The 133rd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York will be on television next Monday, February 9th, and Tuesday, February 10. I’ll be watching! Also, another award that interests me will be given out: the Maxwell,  for the best dog book of the year. See the list of book nominees below.

Back to Westminster for a bit:  streaming video of individual breed judging is available on the Westminster site within hours of the events taking place. There will be over 2500 dogs this year, broken down into the usual  seven groups; Hound, Terrier, Non-Sporting, Herding, Sporting, Working and Toy.

I’m not all that much into showing dogs, have never done it, though I have gone to quite a few dog shows… when they were easy to get to. What I love about watching dog shows is, well, the dogs! Their interactions with people, their well-mannered closeness to other dogs of many species.

Dog training for the show ring is an area that is being influenced by positive training methods. This makes sense, because the dogs with the most sparkle and joy – side-effects of positive training methods – show the best.

Are Dog Shows Hurting Dogs?

That’s the thought-provoking title of this article which is well worth reading. Written by Christie Keith, who used to show and occasionally breed Scottish deerhounds, it’s a balanced view of the serious problems as well as the benefits of breeding and showing purebred dogs.

Dog Books Compete for the Maxwell!

The Dog Writers Association of America meets in New York this coming weekend and will give awards to authors of dog-related books. The award is called the Maxwell. Four of the dog books nominated this year were published by Dogwise Publishing:

And here are some other books nominated and available at Dogwise.

The links above take you to Dogwise. Amazon doesn’t carry as many dog books but they have all of these, and here they are,  in the same order. Click on a title or an image to go to Amazon.

Oh Behave!: Dogs from Pavlov to Premack to Pinker

Get Connected with Your Dog. Emphasizing the Relationship While Training Your Dog

The Ethical Dog Trainer: A Practical Guide for Canine Professionals (Dogwise Manual)

The Dog Trainer’s Resource 2: The APDT Chronicle of the Dog

The Agility Advantage (health and Fitness for the Canine Athlete)

All Shots (Dog Lover’s Mysteries)

Treats, Play, Love: Make Dog Training Fun for You and Your Best Friend

Best in Show: The World of Show Dogs and Dog Shows (Kennel Club Pro)

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