Contact Information:
The short version:
The long version:
My name is CJ. But that’s not important. My dog’s name is Jasmine. She’s the one you’ll remember. :)
My Favorite Pup Jasmine :)
Email: myfavpupjasmine@aol.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MyFavPupJasmine
The short version:
This blog follows the adventures of a celebrity trick dog named Jasmine, and her owner/ trainer/ treat giver/ chaueffeur named CJ.
Jasmine keeps me busy doing commercials, national TV appearances, photo shoots, and dog therapy at schools and a children's hospital.
Her motto: Live life with enthusiasm.
Jasmine is a total sweetheart. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her. This dog has truly changed my life, and taught me how to live life to the fullest.
The medium version:
The medium version:
CJ Jackson has a popular YouTube channel called “My Favorite Pup
Jasmine”. Her most popular video “45 Cute
Dog Tricks” just reached over a million views.
CJ created the YouTube channel as a way to share her dog’s unique tricks
with family members in Utah, but was shocked when people began sharing her
videos. Because of her dog’s online
popularity, they have performed live on Good Morning America and Animal
Planet’s “Who Let The Dog’s Out?”. And
her dog trick videos have been shown on Anderson Cooper, The Today Show, Kathie
Lee and Hoda, Right This Minute, many local news programs, as well as TV shows
in Japan and England. Jasmine has been
featured in the Huffington Post, People Pets, and Havanese Breed magazine. She has done several modeling jobs for Petsmart, and a commercial
for Mighty Dog. All of this means
nothing to Jasmine, who is still the same sweet dog she’s always been. CJ says “the best thing about owning a canine
celebrity is they never let it go to their head.” Some of her favorite memories involve their
weekly visits as a therapy dog team at a local children's hospital. Jasmine’s
picture still hangs on the wall there today.
CJ and Jasmine currently reside in Gilbert, AZ.
The long version:
My name is CJ. But that’s not important. My dog’s name is Jasmine. She’s the one you’ll remember. :)
We have a unique story. My dog got famous because of social media! Jasmine is a talented trick dog who has been featured on TV numerous times. Jasmine’s trick have been shown both here in the USA and all over the world. (Most recently Japan, England, and later this year in Denmark.) She has performed tricks live on Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper, and 2 seasons of Animal Planet’s “Who Let The Dog Out”. Her total TV resume can be found here: http://myfavoritepup.blogspot.com/p/jasmines-tv-appearances.html The majority of those TV shows were because they saw Jasmine's tricks on YouTube!
JASMINE'S PERSONALITY:
Jasmine is a total sweetheart, and pretty much loves everybody. She's the best dog I've ever had. She's awesome!! She's smart, funny, affectionate, good with kids, good with other animals. She's such a good dog!!
She has such a gentle temperment that I have her certified as a therapy dog.
We go to local childrens' hospitals/schools/and nursing homes on a regular basis to do little trick shows. Jaz doesn’t care if it’s on TV or for the kids in the hospital, she just loves to do her tricks! The kids get a big kick out of it, and Jasmine loves the treats and attention. So it’s a win-win!
JASMINE’S BACKGROUND:
Jasmine is a 7 year old Havanese. I got her when she was a puppy. She was my first dog. (and I was not a professional trainer.) My goal was to teach her to sit, stay, and go potty outside. But she picked it up so fast, that I had to come up with new things to teach her. We learned together. I had no idea when I got this sweet little pup where this would all lead!!
WHAT’S MY DREAM?
I have a dream of getting Jasmine in a TV show or a movie someday. (Because she loves performing so much, and is great with people.) She has an animal talent agent, and has been in several commercials, and product photo shoots. (For Mighty Dog, HawaiiTours.com, Petsmart, Nylabone, Natural Balance, etc.) And she’s been on TV a lot (on talk shows and the news), but it’s still my dream to get her on a regular TV show or movie.
COMPETITION HISTORY:
We did agility for a few years, but recently Jasmine’s traveling schedule for TV got so busy that we had to drop out! We’ve competed in many trick competitions (mostly on TV- Good Morning America’s “Dog Vs. Dog”, “Who Let The Dogs Out” etc.) And also a few times a year in local competitions at pet expo's, etc. I'm a Certified Trick Dog Instructor now and the Team Captain of the Arizona chapter of Kyra Sundance's All-Star Performance Dog Team. http://domorewithyourdog.com/pages/instructors.html
WHAT MAKES MY DOG DIFFERENT?
Jasmine is part of an elite group of YouTube trick dogs. Here's a video of some of her best tricks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTcv9e2aMvc
She has a large following of very loyal friends from all over the world. She currently knows over 100 different unique tricks, and is contastly learning more. Her most popular video “Dog Goes Shopping” has been viewed over 135,000 times. (She pushes the cart around the store, putting in items, then checks out.)
She’s quite the social media dog. In addition to her fans on YouTube, she also has lots of friends on Twitter, Facebook, and her blog.
Because of Jasmine’s online success, I was asked to speak at 2 different pet social media conventions last year. (Talking about “How to Make Your Dog a YouTube RockStar!) People love hearing my story, because I’m just a regular person who now has a very well-known dog because of YouTube!
MY PERSONALITY:
Both Jasmine and I have very dynamic, friendly, out-going personalities. It is well-known through-out the neighborhood that I’m a huge dog lover. I can tell you the name and breed of every dog on my block. But I can’t seem to remember their owner’s names!! (I have trouble remembering names… unless you’re a dog.) So to say that I’m a dog-enthusiast is an understatement.
TRAINING PHILOSOPHIES:
Jasmine has been trained with positive reinforcement (clicker training). She is HIGHLY food motivated. Jasmine loves to practice her tricks (in order to earn good treats!)
Because I was not a professional dog trainer, I experimented with different methods until I found the right one. I read books, and took classes. I tried dominance based classes, but it was in one of those classes that my dog got attacked. (The big dog was being walked on a leash nearby, suddenly it stopped, picked up Jasmine in its jaws, shook her, and threw her. ) Those puncture wounds abscessed many times, and it took months to heal. To this day, Jaz does not like when we go to the vet. That’s when I realized that was not the type of training I wanted to do. I also saw the results of a very little dog practically being electrocuted by an E-collar which was set to high. The “trainer” said it was just a vibration, but from that dog’s pitiful cries, I knew that wasn’t true. (and have since done a lot of research on the subject.)
Which is how I ended up with positive reinforcement training. I took classes and eventually taught classes on clicker training. This just felt right. The dog wants to do the behaviors. You give the dog a chance to learn.
And I feel good telling people that I never force my dog to do any tricks. She does them because she wants to! (or because she wants the good treats!) And she’s eager to learn new things. You can see it in her eyes when she performs her tricks. She just loves it. She has an enthusiasm for life that is contagious.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF BEING A DOG OWNER? It’s more the challenge of being a dog lover… it’s hard for me to see so many dogs being killed in shelters because of over-crowding. I try to work with rescues to help animals find a good home. And many people just abandon their pets because they don’t invest the time in training them. If you’re going to get a dog, do your homework. Make sure you research the breed and find the right one for your family. And don’t get a dog unless you are willing to make the lifetime commitment.
WHAT DO I DO FOR WORK?
I have 2 full time jobs. I work in an office with some awesome co-workers... who are very lenient with trading shifts with me so I can get time off to do things with Jasmine! And I’m Jasmine’s trainer/chauffeur/ treat giver/travel agent.
WHAT DO I DO FOR FUN?
Anything I can bring Jasmine to. Hiking, Camping, Bike rides (Jasmine rides in the basket!), agility, lure-coursing, and volunteering at hospitals/schools/nursing homes. I also like making/editing trick videos and posting them on Jasmine’s YouTube channel.
BEST PART ABOUT BEING A DOG OWNER?
What I’ve learned from my dog. Every time I walk through the front door, Jasmine is there to greet me. She’s super excited I’m home. She makes life fun. She helps me remember to make time to play. She help me live in the moment. She helps me to have new experiences and meet new people. She teaches unconditional love. She teaches me to live life with enthusiasm.
WHAT SETS ME APART?
I’m just an ordinary person… who’s had an extraordinary life because of my favorite pup Jasmine. She’s literally changed my life.
Amazingly impressive!!! Inspiring as well!!
ReplyDeleteYou're doing great things with your dog(s).
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should write a book one day about your experiences with them.
I wish you all the best!
I wish u would do a video on how to train your dog these tricks.. my dogs would love to learn they are fun dogs jasmine was my golden ret name now I have 2 havanese
ReplyDelete