Dog Tricks: Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers

CAROL LEA BENJAMIN, a professional dog trainer, is the author of five books on dog behavior. For the past ten years, she has written a monthly column, Dog Trainer's Diary, for Pure-Bred Dogs, American Kennel Gazette, the official publication of The American Kennel Club. Ms. Benjamin is the recipient of the 1985 Dog Writers' Association of American Writer of the Year award, the 1985 Gaines Fido award and the 1987 Kal Kan Pedigree Outstanding Pet Care Journalist award.  She lives in New York, New York.


Captain' Arthur Haggerty was a well-known and popular dog trainer whose "students" went on to careers as attack dogs, guard dogs, rescue dogs, bomb sniffers, and even actors and actresses.

He was an Army K-9 Unit commander, and when he left the service, he established the Captain Haggerty School for Dogs in NYC. It was there where he became known as dog-trainer to many Hollywood and Broadway stars. He also provided dogs for advertisements as well as movies and tv shows.

Capt. Haggerty was a hulking figure, 6-feet 3-inches and over 300 pounds. He did some acting himself, appearing in "Shamus" (1973) with Burt Reynolds, "Home Movies" (1980), and "Married to the Mob (1988), as well as a few others.

In early 1983, Capt. Haggerty appeared on David Letterman's tv show, talking about his career as a dog trainer it was from there that "Stupid Pet Tricks" was born.