Everyone knows that it takes a lot of smarts to go to medical school. So if you've got an exceptionally smart dog (and medical school is out of the question for him) why not give his brain a workout by teaching him a little anatomy? This unique skill is easy to teach, especially fun for kids, and is a great way to show off a really smart dog. A good beginning lesson is to teach your pet the answer to the question 'Where's My Foot?'

Paw Method There are two ways your dog can indicate your body parts - either with his/her nose, or paw. Start with your dog in a 'Down' position, and gently annoy or lightly press on his toe with the toe of your shoe. If he lifts his paw up and back down on top of your shoe...brilliant! This is a dog who might like to indicate with his paw, rather than his nose. These dogs are easy to train...simply do as little as it takes to cause the paw to move and when he lifts it up, only reward him when the paw comes back down on your own foot. Then, of course, say "Good foot!" and give him a big smile and a tasty treat. Once he gets the idea and consistently puts his paw on your foot, you can stand back a little bit, point to your foot, look at your foot, and say 'Where's my foot?" Wait for him to skooch forward, lift, then set his paw on your foot....brilliant!

Nose Method Some dogs have really sensitive paws, and if your pet moves his paw away from your toe, then you'd take a different approach. These dogs are just as easy to train because they would rather use their head or nose towards your shoe to investigate. Place a small treat on the toe of your shoe, point to it, look at it, and encourage your dog to get the treat. If you use a clicker, click and treat for any motion of his nose towards your toe. When your dog eats the treat off your shoe, say 'Good Foot!" Repeat this lots of times, and eventually back away from your dog so that he has to move forward to snitch the treat off your foot. When that's good, simply *pretend* to put a treat on your toe, then point to your foot, say 'Where's my foot?" When he touches your foot with his nose, looking in vain for the treat, feed him a treat *out of your hand*, and say 'Good foot!' In no time, you can step back, ask your dog 'Where's my foot?' and your dog will come and touch your shoe with his nose....brilliant!

These techniques can be expanded to hands (most of you already know the command 'Touch!'), hips, knees, etc. Simply place a bit of food (squeeze cheese works great) on the part of the anatomy to be indicated, and encourage the dog towards the area. While the dog is licking off the cheese, match the word to the body part and you're off!

Lilo, Chocolate Lab, is Riverdog’s April Dog of the Month.

There are some dogs who, even though they are only with you a short amount of time, make a lasting impression. Without a doubt, Lilo was one of those dogs. During the time we were lucky enough to spend with her, Lilo managed to impress everyone at Riverdog with her sweet personality. Lilo’s patience and relaxed temperament made her a favorite among her fellow canines. Lilo accepted everyone as a friend; whether it was an energetic young puppy or a mature adult.

Lilo was a favorite among the staff as well. No matter what kind of day you were having, one snuggle from Lilo and the whole day seemed better. Lilo had the ability to make everyone feel special, dog or human. It is rare to find someone who is so happy all the time. Everyone wanted the chance to be greeted by Lilo’s famous full body wiggle, and it was impossible not to smile when you looked into her brown eyes.

Lilo, we all miss you more than we can possibly say. We loved you so much and we will be sure to give your brother, Ender, lots of snuggles and love.

Though Lilo is no longer with us, we will never forget her.

Would you go outside on a cold winter's day...wearing a jacket made of mosquito netting?

Of course not. Yet some owners of long-haired dogs would send their loved - yet very matted - pet outside with no more protection than we would feel if we were snowbound in mosquito netting!

Even smart and loving dog owners are reluctant to shave the haircoat of a very matted dog during winter for fear that the dog will get cold. Seems like a logical reluctance...but did you know: a dog wearing a matted coat is like a person wearing a jacket with holes in it? A matted coat will not properly insulate a dog from the cold. Therefore, in some instances, shaving or cutting a long matted coat will actually help keep your pet WARMER in the winter!

So, how to keep a coat from getting matted? Try these tips from our fabulous bather, Megan:

- Use a metal tooth comb
- Ensure the comb has tines long enough to reach to the skin
- Comb until the tines can flow easily through the coat
- Bathe and brush more frequently in winter than in summer
- Pay special attention to the face and base of the tail (frequently matted areas)

Owners of soft-coated dogs (Doodles, Wheatens, Maltese, etc.) will have to bathe and brush more often than folks who live with other long haired breeds, but the effort is worth it. The bottom line is, if you can comb the coat out, let it do its warmth-retaining job, and don't shave it. But if you can't get the mats out, its best - and warmer - for your dog if you shave or cut the matted coat out (preferably by a professional) and start over.

As a horsewoman, I am always seeking to ride with a ‘feel,’ rather than with gimmicks, gadgets and force. If I am ‘feeling’ of my horse, and my horse is ‘feeling’ of me, we end up having the same ideas about where to go, what to do, and can do things easily together. Working with 'feel,' sometimes known as natural horsemanship or “whispering,” can also be done with dogs. Here are four things that good horsemen do that you can use to improve your ‘feel’ and deepen your relationship with your dog.

Maintain a “bubble of space.” For horsemen, this goes further than just the practicality of establishing respect and trying not to get run over; it also helps their horses mature and gain confidence. For example, any horse or dog can feel your comfort when they are nuzzled up to you and cuddling. But good horsemen teach their horses to respect a ‘bubble’ of space between them so that the horse learns to feel their handler’s comfort out at the end of the lead rope. A horse feeling comfort out there is more confident, less troubled, and better able to safely respond to the rider than one that can only feel comfort inside the 'bubble.' You can work at this with your pet, too. Teach your dog to feel your comfort ‘out there,’ at the end of your leash, and to not crowd your ‘bubble.’ A dog feeling comfort from you at a distance, such as on a sit-stay, will be more confident, less troubled, and more responsive to your commands than a dog who can only feel comfort in your lap.

Keep a “float” in the reins (and the leash.) Good horsemen want to be able to ride their horses on draping reins, so that when they take hold, just the slightest drawing of the reins should cause the feeling horse to be ready to respond in an instant. If you are always hanging on the reins, the horse will become dull to the movement of those reins, and eventually tune you out. The same concept is true for leashes; keeping a loose leash, with a “float” in it, means you are maintaining contact with your dog through your voice, your body, and your mind – not through force. For example, take our Right Here fall-back exercise, where you go two steps forward, say ‘Right Here’, walk two steps back, and when your dog is with you, turn and go the other way. It only works if you are not dragging your dog along by the leash and collar! You must do this on a ‘feel.’ If your dog can feel you turn, because your leash has a float in it and he can feel you drawing it into the turn, there will be no need to pull or correct…because your dog will be feeling of you and already with you.

Make the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy. Horsemen who aspire to follow legends like Ray Hunt, and modern cowboys like Buck Brannaman recognize this phrase as the key to staying mentally ahead of your animal partner. For example, instead of asking a fidgety horse to stand still… a good horseman may actually encourage the horse to keep moving…but in very small circles. Circles are difficult, and at some point the horseman will invite the horse to stand and rest. If the horse won’t stand and gets fidgety again, the horseman will simply go back to trotting little circles. This process is repeated until eventually, the horse figures out that standing still is a lot easier than moving in those small circles, and he will stand. It wasn't spurs, whips, or punishment that got the horse to stand still, it was the rider making the wrong thing (moving) difficult, and the right thing (standing) easy. For dogs, our ‘Say Please’ exercise works the same way. When you put a treat on the floor, you make the wrong thing – grabbing the treat – difficult by covering the treat with your hand or shoe. You then make the right thing – waiting and looking at you – easy, by uncovering the treat and giving it to the dog when he waits politely and stops trying to grab it on his own.

Don’t dwell on the consequences. Operating with a feel doesn’t mean there isn’t room for consequences. All-positive-all-the-time is ineffective and wasteful in terms of time and energy, and is just plain unsafe. Proper discipline may be politically incorrect to some, but it is essential to those who want to lead, not follow. Good horsemen don’t dwell – they get in, apply the consequence, then get out…and go back to operating on a feel. Most folks think you kick a horse to get one to go...but if good horsemen want their horses to go, and they will ask with the energy in their bodies. If their horses don't respond, only *then* will they kick; as soon as the horse is going forward, they stop kicking and go back to using their positive energy. With dogs, for example, you might calmly ask the dog to 'Keep Off' a person at the door. If the dog doesn't respond and starts to jump up, you might block that jump with your leash as a consequence and say 'No.' Then, rather than continuing to holler and fuss at the dog and dwell on the mistake, you'd simply loosen your leash and go right back to asking for that 'Keep Off.' You might have to do it several times - but eventually your dog will figure it out. Get in, and get out, and go back to being positive and hopeful about the outcome you are trying to achieve.

These are just a few of the scores of ‘horse whispering’ techniques that can be applied to your dog training. Explore, experiment…and FEEL. It takes quite a bit of dedication to get good at it. But once you latch on to it, you'll never hope for anything less. Good dog handling – like good horsemanship – is like a dance: one should lead, one should follow, and it should ‘feel’ good to both partners.