There’s a cute variation on “roll over and play dead” that Miss T’s Benny is all over. The verbal description (until Miss T gets a video camera) goes like this: 1. Miss T cocks fingers like a circa 1986 stockbroker and says “bang”. 2. Benny rolls over and plays dead. 3. Everyone goes “awwww” and likes Benny EVEN MORE.

Bloody Bennny. I’ve tried arguing that this whole thing is just glorifying gun crime. But I must admit it’s the cutest. thing. ever.

Happily, Jack won’t be outdone by Benny’s cuteness forever. The internet, after all, is an amazing resource for amateur dog trainers - especially since the explosion in internet video.

www.about.com has a pretty good video and article on teaching a dog to roll over with a lure. I like the way she shows us how to work the hand signal into the training sequence.

Howstuffworks.com has a perky lady teaching her equally perky dog to do the same. She points out that not all dogs are into the rollover because it hurts their backs. Try teaching it on a soft surface like grass or carpet or, I don’t know, bubble wrap?

Youtube brings us Zak George, a young fella who does a nice line in positive training. This video is long but it’s worth a look. He also covers the all-important “play dead” part of the rollover. He stresses the importance of not physically rolling the dog over. (Rolling a dog onto its back is a scary form of discipline used in some circles. Not exactly a way to create the fun atmosphere you need for trick training.)
I’ll keep you posted on how the Jack vs Benny Cuteness War gooes.

Some dogs love a kong and some love a stick and some love a bouncing ball.
Some dogs love shoes, bones, frisbees and cats
And some don’t like very much at all.
Some dogs love to wrestle and some love to chase.
And some just prefer to stay home.
Some love to tear up the couch when you’re out
Or chew up the doctor’s referral
But they all love this squeaky,
lop-eared,
slobber-covered
irritating,
stuffed toy
squirrel.  

A few months ago, my dog Jack’s collection of bitten-in-half leashes had me so nuts I was imagining what he’d write if he could type up a Prefurr post:

Sometimes, with people-training as with life, it’s better to take the path of least resistance.

Take the problem of being pulled around by the neck by a leash. Why get into a battle of wills with a Bossy Biped when you’re blessed with sharp pointy teeth?

Just gnaw through that sucker while the human’s not looking and embrace your sweet, sweet freedom. If you can’t get through it in a quick, subtle snap while the human’s fussing with the door keys, settle down to the task when you can find a private moment. Under the table at a café, for instance. Or while waiting at traffic lights as semi-trailers roar past.

Oh yeah. This biting through the leash thing was really starting to get to me. Jack bit through fabric leads like they were made of liquorice. He approached the task of gnawing through leather leashes with the zeal of a prisoner tunneling to freedom with a teaspoon. It was expensive. It was annoying. And worst of all – it was getting dangerous.

And all that aside, training him out of it was making walk-time No Fun. This leash biting habit formed at a time when Jack was doing everything “wrong” when it came to conforming to modern human life. Jack’s instincts were telling him to get up to all kinds of doggy shenanigans, and all he was hearing from me was “NO!” “STOP!” “BAD DOG!” and “SO HELP ME GOD IF YOU CHEW THAT LEASH ONE MORE TIME I’M GOING TO EXTRACT ALL YOUR TEETH!”

That’s where the path of least resistance comes in. Guess what Irish found at the local two dollar shop?

Sometimes, with dog-training as with life, it’s better to take the path of least resistance…

Let’s face it. Dogs are tops. And bringing your dog along to work can make the day go faster and seem brighter.

Seems I’m not alone in my thinking.

In fact, Pet Sitters International has been running a “Take Your Dog to Work Day” every year since 1999.

And they’re bursting out of their furry britches to get businesses on board.

Swell idea all round if you ask me. At my work, we have a “one dog a week” policy and Benny is regularly the participating pooch. He loves it and so do our clients.

It’s a good size office with enough space for me to chuck him a ball occasionally, plus we’ve laid down a few ground rules like:

• “Dogs must not smell”;
• “Dogs must be office/house trained”; and
• “Dogs must be on a leash when coming and going” to make sure no one will feel put out by the pup’s presence.

This Friday, June 20 is the official “Take Your Dog to Work Day” and this site has all the information you need to get involved, get informed and get educated with some excellent handy downloads on the best way to “responsibly take your dog to work”.

To move things along, the site also provides a “top ten things to say to convince your boss” listing things like point 9: Wagging tails work great when the air conditioner is on the blink.

Got a shivering pup looking up at you with those big brown eyes? Given that we coat horses to keep them cosy in winter, coating a dog isn’t so much of an indulgence, really. For DIYers, this dog coat pattern on Circle of Crafters looks like a real winner.

The author, Bobbi-Lynn, has thoughtfully included a range of sizes according to your pooch’s girth, and I’d imagine it wouldn’t be that hard to extend the back measurements to accomodate your favourite sausage dog.

I’m sure this pattern could even be re-jigged a little to accomodate a certain Cornish Rex I know, who has decided to spend winter glued to the heater.

Part of the charm of this page is in the gallery of pooches who are getting the benefit of this pattern. By turns fun (and just a little scary) it’s a great tribute to the versatility of this pattern.