My Dr.Dog Lessons

Yesterday, I went for my third Dr. Dog lesson. I love going to school because I get to meet so many big and small furry friends. There are ten of us in the class, but I can only remember a few names, there is Baby the labrador, Howler the golden retriever, Bobe the beagle, Fifi the yorkshire terrier, Bermini the husky, Bibi the poodle and our instructor's very own awesome Dr. Dogs, Luca the schnauzer and Apollo the Shetland sheepdog. We are not allowed to take photos in class, but I will try to take some photos of my classmates next week. The Dr. Dog program uses positive reinforcement in the training so I get lots of treats and praises during that one and a half hour session. What can I ask for more?

I did not have to go for the first lesson as it was just for Dad and Mom, but they did come back with some homework for me. The first class was about recognizing my name, crate training and learning the hand signal for the "sit" command.

The second lesson was learning the "down" position, heeling and the "come" command.

For yesterday's lesson, I learned to stay in position with distraction and the "look" command. One of my homework for the week is to have my meals at 10 different outdoor locations. Last night, I had dinner at the garden in the rain and today, I had breakfast in front of the metro station. The purpose of this lesson is to concentrate on eating and avoid distractions. Mom said I did pretty well.

I need to practice what I have learned, three times a day and just 5 minutes each time. I am certainly looking forward to next week's class and another car ride!


Breakfast at Metro







My handsome classmate, 7 month old, Howler


I love car rides!

My First DIY Bath @ Go Spa

Since day one, I have always been sent to the groomers for my baths so this is quite an experience. It is also the first time Dad gave me a bath and I loved it! One thing I like about Go Spa is that someone need not carry all 34kg of me into the bath, I just had to stand on it and it could be raised easily by stepping on a pedal. Oh! I also got to choose my own sweet smelling shampoo and a nice lady gave me a paw hair trim too!

After the bath, we went to the Dog Cafe across the street. I met many doggie friends, both big and small! Dad and Mom had dinner there before we head for home. I will definitely go back for a bath and check out the dog menu on my next trip.




檢視較大的地圖

Go Spa http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/gospatw (狗狗澡堂)
Address: Dun Hua South Road Sec 1, Lane 295, No. 4, 1F
(台北市敦化南路一段295巷4號1F)
Operating Hours: 11am to 10pm daily
Telephone: (02) 27098905

My Dog Club & Cafe www.dogo.com.tw (我の狗友俱樂部),
Address: Dun Hua South Road Sec 1 , Lane 295, No. 1, 1F
(台北市敦化南路一段295巷1號1F)
Operating Hours: 11am to 10pm daily
Telephone: (02)2709-8938

Seven Things to Do on a Rainy Day

It has been raining intermittently in Taipei.
Rainy days are no fun at all, here are some of the things I do on a typical wet day:

1. Play with my bone


2. Just laze around


3. Take a nap


4. Bite Piggy


5. Listen to Piggy's heartbeat


6. Rest my chin on Piggy


7. Dream for sunny days


May the sun always shine on you wherever you are!

Woof with Love, Dino

My Best Buddy!

Check out my latest Dino video clip!

Doggy Bread!

Mom bought this from the bakery today, isn't it adorable?


Do you think she is going to give me some?


Unfortunately, not! But I did get some cheese.


Can you tell I am not too happy about this?

Meet My Piggy Friend!

Sometimes I take walks to a playground near my home. Here, you will see many children playing and on many occasions, I will bump into QQ the Pig! QQ belongs to one of the store owners near the playground and he will just hang around while the children have fun. He is one cool beautiful pig and he does his own thing most of the time. I love the colors and patterns on his body!!! Oh and he has a cute wriggly tail too! Check out my new friend!

Guess who made it to the cover of National Geographic?

Oooooooo!!!! This is good fun! Put your face on any cover of leading magazines, try it out at MagMyPic.

Remembering Sweet Emma

My friend in Romania, Emma, a four month old golden retriever crossed the bridge today at 8pm. Emma fought hard against the distemper virus and passed on with so much dignity and grace. She even waited for her dad to come home to say her goodbye.

Rest in peace, sweet Emma, you will be missed!

I am Going to School!

For those who have missed me, I am so sorry for not updating you on my adventures. The rain has finally stopped and I am out and about in the sun! I have many stories to share with you all, but let me first start by telling you that I have just enrolled in the “Doctor Dog” program and I will be starting school in the middle of the month.

The Taiwan Dr. Dog (台灣狗醫生) program was first established in 1999 by Ms Shirley Chen with the help from Animals Asia Foundation in Hong Kong. It provides visiting services for the elderly, mentally challenged patients as well as physically challenged or autistic children.

Here are some information I got from the Dr. Dog website.

The two goals of Taiwan Dr. Dog are:

• To provide those in need with social contacts, motivation to regain physical strength, aids to therapy sessions and opportunities to connect with man's best friends, our pet dogs.
• To educate the society as a whole to recognize the significance of animal companions to men and to show respect for any living life by promoting animal rights and animal welfare, and hence helping to resolve the stray animal problems.
  

Studies have shown that keeping close contacts with animals brings many positive physical and psychological effects. British and Australian studies have also shown that animal-assisted therapy can help patients to temporarily forget their suffering, relieve their feeling of loneliness, and improve their confidence.

All dogs must go through a strict screening and vigorous training process to become a Dr. Dog. They have to pass the health and hygiene examination, obedience training evaluation and the “Dr. Dog Screening Test” which is a therapy dog screening test adopted from the Delta Society.

The Screening Test focuses on testing the dog's overall stability in all conditions as well as how the dog behaves around other dogs and people. After the dogs pass all the screening tests, their owners are required to finish therapy dog handler workshops and hands-on practical training before the owner-dog teams are certified as Dr. Dog team volunteers.

The obedience training comes in 3 stages, Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. It sounds a lot like the CGC (Canine Good Citizen) classes that my friends in The States go to. The entire process takes about four months and I heard that the passing rate is very low, but I promise I will put my best paw forward. I have heard many amazing and heart warming stories about Dr. Dogs at work and I will be sharing more about the program once I start school, so watch this space!

If you are interested in volunteering for a good cause and sharing the joy of your dog with others, I urge you to sign up for a similar therapy dog program in your country, I am sure you will find it very rewarding. Here is a picture of the future "Dr. Dino". Hee Hee!