Another way dogs serve
They find snails. Another job that perhaps only dogs can do — sniff out plant-destroying snails that threaten agriculture. Here is a short story about the task for two Labradors in the Galapagos. http://ow.ly/M8llT
Earn carting awards for your dog
Carting can be a hugely satisfying activity for handlers and dogs. Here is a description from the American Kennel Club about getting started. The AKC has opened recognition for carting honors to mixed breed dogs. Our carting class is at 2 pm Saturdays. http://ow.ly/M8bwD
New title holders
Congratulate these newly certified therapy dog and handler teams. They passed the certification test of Therapy Dogs International. Some of the dogs add to their names the title of Canine Good Citizen or the Advanced Canine Good Citizen of the American Kennel Club. The examiner was Linda Hayes of St Louis. Join our group. It’s […]
Missouri inmates graduate their 3,000th canine
Last week, Missouri prison inmates graduated the 3,000th dog from a training program in which the prisoners at 19 Missouri institutions provide 8-weeks of training for the shelter dogs to prepare them for adoption. The program is called Puppies for Parole. http://goo.gl/0JEr3J Here is a video that provides the details of a similar program in […]
Mother & baby — Person & dog — same result
There is just something about those puppy dog eyes — Now a study from Japan says there really is inside our brains, and it turns out inside the puppies’ brains, too. Eye contact with your dog can have beneficial impacts for both you and your dog, according to an experiment reported last week in the […]
Empty-nesters fill time with elaborate dog pictures
These North Carolina empty-nesters fill some of their time the children used to occupy with elaborate dog pictures. Here is a display of some of the pictures. The couple tries to take the photos each Wednesday. http://goo.gl/h26icS
Dog’s face says it all
If you’d like an example of a dog’s confident smile, check this one of Maddie taken Saturday, March 28. Maddie is a 10-month-old Lab puppy. She had been working and playing with her new family, Josh and Kim, for a couple of hours when she posed with them for pictures. [Photo by Mary K. Romesburg]
Training — three key concepts
Three key words to guide training. This professional trainer suggests — consistency, patience and fun — as keys to successful training. Those do match nicely the main concept of our training. Read the details in this short blog post at the American Kennel Club site. http://goo.gl/mPLB0R
Joys & heartbreaks of service dog training
Training a service dog. Here is a thoughtful account of spending the first year of a dog’s life in preliminary training as a potential seeing-eye dog and then returning the dog for formal evaluation and training. What’s it like to give up the dog at about 14 months of age? The seeing eye selection and […]
Herding demo by Moss
See this brief video of Moss, the father of our Border Collies, at his farm near Dalguise, Scotland. Moss rounded up the sheep and brought them from a distant corner of the pasture to a gate where we were standing to watch.