Scott Argus, founder of Talk Dog, attended the Olelo Volunteer Appreciation dinner at Pagoda Inn in Honolulu his companion dog Nani. She is an adorable part Labrador, part German shorthair pointer and she was the evenings ‘four legged ambassador of good will’. Argus held Nani be a cattle rope instead of a leash. Argus said he makes his own leashes from rope that is used for horses. Nani stayed under the banquet table except for an occasional nose peeking from under the linen tablecloth to be pet by a passerby. Before Argus adopted Nani she would have been euthanized because her previous issue with biting. She is one of the most gentle dogs I have had the pleasure to meet.
Argus specialty is training dogs that have behavior issues and claims to be able to rehabilitate any dog with any issue. He is dedicated to popularizing the well-behaved dog, trained and responding to responsible owners, who will be welcomed by landlords, neighbors, stores, parks and beaches. He has always had dogs – at least two at a time. He worked them in classic obedience. "Come," "sit," "heel," "stay" which are helpful skills, but he says that the traditional obedience training never addressed some of the most frequent problems people have with their dogs, like how the dog behaves when the owner is not around: barking, separation anxiety, destructive chewing, and so on. Talk Dog has developed techniques which go far beyond the "old school" methods, and the result begin immediately!
His dogs were always trained to behave on command. Now, they behave well at home and out in public, even without a specific command. They are wonderful to be with. His original pound rescue dogs, Chili and Rufus, came with him from the San Francisco Bay Area to their new home in Kaimuki. And now he also has Nani, from the Maui Humane Society.
The dogs play “ball” with the mangoes, coconuts and avocados in the garden and are fascinated by the geckos in their new Makiki home. He and his dogs have adjusted well to Hawaii.
Argus spent eight years in the Air Force, he was an R&D engineer, designing and improving biomedical electronics and tools. He has a patent on a cardiac artery clearing device and developed fluidic and robotic instruments for the Human Genome Project, sequencing our DNA at Stanford.
Argus states, “No dog is too old, or too shy, or too scared, or too tough. I work with Pit bulls and Chihuahuas, Retrievers and Pomeranians, and Poi dogs, too. I solve problems of aggression, anxiety, biting, chewing, escaping, nipping, pulling on the leash, and barking. I am the rehabilitation trainer for the Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation. I take in and foster the dogs with extreme behavioral issues - none of our dogs are ever put down. I receive referrals from local veterinarians who know owners who have problems controlling their dogs – and from satisfied clients as well. I can give you a happy dog – and remember: Happy Dogs make Happy Families.”
Argus is working on an animal project with award winning film director, Genie Joseph, training veterans with PTSD to train their own dogs veterans. You can reach Scott Argus anytime at (808) 734-3440 or go to his website at http://www.talkdog.com/
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