A cardiac service dog supports people with heart conditions impacting their life. Cardiac service dogs can help people with a wide range of cardiac conditions. Some common conditions include: The Most Common Cardiac Disability We Train Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS): POTS is a condition that causes a number of symptoms when you transition from lying down to standing up, such as a fast heart rate, dizziness and fatigue. While there’s no cure, several treatments and lifestyle changes can help manage the symptoms of POTS. The causes of POTS vary from person to person. Researche ..read more

Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, or short, PTSD Service Dogs are some of the most unique and skilled service dogs there are. PTSD is one of the most complex disorders I train dogs for. I make this statement with confidence, because, I have PTSD myself. Finding a dog that meets all criteria to become a PTSD dog is difficult. The dog must be 100% dependable in many important aspects. It must be able to think on its own, and process situations independently without guidance. For this reason, the training process is quite complex, but it’s well worth the effort. The comfort PTSD Service Dogs provi ..read more

I absolutely love the “leave it” command with its universal use. I use it on a daily basis for anything from a person, to another animal (i.e. squirrel, cat, dog, and so on), to a dropped piece of food, etc. Should you have a poop eater, get this command solid enough and you can use it for that. Like with every command you teach your dog, the more reliability you desire, the more practice you have to put in. Dogs are smart but need a lot of practice for commands to really become reliable. Just remember that you have to be present to use the “leave it” command. Saying “leave it” once does not ..read more

One of the biggest topics I focus on is training your foster dog, regardless of age. I am not talking about getting the dog trained to the point of competition, I am referring to teaching some of the basic commands.  Those will translate into manners. Teaching a dog to sit, lay down, off, leave it and go into the crate (for feeding/leaving the house/bedtime/etc.) creates obedience. Obedience does not mean that the dog is free from behavioral issues, so keep that in mind. The Foster Dog Challenge When it comes to fostering, this is something that can really help the dogs. Unfortunately whe ..read more

It doesn’t matter if you are bringing a new dog home as a permanent member of your family or as a temporary foster. We have to set these dogs up for success. Decompression Before you can really get started, you need to allow for proper decompression if the dog is older (7 months and up). When dogs are coming from the shelter or even a foster home, they need time to decompress in a new environment. They need to be able to get used to smells, sounds and activities before being introduced to other dogs or joining the family. (I have a detailed article that I can send you, just send me a pm, it is ..read more

I get this question a lot for multiple dogs in the home: “I want to allow Fido on the couch, but not the other 4 dogs, can I do that? The answer is yes, but do they deserve it?” House Rules for One or Multiple Dogs Houses need to have boundaries, rules, discipline, structure, and a merit system. So if Fido deserves to be on the couch. And you are willing to take away said privilege if necessary, by all means, yes, do it. Homes need an equal distribution of love, rules, and structure. Especially, when you have multiple dogs. To get respect, you must be able to give respect. Earn your relationsh ..read more

Dogs flourish with clarity. Mixed messages lead to trouble. Often times I go into homes where the family is having relationship difficulties with their dogs. This is mostly caused by inconsistency. For example, one person is strict and has the dog working for treats. While another person is basically tossing treats the dog’s way just for breathing. Much of the time, this is the same problem when it comes to rules and safety. The dog has different rules with different people … all in the same house. Dogs want clear communication from you. Mixed messages confuse them. This is why you need to sta ..read more

So many of our dogs live in their past because humans keep them there. Humans excuse dog behavior by explaining that the dog is a rescue and was most likely abused. “He’s a survivor dog.” Let’s just stop right there. Is this possible? Yes, but not all of these dogs were abused. Some of this behavior can be caused by dogs being moved from home to home. Most of the time that door opens for these dogs is because of their stories. People embellish a story to get people to feel sorry for the dogs. That opens doors and wallets. Let me explain why this is a problem since I see it quite frequently. Su ..read more

One of the main questions I get is, “How hard is it to rehabilitate stray dogs and feral dogs? ”First, it is important to define “feral.” I have heard the words “stray” and “feral” used interchangeably, but let me be clear, there is a big difference between the two terms. Feral Dogs A feral animal is one that is untamed or wild. Think of a feral dog as one that was born in the wild, not unlike a wolf or a bear. Feral dogs have never had contact with humans, or if they have, they have learned that humans are just a part of their environment. They do not depend on humans and have no need for the ..read more

Service dog handlers must prepare for encountering other service dogs during outings. We can't assume that other dogs are well-behaved. It could be a fake service dog. But it could also be a legitimate service dog in training; it could be that dog's first public access trip, or the dog could have an "off" day. The post Service Dog Encounters appeared first on Total K9 Focus ..read more