The kind of dog training I do, and that I teach, goes by many names. Some call it "science-based" training, or "clicker training," or "progressive reinforcement training" (the latter term even has an entire branded manifesto). Most commonly, it is called "positive reinforcement training." That's fine with me,...

The New York Times ran a story of the search for an appropriate feline to play the animal character, who doesn't get a whole lot of love in the script (the narrator describes him as "thug faced;" Holly Golightly refers to him as "poor slob without a name"). On...

On Saturday, something very sad happened: One of my puppy clients was killed by a truck on First Avenue.

Alex was a 14-week-old lab mix who'd come to live with Manhattanites Jim and Amy by way of Social Tee Animal Rescue in the East Village. He'd been coming to puppy...

Every time I read about water-boarding, I cringe. Because I'm a dog trainer, I can't help but think about how similar this reviled torture method is to some of the things we do to dogs.

I've written a good deal on my site, TheDogs, about some...

As a writer and a dog trainer, I have to say something that might sound snobbish. But here goes: I really don't like when people write about their pets.

"Twee" is the word that comes to mind...

Editor's Note: This post contains graphic video that may be disturbing to some readers.

Too often, we jump to take extreme measures to try to "fix" dogs, rather than changing their environments -- and our standards -- in order to better accommodate their natural tendencies. Take, for example, a common issue I...

I, like many East Coasters, lost power last week for five days. When I made my way from my Manhattan home to a friend's in Brooklyn, I was able to check my email. My inbox was replete with people asking me what they could do to help animals affected by super...

If you are in the pathway of Hurricane Sandy and you are a dog owner, here are some quick tips to keeping your furry...

For most of the tens of thousands of years that canines have existed, they've been hunters and scavengers. Wolves and feral dogs may still work for their food, but most of the canines in the world today are domesticated and usually get their meals for free. For animals that evolved...

Queen Elizabeth is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee this year. The event marks a milestone in the life of one of the most famous dog owners in the world. Her Royal Lizness has always been pretty prim and private. But when it comes to her dog obsession, she's relatively loud and...

Shock collars for dog training have been around for decades. When they began to gain in popularity in the 1970s, there were FDA attempts to recall them. Recently, there's been a movement to ban them in Canada. In the States, there are occasional animal cruelty cases brought upon those who...

Last Monday night, Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, discussed a 'scandal' that has been plaguing her husband's campaign: During road trips with his family of seven in the 1980s, her husband used to habitually strap their Irish Setter, Seamus, to the car roof in a crate.

"He would see that crate...

Today we mourn the loss of a dog-lover extraordinaire: Dick Clark. He was 574. In dog years.

Clark was a big-time dog person. He designed his Malibu home so that it could accommodate all his dogs -- he sometimes had as many as five at a time. The showers were extra...

Last election, Obama's campaign's weapon of choice was the Internet. This election, looks like they're going another route: the dog route. Hey, people do spend money on their dogs. Below, some of the campaign-fundraising items now on sale at Store.BarackObama.com. ...

"Zeutering" is a non-surgical process that sterilizes male dogs. A solution of Zinc gluconate (like you take for a cold), L-Arginine  (a non-essential amino acid) and water is shot into a dog's scrotum. Within a month he is permanently sterile.

The Ark Sciences formulation was initially introduced in the U.S. with...

In his National Geographic show The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan talks about controlling dogs using "energy." But his real tool for controlling animals? Kicking them in the guts.

To any dog trainer rooted in the world of the science of behavior, the notion of "calm submissive" energy (or whatever he calls...

Today, despite all my efforts to better manage my time, I spent many minutes watching videos of actor Doug Hutchison, 51, and his new bride, 16-year-old Courtney Alexis Stodden. She's a good Christian teen who just happens to look like she could be Lindsay...

At ReadyMade.com I wrote about the trend of dog cloning, which is the subject of an excellent new book by journalist John Wostendiek, Dog Inc.

Cloning is happening on such a small scale right now that it...

Every now and then, one reads something and one thinks, "Sheesh, whoever wrote this is a real asshole."

As a flawless human being, I am of course usually above thinking such thoughts. The world is full of beauty and kindness. I've learned this from observing Amos, my dog. If you...