Fred

took Kimo & Hershey out
stopped on Lolena Hill picking up some glass
On to Makanani, Skyline, Puna
No sign of Hoku, but next door the neighbor was taking home his little white dog with big brown spots (I think)

The dog seemed to want to meet Hershey and Kimo and when the owner saw us coming he let the dogs come near. They sniffed and Hershey made his play moves.

I asked what the dog's name and the owner said his name is Fred. And that he plays with Hoku too, even though there's a huge size difference. I would estimate that Fred is like 5 to 10 pounds.

On up the street. Treat Joey frount and back.

And on to Ilimia, back down Aulii and go home.

[Mon 6/28, posted 6/29]

dog food ratings

[Looking at dog food ratings as passed on by Mary Nellum]

I've been feeding Kimo Pedigree (because my neighbor Kimo gave me a bag that somebody gave to them and Kimo seemed to eat it OK) and Beneful (it looked good on the label when I was in the mindset that non-meat would be good for Kimo since I though he was allergic) lately. He doesn't seem to greatly enjoy it, but he'll eat it eventually.

It turns out the dog community is also opinionated about dog food too.

How good is Pedigree?

Pros: [none]
Cons: Insufficient meat content, by-products, low quality grains, fat and meat products of unidentifiable origin, carcinogenic preservative, artificial colourant.

This food receives a 1 star rating simply because there is nothing lower.

The primary ingredients in the food are grains (it should be meat!). Corn is a problematic grain that is difficult for dogs to digest and thought to be the cause of a great many allergy and yeast infection problems. We prefer not to see this used in dog food.


How good is Beneful?

Beneful falls in to the category of unhealthiest pet foods on the market. I have listed the ingredients of the Adult Formual below and I want to highlight a couple of things for you.

Beneful Adult:

-Ground yellow corn (should NEVER be in pet foods, cheap filler that dogs cannot digest)
-chicken-by-product meal (should NEVER be in pet foods, these are the feet, feathers, beaks, organs of dead, diseased or other chickens unfit for human consumption)
-corn gluten meal(shoule NEVEr be in pet foods, this is simply the residue left after corn has been processed for other things)
-whole wheat flour (should not be used as wheat is one of the most common allergens for dogs and provides no nutrition)
-beef tallow (this is beef fat, which offers not nutritional value as most dogs do not digest beef and the fat is not the proper type to make their coats shiny)
-rice flour (should be the whole grain, not just the flour)
-beef (dogs do not digest this very well)
-soy flour(another common allergen for dogs)

This food does not have any meat in it except a tiny portion of beef which the dog can probably not even taste. This food is both disgusting and a great example of Purina prodcing cheap foods just to try and make a profit.


The reviewer likes Innova instead.

BUT

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010, Procter and Gamble (Manufacturers of Iams and Eukanuba) announced that they have reached an agreement to purchase Natura Pet Products, manufacturer of Innova, EVO, California Natural, Karma, and Healthwise. Because P&G cares about profit and not about pet health, and because P&G has a proven track record of high marketing values of low quality foods, I can no longer give Natura brands, including Innova EVO, a good rating. Previous rating was five stars, and previous review remains below.

***

What are the worst dog foods? (according to Yahoo Answers)

Any brand sold in a department store.. Even the name brand stuff is utter crappola.. It's all just corn, fillers, chicken heads and feet and any other miscellaneous junk they can get for cheap.. Then they just throw in a couple vitamins and call it 100% complete and balanced.. [answered by Unknown]

Worst dog foods:

-Beneful
-Pedigree
-Iams
-Eukanuba
-Royal Canin
-Science Diet
-Kibbles 'n Bits
-Dog Chow

***

What are the best dog foods?

Innova and Wellness make this top ten

Dog Food Analysis rates Innova and Wellness six stars.


Here's some ratings:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Blue Buffalo Chicken & Brown Rice/ Score 106 A+
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Eagle Pack Holistic / Score 119 A+
Eagle Pack Holistic Chicken / Score 114 A+
Eagle Pack Large and Giant Breed Puppy / Score 94 A
Eagle Pack Natural / Score 94 A
Eukanuba Large Breed Adult / Score 83 C
Eukanuba Natural Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Flint River Ranch / Score 92 B (non-specific fat source)
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 A
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Iams Large Breed / Score 83 C
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Kirkland Signature Puppy Chicken, Rice and Vegetable / Score 108 A+
Natural Balance Duck and Potato / Score 114 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Chicken, Rice, & Oatmeal / Score 85 C (non-specific fat source)
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural choice Lamb and Rice / Score 85 C
Ol Roy / Score 9 F
Pedigree Complete Nutrition / Score 42 F
Pedigree Adult Complete / Score 14 F
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
Pro Plan All Breed / Score 68 F
Pro Plan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet chicken adult maintenance / Score 45 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Solid Gold Bison / Score 123 A+
Timberwolf Organics Lamb and Venison / Score 136 A+
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (Bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A


I was a bit surprised to see Kirkland rated so high and disappointed to see Ol Roy so low (that's the kind of dog biscuits I give Kimo).

***

[11/1/10] Is pricey dog food worth it? [via zacks]

Koa and Kona on the loose

barking early. It was Koa loose.

Decide to leash him and take both Kimo and Koa out for walk. Walk a bit with Amy and mom.

Kimo hears Miki(?) barking. Goes wild. Koa sees Kimo wild and goes wild himself.

Continue on. Kona sees Koa. Comes running to the gate (which rarely happens). Surprisingly the gate swings open.

Doesn't come charging at Koa like last time. But stops short a distance away. Back off and drag Koa away and take him home.

Then go back and tell Chris-Ann that Kona was loose. She said Kona (Kona is a girl since she called her she) is socialized. I told her about the time Kona attacked Koa. She said Koa (the dog the neighbors let loose) had come after them before and they have a problem with him. But other than that, Kona's OK with dogs.

Meanwhile Gerald had dropped off Hershey who hadn't come for about a week. So I retrieved Hershey and decided to go visit Hoku.

After waiting at the gate a little while, Dottie let us in. They played/wrestled for a while. Then got a little tired. At one point, Hershey lay belly up in the driveway and Hoku lied down too trying to prod Hershey to get up and play some more.

Then we went up the street. Lulu was by the gate waiting quietly. I went over and tried to entice her with some chicken jerky but she was cautious. Then I put a piece on the gate and she went over to eat it. But as we started to leave, she barked.

Joey heard the barking and came running out. So we went over and I gave the dogs some treats on the steps.

[Wed, 6/23]

Kimo over the edge

barking, take him in front and treat on steps

no Hershey today, take Kimo out solo
run across Lolena. Where'd Kimo go? He went over the wall and landed on the ground below. He's down below. Jump down from wall and lead him back up steps. That was kind of dangerous. I remember Koa did that once and I think had him jump back up the wall since I had the other dogs with me. I don't think Kimo can jump this wall.

visit Maka, pees on Maka's gate
see Sonny with his head through the door, visit Sonny
no Betty in sight, Cleo is walking, see Dottie & Hoku, sorry no Hershey today

Joey barks at us, wait across street until he stops, then go over and treat
treat some more around back

Ilima, Aulii, chat with Charlotte on the way back

[Tue 6/22, posted 6/24]

Hawaii Pet Photos

hawaiipetphotos.com

[via Midweek]

Wendell likes the cat on a roomba

another day

Kimo barking early in the morning. Well at like 6:30. Thought he wanted to go poop, so bring him in the front. Goes pee, but not poop, then goes up the front steps.

Take him out again, goes pee, then starts walking up the side of the house. I thought he wanted to go to the back again, but then he jumped the stonewall and ran around to Keith's window. Where they both proceed to go nuts. Grab his leash. Hold his collar. Wait until he calms down.

Take to front and read paper as he lies on the landing. Suddenly he turns and jumps and me and bites my foot. Grab him again and wait until he comes to his senses. At least no blood this time.

Pat goes out taking Keith with her. I manage to keep him from having an outburst. At least Keith didn't charge down the steps this time.

Soon enough, Kimo starts to get agitated running around and barking. It was RMAS. I didn't see them until I went to the driveway and looked. I took Kimo out as they were still aways up the street (Reina picking up Miki's poop). We went over to retrieve Hershey who was delivered by that time. Hershey was understandably apprehensive as Kimo was still a little charged up.

Waited 'til they passed then followed them up the street. It was a little easier this time since Keith wasn't home. But Kimo was still reacting to passing by the window.

After a while we caught up and Kimo calmed down and they walked together pretty well, though I keep Kimo on a short leash and generally stay between him and the other dogs.

That afternoon, Donna came to visit. Pat was taking out Keith and Keith charged down the steps and naturally that got Kimo going. But he stopped soon enough as I headed him off at the railing and blocked him away.

As they were up the street, played some food fetch on the steps to try to release some energy.

Donna was leaving as Pat and Keith coming back and she out to the street to visit. Keith was excited to see her but wouldn't sit for her. I loosely held Kimo so he wouldn't go out of control as we watched. Maybe it'll help now that he saw Keith with Donna.

More neighbors walking. This time they brought Big Koa. Kimo goes wild again. Step on leash and hold his collar. Acts up again. Force him to lie down.

Kimo seems mostly OK when I bring over to Koa's house, but not when Koa comes walking by our house. He does sometimes growls a bit when he goes close to Koa's gate. Don't notice Koa reacting much to it. Should correct that (and I do).

Well, another day in the life of Kimo.

[Thu 6/17, posted 6/18]

Pennsylvania puppy mills shutting down

Daniel Peachey's breeding dogs used to stand on wire flooring all day, cooped up in cages that provided no regular access to the outdoors.

No more. Peachey recently spent more than $20,000 on upgrades at his Stone Mountain Kennel, outside of State College, to meet stringent new health and safety standards that state officials say have gone a long way toward ending Pennsylvania's reputation as the puppy mill capital of the East.

While breeders like Peachey have found themselves shelling out tens of thousands of dollars to comply with the strictest kennel law in the nation, scores of substandard commercial kennels have opted to close instead — freeing a minimum of 14,000 dogs from bleak surroundings where they typically received little attention or care.

Pennsylvania had long been known as a breeding ground for puppy mills when Gov. Ed Rendell signed off on an overhaul of the dog law in 2008. The legislation was a response to appalling conditions in many large commercial breeding kennels, where dogs spent most of their working lives inside cramped wire cages, stacked one atop the other, and got little grooming, veterinary care or exercise.

Key provisions that went into effect in October required large-scale breeders to double cage sizes, eliminate wire flooring, and provide unfettered access to the outdoors. The new law also banned cage stacking, instituted twice-a-year vet checks, and mandated new ventilation and cleanliness standards.

Many breeders have closed voluntarily rather than comply. The number of commercial kennels in Pennsylvania plummeted from 303 at the beginning of 2009 to 111 today — a reduction of almost two-thirds — although a few of them are expected to reopen after making renovations, while other kennels got rid of enough dogs so that they are no longer classified as commercial operations.

Hoku lies down, Hershey lies down, Kimo snarls

Hershey came today after not coming at the end of last week.

Took them to Puna and saw Dottie out with Hoku. They started playing on leash with Hoku pulling Dottie (Hoku doesn't know her own strength). So up the driveway they went.

I walked around with Kimo a bit and he sniffed Hoku's butt.

Then soon enough Hoku and Hershey were playing/wrestling.

Dottie came out with the treats and Hershey went for the treats. But Hoku still wanted to play. So Hershey tried to keep Hoku away so he could get the treats.

Finally I got them to wait (it took a little doing with Hoku since I don't think they make her wait for her food) and fed them some kibble.

More play. Then after a while, Hoku was tired and lay down [I don't know if all this is in strict chronological order].

At one point as we were sitting down, Hoku came near Kimo. But too close as Kimo snarled to keep her away. I put Kimo on the other side. Hoku didn't seem flustered and both seemed OK being on either side of me.

Time for more play. But Hershey seemed tired. And he lay down on his back. Hoku kept pawing and nudging him to play some more. But after a while, they both lay down.

A little more playing and it was time to go.

Go up to see Joey. Didn't bark as were coming, but started to bark a little as we went to the front steps. Gave him some treats and he was mostly quiet.

Lulu was quiet waiting across the street. Went over. The Lulu got anxious and barked as Kimo came close. Hershey kept his distance.

Then down to Makanani. The pitball on the corner was tied up and barked at us. Hershey stopped to pee so more more barking. The brown boxer? was out and didn't bark so much.

Then I see Sonny behind the door looking out. Took them to over. Sonny's tail was wagging. Jennifer saw us and opened the curtain. There was a hole in the screen door so Sonny could stick her head right through. She said Sonny and the cat did it.

Next door, Maka was at the gate. Kimo didn't feel like greeting, but I brought him over and he did a sniff at a distance.

And so went another morning with the dogs.

[Monday 6/14, posted 6/15]

target training

Targeting - What is it?

A "target" is anything that the dog must focus on and perform some action towards. I usually introduce the idea of a target when I reward a dog for touching my palm, but it has really started earlier than that. Attention is a form of targeting, where the dog is focusing her gaze on your face (or hands). "Come" is a form of targeting in which the dog must find the area right in front of you. In agility, dogs must step within a certain safety area called a contact zone on many obstacles, to prove that they are dismounting correctly and not just flying off the top of a high dog-walk or A-frame.

Read the article for more.

[via Ken McCort @ dogbehaviorscience, (well he mentioned it)]

Kimo raw

Noticed the area around Kimo's mouth was looking raw (kind of reddish) a few days ago. I noticed it only when he was lying down and I had a better angle.

I hadn't been giving him his ivomec regularly as I had hoped his mange was under control, but maybe the condition is starting to come back. So I'm starting to give him his med again. I think it's starting to improve now.

[6/11/10] It spread a little to above his eyes. But I think it looks a little better now, now that he's back on his med.]

Seeing Eye Human

The following story is true as I witnessed the account firsthand. It taught me the meaning of “best friend” when it comes to animals.

It was a blustery autumn day and I had just arrived at my in-laws’ house after a hard day at work. My wife was enjoying her People magazine and my mother-in-law busily prepared our dinner. The aromas from the kitchen were heavenly and since I had to skip lunch, my body had a mind of its own. “Mr. Stomach” growled with such vehemence that it startled my poor cat Rocky, who was sitting on my lap at the time. “Mr. Salivary Gland” also joined the fray as Rocky darted off, eyes wide from the ferocious rumbling, drool peeked from the corner of my mouth. It was very embarrassing, to say the least.

Anxiously awaiting the delicious fare, I scanned the living room for some type of distraction to take my mind off of food. It was then that I noticed that my father-in-law was nowhere to be seen. Mom said he was out walking Lani, the family’s 19-year-old Pomeranian Silky Terrier mix. Fearing any further awkward bodily expressions, I headed out to see if I could catch up with Dad.

Once outside, I spotted my father-in-law walking Lani some 50 feet ahead of me on the sidewalk. Jogging to reach their location, I started to notice a golf club in his hand. Was he practicing his golf swing while walking the dog? I was quite impressed.

I pulled along side the duo and after a few minutes decided to ask Dad about the golf club.

“Hey, Dad, what’s with the golf club? Practicing your swing?” I chided.

“Actually,” he responded, “I use it to guide Lani as she walks. Since she is blind, she tends to walk into brush, poles and fire hydrants. She knows to turn away if I gently tap her.”

“Dad, I’ve heard of Seeing Eye Dogs, but you’re sort-of like a Seeing Eye Human,” I joked.

Laughing at my comment, he grinned and said, “I never thought of it that way, but I guess I am.”

Later that evening I began to take notice of all the things that my in-laws would do to keep Lani comfortable and happy. You see, besides being blind, Lani was deaf, arthritic and partially incontinent. The home nursing care for her was truly a labor of love. Lani provided years of joy and companionship for my wife and my in-laws, and in the end it was their turn to care for her.

-- by Dr. John Kaya

welcome back Amy and Reina

Kimo starting barking and running frantically back and forth in the morning. I'm pretty sure Keith started barking first.

Sure enough, Amy and Reina were back walking Miki and Shammy.

Took Kimo out as they went up the hill. Sat down on Iha's curb facing me but could still see up the hill as RMAS made their way back down. Seemed to stay fairly calm.

Then as usual, Keith began his frantic barking.

Started to chat with Amy a little about their trip to Europe. Took my eye off Kimo and then saw Kimo going wild, Shani-like. Held him by the collar so as not to get bit, but those teeth were awfully close. After I guess about a minute or so (it seems pretty wild when you have a wild dog by the throat), Kimo calmed down and I took him up the street trailing RMAS.

Despite his peeing and sniffing, we managed to catch up toward the end. And Kimo remained reasonably calm as he caught up to Shammy.

Try, try again.

Now that I think about it, I think he was reacting more to Keith than the Miki or Shammy. Or the dynamic of all three.

[Wed 6/9, posted 6/10]

catching fleas

Here is an old effective way to control fleas.

I ran across this when I was looking for a non chemical way to control fleas. I went to the agriculture department and check their files before 1946 to get this one.

I suggested it to Judy B. who had tried lots of other methods and spent a lot of money but found this to be the most effective ;o)))

Try the safe soapy water and light bulb flea controller. Hang light bulb 1 foot above a low container (about a foot wide and 2-3 inches deep and with at least 1 inch of soapy water in it. A great use for those old wire crates!!

It is moved around about 5 feet a day or have several and the fleas jump to the light (heat) and fall in the soapy water (very old method of getting rid of flees)

Best places indoors is within 5 feet of where your pet sleeps and you sleep, rather they drown in the bowl than you or your pet getting bit.

Remember that fleas are not found in your driveway gravel or in the open. The larvae do not survive high temperatures. They are found in shaded areas, like under porches, decks, car ports, at the edges of woods, and especially in places where your pets lay down outdoors.

[via dogwhispererfans]

Training Collars

The Canny Collar is a simple dog training collar designed to stop pulling on the leash and make walking your dog a pleasure. Comfortable, kind, safe and effective, its revolutionary 'behind-the-head' design makes it easy to fit and simple to use, transforming even the worst pullers into happy, well-behaved pets. No wonder the UK Pet Product Retail Association voted it 'Best New Product' shortly after it was launched.

If you're looking for an easy solution to your dog pulling problems, look no further than the Canny Collar. You'll be in good company. Since the Canny Collar was launched, more than a quarter of a million dog owners worldwide have discovered the simple pleasure of walking their dogs on a loose leash. Join them today and make training your dog easy!

[via Marykins]

It gets mixed reviews here. (In other words, it worked great for some dogs and not so well for others.)

***

Another option is the Easy Walk Harness. It gets four stars at Amazon.com.

It's made by the Gentle Leader folks. I'm guessing as an alternative to their flagship Gentle Leader product which could potentially cause neck damage if the dog starts to run and gets jerked back.

Here's a critique of the Gentle Leader. A positive review. 4.6 at buzzillions. 4.75 at viewpoints. 4.5 at petsmart. 4.5 at amazon.com. LCK hates it.

***

Then there's the Ilusion collar used by Cesar's fans. Kind of expensive. Here's one owner's experience in using it. It gets mixed reviews here, 4-1/2 stars at Amazon.com.

natural flea repellent

Well, natural stuff is worth a try to avoid side effects by chemicalflea treatments which in my opinion (from what I have seen) is MUCH WORST than the fleas themselves.

HERE are some suggestions....

CITRUS REPELLENT: Cut a lemon into quarters and place in a pint jug. Cover the lemon with boiling water and let it steep overnight.

Next day you have a flea repellent that you can use in a spray bottle. Spray over your dog remembering especially behind the ears and around the head generally (careful of eyes), around the base of the tail (once again keep away from delicate bits) and under your dog's armpits".

[from Lori Reynolds, DogWhispererFans]

***

Apparently Lori got the above from here which also mentions other natural flea repellents.

More here, including garlic and how much to use.

*** [5/1/12]

more suggestions in the comments section

[5/26/12 - more links on garlic]


And maybe a change in diet?

Commercial dog food is bad and maybe your dog is telling you she doesn't like it. If you can, try giving her freshly made homemade food. After a while you won't need any flea control coz when dogs eat homemade diet they have no odor inside or outside so no fleas find them interesting enough to come around. I have 5 dogs and all of them eat homemade and are all vegan. I give them brown rice with bunch of beans and veggies and they love it! No surprise NONE of them have fleas ever or any health or skin condition.

Maybe make Kimo some chili :)

[8/29/17] you can use Apple Cider vinegar too

Cesar divorcing

Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan and his wife Ilusion are divorcing.

Millan announced the split Friday on his website.

"We are sad to announce that after 16 years of marriage we have decided to file for divorce," he wrote.

"The decision was made after much consideration and time. We remain caring friends, and are fully committed to the co-parenting of our two boys."

Kimo turns away

Took Kimo out in the morning. Went to poop. Then went up the front steps and lay down. He didn't seem interested in going for our morning walk.

So I took out Hershey solo instead. Walked him through our backyard. Had to encourage him to go through the gate. Seems he doesn't like to go certain places. Like into Koa's garage for example.

Then up the hill. See Kimo coming out with Fifi and Mochi and the baby in a carriage. Mochi started pulling on the leash to greet Hershey.

Then we walked down the street. Normally Kimo doesn't walk his dogs down there, but he does when I'm out with the dogs. Kimo looked at us from the steps. Keith started barking. Then Kimo barked at Keith barking. He barked a little at us going back. So I went over to see if he wanted to walk with us. He didn't. OK, stay home.

Later that morning, I was reading the paper on the steps. Kimo was lying down facing me on the far end of the landing. Suddenly he got up and charged at me. I raised the paper to block and he quickly veered off toward his food dish like he was going to eat.

I dunno. Maybe he's stopping quicker after his charge. Maybe. Or maybe it was because he was kind of far away this time.

[Thu 6/3/10, posted 6/4]

Makiki dog park

O'ahu could have another off-leash dog park if a community group is successful in securing a location at Makiki District Park.

Advocates for a Makiki dog park have been working on the project for about a year, trying to identify a suitable location, deciding on a design and raising money to build and maintain the site, said state Rep. Della Au Belatti, D-25th (Tantalus, Makiki, McCully).

"Between the fact that there's not anything in the district and the closest park is Diamond Head, there's certainly a need for pet owners," said Au Belatti, who has helped the group navigate through the process.

Last week the dog park advocates received much-needed support from the local neighborhood board, which advises the city about community issues.

The Makiki/Punchbowl /Lower Tantalus Neighborhood Board recommended that the city allow the off-leash park to be placed in a back corner of the district park, said John Steelquist, board chairman.

service monkeys

WILLISTON, Vt. — From the time she first heard of the possibility, Judy Zappia has thought a lot about how much a trained monkey could help with the day-to-day tasks multiple sclerosis has made increasingly difficult.

If she dropped a jar of oregano and it rolled under the counter, the monkey would be able to fetch it. If the remote was across the room, the monkey would deliver the device. And if Zappia needed a hug, she hoped the monkey would be able to provide that, too.

Zappia, 58, who relies on a motorized wheelchair to get around, will soon find out exactly what it is like to have a companion monkey.

After initially being denied approval, she has the OK from Vermont Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Wayne Laroche to acquire a monkey from Helping Hands, a non-profit organization in Boston that breeds and trains small capuchin monkeys to work as service animals for patients with limited mobility.

"I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a little nervous," says Zappia, who hopes to get her capuchin monkey this month.

"balanced" trainers

Besides John Wade (The Dog Shouter) and Cesar, here's another (so-called) "balanced" (meaning they use both positive and negative reinforcement) trainer, Ed Frawley. Fortunate K9 seems to be another one. Here's their viewpoint on corrections stating that positive trainers actually use them too.

All these seem to be "real-world" kind of people. (Not to say the others totally aren't.)

Actually I note few professionals using purely negative methods these days (individual owners are a different story). The Monks use a lot of praise. Cesar likes to give massages (rewarding state of mind). Pattison? Well, he runs/plays with the dogs.

And Victoria likes to use sound adversives (vs. physical adversives). Plus what looks like sort of a Koehler method in teaching loose leash walking (which seems to pretty standard).

Temple Grandin

I was scanning through the TV listings and noticed a listing for Temple Grandin. Looking closer, it's a movie from HBO about Temple Grandin who wrote the book Animals in Translation.

Here's the one-line description from Zap2It: "The scientist becomes an advocate for autistics and the humane treatment of livestock."

Sounds like it might be interesting. But since I don't have HBO, I would have to wait for it to come out video.

According to Amazon, the DVD will be released on August 17, 2010. It gets five stars on 25 reviews, 24 five-star review, 1 three-star (and even that one was mostly positive). [Warning, that Amazon page somehow ate up my memory causing a lot of writing to disk.]

Evidently HBO puts out some pretty good movies. Another excellent one is Something The Lord Made (although dog lovers might get squeamish as they used dogs in their research).

***

Seeing in pictures -- The Costco Connection, June 2013