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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 40 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Dog Training and Working Dogs
| A 'seizure alert' dog is trained to respond to a person's seizures and either stay with the person, or go get help. In the USA, some dogs are trained to hit a button on a console to automatically dial what number, by hitting a special button on the phone? | Service Dogs
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911. This dog is also known as a 'response' dog. After 'dialing' 911, and the dog hears the voice over the speaker, it will start barking. The disabled person would have arranged that the system is dog activated, so an emergency team would respond.
| Dogs are often used in therapy...visiting hospitals, care facilities, nursing homes, etc. to cheer up patients. Are 'therapy dogs' considered BY LAW in the US to have the same status as 'service dogs'? | Service Dogs
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No. Service dogs directly assist their owners with daily tasks in some fashion. Therapy dogs are handled by their owners to assist at specific times, such as visits to a facility. Thus laws mandating access for service dogs, who must accompany their owners, do not apply to dogs who need not be with their owners at all times.
| Which sled is ideal for someone with only one or two dogs? | Sled Dogs!
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Kicksled. A kicksled, also known as a spark, is a lightweight, foldable sled that's flexible and great for a small dog team. They're less expensive than competitive racing sleds, and ideal for 1-4 dogs.
1-3 dogs pulling the owner on skis. Skijoring is an increasingly popular sport that can be great fun for both you and your dog. All you need is a pair of cross-country skis, a padded belt, a harness for your dog, and a towline to connect the belt to the harness. It's always recommended that, for your safety, you are already an experienced cross-country skier before trying this.
| What is the minimum equipment required for dogsledding? | Sled Dogs!
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Sled, gangline, harness. All you need to begin mushing is a sled, a harness for the dog, and a gangline to attach the sled to the harness. Typical pricing for these items is generally around $300 for a kicksled and $20-30 for a recreational x-back dog harness.
| What is the minimum age of a dog when you can start training it to pull light weights? | Sled Dogs!
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3 months. It's a good idea to start getting your dog used to wearing a harness when she's still a puppy. You can teach her early on not to chew the harness, and to respond to some commands like hike (go), gee (turn right), haw (turn left), and on by (pass the distracting object without stopping to investigate). Usually harnesses sized for puppies are less expensive than larger harnesses, so buy one that's specially fitted. CAUTION: Only allow your puppy to pull very light weights. This will not only boost their confidence and let them have fun, but it's very important that you don't strain their developing bones by giving them a load that's too heavy. Wait until they're fully grown before increasing the weight.
| In NSW/ACT Australia, what are the families called that care for guide dog pups for the first 12/14 months of their lives? | Guide Dogs in Australia
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Puppy raisers. Puppy raising families are volunteers who are carefully chosen by Guide Dogs NSW/ACT to raise guide dog pups for about 14 months.
Alphabet system. Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Australia uses the alphabet system. This means, that each litter of pups born, is given a letter, and each pup in that litter is given a name starting with that letter.
| What are the main things clients need to be able to show during their assessment before getting a guide dog? | Guide Dogs in Australia
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They can use a long white cane and can independently walk around their local environment. Clients need to be able to show their instructor that they can use a long white cane correctly and safely. They also have to show that they can walk independently around their local environment.
| A guide dog is taught to disobey a command that could put the handler in danger. What is this disobedience called? | Guide Dogs in Australia
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Intelligent disobedience. Intelligent disobedience occurs when a command is given such as “forward” but there is an obstacle in front like a car or hole. In this situation, the dog is taught not to move, until the obstacle has moved, or the handler gives another command such as “find the way” or “when you can”.
when it has its harness on. A guide dog is working when it has a harness on. When it is working, it is important that it is not distracted from its work in any way.
Yes. When being assessed, clients are asked questions such as what breed, sex, size and color dog they would prefer. They also give information like their weight, height, walking speed and daily schedule. All this information is checked and compared with each dog until a match is found.
No. No. Once a bond is clear, dogs will start warning their handler about visitors, but barking is strongly discouraged.
yes. Guide dogs have a strict diet, so they don’t get overweight, and so the client has a good idea about their toileting patterns.
Crufts Dog Show. While many horse shows have dog agility demonstrations and the 'Olympia' is arguably the most prestigious venue for dog agility in England, they're not where dog agility got started.
Crufts is the world's biggest dog show. In 1977 John Varney, a Crufts committee member, was in charge of providing entertainment in the main arena between the conclusion of the obedience competition and the start of the group judging (conformation). On February 10, 1978, the exhibition was a competition between two teams each with 4 sets of handlers and dogs.
show jumping - horses. John Varney had a strong interest in show jumping. His idea was an event with obstacles, a doggy version of show jumping. He asked his friend, dog trainer, working dog competitor and judge, Peter Meanwell to develop obstacles and rules for his idea. Twenty years later Peter Meanwell remarked "I am proud to have been instrumental in starting what has become a world-wide dogging activity enjoyed by dogs and their owners in the thousands, and I'm maybe somewhat self-satisfied that the obstacles, working systems and judging system are virtually unchanged since that first event at Crufts 1978."
A more thorough history of the origins of the sport can be found in "The Agility Dog" by Peter Lewis (1981) or on the web at
http://www.agilitynet.com/history/foundinghistory.html
pole bending - horses. Pole bending requires the horse and rider to weave between six poles forward and back. The fastest time wins. In dog agility there are usually 12 poles and the weaving occurs only in one direction.
the handler falls down. Fortunately dog agility tests the dog's agility, not the handlers. Many runs have been saved when the handler still managed to direct the dog through the remainder of the course after kissing the dirt. The others are universal faults regardless of the particular sanctioning body. Handlers are not allowed to touch an obstacle even accidentally. Taking an obstacle out of sequence is an off-course and is always faulted. What defines taking an obstacle does however vary according to the venue. Some require the dog to touch the obstacle with all four feet before a fault is called while other just touching the obstacle with any part of the body is enough to induce a fault.
Aggression is not tolerated in agility. The incident is written up and the offending dog must be removed from the show grounds. In most venues, a dog does get a second chance. However, second incidents usually result in permanent expulsion.
must be easy. How hard it would be to train dogs for the sport was not a guiding principle. As the sport has grown in popularity, training methods have improved, but the courses have become more challenging. Typically, it takes 1-2 years of training before a dog is ready to compete at the novice level.
The other three were guiding principles of the sport. The yellow safety zones on the contact obstacles are just one example of the efforts to reduce potential hazards to the dog. The principles, being fun and spectator appeal, have been obvious since the first exhibition at Crufts more than 25 years ago.
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