The Olate Dogs

Photo: NBC.com

I haven't seen many dog acts on tv except for the Stupid Pet Tricks segment on Late Night With David Letterman. Imagine my surprise when I caught a short bit on Inside Edition this afternoon where I discovered that this band of dogs and their equally talented owners won the latest America's Got Talent competition. In the short segment I saw, I was in total awe of this pair.

About The Olate Dogs

Richard Olate (pronounced OH-Latte) has been training dogs since he was 11 years-old. Now 55, this South American who has lived here for over 24 years has his own show that he travels all over the country. Winning America's Got Talent will give him, his son and their dogs infinite possibilities.

Most of their dogs are rescues who all have incredible talent. They are expertly trained and groomed. Their act is simply delightful. I've included their audition youtube video as well as their finals video. Enjoy!

Audition Video

Finals Video

Let's Discuss!

Did you catch America's Got Talent this summer? What were your thoughts on this bunch?

Read All About It!

You can learn more about these fascinating pooches through their website.

Sensation and Sensible Harnesses

Hello Everyone! I hope the week has been treating you well. I haven't been around as much as usual because I've been working quite a bit and school has recently started. However, I still aim to get my blog posts up at a reasonable pace, even if it's slowed down a little. Now to the subject at hand...

Why A Harness?

I was always leery of harnesses because they made me think that a dog was being treated as if it's a horse. When Homer came into the picture, my horizon was broadened. Homer is the type who gets easily distracted by dogs. The way he acts around them is unpredictable. He'll come across one dog and will become fast friends with it. The next dog he encounters, he'll want to bark and charge at it (usually because he's fearful).

When I have him on the leash, he can pull so hard, it's overwhelming to restrain him. Recently, he attended his first obedience class. It's a huge class with over twenty dogs.  In class, my trainer demonstrated a Sensation harness made by Soft Touch Concepts. I take Homer and Gigi on three walks a day. With his willful stubbornness, it couldn't hurt to try this out.

Homer and His Harness

After class, my trainer accompanied me to the retail store and showed us which size to put Homer into. She helped us fit him and the harness was so easy to slip into place. All you have to do is put it over your dog's head and fasten it around the bottom of the check. You don't have to maneuver the legs at all and as a result, the dog has full range of motion. In order to get an accurate fit, you need to measure the circumference around the chest. Luckily, our trainer had worked with enough dogs and knew Homer's size, right away, and sure enough, she hit the target.

While the price can be a little steep ($18.00 to $28.50 USD) but is so worth it. Homer became a different dog. Because the leash attaches to the loop of collar and harness, a dog can walk without pulling. If they pull, they will turn to the side and have to redirect themselves to go forward. Walking Homer with this was incredible. He walked at a slower pace and still had full mobility of his walking. I certainly like using these over choke or pinch collars.

Things To Remember

There are two varieties of this harness. The Sensible Harness is made with a coarser fabric and is better suited for long-haired or dogs with dense fur (such as a Chow-Chow). It also costs slightly less than the Sensation Harness. The Sensation Harness is made of a softer material and is ideal for shorter haired dogs like Boxers.

You can find these harnesses at most pet stores,  online or through the manufacturer's website. If you would like to learn more about these products, visit the Softtouch Concepts website.

Let's Discuss!

Have you tried this harness? Do you use any special accessories while walking your pets?

Related Posts

How To Stop Your Dog From Pulling
Premier Collars

True Inspiration

I've always thought that dogs are pretty incredible. Then, there are times that I come across a story that is truly inspirational. I read about Eric Melvin.

Becoming A Dog Owner

Two years ago, he picked up his ideal Australian Cattle dog from a breeder in Colorado as a puppy. Like a good owner, he took Angelyne to puppy kindergarten. However, at 13 weeks of age, Angelyne wouldn't come when he called. The instructor tried to see what would happen if they dropped a bunch of telephones behind her. Most puppies would jump away being startled from the loud noise. Angelyne had a minor reaction because of the whoosh of air, not the sound. After taking her to the vet to check her hearing, and the veterinarian confirmed Angelyne was deaf.

Overcoming Adversity

At first he was unsure how he would train a deaf dog but after doing internet research he learned of ways to raise and train a deaf dog. He tried American Sign Language, but for some reason that was not working for the duo. Instead, he made his own signs such as thumbs down means "Sit" and thumbs up says "Good Job". Angelyne has learned up to 40 special commands since then.

Bringing out the Best

This former communications and marketing specialist takes Angelyne to schools with special needs children to show them how to overcome adversity. He has performed in several demonstrations and motivational events all over Colorado since then.

Mr. Melvin is looking to start a foundation in order to help bridge the needs of special needs children to special needs dogs. If you would like to read more about this extraordinary pair please visit the article at the Greeley Tribune. If you would like more information to help Mr. Melvin's foundation you can e-mail him at: amazingangelyne@comcast.net.

Thank you all for stopping by. Have any of you met dogs like this? Do you own a special needs dog?

Other Inspirational Dogs

Gabriel's Angels

Keeping Your Dog From Jumping

Whenever I come across a dog who loves to come to me and jump up I think that dog really likes me. Other people are not comfortable with that idea. Many have had a bad experience with dogs in the past or are really afraid of dogs. As happy as we are to see our dogs, the last thing we want is for them to jump on us while we are wearing shorts and scratch the front of our thigh because they are so excited.

Part of the Canine Good Citizen exam requires your dog to greet people without jumping on them. Here are some things you can do, to keep your dog from jumping:

• Turn your back on them. Let's say you've just came home from work. Your dog is so excited to see you. If he or she starts to jump on you, turn your back until the dog has stopped jumping up. This way the dog learns that jumping on you is not the right way to get attention.
• Giving the dog lots of exercise will make him or her less likely to jump up on guests. If you are expecting people over, take the dog out for a long walk beforehand. Other things you can do is play fetch or take the pooch on a quick run.
• Tether your dog by tying the leash to a sturdy object. Walk away from the dog about 30 feet. Approach the dog, keep approaching if he's sitting. If he starts jumping up, stop. By the time you reach the dog, give positive reinforcement for staying seated and you can reward the dog by giving a treat.

One of the most important things to remember when training your dog is: Always use positive reinforcement!

Dogs will respond better to a calm yes than an angry no. They are simple creatures who's only aim is to please. Repetition and recall will help the dog retain the training and will give you more satisfaction in being the pack leader.

Some other resources you may want to check out are:

Books by Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.

The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs
How to be the Leader of the Pack...And have Your Dog Love You For It.
The Power of Positive Dog Training

Do you have any special tricks you use?

Premier Collars

I first heard about Premier collars when I was taking dog obedience this year. My instructor was very enthusiastic about this as a training tool. It was fascinating to me because finally there was a collar that was different for restraining dogs. I never liked the choke collars, and was squeamish around pinch collars, I was very impressed by how this works. The control is incredible, and is fabric, so it's not going to be as abrasive as metal.

These are ideal if you have very strong dogs, big dogs or dogs that tend to slip out of their collars, like Greyhounds. When you are using the Premier collar, it works bye gently squeezing to let the dog know to slow down. It falls just below the ears, so there is no less hair worn away at the neck. It fits dogs of any size from the tiniest Chihuahua to the largest Mastiff.

You can find more about this incredible product at: http://www.premier.com/View.aspx?page=dogs/products/collars/other#premiercollars

If any of you have had experience with this product, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for stopping in! Have a good night!

Dog Agility

Dog agility is a great activity for those of you who have a dog who is very energetic. What is it? In a nutshell, it's an obstacle course for dogs. It has items like tunnels for dogs to race through, they will weave through poles, jump up on a table. The best thing is that it makes them more obedient and is a great way to focus their energy. I had taken Cosmo, quite a few years ago. Cosmo was a Siberian Husky/German Shepherd mix. He was on the overweight side but the activity was great for him. He loved being around all the other dogs, and they made sure that he wasn't aggressive towards other animals. It's based on speed and precision. That season, we wound up in 9th out of 10th place but considering I slipped and fell down, that wasn't too bad. Also, for me it was more about having fun than being in first place. The memories I had of that were priceless.

If you have a dog, whose boundless energy drives you batty, you may want to give this activity a try. Here is a link to the official association:

US Dog Agility