dig by dog

Boxers: A well-bred boxer is a wonderful family dog. They have a coat easy to care for, are not too large, and tend to be well behaved with children. The boxer is an easy breed to train. Although generally friendly, it commands respect because of its size and square face. This is a very jumpy breed of dog, so if you choose the boxer be prepared. The naturally active boxer needs quite a bit of exercise in order to maintain a relaxed demeanor.

Bullmastiff: Bullmastiffs are just plain nice, easily cared for, slow-going, beautiful dogs. Most examples are tight lipped, so the saliva is not all over the place, as is true with other mastiff dogs. Trainers have never had reservations in recommending the bullmastiff to any family that had the space to house them properly.

Doberman Pinscher: The Doberman is a dog that has suffered from an unearned reputation of aggression. The fact is that they are almost everything but. Dobermans train as if there were some genetic predisposition toward the training itself. They are extremely sensitive and at the same time more defensive than the German shepherd dog. They have a very warm and responsive character. They always seem to have their heads somewhere on your body, or at least one part of their anatomy is touching you.

Giant Schnauzer: The giant schnauzer is a large, very classy, and elegant breed of dog that carries itself proudly in conformation and character. The giant schnauzer needs grooming to maintain the coat type, They are a bit stubborn yet are very bright and train well with consistent handling.

The male can appear a little sharp at times, showing his readiness to react to any adverse situation. Trainers who have trained this breed in obedience has found them to be quite responsive to consistent training. This breed may possess enough initiative to run a household. Although they are nice, they are best housed by experienced enthusiasts of giant schnauzers.

Great Dane: There are many problems that life has to offer the poor Great Dane, both physical and behavioral. The sheer size of this breed brings with it orthopedic and systemic medical trouble. When there is an aggression problem in the Great Dane it is further complicated by the dog's size. Obviously, if you are bitten by a dog of this size you are likely to have severe injuries.

Many trainers have very successfully trained many Great Danes and they are a pleasure to work with. Not a breed for the first-time owner; this is a prince of breeds when the genetics are correct and the dog is in the hands of a capable owner.

Hi Mia,
This is clearly not an announcement for you. Instead, it is an internet broadcast that the first Working Dog Alliance Australia Conference is almost here, Nov. 4-5 in Sydney!


You and many others have put months into this initiative, and tomorrow (or your today!) people involved in every aspect of working dogs will come together to share ideas, network and learn! Attendees to include working dog breeders, trainers, handlers, veterinarians, facility managers, research scientists, advocacy groups and government representatives.

I want to make sure everyone knows what’s happening, and how they can follow along!

Conference dates: November 4-5, 2013 Australia time ;)

Conference Twitter Hashtag:  #workdogs13  
Twitter hashtags are awesome because anyone can follow along with the conference, even if you aren’t on twitter! Hear that, mom? ;) 

Conference Program: Click here  

If I didn’t have to go watch the New York City Marathon I would profile each of the excellent conference speakers, but I have to go watch people mash their feet up, I mean, do an awesome job running so many miles!!  

Heres a taste of what people can expect from the keynote speakers at the inaugural Working Dog Alliance Australia Conference: 

KEYNOTE
Welfare of working dogs and its impact on performance: research so far
Nicola Rooney, University of Bristol, UK

Rooney has a PhD in dog behavior (I’ve read her work on play behavior many times) and for the past 14 years she has headed a team studying working dogs (see her bio for specific areas they’ve covered). So many factors can affect working dog performance, and welfare -- defined and measured -- can play a huge part. 

(Source: Rooney)

Border Patrol Dogs Need to Sniff: Here in the States, the Penn Vet Working Dog Center also prioritizes welfare in terms of performance. They list dehydration as a common hazard for working dogs. A recent (and ongoing) study with the Sarita Texas checkpoint Border Patrol agents examines the effect of different hydration strategies on dogs working in hot and humid conditions. The Sarita checkpoint averages 95°F in July with around 84% humidity. Eep!

They are examining different hydration strategies like water delivered orally, an electrolyte solution delivered orally and a subcutaneous electrolyte solution. No data released yet on which fluid best impacted parameters like core body temperature, search behavior and activity and looking forward to more! Maybe this will come up at the conference? Penn Vet Study details here.

KEYNOTE
Your dog ain’t so special
Steve White, ProActive K9 & Seattle Police Canine Unit USA
 

White and McConnell Seminar

Excellent title. Steve White covers a lot of ground, from working dogs to companion dogs (he recently gave a seminar with Patricia McConnell in Chicago). Steve is a Military Police Working Dog Handler, has presided over the Seattle Police Canine Unit, and is a consultant for K9 academies around the world. His hands-on work is a big deal. 

Here is Steve in action, combining clicker training and scent work and discussing the 8 rules of Punishment.





Enjoy the conference everyone!

Julie

Civillian Working Trials with Police Dog Laser





UK Police Dog History - Nottinghamshire

Originally this was going to be a post about goals in training but I finally read all of my e-mail from the week and found a nugget of pure gold to share that took top priority.

As a trainer I get different catalogs, magazines and e-newsletters from various sources. My top 3 favorites at the moment are The APDT Chronicle of the Dog, Off Lead & Animal Behavior, and an e-newsletter from Leerburg. As a trainer that has worked with police dogs, knowing about Leerburg is practically a requirement. They also have a ton of knowledge and some awesome stuff. Not to mention I have a huge soft spot and great respect for all working dogs. I just love to watch dogs doing what they were bred to do. This is also one reason I love tracking so much, it is using a dogs natural ability to do something they enjoy.

I was reading their newsletter and came across an article that made me giddy with excitement. (literally giddy I tell you, I may have even made happy sounds while reading it) Prepare yourselves, it is long and very in depth: The Power of Training Dogs with Markers

Since this is how I do the majority of my training, coupled with luring, I am very pleased to see such a well written and FREE article sharing the information. My only major disagreement with the article is his recommendation of using electronic collars for extinguishing self rewarding behaviors. E-collars for obedience training are best left to professionals ONLY if at all in my opinion. Timing is just to critical with them.

It looks like this will be my next DVD purchase for the prison program. I shall probably also add this link to the blog permanently as well.

Speaking of working dogs, I stumbled across a website surfing the other night with some fabulously beautiful photos. It is a doberman site but they also have a rottie and a boxer rescue. Dont forget to check out the blog for more great photos as well. (click though the older posts) Link here: VanLayne

On a sad note it seems the Law Dog program is shutting down. I for one am extremely upset to see it go. It was a fabulous program that gave some great positive PR for pitbulls. There is more information on their homepage.

(The stained glass piece is one a friend made for me of my own akita logo design. Yes, I have very cool friends.)