Wyn & Mary Burch, Ph.D.
AKC's Canine Good Citizen and S.T.A.R. Puppy Director, Certified Applied Animal BehavioristCitizen Canine Blog (that’s right, this one!) Wins at Westminster!
Every year, on the Sunday before the Westminster dog show, dog writers from across the country travel to New York City for annual writing awards that are the equivalent of “Best in Show” for dog writers. This year, the Citizen Canine blog (that’s right, this one!) won an award as the Best Blog in a writing competition and the Citizen Canine book won the prestigious Maxwell Medallion in the Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) contest. For more information on DWAA, see dwaa.org
About the Programs
AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy® is the puppy level of Canine Good Citizen® (CGC). AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy is designed to provide dog owners and their puppies with a great start in training. With more advanced skills than AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, CGC rewards dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. The Canine Good Citizen Program stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs. The Hartford is a proud sponsor of the CGC and AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy programs.
Monthly Archives: October 2011
Halloween Goes to the Dogs!
The Halloween casting call was a success! You all sent in such fun pictures of your dogs showing their Halloween spirit that it was so difficult choosing from them. Check out the slideshow below and I hope everyone has a … Continue reading
Trick or Treat: Make Halloween Safe for Your Dog
So many people love Halloween — it’s a time to let loose, dress up in fun costumes, and overdose on candy. For our dogs, however, the holiday can be scary in more ways than one. As October 31 draws near, … Continue reading
Funny Dogs
Once, I was asked to bring my dog, Wyn, to a lecture in a psychology class. Before we did the presentation on therapy dogs, a few graduate students had to give presentations. One young man had a long ponytail and … Continue reading
Canine Couture: Halloween Costumes
Fancy dresses, designer outfits, boots, shoes, coats, and jewelry are just some of the many products that are becoming increasingly popular for dogs. And at Halloween, there’s no limit to the creativity when it comes to dressing up dogs. There’s … Continue reading
Halloween Casting Call
Don’t forget to send in pictures of your dogs showing their Halloween spirit! We’ve been getting some wonderful photos so far. To submit yours, please email them to communications@akc.org. I can’t wait to see them! -Mary
Reservation Dogs
I was going through some dog photos and found these two pictures. I took them on an Indian Reservation in New Mexico. I went there to see the pueblos and ended up spending most of my time watching the dogs … Continue reading
Fact or Myth? Let a Dog Sniff Your Hand
I was in a pet store this weekend that has training classes, an adoption booth, a grooming center, and plenty of customers walking around with their dogs. On one aisle, I heard a child ask her mother if she could … Continue reading
Casting Call: Halloween Edition
Halloween is rapidly approaching, and to get the celebrating started, I’d love to see how your dogs get into the spirit. Send in pictures of your dogs at their spookiest or simply showing their fall season/Halloween spirit and I’ll try and … Continue reading
Puppies Meeting People
In AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, the puppy level of Canine Good Citizen, the “s” in S.T.A.R. stands for socialization. For those of you who have puppies or have had them in the past, how did you introduce and expose your puppy … Continue reading
Yes, You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks!
I received a call from Jeremy, a delightful 10 year old, who wanted to know if his grandmother’s dog was too old to learn how to do tricks. Grandma’s dog, “Buddy,” was a 10 year old terrier type mixed breed. … Continue reading
Posted in Senior Dogs, Training
Tagged senior dogs, shake hands, teaching older dog tricks
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