Debunking Common Dog Myths: What's Fact and What's Fiction?

 Dogs have long been our faithful companions, yet myths about our canine friends still run around. Some misconceptions can be harmless while others could compromise your pet's health or happiness. In this blog, we will untangle some of these misconceptions by debunking common dog myths:

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A Wagging Tail Always Means a Happy Dog

At first, wagging tails might seem to signify happiness, but that isn't always the case. Dogs use their tails to express a range of emotions through body language. For instance a slow, stiff wag may indicate unease or aggression while fast and high wags could indicate excitement. Or on the other hand a low wag may indicate submission. Always be mindful of their body language in order to understand exactly what your furry pal may be trying to convey.

Dogs See in Black and White

One of the more pernicious myths out there is the notion that dogs are completely colorblind. While it is true they don't see the full range of hues as humans do, their world isn't entirely black-and-white either. Canines tend to see shades of blue and yellow better while reds and greens seem dull and muted compared to what humans experience.Knowing this, consider providing your pup with toys in these colors to keep playtime exciting.

You Can't Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

Although the phrase may be catchy, this statement does no one a favor. All dogs of every age can learn and adapt. While puppies tend to learn new commands more quickly due to their high energy and curiosity levels, older dogs still benefit from patience. Training with positive reinforcement from professionals like All Dogs Unleashed Dog Training in successfully teaching new tricks or routines to them. Its never too late to teach them something new.

Garlic Is Good for Dogs

This myth may have its source in garlic's health benefits for humans. However, this does not carry over to their canine companions. Garlic (and related allium plants like onions) are toxic to dogs and can even lead to anemia by damaging red blood cells. Even small quantities can be toxic so make sure pizza and garlic bread stay away from your furry companion.

Dogs Eat Grass When They're Sick

Perhaps you have witnessed your pup munching away on grass and wondered what's up. While some people might interpret this behavior as an indicator of illness or attempts at self-medication, in reality this could simply be out of boredom, to assist digestion or simply for pleasure. An occasional grass snack usually won't lead to vomiting, but it should remain harmless.

All Dogs Hate Cats

Pop culture portrayals of dogs relentlessly chasing cats are widespread, yet in reality dogs and cats can coexist peacefully together and even form unexpected friendships. Socialization and proper introduction are important in creating this dynamic between them. With proper training in place they could end up as inseparable companions, thus disprove this age-old stereotype.

Conclusion 

Dog myths might make for great conversation at the dog park, but they can cause lasting confusion about our furry companions. By dispelling some of these popular misconceptions about our furry pals and providing them with proper care, we can gain more understanding and create stronger bonds between ourselves and them. After all, a healthy pup starts with well-informed owners.

Amber's Books for dog owners to be ready

Check out the books on the Book Page 

 

What is a Family Disaster Dog? It's Your Dog Trained to Rescue You!

 What is a family disaster dog? It is a dog trained to find and rescue you!

The Family Disaster Dog Book shows you how easy a pet dog of any age, size, or breed can be your very own search and rescue dog! Any size dog, from the little Chihuahua to the Great Dane, can help its owner survive...and they find you every day already when they want to play or eat, so why not learn what else they can do to help you!

One of our biggest fears and chores during a disaster is losing or finding a loved one, and every dog has the ability to find its family members or friends. We, as dog owners, only need to learn how to use the natural ability of the dog to the full advantage during emergencies.

The Family Disaster Dogs book is full of fun and easy lessons that are tailored for the family to learn disaster preparedness with pets, including search and rescue skills in the comfort of the home during daily activities by former Search Dog Instructor Amber Higgins, who spent over a decade breeding and training AKC Bloodhounds for nationwide Search and Rescue FEMA volunteer work along with German Shepherd Dogs.

Here's a few of the skills you and your dog can learn:

Ask any dog to find family members and friends who are lost or missing !

Learn how your dog can be a messenger dog !

How any size dog can carry extra supplies if you have to evacuate.

Learn how to pack and use a Dog Bug-out Bag with 3 days of survival supplies for you and your dog.

Teach your dog to alert you to danger and warning sirens with these easy at home lessons.

If you are trapped in an earthquake. Your dog can find you, dig you out or bring you first aid until rescuers arrive !

Send your dog for help or to your partner or child on command, it's easy to do with this book. 

Teach your dog to bring you items by name and much more !

Teach the whole family how to use the family dog as their own search and rescue dog in tornado, floods, earthquakes and to find lost loved ones !

Don't have a dog then this book is a great gift for a friend or neighbor who has a dog and they can come to your rescue too !

Use this book to form a neighborhood Family Disaster Dog group at church or clubs to help neighbors until emergency response arrives ! 

Be sure to have a look at the "My Puppy Can Find Me" children's picture book by Amber Higgins for young children and parents to learn what to do if a child is ever lost or missing. The children learn a fun game to play with the family dog to "go find mom or dad". Parents learn how to use their dog to find a child that wandered off or is missing. 

Sometimes first responders and the police are overwhelmed with calls for help and they may not reach you right away. 

Do you know what to do if help cannot reach you? What if the roads are blocked by high water or downed trees? What do you do if you cannot find a loved one? What if you are out camping and a family member gets lost and does not return to camp. Waiting for help to arrive often takes hours and during that time the person may go further away from camp, may get injured or worst. That is why I wrote these books. To help you help yourself and loved ones when help is not near. Time is critical when a person's life is at stake. 

If you have a dog in the family, these easy fun lessons will teach you and your dog what to do. These books have helped people all over the world to learn how to save a person's life. Why not have a look at the books and the 285 page Family Disaster Dogs blog ? 

I keep the four books free on audible and kindle so everyone can afford to be prepared and learn these valuable skills. Sharing this information with you at no cost is my mission, my way of helping communities worldwide. I spent many years training daily with my own dogs and volunteering to find missing person with county search and rescue squads. I learned a wealth of information during those years about emergency response and disasters, information that is not readily available to the public due to the amount of knowledge required and liability laws. That information is what I share with you, the public, and as a seasoned educated writer I try very hard to keep the lessons simple so even a child can learn. 

Have a look at the books on the book page in the page menu above or visit my author page at Amazon. 

If you do not use Amazon the books are available at book stores and retail outlets worldwide, a simple internet search will show you where. Please feel free to ask me for a copy  or to train in person if that is easier for you! I will be happy to meet with you anytime and work with your dog, just ask!

Planning to Take your Pet on Vacation or Holiday with You

 I want to share this great guide and article with you, in case, you plan to take your dogs on holiday with you. 

Dogs are family, so spending holidays with them can have positive mutual benefits. This is further explored in the guide, 29+ important reasons to take your dog on your family holiday.

It shares some of the interesting discussions, such as:

• Mutual benefits (for the person and the dog) when taking dogs on a holiday

• Best pet-friendly places in the UK to explore when spending holidays with dogs for our friends in the UK and others who plan to visit the UK.

This guide also explores many insights and studies which elaborate on the reasons for wanting to get a dog. Found in the piece is a study from the Canine Behavior and Research team at Dog Trust that reported 48.2% of current owners and 69.7% of potential owners considered having a dog to facilitate their exercise. 

You can read the full version here:

https://www.dogfriendlycottages.co.uk/benefits-of-pets-on-holiday/index.html

Dog Training Tips and Resources 2023

The Evacuate with Your Dog's Help book explains how-to evacuate with pets. How-to make a bug-out (survival) bag for owners and dogs to carry. Every dog of any age or size can help its family evacuate. Be prepared for disasters with your pets. Learn what to expect at disaster shelters and from pet rescue during disasters. Included is a detailed expanded list of survival items for pets and owners with step-by step instructions to train your dog to carry a saddlebag to hold items to evacuate and "bug-out" with. Plus Pet CPR instructions and how-to calm a frightened pet. How-to find a lost pet. USA Evacuation Law for pets. 

Both of the books are free on Kindle and Audible. These books are used as a worldwide emergency preparedness resource from the author. Paperbacks are discounted to help with cost of publication. 

What is a Family Disaster Dog? It is Your Dog trained to Find and Rescue You!

Let me tell you how easy a pet dog of any age, size or breed can be your very own Search and Rescue Dog!

The Family Disaster Dogs book is full of fun and easy lessons that are tailored for the family to learn rescue skills in the comfort of the home during daily activities. Your pet dog is a Family Disaster Dog! 

Any size dog from the little Chihuahua to the Great Dane can help its owner survive..and they find you every day already when they want to play or eat so why not learn what else they can do to help you !

Take a look at my Amazon Author Page to read or hear previews of all my books. Thank you in advance for sharing the books and leaving a review which helps other dog owners find many helpful resources, including mine, in search engines.

 Stay safe out there this spring and summer!

Enjoy your dogs and do something new with them today! 

Thank you for visiting Family Disaster Dogs 

Be sure to look at the Page menu above, there are several pages to see and at the bottom of this post is a time line with over 250 articles for dog owners.

How To Make Sure Your Dog Remains Fit & Healthy

 Looking after your dog is about much more than showing them love - though that is of course very important too. It’s also a case of making sure that you are doing everything you can to keep them as fit and healthy as possible. This is the kind of thing that might actually be more challenging than you first think, and if you are currently just thinking of getting a dog in the near future, you might want to be aware of some of the following. Let’s take a look at how you can ensure your dog remains healthy throughout their life.

Credit - CCO License

Walk Them Every Day

This is the main headline need that most dogs have. Your dog needs a lot of exercise - quite possibly more than you assume at first - and you need to make sure that you are helping them to get it. This means taking them for a walk once a day. And for some breeds and dogs, that might increase to twice or even thrice a day. You can also try to provide them with plenty of space to run around at home, if possible. If that is not possible, even more walking might be necessary.

Feed Them Regularly

The regularity of feeding is hugely important, just as it is with human beings. See https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-to-keep-your-dog-healthy/ for more on this. You need to make sure that your dog actually knows when their food is coming each day, because this actually helps them to regulate their metabolism, and that is vital for ensuring their ongoing good health too. So feed your dog regularly, at two or three of the same times each day, so that they are more likely to have a decent regularity in their internal system as well. That is more important than most people give credit for, so make sure not to overlook it.

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Provide Them With Plenty Of Nutrients

One of the main things with regard to their food is that it is actually a complete diet. There are a couple of main ways you can make sure of that. One is by ensuring you feed them with so-called complete dog food. This is food which has all the nutrients and minerals a dog needs. The other is to occasionally feed them other vegetables that you know are good for them. If you look at https://www.nextritionpet.com/blogs/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-spinach you will see that spinach is particularly packed with minerals and nutrients your dog needs, for instance.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Finally, a word on providing plenty of fresh water. If you are not doing this, it doesn’t really matter what else you are doing. Hydration is even more important to dogs than it is to us, because they lose a lot through panting. You should always provide it as much as possible, and you should make sure they especially have a lot of cool, fresh water in hot weather, or after exercising. As long as you do that, it is going to make a huge difference to how healthy and fit they are.

Train a Dog to Find People for Fun Sport and Work on Audible Kindle Amazon Paperback

Now on Audible!

Hear the audio book HERE for free 

Start Mantrailing for Fun, Sport and Work 

Train a Dog to Find People

Mantrailing is a K9 Search and Rescue specialty that is quickly becoming popular as a sport and recreation for all dogs to enjoy. Mantrailing dogs use the nose to scent discriminate one person from all other people to locate the one particular person.

A truly amazing fact about Mantrailing is how quickly most dogs’ take to this type of training, and how quickly the dogs find people. Dogs love to use their nose to find people. The fun part of Mantrailing is that we follow the dog and allow them to lead the way!

By listening to this audiobook, you and the dog will be finding a person from the first day of training and beyond. Each training session uses a time tested and proven step by step method for solid reliable success on the trail. You will learn to read the dog, and the dog will learn to tell you what they find. Both of you will have a great introduction to the world of K9SAR.

This audiobook is suitable for training as a dog and handler team to work actual missing person’s incidents, sporting dog events, as well as a fun activity that will amaze you and anyone who watches a dog use its nose in the most incredible way. I encourage you to ask friends and family to participate by using the exercises in this audiobook for a fun outdoor adventure.

New Audible Book Coming Soon-Start Mantrailing Train a Dog to Find People

 Here's the News!

New Audible Book Release

December 2022  

A Great Gift in time for Christmas 2022 !

This book is training dogs around the world to find people and now everyone will be able to listen to the step by step lessons on a phone while in the field working the dog with the Audible book.

 If you have ever thought wanted to find a fun outdoor activity to do with your dogs or get involved in finding missing persons with a dog this book is for you! Already training and working scent dogs or Search dogs? This book will help you get started or possibly learn a few skills to hone your dog's skills.

This book is tailored to all breeds of dogs, all ages and sizes of pups can learn to find people. Amaze your friends and family with how fast and easy your dog can find them! You and your dog will be finding a hidden person the very first day when you follow the easy step by step instructions and pictures. 

You can learn about K9SAR and what it takes to be a Search and Rescue dog team that is called out to find lost and missing persons or you can just have a fun sport to do with your dogs.

The book Cover dog Amber with her handler are a members of RRI No. Scotland

The book features pictures of American and UK mantrailing teams 

Below is USA Mantrailing Team Bella working a hot trail after a person

Have a listen to the sample preview of the Family Disaster Dog book at audible for no cost to hear how the book will sound on your device at this link to the Family Disaster Dogs audio book. 

 Here's my author page where you can hear all my books  

 

 

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click to See and buy the paperback and e-books directly from me at the book shop page

Have a Great Dog Day!

Introduction to Mantrailing Step One Train a Dog to Find People

 Welcome to the exciting world of Mantrailing ...

and finding people with a dog!

Mantrailing is a K9 Search and Rescue specialty that is quickly becoming popular as a sport and recreation for all dogs to enjoy. Mantrailing dogs use the nose to scent discriminate one person from all other people to locate the one particular person.

A truly amazing fact about Mantrailing is how quickly most dogs’ take to this type of training and how quickly the dogs find people. Dogs love to use their nose to find people. The fun part of Mantrailing is that we follow the dog and allow the dog to lead the way!

By following this simple step-by-step method of setting the dog up for success you and the dog will be finding a person from the first day of training and beyond.

(Pictured: Starting my dog to find a person)

Over the course of several weeks I will be posting steps to help you...

• Use a time tested and proven step by step method for solid reliable success on the trail. 
• Do actual trails to find a hidden person with a dog.
• Learn to read the dog and the dog will learn to tell you what they find. 
• Both of you will have a great introduction to the world of K9SAR.
• Each post will be linked to the next post so you can follow through
• you would rather have the post delivered to your email...Sign-up at the pop up window at Family Disaster Dogs.

Found !

See a free preview and get the book below to learn everything about Mantrailing Now!

Have You Just Adopted A Dog? Give Yourself A Big Pat On The Back

 

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Dogs are precious animals. To many of us, they are more than just pets, they’re companions. 

Unfortunately, some dogs can’t find homes. That’s when caring people step in and provide them with a family. 

Is that what you’ve just done? If so, give yourself a big pat on the back. You’re making the world a better place. 

You Might Have Just Saved Their Life

Adopting a dog is about more than providing them with a pleasant home. In fact, in many cases, you could be saving their life. 

Figures suggest that people rescue around a million dogs a year in the US. If it wasn’t for these individuals, shelters would overflow and there would be nowhere to keep them. The only choice would be to put them down, and nobody who cares about dogs wants that. By rescuing a dog, you’re freeing up space for other animals to have a chance to look for a home. 

You’ll Earn A Great Friend

You can also give yourself a nice big pat on the back for getting a new friend. Dogs love people and being around their family. They always want to be in a group. As long as you look after your new pet, they will always be loyal. 

You Can Learn How To Rescue Other Dogs

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Adopted dogs sometimes have checkered pasts. Things haven’t always gone right for them, which is why they wind up in shelters. 

As Nicole Simone of Redemption Paws points out, it can take a lot of work adopting a dog. In many cases, you have to engage in rehabilitation so that the rescued pup can be a happy and healthy animal. 

The first time you do this, it’s a steep learning curve. However, after that, it gets significantly easier. Once you’re on your third or fourth, you know the drill and can rescue dogs much more easily. 

You Just Saved Yourself Some Money

Buying a pedigree pooch as a puppy is expensive, particularly if you go to a well-respected breeder. It’s easy to spend more than $1,000 getting the dog that you want. 

When you adopt, though, it’s pretty much free. Shelters will usually just perform a few background checks, then you’re free to ride off into the sunset with your new dog. Sure, you’ll have to provide food and toys, but the costs of doing so are minimal for most people. 

You’ll Improve Your Own Healthy

Study after study shows that dog owners are healthier than the rest of the population. Not only do they do more exercise, but they also seem less prone to allergies, thanks to the beneficial bacteria and particles that pups bring to the home. 

You Will Change Your Dog’s World

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Lastly, adopting a dog changes their world. They go from a neglectful or abusive life into one full of love and compassion. When you bring them into your home, you are giving them the life that they deserve and making sure that they get the most out of life. 

Coming soon to Family Disaster Dogs Online-weekly posts to Train a Dog to Find People

 Hey everyone, 

Here's hoping your 2022 is off to a great start!

Over the next couple of  months I will be posting weekly about how to start training a dog to find people for the fun of it, for sport and for search dog work.

The upcoming posts will be a great way to have a fun activity to do with your dogs! 

Plus, friends and family will be amazed at how quickly your dog can find them !

Some dogs need an activity that helps them to destress and relax just like people do. The upcoming posts will give you and your dog a great way to do just that!

Reactive dog? Hyper Dog? The skills you'll learn are a great way to redirect that energy in a safer calm controlled situation. 

Here's my dog and I getting ready to track a hidden person down!

Copyright A.Higgins

Did you know there are dog sports that use the skills search and rescue dogs do? 

In the sport of K9SAR, dog and owner/handler teams practice and have fun finding hidden people with a dog. Here's a cool site to learn more about the sport which is slowly gaining interest in the USA and much more popular overseas. If you would like to get involved in the sport, feel free to contact me. I can help you train and participate. 

All breeds and age of dogs are welcome.  

Mainly though, I will be posting because with the increase in natural disasters we are seeing worldwide I want to help everyone learn an easy way to find family or friends in the event anyone was to go missing.  

Also I want to encourage and help anyone interested in learning how to volunteer for Search and Rescue get started. 

Although the posts will give everyone a fun way to spend time with dogs, family and friends additionally, those who wish to advance into dog sports and search dog work will learn how to get started. 

Let's have some fun this year, and follow our dogs!

Be sure to sign up for the newsletter and upcoming posts at the pop-up window. (reload page for pop up). Feel free to use the contact page above in the page menu to learn more. You can find Family Disaster Dogs on Facebook with a simple search to follow, like the page and join the group.

Stay safe out there,

Amber

Founder and author of Family Disaster Dogs

A Little History of Family Disaster Dogs Training Your Dog to Rescue You

Training Your Dog to Rescue You

 A Little History of Family Disaster Dogs 

10 Year Anniversary

I started this site ten years ago when I began writing the first Family Disaster Dogs book on the night of the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami. As I sat under evacuation orders myself on the Oregon coast, I started to write these lessons with my bloodhound Daisy because it dawned on me that in major disasters and sometimes missing person cases, we have to take care of ourselves and loved ones until help arrives which can take days or weeks depending on the situation. 

As I watched the news I realized i wanted to get these valuable dog training lessons out to the public sooner than the time it takes to publish a book so I started this blog which grew into a website as I added more than 220 pages here at Family Disaster Dogs.

I kept the Family Disaster Dogs book, blog and lessons simple so the public would not feel overwhelmed having to know or learn everything Search and Rescue members must learn. Families do not have to learn as much because they are not going out to rescue others, they are learning from me and my books books how to rescue themselves and loved ones with a dog's help. 

As with most things in life, this site has grown to cover more than the Family Disaster Dogs book and lessons ideas I had ten years ago. The children's book teaches children and parents how to use the dog to find mom, dad and the child and the Evacuate with Your Dog's Help book gives everyone a long list of bug-out bag supplies, information on training a dog to help evacuate and what to expect if you have to evacuate. 

In the last ten years we have reached people all over the world and given out many Family Disaster Dog certificates for those who contact us and tell us their journey with us. Dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds are helping their families prepare for the worst.

Over the years, this all led to the newest book, Start Mantrailing, which takes me back to the beginning of my own emergency preparedness training and gives you the opportunity to learn even more about how to train a dog to find a missing person and how to advance into actual Search and Rescue work or the new sport of Mantrailing. 

Yes, now Mantrailing is gaining in popularity as a Sport too. When I started this site ten years ago Mantrailing was seldom heard of outside of K9SAR or Law Enforcement. Dog sport enthusiast  focused on Tracking events not Mantrailing which was exclusively a bloodhound discipline and much different than tracking in many ways. Now all dogs are learning what bloodhounds like my Daisy naturally do.

Mantrailing is becoming more and more common in the public dog world and on social media. With this growth I will be sharing more and more ways to train a dog to find people as well as how to prepare for disasters.

With covid19 hopefully behind us in the near future, next year 2022??? I hope to train more of you and your dogs in this useful natural nose work a dog can do to help us survive as dogs have done for thousands of years. 

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Check out the newest book here on my author page and don't forget a book is a perfect gift for the holidays. My books are Free on Kindle so everyone can read them. If you would like a signed copy let me know by emailing me or contact me on Facebook at the Family Disaster Dog page. 

Be sure to like, share and follow me on social media to help find missing persons and prepare for what I hope none of us ever have to endure..a disaster or a missing loved one.

I'm not only an author

Family Disaster Dogs is not only a book and site,, its a passion I share with you the knowledge I have gained.

a few of my dogs

I'm not one to brag, I'm more a teacher who wants readers to rest assured that this site is based on my own actual experience and not a copy of something off the internet lol ...experience I do have... 

I've been dedicated to dogs my whole life, and teaching people how to live happily with their pets since my first job in a large show and boarding kennel as a teenager. I went on to be a professional dog trainer and also a professional all breed pet and show groomer. I've owned award winning pet spas and worked with the best in the dog world. I spent over ten years volunteering in search and rescue. 15 years breeding working Bloodhounds, 30 years of German Shepherds and 10 years of rescuing as well as breeding registered Pit Bulls. I was rescuing dogs before rescuing was cool! haha I have worked at several veterinary clinics as well. 

I have personally handled thousands of dogs and cats in my long dog career, as well as owned 100's myself over the years. 

That's about it for me, how about you? Leave me comment below and tell us about your journey with dogs. 

Training my dog to find a person

At my pet spa