The Dog Corner
Welcome to the Dog Corner!
Here you will find information about man’s best friend!
On this page you will find:
For centuries, dogs have been playing many different roles in our lives. Because of their commitment, dedication, trustworthiness, and true love, we have not been able to find a better companion or friend than a dog! Their dedication and trustworthiness is so great, that thousands of people around the world put their lives in their paws each and every day! Dogs have earned such a high respect, that like us, thousands of dogs get up every morning, get dressed, and head off to work!
Bonny, my seven year old yellow lab adore, is one of those working dogs! You see, I am a blind individual, and Bonny is my guide dog. When she goes to work, she is my eyes, and in many instances, my life is in her paws! There are thousands of people like me, in that they have a need for some type of working dog because of some type of illness or disability, and without these dogs, our lives would definitely not be the same!
Even though there are thousands of people that choose to use a dog to help them through their everyday walks of life, there are also many great organizations out there around the world that hold the same strong dedication, just like the dedication dogs have for us, to helping dogs and other animals. One of those great organizations that I would like to mention is called Best Friends Animal Society. Here is just a short insert from their web site.
No More Homeless Pets has been a vision 20 years in the making for the founders of Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends is working with you -- and with humane groups all across the country -- to bring about a time when there are No More Homeless Pets.
The sanctuary, at the heart of Southern Utah's Golden Circle of national parks, is home, on any given day, to about 1,500 dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, and other animals. In our home state, Best Friends manages a model No More Homeless Pets campaign with shelters and humane groups statewide to ensure that every healthy dog or cat that's ever born can be guaranteed a loving home. And Best Friends reaches across the nation, helping humane groups, individual people, and entire communities to set up spay/neuter, shelter, foster, and adoption programs in their own neighborhoods, cities, and states. The mission of Best Friends is driven by the simple philosophy that kindness to animals helps build a better world for all of us. And the work of Best Friends is supported entirely through the donations of our members and supporters. Through the generous hearts and hands of people like you, we can ensure that animals who come into the care of Best Friends will never again be alone, hungry, sick, afraid, or in pain. Thank you for being part of this work of love.
To visit their web site, go to Best Friends.org. All of the organizations like this one should be commended on the great work that they do! If you know of another organization like this one that you would like me to put a link to on this page, then feel free to contact me.
As you probably already know, there are hundreds of different breeds of dogs, and each person has there own preference to what kind of dogs they like. If you are looking for information about a breed of dog, or you would just like to see some different breeds of dogs because you are trying to determine which breed you would like to get, then you can try some of the following web sites:
I find that many everyday people don’t know that much about working dogs. Since I am a user, I encourage you to read and learn as much about them as you can find! They are remarkable dogs. They are the elite of all dogs! They all undergo extensive training, some more than others, depending on the job for which they are training. Different working dog schools use different breeds to train, but if you would like to read about and get an idea about what breeds are used in working dogs just go to Working Breeds.net.
There are basically three main types of working dogs:
Heroic, highly trained, and reliable, these dogs work hard to serve their community. Today, even with advanced technological tools, the Police Dog is irreplaceable. Why? Because the dog's nose is thousands to millions of times more sensitive than a human's. And that sense of smell aids police in apprehending criminals, searching for drugs and bombs, even locating the source of arson. Dogs superior hearing, speed, and agility make them a top candidate for police work.
The Police Dog has become an invaluable addition to any police force and its popularity has been on a steady incline since the early 1900s. Advancements in training and the understanding of dogs has served to increase the Police Dog's efficiency over the years.
Police Dogs are trained to work in a variety of potentially dangerous situations. Training includes: obstacle courses to overcome physical and mental challenges on the job, obedience training, and specialized exercises designed to teach the dogs how to focus under heavy distractions like, gunfire, loud noises,
and crowds.
These dogs are trained to track down and apprehend suspects who have fled on foot, usually into wooded areas. When we think of tracking dogs, the Bloodhound generally comes to mind. Although the bloodhound is renowned for its incredible scenting abilities, in actuality, the breed of the dog is less important than the individual dog's motivational drive to work and its ability to track scents. Other breeds commonly used are German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois,
Doberman Pinschers, and Labrador Retrievers. These dogs all have what it takes - an instinctive drive to locate prey and the will to follow a scent on ground or in the air with utter determination.
Tracking dogs are trained to follow the scent of a suspect, and then once located, to apprehend the person by either the "circle and bark" method or the "bite and hold" technique. In either case the handler of the dog should be able to call the dog "off" the suspect automatically.
In the same way that dogs are trained to sniff out narcotics, they are also successfully used to detect explosives. With the recent surge in domestic terrorism, bomb dogs are in high demand. These heroic dogs save lives by quickly searching out buildings, leaving bomb squads with more time to clear explosive devices.
Drug traffickers are finding increasingly sophisticated ways of hiding drugs for transport. The scenting ability of the Police Drug Dog often provides the only hope of locating illegal narcotics. Drug Dogs have proven so successful that they now work in many airports, bus stations, border crossings, and sea ports. These dogs are trained to sniff out drugs, then alert authorities by either by scratching at the surface near the source of the smell or sitting down next to the source. Such a signal from a sniffer dog gives police probable cause necessary to search luggage or vehicles.
Fire investigators use Arson Dogs to solve crimes. These dogs sniff out traces of gas or other flammable liquids in arson situations. Arson Dogs are invaluable because they can pinpoint traces of arson more efficiently than any electronic detection device. In fact, their amazing noses can smell traces about the size of a thousandth of a drop!
Military Working Dogs are trained to work in situations similar to that of a Police Dog, but are often more specialized. They have worked throughout history as protectors and detectors, finding mines and tunnels, locating the enemy or lost children, and sniffing out drugs and explosives.
Military Working Dogs are often used to detect potential explosives at large scale events like Olympics, Presidential debates, and economic conferences. These dogs go through extraordinarily rigorous training that prepares them for the most dangerous situation.
Assistance Dogs work to make human lives better. These intelligent and sensitive dogs are trained to aid people with physical, cognitive, or seizure related disabilities. Assistance dogs not only provide a specific service to their handlers, but also instill their lives with a new sense of freedom and independence.
There are different types of Assistance Dogs, each trained for specific needs:
Guide dogs assist blind or visually impaired people. They were the first kind of Assistance dogs in North America, initially developed in Germany after World War II to aid soldiers who were blinded in combat.
Guide dogs are trained, above all, to insure the safety of its handler. They are the handler's "eyes", responsible for avoiding danger by sidestepping obstacles, stopping at curbs and steps, waiting at traffic lights, etc.
Most often these dogs are raised and socialized by volunteer puppy raisers. At about 18 months old, the dog goes to "Guide Dog" school to work intensively with a professional trainer for at least six months. After this, the dog is assigned to a handler, at which point customized training is required. A well-trained Guide Dog learns to respond to their handler's individual needs while at the same time, the handler learns how his dog responds. Through hard work and patience, they become a co dependent team, with an irreversible bond.
Guide Dogs are usually larger breeds like Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, or Bernese Mountain Dogs. These dogs have proven to have the right temperament, intelligence, and work ethic to do this important job with confidence.
Service Dogs most often assist people who are mobility impaired. They offer help in a variety of ways from pulling wheelchairs, turning lights off and on, retrieving items like medicines, opening doors, and even calling 911 in emergency situations.
These dogs are trained individually by professionals for a minimum of one year. Each Service Dog is specifically trained to suit the individual needs of the person they will be assisting.
Renowned for their gentle temperament, sensitivity and eagerness to learn, Labradors and Golden Retrievers are the most popular breeds for this job. However, this is not exclusive, and any dog that displays the correct disposition can ultimately learn to work as a Service Dog.
Some Service Dogs are extremely specialized. One example is Seizure Dogs that are trained to alert their handler when they are about to have a seizure, by "predicting". This ability to "predict" is considered innate in certain dogs and cannot be learned. It is believed that some dogs are able to sense or smell the change in body chemistry that may prelude a seizure. This amazing talent is invaluable because it provides the handler time enough to prepare for their seizure and move to a safe place - ultimately giving them more control and freedom in their lives.
Another type of Seizure Dog is the "Seizure Response" dog, trained to respond to, as opposed to "predict" seizures. These dogs are trained to go and get help, and to aid the person in recovering from the seizure ( bring them gently out of their seizure slowly by licking their face, being a support to help their handler up off the floor etc) - thus making their lives safer and more secure.
Hearing Dogs assist deaf and hearing-impaired people by making them aware of important sounds. They create a safer and easier life for their handler by alerting them to such sounds as the doorbell, the smoke alarm, passing traffic, or alarm clock.
Hearing Dogs are trained professionally for a minimum of three months. They are trained to recognize, then physically alert or lead their handler to the source of the sound. They must be trained in basic obedience skills, focused and non-aggressive.
Most Hearing Dogs are mixed breeds, rescued from animal shelters by training schools. They often wear a blaze orange leash and collar.
Therapy dogs bring comfort, cheer and motivation to people. Working with a variety of people in different situations from nursing homes, to detention facilities, to rehabilitation facilities, the Therapy dog works to lift the spirits of those who are away from home, lonely, and possibly depressed. Health benefits such as lowered blood pressure have also been proven to be a direct result of animal assisted therapy.
Some Therapy dogs simply visit facilities or institutions with their owner, while others actually live at the facility and are handled by a trained member of staff.
Therapy dogs need no specific training other than basic obedience skills. The dog must love people, be well socialized, submissive and even-tempered. They must be certified, and must not shed excessively.
Just one trained search and rescue dog is as effective as ten trained human searchers. Their value is indisputable. Search and Rescue dogs are trained to find missing people and save lives. These truly heroic dogs rely on their powerful scenting ability and physical endurance in their work on search and rescue missions.
Trained to locate lost or missing persons in a specific area. SAR dogs track human scent - microscopic particles that are carried by the wind for considerable distances. Every person has a unique scent, like fingerprints, and SAR dogs are able to discriminate and sniff out an individual person in a highly populated area. All they need is a sample of that person's particular scent.
The Search and Rescue dog works day or night, rain or shine. They are especially effective where human sight is most limited - in the dark, in dense woods, in heavy brush, in disaster debris, and under water.
Rigorous training exercises prepare the SAR dog for future missions where they may have to search for people amidst chaotic conditions, such as after a flood or earthquake. Above all, these dogs are trained to stay focused while trailing a scent in stressful situations. At least one year of training twice a week is needed before a dog can be evaluated and deemed "mission ready".
Search and Rescue dogs can be any breed or mix of dog that has the desire to work. The dog must have an excellent scenting ability and be large and strong enough to handle a very physical job. They must have lots of stamina, a sound temperament, and be able to work well with other dogs and people.
Sporting dogs like the Labrador Retriever or the Golden Retriever are often SAR dogs. Working and Herding breeds like German Shepherds, Bloodhounds, Newfoundlands, Dobermans and Rottweilers are highly motivated "workers", and also make good SAR dogs.
Search and Rescue dogs are trained for a variety of specific situations. Categories of specialized SAR dogs are:
These dogs search out a missing person who has gone lost in the woods. They are given a scent sample of the missing person, and assigned a specific area to cover.
The Water Search dog works to find drowning victims, sniffing out human scent which rises to the surface. Newfoundlands and Labradors, both excellent swimmers, often specialize in Water Search.
These dogs are trained to follow an individual human scent within highly populated areas, blocking out the distractions of the city.
Disaster Search dogs work in emergency situations like earthquakes, floods, explosions, fires, train wrecks, plane crashes, tornadoes and other disasters. This is a dangerous and difficult job - physically and emotionally. It is distressing for the dog, and its handler, to find victims who have died. The handler must be aware to keep the dog's spirits up in these horrific and chaotic circumstances.
This group of SAR Dogs are specially trained to save lives in water and snow, and are most often St.Bernards and Newfoundlands. These breeds are large enough (100 - 150 pounds) to pull and lead humans to safety, or to lie down next to victims and keep them warm while help is on the way.
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