Off The Press
March 9, 2010
Being an educated owner helps with dogs’ training
David Hayes Press reporter
The conventional wisdom says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. My wife and I are literally trying to prove that wrong by enrolling our two pugs into a training class, years after we all should have received professional guidance.
If you’re going to enroll your dog in obedience class, I highly recommend not waiting as long as we did — Wonton is 3 years old, and Mai Tai is approaching 2.
Our head trainer at the new Issaquah business Blue Dog, Isis Caney, suggests the best time is right around 9 weeks — when all the shots are taken care of and the puppy is still pliable and will take in the training.
“Wait too long, and you can end up with a defiant teen,” she said.
Dogs can become a creature of habit and it’s harder to break them of bad conditioning.
Hmm. I guess that explains why when Wonton has the ball and I say, “drop,” he interprets the command as “place ball in master’s hand, hold on tightly and start growling.”
I guess one of the biggest reasons we sought professional help was we were tired of our pugs taking us on a walk, rather than the other way around.
The odd thing about seeking professional help is the state of Washington does not require certification to become a dog trainer. So, unless the trainer has a certification or a degree, say from Penn Foster of Animal Behavioral College, you can’t be sure of what you’ll get.
But even that official piece of paper framed nicely on the wall may not be enough.
“I have a degree and can tell you what the book says to do,” said Ben Scougale, Caney’s assistant. “But Isis has so much experience, she can tell you five other ways to do something.”
With off-leash dog parks (Issaquah has two — one at Beaver Lake and the other in the Issaquah Highlands), you want to be sure your canine is properly socialized, so everyone gets along. Wonton started out just fine. But over the years, he’s developed a true hatred for boxers and wants to exceed the boundaries for rough housing when he meets one. (Mai Tai is a princess in public. She only beats up on Won Ton when we’re at home.)
There are several approved methods to train your dog, from pack training to clicker. Caney said in her seven years as a trainer, she’s incorporated the best of each method to develop her own style that can be tailored for each pooch.
She does warn, if you go it alone, not to model your efforts after the famous trainers on TV, such as Cesar Millan, of “The Dog Whisperer,” and Victoria Stillwell, of “It’s Me or The Dog.”
“Cesar truly has a gift,” she said. “But if you were to try what he does, you could end up getting your face bit off.”
Caney does recommend trainers from smaller businesses, as it comes down to the level of experience and personal attention. She also highly recommends two trainers over at the Humane Society, Ali Johnson and Amanda Brothers.
Once a dog is trained, Caney says to keep in mind it’s not a fashion accessory (thanks, Paris Hilton). There are boutiques with excessive doggy fashion dotting the landscape — Caney had a client who bought her “baby” a diamond collar, a crystal dish and silk beds. You can also pamper the pooch with strollers and clothing.
“The whole dog world has gone to the dogs,” Caney deadpanned.
Luckily, my guys are grounded in reality (we’re too poor to get too extravagant with them).
While Won Ton and Mai Tai already know advanced tricks, like “high five” and “spin,” we’re going back to the basics to ensure they know the most important lessons they should have known from the get go. Like “come back!”
David Hayes: 392-6434, ext. 237, dhayes@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
Off The Press
March 2, 2010
Chantelle Lusebrink (back) and Andrea Collins
With a competitor from Sammamish in the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and it being only five hours from town, who could resist an opportunity to take a road trip to see the games in person?
With a little help and hospitality from a friend of mine, and her family from Issaquah, I got to go and experience the convergence of the world’s cultures onto one city — Whistler, British Columbia.
The games brought more cultures to the alpine town than ever seen there before.
In any given moment, you’d move between a group of people speaking Russian, to one speaking Korean, to one speaking German.
The stereotypes were also there, as they exist for a reason and with some truth, the boisterous Americans and the young Asian teens that idolized the anime look. The stereotypes were embraced and cherished as the differences that make up the world versus being put down.
Understandably, there were long security lines — but nothing beyond what we Americans experience at the airport — and Canadians had a hard time keeping up with the demand for the coveted Canadian maple leaf mittens. Only that nearly made for an international incident when people were told they could only purchase two pairs per person.
Smartly, Whistler officials kept much of the mountain open for tourists, so you could strap on your skis and get close enough to the starting gate to catch a glimpse of the action for the men’s slalom or women’s giant slalom, which to my knowledge doesn’t happen at all winter venues. Read more
Off the press
February 23, 2010
Help to ensure that The Beat goes on
Kathleen R. Merrill Press editor
Darn teenagers nowadays. You never know what they’re up to. That’s the sentiment of a lot of people. You’ll hear them say things like that if you bring up the topic of teens.
Well, I can tell you what some of them are up to. Some of them are doing their best to improve our world, in their own ways, and with their own goals and projects.
In this newspaper on a regular basis, and in our Living magazine this week, you can read about young philanthropists who are gathering books for children who have none; helping fund relief efforts for earthquake victims in Haiti; and walking, jogging and running for any number of causes. They do these things because they care about someone besides themselves, contrary to popular belief. They really want to make the world a better place.
And it isn’t only teens doing such things. Back when I was in grade school, I was playing and doing any number of little kid things. Elementary school kids today are collecting items and funds for people and organizations that need assistance.
But back to those pesky teens. One came to me last year, telling me she had an idea for a teen section in The Issaquah Press. And she had even written a proposal and gotten a grant to help start it.
Tiffany Xu, a Skyline High School junior, said she felt teens weren’t being adequately represented or viewed fairly, and she wanted to do something about it. I agreed with her, but it had taken me more than a year to get a student column started once a week on the Schools page, and I knew that someone had to have a well-above-average commitment to come through with more than that. I took a kind of wait-and-see approach to her idea, while doing some of my own research and watching to see if she could follow through on some starting tasks I gave her. Read more
Off The Press
February 16, 2010
Being those who protect and serve
Tim Pfarr Press reporter
By picking up the phone and dialing three simple numbers, help is on its way whenever we need it. At any hour. On any day. But what is it like to be the one on the other end of that call? What is it like to put your life in danger for a complete stranger?
It is incredibly rewarding, as Issaquah Police Officer Laura Asbell will tell you.
“I feel like I’m genuinely helping people,” she said.
She is now going on her third year with the department. Read more
Off The Press
February 9, 2010
Kathleen R. Merrill Press editor
On Jan. 29, Issaquah Press reporters Warren Kagarise and Chantelle Lusebrink spent the night at Tent City 4 behind Community Church of Issaquah.
The evening was, for me, a kind of dream come true. I wanted a reporter to spend the night at Tent City the first time it came to town in 2007. For various reasons, that didn’t happen.
I knew then, as I knew this time around, that people who heard about such places likely didn’t have a clue as to what happens there, why people are there and why it matters that others do what they can to help take care of their fellow man who has fallen down on his or her luck. Read more
Press Editorial
February 9, 2010
Yes, Tent City 4 can use your help
There is no doubt that the people of Issaquah care. Read more
Off The Press
February 2, 2010
Bob Taylor Press sports editor
I remember meeting my first celebrity several years ago. The occasion was in Al & Ernie’s Grocery Store, which had just gone through a massive remodeling. To celebrate the renovation, the owners, Mssrs. Al and Ernie, held a grand opening.
In hopes of attracting customers, the owners hired Kirby Grant, known to television viewers in the 1950s and 1960s as Sky King, to sign autographs.
The problem Al and Ernie soon discovered was that Grant was no longer a big attraction, even in the small southwest Washington community of Battle Ground. Families were flocking to the store but not to Sky King. Read more
