Do you have a
jumpy dog? My lil guy definitely tries to leap on strangers (for kisses) and it's something we're constantly working on since he doesn't do this to me. If I have company over, my friends all know the training method I use:
Q: My dog has the very annoying habit of begging for food. It's especially bad when we have people over for dinner – he literally walks from person to person waiting, sometimes jumping with paws up on their laps to see what's on the table or go for the food right off their fork (or plate) – help!
A: Consistency is key to solving this problem.
I have a friend whose stepfather freaked out when I once pointed at their pooch. I was telling the dog to sit, and the pointing came naturally. I never really understood why he didn't want me to point, and honestly it was an instant reflex, but his reaction stuck with me all these years.Now I'm self-conscious about raising my finger – do you do it, too?
Now that we know
how humans should behave at the dog park, let's focus on the reason we are there – our doggies! The dog park can be a great time for all . .
I know I mentioned
Dogs With Jobs the other day when I introduced you to Ellie,
the pup who has been caring for motherless bunnies, but these rescue dogs have a whole career ahead of them!
Rescue dogs in Beijing animal shelters are getting a second chance at life, and plenty of new responsibilities now that they have been drafted into Chinese military forces as search and rescue trainees, and will also use their noses at this year's Beijing Olympics to sniff out drugs and bombs.
Over 160 poochies have been sent to the capital from across the country, and from these pics, they've already made some real progress in their training!
When I first stumbled upon the website for the
R2 Fish School system ($32), promising to help you teach your fish how to do amazing things in their tank with the instructional DVD – like score a soccer goal, do the limbo, fetch, and play basketball – I was a little more than skeptical. I actually thought I was being punked! But after seeing the little fishy in the demo video get his game on, I became a believer.
Not only does Cesar Millan
help train Oprah to be the pack leader of her pampered pups (including helping beloved Sophie socialize with other dogs
before she passed away), but he can help train you to do the same . . .
I have heard of some interesting training tactics in my day to teach pets various lessons. Similar to the suggestion to toss a pebble-filled water bottle in the general direction of a barking dog to get him to stop yapping, this is a noisy device to deter your cat from jumping on the couch.
The
Jumpo Trainer ($5) kind of reminds me of a bear trap (only it's not lethal, thank goodness) but designed to make noise to keep your cat or birds from going into places they shouldn't.
He's spoiled . . . 
