Your Dog Is A Family Member Too !

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It can be essentially important to regard your dog as part of the family, not just a pet. This doesn’t mean you need to throw a birthday party for them each year, or take them on every vacation you might be interested in. However, it can simply be a much more welcoming environment for an animal (and fun for you too!) if you simply regard them as such. 

After all, why else bring an animal into your home if you can’t enjoy the connection and love you will share, even in the first instance? 

With the following tips in mind, you can be sure to regard your dog as someone important and essential to your household:


Personalize Belongings

Your dog might not own any belongings. However, they might be gifted some fun items to be treated to. For example, custom dog bowls proudly displaying your pets name can be a fun method of differentiating between your pets feeding plates. 

It could also be that you have a personalized collar made, detailing the name they respond to, and all of your contact information. This means if the dog is lost, they will sooner rather than later come into contact with someone willing to reach out to you and return the pet. While your pet likely cannot read English, it can still be a fun thing to brand their items for them. Consider it a quirky activity us humans enjoy doing in the effort to name everything around us.


Own Space

Your pet deserves their own space. Of course, they don’t pay rent, so there’s likely no need to give them their own room. However, allowing them a large bed in a space considerable for their own relaxing at night can help them sleep more easily, and can help them understand where to go at certain times. 

The same could be said for where they eat - a regular place is always better. Sleeping in a certain room can also prevent them from coming to sleep on your bed, or jumping on the sofa - which is both either unhygienic or damaging to your property. If your pet becomes defensive of territorial of their space in your family home, that behavior needs to be quickly discouraged. However, a peaceful dog should be afforded a sense of comfort and regularity in where their areas of relaxation, sleep and feeding are.

Training

A dog might not come with the utmost best behavior. For this reason, ensuring you invest in their training will help them adapt to the family better, and become more tepid or relaxed around your family members. This can be especially important if they are around children, they frighten easily, or you hope for them to act as a form of guard dog. No matter what you choose, it’s important to know just how beneficial this can be to the life of your entire home.


With these simple efforts to make your dog part of your family, they will become less of a pet and more of a cherished companion. That’s what all dogs deserve to be.

Is Your Family Setup Right For A Dog?

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Is your family setup right for a dog? 

Might it be worth asking yourself this question before you even begin? 

To do so can help you assess, clearly and competently, if you and your family are ready to bring home a pet of this kind. Of course, most family and home setups will be just fine, but if not, it can really have been worth asking this beforehand. 

Better to absolutely ensure your family home is able to support an animal of this size before you bring them home. It might be that this set of questions can help you assess just where you need to make improvements. 

We’d recommend the following:

Child Temperament

It might feel like you really want to bring yourself home a loving dog, but you might not consider your children to be suitable as of now. For example, children that are relatively hostile, loud or dealing with behavioral issues might come into conflict with a pet of this kind, maybe even spurring a sense of aggression from both parties. That isn’t a healthy place to bring a pet into. It might be that you have small children, and bringing home an excited greyhound could pose a real health risk for your children, even if the dog is of a lovely temperament and means nothing but love.

There are also triggers for certain animals. For example, it might be that bringing home a shelter dog with a negative previous owner could be set off aggressively if exposed to the loud noise a child makes. It could be that your disabled child accidentally and unknowingly hits a dog in the process of trying to stroke them, provoking an aggressive response you’d quite rightly love to avoid. 

Consider the temperament of your children. If you haven’t any, consider the regular visitors of your household. Could it be that a dog of a select breed would be unsuitable? Or might they be suitable? You’ll only know if you ask yourself and clearly analyze the social setup of the home.

Where Do You Live?

Simply owning or renting a home does not necessarily mean that you are functionally able to look after a pet. For example, you may be a bachelor with nothing but time, and enough money to look after a pet. However, if living in a small studio flat in the middle of the inner-city, it can feel relatively cramp and quite cruel to keep a pet there all day, especially because leaving the home with them might not be considered the wisest solution.

Health Conditions

It might be that someone in your family is suffering from health conditions. If your pet has fleas, or contracts some form of disease, could that cause those health conditions from escalating further? For example, a dog molting in the summer in an enclosed space can be absolutely awful for someone experiencing terrible sleep apnea or asthma. If someone in your family suffers from negative skin conditions, it could be that they summer more from having a little furry companion around.

Of course, some family members will suffer from allergies to your pet. It might not be someone in the home who does, but owning a pet might mean that you can no longer invite your in-laws around (which might be considered good in some circumstances!) Consider the health of your family, and if all looks good, then bringing that pet home might be warranted.

Responsibility

If the house cannot be kept clean throughout the week, if many people are at work leaving the home vacant all day, and you aren’t the closest of families, it might be that bringing a pet home is not the best solution. Conversely, if all the opposite is true, it could be that this is the perfect environment for a dog. 

It’s absolutely essential to assess your responsibility, from the top of your household to the bottom. Looking after a pet is not just a one and done scenario. You must view your added pet as another member of the family, because of course they are. That means you must not view the pet as a chore. It is a family member you look after and invest in, just like anyone else. 

Without the willingness to take care of this responsibility, your pet can easily become neglected, and that’s highly unethical to do. Of course, accidental neglect can be just as bad as willful neglect. It all means that same to your pet.

This article has been relatively cautionary, but it must be in order for you to foster a good relationship with pet ownership. If you can ensure that you do not fall into any of these traps, it’s likely your family setup is perfect for a new pet. Make it a celebratory event, and you’re sure to experience nothing but love with the new family member.

How-to Use a Long Lead and Tracking Leash

Using the Long Tracking Leash 

This is the first long leash lesson for using a long tracking or trailing leash for Family Search dogs is split into 3 lessons that are listed on the Lesson Link Page click to see all the free lessons.

The 1st lesson is Lesson 5 Leash Work 1

The 2rd is Lesson 6 Leash Work 2

The 3rd is Lesson 7 Leash Work 3

The lessons cover much more than only the leash work.

As we discussed in previous lessons the Bloodhound and tracking dogs often use a long lead or leash when they are working. This lesson will teach you how to handle and use a long trailing and tracking lead.

First a leash is often called a lead. Both are the same thing.

The long leash is anywhere from 20 ft to 50 ft depending on what the purpose of the leash is. A lounge line for a horse works well for large dogs and long leashes can be purchased in any weight or width to fit any size dog. Buy one to fit your size dog. Even the smallest dog can be used with a long leash and plenty of practice.

The nylon material the leash is made from will give you a bad rope burn on your hand if your dog is one to bolt off and the leash slides through your hand. 

Dogs that are not use to being given room or those who are use to being in the back yard may be so excited by the freedom or they may see something they want, like a cat or another dog that they take off without you expecting it. 

Be careful when you first put your dog on a long leash in an open area and gloves are always a good idea.

Do not put your dog on this leash for play, or exercise until the dog is well trained to trail or track. This lets the dog know that when you have this long leash they are going to be working. They will learn to expect and love the time spent on this long leash as if it is a tracking game. They know the different equipment and rules for each game they play and we will use this to our advantage.

You will also need a harness for your dog although a harness is not absolutely required and many dogs work with a collar as well but using a harness lets the dog know that they will be doing the tracking game otherwise they may think you are expecting them to play a different game, like obedience.

With multi-purpose dogs, those who do different jobs, the different equipment is their clue to what will be expected and then they can get in that mind set. A police dog knows when his handler is in uniform they are working.

Your family pet is very much a multi-purpose dog and you should use the harness during training to help the dog understand this is not obedience work or taking a walk down the street exercise. Read the lesson about harnesses before practicing this lesson often with your dog.

After a few lessons when you walk up to your dog with the long leash and harness then they will get excited knowing what’s to come. This is when you know they really understand.

Order a Search Dog Equip Kit from me via the Contact page above...I will have a page up soon to order from too! 

Look at the page menu to see if the page is there yet or email me for Handmade UK  Dog Leads, Collars, and high quality Harnesses used by professional k9 handlers worldwide.

Recommended Dog Training Equipment

Check out my books to teach your dogs to find you and your children in emergency!

Here is a great leash to use for training and tracking


Here is a harness with Tracking Patches so people know your dog is working!




Here is a harness for small and medium sized dogs

 

Air Scenting with a Dog's Nose-Train a Scent Dog to Area Search for People

 check out my book on Amazon

Air Scenting Detection Dog

2018 Update: Click for the new "Family Disaster Dogs" book on Amazon from the author and you get all the lessons, dog bug-out bag list and CPR all on your device.

2021 New Book Release "Start Mantrailing - Train A Dog to Find People" Step by Step for Work, Sport and Fun. By Amber Higgins featuring dogs from the USA and UK 

Air Scenting by A.Higgins

In this lesson we will discuss how your family dog can work as an Area Search dog. The area/air scenting search dog is what we most often see on television working in disasters with FEMA rescuers. These dogs are most often called disaster dogs, area search dogs, air scenting dogs. Area search dogs are trained for different jobs. Some look for people, some look for drugs or whatever they are trained to find. In this article we are discussing search and rescue dogs that look for live or recently deceased people in disasters. 

These dogs are trained to pick up and follow human scent that is floating on the air, buried in rubble or concentrated in one location.  When scent is released from a person or source object (examples of a source odor-drug, bomb, person, human remains) the particles are dense and form a type of invisible cloud that slowly moves away from the person in a cone like pattern. The scent particles drift further apart the further away from the point of release or person. Therefore spreading from a narrow cloud the at the person to a wide cloud. See the illustration below.

As you can see by the illustration the scent dissipates and spreads out 

further from the person. 

The Air Scenting / Area Search dog is trained to find any human scent floating in the air and to follow the scent cone to the person.  As the dog works the scent cone closer to the person the area the dog works becomes smaller and smaller indicating that the person is near.

For instance, when a air scenting dog is ask to search a large meadow the dog will go back and forth crossing the area seeking scent particles. This is called Casting. As the dog moves across the field the dog encounters the human scent on the wind and continues smelling the scent until they reach the edge of the scent cloud.

The dog then naturally turns at the edge of the cloud

to stay in the scent cloud and works the scent to the 

other side of the scent cloud where the dog turns again 

into the cloud. As the dog moves back and fourth casting and working

the scent cloud in this cross back pattern the dog moves

towards the subject into a smaller and smaller area 

until they reach the person. 

A dog when allowed to work the scent on their own will use the wind to their favor. You can learn to read your dog by watching how they react when working a scent cloud. Watch how your dog finds the wide side of the cloud and works less and less land until they reach the person. 

Because the dog is looking for any human scent in the area they will find any human beings in the area regardless if the person is lost or not. This accounts for air scenting dogs not finding a lost person in a heavily populated or contaminated area. The area should be cleared of all human beings before training a dog to air scent on command. Otherwise you will spend all day going from one person to another until the dog has found every person in the park for you.

To train your dog to do air scenting all you really have to do is watch the dog while they work a scent then you will know what to look for. Dogs are working scents even in their sleep, they know what each scent means and it is up to us to learn how the dog is working the scent so we can follow them to the person. This is what's meant by reading a dog.

When working with your dog on Air Scenting the location is important in order for your dog not to become confused. School yards and parks that are empty along with wooded areas where people seldom travel are best for beginning dogs and owners.

Depending on your dog. you can do this lesson off leash or on a long tracking lead. Many trainers today use shock collars and training collars which I do not believe in using these. I believe in using teamwork, taking my time to establish the lesson, and a leash if need be until taught to work off-leash.

You will not have to have the person make a trail or course like in the tracking or trailing lessons.

Instead, have the person talk with your dog while you hold your dog. Then have the person run away from the dog and hide in the large indoor or outdoor area. As soon as they are hidden turn your dog loose and say “Find them” or “Seek”. 

As your dog moves off to look for the person watch how the dog works the air with its nose. The head will go up when they find a scent and the nose will go to work. Follow your dog to the person and pay attention to how the dog works the scent cone so you will know next time.

If your dog does not go right away to look for the person then encourage your dog to go find them by going yourself.  Talk to your dog and ask them to go find the person with you. When you find the person have them pet and praise your dog. It’s okay for the person to offer the dog a little treat so next time your dog really wants to look for that treat.

Repeat this 3 or 4 times each time you go out to work with your dog a couple of days a week. This is a good lesson to end a training session with because the end result is the dog finding a person on their own to receive praise and attention. A happy moment to be remember by the dog which encourages your dog to do this again for you when you ask.

Use different people and as your dog gets faster at finding them then have the person hide for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes and 15 minutes making the time longer each week until your dog can find somebody who has been hiding for 1 hour on a few acres of land.

Use different areas and surfaces but do use care with traffic and public places where you or your dog can get hurt. You can do these lessons inside a large building such as a multi unit parking garage or warehouse. The larger the area the better but at first do not have the person go to far away from you and your dog.

These lessons are not made to fool the dog or to make finding a person any harder for a dog to do. After all, a dog already knows how to use its nose. It’s you who is learning how to find people not your dog. You are learning to trust your dog.

You can read about the different types of Search Dogs in my Start Mantrailing book.

Get my children's book that shows your young child what to do if lost and how the family dog can find mom! It's a fun activity book with games the whole family can play with dogs to learn how to find lost or missing family members! Art from UK Dog Cartoonist "Scotty"

 Kill Ticks that spread Lyme disease, fleas and mosquito all summer with one collar. 

This really works! 

Here's a good book I recommend. 

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