Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Journey to the Heart of the Dog

I found this workshop description online - for a workshop in October 2009 and again in March 2010  Love it.
Sorry you missed it - Me too :)

But check out the website Natural Dog Training  - there is lots of info there, enough to keep you busy for days.

Journey to the Heart of the Dog  - Retreat Weekend


The connection between dogs and human beings is far more profound than ever imagined. The only animal to integrate themselves into every aspect of human existence, dogs know us “by heart.” Learn what bonds humans and dogs and each dog to its owner. Thinking is what separates our two species; feelings are what we have in common. Explore why dogs do what they do, why we think about them the way we do, and how to understand a dog by learning to see “by feel.”
Traditionally the idea of heart has been a romantic notion, a wonderful sentiment, an apt metaphor, but dogs are here to show us that heart is tangible, material, and down to earth. It is a faculty of intelligence by which animals adapt to their surroundings and by which emotional energy is communicated from individual to individual, even across the species divide. The most amazing example of this is the dog-human emotional bond.
This is not a workshop about obedience. Before you set out to train a dog, you need to know how a dog’s energy works. You can establish amazing rapport once you learn how to work with his or her energy, instead of fighting against it.
Much of the time we will be outside observing dogs in nature and exploring Kevin’s way of knowing dogs. There is only room for a limited number of dogs, so you are welcome without your dog. Or if you’re thinking about getting a dog, come to this retreat first. If two people come together, they each get a 10% discount. Even if your dog stays home, you and your dog will be glad you came. Dogs want to be understood.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Dogs - our other self

Dogs are our reflection in more ways than 1.

This is a recent facebook post of mine:

deep, still sigh this evening as i contemplate what we have been doing to dogs in our society. what is really going on that in recent years dogs are starting to get treated with psychiatric medication? -- dogs - the most open, joyful, playful, social and cooperative beings on earth-land.

there is simply something wrong with that picture ....

According to The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), an Estimated 93 million US Dogs and Cats are Overweight or Obese. That means that over half the nation’s dogs and cats are now overweight. This cost pets years of their lives and owners millions of dollars.
APOP reports the following as the primary risks of excess weight in pets:
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Heart and Respiratory Disease
  • Cranial Cruciate Ligament Injury
  • Kidney Disease
  • Many Forms of Cancer
  • Decreased life expectancy (up to 2.5 years)
Dogs are our mirrors in more ways than one.