This week I want to tell you about four reliable sources I visit when Sadie presents me with a conundrum, or I have a question about dog training, or I’m just looking for a solid read about dogs
First up is Behind the Behavior. I discovered this blog over a year ago when I started following Christine Hibbard
Christine Hibbard
(@chibbard) on Twitter. Christine writes the blog along with the other animal behavior experts from Companion Animal Solutions, a behavior consulting and dog training group that serves greater Seattle. Sometimes I search the blog looking for articles on specific topics like reactivity in dogs, fearfulness, and aggression. I’ve never been disappointed. Here a are a few of my favorites: “Why Dogs Bite,” “Tips for Greeting Other Dogs On Leash,” and “What Is a Reactive Rover?” It’s also one of the choice places I like to visit when I’m prowling for a good read about dog behavior. For instance, last week I found this: “What a Blockhead! Head Shape and Trainability in Dogs.” It’s not what you think. Find Christine on Facebook here.
Casey
Casey Lomonaco writes the Dog Training Guide blog for Dogster.com. She is a top-notch clicker trainer and brings her considerable expertise to this blog. Have you ever wondered, in a nutshell, what the difference is between traditional so-called “balanced” dog training and reward-based training? Check out “Are You Part of the Problem, or Part of the Solution.” Have you tried and bailed on crate training your dog? Read “My Dog Hates the Crate!” and “Wait to Get Out of the Crate!” Dog Parks! Oy! I don’t know about you, but I don’t like dog parks. Too many people are too irresponsible with their dogs in dog parks. So imagine how pleased I was to read this post which included a video on dog park etiquette: “Dog Parks: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” Follow Casey on Twitter @RBDT and Facebook.
Patricia and one of her beloved Border Collies
Long before I discovered Patricia McConnell‘s blog, The Other End of The Leash, I read her books, one by the same name, and watched hours and hours of her DVD’s. I was hooked. Patricia is smart and compassionate (My favorite combination.) and willing to tread into touchy areas with intelligence and grace. Take, for example, the controversy surrounding getting a dog from a breeder vs. a shelter or rescue organization. Patricia dives into the swirl in “‘Responsible Breeding’ an Oxymoron?” and follows up with “Could Breeders and Shelters Work Together?” after sifting through the comments to the former post. That reminds me, you don’t want to miss the comment sections of her posts. There’s a lot of thought-provoking conversation going on in many of them. As you read this, Patricia is working on her presentation on canine cognition for the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) in Atlanta in October and she wants to hear from you: “If you could ask scientists to do research on canine cognition and your dog’s mind, what would you ask them to try to figure out? What do you wonder about? Do you wonder if your dog’s memory is like yours? If she understands death? If he can count? I’d love to hear your thoughts.” Click here if you want to respond to her questions. Patricia refers to her blog as “an ongoing inquiry about the behavior of people and dogs” and, indeed, it is. I don’t think Patricia is on Twitter (Someone please correct me if I’m wrong about that.), here’s where to go on Facebook.
Eric and friend
Eric Goebelbecker writes the unfailingly informative and sometimes edgy blog, Dog Spelled Forward. Eric is a self described geek. He love dogs but was attracted to dog training by the science behind it. I like that. When I’m hungry for a ‘moment of geek’ I head for Dog Spelled Forward. Recently he tackled on-leash aggression, a common issue and one too often ignored by dog owners, in a series of posts: “My Dog is Aggressive On-Leash,” “On-Leash Aggression: What Is Over Threshold,” “On-Leash Aggression: Where Does It Come From?” (This one includes a great illustrative clip from the TV show, The Office), “On-Leash Aggression: There’s Always a Warning, and “On-Leash Aggression: No Greetings!” Eric has also deconstructed episodes of The Dog Whisperer! That takes fortitude. Here’s one about Bella. Weekly, though not always on the same day, Eric writes a dog news roundup which often includes entertaining videos like this one of foxes jumping on his trampoline. Follow Eric on Twitter @dogspelledfwd and on Facebook.
That’s it for this week. Enjoy.
P.S. I’d love to learn about the blogs and tweeps that you like to read and follow! Please share.
It’s great to be able to put “faces” — or blogs — to some of the people I follow on Twitter, so I appreciate the e-intro to Christine Hibbard and Casey Lomonico (I’m already reading Eric and Patricia McConnell’s blogs regularly). My only complaint: Now you’ve given me even more reading to distract me when I’m supposed to be working 😉
LOL! Yes, well that is a problem! My initial thought about my #FF series was that it would take less time than shouting out to all the dog tweeps that I love on Twitter. But alas, that is not so 🙂
Hi Deborah,
Thanks for writing about our blog Behind the Behavior and the other wonderful blogs you mentioned. Sometimes I need a break from all the serious dog blogs that I read so I’m completely and totally addicted to Three Woofs and a Woo: http://www.wootube.net/
Christine Hibbard
You are welcome! And, thank you so much for suggesting “Three Woofs and a Woo.” What a concept? Taking a break from all the serious stuff. I’m on it!
Thanks for the mention! It’s very nice to hear that I am a reliable source. That’s not my trampoline though, and there are (unfortunately) no foxes in my neck of the woods, or my neck of the asphalt, really.
Oh well. There should be foxes in your back yard ;-). No matter, the video is very cute. And you’re welcome!
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Deborah Flick, Rod Burkert and kim garrison, Kim Clune. Kim Clune said: Checking out: #FollowFriday Fab Four: August 20, 2010 http://bit.ly/cyQoTB (via @boulderdog1) […]
Hi Deborah, great to meet you! And thank you for the mention of my blog. I concur, however, with your other readers: Oh no, now there’s more great stuff on my computer… but my dog is looking at me with the leash in his mouth! I’ll check out the other blogs, love hearing about them.
Thank you!
I enjoy reading dog spelled forward as well.
Christine Hibbard’s blog is new to me. So thanks!
I follow a couple of blogs by vets but my favorite is http://www.pawcurious.com/. We don’t see tons of blogs by veterinarians and this one has some interesting info plus humor.
Thanks, Pamela. I enjoy Pawcurious also, and I love her humor! In fact last week’s #FollowFriday Fab Four focused on some of my favorite vet blogs and Pawcurios was one of them. If you like, you can check them out here http://www.boulderdog.net/2010/08/13/followfriday-fab-four-august-13-2010/