Joel Silverman, host of “Good Dog U” and author of What Color is Your Dog with Foster Joel Silverman can hear a few words about your beloved mutt’s behavior and tell you what color your dog is.

But it’s not what you think.

Silverman, an author, professional animal trainer and the host of the syndicated television show “Good Dog U,” came to Columbia on April 28 to

promote his book What

Color is Your Dog? at Camp Bow Wow’s Taylor Street location, as well as regal the audience with stories about his adventures while working with sea lions to otters to killer whales.

Joel Silverman has worked in many theme parks in Southern California, training killer whales at Sea World; dolphins at Knott's Berry Farm and Magic Mountain; birds, dogs, and cats at Universal Studios; as well as working behind the scenes training animals for various pet food commercials.

At a talk in front of people and their pets at Camp Bow Wow, Silverman said he can hear a few sentences about a dog and assign a color to its likely temperament –blue, green, yellow, orange or red.

Blue dogs are timid and afraid of most everything – loud noises, people, other dogs, and/or traffic. Green dogs may be less apprehensive but are still afraid of many situations. Yellow is mellow – a laid–back, easy–to–train animal. Dogs labeled orange are high–strung, and red dogs are “the ones whose paws are rarely on the floor.”

Silverman stresses a dog can be a combination of colors depending on the situation, but for the most part, owners can base their training methods on the primary color in which its behavior falls.

“The cooler colored dogs need motivation and closeness,” Silverman told the crowd. “The warmer colored dogs need control.”

The key, said Silverman, is to take two weeks to get to know your new dog first, commit to memory his or her traits, and then adapt training methods to work with those strengths and weaknesses.

“New pet owners want to train an animal before a relationship has been created,” Silverman said. “If a dog is hard to train, it’s easy for an owner to return it to a pet shop or shelter. What I’m trying to do is break that cycle.”

Every dog, says Silverman, is different, and that should be celebrated, not quashed.

“We as people have baggage, and so does your dog,” Silverman said. “But if your dog wants to please you, it will be easier to train.”

To demonstrate how receptive a dog can be to training, Silverman brought out his dog Foster, a schnauzer mix that his owner called “the smartest dog I’ve ever had.”

He had Foster, in quick order, sit, lie down, pat the side of his head, back up, stand, and come – all this with the distraction of other dogs in the audience barking and straining to get to Foster.

Christine and Frank Ellington, co–owners of Camp Bow Wow, said Silverman’s appearance was a great benefit to their clients, who often have training questions.

“He has a lot of great information,” Frank Ellington said. “He cares about dogs and people and wants to educate them to be better owners.”

Silverman said he will be back on tour soon to promote his book Take 2: A

Training Book for Rescue

Dogs, and Columbia and Camp Bow Wow, which is located at 1916 Taylor Street, will be one of his stops.

For more information about Silverman, visit www.companionsforlife.net.