As we approach the one year anniversary of the final episode, most Dogsters have undoubtedly figured out what I knew the moment I left Canine Academy: there’s not going to be a second season of Greatest American Dog. Even though nearly 10 million viewers tuned in to the premiere, the show’s ratings experienced a steady decline throughout the season and ended with an average of 5-6 million weekly viewers. Comparing that to the ratings of other popular dog-themed television shows, including The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel which barely averages 1 million viewers weekly, it would seem GAD was an overwhelming hit! Unfortunately airing on a major network during prime time was both a blessing and a curse. Major networks like CBS (home of other reality shows like Survivor and Big Brother garnering 20+ million viewers each week) require much bigger numbers to renew a show, and GAD fell short. But, here on Dogster, the Greatest American Dog fan club was extremely popular. That’s why I thought fans of the show would enjoy catching up with members of the cast. So here’s the 411 from those who were willing to share!

Dog biz entrepreneur Elan and her gorgeous Giant Schnauzer Kenji returned to Oregon where Elan is currently running a growing doggie day trip service that leads tours to local lakes and parks in the Portland area. But you’ll never guess the new sport she and Kenji have plunged into. No, not dock diving (although the versatile Kenji has done this too). It’s scootering and dogsledding! What, can’t picture a Giant Schnauzer mushing? Well, apparently Kenji is a natural, and not only that, Elan is learning all she can from the top people in the sport, including professional dog sled racer Rachael Scdoris, who was nominated by ESPN as female athlete of the year. Knowing Elan, I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see this ambitious and dynamic young woman leading a team in the Iditarod one day.

For those of you who fell for the so called Laurie threw David under the bus bit, sorry, but you were had! The truth is, there was no betrayal and David and Elvis have remained one of our closest friends! This jetsetting duo is the toast of the Big Apple and are frequently seen at dog related events all around the city including the North Shore Animal League’s Dogcatemy Awards, Bideawee’s Gala on the Green, and even the Westminster Dog Show. In his spare time, Dr. David operates The Doctor’s Channel, an internet educational and networking resource for physicians, but even there he often mixes business with pleasure. Right now, the website features the recent nuptials of Elvis and his canine lady love. Definitely go check it out!

I hope everyone caught our buddies Ron and Tillman in this year’s Tournament of Roses parade! The skateboarding Bulldog was featured displaying his skills on the Natural Balance Pet Foods float. They are currently spokesdog/person for the pet food company and will be featured in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade as well. This time they’ll be accompanied by Tillman’s little furbling Rose, the newest skateboarding bulldog.

Brandy and Beacon have been very busy this past year. In April Brandy got married and Beacon was proud to be the flower dog. Beacon has been in Elle magazine for a Kate Spade ad, placed 2nd in the talent contest for the Dog Day Afternoon in Orange County, and marched in a Fourth of July Parade. Brandy continues to train Beacon who recently learned how to clean up her toys and is now skateboarding. Beacon will turn 3 this year and has been a very good dog for Brandy. They enjoy trips to the Huntington Dog Beach and walks around their community lake.

One of the busiest and most visible members of the cast has definitely been Laura and Preston. In fact, we’ve collaborated together on past events and have several exciting future projects in the works. Building on our mutual commitment to therapy dog work (Andrew and Preston were the only certified therapy dogs in the cast), we founded The Pawtastics, a non-profit volunteer organization comprised of celebrity dogs, studio dogs, and exceptionally-trained canines and their humans who aspire to take therapy dog work to another level. We’ve also created Girly Dogs, a movement to empower and celebrate small dogs around the world. The pair hosts and stars in Preston’s Planet, a live, interactive internet show broadcast on The Stream.TV, and are spokesperson/dog for Natura pet foods. Preston was the cover model of the August/September ‘09 issue of Animal Wellness magazine, and plans are in the works for his own feature film!

No matter where I go, there’s one pair I’m always asked about, and that’s Bill and Star. Bill says Star has shined brighter than ever and continues to shine more every day by entertaining literally thousands of people all over the country. She has helped raise money for shelters and rescues, received keys to the city, been the opening act for country western stars Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, and even had a proclamation read in her honor by the Texas House of Representatives! Bill has recently started a dog training business specializing in obedience, tracking, herding and agility.

Since we both live in Virginia, we’ve seen our good friends Teresa and Leroy a lot this past year. We attended Leroy’s 5th birthday party in January and had the chance to meet many of his friends and Teresa’s satisfied clients. Teresa has been a successful dog trainer in Fairfax, VA for quite a few years and runs a successful training and dog walking business. From raising money for the The Animal Cancer Foundation, to being a spokesdog for Stella and Chewy’s dog food and a cover dog for the In the Company of Dogs catalog, Leroy has been very busy. Most recently the pair appeared on the QVC Network to demonstrate a line of dog toys. They are regularly featured guests at most of the pet industry trade shows such as H.H. Backer and Super Zoo.

This blog has enabled me to keep everyone abreast of what Andrew and I have been up to, but just to recap, he’s earned 4 agility titles, 3 additional rally obedience titles, has had featured roles in two short films, made appearances at dozens of charity events, was Grand Marshal for a walk-a-thon, has raised thousands of dollars for local animal rescue groups, and along with Preston even helped campaign for President Obama. Together we appeared on the cover of the November 2008 issue of the Whole Dog Journal, and have been featured and interviewed by numerous blogs and publications. My dog training and daycare facility, Pup ‘N Iron Canine Fitness & Learning Center, is booming more than I could have ever imagined! Even a year later we are recognized often, especially at dog shows and agility trials. It’s pretty funny to step up to the line and have the check in person do a double take and yell, “hey, I know you!”

And what about the winner? Travis reports that he and Presley have been having a wonderful time since the show. They’ve done a number of commercials including several for Exchange Bank in Oklahoma. They are currently working with KJ Productions out of Enid, Oklahoma to produce an education children’s DVD, with the first DVD set to be released November 2009. They’ve also worked a lot with Take Me Home rescue organization in L.A. If you were watching closely around Valentine’s Day, you may have caught Travis in a Zales Jewelry commercial he’d done prior to being on the show. If you missed it, hopefully they’ll air it again next year. Have your hankies ready, it’s a real tear jerker. According to his listing on IMDB, Travis has resumed his acting career and will be in an upcoming thriller called ICrime. Watch for it!

As for our esteemed panel of judges, you can still catch Victoria Stilwell on the second season of It’s Me or the Dog, airing on Animal Planet. Alan Reznick is still Editor-At-Large for Dog Fancy and Dog World magazines, but the busiest has to be Wendy Diamond! In addition to her frequent appearances on NBC’s Today Show and running the pet lifestyle magazine Animal Fair, Wendy and her rescue Maltese Lucky continue to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for animal rescue with their one-of-a-kind red carpet celebrity charity events. Most recently, she held her annual Paws for Style celebrity gala event featuring top celebrities tripping the light fantastic up on the catwalk. She has several book projects in the works, It’s a Dog’s World, to be published by Random House, and a new Chicken Soup for the Soul dog and cat book coming out October 2009.

GAD was destined to be a one time thing. Successfully and safely managing 12 dogs of different ages, sizes, breeds, temperaments and needs, along with their equally diverse and demanding humans, while filming challenges that would not only be safe, but entertaining and fun to watch, and telling a story that would be believable and accepting by the viewing audience was an undertaking I don’t think anyone could have really been ready for. Undoubtedly the project sounded really good on paper, actually producing it was a different story. Whenever I’ve asked my castmates if they’d do it all again, most have said yes, and I concur. Who would pass up the opportunity to spend 6 weeks with his or her dog, away from all the worries, responsibilities and hustle and bustle of every day life? We wouldn’t be the people we are today and we wouldn’t have the relationships we have with our dogs if we hadn’t gone through this experience. But it also gave each of us an inside look at so-called reality shows, in general. They may be unscripted, but there’s definitely a storyline the producers intend to follow, no matter what, and they have the power of the camera and editing to do so. But none of us are complaining. We’re great, our dogs are great, and we are among a select few who will ever be able to say, we not only survived being on Greatest American Dog, we’ve thrived!


Did you want to see a second season of Greatest American Dog?
What message do you feel Greatest American Dog sent?
After seeing the show, would you have auditioned for it with your dog?
Do you believe what you see on reality shows is how things actually happened?

See related Ring Time entries:

• TV Dog Training – Helping or Hurting?
• Celebripups Hit the Big Apple for Charity
• A Day at a NYC Dog Run
• Dogster Pup Pals Win Big at TDAA Agility Trials
• Let’s Make Every Week Bite Prevention Week!

Never before has there been more information and resources available to help pet parents live harmoniously with their canine companions. If you surf the net you will discover thousands of training Web sites; the dog training section in bookstores and libraries is inundated with new titles every month; and dog training is a regular weekly feature on some television channels. However, you know what they say about a little knowledge. It’s dangerous, and incomplete and inaccurate information is even worse.

Where has all this abundance of conflicting and misleading information taken us? On one hand it has prompted many people to make more out of things that are really just normal dog behavior in certain circumstances. I receive many calls from concerned puppy parents about their aggressive 12-week-old puppy, only to determine the puppy is just exhibiting normal puppy behavior on its way to learning bite inhibition. And then there are the pet parents who feel their dog is showing dominance by jumping up on them to greet them, and they want to show him they’re the pack leaders like Cesar says. Uggggh. If I had a nickel for every time that term is over or incorrectly used I’d be rich! Well, okay, at least these pet parents are trying to be proactive and prevent issues before they become serious problems, and that’s certainly a good thing.

Unfortunately I also get calls from people whose dogs are struggling with very serious behavior issues like severe aggression but have unrealistic expectations of fixing those problems. Why? Well, they saw a dog with the exact same issue on TV and that dog was fixed in one episode! Make no mistake about it, behavior modification takes time, patience and consistency. There is no quick fix or magic to it, only the magic of television. Having been on the boob tube myself, let me state unequivocally right here and now that you can’t always believe what you see on television, and reality television is anything but real, it’s meant to be entertainment. Even if the genre is supposed to be public education, make no mistake about it, the show still needs to be entertaining. After all, if no one is watching, the show won’t get any sponsors to pay for it! Additionally, everything you see may not have happened in exactly the way it’s been presented, or in the same sequence, or even on the same day!

And what about follow up? Did the owners continue with the behavior modification? Has the dog continued to improve or has he reverted back to old habits? Rarely, if ever, are any of those questions answered on any of the television training shows. We’re presented with quick glimpses that end with the trainer closing up his or her computer or getting in his or her car and driving away. Happy ending? Maybe. Hopefully. But those profound and quick changes we’re presented can be extinguished just as quickly if there is no consistency in the training and behavior modification to follow.

And then there’s the subject of dog training methods. Even if the show instructs the viewers “not to try this at home,” overzealous owners will do so anyway, which can have disastrous and downright dangerous results. I know more than a few people who’ve been bitten when attempting to physically overpower or dominate their dog, like they saw the trainer do on TV. I am always hopeful that most will listen to the part of the disclaimer that tells the viewer to “contact a professional” first.

That’s where I come in.

While I may not agree with or use the same methods a television dog trainer uses, if his or her show helps make people aware of their dog’s behavior and gets them interested in training, that’s a good thing. If it prompts someone to pick up the phone and call me, all the better! Once I get them in the door, I’ll get my chance to show them how real dog training and behavior modification works.

What do you think about TV dog training shows?

What’s your favorite or least favorite show?

Who’s your favorite or least favorite TV dog trainer and why?

What kind of TV dog training show would you like to see?

See related Ring Time entries:

• Those Greatest American Dogs – 1 Year Later – Where Are They Now?
• Oh Mickey, You’re So Fine
• A Day at a NYC Dog Run
• Celebripups Hit the Big Apple for Charity
• Handling the Hair of Many Dogs

Two Dogster pup pals finally had the chance to meet and play agility together at the Pup ‘N Iron TDAA (Teacup Dog Agility Association) agility trials held on June 13 & 14, 2009. TDAA agility offers competition for dogs 17″ tall and under. It features smaller, more size appropriate equipment, and tighter courses within a smaller area, providing a level playing field and much safer environment for the small dogs to play. Remy, a Toy Poodle, and Andrew, a Maltese, have been pup pals ever since Greatest American Dog aired last summer. And now, not only are they pup pals, they’re agility pals too! The two pups (and their moms) have corresponded regularly since they discovered they both shared a passion for dog sports!

Remy has been competing in agility for the past 3 years and also has competed in rally obedience as well. His mom Pam is an agility instructor and teaches classes at Town and Country Animal Care Center in Apex, NC. Remy and his family traveled all the way from their home in Raleigh, NC to participate in the TDAA agility trials at Pup ‘N Iron Canine Fitness & Learning Center in Fredericksburg, VA. Along with Remy, dozens of diminutive dynamos came from all over the east coast to participate in the event, making it a huge (no pun intended) event! Even though the equipment is down-sized, the courses are just as challenging, if not moreso, than the other agility venues. Even still, both Remy and Andrew scored big!

Remy earned a 1st place and 3rd place gamers score, giving him two legs toward his TG1 title! Andrew earned one 1st and three 3rd placements and both his TBAD and TG1 titles! But in addition to his ribbons, Remy also took home a Limited Edition Andrew Doll. According to his mom’s blog, it was the best prize he received all weekend!
Has your small dog ever participated in dog agility?

Is small dog agility offered in your area?

If it were, would you participate with your dog?

Dogster on the scene!

See related Ring Time entries:

• Those Greatest American Dogs – 1 Year Later – Where Are They Now?
• TV Dog Training – Helping or Hurting?
• Let’s Make Every Week Bite Prevention Week!
• A Day at a NYC Dog Run
• Celebripups in the City!

I have to be honest and admit I’m not a huge fan of dog parks, in general. In theory the concept started out as a very good idea. Who wouldn’t want to give dogs an opportunity to run, play and interact with each other? However, in practice the concept hasn’t always translated quite so well. But on my most recent trip to New York City with Andrew, our good friends David and Elvis convinced us to accompany them to their favorite dog run, as they are called in the Big Apple.

If New York is a city with a million stories, I’d be willing to bet at least half of those stories are about dogs! You can’t get more than a block without passing someone with one, two or more dogs in tow. The day we arrived at the dog run, it was packed. And though the Westminster Dog Show was a few blocks away at Madison Square Garden, you’d have thought it was going on right there in Stuyvesant Square Park. There were Frenchies, Aussies, Goldens, Labs, Shepherds, Terriers, Poodles, Bichons, and lots of good old Heinz 57’s too. Large, small, and in between, all thrown in together, oh my!

Andrew was his usual independent self, sniffed around, and then found a group of other little dogs to hang out and trade butt sniffs with. After he’d had his fill, I sat him on the bench with me and sat back and observed. What I witnessed was some of the dogs having a lot of fun, some dogs behaving completely inappropriately, some dogs practically holding up neon signs declaring they didn’t want to be there, and some dogs barely avoiding physical injury at every turn. But what I saw the most was a bunch of owners who were completely uninvolved and oblivious to anything their dogs were doing or trying to tell them. And therein lies the problem with dog parks – the humans!

The dogs that do the best in an off leash environment are the ones with humans who remain involved and supervise all interactions. The dog park shouldn’t be a place where your dog learns how to ignore you, but rather a place where the two of you can share in the experience of dog and human play! A dog that interacts appropriately with other dogs and remains aware and attentive to his human will have the best dog park experience ever!

Let’s hear about your dog park experiences, good and bad. How do you rate your local dog park?

See related Ring Time entries:

• Those Greatest American Dogs – 1 Year Later – Where Are They Now?
• TV Dog Training – Helping or Hurting?
• Is Your Dog Park the Best? Enter the Dogsterrific Dog Park Contest!
• Yo Stumpy, You Did It!
• 2009 Westminster Dog Show… If We Picked the Winners