Joel Silverman: What Color is Your Dog

When I was a teen, I checked out Joel Silverman’s videos on dog training over and over again. I was transfixed by the way he taught Hollywood dogs to do interesting tricks while being really positive and gentle. I trained many a dog to do the tricks on his video and consistently found his methods to be easy to use and to work reliably. It was amazing!

I just discovered he’s the author of a brand new book called “What Color is Your Dog” which delves into the way you train your dog based on his personality. For instance, if you’ve got an energetic, bubbly Lab (I do!) treats should be used sparingly and the focus should be on verbal reinforcement. Boy is that one true with Vance–when the treats come out, he trots out every last trick he’s ever learned in an effort to “win” the treat.

What I’ve always admired about Silverman’s approach is that it’s so customized to each dog, and this book will help you bring that personalization to your own dog training habits. Because each dog is unique, you can’t just apply the exact same techniques with no regard for your dog’s personality, and this book will teach you how to make the necessary adjustments so you don’t inadvertently reinforce a dog’s shy nature (or bubbly inclinations).

Check it out on Amazon at: What Color is Your Dog.

Games to Play with Your Dog

If your dog is bored, he’s more likely to get into serious trouble. Shredding your shoes, chewing the couch, howling when you leave him alone… You know the signs. One of the best ways to keep your dog entertained and active is to play games with your dog.

Here are a few of my favorites.

Using Kongs to Entertain Your Dog

Mind Games for Dogs

Nose Game for Dogs

Post Game for Dogs

Playtime for Your Dog

If you’d like more games to play with your dog, Playtime for Your Dog is a great resource for your bookshelf!


What’s your favorite game to play with your dog? I’d love to hear all about it!

Win a Free Dog Toy: Separation Anxiety Dog Favorite (around here anyway…)

I’ve mentioned Vance’s favorite separation anxiety toys and today as he was playing with his Tricky Treat ball, I decided it was time for a giveaway here at Good-Dog-Health.com. So, here’s the scoop: I’ll be giving away one Omega Tricky Treat Ball to a random winner within the US. It’ll ship straight from Amazon and will be 100% brand new. This contest is sponsored by me–neither Amazon.com nor the good folks at Omega have any idea who I am aside from being a loyal customer of both ;-).

The Prize

To Enter

To enter:

1. Post a comment on this post telling us about your dog’s favorite toy (1 entry point)

Get bonus entries by:

1. Share on TwitterTweet the contest and leave a comment here with a link to your Tweet. Tweet: “Free dog toy giveaway at http://good-dog-health.com Pls enter for a chance to win and RT.”
2. Post about the contest to your blog and leave a comment here with a link to your blog entry.
3. Subscribe to the site via email or RSS and leave a comment here letting me know you’re a new subscriber. (If you’re already a subscriber, comment that you’re on the list and it’ll count.)
4. Make sure to leave a comment each time you do anything on this list–that’s how I’ll be keeping track of your entries.

Contest closes June 6 at midnight, eastern time. Winner will be selected using random number draw. Contest void where prohibited (sorry).

In your comment, make sure to include your real email address in the “email” field–no one but me will be able to see it and that way I can notify you if you’re our winner. And check back on the 7th to see if you’re the winner!

Sorry, US residents only. If you’re not in the US and would have liked to have entered, you can leave a comment letting me know you’re out there and I’ll consider opening future contests up to people in other countries, but for my first contest I need to keep things simple.