I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. I am here to offer my services and answer questions you may have about dog training. I have joined a few sites recently to try to reach out and help the pet owner. I respect all training techniques, as long as the animal is healthy, happy, and learning, and have found over many years there are many ways to train a dog. I will try to keep my responses brief.

Joel Silverman
www.companionsforlife.net

Wow is that really you? I hardly watch that show but I do enjoy it and argee with the training techniques.

Yes it is.. I have chosen a few site to go out and talk with the members, and here I am. If you have any questions please feel free to ask!!

Yes I do.... and thank you!!!

Hi Joel,
I am getting a dog from my friends next month.
She and her brother were left at the end of their driveway.

I was told that a dog that is on your show looks like her.
Not sure if it is your dog or Jay's. I believe te dog's name is Forest.
We are thining she is a red tick heeler....

Do you have a picture of the dog on your show that resembles my future companion?
Hope you can help!

I recently caught the end of the "Escape Artist" episode this morning. I have a rescue dog and am not sure what breed she is. I know DNA testing is available but is not within my price range. She loves to dig, very independent, looking almost like a fox with a short nose, curly bushy tail if happy wrapping around and lays on her back, basically orange with some white spots, as well as short pointed ears. The shelter said she is a Australian mix Sheppard but she is very small less than 50 pounds and thin.

Anyway my main question is she looks very similar to the escape artist dog featured on this mornings episode what is its breed?

Also is there a link somewhere to see all episodes either through Animal Planet or another channel? I found a few videos but not a complete list.

[Lara's mom]

Welcome! Nice to have a pro on board!!!

[sandyh]

I have not had the pleasure of watching your show yet, but now that i know there is another training show out there i will be more than happy to take a look. I would like to know your opinion of the cesar millan show dog whisperer. and some things that he does different than you and why.

[Lunareclipse]

I do have a question. How do you train a very lazy dog that you can't get up once it lays down?

[Andrea C.]

Hello Joel! I have a very big problem with my dog. She is a pure bred Alaskan Malamute that we got from a no kill shelter down in South Florida, the poor dear was 2 yrs old when we got her and had been to that same shelter not once but twice. We were told that the last person to return her loved her very very much but was a firefighter in the military and was unexpectedly deployed somewhere else and could not bring the dog with them. She seemed to have had some basic training put into her, she knew how to sit, give paw and heel. As expected with most shelter dogs she also came with some severe seperation anxiety, when we left the house she would poo and pee on the floor in the kitchen where we kept her confined via a baby gate. Back then we lived in a 2 bedroom duplex, but due to the financial crisis we were forced to pack up our life and move to South Georgia to live with my in laws. We now live on 27.2 acres of land on the out skirts of a very small town. My mother in law had lost her 22yr old beloved border collie a year and a half earlier, and her dog had some serious incontinence problems in her last few years, so not long after we moved in my dog was kicked outside because of her poo and pee problems, we tried to let her have some special free time during the day where she was allowed off her lead but my 13year old step son kept forgetting to watch Aleusha when he would take her off her lead and she would run off to explore and would go missing for 12-24 hours, so we were forced to keep her on her lead most of the time except for short bursts of time during the day when my husband would come home and was able to play with her for a bit. She is bored, possibly depressed and maybe even stressed out at her situation. We love our dog very very much, but lately we've had a hard time getting too close to her because she has developed a very bad outside dog odor and bathing her is a terrible task, she hates water, last time I gave her a bath she almost broke the small bones on top of my foot and left me with a very nasty and sore bruise. There are no groomers near us that will groom a large very furry dog. I'm concerned about my dog's happiness and would like to know if you have any tips for me to help my poor dog become a lot happier. We don't have a lot of money to have a trainer come out to help us.
Thanks,
Andrea C.

[CorkyMax]

I'm prob. just adding to your frustrations but thought I'd give you what it says in my book about the malamute--so you might have a better understanding at least of this breed and it's needs. Quoting here:Gentle,friendly, good-natured. These are powerful, compact working dogs. Malamutes are very active and exceptionally friendly to people but not to other dogs. They look intimidating, but are not good watchdogs.
--GROOMING: Brush the dense, coarse coat twice a week, with extra care during shedding-----the undercoat comes out in clumps twice a year. Bathing is mostly unnecessary, as the coat sheds dirt readily. Dry shampoo occasionally.
--EXERCISE & FEEDING: They need a reasonable amount of exercise, but DON"T OVERDO IT IN WARM WEATHER. They need a large yard with a high fence, but bury the base, because they are likely to dig their way out. They are thrifty feeders and need less food than you might expect. However, they tend to wolf down whatever is offered, which can lead to obesity and bloat.
--HEALTH PROBLEMS: The breed is subject to hip dysplacia and eye problems. Malamutes are unsuited to life in hot climates. Unquote.

Please read the thread in this forum I did on BLOAT!! Find it by going to top of page(s)---See blue strip across the page--Find the word search--click it--Put bloat in the search box!

With all those acres--Too bad you can't build a big fenced-in back yard for him with a doghouse in the shade. And this is a dog that needs a job---Maybe can 'herd' something! I can see why he'd be bored! If nothing else--He needs a lot more exercise! I hope he isn't in the hot sun as he isn't suited to that climate (Hot in Georgia isn't it??) Bet he drinks a lot of water!

[Yogi]

I do not know if any of you have noticed, but he has not been back in nearly a year. This is an old post and has yet to answer any inquiry. I think this was more of a promotional thread and less actually coming here to offer help.

[Lara's mom]

I was thinking exactly the same thing! Either it was promotional or it was an imposter...

[Andrea C.]

I noticed that but one can hope right? besides I figured that maybe someone else would read it that might be a trainer and might know more about how I can help my dog.

As for corky/max's response. I'm not a ignorant dog owner, I have researched the breed my whole life. We got her from a shelter down in Florida, she was born and raised in a hot climate, there is nothing that can be done about that. She has a 50 gallon bucket of fresh cold water that is changed daily and gets a lot of special ice treats. We also put a harness on her and during the cooler hours of the morning will run her along side a golf cart to get her exercise. We do not keep her for a watch dog, and her dog house is huge and in the shade most of the day. We can not run her during most of the day this is where her bordem comes in, she can only be exercised during the cooler morning and evening hours. I was mainly hoping that maybe someone who knows about dog training could give me some tips and advice of how to keep her entertained during the hottest hours of the day. Soon it will be Winter and it will be cold here and she will love it. She is also petrified of water and I was hoping that maybe someone could give me some advice on how we can bathe her without all the stress and her nearly breaking our toes with her paws as she tries to get away from the water. I also know all about bloat and watch for it. Bloat is caused by heavy activity after eating and sometimes after eating way to fast, my dog has neither of those problems to worry about, but I still watch for it anyways because I know of the severity of bloat.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Yogi

I do not know if any of you have noticed, but he has not been back in nearly a year. This is an old post and has yet to answer any inquiry. I think this was more of a promotional thread and less actually coming here to offer help.

I did know this was an old thread but was trying to help the last poster, who evidently didn't want my comments anyhow!