About Family Disaster Dogs

Click above to preview the Family Disaster Dogs book

The Family Disaster Dogs books,  website and social media give dog owners a way to learn how-to prepare for disasters with pets by offering online posts and lessons that encourage the training of family dogs to assist in disasters and how-to use a dog to find people who may go missing. 

Visitors worldwide browse over 260 blog posts of dog care and training at familydisasterdogs.com where books, courses and emergency resource lists are available and regularly updated with new content.

Family Disaster Dogs has a huge following of furbaby households and global emergency response teams who frequent the site for information on current natural disaster events, dog training and preparedness for floods, hurricanes, tornados, evacuation and wildfires.

Author, Amber Higgins' work was first published in the 1990's offline newspapers and magazines. She has over thirty years experience in the pet industry and dog breeding. With fifteen years devoted to volunteer K9 Search and Rescue with her Bloodhounds and German Shepherd dogs. The books are available on the Amazon's distributor network in paperback, kindle and audible everywhere. She lives with her wolf and two bloodhounds.

The Books

Family Disaster Dogs

Evacuate with Your Dog's Help (Includes Evacuation Supply List, Pet CPR)

My Puppy Can Find Me children's book

Start Mantrailing Step by Step

A Squirrel Planted an Acorn ( A short story about nature)

Click to visit Amber's author page

3 Great Methods Of Disciplining Your Dog Correctly

Image Pexels-CCO License

No matter how lovely the disposition of our dog is, it’s true to say that they only really behave if we teach them to do so, and show the correct boundaries. This doesn’t mean we need to use aggression or force in order to teach our dogs what not to do - in fact, that can constitute abuse, and even if it didn’t, is painfully ineffective a technique to start with.

Dogs learn through repetition and reward, and also routine. They learn in seeing the boundaries they must not cross, and slowly developing a sense of obedience to you as an owner, provided you cultivate that authority correctly. This is important even in small dogs, which many people tend to neglect because of how seemingly harmless they are - leading to unwarranted aggression whenever pet or attended to. 

What appropriate advice is there for disciplining your dog correctly, especially when bringing a rescue pet home? This is worth planning ahead of time, so you can utilize all of your practices and hire potential training services well in advance. With the following advice, you’ll be more and more able to achieve proper ownership:

See A Worthwhile Trainer

Trainers can help get to the core of the behavioral patterns of your dog, out-training bad habits, and training new and better responses to your commands. Trainers can also allow your dog to learn in proximity to other dogs, which is essential for them to adapt so they don’t feel dismayed or react aggressively when seeing them. A worthwhile trainer can also help your dog learn to become more confident, and more obedient to your commands. It’s a growing process, but it works well.

Keep Consistent In Your Lessons

It’s important to stay consistent in the lessons you give your pet. If they are told not to jump on the sofa one day, but another day you’re happy to allow that, then they get mixed messages, and cannot understand why you’re disciplining them for doing something you have otherwise accepted before. Of course, they don’t rationalize in this way, but they do have trouble adapting to your authority if they don’t have clear guidelines to do so. This is why giving them a clear alternative you point your focus towards, that is your large dog bed properly placed, can make such a big difference and retain that consistent obedience.

Provide Clear Instructions

It’s important to provide clear instructions as to why you are unhappy or happy with your dog, and why that’s the case. For instance, dogs learn new tricks when performing an action, given vocal positive feedback, and a treat. You can also use this technique to show them when you’re not happy, such as using an authoritative tone, no treat, and pointing to the part of the sofa they’ve scratched. Consistent repetition of this can help them learn to gauge your reactions, and they will subconsciously understand how to alternate their behavior given enough time.

With this advice, you’ll be sure to discipline your dog correctly, with care, attention, and diligence. This is how great pets, and great owners as a consequence, are made.

The Sport of Mantrailing Train a Dog to Find People

Welcome to 

The Sport of Mantrailing

Train a Dog to Find People

Hey everyone, 

How about a fun activity and sport to do with your dog?

Have you thought of learning how to find people with a dog? 

Pictured is my dog being rewarded for finding the boy 

Does your dog need a way to use to burn off extra energy or something to do? 

Would you like to give your dog a job to do? 

The sport of Mantrailing may be a perfect match for you.

Mantrailing ...is a search and rescue skill set that is quickly becoming popular with all dogs as a really fantastic sport to be involved in.

You and your dog learn to work together as a team .. to find a "missing person" who is well hidden from you!

Friends and family will be amazed with how fast your dog can find them.

Mantrailing is a great fun rewarding sport where dogs love showing us how well they can use their nose.

Here's my dog Mantrailing to find a hidden person

I have been writing about mantrailing for many years on this site although I have seldom mentioned the actual term of Man Trailing because I was writing to families and the public about training family dogs to find family in disasters, along with other dog skills. 

The dog training lessons in Family Disaster Dogs book train family dogs to find friends and family using Mantrailing skills and the lesson in My Puppy Can Find Me children's book uses the same principle of training a dog to find people.  

I will be posting upcoming training opportunities, workshops and seminars from different organizations and dog clubs that are welcoming the public to train with them.

Follow Family Disaster Dogs on Facebook or come back often to stay updated on events you may want to attend. 

Sign up for updates to this site using the pop up window.

Contact me at contact@familydisasterdogs.com if you want help to train your dog. I train in person, over the phone or internet

The book features actual working search and rescue dogs from North Scotland Response Rescue International and a multi-talented USA Sport Dog Champion, plus dogs I have trained. A share of sales is donated to help RRI North Scotland aid in the search for missing persons.

Click the book to see a preview

The Story Behind the Family Disaster Dogs idea, books, blog and lessons

Interview With Author Amber Higgins on NFREADS.COM

Please introduce yourself and your books!

Hello,

I’m Amber Higgins, the author of three books that tell dog owners how to use the family dog to find missing loved ones and help during disasters. I’ve also self-published a short story called, “A Squirrel Planted an Acorn”.

I always was a writer and dog lover. My work was first published offline in the 1990’s in magazines and newspapers, including a weekly herbal health column that ran two years. I set writing aside for about fifteen years to volunteer with my bloodhounds and German shepherds I raised, trained and placed nationwide for search and rescue work. I’ve worked with pets since 1976 as a professional master groomer, dog trainer and pet business owner until recently semi-retiring to spend more time writing.

What is the story behind your book(s)?

When the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, we were awakened at 3 am by tsunami sirens and evacuation phone calls on the Oregon coast where I was living writing other books. As I was watching the event unfold on television because we lived on a hill and were safe, I looked at my bloodhound Daisy who sat next to me and the idea for the Family Disaster Dog books dawned on me.

All of a sudden I thought of the many ways our dogs can help us! Family dogs can learn how to help their owners like search dogs do! Our own dogs can find us! They do this everyday when they want to play or go outside, our dogs are always wishing to follow us so why not ask them to find people they love who may be lost or trapped after an earthquake or tsunami ? Dogs can carry evacuation bags for young children, seniors and disabled family members who cannot carry the weight themselves!

That night, I began writing the “Family Disaster Dogs” book and lessons tailored to fit any dog’s household and family. Every dog can do something ! One simple skill may save a life. I knew that writing a book and publishing takes time so I started a blog to reach dog owners as I wrote the book. Right away, people online loved the idea!

Today, there are over two hundred Family Disaster Dogs articles online and the site has daily visitors from all over the world. The original Family Disaster Dogs book was published in 2015 by a publisher who went out of business 2016. I added 50 more pages of lessons and self-published the second edition in 2017 along with a small but helpful book called Evacuate with Your Dog’s Help-Survival Bag List.

My children’s book with illustrations by UK dog cartoonist, Scotty King, was recently released by Waldorf Publishing (2019).

What were the best, worst and most surprising things you encountered during the entire process of completing your book(s)?

I was surprised that dogs and owners as far away as Scotland and Australia were learning from what I posted on the blog! This encouraged me to keep the lesson ideas flowing, they were learning valuable skills with their dogs and what to do in emergencies to help themselves and communities. The best thing was that people wanted to know more. The worst experience was my first publisher going out of business a year after publishing the book.

What are your plans for future books?

I have two more children’s books in this genre planned and three other children books in draft I wrote years ago, along with a novel almost completed.

Tell us some quirky facts about yourself

I once lived on a mountain top 4 miles to the nearest electric pole and wrote by the flame of an oil lantern. I wrote my young daughter children books for Christmas on an old royal typewriter under the glow of the oil lamp. One day I will self-publish those books I have carried around in draft for thirty years.

Amazon author page is  https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Higgins/

Twitter is @URdogCanRescueU

Facebook author page is  https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmberHiggins/

Facebook Family Disaster Dogs page is  https://www.facebook.com/familydisasterdogs/

Website https://www.familydisasterdogs.com

Books

Evacuate with Your Dog's Help

My Puppy Can Find Me Publisher Page

https://www.waldorfpublishing.com/collections/2019/products/my-puppy-can-find-me

Teaching Dog Retrieve Object By Name

 Click for Family Disaster Dogs on Amazon.
Get all the lessons, dog bug-out bag list, Pet CPR and more !

Teaching your Family Dog to Go-Get the First Aid Kit

Dog Retrieves Items as Directed

Name that Object!

Once your dog is playing fetch and retrieving it is time to add-on “go-get survival gear” for you in case you can’t reach the gear and other objects by name that you and your family will need.

Service dogs retrieve items for their owners daily, they open doors and find wallets,keys and cell phones. Your family dog can do the same if you teach them the name of the item you want.

During the retrieval lessons you will be teaching your dog to associate the word with the gear and the name of objects.

Start slowly, one item at a time. Start with small items and work up to larger heavier objects. As an example, let’s use a small first aid kit, one that is toy size and easy to hold for your dog. Show this to your dog and tell your dog the name, like, ”Medkit” .

 Keep the name or command simple and short.  First Aid Kit is to long of word.

A soft carry case first aid kit like the one pictured is a good example,too.


Hide the “Medkit” with your dog watching then ask your already trained scenting dog to "find" the “Medkit” by name. Or toss the item as you say “Medkit”, for your dog to fetch and bring back to you.

Praise your dog!

Milo owned by C. Parker

To teach your dog to bring you gear and items by name once your dog is retrieving, you are basically going to be teaching the dog the names of the objects so you can send them to retrieve for you.

Teaching your dog the name of the objects you might need during an emergency or disaster situation can be done during all of the lessons by simply including the name of the object while you’re training.

Some of these Family Disaster Dog lessons are retraining your dog to do things they were taught not to do as puppies and teaching them the name of an object they were previously told to leave alone will take longer then had they never been conditioned to leave the object alone.

For this reason, always say your dog’s name and following the name use the same word to name each object or word you want your dog to learn to retrieve for you.

If you incorporate the name of the object into the training you will be surprised how quickly your dog can learn our words. We often forget to speak to our dogs or give them a chance to show us they know our words.

Always allow your dog time to show you and read your dog like they have to read us in order to work as our teammate.

Which items will you need your dog to get for you? Which words do they have to learn?

Here is a list of items needed to evacuate or bug-out 

Large dogs can learn to get your go-bag or bug-out bag and their own dog backpack and take these items to the front door or a location of your choice. Medium to large dogs can even load items in the car if you open the door and teach them a few commands. Like "get the bag" "take or load bag, first aid kit or their own dog food." You first teach them to "bring it" to you then you walk with the dog to the car saying "load car" and open door so they can jump in. If they drop the bag or item, have the dog come back out of the car and try again. repeat until they get the idea and praise every good move.

Here's a picture of what I put together for a basic dog Bug-out bag to help people get started. Personal items, dog and human food are not included. If you would like me to put one together for you email me via the contact page above.

A.Higgins photo

Large and medium size dogs can move a lot of things into a vehicle or to another location in the event that we have to evacuate or move locations.

A.Higgins photo

Small dog’s can learn to grab small items, like first aid kits, flashlight, maps, your purse or wallet. In an emergency I would consider a wallet very safe if my dog was holding onto it. Here is a nice backpack that carries your small pets and emergency supplies too.






With practice your dog can learn to find the car keys and meet you at the car while you are getting the family to the car to evacuate. It would be great to see your dog waiting with the keys in the car.

Do teach these skills, all you do is plan the lesson on paper, then set up the session where you run through what you want your dog to do, step by step you will show your dog the way you planned them to take, and the items you want them to pick up, and where to go and then ask your dog to lay-stay or sit-stay or teach your dog to return to you.

Repeat the steps again and again on different days using the same commands for your dog to "go get gear" and "load car", take your dog to each gear item say "get gear" then "load car" , take your dog to the car where they deposit the item and you repeat the steps with the next item.

Praise and love at the end for a job well done. Encourage them and help until they get the idea.

Assign each object you want your dog to know a name, always use the same word. Always use your dog’s name first or they might think you are talking to somebody else.

Repeat your lesson plan several times over a couple of week’s time without any changes and your dog will learn what you want.

Only after the first job or mission is mastered do you introduce another plan or job for your dog to learn and do the same as before by repeating the exercise until your dog has mastered the lesson over a couple of weeks.

At other times when your dog is with the object, always get in the habit of speaking with your dog by saying the objects name.

If you are packing the baby's bag- say “ baby's bag”; when you pick up your wallet or handbag show your dog and say "wallet",  if you are getting into the car- say “car”, walking to the back yard-say “yard”, when getting your dog's  water- say ”water” because someday you may need your dog to find water for you.

Just like a human child with time and practice, animals, can learn our language too.

See all the items your need to evacuate with pets and read more in my e-Book 

Get a free preview and please leave a review ! Spread the word to help others know what to do in emergencies.

Now available from Waldorf Publishing and on also my Amazon author page!

(click the book title)
My Puppy Can Find Me picture book so your child is never lost!

with UK dog cartoonist  Helen "Scotty" King illustrations

my Certified Bloodhound Search Dog "Rea Valley's Incredible Sue"

What is Family Disaster Dogs?

Welcome

The Family Disaster Dog book shows you how to train your family dog to rescue you in disasters and emergencies; like floods,earthquakes and tornadoes; how to find a lost family member or friend with your dog and many other skills, along with how to Shelter-in-Place, pack a bug out bag and evacuate.

This is where you will find  

Free Dog Training Lessons Based on

The Family Disaster Dog Book by Amber Higgins
(This book was first published under Tate Publishing 2015-2016 who went out of business and left us all hanging. The book was published again summer 2017 on Amazon from the author ) as a ebook.
Email the author for a signed original hard copy

2018 the children book 

(2021 update no longer available from Waldorf Publishing)

"My Puppy Can Save Me"
with UK cartoonist  "Scotty"  illustrations !

Ask me for a copy!

In the UK and other countries look on Amazon for
 "Family Disaster Dogs" by Amber Higgins
to get your preview and copies! 

Check out the many articles at the links of this page menu and links on the right side of web page.

Note:

Phone users who are viewing this site from a phone may not be able to see the side bar and other parts of this page, due to formatting on phones.

So...This page is best viewed in a web view format which is at the bottom of the page on phones and all devices. You have to Click the web view button on your phone for more articles and lessons. 

Keep Scrolling for more

Wrinkledpups Daisy Mayham

Check out the many pages above in the menu to learn more

Feel free to email me a comment or ask a dog question

and share these sites so others may learn ! 

 

  Based on 40 years of Professional Dog experience 

All Areas of the Pet Industry Consulting
 All Breeds Show & Pet Grooming, Training, Boarding
Pet Salon Business Owner (retired)
Wrinkledpups Bloodhound kennel and Redi K9Services
Breeder (retired)
1997-2006 German Shepherd Tracking Dogs, SAR K9
and AKC Mantrailing Bloodhounds
1980-90's weight pulling and show T.A's APBT 

Why should we prepare for Emergencies and Disasters ?

By preparing for the worst

You learn what to do 

With practice your actions become habits

And turn the worst into steps you walk to survive

Fear is replaced with the knowledge of knowing what to do

Confidence is restored

Especially when you have a partner, you can count on…

Like your dog

Read on Amazon worldwide
or get a hard copy via contact page
ask for the The Family Disaster Dog Book

.

The Family Disaster Dog book shows you how to train your family dog to rescue you in disasters and emergencies; like floods, earthquakes and tornadoes; how to find a lost family member or friend with your dog and many other skills, along with how to Shelter-in-Place, pack a bug out bag and evacuate.

Family Disaster Dogs Go-Bags are dog backpacks full of human and pet survival items to bug-out with when emergencies, disasters or evacuation hit home.

Thanks for passing this info on and stay safe everyone!

If you would like a signed copy.. email me

Feel free to ask a dog training question !

Look for these books of mine:

1. Family Disaster Dogs by Amber Higgins
2. How-to Evacuate with Pets-Dog Bug-out Bag by Amber Higgins
3. A Squirrel Planted an Acorn by Amber Higgins
4. Mantrailing Book coming out in 2021

Start at the book below for a free preview and remember to rate or review !

Summer Dog Training

All is going good here at Family Disaster Dogs...a new puppy coming next week and the Family Disaster Book is almost ready for Publishing !!! Then we begin training meet-ups at the park, everyone is welcomed. 

                                Daisy's resting, getting ready for new puppy training.


Wishing you all a great summer season filled with lots of dog training !

We'll Be Back!

 ( With pictures of puppy in training )

Read Below to Pack your dog's emergency evacuation backpack...and follow the lessons on the lesson page above to teach your family dog how to rescue you.

Housebreaking Tips

Housebreaking Tips

Always keep teamwork in mind instead of punishment when a new dog is brought home.

One thing that makes sense when you are housebreaking a puppy is to take them outside and stay with them to watch for when the business is done so you are there to show them that they have done the right thing in the right spot.

How does the dog know otherwise unless we show them the place we desire them to do this business at?

 How do they know it pleases us if we do not show them?

If you show the puppy how happy you are by petting and praising them, they will love to do that again for you. They will go to that spot and sit waiting for you to be happy.

And, if they puddle inside, unless you catch him in the act there is little you can do because he will only remember that you got mad, and rubbed his nose in something he didn't want his nose in.

The puppy does not think about what it did when you are mad at it but only of your fearful actions and how to react to the fear.

How do you want the puppy to remember you, his beloved owner, as a happy owner, or mad person?

Sure the dog knows they made you mad at that spot inside if you rub their nose there. They do not want to pee there again and will be aware of that spot. Now, they have to find someplace else to do that business.

You'll find puddles all over the house as you continue putting the puppy outside then shutting the door in its face, only to let the pup come in and do it again because you never showed them where they should go do this business to make you happy. You just kick them out which teaches nothing.

Teaching your puppy or older dog where to go to the bathroom only takes a few very happy moments of praise for the dog to desire to please you again which makes going with the pup and petting them a much quicker way to housebreak a dog.

All you do to housebreak and teach a new dog or puppy to go potty outside is give them the opportunity to go outside at the right moment and praise.

Here are the steps I use.

 First, look at your own household schedule and determine how you will get the puppy outside first thing in the morning and as soon as you or another family member arrives home.

The most important thing to remember is that a dog has to go to the bathroom when they first wake up after a long nap and when you get home which wakes them up or allows them the opportunity not to hold on any longer. They have to go if they have been waiting for you all day while you are at work.

You, the owner, must get into the habit of letting the dog outside on your way to the coffee pot in the morning and as soon as you walk in the door. Otherwise, you are not doing your part of allowing the dog the opportunity to relieve itself.

When you let your puppy outside to go potty the first few times go with the puppy and when the puppy potty’s then praise like this is the best thing in the world for you and them. After a few times of this the puppy will start running to the door to get outside for some love after they go potty.

Now it is up to you, the owner, to see when the puppy goes to the door and shows you it’s time to go outside, if you miss this opportunity then the dog is not to blame.  Do not get mad at the dog, just put them outside and clean up the mess because otherwise they will not understand why you are mad. They do not remember or think about what they have done like people do.

Dogs think about the moment and if you make that time enjoyable then you will have a well mannered dog for life.

See all the lessons on the lesson page above or get the books to read on your devices