Travel hell, Spa heaven. That pretty much wraps it up. I'm writing this on our last day at Lake Austin Spa Resort. You need to know that I have absolutely no objectivity at all about this place: They gave Jim and me 3 days lodging, food and great spa services in exchange for my giving three talks during their special program for dog lovers. That said, it's really not possible to do much but rave about the place. It's gorgeous, the food is great, the staff couldn't be nicer AND they allow dogs even when it's not a special week for dog lovers. Yes, there's a down side: The price. This is one of those "If you have to ask . . . " places, but what would we expect of the spa rated the # 1 spa in the country by Conde Nast? But for those who could manage it, try to come next November when Read More
Save the Date! Oct 29-30 Madison WI 2011
Oh boy oh boy. We've just finalized arrangements to hold a seminar in Madison Wisconsin on October 29-30, 2011. Inspired by the seminar I did in New Zealand, I'm going to give a completely updated version of Advanced Canine Behavior on Saturday. The day will include state of the art research on cognition, play and development, and its practical implications to owners and trainers. Ken Ramirez of the Shedd Acquarium will present on Sunday, and will focus on raising the bar on your training techniques. I heard him give this talk in Massachusetts last summer, and left so inspired that I began attempting to train my pencil. Seriously, this man is fantastic. We are totally jazzed about this seminar, and will have details about registration up on the website soon. We're just finalizing some Read More
Come to New Zealand?
Hey, why not? Okay, I know, really I do. It costs a fortune to get there, no way around it. But hey, I'm going to do a two-day seminar outside of Auckland on November 27th and 28th, of this year, and what better excuse to take the trip of a lifetime? Besides, the air fare rates just went way down . . . I've been to New Zealand before, and hands down, it is one of the most beautiful place in the world. Ah, it's true, I haven't been everywhere, but I've been in some drop-dead gorgeous places, including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Denali Range in Alaska, and the fjords of Norway. All of these places are awe-inspiring, but New Zealand still has my heart as the place I just had to go back to with Jim. I seriously considered moving there when I visited, so impressed was I by the Read More