Nanny State Strikes Back

Dogs that "without provocation" chase any animal — be it a rat, squirrel, seagull, bear or cougar — would violate a dog licensing and control amendment bylaw that passed three readings at the Dec. 16 council meeting.

Isn't this absolutely RIDICULOUS? This is why I'm for limited government and citizen legislators. Government has NO BUSINESS meddling in our lives to this degree.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone (including your dogs)! Please, have a ton of fun today, be careful with your pets, and get ready for the coming New Year!

Dogs are going to become more politicized in the future. Dogs are now targets of the socialists. Dogs are targets of the Nanny State because they seem to represent the "rich", they represent "carbon pollution"... since they eat and they have gas and they poop, and everyone needs to be protected from being a human being and from nature. But, let's not sweat that stuff today. We'll fight that after the holidays, OK?

Adopt A Dog For Christmas

The shelters are full of adoptable dogs this Christmas season. I have recently reversed my position on getting a dog for Christmas... I now believe it is better to get a dog and save a life, and enrich your home, than to be overly concerned about yourself. In fact, get 2 dogs. Dogs are happiest in groups, and even though it is a bit more work owning 2 dogs vs. 1, your dogs will appreciate the fun and companionship.

So, you don't know what to get the family for Christmas? Get a dog.

Here are some things to consider regarding what to look for in the dog, purebred or mixed, you are considering.

Thanks For Nothing, Paris Hilton

California has more Chihuahuas than it can handle, and experts say Hollywood is to blame. Chihuahuas make up 30 percent - or more - of the dog populations at many California animal shelters. There's suspicion that fans took to the tiny breed to imitate Chihuahua-toting celebrities like Paris Hilton and Miley Cyrus. People then apparently change their minds.

I'm always against "fad" dogs. I was very concerned that the Puggle would end up swamping shelters. It could still happen.

Why I Don't Believe In Clicker Training (Updated)

Clicker Training is based upon an OBSOLETE theory of behavior called “operant conditioning”. This might sound controversial, since clicker training is promoted as a “new” way to train dogs. However, operant conditioning is based upon the concept that all that matters is what an organism does in response to certain stimuli, primarily discrete consequences that happen outside in the animal’s environment. It ignores other valid research regarding the internal motivations, feelings and conscious experiences of the subject, in this case, the dog.

I periodically update my articles. This is the latest version on this topic.

Fire These Busybodies

PET owners could be punished for not walking their dogs... Under the legislation, they would have to regularly exercise dogs, ensure animals are not kept chained up and give their pets adequate food and water. If the proposal becomes law, dog and cat owners across Australia would face prosecution, fines of up to $12,000 fines for animal cruelty and magistrates could consider jail in extreme circumstances.

Is this what we hire politicians to do? Does the state have the right to tell you what to do in every way, down to the smallest detail? This is tyranny. It is obscene.

Pet Friendly Landlords Make More Money!

How to attract good tenants?

Allow pets. Many property management companies will no longer permit pets. Being pet-friendly can set you apart and attract more potential tenants to you. (Hat Tip: Trump Blog).

I'm surprised at the number of landlords that refuse pets. It's stupid. Pet owners will pay extra to have a place that is pet friendly. Pet owners typically average higher incomes than those without pets. Pet owners have more of a stake in where they live than those who don't (and can therefore more easily pack up and leave). The same is true for hotels, by the way. Hotels could make a lot more money if they allowed pets. Many hotels have become pet friendly, but many are not. In this economy, I can't imagine turning away good money.

Dogs & Fitness

Dog owners get more exercise walking their pet than someone with a gym membership, researchers have found. On average they exercise the animal twice a day for 24 minutes each time - a total of five hours and 38 minutes a week, a study for the pet healthcare experts Bob Martin found. On top of that, the average owner takes their dog out on three long walks each week, adding a further two hours and 33 minutes to the total. Those without a dog spend an average of just one hour and 20 minutes a week exercising by going to the gym or heading out for a stroll or jog. Worse still, almost half - 47 per cent - of non-pet owners admit they do absolutely no exercise whatsoever.

One of the original reasons I got my first dog was the idea that having a dog would keep me in shape. With my first dog, I walked at least a mile a day for nearly 10 years, most of that on some pretty steep hills in the suburbs of Seattle, WA. I never wanted to be out of shape. I have worked hard to stay fit. Blame it on the dogs!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Be CAREFUL with your guests & pets today!

Save Two Dogs

I am reversing my previous stance on adopting pets for holidays. With the economy being wrecked by government bungling, a lot of people have lost their homes and jobs. Dogs have filled the shelters, and are being killed in unbelievable numbers. Normally, I have been against people adopting dogs for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, as birthday presents, Easter, etc. I have mainly been against it because so many dogs are purchased from breeders as impulse purchases, and then 90 days after the holiday, the dogs are dropped off at the shelters. This time, the situation is reversed. There are too many dogs dying in shelters, and I'm encouraging people to adopt 2 dogs for the holidays. Most people will keep the dogs they adopt, and thus it is more humane to save these dogs than let so many die as a result of this terrible economy.

So, this year... please, adopt a dog for the holidays. Save a dog. Better yet, save two. Dogs are pack animals, and they do better in groups than alone. I have other tips here and at my web page, www.SamTheDogTrainer.com, on how to select the right dog for your home.

Save a dog. Save two.

Would It Be Right To Kill A Dog Hater?

Is it right to kill people who hate dogs? I was asked this question recently, and of course, my answer is "NO". Killing people, outside the legal justice system, or unless in self defense, or unless in defending someone else from unjustified death, or unless in the event of war, is and always has been considered murder. The prohibitions against murder go back to the earliest times. "Thou shall not kill" means you must not, are not morally justified in, murdering ANYONE.

Would it be right to kill someone who killed an animal, even if it was your own dog? The same answer: NO. Even police officers are not allowed to kill someone just because a criminal has killed their K9. Human life is not the equivalent of animal life. Animal rights nuts say that a bug is the same as a dog is the same as a horse is the same as a human. That's garbage. Even if it was made legal in your area for someone to kill a human if they killed an animal, it would still be murder regardless of what the law said. Morals are not based upon what is legal, instead what is legal should be based upon what is moral. Yes, it was a hanging offense to kill someone's horse in the Old West. A person's horse was something that people relied upon for survival. Stealing that horse was pretty much the same as killing you. It would be the same if somehow the nation was in a famine after a nuclear or biological or chemical attack, and someone tried to steal away the food you had to survive, or tried to kill your dog to get to you or your basic survival resources... I think it would be morally right to defend your life by defending your animals... but that is a very extreme example that none of us faces. However, you still need the law to deal with the situation, clear permission in the law and clear permission by the police.

Animal rights wackos think they have the right to kill humans for the sake of animals, outside the boundaries of the law. That's why they are considered domestic terrorists and are put in prison for their crimes.

There are some justifiable reasons for killing a human being. But not because someone hates dogs or even kills dogs. The only justification for you, personally, killing a person is to defend your own life, or the lives of others... and in a free country, doing it according to the law. The way to deal with dog haters is to win them over to your cause by persuasion, and to prevent them from harming dogs using legal means.

Small Dogs & Big Dogs? Careful!

Dog’s Death At Dog Park Serves As Warning: Don't let small dogs play roughly with big dogs. This is also a warning about the mix of dogs you put in your own home. (Hat Tip: Dogster)

Want A Confident Puppy?

Choose your breeder wisely. All else being equal, it is better to get a puppy from someone with an active household and regular contact / handling of the puppies, than from someone who lives in an isolated area with no visitors and living alone.

Interesting Behavior Factoid

Shepherd breeds are more attuned to sheep & deer scent than other breeds, bird dogs more attuned to birds, & thus each breed type will have a greater propensity to attack & kill these types of prey. What is a trait used for hunting will, when unchecked, also become a propensity to finish the job. Terriers, on the other hand, aren't as attuned to scent as they are to sounds.

What we breed for will sometimes get us unintended consequences. That's why I recommend that people try to read between the lines when studying which breed to buy, looking at the original purpose of the breed they are considering. What might be normal for that breed might be a hassle in your home.

The Type of Question That A Dog Behaviorist Considers

A dog behavior puzzle for you: When a dog plays fetch, is the object of the game the toy or the game itself?

(The answer might surprise you... however it is for you to come up with the answer yourself. It's stuff like this that I puzzle over, and it's stuff like this that I get paid to know.)

Calm Submissive?

Cesar Milan and his followers all talk about making your dogs "calm submissive". There are many situations where a dog won't be that way, and most of them are the ones where you must have control over the dog. In these circumstances, "Cesar's way" will fail. I know the answer, do you?

Kids and Dogs

Why Dogs Attack Children: "When some animals are stressed too much and for too long, they will tend to kill and even eat their young. I would bet if you were to do some research on many dog attacks on children in the family, that you’d find that the dog was under some kind of stress. In addition, I think you’d also find that many of these cases are also attributable to a lack of supervision by the parents."

Owning Multiple Dogs

I believe it is better for a dog to have a companion dog than to be an only dog. Dogs are pack oriented, social animals, and it is more natural for them to have a companion. You will find it is enjoyable to handle and own multiple dogs if you do it right. I also believe your dog will be happier and more well adjusted.

The trick is selecting the proper combination of dogs. A few tips:

a. Always do opposite sex. Same sex is more likely to fight than opposite sex.
b. Don't get puppies from the same litter
c. Get dogs of the same approximate size and energy level
d. Don't get the dogs at the same time. Start with one. Socialize and train it. Once that dog is working well, then introduce the second dog. Socialize and train it, and make sure it has separate time with you every day for the first few months, otherwise the new dog is more likely to bond to the other dog than to you.
e. Don't get a second dog if the first one is not house trained. Adding a second dog will just make the situation worse. Once you get the second dog, don't assume it will "learn" from the first dog... it won't. You will have to do just as much, or more, work on the second dog to ensure it is fully house trained.
f. Hire a professional dog trainer throughout the process. Train the dogs to the point where you can get each dog to obey individually around the other dog, in public, with distractions.
g. Expect that multiple dogs will cause more commotion in your home.
h. Don't introduce a new dog into the home if your current dog isn't good with other dogs, untrained, poorly mannered, or if the new dog combination is a mismatch. Hire a professional to help you sort the issues out before you get the second dog.

Do We Really Need A Law For EVERYTHING?

San Jose to tackle issue of bicyclists with leashed dogs. They are talking about regulating or banning dogs pulling people on bikes.

This is the Age Of Obama... The One is just a sign of the times we are in. The public has stopped believing in freedom, and started believing the seductions of state control of everything. I have heard that in Soviet Russia if the law didn't specifically say something was LEGAL, it was ILLEGAL... the opposite of what we've had here in the US. Socialism isn't freedom, it's slavery.

Enviro-Wackos Are After Your Dog

Save the planet... eat your dog.

Yes. That's the message.

"The eco-pawprint of a pet dog is twice that of a 4.6-litre Land Cruiser driven 10,000 kilometres a year, researchers have found. Victoria University professors Brenda and Robert Vale, architects who specialise in sustainable living, say pet owners should swap cats and dogs for creatures they can eat, such as chickens or rabbits, in their provocative new book Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to sustainable living. The couple have assessed the carbon emissions created bypopular pets, taking into account the ingredients of pet food and the land needed to create them. "If you have a German shepherd or similar-sized dog, for example, its impact every year is exactly the same as driving a large car around," Brenda Vale said."

I started to disrespect my professors in college as the years went on... a good number of them were absolute nutcases. Education doesn't equal wisdom or morality. Who are these idiots to tell us what is right or wrong?