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AKC Detection Dog Webinars

 

 

  • 2025 +

    AKC DDTF Webinar Series: Essential Skills All Breeders Should Know – Part Two, May 21, 2025, 7:30pm ET

    You are invited to join the AKC Detection Dog Task Force for our next webinar on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 7:30 PM (ET).

     Dr. Carmen Battaglia, Co-Chairman of the AKC Detection Dog Task Force and author of the newly published book, Training Your Puppy: A Guide to Their Development, is returning for Part Two of his presentation, Essential Skills All Breeders Should Know. In Part One, Dr. Battaglia shared eight vital skills for breeders and introduced a unique way to spot faults and patterns in pedigrees using his “stick dog” coding method.

    We will begin Part Two discussing the importance of Maternal Influence and delve into topics on health and socialization.

    This online event will take place Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 7:30 PM (ET). It will last for approximately 1 hour.

    Special Opportunity: Dr. Battaglia will respond in his presentation to a limited number of pre-submitted questions. Please respond to this email with any questions you would like to pre-submit.

    All webinar attendees will be entered into a raffle to win an autographed copy of Dr. Battaglia’s book. The winner from Part One was Frank Leatherbury, of Alabama!

    Pre-registration is required. Please click here to register: https://akc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RHp9ubtQSvCW8Q9lvoDyYA

    AKC DDTF Webinar: Essential Skills All Breeders Should Know

    May 6, 2025

    Recently, the AKC Detection Dog Task Force (DDTF) hosted the first webinar of a two-part series Dr. Carmen Battaglia, AKC Board Director and DDTF Co-Chair, on the foundations of building an exceptional breeding program.

    In “Essential Skills All Breeders Should Know, Part One”, Dr. Battaglia identified eight skills for successful breeders:

    1. Breed Knowledge
      1. Purpose of the breed
      2. Important dogs in the breed
      3. Dreaded, inheritable diseases
    2. Breed Standard
    3. Method to Select Sires and Dams
    4. Evaluate Pedigrees (depth/breadth)
      1. 3 generation pedigrees (depth)
      2. Littermates (breadth)
    5. Evaluate Litters
      1. Allow litter to grow and develop
    6. Pick Best Puppies
    7. Record System
    8. Manage, Feed and Develop What You Keep
      1. Nutrition
      2. Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS)
      3. Maternal Influence
      4. Better backs
      5. Better elbows
      6. Better feet
      7. Fewer missing testicles
      8. Socialization

    Dr. Battaglia noted that when selecting a sire and dam, it’s crucial to offset their strengths and weaknesses. Evaluating them for correct and balancing structure is one of the first – and most important—steps in making breeding decisions. He explored the seven traits described in breed standards that identify physical characteristics that give a dog its unique shape, movement and overall appearance and enable it to perform the job it is intended to do. He also introduced attendees to a unique coding strategy to identify faults/disorders, including his “stick dog” pedigrees, to highlight trends and patterns in a dog’s pedigree.

    When evaluating a litter and individual puppies it is important to remember that a puppy’s brain isn’t fully developed until around 14 weeks of age, he said. “Testing puppies before they are 14 weeks old is high risk”.

    The information provided in this webinar focused on detection dogs but is relevant and beneficial to all dog breeders and enthusiasts who seek to produce and raise working dogs that can perform at high levels while maintaining pleasant demeanors and structural soundness.

    Dr. Battaglia will continue with part two of this program on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 7:30pm ET.  Click here to register.

    All webinar attendees were entered in a raffle to win an autographed copy of Dr. Battaglia’s latest publication, Training Your Puppy: A Guide to Their Development. The winner is Frank Leatherbury, of Alabama! Mr. Leatherbury, look for special mail coming your way!

    To learn more about Dr. Battaglia’s tools “Stick Dog & Symbol pedigrees” click here: https://www.breedingbetterdogs.com/

    To view the webinar in its entirety, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIRrTcmrr88

     

    Nicholas King Presents ‘Selection & Development of Working Canines’ Webinar

    January 10, 2025

    The AKC Detection Dog Task Force (DDTF) welcomed industry expert and Patriotic Puppy Program Mentor, Nicholas King, of Von Der King Kennels and Training (VDK) for its latest educational webinar, “Selection & Development of Working Canines”. King delved into a wide variety of topics including cost analysis, building your individual skill set, selection of puppies/dogs and development of a breeding program and business.

    Cost analysis plays an important role in the framework and decision making of your breeding program. He ran through a variety of scenarios for developing breeding programs and a business, including how to analyze and make smart decisions. For example, should you consider opening an LLC?  When is it best to breed versus when is it better to buy a puppy?

    He reminded participants about the value of well-thought-out decisions when creating a budget to keep monthly and overall costs to a minimum. Considerations should include food, health preventatives, vaccinations and radiographs. Know when to cut your losses. Thoughtful choices will leave you with a larger profit margin.

    How to start building a skillset. Consider attending industry seminars, conferences, webinars and virtual meetings. Finding a mentor or professional in the field can offer new opportunities and introductions to other subject matter experts. AKC offers at no additional charge the AKC Confident Puppy course , which leverages broad expertise from the DDTF and the Patriotic Puppy Program to help dog owners and enthusiasts raise resilient, well-socialized  and confident dogs. The course provides a collection of educational resources for individual breeders, trainers, and puppy raisers.

    Nature v. Nurture: Genetics do matter! Utilize great genetics in combination with good training and development to increase your success. Develop individualized criteria for selection for breeding and/or buying. Considerations should include environmental testing, toy drive, and hunt/self-discovery. Nurture is crucial to the development of the selected genetic package. Genetics and training complement each other; genetic capability will not be reached without proper training and development.

    View this link to watch the webinar in its entirety.

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