5 Common Service Dog Myths Debunked
When it comes to Service Dogs, there are a lot of myths out there. Many of these Service Dog myths are pretty pervasive, and it’s to the point that lots of people don’t know what’s correct. Without further ado, here are 5 common Service Dog myths debunked.
Service Dogs and Boots and Shoes, Oh My!
“Oh, look, that dog has shoes on!” For many Service and Working Dog handlers, they hear those words at least once an outing. Children in particular are fascinated about dogs in boots, and they’ll often comment for all to hear. There are lots of reasons a Service Dog might wear boots, most of which revolve around the dog’s safety and comfort. Does your Service Dog need boots? Read on to find out!
2015-2016 Guide to Service Dog Travel
While traveling with a Service Dog in the United States is your privilege, navigating airline policies, international laws, TSA regulations, security checkpoints and other commonly-encountered situations can be anything but smooth sailing. Here are some tips, tricks, guidelines and resources to ensure your trip is as stress-free as possible.
Train a Service Dog to Retrieve: Part One
For many Service Dog teams, formal retrieving is one of the most important tasks. Unfortunately, it's also one of the hardest Service Dog tasks to teach. In the professional dog training world, a formal retrieve consists of picking up or taking, holding and carrying any object pointed out to the dog until he's told to release it to the trainer's hand. While it takes patience, time and a good sense of humor, you, too, can learn to teach your Service Dog to retrieve.
Thanksgiving Food and Your Service Dog
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, there’s food, celebrating and fun galore. However, just because you’re able to enjoy something doesn’t mean your Service Dog should. Read on to learn about 10 common Thanksgiving food stuffs your partner shouldn’t have, and 5 fun options you can share instead.
Helping Your Service Dog Generalize Behaviors
We have heard the expression location, location, location as it pertains to real estate, but for those of us familiar with Canine Learning Theory and service dog training, changing location is paramount when it comes to teaching your dog to "generalize" or learn to do a behavior or command in any given situation or environment.
Service Dog Breeds for Those With Allergies
When considering partnering with a Service Dog, there are quite a few factors to consider. One commonly occurring question is allergies. Many believe that their allergies will prevent them from finding happiness and stability in their life through a Service Dog due to some evil hives, swollen glands and itchy eyes. There is good news though! There are many types of hypoallergenic breeds which they could consider.
10 Service Dog Commandments
Few things in life have hard and fast rules and training, working and loving Service Dogs is no exception. However, there are some cardinal rules that should be followed by all teams for the benefit of the entire Service Dog community. We call these the "Service Dog Commandments."
Service Dog Quest: Impulse Control
During the 2014 Service Dog Challenge Week Four, you started reinforcing handler focus. By this point, your partner should offer rock-solid eye contact almost as a default. Now, it's time to engrain that handler focus in all situations and make it a habit. If there's something distracting going on, then self control and impulse control are the only things keeping your partner's attention on you.