Next week Ohio's Law pertaining to dangerous dogs will be changing. There will no longer be mention of breeds, instead the law defines nuisance, dangerous, and vicious dogs based on behavior and bite history.

From the Ohio Revised Code:

"Nuisance dog" means a dog that without provocation and while off the premises of its owner, keeper, or harborer has chased or approached a person in either a menacing fashion or an apparent attitude of attack or has attempted to bite or otherwise endanger any person.

"Dangerous dog" means a dog that, without provocation, and subject to division (A)(1)(b) of this section, has chased or approached in either a menacing fashion or an apparent attitude of attack, or has attempted to bite or otherwise endanger any person, while that dog is off the premises of its owner, keeper, or harborer and not under the reasonable control of its owner, keeper, harborer, or some other responsible person, or not physically restrained or confined in a locked pen which has a top, locked fenced yard, or other locked enclosure which has a top done any of the following:
(i) Caused injury, other than killing or serious injury, to any person;
(ii) Killed another dog;
(iii) Been the subject of a third or subsequent violation of division (C) of section 955.22 of the Revised Code.

"Vicious dog" means a dog that, without provocation and subject to division (A)(4)(6)(b) of this section, meets any of the following: (i) Has has killed or caused serious injury to any person.

The Bill is rather lengthy, with many other details including some pertaining to ownership and transfer of ownership of dogs with behavioral issues. You can read the new law at:
http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=129_HB_14

This video below details "dog flipping" which is flourishing with the growth of the internet. Dog flippers find free or inexpensive dogs then resell them on internet sites like Craig's List. People doing this are not looking to do any long term care for the dog, or necessarily find a good home for the pet - only looking to make a profit.

Anyone purchasing a pet should research AND do a home visit of any potential supplier or breeder. Reputable breeders should have a standing reputation and be eager to show you a puppy's parents and their facility.

If you're looking for a mixed breed puppy, adopting from a local shelter or rescue will assure a dog that has been checked by a Veterinarian and provide workers who can help you pick a dog suitable for your home environment.

Diamond Pet foods has had an evolving recall for several of their products coming out of a Gaston, SC plant. These recalls began last month and have been expanding over the past week. Currently, Ohio is one of several States where possibly contaminated product from this plant was shipped. Products include Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Country Value, Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Premium Edge, Professional, 4Health and Taste of the Wild. This recall may expand further. News sources are now reporting several people becoming ill, with a few requiring hospitalization, in connection with this recall.

For the latest information and details on checking production codes on food bags, please visit the following page:

http://diamondpetrecall.com/#

You may also wish to look for updated information on the FDA's website.

I spend a bit of time each day sifting through various trainer discussions. One thing that strikes me time and time again is the broad range of very diverse opinions. Perhaps its because most trainers are accustomed to working alone. Perhaps its because the profession is mostly unregulated so anyone with an interest can try their hand. Perhaps its because dog's have a different language that everyone tries to interpret. Whatever the reason, this tremendous diversity of very strong and polarized opinions leads to a mountain of conflicting information for the average pet owner.

During my years as a dog trainer, I find truths tend to float above the fray. I also understand that my truths may not be the same as another person's truths. To that end, I always respect that it's up to an individual owner to decide what's best for their own pet and situation. In today's society, the internet provides a tremendous amount of information - so how can an owner judge it's merit? Here are a few items I would offer for consideration . . .

1) Good trainers are busy! Because I think public education is important, I (along with many other trainers) do take time to author regular articles. However, busy trainers don't have time to argue or entertain lengthy debates online. If information is from persons that post or comment everywhere, visit forums or social sites daily, or seem to be online a great deal - how much time can they spend actually working with dogs?

2) Good trainers see more dogs in a week than most owners will live with in a lifetime. If you're reading information online regarding dogs, consider this! Many owners offer comments and advice based on their limited experience with a handful of dogs during their lifetime. Some trainers see small numbers of dogs. Those working with hundreds of dogs annually can offer a much broader and informed perspective. What depth of experience does the person authoring information actually have?

3) Good trainers have diverse methods. No single approach, tool or method will work for every dog and in every case. If someone is an extremist regarding a particular tool or method (and there are a lot of folks who are), what does that say about their open-mindedness? Student first, then teacher! Zealots don't make good students. Can poor students become good teachers?

4) Good trainers respect the limits of their knowledge and experience. I'll be the first to admit that there are some dogs I can't help, or some owners for which my services are not a good match. I'm personally very cautious around anyone who believes they have a lock on knowledge. The older I get, the more I appreciate how much there is to learn. Knowledge, experience, balance - these things come with time and perspective.

5) Good trainers are realists. I would never presume to offer advice about fixing an internal combustion engine even though I've taken a few apart over the years. Why are there so many offering advice about dog training that really don't do much of it? There is a huge chasm between theory and practice in my experience. While many things may seem logical to humans talking in a room, things don't always play out as expected when it's time to get to work. Training a dog is a skill set for an owner, and obedience is a skill set for a dog. Developing those skills involves hands-on work, not theory.

Have a happy dog day!

There have been many stories over the past few years regarding retiring military dogs. This lengthy video discusses how the dogs need to be evaluated to make sure they can live safely in a civilian home, as well as how much "red tape" is involved in adopting. Some politicians have been working on streamlining this process. For all the good work these dogs do, it's nice to see stories where they can retire to a calm and loving environment to spend their remaining years. In this case, a dog is coming home to a previous military handler.