It’s National Dog Week!

Happy National Dog Week! Well, maybe it’s not so much for us to celebrate as it is for us to be more aware and appreciative of our four-legged friends, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind the extra attention just the same!

National Dog Week officially starts tomorrow, September 22, and runs until September 28. To kick things off, Animal Planet’s Good Dog U host Joel Silverman (with help from his pup Foster) has written a fun book titled “What Color is Your Dog?” which focuses on two main points of dog ownership: Building a trusting relationship with your dog, and training the dog based on his personality.

The duo are traveling around the country on a 100 city book tour in a decorated Bil-Jac Dog Food tour bus giving free training seminars at humane societies and other pet groups. As you can imagine, Joel has answered a lot of questions, and has kindly provided me with a few of the most common!

Q: What steps should a family take to pick the right pet for their family, and also to prepare for the arrival of the new pup?

A: Realize that with this decision comes a 15-year commitment to love and care for this pet. Really ask yourself if your family is ready. If you have two children in diapers and both parents are working, now may not be the best time for a new addition. Wait a few years. The chemistry between the family and the pet is very important. Spend some time interacting with the animal and determine if it is a good fit for your family.

Q: How long does it take for a dog to develop a level of trust and understanding with their owners?

A: It just takes time. Some dogs may take 2-4 weeks to have a noticeable change. The first
step in training any animal is to establish a friendship with them. Find out what they like and
don’t like. Then, spend the next few weeks really developing a relationship with him and making
sure that he understands you are there to help and nurture him. Through this step you will
establish trust with the dog. This trust lets him know that you are there to protect and guide him.
You do not want to establish a dominate leader role right from the start as this could set you up
to fail with any dog. If you have a truly aggressive dog that will bite, then I recommend getting a
professional to help you train him.

Q: What are some of the benefits of kids having pets?

A: It is absolutely essential for a child to grow up with a pet. It gives children the opportunity to care for something. All the responsibility of feeding, walking and loving a pet translates into children being caring with other children. It also teaches them to treat the animal how they want to be treated. Ask your kids to put themselves in the place of their pet. Ask them how they feel when they are loved; how they feel when they are disrespected. Your dog feels all these things too. This becomes a very real way of teaching children the golden rule.

“What Color Is Your Dog?” can be ordered from Joel’s website and from Amazon.com. You can also share your own stories at Facebook.com/BilJacDogFood.

[images used with permission from joel silverman]