Thursday, October 25, 2007

Doglandia

Doglandia, the dog discussion forum, has launched!

Doglandia is Here!

Doglandia is meant to be a small and friendly forum for open minded discussions on dogness, our lives with dogs, and all the fascinating wonders that arise from there. A couple of friends and I were interested in having a place where folks with open minds could come and chat, learn, teach, and celebrate differences of perspective. We tossed around some ideas, and Doglandia is what we came up with.

The Doglandia forum is a bare bones operation, no bells or whistles ... and we are liking it like that!

Stop in and have a look around!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Celtic Dog



Celtic Dog: The dog animal symbol also maintains a pure root meaning throughout time and culture. That meaning is loyalty, of course. Man (and woman's) best friend, the dog symbolizes the strong bond of companionship felt between human and animal.

The dog was considered to be good luck in the village, and as such, the symbol of the dog was commonly found in Celtic décor, clothing, etc. There are reports that the dog symbol is a harbinger of good health. More likely, the dog's companionship warded away the illnesses loneliness and rejection cause.

Further, a Celt was rarely found hunting without a hound nearby. Dogs were necessities in life, and therefore highly regarded.

From What's Your Sign

Thursday, October 11, 2007

"Walk the Dog"

1. Leading someone on in a relationship. Intentionally sending "forward" signals in a relationship when it is known that nothing will come of it.

2. To masterbate.

3. A poker tactic where you have a powerhouse hand and someone is betting into you. Instead of raising, you just let the other person do all the betting for you until the very end.

4. To take a piss.

5. to do an amazing yo-yo trick

From Urban Dictionary

Aminal Totem - dog

The Dog

Throughout history dogs have been known as protectors and guardians. Their acute hearing and keen sight forewarned their masters of impending danger. Dogs are known as mans best friend. They serve selflessly never asking for their service to be prasied. They hold the energies of unconditional love and teach us its true meaning.

The domesticated dog is a faithful companion to humans and has a strong willingness to serve. Their sense of spirit and the ability to love even when abused is incredible. The dog teaches those with this totem how to give and receive love unconditionally. It also carries the energy of forgiveness. People with dog medicine would do well in service oriented jobs.

Dogs are intelligent and sensitive. They are able to sniff out dangerous situations accurately and guide us into safety. Psychic gifts have long been are associated with the dog because of their ability to detect subtle energy frequencies often unknown to mankind. If dog suddenly appears in your life pay attention to your immediate surroundings and let the dog guide your footsteps.

Certain breeds of dog were designed for specific functions. The study of the breed and its purpose can help you define the energy associated with it. Since wolves and coyotes are its descendants these should be studied as well.

The behavior of a dog often reflects the personality of its owner. Through its observation and constant interaction with you it anticipates your next move, and serves as a mirror image of who you truly are. The dog is a great teacher for those who are willing to be loyal students. The choice is yours.

From Cycle of Power Totems

Monday, October 8, 2007

Lee Charles Kelley

He's an interesting dog trainer and mystery writer whose writing I keep coming across.

http://www.urbanhound.com/houndTalk/Forum.asp?linkid=6188&linklevel=1#6192
"In brief, when a dog learns a command while the prey drive is highly aroused, you don't need to repeat anything but the command and the dog will instantly and automatically obey it no matter the context or situation, no matter how long you wait to give the command again. It's as if the lesson has been downloaded directly into his nervous system."

His Website

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Hello from the Mojave

Doga


http://msnbcmedia2.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070403/070403_dogyoga_hmed_830a.hmedium.jpg
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17930468/
http://www.dogadog.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Doga-Yoga-Dogs-Jennifer-Brilliant/dp/0811841677
http://www.expertvillage.com/interviews/doga-yoga-with-dog.htm

Shaman Dog

Wojciech Cejrowski:

"The dogs of wild tribes are usually poor: skinny, suppurated, often sick. But Indians usually look poor too. You don’t see fat people among them. They’re regularly undernourished and the life in the jungle requires a lot of effort. An Indian doesn’t have much time to rest because he’s fighting to survive every day. So if he doesn’t eat and rest enough, he doesn’t have time to grow fat. So Indian dogs are skinny just like their owners.

With the exception of the shaman’s dog.

No one refuses to give food to the shaman’s dog. It’s wiser to deny oneself and give this dog a piece of meat, bone or at least a baked fish as soon as he comes – SO HE WOULD GO AWAY. Because when he’s standing at the threshold of the shelter… and is looking searchingly… people feel uncomfortable. And if he growled… children would start crying of fear.

The shaman’s dog isn’t a welcomed guest, just like a witch’s cat. Never and nowhere.

It’s mainly because this animal is trained to deliver special messages and it usually turns out that when the message is good, the shaman comes personally. But when there’s a more nasty case, he sends his dog. A dog that’s wiser than some people. He’s as cunning as the shaman himself. And he’s trained, which is an unknown and distressing thing in the jungle.

It’s very easy to recognize it (not only because of the overweight) – the shaman’s dog carries a characteristic pouch with “sanctities” around his neck.

These “sanctities” can be used for the protection of the dog. So we would say that they’re his good luck charms. But it could be that the dog got a task to drag the evil eye, sorrows or even death. In that case they won’t be good luck charms, but “bait” that “attracts” the Bad Power (and then leave the power on the doorstep on which the dog pisses.)

I didn’t know all of this when the shaman’s dog came to my shelter for the first time.

Listen... " ...
http://www.cejrowski.com/en/stories/index.php?p=2&PHPSESSID=1c997f98d5455d914924b1a28d9

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Malcolm Gladwell on Cesar Millan




Below is an analysis of Cesar Millan's physical movement, in an excerpt from an article by Malcolm Gladwell. Elsewhere in the article, are detailed descriptions of his "presence" in interactions with dogs and humans, and some nice passages from Patricia McConnell are offered, too: http://www.gladwell.com/2006/2006_05_22_a_dog.html

"... Cesar is fluid. "He's beautifully organized intra-physically," Karen Bradley, who heads the graduate dance program at the University of Maryland, said when she first saw tapes of Cesar in action. "That lower-unit organization—I wonder whether he was a soccer player." Movement experts like Bradley use something called Laban Movement Analysis to make sense of movement, describing, for instance, how people shift their weight, or how fluid and symmetrical they are when they move, or what kind of "effort" it involves. Is it direct or indirect—that is, what kind of attention does the movement convey? Is it quick or slow? Is it strong or light—that is, what is its intention? Is it bound or free—that is, how much precision is involved? If you want to emphasize a point, you might bring your hand down across your body in a single, smooth motion. But how you make that motion greatly affects how your point will be interpreted by your audience. Ideally, your hand would come down in an explosive, bound movement—that is, with accelerating force, ending abruptly and precisely—and your head and shoulders would descend simultaneously, so posture and gesture would be in harmony. Suppose, though, that your head and shoulders moved upward as your hand came down, or your hand came down in a free, implosive manner—that is, with a kind of a vague, decelerating force. Now your movement suggests that you are making a point on which we all agree, which is the opposite of your intention. Combinations of posture and gesture are called phrasing, and the great communicators are those who match their phrasing with their communicative intentions—who understand, for instance, that emphasis requires them to be bound and explosive. To Bradley, Cesar had beautiful phrasing.

There he is talking to Patrice and Scott. He has his hands in front of him, in what Laban analysts call the sagittal plane—that is, the area directly in front of and behind the torso. He then leans forward for emphasis. But as he does he lowers his hands to waist level, and draws them toward his body, to counterbalance the intrusion of his posture. And, when he leans backward again, the hands rise up, to fill the empty space. It's not the kind of thing you'd ever notice. But, when it's pointed out, its emotional meaning is unmistakable. It is respectful and reassuring. It communicates without being intrusive. Bradley was watching Cesar with the sound o, and there was one sequence she returned to again and again, in which Cesar was talking to a family, and his right hand swung down in a graceful arc across his chest. "He's dancing," Bradley said. "Look at that. It's gorgeous. It's such a gorgeous little dance.

"The thing is, his phrases are of mixed length," she went on. "Some of them are long. Some of them are very short. Some of them are explosive phrases, loaded up in the beginning and then trailing o. Some of them are impactive—building up, and then coming to a sense of impact at the end. What they are is appropriate to the task. That's what I mean by 'versatile.'"