Genuine Dog Gear Training Toys Resources » Wagging Tales

A Surprising Beginning

Linda Martuch — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:06:34 +0000

I grew up in a small town in Michigan. I was the daughter of a businessman and a stay at home mom who took good care of us and baked cookies.

I was like most Midwest kids that grew up in the fifties and sixties. We roamed are neighborhood freely. In the summer time, we went home when the streetlights came on, we played in the vacant lots and made forts and staged plays in our neighbor’s garage. My dad had hunting dogs, Springer Spaniels and a Beagle, but I didn’t interact with them much. They were hunting dogs and not to be played with.

Early Experiences

Surprisingly, my earliest dog memory was the day the neighbor’s dog bit me. Fortunately I was bitten on my hand and it wasn’t severe. Equally fortunate, another neighbor witnessed the entire series of events leading up to the bite. Initially, I was frightened because the bite was so unexpected. I knew this dog, I visited and petted him often and he was on my short list of things I did regularly. But suddenly, he had changed and now hated me, which confused and frightened me.

Now For The Rest of The Story

My neighbor explained that another group of kids had been teasing this dog right before I came along. He was still in an agitated state and didn’t recognize me as being different from the kids that were tormenting him.

I have a dim memory of him barking at me as I approached him, but being young, I didn’t recognize the warnings that I’m sure he was giving me. Fortunately, I had my hand out to pet him and he had the restraint to only bite once and to regulate his bite. It could have been much worse because I was frightened more than hurt and I was very little.

Understanding Is The Key

I lost my fear of him once I understood what happened and why his dog behavior changed. The understanding took the fear away. My relationship with him was cautious after that, and I suspect it was clandestine as well. I’m sure my parents forbid me to go near that dog, but well, kids don’t always behave and I’ve always been a bit, shall we say, self determined.

Natural Born Dog Lover

If I hadn’t had a natural affinity for dogs, or given the opportunity to understand what had happened, I probably wouldn’t have gotten over that event. I would have been like many others that have been bitten – fearful.

On one hand, it seems funny that a dog bite could lead to a lifetime of loving dogs. But it turned out that the important part was the understanding that I’d gained. I decided that in many ways, dogs are a lot like us. Their dog behavior is a natural consequence of what had happens to them, and this dog was a victim. He was reacting to his circumstances in the only way he knew.

A Lucky Life

I was lucky to get this understanding at a very early age and I’m still lucky today. I’m lucky to have dogs in my life, I’m lucky to be able to share my love and my understanding with my students and I’m lucky to have people in my life who care about their dogs and their relationships with them. And finally I’m really lucky because I have the opportunity to share all this with you.

Rocket The Devil Dog

Linda Martuch — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:44:25 +0000

I don’t believe there is any such thing as a devil dog. I’ve always had good dogs, really good dogs. My dogs come when they’re called. They don’t get into the trash or onto the counters or the furniture. I can walk them without dog leashes with good control and recall. I believe in dog training, and I enjoy it. It’s no accident that I make dog training toys for a living. I think dog training is play and I do it for relaxation.

The Wild Side

I know dogs have untamed and natural instincts which lurk in all of them. It’s only a matter of perspective and circumstance to be able to see the devil in our furry ‘kids’.

It wasn’t a surprise that when I saw the devil in one of my dogs, it was Rocket. He’s my bad boy, lover dog.

Mr Tough Guy

Endlessly frustrated with his position in life, he maintains a sweet and compliant attitude towards me while holding a bit of a grudge against the rest of the world.

His grudges appear to be born of frustration and attitude miss-alignment. It seems to irritate him that he is not the top dog in this household. He constantly picks at Annie who is dominate by virtue of being the oldest and largest and female. As such, she is naturally top dog. But she’s so relaxed in her role, she doesn’t discipline Rocket. She leaves that to me.

Plenty For All

My floor looks like a kindergarten gone berserk; dog toys litter the floor like trash in a trailer park. When Rocket takes a toy another dog has, they just let him have it and a pick up new one. Mr Mean Streets is the only guy who thinks toys are a precious resource. He seems to delight in taking things away from the others. I know it’s all about climbing that social ladder.

Social Climber

Status matters to Rocket, and it always has. Ever since he joined us, rescued from the mean streets of a bad neighborhood, he has tussled over objects with our other dogs. Finally they gave up and now they just let him have his way. He’ll walk up to another dog and take a dog toy, just to take it. Then he goes to his bed and lies down on the toy. The other dogs just watch him, kind of quizzically, like they don’t get him. Then they go back to whatever they were doing before Mr Grumpy showed up.

Enough Love To Go Around

My other dogs don’t seem to care about status any more than they care about which dog toy they have. They work things out; they share resources and share space.

They all get treated equally in our house; they all get the same treats and walks. They all get the same food, and obey the same rules. I have my favorite of course, but I don’t let it show. I don’t treat them differently and I think that’s the important thing. And maybe someday that’ll be enough for Rocket too.

Short Brag

Linda Martuch — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:34:38 +0000

Genuine Dog Gear has been making interactive dog training toys for over 10 years. Our first toy, the one that started it all was a small braided webbing toy called the Tuff Tug and we still make that toy today.

I invented this toy because I’d heard about problems with dogs breaking their teeth on toys while training for competition sports. I thought I’d have a go at making a better training toy, and it worked out pretty good.

The Agility Toy Company

That toy spawned a product line which is now the largest in the world devoted exclusively to agility dog training toys. Eventually I designed and created a huge product line of dog toys and leashes because I like solving problems and creating new products.

My creative and nurturing personality combined with a love of dogs has steered me in this direction. I don’t think I really had a choice. Or perhaps, it’s just a good fit.

Dog Training is Natural

The natural off shoot of loving anything is spending time with it. I’m a born sucker for a puppy. If there’s a ‘puppy gene’, I’ve got one. Spending time with dogs is much about training. I think the term dog training is a misnomer.

What we’re really doing is communicating and we do it 24/7. We’re just not aware that we’re being studied that closely. In any case, what I have to offer you, is some really great dog training toys for competition dog sports. I’ve got them because I love dogs and I apparently don’t have anything more important to do. How true.