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The article discusses the style considerations of dog trainers who enter their dogs in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Topics addressed include trainers efforts to draw attention to their dogs through clothing choices, an abundance of skirts and suits worn by dog trainers, and public perception of the fashion choices of dog trainers.

The article offers tips in employing a dog trainer including asking trainers for certifications from reputable dog training organizations and employing trainers who offer rewards based approach to dogs when training.

The article reports on the increase in people becoming dog trainers. Television shows such as Animal Planet's "It's Me or the Dog" and Cesar Millan's "Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic Channel have contributed to the increase in popularity. Dog owners also expect more from their pets and are quicker to enlist help from a professional than in years past. Some pet owners enlist help to tame behaviorally-challenged animals.

The article reports on the service of dog runners. Some dog owners discover that walking their dog twice a day is not enough and need to hire a dog runner. The service is becoming more common especially in urban areas. Veterinarians advise dog owners to have their pets evaluated to determine optimal running duration, speed and frequency.

The article discusses animal behaviorists and dog trainers that make house calls. The rise in adoptions from shelters has led to more dog owners facing dogs with problems. Cesar Milan and Brian Kilcommons are both famed trainers that found it was far easier to train dogs if they met them in their homes. They could then best decide what course of training would deliver the most effective results given the dog's living situation and the owner's temperament.

The article offers the author's insights on Sergeant Michael Goosby, the chief trainer for the K-9 dog platoon operated by the Los Angeles Police Department's (LAPD) Metropolitan Division, who has inspired a primary character in the detective novels of mass-market crime novelist Robert Crais.

BELVIDERE, Ill. -- You can lead a dog to water, but can you make him jump? That was one of the questions at Summer Splash, a three-day event at Meyer's Tails Up Farm, a dog training center an hour northwest of Chicago. More than 150 dogs competed -- yes, competed -- by leaping into a four-foot-deep pool from a dock two feet above the water. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The path to training a naughty dog how to behave in the garden may start with just that: a path. Ian Dunbar, a dog trainer and an author, and an avid gardener, has created a busy highway system through his backyard in Berkeley, Calif. ''They're not allowed in garden sections,'' Dr. Dunbar said of his dogs, a French bulldog, an American bulldog and a Rottweiler-coonhound cross. When a dog stays on the trail, Dr. Dunbar explained, he offers praise. ''And whenever he puts a paw off the path, I say: 'Back on the path! Back on the path!' '' (If only we all had someone to remind us so insistently when we stray off course.) [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Andrea Arden, 41, trains dogs for Animal Planet's canine rags-to-riches makeover series, ''Underdog to Wonderdog,'' and for 15 years has run her own dog education/behavior modification business from three locations in Manhattan, including Animal Haven, a shelter on Centre Street. Separated from her husband, she lives in Red Hook, Brooklyn, with two Dobermans, two Savannah cats and her scruffy white terrier mix, Nora. ROBIN FINN DOGS OUT I try to sleep in on Sundays, but I can't. There's too much on my mind. I'm usually up by 6:30, and I'm obsessive about what comes next: First I let the dogs out, then I go to the deli for the newspaper and a very big coffee. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

MY dad was a dog trainer and handler like his father before him. We lived in Madison, N.J., across the street from the dog kennel on the estate of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, a prominent dog fancier. He showed her dogs in competition -- she had about 100 -- and brought many of them home. From the time I was born, I was surrounded by golden retrievers, German shepherds and bloodhounds. My first word was ''doggie.'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

IN 2008, American pet owners spent $43 billion on their animals. Walk into any pet store and it is easy to see how -- $60 brushes, $200 designer cat scratchers, $450 midcentury dog beds. But the market for pet gadgets has been dismal, in large part because of the abundance of novelty goods that are more expensive than practical. I mean, who needs a gizmo that can translate your dog's barks? This doesn't mean useful pet gadgets don't exist. As a certified dog trainer, as well as a cat rescuer, I've seen and used my fair share of high-tech pet gear. Some of it has been useful, some of it laughable. Those that get it right though, alleviate a problem you may not have even known you had. And like your cellphone, once you use them, you won't know how you lived without them. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of searching for a dog trainer for his King Charles Spaniel.

The article presents an interview with dog trainer Tamar Geller. Geller says that people need to have a good relationship with their dogs. According to her, behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner says that dog owners should occasionally give rewards to their dogs. Geller says that personal trainers teach manners to dogs.

The article reports on a legislation related to the security of the animals moving in airplanes, that has been proposed in Queens, New York City. After the escape of a whippet from the tarmac of Kennedy Airport in February 2006, Bonnie Folz, a dog trainer and her colleagues have proposed a legislation, Vivi Bill, on the name of the lost whippet. The legislation would include provisions for contacting the owner of an animal if is lost or in distress.

The article reports on the certification of dog trainer, which requires an individual within 18 years and above to have at least 300 hours of dog training experience and have references from a veterinarian.

Focuses on dog trainer Bashkim Dibra of New York City, New York. Amount of money Dibra chargers an hour to quiet barking dogs; Identification of some of Dibra's clients; How long it takes Dibra to `city train' or `country train' a pet on a lease; Reference to Dibra's emergency visit to a Jack Russell's terrier in Paris, France that forgot its table manners; Background information on Dibra.