Hi, I’m Steve Duno, pet behaviorist and author.  I’ve been solving pet problems for going on twenty years now; I’ve trained thousands of dogs, including many lost souls who found themselves on the razor’s edge between life and death- dogs with behavioral issues ranging from profound destructive behavior or separation anxiety, to full-blown aggression that can ordinarily result in euthanasia.  What can I say; I’m a sucker for a lost cause, and I don’t like the needle.  I have also published eighteen books over the years- I seem to have a lot to talk about.

 My career started in 1989, when I found a flea-bitten feral Rottweiler/shepherd mix, the offspring of guard dogs on a marijuana grow in northern California.  I took a chance on him, and he on me; it would become the seminal decision of my life, and the subject of my newest book, Last Dog On The Hill: The Extraordinary Life Of Lou (St. Martin’s Press 2010). 

To my delight, Connie Wilson reviewed Last Dog, and enjoyed it enough to not only give me a great review, but to allow me to guest blog for the website.  It’s a great opportunity, and for that I thank Connie from the bottom of my heart.  I hope my relationship with you, her and Modern Dog Magazine lasts a dog’s age.

 I’m excited about being able to share with you my thoughts on dogs.  Though training issues will be covered, I want the blog to be more than that; I want it to tackle more prescient issues- what dogs mean to us, how we help or hinder them, trends in training and perspective- my reflections on the condition of dogs today, my "Be The Dog" philosophy, what’s right, what’s not right, and what I think we can do to improve what remains the closest, most enduring partnership on the planet- the bond between dogs and humans.

I’d like to hear from you, so feel free to post your thoughts on what I have to say, whether you agree or not.  Hopefully you will enjoy my point of view on things, and perhaps begin to see your pooches in a different light. 

Thanks!

Steve Duno