The DogCast Radio blog

Over the years of making DogCast Radio I have been privileged to interview many training and behavioural experts. Even an amateur like me can't fail to take in some pearls of wisdom when bombarded with them like that. I thought you might enjoy some of the gems I've picked up along the way, and if you have some I've missed let me know.

Relax – stress is the enemy of good training

I spotted a few things in the news or on the net today that I thought might be of interest to dog lovers. Firstly, a story about a dog who was savaged by a deer. No that shouldn't be the other way round. Okay - some would argue it should be the other way round, but it isn't. Apparently the deer in question has "fangs" as it is Chinese water deer. Years ago some of these deer escaped from a safari park, and they, or their descendents, are now living wild

April looks like being a busy month pet-wise. This month is the ASPCA's Prevention of Cruelty to Pets Month. There are loads of suggestions on the site for ways you can support the charity in promoting the message of treating animals properly, and raise money for them. If you're stuck for ideas on how to join in check out the 10 Ways to Celebrate page.

When I went to Good Citizen training classes with Buddy we met a lot of new people and dogs. Which was great for us both. Except that I'm not very good at recalling names, and suddenly I had lots to remember. The other problem I had was that many of the owners I met had given their dog a traditionally human name, which just added to my confusion. So I had not only to memorise Tara and Katie, Ellie and Sally, Nick and Harvey, and Connie and Sally, but I also had to remember which was the dog and which the person.

Did you know that chimps and share 98% of their DNA. Well it might be almost 98%, but it's around that figure and it's definitely a lot. The point is chimps and humans are very similar. However, a recent study (which I love) says that humans actually have more in common with dogs. Thousands of years of living together has caused us to share many behaviours, such as cooperating, understanding verbal communication and imitation.

Some people are unaware that there are rescue societies for many dog breeds, so it's a great idea that the Kennel Club has put a link on its site to let people know about them. Now on its "Choosing the right puppy/dog" page, there is a link to "Choosing a Rescue Dog".

Do you remember the post I did about Bilbo the Newfoundland who had been banned by health and safety officials from working on a beach in Cornwall helping to keep people safe in the water? Well there was a petition to have him reinstated, and it worked. 1,500 people have signed the petition and Bilbo's back. You can read about it on the BBC site, but basically people power has put Bilbo back on the beach.

Tim Glass, author of Just This Side of Heaven sent me a link to a cartoon depicting what it can be like being an author with a dog at a book signing. I told him not to take it personally if people want to meet one of his lovely Beagles with more enthusiasm than they do him. Apart from the fact that dogs are usually cuter than their accompanying people, they are just more approachable too. You don't feel at all self conscious when greeting a dog, even a celebrity one.

We get some lovely comments posted on our breed profile pages, and I enjoy reading them all. This week one particularly caught my eye, and I loved it because it combines general traits of the breed with a very personal experience of it. It's about a Miniature Schnauzer, and I suppose what I picked up on is the expression of the love we have for our dogs, and the amazing support they are to us.

Around the world there are many people fighting the very necessary fight against puppy farms and mills, and all those who profit from them. This is necessary, obviously, for the welfare of dogs, and also to stop the exploitation of people looking to buy a puppy. Once people learn the right way to go about buying a puppy, puppy mills will be out of business anyway, so education is an important part of putting a stop to this vile business.