Gone to the Dogs

Guy Windsor

by Jesse Sternberg

Any dog owner knows that our furry little lovebeasts can take us on an emotional ride. Consider a sleepin-sunday kind of moment: The popcorn scent of those fuzzy little paws, that peaceful cuddle in our shared cozy nest. One could so easily be lured into a snuggly state of bliss, the kind that makes it impossible to get out of bed. Yet we must get up, because we’re expecting guests for brunch.

Inevitably, when the doorbell rings, our former snuggle buddies become rogue protectors, or neurotically excited little attention hogs. It’s hard to remember the tranquility of the snuggle-bliss when our dogs are lunging, jumping, whining and scratching at the crack of the front door. Let’s be honest about something. All we know at this moment is that our dog is embarrassing us, driving us nuts, or we’ve completely tuned them out (even though our guests haven’t). Every owner knows what I’m talking about here because we’ve tried many things so far and nothing’s ever worked. The doorbell makes our dog’s go temporarily nuts. As a former owner and operator of a dog daycare, grooming shop and training center, I saw this very same pattern day in and day out. I’d be meditating in the back room with twenty or more dogs curled into me, then all of a sudden a client would show up at the door and mayhem would break out. This actually drove me nuts because it was always the first impression that new clients would see - twenty or thirty maniacal beasts chomping at the crack of the doorway, squealing as if to say, “get me the heck out of here, this guy is torturing us!” This is a total human projection by the way, a glimpse into my neuroses if you will.

My pack was just doing what they’re supposed to do, informing me of a potential intruder. A little overkill, though, don’t you think? I didn’t need that much protection (nor do you). This inspired me to study all kinds of dog training modalities, simply because it would be great for business to show my clients how calm I could keep their dogs.

Interestingly, every method I studied and applied, worked in a one-on-one situation with just about every canine (some better than others, mind you). Yet none of these methods worked on a pack of dogs. I knew there

had to be a more enlightened way to connect with these animals. And thus I meditated on the challenge (with tons of dogs nestled into me) for quite some time.

I was contemplating that every pooch in a dog park scenario, and even in my daycare, seemed to have a way of communicating peacefully with one another. How else did every pup know not to take Stevie’s tennis ball when he looked at you, his toy tauntingly located underneath his raised paw (later known to me as the asset claiming position)? Why couldn’t I accomplish the control Stevie did with his ball, with the front doorway? Why couldn’t you, when people come over for brunch?

My first eureka moment hit when I discovered that animals talk using actions. As present moment beings, they are never not-talking with their body-language, (and they’re reading our bodies as if we are doing the same thing back, which of course we are not). Dogs use facial gestures (mostly to avert unnecessary eye contact), lip licks, angles and all sorts of other calming signals to communicate with each other (and us).

Most of the time they’re saying something like: me calm down, you calm down, or ….something in our environment is a little sketchy right now! These types of feelings-based signals represent 99% of animal communication. Then there’s the Forbidden Angle, which is basically holding direct eye contact. While this action is socially taboo in nature, there are critical moments when we’ll see an animal parent use this on their young, not because they’re being mean, but because they’re commanding some respect in a very important moment.

In my book Enlightened Dog Training, I introduce readers into the realm of animal consciousness, resource-guarding theory, territory management, hypnotic training exercises, and of course, the secret language of dogs. This work is about spreading light to animal lovers, leveraging the law of attraction, and introducing cutting-edge meditation techniques. Through the use of real-life case studies, readers learn how to soothe anxiety, heal neuroses, overcome aggression issues, transform tension into harmony, communicate with actions, command with respect and love, and deepen the human-animal bond in a soulfully satisfying way. Diagrams accompany the dog language playbook, and each chapter ends with a meditation that will help you cultivate your own Peaceful Alpha Power.

Jesse Sternberg is a master dog trainer, meditation teacher and author of critically acclaimed ‘Enlightened Dog Training: Become the Peaceful Alpha Your Dog Needs and Respects’ , which releases on November 23. Jesse resides in Toronto, Canada. Connect with him through his website, www.peacefulalpha.com, or check out his course, “Become Your Dog’s Own Whisperer”.

Anthony rebuck

The Most Unusual Pet and Her Favorite Dream Childrens

What will one do to get what she wants? In the new picture book A Most Unusual Pet and Her Favorite Dream, author Anthony Rebuck shares a beautiful story of how a little joey will do anything and everything to get some of the best honey in the world. With vivid and colorful illustrations across the pages, this children’s fable will surely be a great reading companion for parents and children during their bonding time.

Young readers will meet Little Skippy, a baby kangaroo from Australia, who has a lot of friends and loves to play. But what she loves the most in this world is honey. She often wonders where she can find the best honey. A friend told her that the best honey in the world is made from Guatemala. At night, she dreams of going there and getting some of that honey. When she has finally saved enough money to travel, she is very happy and buys a ticket for her long trip to Guatemala. But upon arriving in Guatemala, she feels sad because all the honey had been sold out, bought by people from all over the world. What will Skippy do? Will she go back to Australia empty-handed or will she continue her journey to find the best honey? Readers will find out in the pages of this charming picture book.

A Doctor’s Torah Thoughts Sports and the Torah Breathing Poison: Smoking, Pollution, and Fires

Readers can also check out his other books: A Doctor’s Torah Thoughts, where he recaptured some of the talks he gave at a Synagogue in Singapore; Sports and the Torah, where he combined stories from the Old Testament with his other main interest: sports; and Breathing Poison: Smoking, Pollution, and Fires, where he gives an eye-opener on the prevailing triple threat in the air to human health and well-being.

His books are available online and can be purchased at online bookstores and author’s website.

anthonyrebuck.com

A Doctor’s Torah Thoughts

During the years in which we lived and worked in Singapore, it was the Rabbi’s practice to invite members of the congregation to say a few words during the meal at the end of the Sabbath. The Synagogue in Singapore is Sephardic, so having an Ashkenazi visitor such as myself who was willing to take part in the custom was quite a novelty for the congregation. I am no Torah expert, but the combination of my British Commonwealth accent, enjoyment of story telling and tendency to lateral thinking, nudged me into becoming the regular speaker at the ‘third meal’ on Saturday afternoons. I have tried in this little book, to recapture some of the talks I gave during my happy years with the community in Singapore.

A Doctor’s Torah Thoughts

Anthony Rebuck, a retired Professor of Medicine, combines

stories from the Old Testament with his other main interest,

being a sports fan.

Breathing Poison: Smoking, Pollution and Fires

There is a triple threat in the air to human health and well-being. First, we are going to see an increase in tobacco-attributable deaths as more and more people smoke. Much of this mortality, as well as crippling chronic lung disease, can be prevented if smokers stop smoking.

Secondly, additional suffering, disability and premature death from lung disease can be prevented if pollution Asian pollution being the worst in the world - can be reduced.

And lastly, the coughing, wheezing and attacks of bronchitis caused by the uniquely Asian problem of the haze would be eliminated if the illegal practice of slash & burn is prohibited. Dr. Anthony Rebuck was born in London, England. He is married with four children and eight grandchildren. He attended Sydney University Medical School, Australia and graduated with First Class Honors and awarded University Medal. He was appointed Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada and won as Best Teacher in Medical Faculty. He practised Respiratory Medicine at the Toronto Lung Clinic and retired from University and joined Pharmaceutical Industry in Philadelphia, in charge of clinical development of Respiratory and Diabetes medicines. He was posted to Singapore for many years directing clinical research in Asian countries. After retiring again, has been busy consulting on Clinical Research projects, writing and Masters Swimming.