Northwest Nosework – Solving Puzzles Positively
This blog is a training journal that catalogs the path that Felix and I are taking in NACSW and AKC nosework. Nosework opened the world for him and I’d like to document that progress. I love having the opportunity to record the things were working on.
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Are Mixed Breed Dogs Protected From Inherited Disease?
Mixed breed dogs are thought to suffer from fewer inherited diseases. This study aimed to address that population wide assumption by comparing mixed breed and purebred case files. This assumption is based on the fact that when you create a breed and fix the type through inbreeding and rigorous selection, you increase the likelihood that…
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Is the Puppy Blues Similar to the Baby Blues?
Ståhl, A., Salonen, M., Hakanen, E. et al. Development and validation of the puppy blues scale measuring temporary affective disturbance resembling baby blues. npj Mental Health Res 3, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44184-024-00072-z Summary By: Charlie Clarke Introduction As dog enthusiasts we go through the constant cycle of bringing home a perfect puppy, struggling through puppyhood and…
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Natural Scent Detection Capabilities in Dogs and Wolves
Polgár Z, Kinnunen M, Újváry D, Miklósi Á, Gácsi M. A Test of Canine Olfactory Capacity: Comparing Various Dog Breeds and Wolves in a Natural Detection Task. PLoS One. 2016 May 6;11(5):e0154087. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154087. PMID: 27152412; PMCID: PMC4859551. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4859551/ Summary by: Charlie Clarke Background Domestic dogs and wolves rely on their noses for access to…
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Easy 2 Ingredient Dog Treats for Sensitive Dogs
This easy 2 ingredient recipe was developed out of necessity. My dog seems to have a reaction to every single treat on the market. Typically, I use a different flavor of Purina Pro Plan for training. He can even have GI issues from a handful of kibble from a different protein. We spent a lot…
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Methods for Understanding Our Dogs’ Peak Fitness
Farr, Brian, et al. “Functional Measurement of Canine Muscular Fitness: Refinement and Reliability of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center Sprint Test.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 19 June 2023, Link. Summary By: Charlie Clarke Background: Currently there is no way to reliably measure canine muscle fitness. This makes it difficult to measure the comparative muscular strength of 2…
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How to be a Good Supportive Partner in an NW2 Trial
First, my son is the best little boy dog in the world. He navigated wet grass, distractor containers, and shiny floors. each of those challenges individually would have been impossible a year ago. Let alone all three in one day! This article is all about how to be a supportive partner as the human end…
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Resolve Big Feelings About Shiny and Slippery Floors
1. Understanding the Baseline I initially knew that Felix had some issues with shiny and slippery floors. Every once in a while he would slip and then scramble to recover but this didn’t happen often enough for me to think we actually needed to fix it. Until… He refused to enter 2 AKC excellent interior…
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How to Easily Break Down Elevated Hides
Step 1: Find the Baseline When setting elevated hides we want to start at the beginning. Set an elevated hide that requires the dog to either extend their neck or lift their front feet off the ground, but still accessible to them. Breakout a tripod or a chest mounted camera holder so that you can…
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