Trick training is still dog training

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Liz Palika

I’m a big fan of trick training. Although being able to show off some tricks is great for therapy dog visits that’s not the only reason why I like it. Far too many dog owners think of dog training as serious stuff and it really doesn’t have to be that way. Although all dogs should know the basic exercises, including sit, down, stay, come and walk nicely on a leash; that training doesn’t have to be taught like military boot camp. Trick training helps keep the training mood light.

I’ve written two books on trick training; one for adults and one for children.

The book for adults is The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dog Tricks. This book takes dogs and owners through the training process, using a lure and reward techniques that most dogs like and owners find easy to use. The tricks taught begin with very basin ones such as shake and wave through much more complicated ones, such as weave through the owner’s legs while walking. The book also provides guidance on how to chain tricks together to create a show or demonstration. This is particularly fun for therapy dog visits. Here’s the amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Dog-Tricks/dp/1592573991/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327540250&sr=1-1

My book for kids is Dog Tricks (Capstone). This one also uses a lure and reward training method. It is written for fourth to fifth graders but I’ve found it acceptable for many older kids and even adults as it is laid out in easy to follow training steps. Here is the amazon link to that one http://www.amazon.com/Tricks-Teaching-Doggie-Shake-Hands/dp/1429665262/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327540759&sr=1-2

When doing some trick training with your dog, keep in mind that even trick training is training. So use good training techniques: Help your dog succeed, praise and reward him, and don’t get angry or frustrated if he doesn’t understand. Keep your training fun for both of you.

 

 

 

 

 

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My newest dog training book is for kids

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Liz Palika

No, that doesn’t mean using dog training techniques on children but instead is a book to help kids train the family dog. My goal is to excite kids so they interact with the family dog more. After all, if the kids are playing video games, the dog is either in the house bored silly or outside alone. When kids learn they can train the family dog and have fun while doing it, they will be more likely to continue doing things with the dog.

In my book, Dog Obedience: Getting Your Pooch off the Couch and other Dog Training Tips (Capstone Edge Books, 2011) I make it very clear in several places that if the dog ever growls at the child, they are to stop what they are doing immediately and get some adult help. After all, not all dogs are excited about children or about the child doing some training.

The training technique used is a lure and reward technique. This is very easy for kids to learn as well as easy for the dog to understand. Exercises include easy, give, sit, down, stay, come, wait, walk, heel, and more. I also included some games to make the training even more fun.

There is always the potential for problems when combining dogs and kids and because of this kids should be supervised when training the family dog. However, when the dog and child get along well, and when there is real affection between the two, training can help increase that bond even more. Dogs added a lot to my childhood and I’d love it if more kids could have those same memories.

 

 

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Book signing can be hazardous (or great fun!)

Posted on March 20, 2011 by Liz Palika

When my first book was published, a long time ago in a galaxy…..well, you know the saying; the first thing I did was schedule a book signing. After all, that’s what book authors do, right? Well that signing was successful mainly because everyone I knew within driving distance came to it.

Now, however, some 70 some books later, the last thing I want do to is have a book signing at a book store. Why? Well, primarily because they can be so unpredictable. After all, it’s really embarrassing to be sitting at a table in a book store with no one else there.

So now I hold a different kind of book signing. I invite dogs and their owners. That is guaranteed to be great fun.

Because I often provide the photos for my own books, either ones that I’ve taken or those that local photographers have taken, we can then use local dogs and their owners in my books. For the signings, those dogs and their owners can attend and put their pawprints in the books next to their photos.

Book signings like this are fun for the dogs, for the dog owners, and most of all for people who have bought the books. It brings the books to life.

Some people still ask for my autograph but most just want dog pawprints. And hey, I’m fine with that!

 

Top photo: Margaret, a Mastiff, puts her pawprint on the page with her photo.

Middle photo: Aisa waits patiently while her owner identifies her pawprint on her page.

Bottom photo: This signing was for my book, “The Howell Book of Dogs.”

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Dealing with deadlines

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Liz Palika

Freelance writers have to deal with deadlines; it’s a fact of life.

A deadline is the date when work must be submitted. It used to be – and yes I know I’m dating myself – that’s when the work that was mailed or sent via UPS or FedEx must arrive at the editor’s desk. That meant I had to figure in the time it would take to get to the editor from my corner of the world in San Diego. Invariably that was about a week.

Now, most work is submitted via email so I can work up to the last second. But it still means the work has to arrive at the editor’s computer before she leaves the office for the day. Since I’m in San Diego, on Pacific time, and many of my editors are in different time zones, I need to take that into account.

I’ve got a major deadline this week and again, I’m going to make it. This one is a big one; the first 50% of a book project. Nine chapters. Nine technical, detail oriented chapters. Nine research heavy chapters. Whew. But they are written, read, re-read, edited, and changes made.

I’ve always made it a point of professional pride to make my deadlines. I’ve talked to some editors who say that if they’re working with certain writers, they’ll move the deadlines up a few weeks because those writers are always late. I’m glad I’m not one of those writers.

I may submit the work on the deadline – as I’m doing this week – but I’m not late. Knock on wood!

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Writing ideas can come from anywhere

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Liz Palika

As a professional writer, I’m often asked where I get my ideas for magazine articles, blogs, and books. I’ve heard other writers talk about this so I think it’s a commonly asked question.

Unfortunately there’s no easy answer but because essentially ideas can come from anywhere. My ideas come from life; I can be doing something and will think, “Huh! I need to write about this!”

One day I was helping my husband as we were repairing a screen in a window, replacing the softer nylon screen with a new one that is supposed to have a stronger weave to better resist snags and tears. We thought it might be better for resisting cat nails. And of course my mind went to, “Hmmm…wonder if other cat owners know about this?”

I’m also lucky in that many editors and publishers will contact me, asking if I’m able to write about a particular project. This wasn’t always so but at this point in my career, easily half of my work is initiated by them.

Then, too, magazine editors and publishers will send out emails asking for article ideas, asking writers to send in queries. This is always fun yet sometimes frustrating. If the editor wants traveling with pets ideas and I’m writing about cat nutrition, it can be tough to stop the brain and kick into another gear. But that’s a part of the profession.

Much of my writing about dogs comes from the dog training classes I teach and the behavior consultations I do with dog owners at Kindred Spirits Dog Training. I see where people are having difficulties and I want to help other dog owners.

My fellow dog trainers at Kindred Spirits have a standing, well, let’s call it a joke. Hang around long enough and you’ll end up in one of Liz’s articles, posts, or books. That can be good or, well, not so good. But I do often change the names for their privacy and my own protection!

Photo: Kindred Spirits dog trainer, Petra Burke, demonstrating ‘Watch me’ with Bashir, an Australian Shepherd. Photo by Becca Siminou.

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Every writer has a beginning somewhere

Posted on March 4, 2011 by admin

Every professional writer has a story as to how he or she got started in this profession. Perhaps a teacher in school was encouraging or as a child she was able to communicate more effectively via the written word. I think many non-fiction writers are teachers at heart, too, and just want to share some of what they’ve learned. I’ve always thought that most fiction writers are entertainers at heart.

I learned the effect that words can have early. A voracious reader, I was touched by the words other people wrote. “Where the Red Fern Grows” made me cry, as did “Black Beauty.” In high school one of my teachers, Mrs. Williams (Cabrillo High School, Lompoc, CA) was awesome and encouraged my interest in writing. But I just wrote for school assignments and really never thought about doing it professionally.

But I think people who like to write also have a certain need to write. When Watachie, the first dog I trained, passed away much too soon, my means of coping was to write about him. I wrote about his destructiveness as a puppy, about learning how to train him, and then all our adventures through his wonderful but too short life. Watachie, a German Shepherd, earned advanced obedience titles, became a certified search and rescue dog, learned to pull a wagon, and went to the Frisbee World Finals. We had a great time; he was an awesome dog.

Now lots of people write about the passing of a favorite dog and magazine editors hate receiving these stories. They really aren’t what magazine readers generally want to read about. But at this point I’d never been published and I didn’t know that. However, my essay about Watachie was published by both of the magazines I sent it to and from them I got my first fan mail. Wow! People were touched by what I’d written.

So, I got brave, bought some books on the profession, and sent out some queries. And here I am! It’s been quite a journey.

In upcoming posts I’ll talk about the writing profession especially as it is in regards to dogs, cats, and other pets. I’ll write about the ups and downs of this profession, as well as my writing. I’ll discuss some of my books, magazine articles, the joys and downfalls of writing blogs, and I’ll also answer questions so send them my way.

 

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