Get Your Dog Working

So your dog is brilliant! She breezed through her Dog Training in Your Home program and is ready for her next challenge- and you're ready to give it to her. But where do you find it? There are lots of opportunities right here in Oakland County for you and your dog to stay busy. It is particularly important for working dog breeds and individuals with particularly driven temperaments to stay busy to avoid behavior problems and finding your job a job or hobby is a great way to do that.

Protection Training

Many dogs really need to feel useful to be emotionally healthy and protection training is a great way to give your dog something to do and benefit from it. Protection training sounds dangerous, but it gives your dog a firm groundwork so that he understands that it is not appropriate to be aggressive unless you say so- and the type of aggression is also proscribed. Protection training is not appropriate for unpredictable aggressive dogs, however. Ask your trainer about adding some protection training to your program once you've got the obedience down.

You can further your dog's protection prowess by joining a protection dog club or entering him in Shutzhund trials (these are often limited to German Shepherds) or joining a Shutzhund club.

Is Your Dog a Show Off?

If you have a purebred AKC registered dog who just loves to show off his obedience skills, consider joining the Oakland County Kennel Club which offers opportunities for competing in Obedience, Rally and Junior Showmanship.

Your Dog- An Athlete

If your dog is energetic, obedient and eager to please, he may find his place in one of the many available athletic pursuits for dogs. Athletic pursuits are often a good outlet for dogs who have behavioral issues like hyperactivity and chasing, so even if your dog isn't a perfect angel, consider giving one of these fun canine sports a try.

If you're dog is energetic and eager to please and enjoys jumping and running, agility may be her sport. Agility is a sport not unlike dressage for horses and features dogs, guided by their handlers, running through, over and around various obstacles in timed trials. Canine agility is truly competitive between dog/handler teams and cooperative between the athletes and their handlers. It requires the handler to guide the athlete through the obstacle course using only voice and hand signals. Ask your trainer about agility training and check out the agility events in Michigan that you can get your dog involved in.

Medium to large sized dogs who like to chase and catch may be cut out for disc dog competitions. In disc dog events, dog/handler teams are awarded points for distance, and for style in choreographed events set to music. Ask your trainer about discdog training and check out the Michigan Disc Dog Club for more information about this fun sport for you and your dog.

If your dog likes nothing more than leaping off a dock into the lake for a swim on a hot summer's day, you may want to look into dock jumping. Competitions are judged on style, distance and air and some involve catching balls and other objects in the process. For more information, visit Ultimate Air Dogs or Dock Dogs.

If your dog goes nutty for a tennis ball but will give it up upon request and not guard it, then flyball might be your sport. Flyball is a relay race involving teams of dogs running to the end of an obstacle course in turns, pressing a pad that releases a ball, catching the ball and running back to the handler to drop it. The team with the best time wins. Your trainer can get you started with this fun sport and you can find more information at the Flyball Dogs website to find a team near you!


Doing Good With Your Dog

Does your dog want to be a hero?

Is she well-behaved and calm and enjoys human interaction, she may be a good candidate for Animal Assisted Therapy. These give the elderly or people with illnesses and handicaps the opportunity to interact with animals in a positive way. If this sounds like something you and your dog could get into, contact Dr. Paws Pet Assisted Therapy headquartered out of Farmington Hills.

Is he obedient, athletic, with a high drive and great nose? Check out the National Association of Volunteer Search and Rescue Teams and Michigan Search and Rescue and talk to your trainer about turning your dog into a search and rescue dog to be called upon by police, fire and other emergency personnel in the case of a disaster or emergency when his hard earned skills will come in handy. Even if they never call you, he'll enjoy the practice and so will you!