter’s that is included in this course called medications and vaccinations. We have included this is our course because it is important that dog owners know the proper way to give medications to their pets. This article discusses this in detail. Of course if you have any problems please contact your veterinarian.
Providing medication for your pet may be done for two reasons: as a preventative step (heartworm medication) or to treat disease (anything from an infection to major illness such as cardiac disease). Giving the medication as directed, and making sure the pet takes it are extremely important. Unfortunately, medication doesn't work unless the pet swallows it.
Giving Pills and Tablets
The most effective way to give a pill is to put it into the mouth and make sure it is swallowed. Some pets, especially cats, dislike having their mouths opened or objects placed in them. With practice, giving pills takes place in only a few seconds, and it is over before the pet can put up a fuss.
Place one hand over the pet's head so that the index finger is on one side of the mouth and the thumb is on the other side. Tilt the nose upward. Hold the pill in the other hand between the thumb and forefinger. Using the middle finger, push down on the teeth of the lower jaw while applying slight pressure to the corners of the mouth with the restraining hand.
Drop the pill as far back into the mouth as possible. If plausible, give it a poke onto the back of the tongue with the index finger. Close the pet’s mouth quickly, and stroke the throat to encourage swallowing. Often a quick short breath of air onto the nose of the pet will startle a pet into swallowing quickly.
An alternative- and less invasive - method of giving pills is to put them in food. A "meatball" of canned food, peanut butter, cheese or regular butter will all work - if you have a pet that will gobble up the treat quickly. If your dog or cat likes to take his time licking away at the food gift, the medication may remain on the floor as a leftover. It may also be spit out as soon as your pet can taste it.
Precautions: Some medications may not be broken into pieces because they have a protective coating. This coating dissolves at the appropriate rate for absorption of the medication into the body. Breaking the pill into pieces may alter the absorption. Many pills are made to rapidly dissolve, and will become a mushy pile of medication once placed in the mouth or in food.
Giving Liquids
Administering liquids is generally easier than giving pills. Most liquid medications come with a dropper for measuring the dose, and are commonly used for cats and small dogs.
Hold the pet's head in the same manner, but do not open the mouth. Slide the dropper into the cheek pocket and squirt the medicine between the teeth. It runs between the teeth and to the back of the mouth to be swallowed. Keep the head tilted, but not too high, until the pet swallows. Without swallowing, most of the medication will be spit out when the head is released.
Precautions: Holding the mouth open and squirting the liquid into the back of it may result in gagging. If the sudden squirt of liquid startles the pet, some of the medication may be inhaled (aspirated) into the lungs. Holding the head and giving medication between the teeth will prevent this.
Other Considerations
Some pets, particularly cats, will salivate and drool excessively when given medication. Medications may have a bitter taste, which induces the salivation. Cats must often be restrained by a second person to ensure that medication is given in a quick and efficient manner. Wrapping the cat’s body in a towel helps keep nails from doing damage.
Many pets will learn to recognize the medication bottle and disappear at the sight of it. If giving pills totally eludes the pet owner, talk to the veterinarian to see if the medication comes in a liquid form.
Most animals will tolerate being given medication reasonably well. If a treat follows it, they may even look forward to receiving the pill! Although administering medication is awkward at first, anyone can become proficient at it with practice.
This article is provided as a general overview of the topic. Always consult your veterinarian for specific information related to diseases or medical care for pets. If you have training questions or would like to find our more information on our dog trainer career courses, please contact Denver Dog Works at 303-752-2818.
Citation: ABKA
________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and is the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be contacted through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
So You Have a New Pet
So You Have a New Pet
By Robert Forto, PhD
Congratulations on adding a new family member. We like to see happy, well-adjusted puppies added to a family, so here are some tips for introducing a new pet.
New puppies go through developmental stages early in life. Between 3-16 weeks of age they learn to accept and trust (or mistrust) humans, acceptable dog behavior, and specialized breed behavior (sheep herding instincts in Border Collies for example). During this critical period the temperament and basic behavior patterns of your new pet will be formed. It is important to socialize the puppy to people, introducing them not only to family members but also to strangers.
It is also important to teach the young pet what you expect. Now is the time to handle feet and toes so they are not afraid of having the feet handled, to look into ears and open the mouth. If the pet resists, speak in a calm, quiet voice and repeat the act whenever possible. Make a practice of touching the pet all over its body during play or at rest.
If you have adopted an older pet, then most of its behavior patterns will already be formed. This pet will need time to adjust to new surroundings and people, and its true personality may not be apparent for a few days or several weeks. Issue a gentle correction for undesirable behavior. Attending basic obedience classes with a new dog will help establish the owner's dominance as head of the household, and aid in creating a bond between pet and owner.
In general, new pets should not be left alone with unrestricted space in the house. Crate training puppies helps with house training, and gives the pup a safe haven to crawl into.
Adopted older pets should be supervised with children and other pets until the pet owner is sure that safety is not an issue.
This article is provided as a general overview of the topic. Always consult a certified canine trainer or your veterinarian for more information. If you would like to speak with us concerning our puppy classes, our basic obedience programs or our breed referral service please contact us any time at 303-752-2818 or by email at train@denverdogworks.com
Citation: ABKA
____________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
By Robert Forto, PhD
Congratulations on adding a new family member. We like to see happy, well-adjusted puppies added to a family, so here are some tips for introducing a new pet.
New puppies go through developmental stages early in life. Between 3-16 weeks of age they learn to accept and trust (or mistrust) humans, acceptable dog behavior, and specialized breed behavior (sheep herding instincts in Border Collies for example). During this critical period the temperament and basic behavior patterns of your new pet will be formed. It is important to socialize the puppy to people, introducing them not only to family members but also to strangers.
It is also important to teach the young pet what you expect. Now is the time to handle feet and toes so they are not afraid of having the feet handled, to look into ears and open the mouth. If the pet resists, speak in a calm, quiet voice and repeat the act whenever possible. Make a practice of touching the pet all over its body during play or at rest.
If you have adopted an older pet, then most of its behavior patterns will already be formed. This pet will need time to adjust to new surroundings and people, and its true personality may not be apparent for a few days or several weeks. Issue a gentle correction for undesirable behavior. Attending basic obedience classes with a new dog will help establish the owner's dominance as head of the household, and aid in creating a bond between pet and owner.
In general, new pets should not be left alone with unrestricted space in the house. Crate training puppies helps with house training, and gives the pup a safe haven to crawl into.
Adopted older pets should be supervised with children and other pets until the pet owner is sure that safety is not an issue.
This article is provided as a general overview of the topic. Always consult a certified canine trainer or your veterinarian for more information. If you would like to speak with us concerning our puppy classes, our basic obedience programs or our breed referral service please contact us any time at 303-752-2818 or by email at train@denverdogworks.com
Citation: ABKA
____________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Mushers Workout
Mushers Workout
By Robert Forto, PhD
If you don’t already know, my name is Dr. Robert Forto and I am the training director and owner of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. I am also a professional musher (dog sledding) and motivational speaker. I have been out of mushing for the past several years because, I like to say, life got in the way. I followed my wife, Michele, to Colorado for her to pursue a career as a paralegal, which she hated and now works with me at my dog training school, but I also retired because frankly there is no snow in Denver, despite what you see in those famous beer commercials. The closest place with considerable snow, at least enough to run a dog team, is two hours away in the mountains and if you plan on going up to run during ski season plan on tacking on at least two more hours on your trip home.
But despite those odds I have announced my intentions on running the Iditarod in 2013 but first things first, I need to get back into shape. The past few years I have had at least two surgeries, one on my groin and one on my wrist and being a small business owner I got lazy and ate on the run without any structure or plan.
Many people have asked about my mushers workout and I am here to share it with you. Use the parts that you like and hybridize it if you must. I can assure you it will get you in the best shape of your life, especially if you plan to run with a team of Siberian Huskies.
Mushers Workout
Day 1
10 minute Warm-Up - Cardio
4 Sets (10 reps) each of the following:
Squats – Lat Pulls – Dumbbell Rows – Standing Calf – Seated Calf – Leg Curl
20 minute Cool Down - Cardio
Day 2
10 minute Warm-Up - Cardio
4 Sets (10 reps) each of the following:
Bench Press – Overhead Dumbbell Extensions
3 Sets (15 Reps) each of the following
Incline Press – Seated Shoulder Press – Triceps Press Down
20 minute Cool Down - Cardio
Day 3
10 minute Warm-Up - Cardio
4 Sets (15 reps) each of the following:
Squats – Seated Row – Barbell Curls – Lateral Rows
3 Sets (25 Reps) Walking Lunges
20 minute Cool Down - Cardio
Day 4
Bike Cherry Creek Trail approximately 20 miles or swim 1 mile in pool
Sports
Continue to play indoor lacrosse and hike Colorado 14ers as a team building exercise for Denver Dog Works.
Diet: Starting June 4, 2009
Goal: weight loss and muscle gain. Loss 30 pounds before the snow starts this winter.
Starting weight: 214 pounds on May 27, 2009
A Sample Day
7 am
Breakfast: a bowl of instant oatmeal or one or two eggs
10:30 am
Snack: Fiber One bar
12:30 pm
Lunch: Lean Cuisine
3:00 pm
Snack: Orange, yogurt or pretzels
6:30 pm
Dinner: Lean protein less than a fist size, one green vegetable and/or salad and sometimes a potato or pasta
8:00 pm
Run, Bike, Swim or Mushers Workout
Diet Downfall:
I love coca-cola and I am on my way to totally quitting. I will enjoy water or low calorie juices.
I encourage all of you to follow me on my journey. I will post my progress on my blog and you can track my progress on facebook, twitter, youtube and my websites. If you would like me to speak at your event or if you need a training session for your employees on team building, motivation, leadership and goal setting, give me a call at 303-522-1727.
My motto is: “Never Forget Your Dreams”, I will see you on the trail!
Regards,
Robert Forto
Robert Forto, PhD
Denver Dog Works
_______________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. He is training for the Iditarod in 2013 and is available for speaking engagements and sponsorship requests. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
By Robert Forto, PhD
If you don’t already know, my name is Dr. Robert Forto and I am the training director and owner of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. I am also a professional musher (dog sledding) and motivational speaker. I have been out of mushing for the past several years because, I like to say, life got in the way. I followed my wife, Michele, to Colorado for her to pursue a career as a paralegal, which she hated and now works with me at my dog training school, but I also retired because frankly there is no snow in Denver, despite what you see in those famous beer commercials. The closest place with considerable snow, at least enough to run a dog team, is two hours away in the mountains and if you plan on going up to run during ski season plan on tacking on at least two more hours on your trip home.
But despite those odds I have announced my intentions on running the Iditarod in 2013 but first things first, I need to get back into shape. The past few years I have had at least two surgeries, one on my groin and one on my wrist and being a small business owner I got lazy and ate on the run without any structure or plan.
Many people have asked about my mushers workout and I am here to share it with you. Use the parts that you like and hybridize it if you must. I can assure you it will get you in the best shape of your life, especially if you plan to run with a team of Siberian Huskies.
Mushers Workout
Day 1
10 minute Warm-Up - Cardio
4 Sets (10 reps) each of the following:
Squats – Lat Pulls – Dumbbell Rows – Standing Calf – Seated Calf – Leg Curl
20 minute Cool Down - Cardio
Day 2
10 minute Warm-Up - Cardio
4 Sets (10 reps) each of the following:
Bench Press – Overhead Dumbbell Extensions
3 Sets (15 Reps) each of the following
Incline Press – Seated Shoulder Press – Triceps Press Down
20 minute Cool Down - Cardio
Day 3
10 minute Warm-Up - Cardio
4 Sets (15 reps) each of the following:
Squats – Seated Row – Barbell Curls – Lateral Rows
3 Sets (25 Reps) Walking Lunges
20 minute Cool Down - Cardio
Day 4
Bike Cherry Creek Trail approximately 20 miles or swim 1 mile in pool
Sports
Continue to play indoor lacrosse and hike Colorado 14ers as a team building exercise for Denver Dog Works.
Diet: Starting June 4, 2009
Goal: weight loss and muscle gain. Loss 30 pounds before the snow starts this winter.
Starting weight: 214 pounds on May 27, 2009
A Sample Day
7 am
Breakfast: a bowl of instant oatmeal or one or two eggs
10:30 am
Snack: Fiber One bar
12:30 pm
Lunch: Lean Cuisine
3:00 pm
Snack: Orange, yogurt or pretzels
6:30 pm
Dinner: Lean protein less than a fist size, one green vegetable and/or salad and sometimes a potato or pasta
8:00 pm
Run, Bike, Swim or Mushers Workout
Diet Downfall:
I love coca-cola and I am on my way to totally quitting. I will enjoy water or low calorie juices.
I encourage all of you to follow me on my journey. I will post my progress on my blog and you can track my progress on facebook, twitter, youtube and my websites. If you would like me to speak at your event or if you need a training session for your employees on team building, motivation, leadership and goal setting, give me a call at 303-522-1727.
My motto is: “Never Forget Your Dreams”, I will see you on the trail!
Regards,
Robert Forto
Robert Forto, PhD
Denver Dog Works
_______________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. He is training for the Iditarod in 2013 and is available for speaking engagements and sponsorship requests. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Friday, May 22, 2009
Redemption...Or Not?
Redemption…Or Not?
By Robert Forto, PhD
On this week’s edition of the Dog Doctor Radio Show we are going to talk about the big news story of the week—Michael Vick released from prison. The Dog Doctor Team weighs in on redemption, punishment and community service. While I am sure that most of you know the Michael Vick story unless you have been under a rock for the past two years, he was released from federal prison on dog fighting charges this past week. What brings this story to our forefront is that he is planning on working with the Humane Society of the United States on a campaign directed at at-risk youth. Our question to you is what does a person have to do to receive redemption?
When the story of Vick being released broke I posted on Facebook and Twitter this question and received a lot of responses. While I am sure you are aware our forum is mostly dog owners you will be surprised at what they all said.
The question I posted was: Vick to work with Humane Society. Your thoughts?
I have included some of the comments and they are listed below in bold. My thoughts are in italics. I encourage all of you to comment as well and let’s keep this story alive.
Comment 1: I think it is great. He served his time in jail, now it’s the reconciliation tour.
I agree with this comment and I also believe that we are using situational ethics in this case. I mean, if a pro-football player got in trouble for beating up his girlfriend he would be on the field the next week, right? What separates Vick from this is that it was the callousness and the atrocity of the act of dog fighting and what was done to those dogs. By no means am I condoning the behavior. I actually abhor this, but don’t we go to NASCAR racing for the wrecks, don’t we go to boxing matches for the knockout? Don’t we go to greyhound racing for the dog to catch the rabbit?
Comment 2: Whatever as long as he is serious...he was one of my favorite players in the NFL...cannot stomach him now.
This is also true and I think the same way of Woody Allen. I used to love to watch Vick play ball. His athleticism was second to none. He was entertaining and he brought a passion to a sport that is otherwise lacking but now it will be tough to watch him play. Just like it is tough to watch Woody Allen movies after he was caught in a child abuse scandal. It just makes him somehow “dirty” now.
Comment 3: It would be nothing more than a PR tactic to better his image. He could care less about the lives of the dogs he owned. I think he'd still be at it if he hadn't been caught. I also believe any NFL team that picks him up is in for a world of bad press and upset fans.
This is where redemption comes in for me. All of us have skeletons in our closets. All of us have ill deeds. This is what makes us uniquely human. What does a person have to pay for redemption? What price do they have to pay after they say I am sorry?
Comment 4: Listen as far as I am concerned the ONLY reason he is going to "work" with the Humane Society is because he got caught, I know people deserve a second chance but did these dogs get a second chance? Some did some have been given a life in a cage...hmmm..MAYBE he should spend life in a cage...I am sorry I will stop, seeing first hand what dog fighting does to the dogs...I just can't be objective about this.
Vick, or his PR people, approached the Humane Society and the director went to visit him in prison before his release. And while an article in USA Today says that the director does not condone Vick’s actions he believes he is sincere in his willingness to work with the Humane Society.
Comment 5: Last night on CNN, they had an individual that had adopted one of the dogs. Through love and patience, she gave "Jhumba?" a new life. They reported none of the surviving animals were in shelters. They had either been adopted or were in sanctuaries. "Redemption" for Vick? While I hate the actions, I can't hate the man. His future actions, while under scrutiny, will determine if he’s legitimate or not. I hope, if anything, his mess has exposed the prevalence of dog fighting and made the public more aware of the signs. Something good came from this.
I agree, something good has come from this and with discussions like this will hopefully continue to educate the public about dog fighting and the violence and criminal activities linked to dog fighting. I challenge the Humane Society and all shelters to campaign for more education about animal abuse. We are destined to repeat history unless we are educated about its ramifications.under scrutiny, will determine if he's legitimate or not. I hope. If anything, his mess has exposed the prevalence of dog fighting and made the public more aware of the signs. Something good came from this.
Comment 6: I know that some of these dogs are in "sanctuaries" such as Best Friend’s society. I still DO NOT agree that is a life for a dog, living in an aggressive stance not trusting and still LIVING a life in a "gilded" cage. Sorry I feel and (I know I will be BLASTED for this )but I feel a gentle death is better than living a life in a cage- no matter how "big" it is. I know many will not agree with my feelings on this but oh well!
I disagree with this comment. Many dogs find themselves living in sanctuaries or foster homes for many reasons including as foreclosure victims. I wrote an article about that very subject…… Retired sled dogs, greyhounds, and other working dogs spend their retirement years in some of these same circumstances; it’s still a decent life. Fighting dogs that are confiscated from their “homes” and placed into another sort of kennel environment can still have decent thriving lives. From the research that my wife/co-host Michele has done, all of the dogs have been placed in homes not “gilded” cages. Michele adds, what about all of the other dogs out there being raised to fight? We only know what happened to the dog’s Vick owned, what about the countless others’ that are still living that existence?
Comment 7: Personally I think what he did is unacceptable, but with the way our society works, if you do the time you get a second chance. I hope that he had plenty of time to reconsider what he did, and grew up. This should make him realize that he is not invincible, and he has no choice but to do charity work to reclaim any chance he has of going back to the NFL.
In my opinion what he is did is atrocious! But it is how our society works. My wife/co-host Michele added Martha Stewart received redemption. She is more successful since her release than before. People still tune into her show and buy her merchandise. She went to federal prison for securities fraud. No, she didn’t abuse animals, but her crime received a higher penalty and longer sentence. Not only that, but she didn’t do her time in Leavenworth, noted as one of the toughest federal facilities out there. This is not saying that her time wasn’t tough, I’m just saying that his was done in a harsher environment. Countless other celebrities and politicians have gone to federal prisons and received public redemption for their crimes. Again, I personally do not condone what Mr. Vick was involved in, I’m just asking what’s the price?
Comment 8: Honestly, if he has a change of heart and he finds a dog that he falls in love with...he will find it difficult to forgive himself. No one knows another man's heart...but, I would rather he use his fame and money to help our four-pawed angels than for his selfish endeavors.
I cannot agree more. This is the best comment of all I believe. It sums up all the qualities of forgiveness, human emotion, redemption, restitution and resolution.
Comment 9: Celebrities get the spotlight for whatever they do. Whatever Mr. Vick's intentions are for "volunteering" with the Humane Society, he will undoubtedly benefit from what he will be exposed to and he will learn. And, isn't that the whole point? As pet owners, trainers, and advocates for education, isn't our job to a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.job to take a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.job to take a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.job to take a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.
This is actually my wife, Michele’s comment to the question. Michele and I co-host the Dog Doctor Radio Show and she and I will speak about this topic in depth on the show.
Comment 10: I believe if he can use what he knows and what he's learned to help eliminate dog fighting than I embrace this idea. I say USE his notoriety to fight the good fight.
Comment 11: I think it all comes down to if you believe people can change, and if there's a point at which they can't or won't. I think that I almost agree with the comment posted earlier that if he finds an animal he cares about, his genuine guilt will punish him a great deal...
So, ladies and gentlemen, sports lovers, and dog enthusiast, what should happen next? Should this person receive redemption or not? Sure, someone has to be an advocate for the dogs. I work tirelessly doing that every day. I have spoken on countless occasions about breed bans, landlord/tenant disputes, canine aggression, bite statistics and much more, but when I do speak I speak the facts of the case and let my peers decide what is right and wrong. I am asking for you to do the same here. What is the price for redemption…in anyone’s case, not just Michael Vick?
____________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the host of the acclaimed Dog Doctor Radio and the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com/
By Robert Forto, PhD
On this week’s edition of the Dog Doctor Radio Show we are going to talk about the big news story of the week—Michael Vick released from prison. The Dog Doctor Team weighs in on redemption, punishment and community service. While I am sure that most of you know the Michael Vick story unless you have been under a rock for the past two years, he was released from federal prison on dog fighting charges this past week. What brings this story to our forefront is that he is planning on working with the Humane Society of the United States on a campaign directed at at-risk youth. Our question to you is what does a person have to do to receive redemption?
When the story of Vick being released broke I posted on Facebook and Twitter this question and received a lot of responses. While I am sure you are aware our forum is mostly dog owners you will be surprised at what they all said.
The question I posted was: Vick to work with Humane Society. Your thoughts?
I have included some of the comments and they are listed below in bold. My thoughts are in italics. I encourage all of you to comment as well and let’s keep this story alive.
Comment 1: I think it is great. He served his time in jail, now it’s the reconciliation tour.
I agree with this comment and I also believe that we are using situational ethics in this case. I mean, if a pro-football player got in trouble for beating up his girlfriend he would be on the field the next week, right? What separates Vick from this is that it was the callousness and the atrocity of the act of dog fighting and what was done to those dogs. By no means am I condoning the behavior. I actually abhor this, but don’t we go to NASCAR racing for the wrecks, don’t we go to boxing matches for the knockout? Don’t we go to greyhound racing for the dog to catch the rabbit?
Comment 2: Whatever as long as he is serious...he was one of my favorite players in the NFL...cannot stomach him now.
This is also true and I think the same way of Woody Allen. I used to love to watch Vick play ball. His athleticism was second to none. He was entertaining and he brought a passion to a sport that is otherwise lacking but now it will be tough to watch him play. Just like it is tough to watch Woody Allen movies after he was caught in a child abuse scandal. It just makes him somehow “dirty” now.
Comment 3: It would be nothing more than a PR tactic to better his image. He could care less about the lives of the dogs he owned. I think he'd still be at it if he hadn't been caught. I also believe any NFL team that picks him up is in for a world of bad press and upset fans.
This is where redemption comes in for me. All of us have skeletons in our closets. All of us have ill deeds. This is what makes us uniquely human. What does a person have to pay for redemption? What price do they have to pay after they say I am sorry?
Comment 4: Listen as far as I am concerned the ONLY reason he is going to "work" with the Humane Society is because he got caught, I know people deserve a second chance but did these dogs get a second chance? Some did some have been given a life in a cage...hmmm..MAYBE he should spend life in a cage...I am sorry I will stop, seeing first hand what dog fighting does to the dogs...I just can't be objective about this.
Vick, or his PR people, approached the Humane Society and the director went to visit him in prison before his release. And while an article in USA Today says that the director does not condone Vick’s actions he believes he is sincere in his willingness to work with the Humane Society.
Comment 5: Last night on CNN, they had an individual that had adopted one of the dogs. Through love and patience, she gave "Jhumba?" a new life. They reported none of the surviving animals were in shelters. They had either been adopted or were in sanctuaries. "Redemption" for Vick? While I hate the actions, I can't hate the man. His future actions, while under scrutiny, will determine if he’s legitimate or not. I hope, if anything, his mess has exposed the prevalence of dog fighting and made the public more aware of the signs. Something good came from this.
I agree, something good has come from this and with discussions like this will hopefully continue to educate the public about dog fighting and the violence and criminal activities linked to dog fighting. I challenge the Humane Society and all shelters to campaign for more education about animal abuse. We are destined to repeat history unless we are educated about its ramifications.under scrutiny, will determine if he's legitimate or not. I hope. If anything, his mess has exposed the prevalence of dog fighting and made the public more aware of the signs. Something good came from this.
Comment 6: I know that some of these dogs are in "sanctuaries" such as Best Friend’s society. I still DO NOT agree that is a life for a dog, living in an aggressive stance not trusting and still LIVING a life in a "gilded" cage. Sorry I feel and (I know I will be BLASTED for this )but I feel a gentle death is better than living a life in a cage- no matter how "big" it is. I know many will not agree with my feelings on this but oh well!
I disagree with this comment. Many dogs find themselves living in sanctuaries or foster homes for many reasons including as foreclosure victims. I wrote an article about that very subject…… Retired sled dogs, greyhounds, and other working dogs spend their retirement years in some of these same circumstances; it’s still a decent life. Fighting dogs that are confiscated from their “homes” and placed into another sort of kennel environment can still have decent thriving lives. From the research that my wife/co-host Michele has done, all of the dogs have been placed in homes not “gilded” cages. Michele adds, what about all of the other dogs out there being raised to fight? We only know what happened to the dog’s Vick owned, what about the countless others’ that are still living that existence?
Comment 7: Personally I think what he did is unacceptable, but with the way our society works, if you do the time you get a second chance. I hope that he had plenty of time to reconsider what he did, and grew up. This should make him realize that he is not invincible, and he has no choice but to do charity work to reclaim any chance he has of going back to the NFL.
In my opinion what he is did is atrocious! But it is how our society works. My wife/co-host Michele added Martha Stewart received redemption. She is more successful since her release than before. People still tune into her show and buy her merchandise. She went to federal prison for securities fraud. No, she didn’t abuse animals, but her crime received a higher penalty and longer sentence. Not only that, but she didn’t do her time in Leavenworth, noted as one of the toughest federal facilities out there. This is not saying that her time wasn’t tough, I’m just saying that his was done in a harsher environment. Countless other celebrities and politicians have gone to federal prisons and received public redemption for their crimes. Again, I personally do not condone what Mr. Vick was involved in, I’m just asking what’s the price?
Comment 8: Honestly, if he has a change of heart and he finds a dog that he falls in love with...he will find it difficult to forgive himself. No one knows another man's heart...but, I would rather he use his fame and money to help our four-pawed angels than for his selfish endeavors.
I cannot agree more. This is the best comment of all I believe. It sums up all the qualities of forgiveness, human emotion, redemption, restitution and resolution.
Comment 9: Celebrities get the spotlight for whatever they do. Whatever Mr. Vick's intentions are for "volunteering" with the Humane Society, he will undoubtedly benefit from what he will be exposed to and he will learn. And, isn't that the whole point? As pet owners, trainers, and advocates for education, isn't our job to a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.job to take a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.job to take a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.job to take a bad behavior albeit a human bad behavior and teach that individual right from wrong? Rather than punishing them their entire lives for what they were involved in.
This is actually my wife, Michele’s comment to the question. Michele and I co-host the Dog Doctor Radio Show and she and I will speak about this topic in depth on the show.
Comment 10: I believe if he can use what he knows and what he's learned to help eliminate dog fighting than I embrace this idea. I say USE his notoriety to fight the good fight.
Comment 11: I think it all comes down to if you believe people can change, and if there's a point at which they can't or won't. I think that I almost agree with the comment posted earlier that if he finds an animal he cares about, his genuine guilt will punish him a great deal...
So, ladies and gentlemen, sports lovers, and dog enthusiast, what should happen next? Should this person receive redemption or not? Sure, someone has to be an advocate for the dogs. I work tirelessly doing that every day. I have spoken on countless occasions about breed bans, landlord/tenant disputes, canine aggression, bite statistics and much more, but when I do speak I speak the facts of the case and let my peers decide what is right and wrong. I am asking for you to do the same here. What is the price for redemption…in anyone’s case, not just Michael Vick?
____________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the host of the acclaimed Dog Doctor Radio and the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com/
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Power of Your Mind in Dog Training
The Power of Your Mind In Dog Training
By Robert Forto, PHD
Think about it, you are about to head into the ring for a big obedience match or a conformation show. Of course you are nervous. You have worked so hard for this big day. Up until now you and your dog have been in perfect synchronicity. Haven't you? You have done your pre-game prep and you are up next.
Then something catches your dogs eye and your whole dog training world comes crumbling down. Your dog gets spooked, you tense up and your dog pulls away. Your run in the ring ends in chaos and you are disqualified. Something you have worked so hard on for the past two years: all of those individual lessons with your private trainer, the perfect pick of the litter puppy, all that money, gone in an instant!
What if you could change that just by harnessing the power of your mind? No, I am not talking about some freakish mind over matter, late night TV infomercial garbage. I am talking about a centuries old process known as Neuro Linguistic Programing (NLP). In a sense it is a model of how we communicate and our personality. While this process has been around for centuries, the NLP model was developed in the 1970's by Richard Bandler, John Grinder and others. This model explains how we process the information that comes from our outside world. Their belief is "the map is not the territory." And so the internal representations that we make about an outside event are not necessarily the event itself.
Makes sense doesn't it? Even in dog training we can use this process to make you and your dog the the best team in the world. Even if you don't compete and just have a "lazy mutt" that likes to play fetch in the back yard.
You see, Dr. Robert Fortois a practitioner of NLP, and his training school, Denver Dog Workshas a motto: We have the best and train the best. By employing the processes of NLP in our training programs we too can make your dog one of the best too. This is cutting edge training in the dog training world. Nobody does this and that is why they can not hold claim to our title.
Do you want to see how it works? Here's how. Typically what happen is that there is an external event (your dog getting spooked in the ring) an we then run that event though our internal processing. We then make an Internal Representation (I/R) of that event. That I/R of the event combines with a physiology and that creates a state. "State" refers to our emotional state--a happy state, a sad state, a motivated state, or in our case with our dog in the ring, and anxious state. Our I/R includes our internal pictures, sounds and dialogue and our feelings (for example, whether we feel anxious and challenged in our dog's training and performance). A given state is the result of the combination of an internal representations and a physiology. So what happens is that an event comes through our sensory input channels which I can teach you in NLP training and training your dog to be the best.
After the event becomes an I/R it is how our mind processes this information and the outcome that is achieved. We use filters in our mind to accomplish this and this is where the real power of NLP comes into play. For example I am just going to talk about one: Beliefs. Beliefs are generalizations about how our world is. One of the important elements in the NLP model is to find out a persons beliefs about a particular behavior we are trying to model. Richard Bandler says "Beliefs are those things we can't get around." Beliefs are the presuppositions that we have about the way of the world us that we either create or deny personal power to us. So beliefs are essentially our on/off switch for our ability to do anything in the world. In our dog training example. Make you and your dog the best dog team ever! Wouldn't that be great? Go into the ring and get a qualifying score every time? Heck yes it would!
So if you would like to find out more about mind-body dog training, I highly encourage you to give us a call. We truly to have the best and train the rest. Do you want to win too? Yes you do!
Citation: The Accelerated NLP Practitioner Certification Training Manual
__________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project. Dr. Forto is also a practitioner of NLP and is the host of a weekly show, The Dog Doctor Radio and can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com/
By Robert Forto, PHD
Think about it, you are about to head into the ring for a big obedience match or a conformation show. Of course you are nervous. You have worked so hard for this big day. Up until now you and your dog have been in perfect synchronicity. Haven't you? You have done your pre-game prep and you are up next.
Then something catches your dogs eye and your whole dog training world comes crumbling down. Your dog gets spooked, you tense up and your dog pulls away. Your run in the ring ends in chaos and you are disqualified. Something you have worked so hard on for the past two years: all of those individual lessons with your private trainer, the perfect pick of the litter puppy, all that money, gone in an instant!
What if you could change that just by harnessing the power of your mind? No, I am not talking about some freakish mind over matter, late night TV infomercial garbage. I am talking about a centuries old process known as Neuro Linguistic Programing (NLP). In a sense it is a model of how we communicate and our personality. While this process has been around for centuries, the NLP model was developed in the 1970's by Richard Bandler, John Grinder and others. This model explains how we process the information that comes from our outside world. Their belief is "the map is not the territory." And so the internal representations that we make about an outside event are not necessarily the event itself.
Makes sense doesn't it? Even in dog training we can use this process to make you and your dog the the best team in the world. Even if you don't compete and just have a "lazy mutt" that likes to play fetch in the back yard.
You see, Dr. Robert Fortois a practitioner of NLP, and his training school, Denver Dog Workshas a motto: We have the best and train the best. By employing the processes of NLP in our training programs we too can make your dog one of the best too. This is cutting edge training in the dog training world. Nobody does this and that is why they can not hold claim to our title.
Do you want to see how it works? Here's how. Typically what happen is that there is an external event (your dog getting spooked in the ring) an we then run that event though our internal processing. We then make an Internal Representation (I/R) of that event. That I/R of the event combines with a physiology and that creates a state. "State" refers to our emotional state--a happy state, a sad state, a motivated state, or in our case with our dog in the ring, and anxious state. Our I/R includes our internal pictures, sounds and dialogue and our feelings (for example, whether we feel anxious and challenged in our dog's training and performance). A given state is the result of the combination of an internal representations and a physiology. So what happens is that an event comes through our sensory input channels which I can teach you in NLP training and training your dog to be the best.
After the event becomes an I/R it is how our mind processes this information and the outcome that is achieved. We use filters in our mind to accomplish this and this is where the real power of NLP comes into play. For example I am just going to talk about one: Beliefs. Beliefs are generalizations about how our world is. One of the important elements in the NLP model is to find out a persons beliefs about a particular behavior we are trying to model. Richard Bandler says "Beliefs are those things we can't get around." Beliefs are the presuppositions that we have about the way of the world us that we either create or deny personal power to us. So beliefs are essentially our on/off switch for our ability to do anything in the world. In our dog training example. Make you and your dog the best dog team ever! Wouldn't that be great? Go into the ring and get a qualifying score every time? Heck yes it would!
So if you would like to find out more about mind-body dog training, I highly encourage you to give us a call. We truly to have the best and train the rest. Do you want to win too? Yes you do!
Citation: The Accelerated NLP Practitioner Certification Training Manual
__________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project. Dr. Forto is also a practitioner of NLP and is the host of a weekly show, The Dog Doctor Radio and can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com/
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Denver Dog Works and Dogtopia
Denver Dog Works and Dogtopia
By Robert Forto, PHD
Starting this week Denver Dog Works and Dogtopia in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, have teamed up to offer training at the Dogtopia location on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Denver Dog Works specializes in canine sports and working dogs and everything that is fun with your furry friend. Under the direction of Dr. Robert Forto, the team at Denver Dog Works is like no other training school in the nation. We take a practical, balanced, experienced, approach to training your dog to compete (or just have fun) in all sorts of sporting events.
Dogtopia is a dog day care that just opened in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and is a full service doggie day care facility offering: boarding, grooming, extended stays and more. Dr. Forto is proud to associate his business with Dogtopia and hopes that clients throughout the Denver Metro will stop by and take advantage of all of the classes that Denver Dog Works has to offer. The Dogtopia facility has a 100-yard grass field in which we plan to utilize for all of our activities. And stay tuned for more information on the new Snowcrest Canine Sports Association in a blog post to come.
The following is the American Kennel Club Code of Sportsmanship and we atDenver Dog Works abide by these principles in training all of our dogs for competition or just plain fun.
AKC Code of Sportsmanship
PREFACE: The sport of purebred dog competitive events dates prior to 1884, the year of AKC's birth. Share values of those involved in the sport included principles of sportsmanship. They are practiced in all sectors of our sport: conformation, performance and companion. Many believe that these principles of sportsmanship are the prime reason why our sport has thrived for over one hundred years. With the belief that it is useful to periodically articulate the fundamentals of our sport, this code is presented.
Sportsmen respect the history, traditions, and integrity of the sport of purebred dogs.
Sportsmen commit themselves to values of fair play, honesty, courtesy, and vigorous competition, as well as winning and losing with grace.
Sportsmen refuse to compromise their commitment and obligation to the sport of purebred dogs by injecting personal advantage or consideration into their decisions or behaviors.
The sportsman judge judges only on the merits of the dogs and considers no other factors.
The sportsman judge or exhibitor accepts constructive criticism.
The sportsman exhibitor refuses to compromise the impartiality of a judge.
The sportsman respects the AKC bylaws, rules, regulations and policies governing the sport of purebred dogs.
Sportsmen find that vigorous competition and civility are not inconsistent and are able to appreciate the merit of their competition and the effort of competitors.
Sportsmen welcome, encourage and support newcomers to the sport.
Sportsmen will deal fairly with all those who trade with them.
Sportsmen are willing to share honest and open appraisals of both the strengths and weaknesses of their breeding stock.
Sportsmen spurn any opportunity to take personal advantage of positions offered or bestowed upon them.
Sportsmen always consider as paramount the welfare of their dog.
Sportsmen refuse to embarrass the sport, the American Kennel Club, or themselves while taking part in the sport.
Please check out our website, Denver Dog Works, for more information on upcoming classes, clinic and events. We always welcome new members and their dogs at any level or experience. Also be sure to listen to The Dog Doctor Radio Show ever Saturday at Denver Dog Works. We host the show on a variety of topics and have special guests on from all over the world. You can download the show anytime from iTunes or our website.
Citation: American Kennel Club
_____________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. He can be reached through his website,http://www.denverdogworks.com
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Media, Captain Trips, and the Swine Flu
The Media, Captain Trips, and the Swine Flu
By Robert Forto, PhD
By Robert Forto, PhD
On Monday, April 27th, I was driving my wife to work to Denver Dog Works and I was listening to my regular morning radio on KHOW in Denver with the host, Peter Boyles. He had a short segment on the swine flu and how people are relating it to the Stephen King book, The Stand. The book is an epic thriller in which a man-made flu virus escapes from a government lab and wrecks havoc on the world. The super-flu kills 99.4% of the world’s population and the story is a good-versus-evil struggle that is close to 1000 pages in length. It is a must read if you are a Stephen King fan and a chilling read if you so chose to parallel it to the current panic with the outbreak of the swine flu.
I quickly posted my parallel to the book and the swine flu on Twitter and Facebook (as did a lot of other people I’m sure) it has kicked off a barrage of commentary from my followers on the popular social media sites. I was quickly followed by other twitter users, tweeters as they are affectionately known, that also capitalized on the parallel. One tweeter in particular goes by the name of @motherabigail. Mother Abigail is a key character in the King story and calls on a band of survivors to go to Boulder to start a new society. Another tweeter, @vegaswalkindude is the character in the book known as Randall Flagg. Flagg is the “evil” character in the book and he has his followers in the post-apocalyptic world.
"Captain Trips"
The novel (The Stand) is divided into three parts, or books. The first is titled "Captain Trips" and takes place over nineteen days, with the escape and spread of a human-made biological weapon, a superflu (influenza) virus known formally as "Project Blue" and colloquially as "Captain Trips." The epidemic leads to the death of most of the human population in North America (and the world: it is hinted that General Starkey’s men had released the virus in eastern Europe, China, and the Soviet Union; and Peru and Senegal are mentioned in discussion of post-epidemic deaths due to natural causes).
99.4% of people are susceptible to Captain Trips, and the disease has a mortality rate of 100%. King outlines the total breakdown and destruction of society through widespread violence, the failure of martial law to contain the outbreak, and eventually the death of virtually the entire population. The human toll is also dealt with, as the few survivors must care for their families and friends, dealing with confusion and grief as their loved ones ultimately succumb to the flu, which has inexplicably spared them.
The expanded edition opens with a prologue titled "The Circle Opens" that offers greater detail into the circumstances surrounding the development of the virus and the security breach that allowed its escape from the secret laboratory compound where it was created. (Citation: Wikipedia)
The Media
So just what is this swine flu that we are dealing with and can we equate it to popular fiction such as King’s The Stand? As you may know, the media has prompted us to believe this is a world-wide emergency. A pandemic of epic proportions. One like we have not seen in generations. Sure we have dealt with influenzas before. History will show us that the outbreak in 1917 and in 1957-58 were killer-flu’s of astronomical proportion. But, what about this one? The swine flu as it is being called, started on a pig farm in Mexico about two weeks ago and effectively shut down Mexico City, the world’s largest city because of it. It is rumored that this flu has killed up to 100 people and is spreading worldwide as we speak.
The swine flu has now spread to at least ten states, at the time of this post, and several towns in Texas have cancelled school at least for a week and other events like dog shows and sporting events. But did you know that the common-run-of-the-mill flu that most of us contract every winter kills seven people an hour? Now that is “astronomical proportions” if I do say so myself.
So what has us so worried about it this time? I think that the media and the talking heads think that it is time for us to have a pandemic. We haven’t had one in a long time have we? What I mean when I say that they think it is time is two-fold in my opinion. First pandemics occur kind of like earthquakes and tremors. You get a little blip and then you brace yourself for the big one. California has been bracing itself for decades.
The flu, any kind really, whether it be avian, human, or swine, must mutate before they reach their full potential and their true danger. True, this swine flu has mutated and “jumped” from host to host (pig to human) in this case and that is what scares us. So what is likely to happen? I think that this “version” of the super-flu will peter out and go underground just to resurface. Maybe this winter. Maybe next and we will be faced with a flu virus that we are ready to confront. We will have vaccines in place by then and protocols to deal with a true outbreak.
The second reason I think that the media thinks it is time is: most of the media is based on fear-mongering. They do it to us every day. Think about it. They are doing it with their nightly reports on the collapse of the economy, the foreclosures, the failure of the banks, the unemployment rate. But are any of those situations that bad? Let’s take the economy. Sure our spending as a whole is down but unless you have lost your job, have you really changed your lifestyle that much? It doesn’t look like it. The movie theaters and restaurants are packed and I had to take a number and wait an hour to be helped at the Apple store the other day.
Foreclosures are on the decline. A friend of mine, who is in the real estate business said that foreclosures are down 50% since January. With the banks: only 5% have failed and most of those were bought up by larger banks. Has your bank closed? I doubt it. And the unemployment rate is only up about three percent more than it is from the normal range here in Colorado. What is it 8%? That means that 92% of us still have jobs.
I am not trying to minimize any of this. I am a small business owner and I know that people have changed their spending habits just by looking at my bottom line. We had a much lower quarter that just passed than we did the same quarter last year. But what I am saying is that it is the media hype that has us all scared to death. Whether it is the swine-flu (Captain Trips or the super-flu) or our almighty dollar, the media has us just where they want us.
Why do we read books like King’s The Stand? Watch movies like Outbreak? And read books like The Hot Zone? Watch dramas like The Band Played On? Each of these stories scared us to the core about something that we cannot control. Whether it is Captain Trips, E-Bola or the A.I.D.S. virus. We watch (or read) this stuff because we like to be scared. Think about it. We go to horror movies and ride roller coasters because it is human nature to test our limits and walk out of there as a “survivor” having conquered the monster. Make believe or not.
That is what the media does as well. They provoke these same emotions that are primal in us all. Think about it. When was the last time you watched the news and it wasn’t doom and gloom? What is always the fist story? It’s not the feel good “how much is that puppy in the window” story is it? When the media reports they always report it as a slant. They will say something like: “the economy is rebounding---but---the unemployment rate remains steady” or “The swine-flu seems to have leveled off in Mexico---but there are now confirmed cases in ten U.S. states.”
So I ask you my fellow reader and provocateur of the fear, is this what really scares us or is it just another story in the days of our lives?
I welcome all of your comments and criticisms. Let’s keep the discussion alive while it is still a story and not just yesterday’s news as this story will pass soon enough.
_______________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. He can be reached through is website at http://www.inekaproject.org or by phone at 303-522-1727.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Part-time Dogs in a Full-time World
By Robert Forto, PhD
At Denver Dog Works we train people how to become dog trainers. We train them to become the best dog trainers in the world in my opinion, and in doing so we teach our students how to think outside the box and defend their position on a variety of topics. This past week we were discussing Dog Law and I asked my students to search for an interesting story with a legal angle in regards to dogs. One of my students, Christena Pastoor, found an interesting article on renting dogs and we talked about it for the whole three hour session. I found it such an intriguing concept as did everyone in the room. I even posted the question on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter and got an overwhelming response. So I decided it write about it on my blog and talk about it on my radio show this week, The Dog Doctor Radio Show heard weekly on Http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dogdoctor. I welcome your feedback and your comments because this is a topic that is worth exploring.
There was an article written in September by Kathy McManus on the Internet that has really peaked my interest. It was titled: Renting a Dog Barking Up the Wrong Tree? about a service that is offered in New York City, Los Angeles and London where you can “rent” a dog. Yes folk, renting your best…err…temporary friend. You can lease them by the day from a company called Flexpet.
While this is not a new concept as upscale hotels have lent dogs to guests over the years, Flexpet is making a business out of renting dogs. It is not cheap either. According to the company’s website there is a $99.00 administration charge, a $99.00 monthly membership fee, a mandatory $150.00 training fee and orientation lesson and then the customer can rent as many dog day afternoons as desired for a $45.00 fee for day.
Flexpet says that all of their dogs—many of which are from animal shelters—wear GPS tracking collars with temperature sensors and feed “holistic dog food” and all have stable temperaments and between two and five years old. But of course there are many critics over this practice as they see it as promotion of dogs as accessories. If you are a frequent listener of The Dog Doctor Radio Show we often talk about what we call “Paris Hilton Dogs” the small dogs that are carried in purses and adorned with bejeweled collars—of course no disrespect to Ms. Hilton—we see these dogs as more of a fashion accessory than a pet. I mean when did we decide as a society that we should carry our dogs around in handbags? What would our forbearers think from 20,000 years ago when we first added dogs to our lives?
Flexpet is not without controversy of course. The company is banned in Boston after the City Council passed an ordinance making dog letting illegal. “To rent a dog just seems wrong,” said one legislator. “I’m not for legislating morality, but it just seems like cruel and unusual treatment of a poor, defenseless animal.” In the editorial pages in Boston they took issue with what they saw as people “who want the comfort of a pet, but not the full-time responsibility.”
So just who rents a pet? I would assume people that travel a lot, people who live in apartment buildings or high-rises or places that do not allow pets, people that have family members who may not like dogs in the house or people like Sarah Stevenson who moved from the U.K. to New York. “It’s been difficult for me to meet people because everyone in New York just kind of goes about their business,” Stevenson lamented. But when she is out walking a rented pooch named Oliver, “It becomes a nice way to meet people.”
My trainer, Christena Pastoor had plenty to say about this subject. “In terms of legality I can see how municipalities would allow a dog rental business to operate as long as the company can sufficiently prove quality care of their dogs while at their facility and through a screening process of the renters and their homes.” Mrs. Pastoor, who researched Flexpet thoroughly for her project on Dog Law also said, “According to their (Flexpet) website , they provide vet checks every three months, fit every dog with a GPS collar and require all renters to attend mandatory training sessions before taking a dog.”
Of course there are other concerns than the legal ones. Dogs are pack animals that thrive on routine and security. Renting dogs to any number of people for short periods of time does not provide the consistency that they need to thrive. While Flexpet asserts that these dogs do not live in kennels and they stay with a primary caregiver when not being “rented” there is still a constant flux with different dogs at “home” and ever-changing renters. Dogs can become stressed when they do not have a consistent environment and behavior problems are likely to ensue.
According to Mrs. Pastoor, putting a cash value on time spent with a dog automatically makes the dog a commodity in the eye of the renter. It also creates the risk of the dog simply being viewed as an accessory. Dogs are living beings and should be valued as such, not as an accessory that makes people more noticeable.
Of course, many people cannot take the care of a dog on full-time, however there are many other positive outlets for fulfilling a person’s desire for canine companionship. Shelters and rescue organizations are in desperate need for people to walk dogs and spend time socializing them. All dogs in shelters can benefit dramatically from socialization, which may in turn help then find a new home. Fostering a dog is also an option. Many, if not all, shelters are filled to capacity and of course fostering takes a greater time commitment than renting, but it is not a “permanent dog”. Or if a person cannot find time to volunteer to foster, or work at a shelter, maybe they could find friends or neighbors who would be willing to have them spend quality time with their dog that they might not be able to give themselves. As you may know that the number one cause of behavior problems in dogs in lack of exercise and positive stimulation and that is why most dogs end up in a shelter situation in the first place.
I have a little bit of a different spin on it. Of course I love dogs. They are my passion and my livelihood and I cannot understand just how this business of renting dogs is not only morally irresponsible but financially irresponsible as well, but what about people that volunteer for programs such as Big Brothers or Big Sisters? I am sure they do that to “give back” or to enrich a young child’s life. But doesn’t that work the same if you are “renting” a dog? Also what about dogs that suffer from what I call “kennel craziness”, that is dogs that are in a kennel situation and through lack of positive stimulation or people contact begin to pace and bark and spin, very similar to people in correctional institutions. Even a psychologist counters that people that want to borrow a dog usually just want some companionship. “It may be a short bond,” he said, “but it’s a real bond.”
What do you think? Should people rent dogs? Listen to our show this Saturday, 4/18/09 and call in to our studio and tell us your opinion. Our studio number is (646)727-2978 or you can reach us anytime by email at train@denverdogworks.com
Written in conjunction with Christena Pastoor, Student at Denver Dog Works
Citation: Katy McManus’ 9/24/09 article: Renting a Dog: Barking Up the Wrong Tree?
__________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director for Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. Dr. Forto also hosts The Dog Doctor Radio Show weekly from his training center. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
By Robert Forto, PhD
At Denver Dog Works we train people how to become dog trainers. We train them to become the best dog trainers in the world in my opinion, and in doing so we teach our students how to think outside the box and defend their position on a variety of topics. This past week we were discussing Dog Law and I asked my students to search for an interesting story with a legal angle in regards to dogs. One of my students, Christena Pastoor, found an interesting article on renting dogs and we talked about it for the whole three hour session. I found it such an intriguing concept as did everyone in the room. I even posted the question on the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter and got an overwhelming response. So I decided it write about it on my blog and talk about it on my radio show this week, The Dog Doctor Radio Show heard weekly on Http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dogdoctor. I welcome your feedback and your comments because this is a topic that is worth exploring.
There was an article written in September by Kathy McManus on the Internet that has really peaked my interest. It was titled: Renting a Dog Barking Up the Wrong Tree? about a service that is offered in New York City, Los Angeles and London where you can “rent” a dog. Yes folk, renting your best…err…temporary friend. You can lease them by the day from a company called Flexpet.
While this is not a new concept as upscale hotels have lent dogs to guests over the years, Flexpet is making a business out of renting dogs. It is not cheap either. According to the company’s website there is a $99.00 administration charge, a $99.00 monthly membership fee, a mandatory $150.00 training fee and orientation lesson and then the customer can rent as many dog day afternoons as desired for a $45.00 fee for day.
Flexpet says that all of their dogs—many of which are from animal shelters—wear GPS tracking collars with temperature sensors and feed “holistic dog food” and all have stable temperaments and between two and five years old. But of course there are many critics over this practice as they see it as promotion of dogs as accessories. If you are a frequent listener of The Dog Doctor Radio Show we often talk about what we call “Paris Hilton Dogs” the small dogs that are carried in purses and adorned with bejeweled collars—of course no disrespect to Ms. Hilton—we see these dogs as more of a fashion accessory than a pet. I mean when did we decide as a society that we should carry our dogs around in handbags? What would our forbearers think from 20,000 years ago when we first added dogs to our lives?
Flexpet is not without controversy of course. The company is banned in Boston after the City Council passed an ordinance making dog letting illegal. “To rent a dog just seems wrong,” said one legislator. “I’m not for legislating morality, but it just seems like cruel and unusual treatment of a poor, defenseless animal.” In the editorial pages in Boston they took issue with what they saw as people “who want the comfort of a pet, but not the full-time responsibility.”
So just who rents a pet? I would assume people that travel a lot, people who live in apartment buildings or high-rises or places that do not allow pets, people that have family members who may not like dogs in the house or people like Sarah Stevenson who moved from the U.K. to New York. “It’s been difficult for me to meet people because everyone in New York just kind of goes about their business,” Stevenson lamented. But when she is out walking a rented pooch named Oliver, “It becomes a nice way to meet people.”
My trainer, Christena Pastoor had plenty to say about this subject. “In terms of legality I can see how municipalities would allow a dog rental business to operate as long as the company can sufficiently prove quality care of their dogs while at their facility and through a screening process of the renters and their homes.” Mrs. Pastoor, who researched Flexpet thoroughly for her project on Dog Law also said, “According to their (Flexpet) website , they provide vet checks every three months, fit every dog with a GPS collar and require all renters to attend mandatory training sessions before taking a dog.”
Of course there are other concerns than the legal ones. Dogs are pack animals that thrive on routine and security. Renting dogs to any number of people for short periods of time does not provide the consistency that they need to thrive. While Flexpet asserts that these dogs do not live in kennels and they stay with a primary caregiver when not being “rented” there is still a constant flux with different dogs at “home” and ever-changing renters. Dogs can become stressed when they do not have a consistent environment and behavior problems are likely to ensue.
According to Mrs. Pastoor, putting a cash value on time spent with a dog automatically makes the dog a commodity in the eye of the renter. It also creates the risk of the dog simply being viewed as an accessory. Dogs are living beings and should be valued as such, not as an accessory that makes people more noticeable.
Of course, many people cannot take the care of a dog on full-time, however there are many other positive outlets for fulfilling a person’s desire for canine companionship. Shelters and rescue organizations are in desperate need for people to walk dogs and spend time socializing them. All dogs in shelters can benefit dramatically from socialization, which may in turn help then find a new home. Fostering a dog is also an option. Many, if not all, shelters are filled to capacity and of course fostering takes a greater time commitment than renting, but it is not a “permanent dog”. Or if a person cannot find time to volunteer to foster, or work at a shelter, maybe they could find friends or neighbors who would be willing to have them spend quality time with their dog that they might not be able to give themselves. As you may know that the number one cause of behavior problems in dogs in lack of exercise and positive stimulation and that is why most dogs end up in a shelter situation in the first place.
I have a little bit of a different spin on it. Of course I love dogs. They are my passion and my livelihood and I cannot understand just how this business of renting dogs is not only morally irresponsible but financially irresponsible as well, but what about people that volunteer for programs such as Big Brothers or Big Sisters? I am sure they do that to “give back” or to enrich a young child’s life. But doesn’t that work the same if you are “renting” a dog? Also what about dogs that suffer from what I call “kennel craziness”, that is dogs that are in a kennel situation and through lack of positive stimulation or people contact begin to pace and bark and spin, very similar to people in correctional institutions. Even a psychologist counters that people that want to borrow a dog usually just want some companionship. “It may be a short bond,” he said, “but it’s a real bond.”
What do you think? Should people rent dogs? Listen to our show this Saturday, 4/18/09 and call in to our studio and tell us your opinion. Our studio number is (646)727-2978 or you can reach us anytime by email at train@denverdogworks.com
Written in conjunction with Christena Pastoor, Student at Denver Dog Works
Citation: Katy McManus’ 9/24/09 article: Renting a Dog: Barking Up the Wrong Tree?
__________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director for Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. Dr. Forto also hosts The Dog Doctor Radio Show weekly from his training center. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Friday, April 10, 2009
A Dog Named DASY
A Dog Named DASY
By Robert Forto, PhD
I am sure you have heard. Maybe you haven’t because the national media has not picked up this story and I don’t know why because it is a national outrage. All it took was a gunshot in the middle of the night for former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell to spring to action. You see, he can’t sleep. He is afraid of the dark from the atrocities of what happened to him in the war on terror in Afghanistan. Luttrell was the lone survivor of a dramatic battle in the war torn country in 2005. And when he heard the gunshots outside his house on April, 1, 2009 his training took over and Luttrell began a sweep of the house.
First, Luttrell checked on his mother with his gun drawn and told her to stay put until he came back to get her then he bolted for his front door. He then swept the yard and he found his beloved Labrador Retriever dead in a ditch with a head wound from a .357 magnum. He also saw car lights and heard people laughing--but we will get to that in a minute. You see, the Labrador Retriever was not just a dog, she was a service dog to help Luttrell recover from his own wounds both physically and mentally. Her name was DASY, named after Luttrell’s Navy SEAL team comrades. They all died in the fight one night in Afghanistan where Luttrell was the lone survivor.
“I could tell she tried to get away because there was a blood trail,” Luttrell recalled on a phone interview on Wednesday on The Glenn Beck Show. “When I saw she was dead, the only thing that popped in my head was, I’ve got to take these guys out,” Luttrell said.
In the middle of the night with his service dog dead and hearing laughter in the distance, Luttrell who had just been released from the hospital after another round of agonizing surgeries to mend a bad back, crawled under a fence and sneaked up on four strangers in a car who apparently killed DASY on a whim, for pure sport, for fun! Luttrell said they were unmindful and oblivious as he raised his 9-mm pistol from about two hundred feet away and he had one of them dead in his sights.
Their car pulled away and Luttrell did not fire. It took all he had not to pull the trigger. He was trained to kill. He was the best of the best that the United States Military has to offer but he held back.
Instead, Luttrell jumped into his truck and sped, sometimes over 100 miles per hour, after them through four counties in rural Texas staying in contact with each county’s dispatcher as he sped through the night intent on catching the thugs that murdered his service dog, DASY. Luttrell recalled telling the 911 operator, “You need to get somebody out here before I catch them, I’m going to kill them.”
The killing of such a special dog for the former SEAL played right into Luttrell’s deep wounds. The four-year old Labrador was given to him upon his return from the war to help him heal and return to somewhat of a normal life. Luttrell named the dog DASY after his fallen comrades. The acronym was for his SEAL team members lost in a bloody fight in which they were far outnumbered by Taliban fighters. Luttrell escaped death that night and was taken hostage by the Taliban fighters and worked over pretty good. The enemy then took him to a cave and he touted them to kill him but they did not. He was ready to die for his country that he was trained to fight for. Luttrell wrote a book about the experience, The Lone Survivor and it is a national best seller.
Back to the Chase
Luttrell finally caught up to the murders of his service dog at a police road block and was stopped by the Onalaska Police Department. He exited his truck and approached the men and asked, “Which one of you guys killed my dog?” and then the assailants started talking smack saying that they would get him when they get out of jail.
So far, two of them have been charged with felonies but there is little doubt they will serve much time as the law looks at a dog as “just a dog” in these kinds of cases. Probably just six months in a county jail is all.
In what turns out to be a related story, at least five other dogs have been killed in recent months in the area and they could be linked to Luttrell’s case as well. It looks like these thugs were just killing dogs for fun.
No matter what you think about the war and the politics that follow, Marcus Luttrell loves his country and his comrades that died fighting for our freedom. Luttrell doesn’t want to be a hero. He wants to just be a man, a man that loves his country, and a man that is just trying to take care of his family.
What these people did to DASY was despicable and makes me sick when I think about it. When I heard Marcus speak on The Glenn Beck Show this past week I sat in my truck crying my eyes out. How could people kill a dog in cold blood like that and then laugh about it? How could they take something so near and dear to someone and murder it in cold blood?
Marcus Luttrell is angry and he has every right to be. “They didn’t just kill a dog, they killed a member of my family, she was like my sister,” Luttrell said on the Glenn Beck interview.
DASY was part of his family, but also she was his service dog, a dog specially trained to help Marcus cope with his experiences and be able to live his life again, as a man, not a SEAL embattled in a war.
Denver Dog Works called the producers of The Glenn Beck Show and offered to donate another service dog to Marcus Luttrell, as did hundreds of others. Denver Dog Works trains service dogs for a multitude of tasks including mobility and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which I am sure that Marcus suffers from. If you know of anyone that may be in need of a dog like this or would just like to talk to someone that understands, we can help.
God Bless Marcus Luttrell and his family, and God Bless the United States of America because if it wasn’t for people like Marcus Luttrell this world might be a totally different place.
___________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado and is the host of a weekly radio show, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
By Robert Forto, PhD
I am sure you have heard. Maybe you haven’t because the national media has not picked up this story and I don’t know why because it is a national outrage. All it took was a gunshot in the middle of the night for former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell to spring to action. You see, he can’t sleep. He is afraid of the dark from the atrocities of what happened to him in the war on terror in Afghanistan. Luttrell was the lone survivor of a dramatic battle in the war torn country in 2005. And when he heard the gunshots outside his house on April, 1, 2009 his training took over and Luttrell began a sweep of the house.
First, Luttrell checked on his mother with his gun drawn and told her to stay put until he came back to get her then he bolted for his front door. He then swept the yard and he found his beloved Labrador Retriever dead in a ditch with a head wound from a .357 magnum. He also saw car lights and heard people laughing--but we will get to that in a minute. You see, the Labrador Retriever was not just a dog, she was a service dog to help Luttrell recover from his own wounds both physically and mentally. Her name was DASY, named after Luttrell’s Navy SEAL team comrades. They all died in the fight one night in Afghanistan where Luttrell was the lone survivor.
“I could tell she tried to get away because there was a blood trail,” Luttrell recalled on a phone interview on Wednesday on The Glenn Beck Show. “When I saw she was dead, the only thing that popped in my head was, I’ve got to take these guys out,” Luttrell said.
In the middle of the night with his service dog dead and hearing laughter in the distance, Luttrell who had just been released from the hospital after another round of agonizing surgeries to mend a bad back, crawled under a fence and sneaked up on four strangers in a car who apparently killed DASY on a whim, for pure sport, for fun! Luttrell said they were unmindful and oblivious as he raised his 9-mm pistol from about two hundred feet away and he had one of them dead in his sights.
Their car pulled away and Luttrell did not fire. It took all he had not to pull the trigger. He was trained to kill. He was the best of the best that the United States Military has to offer but he held back.
Instead, Luttrell jumped into his truck and sped, sometimes over 100 miles per hour, after them through four counties in rural Texas staying in contact with each county’s dispatcher as he sped through the night intent on catching the thugs that murdered his service dog, DASY. Luttrell recalled telling the 911 operator, “You need to get somebody out here before I catch them, I’m going to kill them.”
The killing of such a special dog for the former SEAL played right into Luttrell’s deep wounds. The four-year old Labrador was given to him upon his return from the war to help him heal and return to somewhat of a normal life. Luttrell named the dog DASY after his fallen comrades. The acronym was for his SEAL team members lost in a bloody fight in which they were far outnumbered by Taliban fighters. Luttrell escaped death that night and was taken hostage by the Taliban fighters and worked over pretty good. The enemy then took him to a cave and he touted them to kill him but they did not. He was ready to die for his country that he was trained to fight for. Luttrell wrote a book about the experience, The Lone Survivor and it is a national best seller.
Back to the Chase
Luttrell finally caught up to the murders of his service dog at a police road block and was stopped by the Onalaska Police Department. He exited his truck and approached the men and asked, “Which one of you guys killed my dog?” and then the assailants started talking smack saying that they would get him when they get out of jail.
So far, two of them have been charged with felonies but there is little doubt they will serve much time as the law looks at a dog as “just a dog” in these kinds of cases. Probably just six months in a county jail is all.
In what turns out to be a related story, at least five other dogs have been killed in recent months in the area and they could be linked to Luttrell’s case as well. It looks like these thugs were just killing dogs for fun.
No matter what you think about the war and the politics that follow, Marcus Luttrell loves his country and his comrades that died fighting for our freedom. Luttrell doesn’t want to be a hero. He wants to just be a man, a man that loves his country, and a man that is just trying to take care of his family.
What these people did to DASY was despicable and makes me sick when I think about it. When I heard Marcus speak on The Glenn Beck Show this past week I sat in my truck crying my eyes out. How could people kill a dog in cold blood like that and then laugh about it? How could they take something so near and dear to someone and murder it in cold blood?
Marcus Luttrell is angry and he has every right to be. “They didn’t just kill a dog, they killed a member of my family, she was like my sister,” Luttrell said on the Glenn Beck interview.
DASY was part of his family, but also she was his service dog, a dog specially trained to help Marcus cope with his experiences and be able to live his life again, as a man, not a SEAL embattled in a war.
Denver Dog Works called the producers of The Glenn Beck Show and offered to donate another service dog to Marcus Luttrell, as did hundreds of others. Denver Dog Works trains service dogs for a multitude of tasks including mobility and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which I am sure that Marcus suffers from. If you know of anyone that may be in need of a dog like this or would just like to talk to someone that understands, we can help.
God Bless Marcus Luttrell and his family, and God Bless the United States of America because if it wasn’t for people like Marcus Luttrell this world might be a totally different place.
___________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado and is the host of a weekly radio show, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The President’s New Pooch
By Robert Forto, PhD
Well folks its is official! President Obama has finally chosen a dog for the White House and First Family, a Portuguese Water Dog. After much anticipation and speculation, the President’s choice is a good one in my opinion. The Portuguese Water Dog (commonly referred to as a P.W.D.) is a good family dog that works is suited well for an active family and with children.
By Robert Forto, PhD
Well folks its is official! President Obama has finally chosen a dog for the White House and First Family, a Portuguese Water Dog. After much anticipation and speculation, the President’s choice is a good one in my opinion. The Portuguese Water Dog (commonly referred to as a P.W.D.) is a good family dog that works is suited well for an active family and with children.
The P.W.D. has been in the news recently and one has a local and a Denver Dog Works connection actually. Talk about six degrees of separation! Rock’O is a P.W.D. that is is trained by a local service dog organization to alert a young child to peanut allergies. Dr. Robert Forto acted as a consultant for awhile in 2008 to Angel Service Dogs, the organization that helped place Rock’O. Denver Dog Works also trains service dogs for children with autism and they can be reached through their website at http://www.denverdogworks.com.
The Portuguese Water dog has been known for centuries along Portugal’s coast and prized for its strength, spirit and soundness. The P.W.D. is a loyal worker and companion. This dog is of medium-sized and is robust, the breed possesses a waterproof coat and the ability to swim all day. Its coat can be curly or wavy and is black, white, or brown, or combinations of black or brown with white. The P.W.D. is also hypo-allergenic and this will help because the President’s daughter, Malia (10,) who has allergies. The dog will require a good deal of grooming. Who will brush the dog regularly? Malia or her younger sister, Sasha who is seven, or maybe the President himself?
Referred to as the Cao de Agua (dog of water) in its native Portugal, the Portuguese Water Dog was bred to accompany fisherman on their boats. An exceptional swimmer and diver, the breed retrieved broken nets, dove for fish, carried messages between boats and to shore, and guarded the boat for his master in foreign ports. The breed started disappearing in the early 20th century when technology made his daily job somewhat obsolete, but Dr. Vasco Bensuade, a wealthy Portuguese shipping magnate and dog fancier, saved the breed.
Is This the Right Breed for You (or the First Family)?
The P.W.D. is an athletic, active breed and the requires daily vigorous exercise. He is very intelligent and responds well to obedience training. His profuse coat is hypoallergenic, but requires regular maintenance. It may be kept in the lion clip (the coat on the hindquarters and muzzle are clipped to the skin) or the retriever clip (the entire coat is clipped to one inch in length and follows the outline of the dog). The P.W.D.is of average size: from 35 to 60 pounds and 17 to 23 inches tall at the withers. He is would excel as a fisherman’s working companion or family pet. Do the Obama’s fish?
The Obama’s have narrowed down a few names for their new puppy. They are Buddy, Fala, Laddie Boy, Checkers, Millie and Barney. Evidently the pup is a rescue. Ordinarily this dogs cost around $2,000.
Temperament
In terms of training and temperament, the First Family will have their hands full in my opinion. The Portuguese Water Dog is an animal of spirited disposition, self-willed, brave, and very resistant to fatigue. A dog of exceptional intelligence and a loyal companion, it obeys its master with facility and apparent pleasure. It is obedient with those who look after it or with those for whom it works. This will make training the new pup necessary in order for proper adjustment and socialization.
My only question is will the new pup have a security escort? The secret service dogs are Belgian Malanois, from Holland they can be quite sociable. Will they get to romp and play together on White House lawn or will it be all work and no play for the ever vigilant Secret Service (and their dogs)?
_________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. Dr. Forto hosts a weekly radio show The Dog Doctor Radio Show at http://www.dogdoctorradio.com Dr. Forto an be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Citation: Http://www.akc.org, Http://www.chron.com
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
How to Spot the Best (and Worst) Dog Trainers
How to Spot the Best (and Worst) Dog Trainers
By Robert Forto, PhD
My name is Dr. Robert Forto and I am the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. I also host a weekly radio show called The Dog Doctor Radio Show every Saturday at 9:30 am. Our canine training school is much different than what you may be used to or what you have researched on the Internet. We truly do have the best trainers and we train the rest. We are the only school in Colorado that teaches people how to become expert canine trainers and behavior therapists and our reputation is backed by the simple formula that you can become a dog trainer by learning the ropes from books and television shows and struggling in your career forever, or you can learn the skill-set to become a fully competent trainer and have a very successful training school for not only your clients, but you as well. This article will focus on both the client and their dog, but also the person wanting to do this as a career. I have done it for nineteen years and can happily say this is the best job in the world. I am sure I will get in trouble from my competition in saying what I say in this article but that is okay. I welcome the dialogue. The proof is in the pudding and sometimes you just have to stir the pot.
It is all about the law of averages and beating the odds. Read on and I will explain.
Many average dog trainers teach average group classes, charge you an average price and have average knowledge and skills about dogs, dog training, dog behavior and canine psychology. Most owners do not know better or who do not really care about these facts, and they just settle with such trainers and end up with average results or even worse—NO RESULTS—in training their dogs! In contrast, the trainers I will be describing in this article are not your average dog trainers at all and are known to beat the odds.
So who emerges from the pack? There is an amazing energy and spirit about these individuals which you will notice right away that goes far beyond dog training. In fact, they know it is much more than dealing with dogs, and this is where I will open your eyes to the traits and qualities of the smartest and the most successful dog experts in the business. Because of their knowledge, skill and persona, they are not only making it--but making it with class and integrity. Again, don’t forget that I am referring to the smartest, so you don’t think that they just got lucky for being at the right place, at the right time or by meeting the right person. Even if that was the case for a few to some degree, before you know it, they took over and kept on paddling on their own.
One fact is, and please do not let this discourage you, but you will soon find out that these trainers make only the top one percent of the dog experts in the industry.
In my years of dealing with different trainers, I have known of those who enjoy fine wine and fancy dinners with the rich and famous. I have known those who have gone from groomer to national television persona and have big contracts and sponsorships. I have also known of trainers who only taught group classes and struggled for years. I have known of those who did not care much for going to the next level and settled for just being a part-timer, and of course I have also known of the ones who were very successful, but yet very miserable mentally. These folks, no matter how much money and success came their way, it was never enough. They simply wanted all the business. To them, the glass was always half empty. You could try reassuring them by saying, “Don’t worry. There are enough dogs for all of us and you cannot win them all, nor do you really want to.” These trainers would hear it, but it would not register. Some bombard the search engines with numerous websites and want to eat the whole pizza on their own. You know what the bad thing is about eating the whole pizza by yourself? It’s definitely not healthy for you in the long run! You share, and you shall receive. That’s how the universe works. It is a funny thing about the dog training business. It is such a closed society. I have never seen anything like it anywhere else. Why would you distance your peers and their knowledge just because you perceive them as a threat? It seems to me that you should welcome the competition and the additional resources afforded to you by your fellow trainers. I am sure you could teach them something and they could you as well.
The ones who stand out from the others are truly unique in every aspect you can think of. These individuals love what they do. This is why it's so hard to get a hold of them. They are too busy making a difference and often have a waiting list. They are busy teaching, training, running seminars, and promoting themselves, their products, and marketing their businesses. Sometimes it is training others to follow in their footsteps and carry on the torch.
The bottom line is, they get out there and love to be noticed for their message and their mission. I guess what I am trying to say is that dog experts are not any different than the rest of us. Through the years I have noticed that sometimes this simply comes down to hiring the best expert money can buy. The cheapest is rarely the best. Think about other trends in your life. Do you go to a “shade tree mechanic” because they are inexpensive and offer no warranty, or do you go to the repair shop that stands behind their work and have been in business for three generations? I have also learned a lot from the worst-of-the-worst. After all, this is where you learn what NOT to do. After studying those who were considered to be the real deal, I have noticed that they all came from a totally different class and mentality and it's no wonder why their success rate was so hard to ignore. When I put these trainers through the test, they all possessed these ten qualities about them:
1. These trainers care about you, your dog and their reputation
2. Their training method is backed by common sense not just the training fad of the day or what is popular on T.V.
3. These trainers pay attention to details.
4. You will not end up with a “half trained” dog.
5. These trainers’ methods work off leash and at a distance.
6. These trainers will train all dogs not just German Shepherds or Labradors
7. Your dog’s age never matters.
8. These trainers’ method is firm and kind.
9. These trainers let you experiment with different training techniques and tools. They don’t sell you a head halter, shock collar or books you must buy.
10. These trainers rarely give up on you or your dog.
I will explain these qualities on my radio show this week. Tune in and give us a call. If you are reading this article after the episode has aired, no worries. You can download it anytime at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dogdoctor or on iTunes by searching Dog Doctor in the podcast section.
We at Denver Dog Works follow this mantra listed above. We are all certified in canine training and we love our jobs. We work with each client individually and we show results. We welcome you to speak to as many trainers and schools that you can. Ask questions and check their references. Are they the ones that just want your business or do they want to retain you as a client? A client that they can work with over the long haul. A client that will come to your school over and over again. A client that will recommend you to their peers. That’s what it’s all about isn’t it?
Give us a call. We offer an initial no-cost evaluation and we can show you why we have the best and train the rest. We can be reached anytime at 303-752-2818 or through our website.
_________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado and hosts a weekly radio show The Dog Doctor Radio show every Saturday live at Denver Dog Works. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
By Robert Forto, PhD
My name is Dr. Robert Forto and I am the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado. I also host a weekly radio show called The Dog Doctor Radio Show every Saturday at 9:30 am. Our canine training school is much different than what you may be used to or what you have researched on the Internet. We truly do have the best trainers and we train the rest. We are the only school in Colorado that teaches people how to become expert canine trainers and behavior therapists and our reputation is backed by the simple formula that you can become a dog trainer by learning the ropes from books and television shows and struggling in your career forever, or you can learn the skill-set to become a fully competent trainer and have a very successful training school for not only your clients, but you as well. This article will focus on both the client and their dog, but also the person wanting to do this as a career. I have done it for nineteen years and can happily say this is the best job in the world. I am sure I will get in trouble from my competition in saying what I say in this article but that is okay. I welcome the dialogue. The proof is in the pudding and sometimes you just have to stir the pot.
It is all about the law of averages and beating the odds. Read on and I will explain.
Many average dog trainers teach average group classes, charge you an average price and have average knowledge and skills about dogs, dog training, dog behavior and canine psychology. Most owners do not know better or who do not really care about these facts, and they just settle with such trainers and end up with average results or even worse—NO RESULTS—in training their dogs! In contrast, the trainers I will be describing in this article are not your average dog trainers at all and are known to beat the odds.
So who emerges from the pack? There is an amazing energy and spirit about these individuals which you will notice right away that goes far beyond dog training. In fact, they know it is much more than dealing with dogs, and this is where I will open your eyes to the traits and qualities of the smartest and the most successful dog experts in the business. Because of their knowledge, skill and persona, they are not only making it--but making it with class and integrity. Again, don’t forget that I am referring to the smartest, so you don’t think that they just got lucky for being at the right place, at the right time or by meeting the right person. Even if that was the case for a few to some degree, before you know it, they took over and kept on paddling on their own.
One fact is, and please do not let this discourage you, but you will soon find out that these trainers make only the top one percent of the dog experts in the industry.
In my years of dealing with different trainers, I have known of those who enjoy fine wine and fancy dinners with the rich and famous. I have known those who have gone from groomer to national television persona and have big contracts and sponsorships. I have also known of trainers who only taught group classes and struggled for years. I have known of those who did not care much for going to the next level and settled for just being a part-timer, and of course I have also known of the ones who were very successful, but yet very miserable mentally. These folks, no matter how much money and success came their way, it was never enough. They simply wanted all the business. To them, the glass was always half empty. You could try reassuring them by saying, “Don’t worry. There are enough dogs for all of us and you cannot win them all, nor do you really want to.” These trainers would hear it, but it would not register. Some bombard the search engines with numerous websites and want to eat the whole pizza on their own. You know what the bad thing is about eating the whole pizza by yourself? It’s definitely not healthy for you in the long run! You share, and you shall receive. That’s how the universe works. It is a funny thing about the dog training business. It is such a closed society. I have never seen anything like it anywhere else. Why would you distance your peers and their knowledge just because you perceive them as a threat? It seems to me that you should welcome the competition and the additional resources afforded to you by your fellow trainers. I am sure you could teach them something and they could you as well.
The ones who stand out from the others are truly unique in every aspect you can think of. These individuals love what they do. This is why it's so hard to get a hold of them. They are too busy making a difference and often have a waiting list. They are busy teaching, training, running seminars, and promoting themselves, their products, and marketing their businesses. Sometimes it is training others to follow in their footsteps and carry on the torch.
The bottom line is, they get out there and love to be noticed for their message and their mission. I guess what I am trying to say is that dog experts are not any different than the rest of us. Through the years I have noticed that sometimes this simply comes down to hiring the best expert money can buy. The cheapest is rarely the best. Think about other trends in your life. Do you go to a “shade tree mechanic” because they are inexpensive and offer no warranty, or do you go to the repair shop that stands behind their work and have been in business for three generations? I have also learned a lot from the worst-of-the-worst. After all, this is where you learn what NOT to do. After studying those who were considered to be the real deal, I have noticed that they all came from a totally different class and mentality and it's no wonder why their success rate was so hard to ignore. When I put these trainers through the test, they all possessed these ten qualities about them:
1. These trainers care about you, your dog and their reputation
2. Their training method is backed by common sense not just the training fad of the day or what is popular on T.V.
3. These trainers pay attention to details.
4. You will not end up with a “half trained” dog.
5. These trainers’ methods work off leash and at a distance.
6. These trainers will train all dogs not just German Shepherds or Labradors
7. Your dog’s age never matters.
8. These trainers’ method is firm and kind.
9. These trainers let you experiment with different training techniques and tools. They don’t sell you a head halter, shock collar or books you must buy.
10. These trainers rarely give up on you or your dog.
I will explain these qualities on my radio show this week. Tune in and give us a call. If you are reading this article after the episode has aired, no worries. You can download it anytime at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dogdoctor or on iTunes by searching Dog Doctor in the podcast section.
We at Denver Dog Works follow this mantra listed above. We are all certified in canine training and we love our jobs. We work with each client individually and we show results. We welcome you to speak to as many trainers and schools that you can. Ask questions and check their references. Are they the ones that just want your business or do they want to retain you as a client? A client that they can work with over the long haul. A client that will come to your school over and over again. A client that will recommend you to their peers. That’s what it’s all about isn’t it?
Give us a call. We offer an initial no-cost evaluation and we can show you why we have the best and train the rest. We can be reached anytime at 303-752-2818 or through our website.
_________________________
Dr. Robert Forto is the training director of Denver Dog Works and The Ineka Project in Colorado and hosts a weekly radio show The Dog Doctor Radio show every Saturday live at Denver Dog Works. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Dog Parks: Does Denver Need More?
Dog Parks: Does Denver Need More?
"Why I don't Recommend Them"
By Robert Forto, PhD
"Why I don't Recommend Them"
By Robert Forto, PhD
I have been a canine behaviorist for the past nineteen years and I have to go on the record and state that I do not like dog parks. I think they are an accident waiting to happen. Many people, especially in Denver, Colorado love these parks and they think they are a tranquil place for their dogs to run, romp, and play with other dogs.
After dealing with aggressive and violent dogs my entire career this is the furthest from the truth. I deal with aggressive dogs every day. It is my specialty. While it may be true that many, and maybe most, dogs will do fine at the dog park, with little if no incidents of a problem, you are just bidding your time. A dog park is not a natural place for dogs to be.
In the news this week, the city of Denver (Colorado) is trying to devise a plan to increase the number of dog parks. There are seven in the city right now and they cannot keep up with the rising demand of dog owners and having a place for their furry friends to run off leash. This is only going to lead to disaster!
If I may quote an article placed on CBS4’s website: “So many people have dogs. I think it’s a good place for bringing dogs,” one owner said on the website. “People who live downtown have dogs in small apartments. They bring them to the dog parks and they learn a lot of necessary stuff from other dogs like how to play, you know when to be rough or when not to.”
Are these people crazy! This couldn’t be farther from the truth! I published this article about this same time last year in the Rocky Mountain News’ Your Hub section and I received an overwhelming response from readers agreeing with what I said.
So I encourage you to read this article from the perspective of the dog, not an owner that needs their dog to have a place to “play”. I welcome all comments and of course criticism. But in my opinion, dog parks, especially more of them, are a bad idea.
The Dangers of Dog Parks
Almost daily I get a call or an email from someone telling me about the problems they have with their dog because they think he is aggressive, or a story about how their dog was attacked when they were on walks or running loose at a local dog park. I have even addressed this problem and have a class that meets on Saturdays. I call it my Growl Class. You would be surprised of how many people have signed up for it. Not just owners with Colorado’s classified banned breeds. We've had everything from miniature poodles to Old English sheep dogs.
People ask me how to deal with overly aggressive dogs that belong to other owners. They ask me to show them how to handle their dog so that they can "teach" someone at the dog park how to handle their dogs. They ask me questions about their own dog not trying to stick up for or defend themselves when they are approached by an aggressive dog. Many people have watched television shows and they were told that the dogs need to work it out for themselves. I say--so far from the truth!
The concept of dog parks was well intended but not a researched enough idea by the local, state, and city governments. The idea of a park is to bring people and families closer together-not to build internal strife and conflict that sometimes resembles doggie gang warfare! Many dog parks allow dogs to run off-leash in lush acreage of surrounding utopia--what a disaster. The main problem stems from people who just do not understand canine pack structure. The City Council's that set up these open space wonderlands are politician's not canine handlers--they should have consulted an expert. What it equals is that the dogs in these parks are out of control. Too often as well, the owners are completely oblivious as to what their dog is doing at the dog park. The owners are often observed using cell phones or doing other things that distract them from monitoring their own dogs' actions.
The average dog owner does not take the time to understand, much less install, pack structure. They do not know how strong the pack instincts are in their family pets. These drives can, and often do, click into high gear when a dog is taken into a park with strange dogs. I meet with people every day that come into my training center and they say that this dog is the alpha dog because he is the male, or he is older, or he is stronger, or he is my favorite. Canine pack behavior is a very complex dynamic that should not be under-estimated. I spent the better part of my career studying pack structure with a team of thirty-five Siberian husky sled dogs. I lived and slept with these dogs. I became a part of their pack. I learned many life lessons from them. The most important one: do not under estimate at dog's potential—ever.
When a new dog comes into a park that other dogs visit every day the new visitor is often seen as an intruder into "the personal territory" of the regular visitor. More often than not they are not seen as a new found friend. This often leads to either territorial aggression, dominance aggression or fear aggression. Instincts kick in and pandemonium develops. Owners are running and screaming towards their dogs, a fight breaks out and the utopia is now in chaos. Someone inevitably gets hurt.
DOG PACKS in the PARK
When a group of dogs, three or more, are allowed to run together in an area where there are no strong pack leaders (human pack leaders), they instinctively try to establish a rank order, or pecking order. If there are several dogs that want to assume a certain rank within this new pack there are often problems. Too often, this results in dog fights to determine what rank a dog will assume.
It is a mistake to assume that every dog in the park is a well-mannered, well-trained pet. Just because its playing with other dogs does not mean that it will play with your dog. The issue of rank has already been settled with these other dogs and the game may be going according to their rules. Your dog will not know the rules and can easily get into trouble. Too often when a fight breaks out between your dog and the leader of this pack the other dogs in the pack will also jump in and go after your dog.
The vast majority of dogs do not want to be pack leaders. They are perfectly happy with their owners assuming the position of leader. As such these dogs expect their pack leader--their owner-- to protect them. That's why these dogs will run to their owner when they fell threatened by another dog. When an owner does not protect his dog the dog is in conflict and loses confidence. When the owner ignores the perceived threat their dogs often move into fight or flight.
When you stop to think about it, normal people would never expect their young children to fight adults that were threatening their home. So why do people expect their young dogs to show aggression to older dogs? In most cases, the owners simply lack the understanding of pack drive and dog training. People get caught in the trap of thinking they have a German Shepherd from working police bloodlines and it should be tough!! Well, it doesn't work that way.
When new owners assume the position of pack leader and they do everything right when their pup is young the dog will grow up to be a confident adult dog. When owners drop the pack structure ball their dogs grow up to be dogs with aggressive issues (either overly aggressive or fearful). This is the primary focus of my work and why my aggression management classes are so successful. Canine training is not about training the dog. It is about educating the owner. I have been known to say that dog training is 90% people and 10% dog. I wholeheartedly believe that. I have conducted many seminars called "Leader of the Pack" and there is a weekly show on cable that promotes "Be a Pack Leader." But do you really know what that means? Do you know how much work, how much time and energy, how much of a commitment it is going to take to give you that empowerment? Being a pack leader to your dog can not, and should not, be compartmentalized in a 30-minute program where the magic of television makes everything alright.
Dog fights are scary business. They could literally mean life and death. I am sure you have heard the horror stories. Is this something that you are ready for? I have been bit hundreds of times--often by the cutest dogs in the neighborhood. I have respect for all dogs. And I make it my business to earn theirs. Aggressive dogs need to be dealt with by a professional. Not an arm-chair quarterback at a dog park shouting "leave it!" because they read a book, or watched a show or attended a chain store puppy class.
My Growl class is a course out of necessity. People love their dogs and they love the outdoors. But dog parks are a plethora of chaos. Research shows that three out of four dogs are not trained. My definition of training has always been: "Control for you, routine for your dog". If you have a dog that needs work with aggression. If you would like to better understand canine pack structure or if you are tired of your dog getting into fights at the dog park give me a call and we'll talk about it.
_____________________
Robert Forto, PhD is the training director for Denver Dog Works in Colorado and the host of a weekly radio show, The Dog Doctor Radio Show. He specializes in canine aggression. Please check out his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com/. He can be reached anytime at 303-752-2818.
Citation: http://www.CBS4denver.com March 23, 2009
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