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Like many dogs, mine enjoy a bit of telly. The Sunday talking heads, C-Span: I’m told they’re attracted to howling, shreiking and growling.But, they also seem to enjoy shows on nature channels.

For a while, National Geographic Channel’s “The Dog Whisperer” interested them, but they’re completely over Cesar. They’ve got a crush on Victoria. The stiletto-booted, motorcycle- jacketed strict -nanny host of Animal Planet’s British import “It’s Me or the Dog” has my boys sitting up. Most episodes feature multiple varieties of lurching, yapping, peeing dogs, British dogs. Good TV. And I think it’s good for them.

Victoria Stillwell, actress turned dog trainer, uses positive training techniques with attention to diet and behavior modification. She’s not committed to one size fits all solutions. And there’s something special about British pet fanciers.

Victoria has a page on Animal Planet’s website with episode outlines, schedules, and links to Victoria Stillwell books and merchandise: It’s Me or the Dog

Here’s a sample of Victoria’s training philosphy.

Victoria’s Top Ten Training Tips

• 1. Keep training. Owners often think that once a dog is trained, there is no need to carry on. But your dog never stops learning, and training should be reinforced throughout your pet’s life.
• 2. Think dog. Take time to think about how your dog perceives the world, and use this knowledge to make training easier.
• 3. Exercise your dog. A tired dog is a happy dog. Ensure, however, that the exercise is appropriate for your dog’s age and breed.
• 4. To feel secure, all dogs need a calm, confident leader. Effective leadership isn’t about dominating your dog and making him submissive toward you. It’s about being a teacher and building his confidence. You can achieve that by encouraging and rewarding good behavior.
• 5. Look at your dog’s diet, and see how you can improve it. You are what you eat, and the same is true for your dog. Many behavior and medical problems can be attributed to poor diet, so make sure your dog is eating the very best.
• 6. Sign up for an activity that you both enjoy, such as an agility class, flyball, heel to music, etc. Dogs get bored easily, so get yours out and moving.
• 7. Get your dog microchipped, if you haven’t already. Also, don’t forget his yearly checkup with the veterinarian.
• 8. Keep playing. One of the best ways to bond with your dog is to play games that you both enjoy. Play is a great stress reliever for both dog and human.
• 9. Keep your dog safe. Don’t leave your dog alone in a car or tied up outside a shop. Dog theft is on the rise, so be careful.
• 10. Have fun and enjoy your dog. A dog should never be a burden. If you take the time to train your dog, you’ll give him the tools he needs to live successfully in a human world.

1. Dogs are not people. They don’t have the same needs, and they interpret the world differently. Dogs are unimpressed by fancy dog clothes, expensive toys, large houses, or what you do for a living. What they desire is regular exercise, a stable pack leader, and affection that is properly earned.
2. Affection at the wrong time can nurture your dog’s fears– and foster an unstable mind. Never give affection to a frustrated, nervous, tense, aggressive, or anxious dog. This will not comfort the dog; it will simply reinforce the negative behavior. Share affection after your dog has exercised and eaten, changed an unwanted behavior into a behavior you asked for, responded to a rule or command, or entered a calm-submissive state.
3. Dogs experience the world with their nose, eyes and then ears. Many humans communicate to their canine companions “backward,” using sound, then sight, and generally ignoring scent. When meeting a dog for the first time, establish his trust by allowing him to experience your scent before engaging in eye contact or speaking to him.
4. Breed is not destiny. Many people blame the breed of the dog for problem behaviors. This is like making a generalization about human races — like saying all Latinos are lazy, or all Italians are mobsters. Although certain dog breeds have been selected to accentuate certain characteristics, all dogs share the same innate abilities. Selecting a dog with an energy level level that’s compatible with your energy and lifestyle is far more important than choosing the right breed.
5. Dogs need leadership. Without a strong, stable pack leader, dogs feel insecure and can develop issues — such as anxiety, phobias, fears, aggression, and obsessions. In order to establish yourself as the pack leader, you must master the walk and be sure to follow the guideline, “Exercise, discipline, and then affection.

by Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer

Duurstede? Grooming Products is pleased to announce the release of a remarkable new dog shampoo — Duurstede? Shampoo-SG. It was introduced at the All About Pets Show, April 6th to 8th at the International Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was the hottest selling product in Duurstede?’s impressive line of canine grooming aids. Duurstede? Shampoo-SG is currently in transit to DogStuff and should be available to US customers by the first week of May!

Duurstede? Shampoo-SG utilizes a "Second Generation" of highly effective yet gentle cleansers formulated to rehydrate a dog’s dry, over-stressed coat. Loaded with Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein and Hydrolyzed Whole Oats — known for their ability to help skin and coat maintain moisture balance and restore elasticity — it is ideal especially for puppies, and dogs with sensitive skin. Duurstede? Shampoo-SG’s unique ingredients produce a dense, rich lather that rinses easily, even from the most stubborn coats. Mentha Piperita (Oil of Peppermint), an aromatic stimulant, leaves the dog with a refreshing, clean scent.

When the new Duurstede? product was announced, W. R. (Bill) Van Wyck — the parent company’s president — said: "Duurstede’s? chemists scoured the world to find the 24 ingredients which they have combined to make this product unique. Dog owners will see an immediate improvement in their dogs’ coats when they use Duurstede? Shampoo-SG."

Duurstede? products are developed for a breeder/owner/handler to exceed the high standards for show dogs’ coats demanded by international judges. For 15 years, Duurstede? has been providing consistently superior coat and skin care for the family pet and the Best-in-Show Special. Utilizing research facilities in Europe and North America and unencumbered by a "price-point" mentality, Duurstede? has succeeded in creating exceptional products using materials of uncompromising quality. In fact, Duurstede? is so proud of their ingredients that they are listed on every container.

Owners of fat dogs or cats could face prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act which comes into force tomorrow.

The Act, the biggest overhaul of animal welfare legislation for a century, creates a new offence of failing in the duty of care towards a captive animal.

Pet owners can for the first time be guilty of an offence before an act of cruelty has been committed, for example by overfeeding their pet.

The Act says a person responsible for an animal must provide it with a suitable diet, intake of water, environment and housing and ensure it can behave normally and is without pain or disease.

Behaving normally means that sociable animals, such as dogs and rabbits, must be provided with companionship, either of their own species or humans.

Maximum penalties for breach of the new rules include a ban on owning animals, fines of up to ?20,000 or up to 51 weeks in prison. The Act raises from 12 to 16 the minimum age for buying a pet and bans pets as prizes for under-16s.

The RSPCA said that its inspectors would give written advice to pet owners in the first instance in the case of an overweight dog. A date for a return visit would then be given. In the event of obvious neglect a warning notice would be issued or the owner prosecuted.

The Pet Health Council says:

Run your hands along the dog’s sides to see if you can feel its ribs when you apply gentle pressure. Then check from above whether you can see a waist - a thinning from where the ribs end to where the hips begin. Finally, run your hand gently over its back to check if you can feel hip bones. If your pet has all of the above it probably will not be obese.

If your pet is slow to get up and has trouble moving around there may be a problem.

(from the London Telegraph)

…and we’re one of the few places in town where you can find Canidae

or frozen Bil-Jac

–and did I mention that dogs (and puppies) will do just about anything for frozen Bil-Jac?

Here’s more information on each:

Read the rest of this entry »

Duurstede is the product of a semi-fanatical search by a sweetly obsessive Canadian exhibitor of a champion Gordon Setter to find the grooming products that would give his dogs the ultimate edge in the show ring. That breeder, Bill VanWyck, couldn’t find exactly what he wanted so he researched the issue of grooming himself, engaged a research and development firm in Milan, Italy, developed his own system of grooming products and began using them as a winning solution for his own show purposes with his champion “Harry” and his own line of Gordons. Thirteen years ago, Duurstede “went public” and now sells internationally to discerning exhibitors.

Bill has a most interesting and informative article describing what he learned about canine coat and skin care along the way and you can learn a lot from his Canine Coat and Skin 101.

There are two tracks to Duurstede - the show-grooming system designed as the ultimate coat preparation for those who are serious about showing their dogs competitively, and Duurstede Three in One, the shampoo, conditioner and revitalizer combined that Bill created, partly at our request, for those who wanted most of the goodness of the full system in one, easy-to-use application.

Duurstede Three-in-One

All the Duurstede products are easy to use - they’re even specifically designed to be low-sudsing so they rinse out quickly and cleanly when you’re living the hectic road life that goes with showing dogs.

The Three-In-One, though, is the Duurstede for the rest of us - those of us who bask in compliments from people who see our dogs’ shining coats but who don’t campaign our dogs week after week against other show dogs and their armies of handlers and their assistants.

There’s more about Duurstede on the Dogstuff Website, here.

(Our selection of Anxiety Wraps is here)

We’ve learned from our own experience and that of scores of customers how the Anxiety Wrap can bring blessed relief to even the most thunder-phobic dogs.

In our own experience, it has been nothing short of amazing in the way it calms dogs who were beside themselves with anxiety - drooling, whining, pacing, scratching - whenever a storm threatened.

The Anxiety Wrap creates light pressure on the skin to help calm an animal and reduce anxiety and stress. It has been used successfully in thunder storms and other stress and fear situations, including motion sickness, separation anxiety, aggression and to reduce resistance to nail trimming and ear cleaning.

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