Your Baby and Bowser

Do you want to know how to prepare your family dog for the arrival of a new baby? Would you like your dog to be well-behaved around your grandchildren or the neighbor’s kids? Are you thinking about buying a dog but concerned about the safety of your children? Parents who read and follow Rafe’s advice will be infinitely more successful in raising children and dogs together. Learn how to establish dominance, understand your dog’s way of thinking, adequately prepare a dog for a new child, how your personality affects your dog’s behavior, and the key things every child needs to be taught about dogs. Make sure children are safe around your dog. Order a copy today!

Stephen C. Rafe is the founder of Starfire, an organization that has specialized in the study and teaching of behavior-based communications in animals and humans since 1982. He has extensive practical background in the psychology of verbal and non-verbal communication, having studied this subject at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Since 1982, he has received referrals from some 200 veterinarians to assist owners whose dogs have had behavior problems.

Steve is a former member of Animal Behavior Society and the Dog Writers Association of America. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Monmouth University, and a Master of Science degree from Marymount University and is currently a doctoral candidate at the Uneversity of Phoenix. A specialist in learning theory and nonverbal communication, Steve has also studied the behavioral science of neurolinguistics at the master-practitioner level and has pursued independent research and study in behavior and psychology at the post-graduate-level.

He has published more than 300 by-lined articles in major national and international publications for dog owners, professional trainers, and canine behaviorists. These include: The AKC Gazette, AKC Afield, Animal Behavior Consultant Newsletter, Capers—Canine Behavior Newsletter, Dog World, Dog Fancy, Dogs of Canada, Off-Lead, Kennel Doctor, several outdoors and sporting publications, and numerous national breed publications. He has been a contributing editor (dog behavior and training) for Quail Unlimited magazine for several years.

His book Training Your Dog for Birdwork (Denlinger’s Publishers, 1988), was nominated as 1988 Training Book of the Year by the Dog Writers Association of America and is now in its fourth printing, He is also the author of numerous pamphlets and manuals on canine behavior and training throughout the United States, in Canada, and in South America—including a week-long program for the largest dog-training club in Venezuela. He has also designed and conducted canine-behavior seminars for shelter personnel and volunteers, and for dog owners with children. The latter were sponsored by St. Hubert’s Giralda and a regional office of the Humane Society of the United States.