Thinking about adopting a furry companion? That’s great! Pet rescues and shelters are filled with animals waiting to be adopted and re-homed. Giving a new forever after home to a rescued pet is a big decision. You want to give him a loving home and the best care possible. Pet adoption is lots of fun,…
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), an estimated 78 million dogs are owned as pets in the United States. It is unclear when dogs were first domesticated, but a study published last year claims that, at least in Europe, dogs were tamed 20,000–40,000 years ago. It is likely that humans and dogs…
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT animals and service dogs are two different breeds, so to speak. Much more than loving pets with a purpose, highly trained service dogs spend months learning how to best help their handlers perform major life tasks despite physical or psychiatric challenges. For handlers and service dogs alike, intense commitment to working together leads to life-changing partnerships. SOURCE: https://health.usnews.com/wellness/articles/2016-11-23/how-service-dogs-provide-support
If you have a fearful or anxious dog, you might think competitive dog sports are out of the question. After all, if unfamiliar people, dogs, and/or environments overwhelm your dog, how can you train him to participate, let alone compete, successfully? However, when it comes to agility, the very process of training might be just what your dog needs to help overcome…
It takes a great deal of natural instinct, agility and most importantly temperament to be a search and rescue dog. Not all breeds are right for the job, many are too small or don’t have the right attitude. Search and rescue dogs have to be use to lots of external input (i.e. noises, activity) while…
The summer months can be uncomfortable—even dangerous—for pets and people. It’s difficult enough simply to cope with rising temperatures, let alone thick humidity, but things really get tough in areas that are hit with the double blow of intense heat and storm-caused power outages, sometimes with tragic results. We can help you keep your pets…
Young children with family dogs were 23 percent less likely to have social interaction problems than children whose households do not have a dog, some recent research suggests. The finding comes from an analysis of data from a three-year study of 1,646 households with preschool children ages 2 to 5. Specifically, the researchers found that…
Focus Dog Training wants to pay respect to Police K9 Sultan. Yarmouth Police Department: “One by one they came to say goodbye and scratch his head. The morning was brutally cold in South Portland, Maine, but none of the two dozen police officers, firefighters, and EMT technicians from across the state who gathered around Shane Stephenson’s…
Pay attention to how the trainer communicates with you and answers your questions. How knowledgeable are they about your dog’s breed? How familiar are they with your dog’s problems or your requests? Years on the training field count big. If you came to me when I was in the business for a year, I had…
1. Military Working Dog History Dogs have been involved in armed forces almost as long as people have been. The Romans, Greeks and Egyptians are all recorded to have used the four-legged friends in battle. It is only since World War II that the U.S. military has formally recorded dogs as part of the force…
