My dog & I have been teaching Greek to French People. Or at least that’s what it feels like! The “language barrier” between Humans and Canines can sometimes pretty wide. So we are trying to take our complex demands to the simplest form of communication so that our dog friends can figure out what the heck we want from them!! “What’s a SIT”? So important to realize that dogs are not verbal communicators and that no amount of descriptive prose will explain to your dog what it is you want. You have to SHOW him. This is a “language” that he can understand while we can tell uswhat he is feeling with a lift of his tail or a deep growl. It is funny how much information is written for and about beings that cannot read!!
Saturday mornings on the Green in front of Carnegie Hall have been a blast as we all get together for some fun & games with our dog pals. We have a constantly changing crew of everything from a 4.5 lb Chihuahua to a 95lb German Shepard pup!! Everyone learns something new every week especially me!! This week one of my friends asked me why her dog was barking and growling at an interested bystander and his dog. Although I asked her to correct her dog for doing so, it was an entirely natural response on her dog’s part, to warn her new “pack” that there was an uninvited party in the area and also to let this visitor know that we were a powerful group, not to be trifled with! We are often grateful to our dogs for this alert -so, perhaps, her dog could be shown that one bark would do as a sufficient warning until further instructions came from her human partner. “Thanks for letting me know, Edie, I’ll take it from here…..”
We are happy to answer questions about dogs and their behavior from the human and canine perspective and look forward to “translating” many future conversations.
Congratulations to Simon, a truly wonderful Rescue Dog who has a new home, several new skills and a bright future!! Well done, Prince for showing us all that it’s not the size of the package but what’s inside….from Banksie’s Journal – “You want me to do what??!!”
Do you have questions and/or comments? If yes, please send to: janinelazarus@gmail.com.
– Janine Lazarus, LBSPY #43 (Oct 7-21, 2013)
HASHTAGWV ART & ENTERTAINMENT Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Christina Entenmann-Edwards has been a WV resident since September 2008. She was born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and is no stranger to hard work and the entrepreneurial spirit. In 2006, she graduated from Quinnipiac University (Hamden, Connecticut), Cum Laude, with a B.A. in History. In 2010, she graduated with an M.B.A. from Liberty University (Lynchburg, Virginia). In February 2012, Christina launched HashtagWV as the area’s first full-color, free arts and entertainment tabloid + online platform. Christina completed the Leadership West Virginia class of 2021, which is an innovative program that grows, engages, and mobilizes leaders to ignite a life passion to move West Virginia forward.