Dog Training Tips & Articles

Stop it!  No, thats not a new command to teach your dog.  Its what we need to do when we are taken over by our own human instincts in terms of misinterpreting our dogs behavior and acting on our feelings instead of a dog’s reality at times when we must display a level of self-awareness when interacting with potentially problematic dogs.   When we go into that autopilot mode, we must asess where we end and our dogs begin.  As I always say, it feels too good not to do this, we’re only human.  It is in our nature to do this when living with dogs because of their amazing (and ususally harmless) ability to make us misinterpret their behaviors and go by how our dogs make us “feel” as opposed to the reality of their actual existence…

However, when it comes to dogs who have the potential for behavior problems, catching ourselves and not giving in to the illusion dogs at times can present is of utmost importance if you want to be one step ahead of them and curb unwanted problem behaviors. 

A balanced dog is quite self-aware.  Another dog knows to look for this quality in a leader.  They feel it oozing from their core being whenever they are in the presence of someone  (or somedog) who posesses this quality.  Most humans are lacking this ability according to some dogs… We just do what we do around our dogs without regarding all the things that dogs with certain personality types are constantly keeping track of.  Do you really put much thought into walking from one room of the house to the next?  We are pretty much on “auto pilot” the majority of the time we are at home coexisting with our pets.   This contributes to the confusion in a dog who thinks they are the only ones who are concerend with the flow of life and need to carry that responsibility over to all other aspects of the human environments they share with their owners.  I tell my clients that just by being more in tune with what you’re dog is paying attention to, and showing them you regard what they are caring about in life, (for their sake, of course) they can project an energy of understanding their dog will respond to.  With this, your dog will feel as if  you know what you are doing in a dog’s game of life.  Regardless of the method of comunication or training techniques we use towards our dogs. 

So next time you want to indulge in your feelings towards your dog…Just stop!   And begin to think of the incorrect energy you may be projecting if it is not appropriate to act on those feelings.  As I tell everyone, the sooner you develop this skill, the sooner you won’t have to use it.

I would like to personally wish all of my fellow dog owners and    clients a very happy holiday season!  The holidays are a special time of year that can present numerous unique, and at times, potentially dangerous situations for our pets.  From peeing on the Christmas tree to stealing holiday turkey, we need to make sure we are taking the steps necessary to  ensure we share our holidays with a happy and well-behaved dog.  The following are some helpful tips to guide you through the holidays and make sure your dog gets on Santa’s “Good Dog” list!

:Christmas trees tend to bring the outdoors in during this time of year.  Because many dogs get very used to going to the bathroom and marking on trees, this can be confusing for your dog and can create some soggy presents!  If your dog has this potential then it would be best to teach you dog how to keep a safe distance from the tree by using a ”Place”, “Get” or similar command to give them a specific location to be when in proximity of the tree.  There are also many products such as “Bitter Apple” and “Phooey” that act as deterrents as well.  This will also help with dogs who like to eat tinsel and ornaments, or those that just can’t wait till X-mas to open their presents…:

: The holidays are times to gather with family.  During the holiday when guests come over our dogs may want to wish them a happy holiday before you do and jump on them at the door.  This is a perfect opportunity to work on your dog’s jumping issues since there will be so many chances to practice!  Now is the time to use that “Stay” command and regain your dog’s focus so they do not feel like jumping in the first place. (your Mother in law will appreciate it):  :Cold winter weather can present its own hazards for our pets.  Even with a permanent fur coat our dogs can be vulnerable to cold weather.  Make sure you wipe your dog’s feet to remove any harmful de-icing salt and debris they may have stepped in.  For extended walks, a good pair of dog boots helps prevents cold chapped feet and frostbite.  “Mushers secret” is also a great product for this.  In the winter we are using more antifreeze products for our cars.  It tastes like candy to dogs but is extremlely poisonous for them.  Make sure all antifreeze is stored safely and any leaks are cleaned:  :During the holidays, we tend to have more food around than usual, this can be tempting for even the most well mannered dog.  To avoid a scene from A Christmas Story Movie playing out in your house, now is the time to establish a good meal routine so your dog knows that your food is off limits to them and they have their own.  By establishing this you won’t have to order Chinese takeout for Christmas dinner and spend your holiday at the vet’s office!:

By following these guidelines we can eliminate any unwanted problems before they even start and ensure the holidays are enjoyble for you and your pet!   Feel free to contact me at 303-325-7961.  Visit my website: wwwthecaninecounselor.com for more holiday tips and dog behavior/training information.

Happy Holidays!!! From The Canine Counselor 

     Not a day goes by where I am not confronted with the unavoidable fact that there are people out there who claim to be professionals in my field and then take on cases their experience, or even worse, their misinterpretations of dogs themselves cannot handle.  What happens then, in my opinion, is the literal “Kiss of death” for some dogs who’s owner(s), foster parents, or rescue organizations don’t know what they are seeking or need in a dog behavior specialist.  The so-called professional dog trainer, behaviorist, psychologist, etc. blames the dog and then proceeds to write them off as lost causes that no one can help or in best case scenarios, goes right for the medication cabinet before any basic applications of communication, training, and leadership are applied.  I feel this is simply because they couldn’t help them with the limited tools and understanding they were providing?  I don’t think so.  Unfortunately I see this happen every day.  This shouldn’t be.  And it wouldn’t be so prevalent if us as dog enthusiasts became a little more in tune with what makes us tick before we can expect to analyze our pets.      The problem with most dog behavior specialists is that we like to control things in our lives and environments (admittedly…me included).  Our personalities like to solve problems and fix what seems to be broke.  We like it our way or no way at all!  (Sound a little like some dogs we know?)  This works great when persistence, control, and a hefty ego are necessary to convey the assertive take no nonsense control of a good pack leader.  It does however get in the way of one’s ability to see a broader scope than their own eyes and mind may allow them to see.  This is where we as professional dog handlers need to understand ourselves and who we are so we can be effective in being objective and neutral when educating pet owners and the public about dogs and their behavior.  The inability of many of my peers in this particular department has driven me to place the majority or my work’s emphasis on the need for this self-awareness so we can help rehabilitate dogs who otherwise are limited solely by our lack of understanding of the innate concepts they as a species already know.  It is hardwired into their genetics.  It is our job as the creator of this species to learn how to see the reality of their existence and not make assumptions based on preconceived notions of what they mean to us and how they fit into our psychology.  An example of this will be how someone will name a dog “Sparky” because they are a Terrier and have a spitfire personality.  Sparky just seems to do everything 110%.   I’ll hear something like: “He gets so excited when people come over he literally spins in circles while he barks constantly.”  “Sparky just loves walks, he nips at me when he sees the leash and is always out in front barking at the world announcing his presence.”  “Sparky just seems to be so excited with everything, even a leaf blowing across the yard!”  If we examine more closely though, these are just character traits of the dog and not their actual personality or psychological makeup.  In the past, my observations usually have concluded that most “Sparky Dogs” are a little discontented from the over-thinking they have to do during the times their owners don’t take over certain aspects of their lives for them.  The behaviors, (good bad, or indifferent) are just manifestations of the dog’s mindset at those particular transition points in a dog’s life and the way they are reacting to it, not their personality.  In my section on “Doggie Racism”, you will learn how a dog’s breed has little to do with what makes them who they are.  Unless you are utilizing the more pronounced natural instincts certain breeds posses to accomplish a working or sporting goal, you are getting a breed because of how they look to you and how your psychology projects onto them or theirs onto yours.  Trust me, its not what you think…So many of my client have a difficult time hearing this and facing these facts.  I always explain how I understand why this is difficult for them to hear and accept, and what I am revealing to them is far from criticism or they are being a bad dog owner.  They wouldn’t have made the effort to come see to help them resolve these issues if they didn’t love their dogs!  Remember, we are just being human, and as humans we must display some humility in the face of something we do not fully understand.  I do this everyday, and feel there is always something our dogs can teach us about who they are so we can create a deeper understanding and communication between us and them.  It’s the so called “experts” or the “I’ve had dogs/insert breed (even worse!) my whole life and this is what you should do…”  For the armchair dog trainer this is ok for some basic training and maybe light obedience issues where the dog will let you slide with some effort and intent.  For dogs that have higher requirements of leadership, usually due to higher than average levels of insecurity and anticipation anxiety, this “speaking with an accent”, at best, won’t do.  We need to understand our dogs to the core if we are to successfully address more advanced and complex behaviors such as aggression, separation anxiety, anti-social behaviors, and severe problem behaviors based in discontentment.  What I continuously find amazing is this ignorance has permeated into my profession.  After all, dog professionals are still humans first which places the responsibility on us to understand our end of the leash as well.      Half of the cases I see have been through some other type of training or behavior program before they come to me.  When I ask all these numerous unrelated people why they have spent a great deal of time and effort, and are now in my office to see me make them put in more of a great deal of time and effort. (Everyone loves when I tell them that!)  I consistently get the same response; “We just didn’t get the results we were seeking, and don’t feel the previous trainer/behaviorist understood our dog.”  The reason for this is in the statement itself.  Once we understand our dogs, the results come naturally…Period!!!  This is why I frequently show owners results during the first time we meet far beyond what the past person was able to achieve after months of work with the dog.  It’s all in the understanding.  “How can we understand our dogs and relate to them if we don’t understand what motivates us to have them in our lives, interpret their behaviors the way we do, and relate to them in such a unique way?”  As a professional, it is our responsibility to examine and understand this to its fullest extent.  Too many professionals are stuck with their method or philosophy and can’t get past what they think is their new breakthrough creation and amazing contribution to dogs as a species.  Honestly, I have a difficult time biting my tongue not telling these people to get over themselves.  Talk about alpha-dog ego?  So, what makes me different?  I mean I talk about myself and my fantastic ability to relate to dogs and their owners all the time, I promote myself as a dog expert, so what gives?  Here’s the difference; I see myself as a messenger.  Someone to tell it like it is, based on my experience, understandings of energy and psychology (my own as well), and the gift I have been given to be highly sensitive enough to be able to be in tune with the instinct driven, sometimes extremely subtle world of dogs.  I just teach people how to tap into and understand what nature has already created!  As professionals, we must see ourselves as a vehicle to do this and act as a bridge between species.  Not a preacher who feels they have found the missing link to communicating with our dogs and are unable to see past their viewpoint.  The link is there.  Dogs use it 24/7, we just have to see past our own psychological instincts as humans to grasp it and see it for what it is.  Once we do, that link becomes the golden ring to link us to the endless communication possibilities we can have with our dogs… 

In response to everyones requests, I am going to attempt to update my “Colorado Dog Blog” and Colorado Dog Training articles more frequently.  In addition to the usual tips, advice, information, and the occaisional rant, you will also find updates on The Canine Counselor, happenings and events at our facility, as well as the Colorado dog world in general. If there is a subject of interest that you would like me to open for discussion, or have a question regarding dogs and their behavior, or just about what I do, feel free to reply and I will do my best to address your response.  I look forward to communicating with all my fellow dog enthusiasts and appreciate you visiting my website!

Although the following article I found is kind of an advertisement for a DVD about dog training, it pretty much sums it up as far the dynamics of the types of problems people come to dog behaviorists and trainers for and how very few actually even understand what these types of dogs are all about. 

As always, I have to give credit to the bearer of this great information…Ed Frawley.  His website: leerburg.com is filled with balanced information about dogs from someone who is knowledgeable, experienced, and truly understands dogs for who they are. (Yes, there are actually a few of us out there!)   

In my DVD I provide 3 1/2 hours of information to help people solve their problems with dominant dogs and aggressive dogs. This information is based on 45 years of experience training dogs. For the last 30 years I have studied the art of protection training dogs. I was a police K9 handler for 10 years, and was chairman of the training committee for the WI police dog association for a number of those years. I have bred German Shepherds for police service work for 28 years. During this time I have bred over 350 litters of working dogs. I have dogs from my kennel working in law enforcement, Search and Rescue and competing in Schutzhund all over this country. No one I know in the United States can make these claims.

Everyone has an Opinion:

I tell you these things for one reason. You found this web page because you have a problem with your dog. You have also found out that “Everyone has an opinion on how to solve your problem.” You only need to use Google for a few minutes to see this, or ask your neighbor or best friend. Everyone thinks they know what you should be doing. The problem is that very few people have the experience to back up their opinions.

Every year hundreds of thousands of dogs go through obedience training. The vast majority of dominant dogs that enter training classes come out of class just as dominant as before they started. The reason for this is that instructors and owners alike do not address issues of pack drive and rank within the pack.

These instructors and pet owners underestimate the genetic power of the “PACK DRIVE GENES” that flows through the veins of a family dog. Dogs, like wolves, seek to live in a family packs. A family pack can be one dog living with his human family, or multiple dogs and their human family.

When the average pet owner gets a new dog the owner’s first goal is to show the dog how much he likes the dog. This is the absolute opposite of how dogs think. When a dog meets another dog they will always establish their rank with each other before they become friends and play (or fight) with the new dog.

Rank within the Pack:

Dogs instinctively try to establish a rank within their family pack. The vast majority of dogs would rather not be a pack leader. In fact, many become stressed when they are forced into that position by a human pet owner that does not practice proper pack procedures.

Dominant dogs are dogs that have problems with pack and rank issues.

This DVD was produced to help people analyze their dog’s dominance and aggression problems. I provide the information for them to come up with a solution to those problems. These solutions include educating the owners on pack drive and rank drive.

Learning to be a Pack Leader:

Owners of dominant dogs don’t have an option, they must learn to become pack leaders. Unfortunately, many people are not themselves leaders in their normal lives. Becoming a pack leader for some people is a foreign concept. In my DVD I explain a logical protocol for these pet owners to follow that will result in their dogs’ changing the way they view their position in the family pack.

This DVD is a project I have been working on for over 5 years. In my opinion it may be the most important training DVD I have ever produced. More dogs are given up for adoption or euthanized every year because of dominance and aggression problems than any other reason. Not all of these dogs are salvageable but I believe the vast majority of dominance problems can controlled so that those dogs can live a better life with their family pack.

We help you learn to design a training plan:

The information in my DVD is going to help you develop a road map to getting a grip on your dogs behavioral problems. If you are not physically strong enough or don’t have the temperament to do the work necessary to solve the problem I believe that I have provided you the information needed to find a local person that is qualified to come in and help you.

Most behaviorists lack experience in dog aggression:

It is important to point out that the vast majority of dog behaviorists are unqualified to offer advice on dog aggression and/or dominance. This DVD (and the e-book I am writing) provide enough information to help dog owners determine if an individual is qualified to assist in these areas.ed on 45 years of experience training dogs.

A client gave me an article featuring Cesar Milan (a.k.a. The Dog Whisperer) to read.  It discusses the criticism Cesar has faced over the past few years and the reason why his approach to dog psychology has been met with such controversy and critics.  Because I am Often compared to Cesar Milan and frequently recommend his books and television show to my clients, I feel it would be appropriate to comment on the article and my feelings on Cesar Milan in general.  When people compare me to him, my response is a heartfelt “Thank You!”  Nothing could be a greater compliment than being compared to someone who has helped so many dogs and their owners worldwide, and has taken the language of dogs and how we can better communicate with them mainstream.  I’ll never forget the time I was working with a client and their dog and we came upon an elderly woman who had to be at least in her 80’s out walking her dog.  When the two dogs met, one tried to establish their role as a leader over the other dog by mounting them.  Instead of the usual human reaction to curb this type of behavior because it “wouldn’t be appropriate in the human world”, the elderly woman explained, “don’t worry, he is just asserting his dominance over the other dog, it is normal for dogs to do that.”  I enthusiastically replied, “you must have been watching the dog whisperer”.  Of course she replied with a great big “Yes!”  Now, if it wasn’t for Cesar Milan bringing these concepts that only a small minority of professional dog trainers, handlers, and owners understoodpreviously, to the masses.  How else would someone like that understand their dog’s behavior this well or even know where to find out this information?  With all the dogs that end up in shelters and get euthanized because of the lack of understanding on the part of humans, (almost all of them!) wouldn’t it seem his message will only benefit dogs as a whole?  That is why I never understood those who strongly oppose Cesar Milan and his ways.  Well, actually I do understand because I experience this resistance sometimes as well.  People like Cesar, me, and others who are able to see and promote the truth and reality of dogs force people to have to examine who they are as humans to directly understand how it is affecting their dog’s behavior.  The reason this is difficult for some is because dogs are part of our lives in modern society because they give us what we can’t get out of humans.  Basically they fill a void within our psychology.  Plain and simple.  That is the reason why dogs are so great and we can bond and connect with them so well and naturally.  We have coexisted for so long they have become part of our existence.  Dogs are the only animal whos natural habitat is exactly the same as humans…Think about that.  The hard part in all this is being able to recognize what we are trying to compensate for, and differenciating what is actually the dog’s problems and what is actually our psychology getting in the way of our dog’s understanding of the role we need to play as understanding and balanced leaders in their lives.  Unless you have gone through many years of psychotherapy or are naturally born to see yourself at face value (not an easy task) this can be an uncomfortable process.  I should know because as a human I had to go through the process myself with my own dogs and continue to grow with each new dog I meet. 

We as humans are programmed to have a strong sense of self.  We are consatantly protecting this sense of self.  It doesn’t matter how many issues we may have, to our “self”, we are who we are and there is nothing wrong with us in our eyes despite what everyone around us may observe and see.  If we were to think we needed improvement, then our whole concept of who we are will fall apart.  The problem with this idea is that everyone, no matter who they are, can improve on themselves in some aspect of their psychology by recognizing who they really are and pinpointing their deficiencies.  So why isn’t everyone in therapy and running around happy and free like the Zen masters?  Because by recognizing our flaws, we have to undo the false sense of who we are to do this.  Who likes criticism?  Not many people do.  So we remain “who we are” and find people to surround us who fit into our “way of being” that is most comfortable despite how it may or may not work for us.  This is how we make friends, find lovers, and choose how we live.  In the human world this suits us well and works perfectly fine for many.  In the dog world however, there is no lying or what we call in the psychology field masking.  Everything is at face value within the pack, dogs cannot lie to themselves, trick one another, or pretend to be something they are not.  They are who they are.  Because we cannot project human psychological values on our dogs (even though we try our hardest), when communicating with dogs we have to operate on the level of honesty very few humans feel comfortable conducting themselves on.  Not only do I use my degree in human psychology daily, but I have actually helped clients discover things within themselves unrelated to their dogs which have helped them in their personal, non-dog lives!  Not to get terribly Freudian here but it has been my experience that those who understand themselves and human nature the most, tend to have an easier time in understanding how they are contibuting to their pet’s issues and how to change this to help their dog problems.  I find it of great importance to add;  No one is ever a bad person or dog owner for not understanding their dogs.  I will be the first to tell you that most people who have dogs think more on an anthropomorphic level (placing human characteristics on animals) than on a level of reality based on a dogs natural instincts and psychology.   Anthropomorphic thinking stems from a wanting to love, relate, and bond with our animals not because we don’t care.  What happens with some dogs is this energy is misinterpreted as a weak energy or lack of understanding because certain dogs don’t sense we know who they are as they know a real dog would.  By seeing ourselves and our dogs for things truly are, we are creating the energy of understanding I frequently speak of.  We now come across as a self-aware and confident leader with an energy to be respected, not taken advantage of.  This is what The Dog Whisperer, myself, actual dogs, and others utilize and promote.  Those who disagree the most with these ideas seem to be unsuccesful trainers who are jealous our threatened by our abilities and people who can’t stop treating their dogs like children no matter what you tell them.  Who’s issues are those???    

Wednesday September 26, 2007

Although a far fetched concept for most of us as humans to grasp, energy is the universal languge that all living things communicate by.  Whether you are a dog, human, bird, or plant, everything operates on the concept of energy.  To simplify this idea I will first give an overview of what energy is, and then I will continue with an explanation of its relationship and use in how we communicate with our dogs.  As stated above, energy is the universal language of all living beings.  So how does it work? 

At the molecular level everything is made up of free floating energy particles.  How this energy comes together is what makes one bundle of energy become a fish, and the other become a human for example.  Regardless of its configuration, energy is still the same at its basic level and free floating by nature.  What this means is that it can be transferred, shared, and passed on.  Of course not on a level we can see with our eyes, but we can definately feel it.  For example, have you ever had that feeling that the phone was going to ring or have you ever met a person that gave you a positive/negative vibe?  That is energy at work!  This isn’t some mystical force, it actually is that “free floating” energy passing through the environment on a subatomic level that we, as its natural “receptor”, pick up as feelings or “sixth senses”.   Now we as humans who once operated on these principles, have evolved quite a bit and have developed language as our primary method of communicating.  Dogs, who use minimal vocalizations to communicate, utilize their sixth sense abilites first and foremost.  This is the means by which our dogs can do amazing things such as telling when their owner is coming home regardless of schedule or time of day (I’ve seen the special on TV too!) or sensing subtle changes in one’s body chemistry to detect disease or seizures before doctors can.  Although magical in its concept, it is this “feeling energy” that makes dogs instantly be able to size up another dog without even seeing them.  Sure, dogs use body language, scent, and other means to communicate.  These things are only secondary and tertiary while energy is number one.  All dogs carry an “energy fingerprint” that is constantly being projected into their environment.  The body language we see is just the reaction many steps after the actual signal was received by either dog.   

What is The Energy of Understanding?

The Energy of Understanding as I call it, is the energy given out by dogs who are the most experienced and best leaders.  What this energy says, using literally no words, is “I am soo good at my job as leader, you don’t have to worry about anything.  I’ve got everything covered for my pack”  This means you are their protector, provider of food & shelter, travel agent, and so on which gives the dog(s) who are under them a strong sense of security by not having to be concerned with all these things.  As is the theme of all that I do, this is the energy we are trying to project to our dogs.  Especially when dealing with problem behavior or dominant dogs who have all these burdens of life on them which causes an unbalanced energy to occur.  This is the root of most problem behaviors we experience with our dogs.  The problem behaviors we see are the symptoms of the unbalanced energy associated with too much responsibility for the dogs that try to assume a different role in the pack than they best are suited to.  Once we take over that role, we put an Energy of Understanding into our environment we share with our dogs.  When I work with my clients I spend a great deal of time doing owner education instead of just dog education.  Reason being is that if the owner knows exactly what their dog is thinking and sees their misguided agenda, it is then that they can be one step ahead of their dog, by seeing their every move as having meaning…and actually understanding it!  This earns respect rather quickly in the dog world, which is an easy way to create the correct energy in our dog’s environment.  The energy of understanding.  So without the owner knowing how to work a leash and collar or how to give a dog endless treats, they can learn how to get their dog to listen to them just by understanding the concept of energy.   

by: Brett Endes  

Friday, September 21 2007

What is Doggie racism you ask?  Ok, it is not an actual term (I made it up) but what it means is how some people believe that a dog “acts a certain way because of their particular breed”.  Indeed, certain breeds have genetic predispositions to perform certain working tasks, but in most cases these innate drives take a second stage to the actual behaviors many dog owners observe which can occur regardless of breed, age, or size.  OK, your Boxer may be jumping because “thats what Boxers do”, but with further examination, we can see that a majority of behaviors we associate with breed, are just behaviors that dogs display based on factors other than what kind of dog they are.   For example:  You have a Jack Russell Terrier that barks excessively.  Now of course many will say “terriers are feisty and they just like to bark” that all makes sense, until you look at the amount of non-terrier breeds that see a professional like myself for “problem barking”.  So why blame the breed?  It gives us humans an easy explanation for what is a far more complex issue that has more to do with our relationship with our dogs than what they look like to us.  Heres what I mean…

People think small dogs are yappy, ankle biters by nature.  Actually the reason why we see many small dogs act this way is because people who tend to get a smaller pocket breed of dog get these dogs for far different reasons than another person would own let’s say, a Rottweiller or German Shepherd Dog.  Although the packaging is different, a dog is a dog no matter how they look to us as humans.  Dogs don’t discriminate!  The person who tends to own a smaller neonate breed is looking for something to nurture and care for as if they were a child.  Very good intentions of couse!  But in many cases this type of approach to dog ownership will create a Napolean complex regardless of the dog’s breed.  If everywhere you went people carried you and fussed over you and treated like a King or Queen, wouldn’t you develop an attitude too?  Contrarily, I have seen countless Malteses, Yorkies, Poodles, etc.  that acted completely content, happy, calm, (and quiet) when treated like a dog despite the way we as humans (me included) want to act towards them initially.  This is at the core of what I do.  It is to be able to teach owners how to recognize “The Dog Within” and not act on the external perceptions of how our dogs look to us.  This helps us differentiate what is breed and what is the individual dog acting on their instincts and way of being.  By doing this we can all work together to end Doggie Racism…

 by: Brett Endes

Wednesday September 17, 2007

     After spending  a good amount of time here in Colorado, I began to think of what Colorado is like from a dog’s point of view.  Compared to let’s say California or New York.  The first thing that came to mind….Mountains!  It is like dogs and the colorado mountains go hand in hand.  C’mon, would you ever take a hike without your best friend?    Me neither!   I find that when dogs get out in “the wild” it opens up many intstincts within them that otherwise would not have the opportunity to come to the surface in a more urban environment.  It truly does give dogs a level of contenment that regular walks cannot compare to.  In future newsletters I will review different hikes that are dog friendly and convenient to the Front Range that you can enjoy with your dog.

 Another perk of being a dog in Colorado is the amount of dogs parks in the Denver / Boulder metro area.  They have big dog parks, small dog parks, open dog parks with streams and lakes for dogs to swim in, agility parks, and more.  You don’t have to go far in Colorado to find a good dog park and they are all maintained by who else?…Dog Lovers!  So they are always working to provide a clean, safe, and fun dog park environment for all dogs. 

OK, now one thing that is not only a great invention, but convenient as well…poop bag dispensers in many of the neighborhoods…If that doesn’t make Colorado the most “Dog Friendly” state, I don’t know what does?  The choices of veterinarians is endless.  Not to mention the various pet-related businesses that are abundant here in Colorado   a.k.a “Dog Land”.   You can take your dog to a spa for the full treatment, or get them cookies at a dog bakery.  Specialty Veterinarians are endless and pet sitters and dog daycare facilities are everywhere.  Yes, there are many trainers as well, but we wont talk about them here LOL!   

So, getting back to my original point of how it must feel to be a Colorado dog?  After doing the research I can only come to one conclusion…Unbelievable!  It would be like a child having a toy store and disneyland on every corner!  Now that has to be the ultimate….or maybe even “Dog-Topia!”

Look for future posts with reviews and guides to different activities, services, and events in Colorado that you can do with your dog.  If you have or know of a pet-related event, service, or business that you would like to see listed and reviewed let us know.

by: Brett Endes

Wednesday September 12, 2007:

I wanted to provide a link to a list of all the dog parks in Colorado from Ft. Collins to Colorado Springs.  It is called ColoradoDogParks.com
On the website you will find directions and brief descriptions about each colorado dog park.  Since we are on the topic of dog parks, here is a brief overview of Dog Park Etiquette as described by their website:

Here are some general suggestions about how to get along well in a dog park.