!! Happy New Year !!

New Year 2010 celebrations take place around the world Spectacular fireworks displays were seen in cities including Auckland in New Zealand and Sydney, Australia. London and Paris and other European cities also enjoyed displays, while in Brazil, people watched fireworks from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Hundreds of thousands of people packed into New York's Times Square were showered with confetti at midnight.

Here's what you'll find:

1. The School's News
2. Upcoming Events
3. Behaviour Quiz
4. Training Tip
5. Doggy links
6. Doggy Reading
7. Doggy Videos

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School News
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Homestays for Dogs:  We've had a great howliday.... it was full of four legged fur kids residing with us. We sure enjoyed having more than one dog.... we enjoyed their company and I'm sure they enjoyed ours. Some were lucky enough to find themselves cruising the Avon River in our kayaks :)
Check our homestay dogs antics images here.

Thoughts about Dogs in the Media Summer has had lots of media about dogs, beaches, camping.  The STAR featured Judy Chisholm of Merivale enjoying her Cocker Spaniel "Bailey" walking and fetching at Sumner (following recent media's attention to Dog Owners not getting fined for walking their dog in the NO DOG zone at the  same beach- see article here ). Sometimes we may need to remind authorities that 600,000 New Zealand dogs never bit anyone today.

The article Pet-loving campers upset by council's no-dogs bylaw gave us more frustrations with signs. If the Amberly Camp instructs us anything it is that complaints about dogs are proportional to the number of signs they erect not the number of bad dogs! Perhaps councils should be fined for the number of signs banning this and that now polluting our beach scapes 24/7 !

What might be needed is some positive reinforcment, not just for good dog owners, but rather for folk to see that Dogs with Manners are not the problem. Socialised dogs are not the ones we should be worried about. Unsocialised dogs are. By all accounts (yep, research supports it) four out of five dogs are not getting their required daily walk.

There is plenty of beach for everyone. If you're walking your dog in public, make sure you're in training mode! Keep treats in your pocket and be ready for treat your dog when he comes back to you. Make sure you're more important to your dog than any other distraction.

Classes are restarting:

Kids and Dog Tricks - Summer Programme
Introductory level: (4 lessons) Wednesday January 13, 20 4:30 to 5:30pm & Sunday January 17, 24 11am to 12noon

For those that attended our previous K & D Tricks classes and want to go on to new challenges, we'll email you all individually and see how many would like to continue, and we'll set a date! The fun begins once your dog can target! [ Registration Form ]

KinderPuppy Classes

Course A    Mondays     3 weeks      Jan 18, 24, Feb 1        From 6:00 to 7:00 pm
Course B    Weds          4 weeks      Jan 13, 20, 27, Feb 3  From 6:00 to 7:00 pm
Course C    Sundays     4 weeks      Jan, 17, 24, 31, Feb 7  From 9:45 to 10:45am
Course A and B can be extended to 6 weeks. We just need to make sure that we can book the hall at the Foundation of the Blind where we give our classes. Register here [ Kinderpuppy form ]

Older Dog Classes - for dogs over 5 months old
Our classes are starting on Mondays starting January 15 from 7:15 to 8:15pm (this time may change to 6 to 7pm). This is a levels class which means that each lesson builds up from the last class. However you can drop in to any class.  Please register here [ Older Dog Class ].

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Upcoming Dog Events
in Christchurch
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Look who's coming to New Zealand !!

Edie Jane Eaton - TTouch
Ian Dunbar - Vet/Behaviouralist
Ray Coppinger - Ethologist
Susan Friedman - Animal Behaviouralist
Patricia McConnell - Author/Canine Expert

Help us spread the word <- this is a weblink OR download a PDF and post it on your noticeboard at work

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Behaviour Quiz
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What is the most inviting movement a human can make to attract most dogs to come toward them?

A. Wave to the dog in a beckoning manner.
B. Move away from the dog while facing him, leaning toward him, and clap your hands.
C. Take a step away from him while standing with one side toward him and immediately crouch down and clap your hand.

Last Newsletter Quiz's answer: What did Ivan Pavlov demonstrate concerning a dog's ears?

B . A puff of air into a dog's ear stimulates a spinal reflex to bite at the source of the air.

For this reason, if you ever see your child watching TV when a kid is shown gleefully hugging a dog's neck and possibly breathing close to or into its ear, take the opportunity to explain to your youngster about [at worst] the very real danger of a serious bite. It is not the dog's aggressive character, it is a reflex.

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Doggy links
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Magic "Touch" for Fearful dogs -- A personal journey that she took with her fearful rescue dog. Please please read this if you have a fearful dog, have a puppy that is fearful, or if you know someone who has a fearful dog.

Sheep herding game -- are you as good as a good Border Collie?

The Magic of Shaping One day I was working on teaching some core behaviors with an aggressive dog and decided to see if she would free-shape for us. Within minutes, she had done it! I then decided to teach her to ride a skateboard.

The Kennel Club is Darwin's worst nightmare -- Don McCaig on Pedigrees and Paranoia Politics -- an interesting read since the BBC aired that show about the kennel club.

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Doggy Reading
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How to Teach Physics to Your Dog Supposed to be a very well done book explaining quantum mechanics and other arcana. Here's the book itself

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Doggie Videos
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"We'll meet again" -- guide dog commercial -- sweet revenge from the pup!

Training the Whistle recall - This is really the basics of recall. You can also whistle yourself if you know how to.

It's Yer Choice - teaching your dog to Leave It- Excellent dog training video online

Dogs in the Womb - how did they manage to film this?

See the Mastiff in the Womb - they develop their wrickles in the womb.

Surfing Dog - from prodigy program, to a surfing dog. Great story!

The Squatting Dog - I didn't think dogs had THIS sort of balance! But hey, I remember seeing that dog on two legs.

Atomic dogs: The making of an internet sensation On the floor, 16 golden retrievers stare up at me bemused. They are arranged in a square, four by four. I watch through the viewfinder of my video camera. This, I think to myself, could make me famous.