Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today Diana. What is your background and history with breeding/training?

I have been breeding and working Labradors for nearly 16 years, or since 1994. I obtained the ‘Wylanbriar’ kennel name and started showing in 1995 and have worked and shown my Labradors since, breeding 15 litters in those 16 years.

2. How long has your Labrador website been running?

My website has been up and running for the last 3 years.

3. Whats the next stage for you and the site?

I’ve just started a blog on there which i try and update a couple of times a week. I’d like to expland the training section. i feel that as regards GUNDOG training our breed there is rather a ‘one size fits all’ approach to how young dogs and newcomers are started. This may well not suit the showbred labrador and so immediately puts them at a disadvantage and renforces the stereotype that ’showbred labradors can’t work’. STARTED differently to the fatsre more driven working bred Labradors, the showbred cousins can be VERY useful companions in most cases. So this is an area I’d like to expand on hugely on my site.

4. Your website has a load of information and helpful tips, but you still must get asked for help via email..whats the most common question?

Without a DOUBT it is “…. I’ve heard chocolate Labradors are all mad/untrainable/stupid/inbred/unhealthy/aggressive etc etc…. ARE they? ” Where upon after my head slumps onto my keyboard for a few seconds I direct them to the article I wrote a couple of years ago on my website, which is both realistic (because there are labradors in EVERY colour that are all or some of the above!) and hopefully comforting

5. ..and whats the strangest/funniest?

I had a lady who had been reading about feeding raw chicken wings to her dogs (the BARF method of feeding) and she asked me, entirely seriously, if she started doing this wouldn’t her gundog immediately eat the birds he had happily retrieved for years, on her shoot?!!!! I also got an enquiry through for a place on a OXYGEN testing clinic for their dog (The test is actually called an OPTIGEN test…) I loved that!

6. If you could give someone three ‘must checks’ when looking at a new labrador, what would they be?

1) Both parents are hip scored and holding a CURRENT (dated in the last 12 months) eye certificate and that you can SEE these documents with no shoddy or silly excuses from the breeder. This is the bare minimum they should do to at the very least TRY and provide YOU with a healthy pet puppy.

2) The puppies are happy to be touched and held, charging at you to play, or at least enjoying you being there, climbing all over you and biting at your shoes and clothes (any breeder who will not allow you to touch the puppies or climb in and sit down with them is to be avoided – providing the puppies are over 3 or 4 weeks old).

3) See mum. Interact with mum. If you would like to take mum home (or a male version of her if you want a boy!) then you are more than half way there! Nervous, wary, defensive mum…. ditto the future puppy to a greater extent. Any breeder who does not let you see or interact with mum should always be avoided.

7. Whats you favourite colour labrador?

(Whispers) Chocolate. Although I own all three colours.

8. Silver labs – fashion item or real labrador?

Fashion item. I would cheerfully ban the word ‘chocolate’ to describe, what are, BROWN labradors. The word ‘chocolate’ conjours up a fluffy ‘Milk Tray’ image which is misleading and far too sugar and spice. Ditto ‘SILVER’ Labradors. This is a marketing image portrayed to try and distract from the fact these are simply mismarked light chocolate labradors, mostly with a decent sludge of Weimamara in there a generation or two ago. They are grey. But if they were marketed as ‘Grey’ Labradors it wouldn’t sound HALF as appealling and ’special’. Don’t be fooled and don’t be ripped off.

Thanks for the interview today Diana!

]]> http://www.training-my-labrador.com/guest-interview-diana-stevens/feed/ 0 http://www.training-my-labrador.com/featured-interview-dog-trainer-chris-smith/ http://www.training-my-labrador.com/featured-interview-dog-trainer-chris-smith/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:37:07 +0000 admin http://www.training-my-labrador.com/?p=127 Many of us are interested in doing our own labrador training, but without the right books, magazines and websites it can be difficult to know where to start. Today we are interviewing Chris Smith, an avid dog lover and trainer who runs the website Dog Obedience Training Review. The site is packed with information and content for all types of dog lovers and trainers – not just labradors!

Hi Chris, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. Lets start with your site – How long have you been running your current dog training website?

Hello! I started my website about 3 and a half years ago now, although it feels like a lot longer than that!

What motivated you to setup the website?

My motivation for setting up the website was to help people train their dogs in a positive, non violent and effective manner. Since then the site has grown to include dog health care information, grooming tips and nutrition advice. Basically my goal is to cover everything a dog owner needs to successfully raise, train and care for their dogs.

Its packed with information and a great resource. For any new dog owners, what would you say is the most important area to focus on?

One of the most important and often overlooked subjects is puppy socialization. I cannot stress enough just how crucial the puppy socialization period is for all dogs. Unfortunately dogs require much more than simply love and affection from their owners in order to be well balanced, healthy and happy dogs. This is where many many dog owners let themselves, and their dogs down.

You must be in touch with lots of dog owners through your website, what is the most common question or problem  you get?

Yes I receive about 100 questions every day from dog owners around the world. The most prominent questions are how to solve problems such as excessive barking, puppy biting, pulling on the leash and general destructive behavior. Most of these issues stem back to the relationship shared between the owner and the dog.

Whats next for Chris and your dog training website?

Hopefully my site will continue to grow and gain more followers each and every day. I have over 150 pages of content at the moment and plan to increase this every month. Another area I am considering is to allow my visitors to submit there own content to the site. My goal for the site is for it to be considered and recognized as the authority on responsible dog ownership online.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today Chris!

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