What are the tough questions you need to ask yourself when considering asking a dog into your life? Deven and Stace review Purdue's "Pet Selection Survey" (download) and discuss the process of adding a dog to your family. Review of the survey questions includes some analysis of breed characteristics and common problems that arise from incompatible lifestyles, along with tips on how to find just the right match. photo via

If you can't see the video, click here.

Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas is a noted expert on canine body language, notably "calming signals" which are signals dogs give other dogs and humans that denote stress, and even a cursory study of Rugaas' work provides invaluable tools for any serious dog trainer. In this episode, Deven discusses what "calming signals" are, why the research is important and how you can use these tools to facilitate better training and communication with your four-legged friends. Links: Canis.no – the Turid Rugaas website On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals (Book) Calming Signals: What Your Dog Tells You (DVD)

Happy Holidays from Canine Campus!We hope you enjoy the attached card and wish you and your entire pack a safe, fun, and restful holiday season. To keep the stress level low during this time of "high distraction", remember to:1. Set your dogs and your guests up for success by providing clearcommunication, handy treats, and a management plan.2. Have plenty of loaded food toys, regular toys, and quiet areasready to provide easy distraction or comfortable time-outs.3. Remember that the vet's office may be closed when you are at your busiest; call now to get the emergency vet phone number and post it in a handy place - surely, nothing will go wrong over the holidays, but better safe than sorry!We have plenty of podcasts lined up for the new year, and look forward to getting back in touch with you in 2008!Happy Holidays,Canine CampusPhoto by Zach Klein via Flickr @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/zachklein/Some rights reserved.

Deven discusses how to approach the problem of resource guarding, with valuable references and tools for keeping pup away from treasured but troublesome treats. Later in the show, learn how to defer this behavior from puppyhood while teaching appropriate chewing and mouthing. Recommended Reading and Links: MINE! A Guide To Resource Guarding In Dogs by Jean Donaldson Award Winner, Dog Writer's Assn. of America, 2002, Training and Behavior Book. The San Francisco SPCA photo

Almost-perfect pooches that exhibit bad behavior on-leash might have many reasons for doing so - here's how to accurately identify and change the behavior, with details on how the process works and what you can do to increase your efficiency as a trainer. Thanks to listener Mark from Sweden for sending in the question, and you can do the same at www.CanineCampus.com

Recommended Reading and Links:

Turid Rugaas:

Calming Signals

Patricia McConnell:

Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash Aggressive Dog (with Karen London)

Cautious Canine

Emma Parsons:

Click to Calm: Healing The Aggressive Dog

photo courtesy automania

As promised in the last show, these excerpts from the Canine Campus class manual provide direction on methods for socialization, the Socialization Scavenger Hunt, and teaching bite inhibition.

Finding the right trainer for you, how to build "anticipation" in training, praise for Susan Garrett, why puppy socialization is so important.links:Susan Garret via DogwiseDOGS! Course at Purdue University

Blair French, Therapy Dogs International Evaluator, discusses what therapy-dog work is all about - the differences between Therapy Dogs and Service Animals, and Animal-assisted therapy. Learn what's required in the test, what you can learn in a class, and what's involved in the training, work, and rewards of practicing therapy dog work. Links:Therapy Dogs InternationalDelta Society