UNITED COLORS OF SILVERMAN
Internationally renowned animal trainer and TV host Joel Silverman comes to the all-new Book It! venue in The Grove at Shrewsbury, for a Tuesday appearance promoting his book WHAT COLOR IS YOUR DOG?
By DIANA MOORE
What Color Is Your Dog? That’s kind of a loaded question — one that has little to do with the fur on your pet’s back. If you pay attention to Joel Silverman, however, the answer could be one that benefits everyone in the long run, and strengthens the bond between you and your “best friend.”
A veteran author, host of Good Dog U on the Animal Planet network, maker of instructional videos and expert trainer (not just of dogs but of cats, birds and sea mammals), Silverman is currently on tour promoting his new book What Color Is Your Dog?, a guide to his method of training dogs according to a color-coded system of rating their personalities. It’s a tour that comes to The Grove at Shrewsbury tomorrow evening, as the very first event to be presented at the all-new BookIt! Author Based Events.
The official grand opening of the “literary enclave” established by Jacquie Fiorito and Kim Widener of Book It! Events will be held this Thursday, June 4, but for now the place has gone to the dogs — with an open invitiation to dog owners to bring their animal companions, and an on-premises dog adoption center offered by the Monmouth County SPCA, the event’s co-sponsor. Silverman has been known for his efforts on behalf of animal rescue and welfare organizations, and if you’re a prospective dog owner who’s arriving solo, the SPCA will be bringing along a number of dogs who are ready and willing to be placed in a new home.
There will also be complimentary hot dogs and beverages, a Q&A session with Silverman and a book signing for those who have purchased a copy of the book through Book It.
Red Bank oRBit spoke to Silverman while he was taking a cab between appointments on his typically packed schedule. Continue Reading to find out why you’d never treat an orange the way you’d treat a green.
RED BANK ORBIT: I haven’t had a chance to read your new book, but I know that it’s centered around your concept of training dogs according to a color-coding system. Could you explain how that system came together?
JOEL SILVERMAN: I’ve been doing this for over 30 years, and it’s a system that’s developed over time — some of the most incredible dog trainers have used this method, including top Hollywood trainers and people who’ve trained dogs for police work.
Basically, how the best trainers work with animals is based on their personalities. You can have a very high strung dog, or you can have a shy, timid dog — so you’d apply a different approach for each, from being as unmoving as an anchor on a ship, to taking a much more flexible approach.
In the five color system, YELLOW is the perfect dog; a “mellow yellow.” The two extremes are RED, which is an out of control, completely off the wall sort of dog, and BLUE, which is a dog that’s afraid of everything.
In between red and yellow you’ve got ORANGE, which is a high-strung but not totally unmanageable dog — and in between yellow and blue you have GREEN, which is an apprehensive animal, but not necessarily a timid one. So you never train a “cooler” color dog, a green or a blue, in the same way that you’d train a red or orange.
My sister had a Rottweiler-Shepherd mix who was always very well behaved, and now she has a Chocolate Lab, who has just been a handful from day one. Would you say that some dogs are more trainable than others, or that some are simply untrainable?
That’s a very good question. No dog is completely untrainable, but it’s about finding the right way to train, and hopefully the book will alleviate that problem. The key is, prior to training, building a positive relationship with your dog. Otherwise training a dog becomes a problem.
And the dog could end up being taken back to the shelter.
Exactly. That’s the goal; to train so the dog does not have to be taken to a shelter. That’s why we need to look at all the different approaches. Take training with clickers — I’m not saying you can’t do it, but when you have, say, a 90 pound woman trying to handle a 125 pound dog, you may need more than a clicker and some treats when that dog goes to town.
Now, you’ve worked with a number of different animals over the course of your career. Would you say that this system works with other species — like, say, my cat? She’s a calico who, for whatever reason, has to be watched when she eats. She’ll howl until you stand there and watch her. She also needs to go outside in the woods around 4 in the morning every night.
Well, you and the whole world will never understand that cat! The colors can be applied to cats; I would say that you should do it more like you would with the cooler colors; using treats and such.
Would you say, ultimately, this book is actually more about training people than it is about training dogs?
It is as much about training people as well as pets. I wrote this book with my nieces and nephews in mind — they’re 12 and 14 — so that they can read it. It’s essential, I think, for people to get educated about their animal companions at an early age. And these events are about educating people in responsible pet ownership.
I’m doing a 90 city tour around this book, and I should mention a bunch of people who are working hard with me on this thing. I’ve been using treats from Bil-Jac for years; the company has been working closely with me and standing behind everything I do. And Bowtie Press, the people who publish Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy, should be there at (the Book It! event).
They’re actually a local company; located just a few miles from the area we cover. And the local SPCA organization will be operating an adoption center at the event.
That’s great. I’m really excited about the event; it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Joel Silverman will appear at a “club event” beginning at 6pm Tuesday, followed by an hour-long public signing at 7pm. The event ticket includes a signing copy of the book to pick up at the event ($25), as well as attendance at the author chat and Q&A session, plus a private reception with Silverman. Seating is limited, and proof of book purchase is required for entry. Reservations can be made right here.
Posted
June 01, 2009
in
under
