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Just a heads up... I just launched a Facebook exclusive offer for my dog trainer program. Check out the video below which will show you how to take advantage of this crazy, ridiculous, insane offer to become well versed in all aspects of training dogs... Whether you're a dog owner, groomer, dog walker or dog rescuer; you cannot pass up this opportunity... I can't give away all the details - you'll have to watch the short 3 minute video. Yes that's the only catch. You'll just have to watch the video to find out the details and how to order. This will be exclusive to facebook friends. I can't even mention the price because it's so LOW you won't believe me. I will say this........ here is a direct link to the video page as well - http://www.jeffcoltenback.com/video.html You may never hire a dog trainer again!!! A few folks inquired about the price for the blowout sale for my dog trainer program. They wanted to know why it was so cheap. Of course there is a FAQ on the special link shown in the video. But, I will answer here for those who don't watch the 3+ min video. This offer is so low compared to my full program because there is no mentoring. With the full program, I provide at least 12 mentoring phone calls that last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours per call. With personal one-on-one mentoring, full tuition students get access to some information not contained in this curriculum only sale. I spend almost 60 hours of my time with the full program per student. I am not spending any time with this curriculum only option. Hope that clears things up a bit. For more info, you'll have to watch the video.. Here is the direct link to buy now, before offer expires: http://www.jeffcoltenback.com/getitnow.html Yes. I have actually begun training for American Ninja warrior. For those of who you who aren't familiar with it, it's an obstacle course competition that appears on TV. Check out their site here: http://www.nbc.com/american-ninja-warrior. I first heard about ANW back in early 2015 from a friend of mine in my acting class at Actor's Arsenal in Wilmington, NC - http://www.actorsarsenal.com/. I started watching the show last year. Fast forward to 2016 and me needing to lose much needed weight, I decided to start training for ANW and obstacle course competition in general. I even attended a local competition here in NC and got to meet several well known Ninjas including Mike Cook, Dougie Fresh, Jesse Graff, Grant McCartney and my Ninja coach Chuck Mammay (The Chuckster). Anyway, as my training began to progress, I started training more for obstacle course specific goals. Then I started training with Chuck and he has been a huge help so far! Below are some pics and a video of me training. I figured why not share about. I've been posting on my Facebook page and keeping friends and followers in the loop on what I've been calling my "Fat to Fit" journey... Soon, I will be creating a new page altogether on this website so everyone can follow my journey. Sure, I have aspirations of being the next American Ninja Warrior. But, if I fall short and at least motivate some folks along the way, that would be awesome too!! Peace and blessings! 
So, my wife and I were driving back to NC from NJ last week. And, we were traveling with one of our dogs. At one of the rest areas we stopped at, I took the dog for a walk. I am always very conscious of my surroundings and environment. In the area where the grass was, I noticed an older woman with a medium sized dog that she didn't have much control over. So, I waited for them to vacate the area to avoid any possible issues. I think you can guess where this is going... When the coast was clear, I walked over to the grassy area so the dog could alleviate himself. We weren't there for more than a minute when it happened. Now, I will say this. I have played this scenario in my mind thousands of times with various possible reactions I could have. I am so grateful I envisioned this and prepared for this moment. This is what happened. Out of nowhere, this medium sized herding breed came charging at us growling on the way to us, leash attached - no person on the end of it. This dog was not just posturing, nor was the dog stopping the charge. I had no choice but to react in one of the ways I prepared thousands of times in my mind. One was to pick up my dog, which I had no time for as this dog appeared from behind a car only 20 feet from us and closing fast. But, I had to protect my dog - not only from getting hurt by this dog, although that was a concern. More concerning was my dog having to protect himself in which case he would have been very effective doing. So, the next option was what I have played in my mind thousands of times and a technique I have had to use during certain situations on a few occasions over the years to prevent myself from getting bit by an attacking dog. I had to kick the dog out of the way. No, I didn't tee off on the dog's face. There is actually an appropriate way to do this. I never want to hurt another animal. But, when it comes to protecting my own, my own dogs will always come first, And, i don't apologize for that. Anyway, here's how it unfolded in its entirety. I walk to grassy area. Aggressor comes charging from a car only 20 feet from us. I immediately assess and prepare to react. I drag my dog behind me. I then time the aggressors approach and take aim. I push, not really kick, with the ball of my sneaker into the shoulder blade of the dog (see pic below to see what I mean). This does two things. First and most important, it uses the dogs oncoming force to propel it away from us and cause imbalance providing us more time for secondary measures. The other thing it does is reduces the chance of me injuring the dog; which I never want to do. The dog charged, I kicked/pushed perfectly (thank God) and the dog tumbled away from us. Luckily thew owner was right behind and was able to get her dog under control immediately. If the owner had not been present, and the aggressor chose to persist, I may have had no choice but to allow my dog to protect himself. But, we were lucky. I felt horrible. The woman came running and was like "oh she won't hurt you". A little late for that lady. Anyway, I'm not sure why I am sharing this, especially since I haven't written a blog post in a while. But, I felt like sharing it as I am sure other folks have been in this situation before... So, I kicked a dog last week. No one was harmed and hopefully a lesson was learned by a shaky handler. Disaster avoided. Well, stay tuned for more blog posts from me as consistent blogging is now on my goals list!!! Have a great day!!  It's been a while since I blogged about anything. Things have been crazy hectic down here in NC. We've been busy working with rescue dogs and still settling into NC life. Things are good. I did get a chance to write and publish my 3rd book. It's a self help book called "30 Days To The Best Month Of Your Life". You can order from the home page here or visit the direct ordering link at --> https://www.createspace.com/5940991. A picture of the front and back cover are below. I am also finishing up writing my 4th book - which I actually started writing a couple of years ago, believe it or not. It's a compilation of some of the wonderful pit bulls I have had the pleasure of knowing over the years. For the most part, I am just trying to stay busy and try to help homeless animals the best I can... Well, I'll stop back soon and check in and try to make this blog thing more consistent... Over the course of the past few months down here in NC, Diana and I have already met some great people. As we finally settled in, we were itching to to meet more doggy people. What better way to do that than to organize a get together with like minded folks. About 12 or 13 years ago, I implemented pack walking at a local shelter up in NJ where I was the volunteer trainer and also helped out with animal control efforts on occasion. Historically, dogs could not be walked together for safety reasons. But, luckily, I had a great relationship with the shelter management and local health department. And, they allowed us to choose certain dogs to begin these pack walks. I did these for a number of years there with select dogs and volunteers, most of them my students back then. And, it really helped improve the dogs quality of life and social competency. Over the years, pack walking started to take off in northern NJ. I'm not saying I had anything to do with it. But, it seemed that word hit the streets and many others, thankfully, started doing the same for other organizations. I am huge proponent of putting dogs in positions to safely confront their social deficiencies and help them overcome them. Some people say I "force" dogs into facing their fears. Maybe I do. And, I usually have success in helping dogs who are anxious in social situations and, thus, their overall temperament improves. So, yea, I'm guilty of making dogs better... Sue me - lol. I'll talk more about how I do this in a future blog post. For now, all I have to say is this: how the heck can someone get over a fear of flying in a plane if they never get on one? How can a dog face its fear, or aggression, towards others dogs if its never afforded the opportunity to be around other dogs? I have had such success over the years in socializing the socially inept dog. I figure why not do it down here in NC.... So, we organized our first pack walk gathering with some new friends. It was a beautiful winter morning here in southeast NC and the temperature was a comfortable 50 degrees with the sun shining. Obviously our purpose was to get folks and pooches together. But, also, we wanted to help some folks and offer them an opportunity to get their dogs around other dogs for socialization and to offer some tips on handling and safely socializing their dogs. We had a great group of people and dogs. It was apparent that some of the dogs were anxious to be around other animals. So, we started off by offering some guidelines and, for lack of a better word, rules for how the walk would progress. As we began walking, I was able to handle some of the dogs and offer some tips to the handlers. Everyone, dogs included, was very receptive and I appreciated their open mindedness and willingness to want better for their dogs. Some were owners and few others were there with their foster/rescue dogs. As these pack walks have a way of doing, all the dogs (and people) relaxed by the minute and really settled into this social gathering. There were some uneasy moments and some of the dogs displayed some erratic postures, etc. But, as we walked and talked and settled in, so did the dogs. We didn't walk fast. We walked relaxed. We took decision making out of our dogs' hands and took the responsibility of decision making on our own shoulders. I'll talk more about this topic in a future blog post as making decisions for our dogs is one the best things we can do for them. Anyway, the pack walk took on the life it was meant to take on, as is the purpose. I even had the opportunity to walk a couple of dogs with my helper, Deuce - two dogs that didn't have too much opportunity to be around other dogs - this always makes me happy.. By the time we were done, we gathered in the middle of a nearby field and got into a circle so we can all share our thoughts and so I could answer any questions. And, during these last moments we saw our goals manifested right in front of us. With the exception of one rambunctious, but friendly, puppy, all the dogs were sitting or laying down; all relaxed and happy. The energy of the pack was completely different, and better, than when we started. Our purpose was accomplished. Afterwards, we gathered by our cars and chatted some more. We also were then better able to allow our dogs to interact more intimately now that they had become socially familiar with each other. With the exception of one little "verbal" argument over water, all the dogs did very well in close proximity to each other and the day was a huge success. We look forward to our next pack walk and both Diana and I left feeling very grateful for having met some new friends, both human and dog alike. We can't wait for the next one. We hope more people come out... heck it's free, why not! Here are some pics from our day... Well, it's been quite a while since I wrote my last post. It's been a whirlwind, crazy, hectic time. But, as promised, I am getting back to blogging. So much has gone on the past 8 months. So, I will just offer some brief highlights and updates on things that have been going on. And, my commitment to you is to offer new blogs every week from dog training and natural pet care, to animal rescue to things more spiritual in nature. Basically, I want to share more of myself and my thoughts with everyone. Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I believe our individual personal experiences in life occur so that we can be of more service to others. That's going to be one of my goals in my new blogging here at JeffColtenback.com. Here's some bullets about my past 8 months..
Anyway, this is a brief recap of some of the things that have been going on. Stay tuned as I amp up my presence here at JeffColtenback.com in order to provide you with more of everything!! Thanks for stopping by!! Peace... - Jeff Coltenback I'll get right to the point; I never heard of Rockport, MA. So, how the heck did I end up in this quaint, little, historic fishing town? This quiet little town is famous in the art community worldwide for "Motif #1" - http://www.rockportusa.com/motifone/motif_named.html - The funny thing is that I never heard of Rockport, MA. But, an old spiritual adage came to fruition once again in my life. I had been helping a rescue associate with a dog they were fostering. We met a bunch of times. Money was an issue and resources were limited (we rescue folks can certainly understand that). So, I was working with them "pro bono", if you will. I try to help out every chance I get, especially when it comes to the animals. When I started working with the dog and foster i had no idea the gift that was coming to me. To make a long story short, after working with the dog for a while the foster felt like she needed to repay me somehow. And, she offered my wife and I a week at her home-away-from-home; in Rockport, MA. I was floored by her generosity. I accepted. It didn't matter to me where Rockport was because my wife and I really needed to get away. And, off to Rockport we go! We packed, hopped in the car and go the hell out of New Jersey. We take a lot of road trips. We've driven up and down the east coast. We've driven to the mid west. We even took a road trip cross-country once time for 18 days to Arizona, Cali and back. I've driven in many, many states across the US. I always said; if you can drive in NJ you can drive anywhere. We are freaking nuts in NJ when you put a steering wheel in our hands. This was my belief...until... I entered Massachusetts - lol. In all my road trips, in all my years driving, I never recall seeing as many accidents and fender benders as I did on Massachusetts highway. Maybe it was just a bad day in MA. But, it was quite peculiar. The 4 hour trip took us about 6 and half hours in all. Once we got closer to our destination, my entire demeanor changed. The stress seemed to fly out the window. The window was opened just a tad when I got a whiff of the fresh, ocean air. I love the smell of the ocean. It always brings me back to my childhood when we spent our summers in Keansburg, NJ. The smell of the ocean is just soothing. Here's the weird thing though. As I got that first whiff I realized that I am around dogs way too much. Here's how: I lowered the window even more and stuck my head out and took a deep breath in - lol. I seriously felt like a beagle sticking its head out the window and taking in all the scents - LMAO. I wonder if passersby witnessed this and then looked at my Jersey plates and wondered - LOL. Anyway, we reached our destination - a cute, little house on a dead end street just walking distance from the beach and harbor. My wife and I needed to get away from the hustle and bustle of rescue life, and everything else that consumes us. it's always nice to get away. I had no expectations of this little trip of ours. I was just grateful to get away. We didn't plan anything and just took it day by day. I did want to do some writing. But, I never got to it. What we really needed was some rest. I was ok with that. I need to learn to slow down and do nothing sometimes. This is exactly what I needed. What I am most grateful for is the seed that was planted before I left. My friend, Jaime, told me (more than a few times - lol); Meditate, Jeff. Meditate. I've been meditating for almost 20 years now, on and off. But, I hadn't done so in quite sometime. That seed my friend planted blossomed the very first morning. Just sitting on a rock formation overlooking the ocean is peaceful enough. But, getting back to my inner self was much needed. I meditated every day. My wife and I even went to a mediation class one night as well. We ate, we shopped, we took in the sights and scenery. And, yes, we couldn't stay away from the animals altogether. We also visited a local shelter to see some of the dogs and cats. We visited Cape Ann Animal Aid. The staff was extremely friendly and the animals were all happy and very well taken care of. It's a beautiful facility. Anyone looking for a pet in that area, should definitely stop by this great shelter! As i write this, we are getting ready to leave and go back home - possibly even leave a day early, but not sure yet. Not having dogs and animals to take care of is definitely a nice change of pace. But, we miss our pets so much. Our pets and our foster dogs are so much a part of our lives. Animals are our life. We can't wait to go home and be with them. Going home a day early will also gives us time to decompress and ease our way back into our daily routine. We'll take a day to be with the dogs. We'll straighten up the house. And, then it's back to our daily lives. But, I am hoping this time it will be different from other recent getaways. I am hopeful and committed to continue to mediate and get back to the practice that offers me so much peace and balance. In the type of dog training I perform, balance is so crucial to the success I have in working with problem dogs (and problem people - lol). I usually do a good job of managing both. But, I must be honest with myself. Lately I have been presented with some opportunities by people where my patience, tolerance and compassion had been tested like never before. I must admit that, although I have done ok, I feel like I failed miserably a few times and let my emotions get the best of me. Luckily, this little trip helped re-center me. I am still exhausted, physically. But, mentally and spiritually I feel more refreshed than I have in a while. The true test to my spiritual conditioning will come when I get back to my daily responsibilities. Most of my blog entries are pet related. But, I felt compelled to change gears a bit and share some other thoughts. Regardless of what your religious or spiritual beliefs are, taking quiet time for ourselves is crucial to overall health. Reconnecting with nature, in this case the ocean, was paramount to how great I feel this morning. I recommend meditation or some kind of detachment from our daily routine to everyone and anyone. You don't need to be the Dali Lama to meditate. You just need to be willing to be still and quiet and be grateful for whatever is good in your life - especially when it's hard to see all the positives that we do have. The little things we take for granted can sometimes snowball into a very negative state of mind. No matter how challenging life can get, we can always take a few minutes and get quiet and be grateful. Well, thanks for listening. I'll be back soon with a pet related blog post; I promise... It's been three weeks since Amber died. Both my wife and I are getting better every day. But, some mornings are still tough. Coming home from work and not seeing her greet me is still tough. It will continue to get better. It has been a roller coaster of emotions as I am sure you can imagine. The first few days were just heart wrenching. Then we started to recollect about some happier times and trips down memory lane. At the end of each day, however, we are still laying our heads to sleep without our baby girl curled up next to us. I picked up Amber's ashes on the Saturday after she died. When I got home from picking them up I started to do some writing in the hopes that it would help me deal with her loss. As I was writing, it occurred to me that I should write a book about her. So, I did. Daddy's Little Girl will soon be printed and available for sale. However, I did release the PDF version as an e-book for anyone to download. You can buy the downloaded version now for a sale price. Just visit my Purchase Products page here: http://www.jeffcoltenback.com/store/p3/Daddy%27s_Little_Girl.html Here is the cover of the book: 
On March 31, 2014 my wife and I let go of our elder bull, Amber. She was 12 years 3 months old. It's only been three days and the pain is so devastating. Sharing my grief as I go along in the process is helpful to me. Over the next few blog posts, I will be sharing some of my thoughts and feelings as we grieve the loss of our beloved Pit Bull. I appreciate everyone joining me on this sad journey. Please watch Amber's video highlight of her life. |
AuthorJeff Coltenback, Author, Dog Trainer and Behavior Expert; Holistic Pet Care Practitioner Archives
July 2020
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