Interview with filmmaker Lisa Belcher

I met Lisa Belcher through documentary producer Jill Hargrave. This is from an interview that we did, where she expressed her passion and knowledge of filmmaking.

Can you tell me about your latest film?

My latest film is called House of Abraham. It’s a feature-length psychological thriller/horror film that I directed and produced. It came out in limited theaters last year, and it’s now streaming. We’re also in the process of getting it overseas, and it’s available on DVD and Blu-ray. The story centers on a mysterious cult called the House of Abraham. Abraham is a very charismatic man who invites six people to his home for a weekend to assist them with ending their lives. It’s very dark, but when Dee arrives, played by Natasha Henstridge, we think she’s suicidal. She actually has a secret agenda, so the weekend takes a number of twists and turns. It’s been a long, fun, glorious journey.

I met Lukas Hassel, an actor, writer, and filmmaker, at a film festival years ago. I cast him in one of my short films, Guest of Honor, and he eventually came on as a writer, too. He’s an incredible writer, and we saw eye-to-eye creatively. We acted opposite each other as well. Guest of Honor went through the festival circuit, won a lot of awards, and was an incredible experience. Afterward, Lukas and I said we should work together again and started thinking about what we could do next.

Raising money for independent film is difficult, so we decided to come up with an idea that could be made in one location. A one-room film helps keep the budget down because every time you make a company move, packing up the equipment and moving everything to another location costs money. Horror was a good genre for that kind of project. It’s a genre that has had quite a journey, especially lately, and it doesn’t necessarily require a cast full of big, recognizable names to be successful. We both liked horror, and Lukas came up with the idea for House of Abraham and pitched it to me in January 2022. I thought it was great, and we had a first draft very quickly. I then went off to raise the money while we continued working on the script.

What makes a good story?

That’s a great question, and I have a lot of answers. I’ll speak for myself, because we can all write stories or make films, but ultimately it’s about the person in the audience and how they experience the work, regardless of what the creator intended. For me, a good story is something that makes me think afterward. When I close a book or leave a theater, I want something to stay with me, something that makes me consider my own life, thoughts, and ideas. It should have an effect on me.

I also think the best stories are character-driven. Plot can be interesting, but characters are what really matter, especially characters who are relatable. You can write a serial killer who is relatable, because we all have flaws. I may never have been a serial killer, but perhaps there’s something about that character I can empathize with. Maybe his mother was abusive, or there’s something in his background that helps me understand him. I think a good story really does come down to good characters.

How do you structure a short film, and how long is one?

The way we define a feature versus a short is based on what the Academy says. Anything under 45 minutes is considered a short film. You can make a short that’s 30 seconds long or one that’s 44 and a half minutes. It can be whatever length you want, although when you go through the festival circuit, you realize that shorter is often better because it’s easier for festivals to program.

There’s also a useful rule of thumb when writing a screenplay. You’ve probably seen a screenplay and noticed the particular font, margins, and formatting. The reason for that structure is that one page tends to equal one minute on screen. So, if you have a 12-page script, you’ll most likely end up with a 12-minute short. It isn’t exact, of course. If there’s a lot of action, for example, something that reads very quickly on the page may take longer on screen. But it gives you a rough idea of the length.

How do you write a script effectively?

There are many ways to do it, and every writer has a process. For me, the first thing I do is write what I call a “nutshell.” That comes from a friend of mine, Jill Chamberlin, who wrote a book called The Nutshell Technique. I’m a big fan of her process. I don’t write or direct anything unless I have a nutshell. I don’t like calling it a formula, because it isn’t really that, but it gives you something to guide you.

The nutshell consists of eight points that need to exist in the story. You need to identify the protagonist, even if it’s a buddy story with more than one central character. What is the protagonist’s flaw? What are they going to learn, or fail to learn, during the journey of the story? You should be able to put those ideas on a sticky note, put it on your computer, and use it to remind yourself what the story is about. It helps you stay on track. Otherwise, you can get distracted by an idea that might be funny or interesting but doesn’t actually serve the story. You have to keep asking yourself whether each idea is serving the story.

After the nutshell, I work on a beat sheet or outline. I go through the three acts and roughly write down what happens in each scene and what journey the story takes. The nutshell helps keep that outline focused. Then I write a draft and try to get the story down on paper. After that, I edit, make changes, and have other people read it. Eventually, you submit it to festivals or move on to the next stage. It’s a whole journey.

When you write a script, do you visualize the scenes, or do you concentrate on the words?

I’m very visual. With House of Abraham, Lukas wrote the script, but we collaborated a lot and created it together. Once I was directing it, I had my own vision for the film. But it’s interesting how the place in your mind that you create while writing can stay with you, even though it isn’t a real place.

There’s a saying that you make a film three times: you write one film, you shoot another, and then you edit the last one. Each stage changes the film. You have to be willing to let go of the vision you had while writing. When you get onto the set, you may have imagined something one way, but it simply may not be possible to do it that way. You have to figure out another approach.

If you’re open and have a good creative process, those changes can actually make the film better. Sometimes an actor will do something unexpected, and you’ll think, “Whoa, what if we tried it this way instead?” You can make small changes on set and lean into what’s happening. Time is always tight on a film set because time is money, so you have to be efficient. But if you can allow room for those moments of magic, they can be wonderful. The editing process is also incredible because that’s where you really shape the story.

Is it stressful to manage all the different parts of making a movie?

Yes, it is. There are so many things happening at once. Even big-budget productions have stress because once you get onto a set, you have a limited number of hours to shoot everything. A 12-hour day is ideal, but some productions go for 16 or 17 hours. You’re trying to get all the scenes filmed within that time, so you have to be organized.

There’s a person on set called the assistant director whose job includes figuring out the schedule: which location you’re going to, what the weather will be like the next day, which actors are available on Thursday, and all the other details. I honestly don’t understand how movies ever get made. Putting the entire schedule together is such a complicated process. And once you have a schedule, things inevitably go wrong.

When we were filming House of Abraham, for example, we had underwater housing for the camera equipment that we needed for a pool scene. Something happened with the delivery, and I think the equipment was lost or delayed. One of my producers was trying to figure out what had happened with FedEx and get it sent overnight. You have to adjust when things like that happen. Sometimes you get through a scene faster than expected; other times you have to stop and say, “This isn’t working. I’m not getting what I want.”

As the director, my job is to communicate the vision for the story. That applies to every department, including costumes. I worked with the costume designer on the look for Abraham. I might tell her that I picture him wearing navy, and she might say, “I brought navy, but what if he wore this instead?” I might look at it and say, “Oh, yeah. Great.” That’s collaboration. The same thing happens with hair and makeup, production design, props, the actors, the camera department, and lighting. There are so many people contributing to the final look and feel of the film.

That’s why a film set is so structured. There’s a clear hierarchy because you need to work efficiently and keep things moving. I think the best directors know when to say, “Hold on. We need to shoot that scene again because I need this particular thing,” and when to recognize that they have what they need and can move on. You have to know when to keep working and when to say, “That’s going to work in the edit. Let’s move on.”

La Gracia and I'm barely there with Italian

On the way back from Germany, I watched La Grazia all the way through, then watched certain scenes again. It was in Italian with English subtitles, but I tried to figure out what they were saying in Italian with not much success, of course.

At this point, my Italian is still elementary, and I'm still taking a novice-level class at ItalCultura. To augment the Dieci book that we use in class, I recently started asking AI to create a short story in simple past tense, then add multiple choice comprehension questions at the end. It is very fun to do this! I have done three stories so far, and each one is about visiting a different city in Italy. I don't plan on going to Italy next year, but I will eventually, and I want to be ready to speak it, at least enough to travel with.

I spoke German in Germany, but since I went to Italian restaurants (which were all good), I tried to speak a bit of Italian. One place in Weimar had mostly (or all?) Italian speakers working there, so I ordered in Italian 😀 The guy spoke whatever I spoke to him, so I mixed it up between Italian and German when I asked him questions or made some simple statements. This is why I like to go to places where English is not the default.

But back to La Grazia: the film is visually stunning, and is more of an art film than a plot-driven or conclusive film. The writing seems vague with some thematic exclamations thrown in. I'm not going to get more into detail because it is very difficult to create a visual work of art such as this, and I don't want to put my opinions out there. But I found a review which has a couple of interesting quotes: "acquire a taste for the strange flavour of his work, where the studied weirdness masks the actual weirdness beneath" and "throw realism out the window on an emotional level, substituting an eccentric form of sentimentality that relies on never letting us know how far he’s kidding." Even those words are opaque.

Doughnut or donut?

I'm thinking that the spelling for the delicious treat is going from "doughnut" to "donut" nowadays. Even the Encyclopedia Britannica says, "Also known as: donut" at the top of its really good article about the subject. The basis of the word is "dough" because the fried deliciousness is made of dough, but do people really care about that anymore?

I'm just here to note that the spelling change has been happening for a while and haven't come up with any deep analysis about it, other than it's easier to write "donut" than "doughnut," though I prefer the latter because it seems more accurate. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says, "donut...has become an accepted spelling," and says that Benjamin Franklin and Noah Webster (who wrote his dictionary almost 200 years ago) supported simplified spelling. So I guess they were way ahead of their time, because now "donut" seems to be the go-to word in the 21st century.

Here are some delicious doughnuts I bought at a good bakery on the south side. We also have some great places downtown. Lots of doughnut options in Chicago!

p.s. the e-book version of my debut novel is still at Amazon, and the price for the print version has been reduced: buy at the Eckhartz Press site.

I love this written Spanish

I have been teaching English to Spanish speakers for several years, and while my spoken Spanish isn't good (because I'm focusing on trying to speak French, Japanese, and German, and I need to brush up for my upcoming trip to Germany), my reading has improved.

I've been using Inglés Esencial: Intermediación Básica to show the students grammatical explanations on the document display. Even though it's out of print, it's useful, though the culture notes about the USA are outdated.

Because I often use that book in class, I've had to read a lot of Spanish, and it's helped. Now I understand most of it. What I've noticed about the book's Spanish is it's clear, elegant, and smooth. I love it! I've tried to find other such writing online, but it's difficult. A lot of sites are doing what we do in English: grammatically correct, but more casual and conversational. 

One site that is clear and not difficult to understand is BBC Mundo, and I wanted to translate this article about coffee for this blog. Then I saw that the author is Jim Reed, a British journalist, and the original article was in English. So translating it would be redundantly circular. Still, it's a good way to enjoy the beautiful Spanish language, and to see how the editors of what I'm assuming is a machine translation make it more colloquial and smooth. I'm sure they check for accuracy, because even though we can get the sense of something with the help of AI, it can be wrong and not match what humans actually say and write. I'm all for translation editors!

While writing this post, I found another beautiful Spanish site, FundéuRAE (Fundación del Español Urgente), whose "principal objetivo impulsar el buen uso del español en los medios de comunicación" (to help the media use Spanish well). Gold mine!

p.s. the e-book version of my debut novel is still at Amazon, and the price for the print version has been reduced: buy at the Eckhartz Press site.

Interview with TV news reporter Mike Miletich

I did an interview with reporter Mike Miletich for the Illinois News Broadcasters Association podcast. I'm putting the transcript here because many people don't know what reporters do, and Mike gets into details about covering politics in Springfield, Illinois.

How has your job changed since we last talked?

I’ve spent the past three and a half years at WAND-TV, which is based in Decatur, and I’m still doing the same job as a state Capitol reporter, just with a different station. Previously, I was reporting for multiple stations under one ownership, so I was producing content for several different markets.

One of the things that has made my life much easier is being able to focus on one station. Instead of reporting for five to seven stations and talking to lawmakers in all of those individual markets, I can focus on the people who matter most to our viewers while still reaching people elsewhere in Illinois who follow my work. Producing content for one station is also much easier than what I was doing before.

What was it like producing content for so many different stations?

The actual process of getting into work was basically the same, but I had a communication channel with the assignment managers or assistant news directors at the different stations. I’d tell them what the game plan was for the day, what hearings I was covering and, depending on the time of year, what votes were expected on the House or Senate floor. I’d also let them know when I expected to have content available.

The difficult part is that political reporting doesn’t have a normal schedule. Your day depends on what lawmakers do. There are plenty of times when votes don’t happen until later in the afternoon, and during the end of session there can be very late nights.

How do you manage that unpredictable schedule?

After doing this full time since 2020, I’ve gotten pretty good at having a game plan. During the earlier part of the session, I can plan around morning committee hearings and try to have material ready for the afternoon and evening newscasts. As the session gets closer to the end, there are more votes and more late-breaking developments, so the schedule becomes much more unpredictable.

If I can get several stories turned around before lawmakers even hit the floor, I’m feeling great. Later in the day, I have more flexibility because lawmakers aren’t necessarily on the floor for very long. Toward the end of the session, though, you’re often trying to get content together right up until the evening shows.

How long are your stories?

It depends on the story. A longer piece from the Capitol is usually around a minute and 20 seconds to a minute and 50 seconds. Some state government issues require that additional time because there are a lot of details that need to be explained.

During a session, I may also decide that instead of doing one television package on a single topic, I’m going to provide several shorter stories. I try to get six to eight stories out on a typical day, and that includes web content in addition to what goes on television.

How important has digital journalism become to the job?

It’s extremely important because many viewers aren’t watching television the way they used to. They’re getting their news digitally, through websites, apps and social media. We’re seeing more younger people going directly to news apps, particularly people from post-college age into their 30s.

If we’re sending someone a breaking-news notification and they check the app, that’s an opportunity to reach them where they already are. Social media can also push people toward the website. I think digital and social media have really changed the way people consume news, and if we’re not meeting people where they are, what’s the point of doing our job?

How has your experience as a producer influenced your work as a reporter?

The biggest thing is communication with producers throughout the day. When I was starting out, there were times when reporters were out in the field and you wouldn’t get a response very quickly. Then you might find out that a story wasn’t going to come together or that you needed to change your story at the last minute.

I produced an hour-long show at one point, so I understand what producers need. I try to communicate throughout the day and put my entire Capitol plan into Slack so that producers, reporters and management can see what’s happening. I’ll also tell them when something is subject to change, because under the Capitol Dome, things frequently change.

How do you prepare for everything happening at the Capitol?

Experience helps a lot, but so does being physically present. I tell people who are new to the Capitol that you really can’t function as a political reporter if you aren’t physically in the room for committee hearings or meeting people one-on-one. You can function, but you’re not going at the speed you need to go.

One of the things I do every day is get the House and Senate calendars and go through the bills that are scheduled. I mark the ones I need to follow and compare the current calendar with the previous day’s calendar. That gives me a way to keep track of what’s changing.

That’s particularly important because legislation can change dramatically during the process. A bill that starts out as one proposal can eventually become something completely different. Leadership can decide to hold something and put another proposal into the legislation to move it through the process more quickly. If you aren’t following that bill from January through the end of session, you may not realize what changed until the last minute.

How important is note-taking to your reporting?

I always have a notebook with me, and I take a lot of notes. Even when I’m operating a camera in a committee, I’m also taking notes. Those notes can be a time code for a sound bite I want to use, a point I want to emphasize in a story or something someone said that I want to follow up on.

A lot of it comes down to making sure I have enough information to explain something accurately. I don’t want to think of it as dumbing something down for the viewer. I want to put complicated government issues into common terms that people can understand.

How do you make complicated legislation understandable to viewers?

You have to think about how the issue affects people in their everyday lives. Some of the biggest stories I’ve worked on involve things like affordability, junk fees or grocery store coupons because people immediately understand the problem.

For example, when you’re paying for a hotel, an airline ticket or a meal at a restaurant, you may see additional fees added at the end. That’s something people can relate to immediately. The challenge for a reporter is to explain what the legislation does and why it matters without requiring the viewer to understand all of the legislative terminology.

The same thing happened with legislation involving grocery store coupons. That became a popular story because it was something people could directly relate to. Those are the kinds of stories where you can take a complicated legislative process and connect it to people’s everyday lives.

How important is it to be physically present at the Capitol?

It’s incredibly important. Being there means you’re close to the action, but it also means people know you. You develop relationships with lawmakers, staff members and other people involved in the legislative process.

When a vote is put on the board, for example, the person in the chair may simply read the bill number. If you don’t know what that bill is connected to, you may not realize that it’s something you need to pay attention to. Being there every day and following the legislation makes it much easier to recognize what’s important.

How do you keep track of all the people and relationships involved in a story?

A lot of it comes from simply being present. If I’m walking through the Capitol and see someone, I’ll stop and talk to them, whether it’s an on-camera conversation or something off camera. Over time, people recognize you and know your work.

You also have to know who the sponsors of important bills are. If a sponsor isn’t on the floor, that can tell you something about whether a bill is likely to be called. For major legislation, I’ll sometimes contact people and ask whether they expect to run the bill that day or whether it’s more likely to happen later.

There are also a lot of people behind the scenes. Communication staff, legal staff, state agencies and other organizations can be important sources of information. Those relationships are critical to understanding what’s happening before something becomes public.

How do you maintain relationships while covering people on different sides of an issue?

You have to maintain relationships across the political spectrum. You don’t want to burn bridges. That doesn’t mean you aren’t going to ask difficult questions. It means that you’re trying to maintain professional relationships so that you can continue to get information and responses from people on all sides.

Advocates are also important because they provide the human element of a story. A lawmaker can explain what a bill does, but the question for the viewer is often, “What does this mean for me?” Talking to people who are directly affected can help answer that.

Do you consider yourself a political commentator?

No. I’m very different from people who host political opinion shows. We’re not doing the same thing. We’re there to break down bills so that people understand them as they move through the process.

When something becomes law, that becomes even more important. Viewers need to understand how the law could affect them, their families, their jobs or their communities. My responsibility is to tell the news straight and explain what’s happening so people can decide how they feel about it.

What is it like covering the legislature from the press area?

Television reporters have designated positions in the balcony, where we can see the chamber. I’m able to see the lawmakers and the overall activity on the floor, and we also have access to an additional video feed that can provide another angle when necessary.

Being in the room matters. You’re close to the action and able to see what’s happening as it happens. For a reporter, there’s a real value in being there rather than relying entirely on information after the fact.

How do you handle breaking news while you’re covering the Capitol?

If the Capitol is having a slower day and there’s breaking news elsewhere in Springfield, I can help the rest of the newsroom because I’m physically here.

Breaking news is usually a team effort. You divide up the responsibilities. One person may handle the live component, another works on the television story, someone else handles a deeper explanation, and other people reach out to the people involved for responses.

The key is to get the facts, get the information you need and tell the story accurately. You also have to be willing to work as a team rather than trying to do everything yourself.

What has changed about covering state government in recent years?

One major change is the connection between state and federal government. There really isn’t a story that’s purely Illinois-focused anymore. Decisions made by the federal government can have a significant effect on what happens in Illinois.

That means reporters covering state government have to understand those connections and explain them to viewers. At the same time, state government continues to have a direct impact on issues such as the budget, state agencies, insurance and other things that affect people’s everyday lives.

Why is local and state political reporting still important?

State government decisions eventually affect other levels of government and people’s communities. People should also be paying attention to city councils, county boards and school boards because decisions made at the state level can affect all of them.

Not everyone is going to follow government every day. Some people may only pay attention around an election. The job of a political reporter is to explain what’s happening clearly enough that people can understand what changes are being made and then decide how they feel about them.

What advice would you give to people starting out in television news?

Always strive to do your best work, even when you’re dealing with an uphill battle. Every newsroom has a different environment, and sometimes people leave the industry because of where they are working, the culture, the location or the type of reporting they’re doing.

I would also encourage people to learn as many parts of the job as possible. My experience as a producer taught me a lot about writing and newsroom operations, and those skills have helped me as a reporter.

You should also be willing to ask for opportunities and help the people around you. The skills you learn early in your career stay with you, and eventually you have the opportunity to pass those skills along to the next generation of reporters.

I finished two [simple] books not in English

I should have posted this a while ago, because I accomplished it before my summer French and Italian classes started, and the French class is already done, and the Italian one is almost done. 

First of all, it took me a long time to finish reading Suivez La Piste. I just checked my archives, and I did a post about acquiring the book during the early months of the pandemic. I got sidelined by other stuff, but I committed to finishing it this summer because I needed to finish what I started. I was more focused on the audio version, which is fantastic. The voice actors are really good and the narrator is classic. The book has a lot more content than the audio, and the writing tends to be a bit repetitive, but maybe that's to make sure we are grasping the vocabulary.

What's interesting is that when I started reading the book, it was too difficult for me. That's probably why I didn't finish it sooner; I kept getting tripped up by the grammar and vocabulary. But after taking more French classes and translating it on Twitter/X, my French improved to the point that I didn't have to look up many words. The audio is more succinct and emotive, which gave me more motivation to continue.

The other book I finished is way easier, but was still sort of difficult for me, even though it's just A1 level: Due Amiche e un Album di Fotografie. We started reading it in Italian class, then I finished it on my own. I had to get used to the Italian syntax and had a challenging time doing the grammar and comprehension exercises at the end of each chapter. It was a struggle, but I'm proud that I got through it. Surprisingly, it had some German sentences and words in it because it takes place in South Tyrol, where they also speak German. So I had no problem with that! 

Steve Dale interview: Ask the Dog

I did an interview with Steve Dale, who is a WGN Radio host, pet journalist, and certified animal behavior consultant. His book, Ask the Dog, is about how to approach a dog we don’t know.

Why did you write the book?

Dog-bite numbers are on the rise, and I wanted to do something about that. One thing that, to my knowledge, really hadn’t been addressed in a book was paying attention to what the dog is saying, not what we think the dog is saying.

Dogs are communicating with us all the time. Even the way a dog lies beside you or behaves around you is communication. In our homes, with our own dogs, and outdoors with dogs we don’t know, they’re always telling us things. We often don’t pay attention. We pick up a dog because we want to pet it, or because we feel it’s our right, without noticing that the dog may be telling us, “Not right now.”

From the dog’s perspective, the dog is trying to tell us something. Dogs can’t talk, but they are communicating. Kids especially need to be taught to recognize those signals. If we can do a better job of understanding what dogs are telling us, I suggest dog-bite numbers will decline.

Why is the book called Ask the Dog?

Imagine you’re walking down the street and see a dog you don’t know. What do you do if you want to pet that dog? We’ve been taught that the first thing we should do is ask the person with the dog, “Can I pet your dog?” That’s still appropriate. But we also need to ask the dog.

I tell a story about walking our dog and encountering another dog that was sniffing the grass. The dog’s owner actually encouraged me to pet the dog. But when I looked at the dog, it was pulling toward the other end of the leash and wasn’t making any attempt to interact with me.

I said no. Maybe the dog was hungry and wanted to go home. Maybe it didn’t like interacting with strangers. Maybe it wasn’t feeling well. I don’t know. But the dog was clearly telling me something, and I needed to pay attention.

What is the book about?

The book follows a little girl named Morgan as she walks through a park with her mother. In a city like Chicago, or in any major metropolitan area, you’re likely to encounter lots of dogs—different sizes, colors, shapes and, importantly, different dispositions.

The question is: How do you read what the dog is saying? Sometimes the person may say, “Go ahead and pet my dog,” while the dog is saying, for whatever reason, “Not right now.”

Even with our own dogs, we often don’t recognize that. I know canine signaling and understand what dogs are communicating through their behavior. The book is an attempt to explain that in a way that children can understand.

The book has received some impressive endorsements.

Yes. Although Dr. Jane Goodall never got to see the book, I was told that she was willing to give it a blurb because she knew me and understood the premise.

The American Veterinary Medical Association also gave the book a blurb. To my knowledge, they had never done that before for a book. They have to decide how they draw the line and determine which books they endorse, so I was very honored that they did it for me.

Dr. Patricia McConnell, a revered veterinary behaviorist in Wisconsin, wrote the foreword. It’s only three sentences, but it’s beautiful. And Dr. Marty Becker, who I consider one of the most influential veterinarians in veterinary medicine, also gave me a blurb.

Those endorsements speak well, I hope, of the book and the message in it. I don’t believe this particular idea has really been done before.

What do you hope Ask the Dog accomplishes?

What I want to do is get the word out about the book any way I can, because I believe it can make a difference, particularly for kids. Kids account for a large percentage of dog bites. And even if someone says, “I don’t have a dog, and I don’t care about dogs,” this still affects them.

As dog-bite numbers go up, there are consequences beyond the person who is bitten. There are insurance implications, and dogs could potentially lose some of the freedoms they’ve gained in recent years, such as going to restaurants, baseball games, local stores and other places.

There is also the trauma experienced by the person who is bitten, and the effect on the dog and the human-animal bond. Dogs rarely get up in the morning thinking, “I’m going to bite someone today.” Often, they’re communicating something that we don’t notice. A dog might develop an ear infection, for example, and the family may not recognize that the dog is saying, “Don’t touch me there.”

The dog may not growl. The signaling can be subtle. Then the dog bites, and the human-animal bond is fractured. That doesn’t have to happen. It’s preventable.

What’s one of the biggest misconceptions about approaching a dog?

We’ve all been taught to put out our hand or fist in a dog’s face so the dog can smell us. I don’t understand that. It doesn’t make any sense.

If I see you and you put your fist in my face, that’s kind of rude. And it’s kind of the same for dogs. More importantly, if the dog is predisposed to bite, you’re putting your hand right in front of its face. We don’t need to do that. If you’re standing five feet away from a dog, or four feet or three feet, the dog can smell you. You don’t need to put your fist in its face.

Instead, wait for the dog to come to you. If the dog is coming toward you with its hackles up, growling and snarling, that’s obviously a very different situation. But if the dog comes toward you with its rear end up, its tail going back and forth, or rolls over or leans on you, the dog may be saying, “I want you to pet me.”

Professionals will tell you the same thing: wait for the dog to come to you.

What about hugging dogs?

That’s another problem. Dogs don’t naturally like to be hugged. They may learn to tolerate it, or they may learn that being hugged comes with something they value: attention from us. But they’re not born wanting to be hugged.

People understand what a hug means. It’s something we use to say hello or to comfort somebody. Other primates understand it, too. Dogs aren’t primates. Hugging a dog can be asking for trouble, particularly with a dog you don’t know.

Adults don’t often walk up to an unfamiliar dog and hug it. Kids do it all the time. And that’s another reason this book is important.