With the holiday hubbub behind us, it’s time to settle back into our usual habits – or perhaps come up with new ones. That’s what New Year’s Day rituals are all about: deciding what works for us, discarding what doesn’t; evaluating our lives to see how we can make them shine. This process is especially important when it comes to our dogs.
That’s why this issue of Bay Woof launches the New Year with an abundance of training suggestions from local experts. In ways both practical and philosophical, the articles you’re about to read will change you and your canine companions for the better.
Starting things off, Jeff Stallings’ story describes how too much dependence on food treats during training can backfire. His suggestions for their strategic use will surely increase your dog’s rate of response. Next up is Lilly Pritchard, who provides guidelines for selecting your next furry packmate, and then getting life with him or her off to a great start.
Cecelia Sternzon’s Good Dog! column is about canine impulse control, explaining how such techniques as patience games and calming signals can renovate your relationship with your eager beast. In her Monthly Woof column, Kelly Gorman Dunbar reflects on a dog-on-dog bite incident she recently witnessed, caused by both poor dog socialization and inadequate training. Her advice will help you avoid aggressive scenes – both on and off leash.
We hear from both Bonnie Brown Cali and Chad Culp. Bonnie discusses how to help our dogs shine in 2014 through team building, motivation, consistency, and creativity. Chad looks at the New Year’s resolutions most popular among humans and suggests how our dogs can help us achieve them. Whether your goal is to save more money, take a real vacation, or manage stress – a properly trained dog can help you reach it.
Shoshi Parks weighs in, urging us to reconsider our expectations as a way of setting ourselves up for training success. Just like humans, dogs come with both strengths and weaknesses and some hard-wired traits. Maybe it’s time to work with the dog you’ve got rather than setting – and failing to meet – “ideal” standards that simply won’t work for every dog every day.
Bridget Murphy discusses the ins and outs of obedience training, emphasizing the importance of clear and consistent communication between you and your canine companion. Whether you’re working with a puppy or dealing with problem behaviors in an older dog, it’s important to avoid mixed messages.
Some aspects of life with dogs are actually not about training, of course, so we’ve included a few off-theme extras. Learn how canine chiropractic can improve your dog’s quality of life – and maybe even her lifespan. Tips on keeping your dog’s skin healthy during the winter months are here. Finally, consider celebrity canines – as DogTV did when compiling its list of 2013’s Most Powerful Dogs.
The start of a new year offers opportunities for change – in every area of life. Start with a commitment to more and better training time with your dog and this time next year you’ll both have a whole lot to celebrate!
Oh, one last thing: our Beast of the Bay Awards 2014 process is underway. Don’t forget to participate by casting your ballot at surveymonkey.com/s/BoBA2014. Voting closes at midnight on January 31.
– Mindy Toomay, Content Editor
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