Roger’s quest for knowledge motivated him to earn his credentials as one of only two Certified Nose Work Instructor (CNWI) in Chicago, and as such he has been offering K9 Nose Work® classes at his training studio, Chicago Dog Nose, to dog owners who want a fun activity to do with their dogs.

K9 Nose Work® is a game that uses the dogs’ natural scenting ability to develop problem solving skills. Dogs learn to find “objects” in various locations, at different heights, indoors, and outdoors. And for the advanced skills-level dog, they learn to do searches on the exterior of autos.  Nose Work is fast becoming the new urban dog sport in Chicago.

What is unique about this sport is that any dog can participate and there is no previous training required. Each dog is worked in solo sessions, with the remaining participants in another room awaiting their turn, which means that a shy dog, fearful dog, or even a “dog-reactive” dog can have fun. And this takes a lot of pressure off a dog owner who can then relax while participating with their dog without worrying about the other dogs in class.

Many owners have reported that their dogs not only thoroughly love coming to the class, but that their dogs return home exhausted from the mental workout! Dogs that were previously shy, fearful, aggressive or even hyper tend to blossom given the chance to build confidence and or find an outlet for their unused energy. In fact many of the thousands of dogs who are relinquished to shelters are given up because of these behavioral issues. This got Roger thinking that since K9 Nose Work® is such a great way of helping to keep dogs in their homes, then why not use this new game to help dogs, who are already in shelters, find new homes?

Roger contacted a few shelter organizations who rounded up some of their steady volunteers and has since begun his new Sniffing For A New Home program instructing shelters how to enrich the lives of their resident dogs using K9 Nose Work®. Most shelter workers can tell you the heartbreak of watching these poor souls, who were once somebody’s pet, become depressed, lethargic or very stressed out and basically give up. But by implementing his Sniffing For A New Home program, there is hope that the dogs will get adopted faster, as their environment becomes more enriching. And of course the new pet parents will be able to continue enriching their dog’s life by becoming K9 Nose Work® participants!   The ultimate goal is helping dogs find homes in some of Chicago’s best neighborhoods.  Roger’s thoughts and questions include:  What good is a home without a dog in it?

Shelter directors and volunteers are encouraged to contact Roger Lautt at 312-617-8000 or through e-mail at Roger@chicagodognose.com for complete details of his Sniffing For A New Home  program. In the meantime check out www.chicagodognose.com for more information, testimonials and great videos of dogs having fun!

© Fran Berry, CPDT-KA, 2011

Alderman Colon and the supporters have a goal of making this the best of all of Chicago’s Dog Parks. Why not join? As someone that has personally visited all of Chicago’s Dog Parks, I am excited to be a part of creating the Logan Square Dog Park. For more information join the Yahoo Group or email Chris Hewitt at logansquaredogpark@gmail.com;

Attached are 2 videos, 1 of the Howl-o-ween Parade on Logan Boulevard marching to the site of the new Chicago Dog Park and the 2nd video of the activity at the actual Logan Square Dog Park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsauMQ9UPbI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOJg1JBRQdw

This facility is one of the cleanest veterinarian offices I have visited.  The staff is very friendly and helpful, they greet my dogs with some love and enthusiasm which is a joy to experience.

A little bag of complementary treats keeps my dogs quite happy.  The vet techs are the best, most caring group of people and Dr. Jewell is great, his care and concern for the animals shines through.

To find out more about Dr. Jewell visit his website, http://www.jewellanimalhospital.com

Opening August 10TH, a show about dogs, people and the games they play

Chicago, IL – What happens when you take 12 formerly homeless dogs that have been adopted by humans who saw the pups’ potential when no one else did? You get twelve saved dogs—a wonderful thing. But what would happen if the humans who adopted those lucky dogs team up with a professional positive reinforcement trainer who teaches them how to train their furry charges to perform fun tricks? You get an entertaining, educational and gamely named show called Life’s Ruff.

Life’s Ruff2011 returns to the Gorilla Tango Theater–the dog-friendliest theater in all of Chicagoland–by popular demand after a two-year hiatus. Since a tough audition process during the cold days of winter, these dog-human teams have been practicing regularly in basements, church auditoriums and parks. They’ve been honing their commands, creating individualized routines, drilling trivia questions, all while dispensing treats for a job well done.

Life’s Ruff is the brainchild of positive reinforcement trainer Chris Dignan. His nonprofit organization, the Dog Saving Network, was created as a fun way to gently educate the public on the benefits of positive reinforcement training to curb the problem homeless dogs in our country face. By providing the basic training dogs need to succeed in their adoptive homes, not only are humans building strong bonds but they are also ensuring their dogs will lead happier, fulfilled lives.

Too often dogs are returned to shelters for behavior problems that can be fixed. The Dog Saving Network and LR2011 is dedicated to teaching as many people as possible how to turn that around. Audiences will learn about the joys of adoption, and the importance of spaying and neutering. But don’t expect any finger wagging. The only wagging will be of the tail variety. LR2011 is the only game in town where dogs and humans play basketball, spin the wheel, “answer” trivia questions and interact with the audience for cool prizes. LR2011 guarantees that each audience member leaves with a big smile, increased dog smarts and a desire to go out and spread the word about adoption and training. All of which will greatly improve chances that more dogs will be saved.

Life’sRuff2011 is hosted by Chris Dignan, who is a marine mammal trainer for the Shedd Aquarium by day.  It’s directed by Anderson Lawfer, actor, writer and game show host in Chicago. He is the creator of The Game Show Show…and Stuff! and Theatre Wars! at Strawdog Theater.  The show is a multimedia extravaganza sure to please all age groups.

Hope to see you at the Canine Carnival June 26 in Logan Square- it will be Fun!

Please join us with your dog on Sunday, June 26th in Logan Square at our Canine Carnival on  Logan boulevard between Mozart and Francisco from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

We will have FUNdamental trick training, scent discrimination demos, and Certified Professional Dog Trainers on hand to answer your training and behavior questions.

There will be prizes, games,  a photo booth and a few dogs from the  Famous Fido Rescue & Adoption Alliance looking for their forever homes.

Hope to see you there!

You know that your Fido is perfect, but how do you convince a prospective landlord or building management company that you and your dog are trustworthy?

ChicagoDogPads has the answer with their Condog Compatibility test. The idea is the brainchild of Realtor^® and professional dog trainer, Roger Lautt who says that lots of good prospective tenants with dogs are being turned away from renting or buying condos because of faulty thinking about dogs, their supposed reputation and or breed. As AKC Good Citizen evaluators, we can determine the dog’s fundamental skills, but more importantly, our detailed questionnaire and interview with the dog’s guardian can determine the level of commitment that an owner has to the welfare of his or her dog. Things like feeding schedules, getting the dog adequate exercise, employing a dog walker or doggie daycare and training a dog are the things that determine suitability for living in close proximity to other neighbors.

For a nominal fee, the prospective tenant, is given a 5 page questionnaire, is then interviewed and finally the K-9 kid is assessed by their team of AKC Good Citizen Evaluators. This information is then given to the tenant to present to the landlord, management company or condominium board for approval.

And best of all, if you feel that your dog has a few behavioral issues that need to be resolved, the certified professional dog training team at Chicago Dog Pads, can work with you and your dog prior to the assessment.

• For a listings of dog friendly homes for sale or rent and an agent knowledgeable about those properties, visit wesellchicago.com
• For a list of pet friendly buildings see our list of Chicago dog friendly buildings
• For more information call 312-617-8000 or email: roger@chicagodogpads.com

There are some buildings that have a no dogs policy and then there are other landlords and management companies have very strict building restrictions for dogs based on size or weight, but neither will tell you what you need to know about the person holding other end of Fido’s leash! More over if you restrict dog tenants, you are missing out on significant revenue and if you allow dogs, but try to assess the dog’s condo compatibility by his appearance, you could end up in costly legal battles trying to enforce fines and or evictions if a lot of complaints are directed at the tenant.

ChicagoDogPads has the perfect solution with their Condog (condo-dog) Compatibility test.

For a nominal fee, the prospective tenant, is given a 5 page questionnaire, is then interviewed and finally the K-9 kid is assessed by their team of AKC Good Citizen Evaluators. Dog trainer, Roger Lautt, CPDT-KA and founder of ChicagoDogPads, says, “Many people make assumptions and therefore restrictions about dogs based on his size, breed or reputation, however they overlook the dog’s guardian.” Roger goes on to say, “The Chicago Dog Pads’ Condog Compatibility test looks at the person to find out how responsible he is toward his dog. We find out, for example, how often the dog is left alone, whether or not the dog gets adequate exercise, whether the owner has taken the time to train his companion and other such pertinent information.” And with their team of expert, certified dog trainers, Chicago Dog Pads is available to resolve any behavioral issues that may crop up in the future!

Most recently ChicagoDogPads were successful in selling a prominent building owner on the suitability of a tenant. Roger explains, “Our experts were able to assess the dog owner as a safe risk based on this dog’s past and the tenant’s plan for the dog which included regular visits to a Chicago dog park as well as regular walks and good dog management.  In short we passed this written assessment to the landlord and upon his review he accepted the tenant. In fact the landlord was so impressed with the tenant’s willingness to pay for the professional assessment that he decided not to even charge an extra security deposit!”

• For a listings of dog friendly homes for sale or rent and an agent knowledgeable about those properties, visit wesellchicago.com
• For a list of pet friendly buildings see our list of Chicago dog friendly buildings
• For more information call 312-617-8000 or email: roger@chicagodogpads.com

Huskies

vs.

Bulldogs

Tonight an older dog will be fighting a younger dog in a sanctioned dog fight.  This will be a Huskie fighting a Bulldog and you can watch the entire fight on Channel 2 or just listen at WMVP 1000 if you can’t watch.  The older dog is Coach Jim Calhoun (The Huskies) who has won many dog fights and has experience on his side, the younger dog is Coach Brad Stevens (The Bulldogs) who has less experience, but was in this fight last year and lost.  So he and his team have something to prove, they entered this tournament as a big underdog, but they are here again for the final fight.

I am a dog lover and hope that if you ever see or hear about a real dog fight you will call 911.  If you want more information about dog fighting or are interested in programs the help stop dog fighting, contact http://www.SafeHumaneChicago.org The other organization to contact is http://www.DAWGSITE.org both of these organizations have done much to save dogs and inform the public about dog fighting.  If you just want more information about dog training please refer to our training schedule.

Visit www.ChicagoDogNose.com for all the details

The Latest in Urban Dog Sports

You will learn how your dog’s nose knows, scent discrimination, and advanced scent games. Nose games improve the dog-handler bond, and   is   great   sport   for   older   dogs,   very   young dogs, reactive/aggressive dogs, obedience drop out dogs, and builds confidence in shy  or fearful dogs.

Trainers Roger Lautt and Fran Berry are members of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and are American Kennel Club Good Citizen Evaluators.

Email or call us to register today.

312.617.8000

roger@chicagodogpads.com
info@gofidogoodfido.com

If you have time next Thursday night and feel like having some fun and helping out Pit Bulls please come.  All tips to bar tenders, proceeds from the raffle, and proceeds from signature drinks will go to the program 100%.  None of this money pays for HSUS employee’s new cars or anything like that.

Pass this on to any animal lovers that may want to go.

Thanks.

Come to Irish Eyes at 2519 N Lincoln, Chicago on Thursday January 20 from 7-10 PM

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