Dogs With a Job.: Guardians of the Gateway - Airport Security Dogs

Dogs With a Job.: Guardians of the Gateway - Airport Security Dogs

Guardians of the Gateway - Airport Security Dogs

When you think of security at an airport, you might conjure images of uniformed officers, stringent screenings, and those exasperating queues. Yet there's another diligent force working behind the scenes — TSA detection dogs. These remarkable dogs, often German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Labrador Retrievers, Beagles, and Springer Spaniels, play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety of air travel.

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How Many Dog Breeds Exist? Are Some Better for SD Work?

How Many Dog Breeds Exist? Are Some Better for SD Work?

How Many Dog Breeds Exist? Are Some Better for SD Work?

Dogs come in an astonishing variety of breeds, each with its unique characteristics, appearance, and temperament. 

  • The FCI (World Canine Organization) recognizes over 360 officially registered dog breeds, and the American Kennel Club acknowledges around 197 breeds. 

  • These numbers are continually evolving as new breeds are developed and recognized. Some arise from intentional crossbreeding, while others result from natural evolution and adaptation to specific environments.

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Breed Spotlight!! Bichon Frise

Breed Spotlight!!  Bichon Frise

This cheerful and companionable powderpuff comes from the Mediterranean area; bichons traveled widely as companions for sailors, minstrels, and circus groups. Beginning in the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, they found favor with one royal European family after another, from Spain to Italy to France (King Henry III of France reputedly carried his bichon in a basket hanging from his neck)

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Dogs with a Job. Saving Lives in the Snow

Dogs with a Job. Saving Lives in the Snow

The mention of a rescue dog on a mountain might conjure up a St. Bernard, plowing through snow drifts carrying blankets and whiskey. In reality, you are much more likely to run into a German Shepherd, Border Collie, Labrador, or Golden Retriever. These types of dogs - active, hard-working nose detectives - are the partners of choice for avalanche search and rescue teams. Trained to locate human scent in snowbanks, a fully certified “avy dog” can cover 2.5 acres in thirty minutes, an area it would take people four hours to cover.

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Tenacious Tripaws

Tenacious Tripaws

A common reaction when people see a three-legged dog is sympathy (“Poor thing…”), or admiration. (“What a brave pooch!”). Both are understandable. For humans, amputation can involve complex psychological and emotional issues. For dogs? Less so. Dogs have no notion of body image, no mental image of what they are supposed to look like. What they care about falls into two major categories: One, whether they are in pain. Two, whether they can do things they love: go for walks, play with toys, eat yummy food, get belly rubs, snuggle on the couch, etc.

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Healthy Treats for Healthy Dogs

Healthy Treats for Healthy Dogs

Treats are an essential part of canine life—ask any dog. Not only great for every teachable moment and training session, treats can help you build a positive association for your dog towards something new or scary. By definition, treats are delicious and desirable, and treat makers often achieve this with extra fat, salt, and sugar. Here are some rules of thumb to avoid undermining your dog’s healthy diet.

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Safe Food Storage for Dogs

Safe Food Storage for Dogs

As responsible dog owners, it is essential for us to not only provide our furry friends with nutritious meals but also to ensure the proper storage of their food. Safe food storage is crucial to maintain the quality and freshness of dog food, preventing the growth of harmful bacteria that can potentially harm our pets. Here are some tips for safe food storage for dogs:

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The Benefits of Pumpkin

The Benefits of Pumpkin

The benefits of feeding your dog pumpkin.

Feeding your dog pumpkin can offer many health benefits. Although it won’t prevent health problems, it is often used to assist them.

Did you know….

·      Pumpkin is a great source of vitamin A and potassium which is important for a healthy coat, muscles, kidney function and is relatively high in fiber.

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4 Paw Care Tips

4 Paw Care Tips

4 Paw Care Tips

 

With cooler weather among us, you may be ready to enjoy the weather and take your dog out for walks, hikes, and/or a refreshing run, but….. are your dog’s paws ready?

 

Start of slow. Paws need to be in shape, too. If you start a new training program or plan a hiking vacation, be sure to start off slow to give your dog’s paw pads time to grow stronger and more resilient.

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Going back to work? Tips to keep your dog from becoming anxious

Going back to work? Tips to keep your dog from becoming anxious

As families begin to go back to school and work, people may find that their dog that was once able to be home all day alone may struggle and go through a stressful adjustment period. He got used to you being home so much with him and used to the extra attention that having you go back to work/school, just as it may be with you, is going to take a little getting used to again. The stress of having you gone may trigger some not-so-pleasant behaviors such as inappropriate chewing, excessive barking, and excessive scratching. These behaviors could be a sign of separation anxiety or distress when you are at work. To prepare your dog now for the transition, follow these tips:

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Good Manners

Good Manners

Dogs will be dogs. They see things differently then we do. They do things differently then we do. For example, when meeting new people, we typically shake their hand. Dogs however, meet each other by sniffing each other’s rear ends, a manner in which we humans find quite rude and disgusting. It is also not appetizing for us to consume cat feces; however, this is quite a delicacy for some dogs. Due to our species and cultural differences, dogs will always do things that we humans just don’t understand. Many of the problem behaviors that we view as problematic, are not at all an issue for the dog. It is just normal behavior for them. What dogs need to learn is to have good manners and how to live with us in a way that meets both their needs and our needs at the same time.

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