Service Dogs – Dog Training – Training Standards

Service dog training and it training standards are aimed at enhancing the lives of their handlers by performing specific task to assist them in their day to day activities. Trainers teach the service dog and their handlers (new owners) what they need to know to help each other have a comfortable and happy life together.

Typically, assistance dogs are handled by disabled individuals who require assistance whether at home or in places where the handler must require assistance to enable him to function. In most countries, assistance dogs with their handlers are allowed access to recreation and public transportation areas and other places that are usually frequented by the general public.

Basically, assistance dogs come at least four categories. A trained seeing eye dog is useful for the visually impaired and the blind. A hearing impaired dog’s training is aimed at assisting people who are deaf or have weak hearing. There is also a service dog for the physically disabled and for psychological situations. The training for each of these categories is for skills specific to the services that the dogs are to provide.

Service dogs come from breeding programs or rescued from animal shelters and are taken and cared for until the puppy reaches a training age. While it is always advisable for assistance dogs trained by professional trainers, some dog owners, under specific conditions, could also train their dogs.

There are several advantages in training your own service dog. There are disadvantages too. If you can train dogs and want to do it yourself, you will have to meet requirements set by the government agencies although it would still be best to get a program that will help you train your dog. However if you have not trained dogs before it is highly advisable that you talk to a professional trainer first, as training dogs is not easy. There are also training standards that are to be satisfied if your dog is to be an assistance dog in public.

The Minimum Training Standards For Service Dogs

• Service dogs must display the ability to obey 90% of the basic obedience skills and skilled tasks in any environment during the first command.

• Service dogs must have the ability to respond to hand signals like sitting, staying in place, walking and responding to the owners command and walking in a controlled position. The dog must also show good behavior in the home or outside of it.

• Service Dogs must have the ability to learn at least three tasks that are relative to a particular need of the owner.

The Standards For Assistance Dog Handlers

The service dog handler is required of the following:

• That the handler of the service dog must have a good understanding of canine care and health.

• The service dog must be able to perform a minimum of three tasks.

• The service dog handler must have the ability to maintain the training of the dog and must have sufficient knowledge to add new skills to the service dog.

Service dogs and their dog training have training standards. While these training standards are the minimum requirement for most countries, these are by no means the only requirement to meet. Training standards for dogs varies from time to time as new training standards are developed or updates on existing standards passed. This is why it is highly advisable to consult with professional dog trainers and have a dog training program from accredited agencies if a service dog is needed.

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Free To A Good Home: Training The New Dog Owner – Part 4

A yapping dog, guilty of excessive barking, can be a nuisance to everyone in your neighborhood. If this bad habit is not abated, Buddy could become the target of an irate neighbor-turned-poisoner.

You could likewise become the target of a civil suit. If you truly love Buddy, give him just four days of your time with proper schooling. In cases of excessive barking, rarely does it take the full four days for Buddy to “get the message.”

Your investment into a cheap toy water gun can actually be instrumental in saving your dog’s life. Fill it with water and keep it handy. There is a distinct difference in a dog’s bark when he warms off an intruder and when he is simply barking for the sheer joy of it it all.

Some will bark simply because they hear a canine relative barking in the distance, and some will bark simply because they’ve learned that it gets them some attention. If you go to your dog to quiet him down lovingly, you simply compound the problem.

Bringing you on the scene with his bark will have then resulted in a pleasant experience and you can be sure that it will be repeated over and over again. If you rush to your dog and beat him to quiet him down, again you compound the problem. Buddy will quickly learn to keep a safe distance between you and him… but he will still have accomplished his purpose, bringing you out to keep him company.

Here Is What You Do

When your dog is guilty of non-stop barking, put a smile on your face, calmly grab your water gun, and go to Buddy and give him a shot of water directly in between his eyes, accompanied by the verbal command “NO!” and without another word, repeat the performance again.

Remember… one squirt, one verbal command. The key here is consistency. Adopt the attitude that whenever your dog barks he is asking you, in his own language, to come out and give him a squirt.

Within four days, your dog will interpret your actions in his own dog mind: “That dumb clown sure don’t dig dog talk. Everything I bark, he thinks I’m asking to be squirted.”

Within four days Buddy will learn to bark in a whisper. He will have come to the conclusion that you’re not hip to dog talk and rather than continue participation in your silly little game, he’d be much better off to keep his mouth shut.

Keeping in mind that dogs learn by association will go a long way toward helping you bring Buddy into the family fold. Don’t rely on cookies and dog treats as the “rewarding experience.” You can’t break a dog from excessive barking by stuffing his mouth full of goodies.

If discontinuance of a bad habit is desired, the pursuance of that habit by the dog must be accompanied by an unpleasant result. Beating your dog is not the answer, and will only create more problems.

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Free To A Good Home: Training The New Dog Owner
Part 3

The most trouble that people have with new dogs that are kept out in the yard would be the “transplant the shrubbery game”. The cause here is one primarily of boredom. That’s right… sheer boredom. Dogs need toys of their own, just as small children do ot they get into all kinds of trouble.

Buddy’s boredom will get him into trouble too. Buddy needs toys of his own, and these toys should be rotated periodically so that he doesn’t tire of the same toys. You can buy a baby a new fancy rattle, and it’ll keep baby occupied for a while. But he’ll soon tire of it unless you rotate that plaything with other playthings.

If you are content that Buddy has ample and adequate toys, but he continues to get into mischief by digging up your favorite plants, this bad habit can be cured by a similar method used for destructive chewing – the entire plant should be tied to his mouth for about an hour or more for each occurrence, and will become an unpleasant and unpalatable object within the time-frame of four days.

Hole Digging

Hole digging is another matter. The hole should be filled with water and the following procedure carried out with the thought in mind that Buddy wanted to go swimming or would not otherwise have dug the hole.

Buddy should have his head immersed in each instance that he sees fit to dig a hole. This should not be done while you are emotionally upset or appear angry. Rather, your attitude should reflect fun… fun… fun…

After few seconds under water, Buddy is released and allowed to retreat five or ten yards away to shake off. Try to coax Buddy back to the water hole, exhibiting surprise that he doesn’t want to continue the “game.”

When the next hole is dug, come upon the scene with elation that Buddy again wants to “play the game.” Fill the hole with water and find Buddy (who will be hiding if he saw you pour water into the hole.)

Repeat the dunking routine each time a fresh hole is dug. On the fourth day (remember that it takes an average dog four days to learn an average thing) call Buddy to your side, get on your hands and knees and YOU dig a hole!

Before you have a chance to fill your hole with water, Buddy will be gone in a flash, totally unimpressed with the “game” of hole digging you like so well. He will now go out of his way to make sure no further holes appear in the yard, and for good.

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Free To A Good Home: Part 2
Training The New Dog Owner

What makes a dog learn? Why does he do the things he does? Attempting to break the family dog of bad habits can be frustrating without the knowledge that it takes the average dog four days to learn the average thing.

Being unaware of this fact causes many dog owners to feel they’ve got the “dumb mutt”, when actually, they haven’t given Buddy a few hours, let alone four days, of proper schooling. Trying to teach Buddy without the knowledge that dogs learn by associating their actions with a pleasant or unpleasant result, can be equally frustrating. With this knowledge firmly entrenched in our minds, let’s take Buddy, and transform him into a welcome addition to any family.

The most common complaint among most new dog owners is housebreaking or house training. The old idea of rubbing the dog’s nose in it and throwing him out the door just doesn’t seem to meet with the desired success. Naturally not!

Dogs learn by associating their actions with pleasing or displeasing results. If a dog’s action of having an “accident” on the living room carpet results in the displeasing experiences of having his nose rubbed in it and then flung out the door, Buddy will learn in short order that it’s much more pleasing to have his “accidents” in locations where he can’t be seen having them – the bedroom, the kitchen, the closet, and any other out-of-the-way place that you don’t happen to be occupying at the time.

After all, every dog knows that he can’t be punished unless he’s “caught in the act.” The key here is that not only must the dog be chastised and shamed for eliminating indoors, but he must be rewarded with enthusiastic and genuine praise when he accomplishes the act outdoors. This means that you’ll have to accompany him outdoors as often as you can during the necessary four days that it will take to get the point across.

The second most common complaint is destructive chewing. Most dog owners fail to realize that Buddy must be considered a puppy until he reaches maturity at 18 months. This fact may be hard to accept if Buddy happens to be a Saint Bernard. It’s hard to label a 200 pound dog a “puppy” … but if he’s under 18 months, he is just that – a puppy!

Puppies need to chew. They require it just as a baby needs a teething ring. Unless the dog owner provides the chew toys, Buddy will provide his own. The first step in preventing destructive chewing is to provide adequate chews for the dog. Rawhide is fine, and if Buddy has trouble getting it started, run some hot water over it and soften it just a bit. Solid rubber play toys also work wonders.

An Easy Lesson That Works

If adequate chews have been provided, but Buddy still insists upon chewing your son’s favorite baseball glove, go ahead and give Buddy the glove – the whole glove! All at once!

That’s right, stuff it as securely into his mouth as you can, then tie it there so Buddy can’t eject it. Carrying around a mouth full of glove that he can neither swallow nor eject, can turn such destructive chewing into a mighty unpleasing result.

Thirty to forty minutes of having to wear the object in the mouth does more to accomplish your task than any amount of beating. Among other things, such action as beating would cause Buddy to sneak, and do all of his destructive chewing in places where you’re not apt to catch him. The glove in the mouth method will actually give your dog an utter contempt for trying to chew other items.

[tags]free to a good home, training new dog owner, dog, family dog, mutt, dog owners, house training, housebreaking, teething[/tags}

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Raw Meat Instead Of Dog Food

Dogs were born and bred to eat raw meat. The very first dogs were capable predators, and still are today. If your dog was suddenly thrown out into the wild, his hunting and predatory instinct would take over and he would kill his prey and eat their raw meat. That is how dogs were meant to be.

Now most dogs are domesticated. Owners have all but forgotten that their dog or puppy dietary needs do not consist of table scraps and/or canned dog food but of old fashioned raw meat.

Raw meat dog food provides dogs with the essentials they need to maintain optimum health. If your dog consistently ate raw meat dog food rather than over manufactured or cooked food, his digestive and immune system health would increase dramatically. You would also notice such long term changes as better quality coat and skin, clearer eyes, cleaner and fresher smelling teeth, gums and breath, increased energy and vitality and an overall happier disposition.

What a raw-food dog’s diet should consist of. All meat should, obviously, be uncooked, and may include: Eggs (with shell), beef, buffalo, venison, elk, chicken, turkey, emu, ostrich, rabbit, and fish. Small animals, like rabbits and fish, may be fed whole – dogs love it this way. At least 60-80% of your dog’s raw food diet should consist of raw meat.

Vegetables can be combined with meat, and can account for about 20-40% of your dog’s diet. You can include: Broccoli, squash, Romaine lettuce, carrots, cabbage, celery, and asparagus. Watch for any bloating or gas problems that your dog may experience. If he’s looking distended and feels sluggish, start by eliminating the broccoli (that’s usually the culprit). If that doesn’t work start be leaving out others until you find the one/ones that are affecting your dog.

To see this natural dog food recipe and other natrual dog food recipes, visit the Dog Obedience Training Review Blog.

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Hunting Dog Training – Some Things to Consider

Men rely on hunting dogs to retrieve their kills. Without them, the hunter will have to do all the work with no the assurance that they will be bringing something home at the end of the day. To make the work easier, the hunter requires the help of a well–trained hunting dog.

However, not all dog breeds could be adapted to hunting works and only specific trainings that promote hunting capabilities would bring out the best in a hunting dog.

But hunting dogs are not garden varieties that you could have whenever you want. They are trained and trained well for the demands of hunting. And oftentimes, training for the hunting dog breeds is a tedious and extensive process that requires knowledge and patience from the trainer and appropriate attributes from the dog.

What is the right breed?

As said earlier, not all dogs are fit for dog hunting. There are actually dog breeds specializing in this work and have long history of the particular service for men. In short, they are well adapted to the kind of works usually needed in hunting.

A hunting dog which will respond best to training are breeds like retrievers, spaniels and pointers- each of which have capacities that are unique to their breeds. It is up to the trainer to hone their capacities and use them for their right purposes.

In general, hunting dogs have excellent sense of smell for tracking purposes. Also, hunting dogs should be fit for outdoor activities and could easily be conditioned for training. The best candidate for dog training on hunting is a dog that has all of the said characteristics. The most common choices as hunting dogs are Labradors, Beagles, Bloodhounds and Dachshunds.

What dog to get?

One just can’t get a full grown dog and expect him to respond well to training. The best choice is a puppy since it has just started forming its behavior. Also, you need a dog that has affinity to his handler. This would not develop on its own. So you have to personally train your dog or at least train alongside your dog with a professional trainer.

What tasks are usually involved in the training?

There are six basic tasks that a good hunting dog should master. These are as follows:

a) Retrieving
b) Marking
c) Quartering
d) Shaking
e) Following hand signals
f) Steadying

What about gun fire and scent?

There are dogs that are sensitive or scared at hearing gun fires. So it has to get acclimatized through training. Typically, this is accomplished by conditioning the dog through a procedural way of introducing gunfire along with game birds.

This training will let the dog associate gun fire with game. If the gunfire is heard, the dog will know that there is a game. After retrieving the game, the dog will expect the next gunfire.

On the other hand, tracking is based on following the scent. There are as much scent as there are games so be sure to train your dog on a particular scent. If you want him to hunt deer you should get him used to deer scent.

Dog training for hunting is much harder than other forms of dog training. However, if your passion is hunting you would undoubtedly require the services of a well-trained hunting dog.

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With so many people advertising in the field of professional dog training today, trying to determine who’s truly qualified to look after your dog can be overwhelming. What to look for when choosing a professional to help you with dog training :

1) A good reputation, ask around and get recommendations from your vet, other dog owners, or local kennel clubs.

2) Experience – Inquire about their background, i.e. number of years experience.

3) A genuine love of and devotion to dogs.

4) Extensive and up to date knowledge. Dedicated trainers keep themselves updated by attending dog training and animal behavior courses, conferences, seminars and workshops.

5) Their training methodology and handling skills. A good trainers first concern should be the dogs well being.

6) Memberships with reputable associations, organizations and training clubs.

Once you find and choose a professional trainer you will need one or two items and a few tips before you start. Here are some things that you should do and have before you begin with your professional trainer.

General Dog Obedience Tips

Training should be a positive and enjoyable experience for both you and your dog or puppy. If you are not in the right mood for training, don’t even begin.

Always reward your dog for obeying your commands promptly! A reward is anything that your dog wants and is willing to work for. Treats are an obvious reward but other rewards could be verbal praise and toys.

Several shorter sessions are usually better than one long one. Training should not involve any negative components or punishment . There should be no shouting, no hitting or smacking, no chain jerking on choke chains or collars, and absolutely no electric shocking! Each training session should be enjoyable and positive with rewards for jobs well done.

Training With Head Collars

Pulling on the lead is one of the few unpleasant experiences of bringing up a new puppy or dog. Using a head collar for dog training has become very popular over the last few years. Training with a head collar does have some advantages over the traditional training collar. Although very simple to use, it is important that head collars are fitted correctly and your dog properly introduced to the collar. Head collars are generally more intuitive to use than a traditional training collar. Head collars are very effective when controlling dogs in difficult situations.

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As a rule, agility training should start while the pet is still a puppy. However, owners can still facilitate training with older dogs. The question “when is the dog considered old for agility training” is central to choosing when to start training the dog.

Being “old” greatly varies from dog to dog, from the extent of a dog’s experience to the innate and natural tendencies it has. In short, there is no specific age at which the dog should be restrained from training.

However it is always far easier to start training with much younger dogs since their learned behaviors are still not rooted into their habits.

For choosing old dogs for training, the handler should not create the impression that the dog would no longer learn so there’s no need to waste time. The attitude of the dog as much as that of the trainer is both highly essential to faster learning. The more dedicated and patient the owner is the faster the dog learns.

There are several approaches to starting training for agility. A few of which are discussed here briefly:

Physical exercise

The introduction to agility training should start with physical exercises. If the handler has enough interest to dedicate on training the dog, the age will no longer matter for it is the condition that will rule over. Simple exercises like jumping or hopping may agitate the dog and encourage him to move a little bit. For puppies, these exercises are much easier to do since they have enough energy to use.

Let him play around

Like teaching little children, the easiest approach to agility training for younger puppies is to turn the exercises into a series of games. The majority of puppies are capable of passing through tunnels and chutes so take advantage of this chance and introduce the tunnels, obstacles and the training area itself as huge play ground.

This approach will create positive impressions on him which will also prepare him for future training.

Promote his agility

If you don’t have a sufficient area for setting up obstacle courses, it is best to use certain games that also encourage agility. Simple equipment like improvised tunnels or walls could be made to augment training.

Keep it short

Dogs don’t experience passion when it comes to activities but they have the innate desire to please their owners. This means that they don’t get devoted unless they are rewarded for good actions they have made and that you show your favor for their actions. Their attention span is also very limited so they could not continue training for extended hours.

If you want to start training your dog for agility, establish the rule that you should keep each training session and each lesson as short as possible. You don’t have to finish everything in one sitting. You should divide each exercise into sections that the dog could easily understand. Also never end with a negative note. Always ensure that the dog finishes each exercise with praise.

Training your dog for agility does not lie on how old or young he is, it lies in the foundation of responsiveness, independence, drive to work alone and to follow the command, and your desire to work with him with enough patience and knowledge of his capacities.

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Dog lovers who use the Apple iPhone will find some new help for dog owners including dog training, dog health and other great aids to help with your puppies, thanks to some of the new apps that have come out.

In watching for the best information I can get you to help you enjoy your dogs more, I came across a great post by Amy-Mae Elliot on the Mashable Blog entitled 10 Best iPhone Apps for Dog Lovers. This is a great list of really helpful apps from the likes of Cesar Millan, Eukanuba and the like, and shouldn’t be missed!

If you have an iPhone, be sure to check out her post and start using the new technologies for dog training, improved dog health and just plain fun with your dogs today!

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Some people choose a career in dog training simply because it is a popular choice however there are those who are really passionate about canines that their life’s direction has led them towards loving dogs even more.

Do you fall in the category of people who pursue career in dog training just because someone said you are great with dogs and should look into a career with working with dogs. Or have fallen so in love with dogs that you are left with no option but to fall even deeper and must work with them?

Back to basic principles…

Dog training is more than a love for dogs; it also requires knowledge and skills in handling and disciplining them and knowing the basics of their behaviors. Dog trainers usually have long history of experience with dogs and interaction with many dog owners and handlers and their pets.

What is your “dog division”?

There are two types of careers in the dog world- the pet service training and the dog training. Both have relatively high demands in the market but there are a lot more opportunities in pet dog training than service training.

The pet dog training usually involve dogs that function merely as pets and as companions for outdoor activities therefore, the usual training involved are obedience training, agility training, potty training and training to eliminate unwanted behaviors like barking and biting.

Service training, on the other hand, involves specified training on services required by people with disabilities and those undergoing therapy. Another division of service dogs are involved in chasing criminals, drug and bomb sniffing, search and rescue dogs and hunting dogs.

These are highly intensive trainings and require the handler to get sufficient preparation to lead the dog in employing its specialized functions.

Understanding of canine psychology

What do you really know about dogs – their thinking, their behaviors and their reaction to stimulus? Training adheres to conditioning the thinking of the dog to make specific responses. You should also know well the fundamentals of associative conditioning.

What about dog training education?

A dog training career requires that you have basic skills in dog training and handling. There are no degrees in dog training yet for there are no colleges and universities offering such. However, there are dog “academies” or “schools” that could provide basic training. However, the best dog trainers are often self taught and have natural inclination to dog handling.

Some have apprenticed with excellent dog trainers while others simply have the knack in training dogs. There are also a number of dog training organizations that could supplement latest information on dog training.

Comparison of working attitude with people and dogs

Dog training involves training the handlers of the dogs as well. Therefore if you are pursuing a career in this field, it is very important that you have good people skills and that you can tolerate all types of people.

There are impatient owners who expect fast learning from their dogs without taking advices openly while there are those who relatively open to suggestions. You need to cater both types of dog handlers and everyone in between. In short, career in dog training is not only limited to dog training but also an experience of people training as well.

Miscellaneous

Dog training is not limited to “training” alone; there are also certain aspects that you should be knowledgeable of like maintenance of proper dog hygiene, nutrition and grooming.

You should also have good knowledge on dog competitions, accessories and training aids. You should also be able to distinguish different dog breeds and their fundamental differences.

You don’t have to be a guru in dog training to be an excellent trainer; you only have to develop certain skills necessary in handling dogs and their trainers and to have sufficient knowledge on theories and the capacity to put them into practical application.

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