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Urban Dog Reviews |
Surviving the mean streets walking little Spanky down the streets of suburbia presents few problems. Maybe the occasional confrontation with a squirrel or and encounter with a mail carrier. But owning a dog in the big city offers a whole new set of challenges: crowds, traffic noise, inline skates, sewers and so on. The goal of Cis Frankel's "Urban Dog: The Ultimate Street Smarts Training Manual" is to help people teach their dogs how to deal with city life. Urban Dog has a lot of the usual training advice- preparing your home for a new puppy, what to do when you bring your pup home, housebreaking tips, etc. But Frankel, a longtime trainer and expert on canine behavior, also covers topics such as how to create a street-smart dog, and what special healthcare city dogs need. The 237 page book goes for $19.95, a small price to pay to keep
your dog from nosing around in those mysterious puddles that dot
city sidewalks. Frankel teaches how to handle the stress of navigating your dog through traffic, among other useful skills. Her training method works for country dogs too. Filled with beguiling photographs of Frankel's canine clients in action, Urban Dog takes a refreshing get-it-done approach to training. Frankel's method has worked for Oprah Winfrey's dogs, and it can work for yours.
AKC Gazette, January 2001 issue An invaluable training manual. Although many different methods of puppy rearing and dog training can be successful, owning a dog in the big city has special challenges. Cis Frankel, author of Urban Dog, is a dog trainer from the Chicago area who is remarkably adept at communicating her unique insights and methods in a clear and straightforward manner in written form. Even when addressing complicated situations, the solutions are stated in a simple, step-by-step method. The visual presentation is also geared toward clarity. The use of subheads and sidebars makes each chapter easy to follow. A multitude of photographs further illuminate Frankel's training techniques. Frankel's strength throughout is her understanding of the emotional and psychological reasons canines behave the way they do. What makes this book invaluable to urban dog owners, though are her methods for teaching puppies how to negotiate stairs and busy sidewalks. One of the best sections deals with the inevitable stress that a city dog experiences. Frankel shows us how to "read" dogs and lessen their stress through exercises that are tailor-made to fit the needs of individual dogs. Frankel has provided us with an invaluable training manual that is sure to enhance the relationship between you and your dog. Her methods will increase your pet's confidence while making it a safer, happier urban dog.
Cis Frankel's life has gone to the dogs. Frankel is a canine behaviorist and breeder of champion Weimaraners, who specializes in training dogs for "a high quality and safe life in urban settings." "Urban Dog" is definitely geared toward dog owners, and in it, Frankel covers everything one could possibly imagine regarding rearing a pooch. Issues such as house training, stages of development, commands, choosing a veterinarian, and park etiquette are among the many issues discussed. How does one communicate with a dog? Frankel admits she's always been somewhat of a Dr. Doolittle…. "When I was a little girl I wanted to play with puppies rather than anything else in life," said Frankel, who lives I Lincoln Park with her husband, Jeff, and their three Weimaraners, Indiana Bones, and daughters Dolly and Daisy Bones… "I look at dogs as a culture, not a separate species- there are leaders, there are followers, there are ones that set alarms off. Eighteen hours a day for the past 12 years, I've studies dogs and people". In "Urban Dog", Frankel teaches how to deal with the specific difficulties of training and living with a dog in the city. Along with basics of puppy training (housebreaking, obedience, basic commands), she covers collar and leash management, housebreaking in a high-rise, navigating parks, crowds and roadways to create street-smart dogs, and a lot more. And for those a bit skeptical, you're barking up the wrong tree. "When I got a two-year old dog, she was wonderful but had some behavior challenges that had me concerned. Cis was kind and willing to help me work things out, particularly with the relationship between the dog and my eight-year old son…She seemed to get into the mind of the dog. I was so impressed with the way she was able to make the dog seem to realize what the dog needed to do." In addition to her work directly with dogs and owners, Frankel founded the Canine Intelligence Agency (CIA)…. "Products, tips, and tails" is how she has described what can be found on her website at www.canineitelligenceagency.com. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Frankel, who has trained more than 3000 dogs, teaches puppy classes at Parkview Pet Shop, 2222 N. Clark St. The shop owner, Joe O'Brien, made no bones about discussing Frankel's unusual abilities. "She is great… I have a puppy that I got a week ago and it's extremely impressive the way she interacts with dogs. But more important is the way she trains us to recognize what the dog's experiencing. She shows us signs to lead the dog to being comfortable and basically well-behaved. And she's very thorough...she explains things very well and lets the dogs be dogs, which is very important. …her dogs are the best trained dogs I've ever seen." Perhaps that's because Frankel practices what she preached with
them. "Live, love and laugh with your dog, is what she suggests
people do with their four-legged friend early-on. After all, anyone
who owns a dog know it's one of the primary relationships in a person's
like. My goal is the enrich and maximize that relationship so it
is rewarding and special". |
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