Training the kids.
As I have mentioned in countless conversations, dog training can be invaluable in a variety of social interactions.
Cesar Millan’s techniques, in particular, are mentioned in this piece from the NY Times:
When we started watching his shows, we had intended to apply his advice toward our dogs,” said Amy Twomey, a blogger on parenthood for The Dallas Morning News who is raising three children under 10 with her husband, Matt. “But we realized a lot of ideas can be used on our kids.”
Gladwell, Dogs, and Men
Malcolm Gladwell compares the suspected neurological consequences of American football to dogfighting in the latest New Yorker. Ultimately, the piece disappoints. Though highly entertaining (it’s standard Gladwell), the piece stretches too thin to make a connection between neuroscience and football and staged dog fights. Where he especially misses is in his moral comparisons; Gladwell believes the loyalty and dedication seen amongst pro players and their teams are tantamount to those seen amongst dogs and their handlers. (It fails not because the juxtaposition seems, intuitively, unequal, but because Gladwell seemingly assumes dogs are just furry little humans. Cesar Millan would not approve.)
What is truly disappointing, however, is that Gladwell, after having taken up his column at the New Yorker, seems to be stretching for big ideas. And that is sad to me. Because homework should be done in private.
Cesar Millan makes some noise
Cesar Millan, better known as The Dog Whisperer, is the subject of a NY Times business feature.
(Notice how his relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith — via geographically-influenced serendipity — just about made him. Lots of people are immensely talented, but few know what to do with it.)