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Well, I said I would talk about DogChannel.com's Dog College, and I'm finally getting around to it. They offer three courses a month. I completed the Nutrition exam (a very high score, if I do say so myself), but I seem to be wiping out at Physiology (I only got the order in which a dog's feet move by waking up Gus and watching him). It's my own fault. I tried to jump ahead and take the exam too soon. I think my students are starting to rub off on me. In any event, it was interesting to read about how dogs move, and the quiz confirmed my impression that my short-term memory is going to hell.
The last course for this "term" is Communication. The article, in my opinion, is thorough and informative (one commenter-- who gave the impression that she was not terribly bright -- really disparaged it, while a number of dog trainers who commented were extremely positive). Everything in the article tallied with my own experience, so I'm giving it my approval. There is an interesting discussion of wolf behavior in contrast with dog behavior, so I'm going to recommend this to my brother in law, who is convinced that his dogs are much closer to their wolf ancestors than they are.
Now that I've finished this term, I'm looking forward to the next set of courses (and hoping that they get into preventive care for your dog).
I have come to the conclusion that every dog I have ever met is probably a slacker. Sure, some dogs may actually be heroes who just haven't had any opportunity to show their stuff, but the rest are just faking it. They're so good at faking it, though, that we all believe our dogs are capable of doing something amazing, like Buddy, a German Shepherd who lives in Alaska. He made headlines up there for saving his family's home on April 4, and he's become a YouTube sensation. The video is from the state trooper's vehicle. Buddy actually went and got help-- just like Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, or Strongheart, the dog in the picture above (he was a big silent movie star).
On the other hand, would you really want your dog to be that kind of hero? This seems to be one of those be-careful-what-you-wish-for kind of things. I'm glad none of the dogs I know has had to be a hero.
As time goes on, more and more websites devoted to dogs and other pets are popping up, some with more valuable content than others. I have hopes for Dog Channel.com's "Dog College," which appears to be both an informational service and a contest. You have to join Club Dog in order to participate, but it's open to everyone 13 and over, and free. The prizes are provided by Petco. It runs three months, and you get a diploma for finishing, plus reward points. There is also a special prize for the "valedictorian," which consists of a year's worth of Iams food and 5000 Club Dog points.
I'll take a look at their offerings in my next post. I expect this to be good, since Dog Channel.com is owned by Bow-Tie, Inc., the company that publishes Dog Fancy magazine (fyi, the website has a lot of the things I enjoy in the magazine, like local directories, for just one example, so it's worth visiting). I've always loved the retriever (I think) puppy in the Dog Channel logo: he has a wonderful expression on his face that makes me feel that I can trust these folks, however irrational that effect might be. We'll see how it goes.
In the meantime, there are three interesting items about Petco in the news. They have a new initiative that is perfect for an Earth Day (today) post, and they are also assisting food banks, according to the New York Times. However, they are also under fire for selling female guinea pigs (helping to cause an overpopulation problem). Well, you can't please everyone.
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