working dogs & certifications
AKC Certifications
We can train your dog to test for any of the American Kennel Club’s Family Dog Program Certifications including:
- AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy
- AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
- AKC Community Canine (CGCA)
- AKC Urban CGC (CGCU)
- AKC Trick Dog
- AKC Therapy Dog
- AKC FIT Dog
- AKC Virtual Home Manners
Our Basic Obedience package teaches all of the tasks required for the first level of CGC title and Puppy Training teaches all of the tasks required for AKC S.T.A.R Puppy. Additional training may be required for other titles.
Coming soon: our team will also be able to administer CGC, CGCA, CGCU and S.T.A.R. Puppy evaluations.
All breeds can be trained to qualify for AKC certifications.
Service Dogs
Dogs that are trained to perform a task for an individual with disabilities directly related to the person’s disability can be considered a Service Dog under the American Disabilities Act (ADA).
Service Dogs are allowed to go anywhere their owner goes as long as they are under the control of their owners, and are housebroken.
We can train your dog to perform tasks such as:
- guiding people who are blind
- pulling a wheelchair
- reminding a person to take medication
- calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack
Service animals are not required to be certified or registered. They are not required to wear a vest, identification tag or harness.
While we can train any breed to perform the tasks of a service dog, the most popular include: Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Poodle, Bernese Mountain Dog, Great Dane, Collie, American Staffordshire Terrier, Pomeranian
therapy dogs
Therapy dogs and their owners work together to improve the lives of others, visiting nursing homes, libraries, assisted living centers, hospices, rehab facilities, schools, shelters and courtrooms.
Therapy dogs must be under control and have basic training. Depending on their training and certification, they can participate in a range of activities:
- Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) – general meet and greets
- Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) and Animal Assisted Psychotherapy (AAP)- assisting practitioners and patients achieve measurable recovery goals
We can prepare you and your animal to test and register as a therapy dog through organizations like Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) , Pet Partners and the Humane Society.
While any breed can be trained to serve as a therapy animal, temperament, size, and energy level are important considerations. Great options typically include: Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Poodle, Newfoundland, Border Collie, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Bichon Fries, Yorkshire Terrier, Corgis, Papillon, Pug, Greyhound, Beagle and Dachshund.
TRACKING
Dogs are uniquely suited for scent tracking:
- While humans posses 5-6 million scenting receptors, dogs have more than 100 million in their nasal cavity
- The area of the canine brain that analyzes odors is 40% larger than the comparable part of the human brain
- Dogs move their nostrils independently, enabling them to determine the direction of an odor
- Dogs have Jacobsen’s organ, a part of their olfactory apparatus designed for chemical communication
We can train your dog in both air scent tracking and ground scent tracking.
Air-scent tracking
Ground-scent tracking
Particularly capable tracking breeds include: Bloodhounds, Basset Hounds, Coonhounds, Beagles, Belgian Malinois, German Shorthaired Pointer, German Shepherd, Saint Bernard.
HUNTING
Basic obedience is the cornerstone of most canine training. But hunting can challenge skills like sit/stay in new and different ways – hunting dogs must expand their knowledge and abilities to:
- adapt to the sound of a gun shot
- learn quartering drills
- acclimate to different terrains
- retrieving and blind retrieving
Different breeds are most effective at different roles:
- Locating quarry – Pointers
- Flushing birds and waterfowl – Spaniels
- Retrieving birds and waterfowl – Retrievers
- Small game – Coonhounds
- Large game – Elkhounds and Bear Dogs
SEARCH AND RESCUE
Start your puppy off on the right paw with our puppy training classes. Our trainers will help you learn either air-scent tracking OR ground-scent tracking.
We can customize the needs of the curriculum to the needs of the organization or owner.
Search and Rescue dogs (SAR) are some of the most rewarding to train.
In so far as breeds are concerned, NOTHING beats the all mighty blood hound. However, there are still some amazing choices to consider if we are talking about a multipurpose companion. All the hounds are great, all the labs are great, and many other working breeds are excellent as well.
Interested in a working dog certification?
Contact Us to discuss any of these working dog packages
WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU
HOURS
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