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Tom’s book, "Dog Training Diaries," was judged as one of the three best training books by Dog Writer’s Association of America. Tom Shelby, The Dog Charmer Cooperstown author, answers pet owners' questions on training their dogs. E-mail your questions to dogsrshelby@msn.com…
...the part of a dog's brain that discerns what the smells are is about 40 times larger than a human's, relatively speaking. It was Mark Twain who said, "If dogs could talk, no one would own them." So when you come home and your dog smells your pants, he knows where you were, who you touched and what you ate.…
Most dogs will exhibit some degree of predatory aggression. The 10-week-old puppy that jumps after the blowing leaf is an example. The movement of the leaf elicits the prey drive in the puppy.…
Socializing a dog is really critical to the stable behavior of any dog, so travelling with her and introducing her to new dogs and new experiences is excellent. I often recount the story of the overwhelmed hound that moved with family from rural Alabama to midtown Manhattan.…
Our sweet, furry family member, Bruno, is a 6-year-old French bulldog. He is a loving and beloved member of our family and great with kids. However, he is anxious and at times aggressive toward other animals and birds, such as geese. He has been this way since he was younger, but it has gotten worse lately. He even bit a friend’s dog recently.…
Penny, shown here with one of her humans, has trouble resisting the lure of the squirrels. (Photo provided) The Dog Charmer by Tom Shelby Off-leash Recall, Socialization in anEntirely New Setting Discussed Dear Tom, Penny is 10 months old and we are again having difficulty with recall. We worked inside and treated successfully, then progressed to outside on a 20-foot lead rope—always treating, always praising—and made good progress until the squirrels showed up with the melting of the snow. I…
Dog Charmer Tom by Tom Shelby The Dog Meet:Energetic Youngster Jeffrey andSenior Paula Jean are Doing Just Fine Dear Readers (and me), Having had Paula Jean—the easiest dog in the world to live with—for the last nine years, I feel I should not only remind myself of what to do when bringing a new, punk age, 9-month-old dog into the home with an 11-year-old totally cooperative, placid poodle, but I should also share some of the do’s and don’ts. First…
The Dog Charmer Not Taking My Own Advice as Jeffrey Joins the Shelby Household I recently heard a cute tip, or recommendation, for older people when it comes to travel: “In your 60s, go-go; in your 70s, slow-go; in your 80s, no-go.” Well, considering myself, I’d change the formula to go-go in your 70s, slow-go in your 80s and no-go in your 90s. When it comes to dogs, though, I have to revert back to 60s, 70s, and 80s for…
The Dog Charmer No Bad dog Hi Tom,I am sure my dog Toby thinks his name is “Toby No!” How can I change the grumpy mad woman that I have become in Toby’s eyes? He is always doing something that I have to stop! El…
The Dog Charmer Housebreaking Zeke Dear Dog Charmer, I adopted Zeke, a very active poodle mix in January. He is not my first dog as I am 73 and had dogs most of my adult life. I cannot seem to house break him. I am growing tired of walking him, and failing; at least once every couple of days he either poops or pees in the house. I fenced in a patch of grass and he will not go down…