Monday Mischeif! – Am I now a Dog Whisperer? -AND- The next big thing Award!

Well no, considering I am now have come to the conclusion that I don’t have a good memory as I had to jot down important key points that stuck out to me in the book Cesar’s Way, instead of just remembering them I figure I am still no where close to being a dog whisperer. Though I will tell you, I did enjoy this book a lot, and no not just because of the fact I like dogs, and I like Cesar Milan. No, unlike some dog training/ dog knowledge books I read that seemed to go on and on or were so boring you couldn’t focus on the sentence you just read, this book although packed with the knowledge plays out much like a story.

I have been watching the dog whisperer for a long time, just liked the show really, and the dogs, but as I begun to watch more and more I did really actually like the instructor, Cesar, as well. When I first got Kirby, I already learned from him prevention easier than correcting. So probably the first couple weeks of having Kirby. With one hand playing with a squeaky with him, making sure he wasn’t going off constantly to find a spot to “do business” I watched his shows, back to back many a time. And I must say some of the tricks have made Kirby have the “good traits” he has today, even if that simply is properly have housebroken him!

  Anyways, I picked up the book, read it and while doing so jotted down just some of the things he said    in my own words, that I found quite beneficial. They may not  pertain to you, but the book is like a thick novel, and if you can imagine that many pages of dog advice, then there is probably something everyone can learn from it.

• One of the most important things he teaches even in his show is calm-assertive energy. This means being in a confident state, enough so to show that you are the boss, but you must be calm about it, meaning no yelling, getting anxious, or even talking while you are teaching will work.
• One that seems like common sense, yet I didn’t realize I was doing all the time, till I started reading was to not give affection at the wrong time. This can mean when in the process of teaching, or when your dog is showing bad behavior such as barking at the front door etc. On the other hand though when your dog has successfully learned something in training, affection is a great praise tool.
• When you are trying to correct a dog, it is best to do BEFORE the dog has reached his pinnacle of over-excited or aggressive state. Ex: When a dog goes to bark at another dog, you can correct him by seeing his body language such as ears perking up before he begins to bark.

– walking

• Try not to let the dog go out the door before you, as this is a key factor in a dogs mind to show him who the leader in the pack is.
• If you are worried your dog will bark and even get aggressive when you see another dog, your worried energy only feeds into that and tells the dog even more that he must protect. – Try once again to show  calm-assertive energy even if that means pretending to take on the persona of someone else who you see as confident.
• If the dog stops and takes a long pause when he sees another dog, either out of fear or anxiety, do not let him, as you stopping is just justifying his feelings. Instead act calm and assertive and keep on walking.

Now for corrections Cesar often gives a quick assertive touch to use as his correction. As he believes showing  a dog strong leadership and giving him rules is not the same thing as instilling fear or punishing your dog. His energy alone seems to do most of the work  itself in helping  the dogs he works with find a better state of mind.

Anyways, the book is good and I suggest anyone who is either interested in maybe reading a dog training book to read Cesar’s Way.

I would also like to dedicate the rest of this post to lovely Lavinia in giving me a nomination award called The Next Big Thing Blogging Award, in which she chose me as one of five blogs that she believes could be the next big thing. And amazingly enough she thought of me for some reason! Anyways because I have received this award/nomination I must also nominate 5 blogs I think are amazing and could be the next BIG thing, in one way or another. (Some of the nominations I already consider successful blogs, but in which I believe will even grow more!) So here goes:

1. Hey…It’s Jet Here This is a dog blog of a wonderful black fluffy beauty called Jet. This blog is full of lots of doggy fun, including the odd recipe or two you might want to try making for your own furry one! But not only that Jet often goes out of his way to give lovingly in-depth and heartfelt sometimes hilarious replies/comments to everyone who comments on his blog or makes a post on their own blog he finds, and I think that good-natured personality alone has and will help Jetty stand out from the many blogs on WordPress.

2. Dakota’s Den Who I have only gotten to know him and his blog recently, but am enjoying greatly. Has great dog related book reviews, product reviews, and tons of great giveaways. It is never a dull moment on his blog!

3. Easy Blog This blog is dedicated to the gorgeous Weimaraner named Easy. I always get the biggest kick out of this guy’s antics, and that of his moms as well. His posts are always sure to be hilarious, as well as his replies, as he truly knows how to turn dog humor into human humor.

4.  Terrier Torrent Oh yes, it is another dog blog! This one all about a little fluff named Gizmo. Though it is about Gizmo the dog, he shares more than one aspect of his doggy life, photography, family outings, and even shows his family’s human recipe’s!

5. RACHELMANKOWITZ A blog I have also recently found depicting the every day lives of her beautiful little dog Cricket, and new rescue addition Butterfly. I simply love the poetic way she writes about her two lovelies, and really opens up about her own life. The story that really stuck with me, though I found just a compelling one right after) was about the rescue of her little dog butterfly. I do not want to give the story away, but it is quite the tear-jerker, and the way she writes it makes it even more breath-taking!

Please CHECK out these guys, if you haven’t already done so, I assure you you will not be disappointed. Now to the 5 of you I pass on “The next big thing” AWARD. And though it is up to you,, I hope if you find the time you will continue this award, and pass it on to 5 blogs you think are “The Next Big Thing”.

And FINALLY  a picture of Kirby, he hasn’t yet not had his face plastered on a post and he doesn’t intend on missing out anytime soon! And yes,your eyes are not deceiving you he is in a ridiculous Christmas outfit again, and unlike his reindeer sweater he hated this and could only stand it for about 2.5 seconds but it was a gift and I had to at least take a quick snap of him in it…within those 2.5 seconds of course!

Thanks Snoop for hosting the blog hop! Click the button below to go to Snoopy’s blog, and join the hop!