Dog camp is a form of vacation for owners accompanied by their dogs with dog-centric activities ranging from casual recreational playtime to serious obedience or sport training. In many dog camps dogs can play and socialize throughout the day while supervised by their owners. Some of the activities at a dog camp might include running, fetching balls or frisbees, chasing other dogs, tug of war, socializing amongst playmates, and lessons. [1] [2] [3]
Dog Scouts of America, modelled after Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, offers several camps in addition to their regular programs throughout the year where dogs earn merit badges for achievements. At camp, owners and their dogs convene in a woodsy camp setting for a week, lodging in RVs, tents or cabins. There are numerous dog activities including swimming, canoeing, dock diving, agility, backpacking, hiking, freestyle dancing, bonfires and talent shows. Some of the activities cater only to the humans. Dogs are awarded their badges or titles in a ceremony at the end of the camp week. There are over 100 badges that dogs and their owners can earn. Clicker training and positive reinforcement are the standard forms of training taught at DSA camps. DSA also offers weekend workshops for those who cannot attend a weeklong camp. [4] [5] [6]
A doggie boot camp is an intensive program of training away from home with the owner being present to handle the dog, rather than the sending a dog off to "board and train" at the trainer's location without the owner. Some dogs which are fearful or nervous do not cope well being handled by a stranger and do better with this method of being handled by the owner with a trainer present. The owner and dog get daily one-on-one training. Dogs may be taught anything from manners and basic obedience to dealing with behavioral problems that need attention from an experienced trainer. Boot camps are not recommended for dogs with serious aggression problems because such a dog needs one-on-one training with an experienced trainer and there is a risk factor to being around other dogs and strangers. Boot camps also typically incorporate social activities for the humans. [7] [8]
The Chow Chow is a spitz-type of dog breed originally from northern China. The Chow Chow is a sturdily built dog, square in profile, with a broad skull and small, triangular, erect ears with rounded tips. The breed is known for a very dense double coat that is either smooth or rough. The fur is particularly thick in the neck area, giving it a distinctive ruff or mane appearance. The coat may be shaded/self-red, black, blue, cinnamon/fawn, or cream.
Schutzhund, currently known competitively as IGP and previously as IPO, is a dog sport that tests a dog's tracking, obedience, and protection skills, and evaluates if a dog has the appropriate traits and characteristics of a good working dog. It was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a suitability test for German Shepherds, but soon became the model for training and evaluating all five of the German protection breeds, which included Boxer, Dobermann, Riesenschnauzer, and Rottweiler. Though any breed of dog can participate, today the sport is dominated by German Shepherds and the Belgian Malinois breed. Dog owners and handlers participate in Schutzhund clubs as a group activity for training the dogs, and clubs sponsor trials to test the dogs and award titles. The best dogs can qualify to participate in national and international level championships.
In general, an assistance dog, known as a service dog in the United States, is a dog trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability. Many are trained by an assistance dog organization, or by their handler, often with the help of a professional trainer.
The Papillon, also called the Continental Toy Spaniel, is a breed of dog, of the spaniel type. One of the oldest of the toy spaniels, it derives its name from its characteristic butterfly-like look of the long and fringed hair on the ears. A Papillon with dropped ears is called a Phalene.
The Bluetick Coonhound is a breed of coonhound originating in the United States. The Bluetick Coonhound is known for its friendly personality, cold nose, and deep bawl mouth. It is most commonly used as a raccoon hunting dog, but may also be kept as a pet.
A hearing dog is a type of assistance dog specifically selected and trained to assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing by alerting their handler to important sounds, such as doorbells, smoke alarms, ringing telephones, or alarm clocks. They may also work outside the home, alerting their handler to sounds such as sirens, forklifts, and a person calling the handler's name.
The American Bulldog is a large, muscular breed of mastiff-type that was used as stock dogs, catch dogs, and guardians on farms and ranches. The breed is descended from the Old English Bulldog, which is thought to have arrived in America as early as the 17th century, brought over by working-class immigrants from England. During WWI and WWII, the breed was on the verge of extinction, with the only surviving dogs being kept primarily on farms in the southeast. John D. Johnson and Alan Scott are widely regarded as the forefathers of rescuing the breed from extinction. On January 1, 1999, the United Kennel Club first recognized the American Bulldog. In November 2019, the American Bulldog was added to the American Kennel Club (AKC) Foundation Stock Service (FSS).
Crufts is an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom, first held in 1891. Organised and hosted by The Kennel Club, it is the largest show of its kind in the world.
The United Kennel Club (UKC) is a kennel club founded in 1898 in the United States. In contrast with the American Kennel Club, which is non-profit and which only clubs can join, the United Kennel Club is a profit-making corporation, open to individuals.
A therapy dog is a dog that is trained to provide affection, comfort and support to people, often in settings such as hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, libraries, hospices, or disaster areas. In contrast to assistance dogs, which are trained to assist specific patients with their day-to-day physical needs, therapy dogs are trained to interact with all kinds of people, not just their handlers.
The Bouvier des Flandres is a herding dog breed originating in Flanders, Belgium. They were originally used for general farm work including cattle droving, sheep herding, and cart pulling, and nowadays as guard dogs and police dogs, as well as being kept as pets. The French name of the breed means, literally, "Cow Herder of Flanders", referring to the Flemish origin of the breed. Other names for the breed are Toucheur de Boeuf, Vlaamse Koehond, and Vuilbaard.
The Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program, established in 1989, is an American Kennel Club program to promote responsible dog ownership and to encourage the training of well-mannered dogs. A dog and handler team must take a short behavioral evaluation of less than half an hour; dogs who pass the evaluation earn the Canine Good Citizen certificate, which many people represent after the dog's name, abbreviating it as CGC; for example, "Fido, CGC".
Dog training is the application of behavior analysis which uses the environmental events of antecedents and consequences to modify the dog behavior, either for it to assist in specific activities or undertake particular tasks, or for it to participate effectively in contemporary domestic life. While training dogs for specific roles dates back to Roman times at least, the training of dogs to be compatible household pets developed with suburbanization in the 1950s.
Dog aggression expressed by dogs is considered to be normal behaviour and various types of aggression are influenced by a dog's environment and genetic predisposition. Dogs commonly display possessive aggression when defending resources or themselves.
The Karelian Bear Dog is a Finnish breed of dog. In its home country, it is seen by many as a national treasure. Karelian Bear Dogs will hunt a variety of animals. Its quick reflexes and fearless nature have made it very popular for hunting large game including brown bears, moose, and wild boar. It was the breed's ability to hunt bears that earned the breed its name. The Karelian Bear Dog is among the top 10 most common dog breeds in Finland.
Animal training is the act of teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for purposes such as companionship, detection, protection, and entertainment. The type of training an animal receives will vary depending on the training method used, and the purpose for training the animal. For example, a seeing eye dog will be trained to achieve a different goal than a wild animal in a circus.
Temperament tests assess dogs for certain behaviors or suitability for dog sports or adoption from an animal shelter by observing the animal for unwanted or potentially dangerous behavioral traits, such as aggressiveness towards other dogs or humans, shyness, or extreme fear.
Guiding Eyes for the Blind is one of the eleven schools in the U.S. for training guide dogs—dogs trained to lead the blind and visually impaired. It houses a 10-acre (40,000 m2) headquarters, training center, and veterinary clinic in Yorktown Heights, New York, and it also operates a canine development center in Patterson, New York, and a training site in White Plains, New York.
Russo-European Laika is the name of a breed of hunting dog that originated in the forested region of northern Europe and Russia, one of several breeds developed from landrace Laika dogs of Spitz type. The Russo-European Laika itself dates to a breeding program begun in 1944 by E. I. Shereshevsky of the All-Union Research Institute for the Hunting Industry, in Kalinin Province.
Socialization of animals is the process of training animals so that they can be kept in close relationship to humans.
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