Blue Ridge Dog Training Club

08/07/2024

Anybody else 😁?

From the Archives

Jane Peterson, American painter, Untitled, early 20th century

08/07/2024

Not sure if this would solve a problem or create some new ones.😂

Great screenshot 😊😍💜

08/04/2024

Last day of our AKC trials. Who's got brags?! Congrats, and drop a pix in the comments!

08/03/2024

Well, how did we miss that?! Happy belated Mutts Day! Share your all-american besties in the comments.

08/02/2024

Week end plan? Game on!

08/02/2024

Best of luck 🍀 to all those participating in our AKC Obedience and Rally Trials this weekend.

08/01/2024

Best event

07/31/2024

Always a good reminder this time of year.

Passing this along! It's SO important for pet owners to know! 🥵🐾

07/31/2024

The next time you’re in your dog’s mouth (you do brush his or her teeth, right?) notice the bump on the roof of his mouth just behind the two front middle teeth? It’s called the ‘incisive papilla,” and near the center of it is a hole that leads to a duct that leads to the “Jacobson’s organ.” The Jacobson’s organ is a very cool thing. Put in “See Spot Run” terms, it allows your dog to literally taste the air by combining taste and smell.

Dogs use their Jacobson’s organ to experience sexual markers (pheromones) left behind by other dogs via urine, or when coming across the scent of a bitch in season. While dogs don’t have a Flehmen response seen in many other animals (throwing back the head, and raising or curling the upper lip which helps open the entry slits into Jacobson’s Organ), dogs will “chatter their teeth” instead. A dog might hold his mouth in a quasi-open position that looks a little like a grin, or he might even lick the air. And you thought he was just happy to see you.

One theory holds that the Jacobson’s Organ could account for a dog’s ability to identify and recognize other animals and people. It’s also believed that it’s this organ that enhances a newborn’s ability to find its mother.

07/30/2024

07/27/2024

The Charity Dog Walk + Pool Pawty is on Saturday September 14, 2024. It includes the following events: Charity Dog Walk - September 14, 2024 and Charity Dog Walk - September 14, 2024.

07/27/2024

Today's job

"Be the person your dog thinks you are."
C.J. Frick

Pierre Bonnard - The Checkered Tablecloth, 1910.

07/27/2024

Nice thought to end the day on.

07/26/2024

Did you know?

True in Canada and the U.S. I’m not sure about other countries.
Also, someone who currently has a pacemaker and is getting a new one can donate the old one.

07/26/2024

Nite all

07/25/2024

"Dog Days of Summer" features artworks in a variety of styles made between 1915 and the present

07/25/2024

Have you suffered any such mishaps?

When assembling your dog kit, be sure to follow the instructions to avoid disasters like this… 😂

07/24/2024

Friend

I'm not sure Gizmo would ask. 🤣🤣🤣

07/23/2024

It's true!! Dogs are much smarter than we think

07/23/2024

How's your game? 🎯

07/21/2024

Read it?

"Your Dog Is Your Mirror" by Kevin Behan explores the intricate dynamics of the human-canine relationship, offering profound insights into understanding our dogs' behavior

Here are 3 key lessons and insights from the book:

1. Canine Behavior as a Reflection of Human Emotions: Behan argues that dogs are highly attuned to human emotions and mirror our psychological state through their behavior. Understanding this mirroring effect is crucial for effective communication and training.

2. The Primacy of Energy and Intuition: According to Behan, dogs primarily communicate through energy and intuition rather than language or commands. Developing sensitivity to this energetic exchange is key to building a strong bond with your dog.

3. The Role of Pack Dynamics: Behan challenges the dominance theory of dog training, instead emphasizing the importance of cooperative pack dynamics. Dogs, he argues, naturally seek to work together with humans as part of a cohesive social unit.

07/20/2024

Charley: John Steinbeck's Traveling Companion
Charley, a "blue" standard poodle, accompanied John Steinbeck on his journey across the United States.
Charles le Chien, a.k.a. Charley, was born on the outskirts of Paris in 1950. The well-groomed poodle who took much pride in his looks, preferred the French language over English and did not like being subjected to baby talk because, according to Steinbeck, "he feels that he is a first-rate dog and has no wish to be a second-rate human."
Feeling like he had lost touch with his own country, Steinbeck decided to travel across the US "in search of America" in a pickup-camper with Charley. Charley loved going on road trips and was apparently worried during the planning and packing that he would be left behind. "During the weeks of preparation he was underfoot the whole time and made a damned nuisance of himself. He took to hiding in the truck, creeping in and trying to make himself look small."
The two left in the fall of 1960, driving from the east to the west to the south and back up to Long Island. The mission of his trip was to interact with the common people, and Charley, his "ambassador", was a great icebreaker when it came to talking to strangers.
Months later, Steinbeck recorded their journey in a book titled Travels with Charley: In Search of America. The book is more focused on the people than Charley, but one passage really brings out the personality of his beloved poodle: "Charley likes to get up early, and he likes me to get up early, too. And why shouldn’t he? Right after his breakfast he goes back to sleep. Over the years he has developed a number of innocent-appearing ways to get me up. He can shake himself and his collar loud enough to wake the dead. If that doesn’t work he gets a sneezing fit. But perhaps his most irritating method is to sit quietly beside the bed and stare into my face with a sweet and forgiving look on his face; I come out of deep sleep with the feeling of being looked at. But I have learned to keep my eyes tight shut. If I even blink he sneezes and stretches, and that night’s sleep is over for me. Often the war of wills goes on for quite a time, I squinching my eyes shut and he forgiving me, but he nearly always wins. He likes traveling so much he wanted to get started early, and early for Charley is the first tempering of darkness with the dawn."
Charley passed away shortly after their trip in 1961. John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962 for his realistic and imaginative writings, and died in 1968 at the age of 66. The pickup-camper (which Steinbeck named Rocinante, after Don Quixote's horse) was restored and is on display at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California.

07/17/2024