By AKC GoodDog! Helpline Trainer Elizabeth Sandling A therapy dog can bring much comfort and joy when visiting people in places such as retirement homes, nursing homes, hospitals, schools to help children with special needs, and visiting those who have experienced a stressful or crisis situation. A therapy dog's job is to make people [...]

Some dogs regularly chomp on fingers while taking their treats. Some only do it when they are excited or all revved up.  Either way, taking things gently in the mouth is a learned skill for some dogs, especially when they are excited! If your dog is a regular “Jaws,” he needs to learn that fingers [...]

MACH Snowden's Swiper MXB MJB MFB TQX T2B2 owned by Cindy Snowden of Peoria, IL A friend from the animal shelter texted Cindy a blurry photo of an All American dog stating, “I think I found you a dog you can do some agility with.” When she met him, she knew this was her [...]

The membership of the Atlanta Obedience Club was very honored to present the AKC K-9 Officer Program Certificate to K-9 Officer Tryko of Doraville, Georgia. Tryko was presented the certificate during Atlanta Obedience Club’s Responsible Dog Owners Day event. Atlanta Obedience Club donates to The Pawlice Fund which was set up by a local [...]

Wanna Play a Game? The article is contributed by competitor and trainer Norah C. Strebel of Utah, who describes her play/tug warm-up routine with her agility partner, Cider, an All American Dog. Norah discovered the world of dog sports with the adoption of a flying disc-obsessed mixed-breed dog in 2000. Since then, she has participated [...]

How to tease with a toy/towel Examples of exaggerated animation of the towel as a reward object. If the dog is not enticed or excited about playing with the towel, they will likely ignore it. You must bring it to life and remember "The bunny never jumps in the dog's mouth". DO NOT practice [...]

American Kennel Club Updates on COVID-19 Pandemic Please see the following message from the AKC Board of Directors and AKC Staff: Covid-19: Participating in Dog Sports The American Kennel Club continues to encourage each of its 5,000 clubs to adhere to federal, state and local restrictions pertaining to minimizing the spread of COVID-19.  As states gradually [...]

The one thing I see often as people explore detection with their dogs is the sole use of searching. It is better to think of it in three parts. Olfactory acuity- This involves the mechanical design of the nose, the olfactory epithelium (OE) that odors attach to, the learned behavior of sniffing, and the brain [...]

Remember that you are not preparing for this test. We are looking for natural ability more than trained response. You need an open area that is unfamiliar to the dog. With the 3 month test you need less space than the other tests at 6, 9, and 12 months. You’ll need at least an acre or so of [...]

Here are some guidelines for conducting the test: When submitting a hunt test video it must be continuous and without interruption or editing. Try not to retest in any phase, other than if it is clear the dog was not tracking a thrown towel during Chase Retrieve or Hidden Grass. If you find yourself trying [...]

Learning Objectives Students will locate details about dog body language in texts with partners and in small groups. ELL Level Expanding Materials Needed Optional: Canine Ambassador brings dog to demonstrate different behaviors/body language. Copies of the article “Safety Around Dogs: National Bite Prevention Week” found at https://www.akc.org/canine-partners/safety-around-dogs-national-bite-prevention-week/, or computers [...]

https://youtu.be/bzZLj6dLX-M   Many people ask, why can’t I just throw the ball and create play? The answer is that you can, but it all too often leads to problems. Most people that want to throw for a reward will quickly add many rules to otherwise fun and easy play. The [...]

https://youtu.be/bzZLj6dLX-M   Many people ask, why can’t I just throw the ball and create play? The answer is that you can, but it all too often leads to problems. Most people that want to throw for a reward will quickly add many rules to otherwise fun and easy play. The [...]

Learning Objectives Students will read a folklore and create their own using similar characteristics. Grade Levels 9-10 Common Core Standards CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an [...]

[accordion] [accordion_panel title="Comparing and Contrasting Characters for Grades 1-2"] Comparing and Contrasting Characters in the picture book Because of Bentley and the video Denali the Therapy Dog Learning Objectives Students will compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of two therapy dogs. Grade Levels 1-2 Common Core Standard CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9 Compare and [...]

Although occasionally somewhat willful by nature, Stabyhouns are obedient, gentle, and patient dogs, who are deeply fond of their family, wanting to please their owners. He is both a soft-mouthed retriever and a pointer that is particularly useful for hunting ducks and upland birds. He is a fine retriever, and water work is one of [...]

The Samoyed is a substantial but graceful dog standing anywhere from 19 to a bit over 23 inches at the shoulder. Powerful, tireless, with a thick all-white coat impervious to cold—Sammies are perfectly beautiful but highly functional. Even their most delightful feature, a perpetual smile, has a practical function: The upturned corners of the mouth keep [...]

It looks so innocent. Three sides...a swinging gate....a quiet, empty, beckoning space... and a six foot rope. Why is it then, that sheep often hit an invisible barrier as they approach this inanimate object we call the free-standing pen? Why do they stop, lean back, then shy away and hesitate to enter? Could [...]

Keeping a flock of sheep for stockdog training is an option that many handlers would love to have, but many feel they don't have the facilities or knowledge to maintain a flock of sheep. A little bit of research into this species of animal can take much of the mystery away and open up great [...]

You’ve probably heard the expression “a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human’s mouth" at least once in your life. Is it true?