Off the Beaten Path

Authors and clicker trainers Evelyn Pang and Hilary Louie—who happen to be kids themselves—encourage Sasha and Malia Obama to choose clicker training.

In 1995 a little papillon was born. Thanks to an impressive overbite, she was labeled "pet quality" and made available to a "pedestrian" like me. Papillons can be hard to come by, so I jumped at the chance to meet her. After a long drive to the breeder's home (sadly, more like a puppy mill), I found a litter of pups cowering in the corner of an oversized terrarium. The room's pervasive odor must have choked the voice of reason in my head, as I found myself handing over $500 (cash only, please) to rescue a two-pound bundle of fuzz.

This month's podcast is Part 2 of Helen Schwarzmann sharing her experiences on the set of the upcoming film Marley and Me. Listen to the podcast (available at the bottom of the page) to learn more about the film and the dog training behind the scenes. You can also read the accompanying article here.

This month's podcast was recorded by Helen Schwarzmann for KPCT to share her experiences on the set of the upcoming film Marley and Me. Listen to the podcast (available at the bottom of the page) to learn more about the film and the dog training behind the scenes. You can also read the accompanying article here.

On a recent beautiful autumn morning (I'm writing from Tasmania, Australia), my wife and I took our daughter, Charlotte, on an outing to the park. There were half a dozen other kids there, all scrambling over the fort and slide together.