The woman who trained the Presidential pup Bo Obama, is a Washington, D.C. based dog expert named Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz.

She believes that raising a puppy is not a lot different than being a parent and raising a child.

During the more than twenty years she has been training dogs, she noticed how many similarities there were between raising children and raising pet dogs.

She believes that just as you can encourage children to learn good behavior through praise, dogs can learn good behavior by being rewarded for doing well.

There are five important things she says every dog owner should know:

1. Positive reinforcement works. By focusing on their achievement when a dog does what we want it to, she says dogs become more intent on learning and try harder to succeed. Any behavior problems are retrained instead of becoming more dangerous if suppressed. If you've owned a pet for a long time but have never tried positive reinforcement, she says it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks.
2. Socialization is important. A well-socialized dog that gets along well with both pets and people gets to participate in more activities because being pleasant and cooperative around other dogs and people makes a dog more acceptable in public. She does warn that you should never force a dog into a situation that it's not ready for, including a romp in a dog park.
3. Pets should have manners. Sylvia-Stasiewicz recommends that you train your dog to “sit” for everything: before eating, playing, greeting someone or going on a walk. Your dog will learn that “sit” is a command that comes before something good happens. “Sit” will then be understood as a way of asking “please”.
4. Don't limit your love. The number one thing she sees dog owners doing correctly is loving their dogs. One benefit of positive reinforcement training is having a spirited dog that loves to obey, learn, socialize and be successful in our human world.
5. Dog training takes patience. It takes about 30 days to form a new habit, which is why “The Love That Dog Training Program” is a five-week program. Many dog owners accidentally create bad behavior in their dogs. For example, it's common to accidentally reward dogs for “bad” behavior, such as petting when we want them to stop barking or encouraging them to jump on us as puppies but then punish them for doing the same thing when they grow up. It takes time to retrain a dog, so practice, practice, practice!

Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, For no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of me.

Do not break my spirit with a stick, For though I should lick your hand between blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me learn.

Speak to me often, For your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footsteps fall upon my ears.

Please take me inside when it is cold and wet, for I am a domesticated animal, no longer accustomed to the bitter elements. I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth.

Keep my pan filled with water, for I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be in danger.

And, my friend, when I am very old, and I no longer enjoy good health, hearing and good sight, do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having fun. Please see that my trusting life is taken gently. I shall leave this earth knowing with the last breath I drew, that my fate was always safest in your hand.

A special thank you to Beth Norman Harris (first published in 1968).

Your Dog's First Aid Kit

You probably have a first aid kit for use by you and your family, but do you have one especially for your loving pet should the need arise? People who live in areas prone to hurricanes, tornados, floods or earthquakes should have a pet first aid kit on hand in the event of an emergency.

Here's what to include in your pet's kit:

Clean towels, duct tape, saline solution, gauze and cotton bandaging material, white medical adhesive tape, a muzzle for your dog's mouth, an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin, and hydrogen peroxide.