I really don’t know how many of you have faced this situation, but when you are sick and lying in bed, sad and depressed the sound of pattering paws and the touch of a wet nose and the feel of the soft fur of man’s best friend, surely lifts up our spirit and makes us forget our illness for the time being.

You are right, I am talking about the therapy dogs who are trained to bring joy to all those who are sad and depressed, who are sick, and who need company when human company push them away. These dogs are trained to love and fill in positive energy in the minds and hearts of these sad and sick people. Dogs have a healing power in them which can make us forget all our worries, no matter how grave they are and even if they cannot solve the problem, they can at least make us forget about it for some time. Now if you are planning to train your dog to be a therapy dog, then there are certain pointers on therapy dog training that you need to keep in mind and some of them have been discussed below.

Therapy Dogs
The concept of having therapy dogs bringing joy to the sick and the lonely, goes back to the times of the Second World War, when Corporal William Wayne’s pet dog, Smoky, brought joy not only to the sick and hospitalized Wayne, but also to the other injured soldiers who were present in the hospital. Gradually this concept of using dogs to bring joy in the hearts of the sick people, was carried on by a registered nurse from England, called Elaine Smith. Soon many hospitals, schools and even old age homes, started getting therapy dogs in order to bring a smile on the face of the children, the sick and the depressed. In order to have a dog as a therapy dog, it is important that you take care about the temperament of the dog.

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The dog should be good with children as well as adults, it should not snap out unnecessarily, and should have a playful nature and friendly dog behavior. These dogs should also be patient and confident and have the power to ease out any kind of situations. If you are planning to train your dog as a therapy dog, or if you are just interested in knowing about the therapy dog training, then here is some information about it.

Training a Therapy Dog
Dog training can sometimes be a really tough job, but not when the dogs are smart and eager to learn. There are several therapy dog training classes that will willingly teach you how to train a therapy dog and also what the various requirements for therapy dogs training are. One should start training the dog from a very young age, when they are small puppies because that is the time when their mind is fresh and they are more than willing to learn new things.

Show them who is the master. Some dogs can take advantage of their master’s soft behavior and try and behave in a stubborn manner and that will make training it difficult. Hence, you have to be strong and firm, yet gentle and patient with them. Most importantly, do not give up on training your dog as a therapy dog. You need patience for that and you also have to work hard in order to train them to love and help people in need. You also need to keep some dog treats ready in hand so that you can reward them when they successfully perform a trick or do what they have been asked to. You can also talk to the dog trainers in order to learn about the correct ways of training your dog.

Thus, this was all about therapy dog training, therapy dog requirements, and also how to train them. Golden retrievers, Spaniels, Dachshunds, are some of the dogs who are best trained as therapy dogs. These dogs are here not only to guard and protect people, but also to bring a smile to their face and joy in their heart.

Join hundreds of happy dog owners all over the world who have used Online Dog Trainer video systems to solve their dog’s problems – often in just minutes,without force, fear,sprays,electric collars or shouting…

Click ->The Dogs Who Are Best Trained as Therapy Dogs

I’ve created a website where you can learn the fundamentals of dog training and solve all your dog’s problems by watching him train dogs in real life situations – all on videoVisit: http://onlinedogtrainers.blogspot.com/
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There many different easy tricks to teach your dog, which help in communicating with them in day-to-day life. In the process of dog training, ‘praising’ and ‘rewarding’ play an important part. The following tricks would help the owners in communicating with the dogs in a proper manner.

Tricks to Teach Your Dog
Here are some good tricks to teach your dog which would be useful for interacting effectively. The use of dog treat helps in teaching the tricks quickly by tempting them.

Sitting: Teaching the dog how to sit is the first and foremost thing that one should include in the dog training sessions. There are many cool tricks to teach your dog however, one should start off with the sitting trick. While teaching the dog how to sit, one should use a dog treat and hold it in front of his face. Slowly, the treat should be raised above so that the dog tries to rest itself on the haunches. Once the sitting position is reached, the dog should be rewarded with the treat. Repeating the above procedure will help the dog to understand the trick.

Shake Hands: It is the most common and basic technique or trick that one can teach his dog. One has to first say the words ‘shake hands’ and show the dog how to perform the action. Taking the paw in our hands makes the dog understand what is actually expected of him. Repeating the above action helps in etching it in the mind of the dog.

Speak: This trick is performed for the dog to understand the meaning of the word ‘speak’. One should first choose a particular game that is generally played with the dog (for example, playing with the ball). It is important to get the dog excited by saying words like ‘let’s play’, ‘want to play?’, etc. In the whole process, when the dog starts understanding what the owner is trying to communicate, he will start barking. As the dog barks in response, one should praise it by using words like ‘Good dog’, ‘Speak’, etc. Thus, the dog learns this trick gradually. Once the dog learns this trick properly, it would bark just by listening to the word ‘speak’.

Stand: The trick is instructed to the dog from the sitting position. When the dog is in a sitting position, one should hold his hand above the face of the dog. The word stand should be used while raising the hand above in order to encourage the dog to stand up. The dog should be rewarded for his obedience so that he doesn’t forget the trick.

Roll Over: One has to be patient while teaching this trick to the dog. The starting position for this trick is to lie down on the back with the belly facing upwards. While teaching the trick, the owner should not only use the words ‘roll’ or ‘roll over’, but also help the dog by moving its legs from side to side. It might take a longer time to learn this trick because the dogs generally don’t like to lay down in this position.

Dog Training
The dog obedience can be tested with the help of these tricks. One should go easy with the process of training since, many times it takes time to understand the dog behavior. More advanced tricks could be used in dog shows.

The above mentioned methods for training the dogs include funny tricks to teach your dogs. The dogs learn quickly when they are still puppies. One should consider and understand the puppy training tips in order to make the dogs obedient while they are still young. Thus, teaching different types of tricks to the dogs should be an enjoyable activity and not essentially tricky!

Join hundreds of happy dog owners all over the world who have used Online Dog Trainer video systems to solve their dog’s problems – often in just minutes,without force, fear,sprays,electric collars or shouting…

Click ->Dog Training Various Tricks to Teach Your Home Dog

I’ve created a website where you can learn the Tricks to Teach Your Home Dog and solve all your dog’s problems by watching him train dogs in real life situations – all on videoVisit: http://onlinedogtrainers.blogspot.com/
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Dog barking if left can get out of hand and then becomes uncontrollable when a remedy is taken late to alternate its barking behavior, it is always good to train your dog to stop dog barking because taking dogs barking for granted might result in your dog biting someone or even you. Always try to apply some dog barking remedy as soon as you notice your dog has developed a barking problem, it’s also good to start initially to stop your dog barking because if you leave it to continue, he might make it a habit and then trying to stop the dog barking later on might not be easy. Naturally your dog is supposed to bark when a stranger or a thief approaches you or any of your things, you know quiet well is not normal for your dogs to bark when something that is not usual is going on. To stop dog barking has strategies just like everything else, its always good for you to allow your dogs to socialize with other dogs especially dogs that of good behaviors not those that are naughty, this can help to stop dog barking, at least you can take your dog to a friends house or dogs park or something like that to spend sometime with his/her or other dogs. Dogs just like human beings needs socialization, remember that whenever you are bored, you don’t feel relaxed you always look for things to use and get away with your boredom. Dogs love meeting new dogs, sometimes you might have noticed the excitement in them whenever they see dogs like them passing by, they always love to approach them if an opportunity is giving to them. I recommend you to visit Kingdom of Pets if you want to stop your dog barking.

Another method you can use to stop dog barking is by petting them, its your pet and you need to pet them, don’t punish them whenever they do little things. Some dogs owner love scolding their dogs which is very bad, these cant stop dog barking rather it would make dogs be aggressive, these normally make dogs start to bark out of the fear you impacted in dogs. Try as much as possible to avoid stuffs like beating, tapping, smacking or even kicking it, these are the most things that encourage dog barking. It is always necessary to leave dogs with their mom when they are born newly, its one of the things believed to help stop dog barking the easy way with taking it to a long extent, when you take dogs away from their mom before they are 5 months of age they wont get the necessary pre natal care from their mom. It’s like taking away a newborn babe from their mom, don’t you think this would do her great harm. Just like human beings, dogs need care, these can reduce or even stop dog barking.

Dogs that bark anyhow could be dangerous at times because you need to know why the dog is barking. When you take your dog barking problems for granted and it bites someone you could be sued for it resulting in hundreds or even thousand of dollars for dog bites when you can easily apply some strategies to use to stop dogs barking problems. Provide your dogs with variety of toys to keep them busy, try to impact in them the habit of playing with those toys but don’t let them over do it, it might go to another level, you can let them play with it for 2 or 3 hours and then put them to another task like eating or any thing you feel can help them get busy.

Some dogs do not know whether barking is good or wrong, they have lived with it since they were born, its your duty to make them stop barking, sometimes you can tell you dogs to stop barking when they bark, words like that can ease the situation. Always try to scold dogs a little when they are barking in friendly way, do not leave it till after they’ve finished barking, trying to hit them when dogs bark can worsen the whole situation. You can try splashing your dog some little water on the face to stop barking, these might ease the barking come from your dogs. When you have noticed it has stopped barking, try to reward it with something you know your dog love so much, everything has a reward, now that you know that you don’t like your dog barking and you tried some tricks to make it stop and finally it did stop, reward her immediately don’t wait for it to pass so long, you can reward it after 4 seconds or less, you can try saying words like good dog, another day don’t bark, I will always treat good if you stop barking, I hate it when you bark, in a cool and gentle way, less i forget while you say this words you could touch her body, the hairs and of course the head these might make your dog feel that the owner doesn’t like dogs barking.

They are many numerous ways to stop dog barking, you may never know the type your dog needs to stop its behavior, I recommend you to get these ebook on how to stop dogs behavior it would go a long way in stopping your dog barking behavior, not only that but also stop your dog jumping, bitting, urinating anyhow or even digging holes, no matter what their problem might be. I equally use it to stop my dog biting problems; it is rich in dogs training. Visit Kingdom of Pets

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A dog is an instinctively aggressive creature. In the wild, aggression came in very handy: dogs needed aggression to hunt, to defend themselves from other creatures, and to defend resources such as food, a place to sleep, and a mate. Selective breeding over the centuries has minimized and refined this trait significantly, but there’s just no getting around it: dogs are physically capable of inflicting serious harm (just look at those teeth!) because that’s how they’ve survived and evolved. And Mother Nature is pretty wily – it’s hard to counteract the power of instinct!

But that doesn’t mean that we, as dog lovers and owners, are entirely helpless when it comes to handling our dogs. There’s a lot that we can do to prevent aggression from rearing its ugly head in the first place – and even if prevention hasn’t been possible (for whatever reason), there are still steps that we can take to recognize and deal with it efficiently.

- Different aggression types -

There are several different types of canine aggression. The two most common ones are:

- Aggression towards strangers

- Aggression towards family members

You may be wondering why we’re bothering categorizing this stuff: after all, aggression is aggression, and we want to turf it out NOW, not waste time with the details – right?

Well … not quite. These two different types of aggression stem from very different causes, and require different types of treatment.

- Aggression towards strangers -

What is it?

It’s pretty easy to tell when a dog’s nervy around strange people. He’s jumpy and on the alert: either he can’t sit still and is constantly fidgeting, leaping at the smallest sound, and pacing around barking and whining; or he’s veerrrry still indeed, sitting rock-steady in one place, staring hard at the object of his suspicions (a visitor, the mailman, someone approaching him on the street while he’s tied up outside a store.)

Why does it happen?

There’s one major reason why a dog doesn’t like strange people: he’s never had the chance to get used to them. Remember, your dog relies 100% on you to broaden his horizons for him: without being taken on lots of outings to see the world and realize for himself, through consistent and positive experiences, that the unknown doesn’t necessarily equal bad news for him, how can he realistically be expected to relax in an unfamiliar situation?

What can I do about it?

The process of accustoming your dog to the world and all the strange people (and animals) that it contains is called socialization. This is an incredibly important aspect of your dog’s upbringing: in fact, it’s pretty hard to overemphasize just how important it is. Socializing your dog means exposing him from a young age (generally speaking, as soon as he’s had his vaccinations) to a wide variety of new experiences, new people, and new animals.

How does socialization prevent stranger aggression?

When you socialize your dog, you’re getting him to learn through experience that new sights and sounds are fun, not scary.

It’s not enough to expose an adult dog to a crowd of unfamiliar people and tell him to “Settle down, Roxy, it’s OK” – he has to learn that it’s OK for himself. And he needs to do it from puppyhood for the lesson to sink in.

The more types of people and animals he meets (babies, toddlers, teenagers, old people, men, women, people wearing uniforms, people wearing motorcycle helmets, people carrying umbrellas, etc) in a fun and relaxed context, the more at ease and happy – and safe around strangers – he’ll be in general.

How can I socialize my dog so that he doesn’t develop a fear of strangers?

Socializing your dog is pretty easy to do – it’s more of a general effort than a specific training regimen.

First of all, you should take him to puppy preschool. This is a generic term for a series of easy group-training classes for puppies (often performed at the vet clinic, which has the additional benefit of teaching your dog positive associations with the vet!).

In a puppy preschool class, about ten or so puppy owners get together with a qualified trainer (often there’ll be at least two trainers present – the more there are, the better, since it means you get more one-on-one time with a professional) and start teaching their puppies the basic obedience commands: sit, stay, and so on.

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Even though the obedience work is very helpful and is a great way to start your puppy on the road to being a trustworthy adult dog, really the best part of puppy preschool is the play sessions: several times throughout the class, the puppies are encouraged to run around off-leash and play amongst themselves.

This is an ideal environment for them to learn good social skills: there’s a whole bunch of unfamiliar dogs present (which teaches them how to interact with strange dogs), there’s a whole bunch of unfamiliar people present (which teaches them that new faces are nothing to be afraid of), and the environment is safe and controlled (there’s at least one certified trainer present to make sure that things don’t get out of hand).

Socialization doesn’t just stop with puppy preschool, though. It’s an ongoing effort throughout the life of your puppy and dog: he needs to be taken to a whole bunch of new places and environments.

Remember not to overwhelm him: start off slow, and build up his tolerance gradually.

- Aggression towards family members -

There are two common reasons why a dog is aggressive towards members of his own human family:

- He’s trying to defend something he thinks of as his from a perceived threat (you).

This is known as resource guarding, and though it may sound innocuous, there’s actually a lot more going on here than your dog simply trying to keep his kibble to himself.

- He’s not comfortable with the treatment/handling he’s getting from you or other members of the family.

What’s resource guarding?

Resource guarding is pretty common among dogs. The term refers to overly-possessive behavior on behalf of your dog: for instance, snarling at you if you approach him when he’s eating, or giving you “the eye” (a flinty-eyed, direct stare) if you reach your hand out to take a toy away from him.

All dogs can be possessive from time to time – it’s in their natures. Sometimes they’re possessive over things with no conceivable value: inedible trash, balled up pieces of paper or tissue, old socks. More frequently, however, resource-guarding becomes an issue over items with a very real and understandable value: food and toys.

Why does it happen?

It all boils down to the issue of dominance. Let me take a moment to explain this concept: dogs are pack animals. This means that they’re used to a very structured environment: in a dog-pack, each individual animal is ranked in a hierarchy of position and power (or “dominance”) in relation to every other animal. Each animal is aware of the rank of every other animal, which means he knows specifically how to act in any given situation (whether to back down, whether to push the issue, whether to muscle in or not on somebody else’s turf, etc etc).

To your dog, the family environment is no different to the dog-pack environment. Your dog has ranked each member of the family, and has his own perception of where he ranks in that environment as well.

This is where it gets interesting: if your dog perceives himself as higher up on the social totem-pole than other family members, he’s going to get cheeky. If he’s really got an overinflated sense of his own importance, he’ll start to act aggressively.

Why? Because dominance and aggression are the exclusive rights of a superior-ranked animal. No underdog would ever show aggression or act dominantly to a higher-ranked animal (the consequences would be dire, and he knows it!)

Resource guarding is a classic example of dominant behavior: only a higher-ranked dog (a “dominant” dog) would act aggressively in defence of resources.

To put it plainly: if it was clear to your dog that he is not, in fact, the leader of the family, he’d never even dream of trying to prevent you from taking his food or toys – because a lower-ranking dog (him) will always go along with what the higher-ranking dogs (you and your family) say.

So what can I do about it? The best treatment for dominant, aggressive behavior is consistent, frequent obedience work, which will underline your authority over your dog. Just two fifteen-minute sessions a day will make it perfectly clear to your dog that you’re the boss, and that it pays to do what you say.

You can make this fact clear to him by rewarding him (with treats and lavish praise) for obeying a command, and isolating him (putting him in “time-out”, either outside the house or in a room by himself) for misbehaviour.

- If you’re not entirely confident doing this yourself, you may wish to consider enlisting the assistance of a qualified dog-trainer.

- Brush up on your understanding of canine psychology and communication, so that you understand what he’s trying to say – this will help you to nip any dominant behaviors in the bud, and to communicate your own authority more effectively

- Train regularly: keep obedience sessions short and productive (no more than fifteen minutes – maybe two or three of these per day).

Why doesn’t my dog like to be handled?

All dogs have different handling thresholds. Some dogs like lots of cuddles, and are perfectly content to be hugged, kissed, and have arms slung over their shoulders (this is the ultimate “I’m the boss” gesture to a dog, which is why a lot of them won’t tolerate it.) Others – usually the ones not accustomed to a great deal of physical contact from a very young age – aren’t comfortable with too much full-body contact and will get nervy and agitated if someone persists in trying to hug them.

Another common cause of handling-induced aggression is a bad grooming experience: nail-clipping and bathing are the two common culprits.

When you clip a dog’s nails, it’s very easy to “quick” him – that is, cut the blood vessel that runs inside the nail. This is extremely painful to a dog, and is a sure-fire way to cause a long-lasting aversion to those clippers.

Being washed is something that a great many dogs have difficulty dealing with – a lot of owners, when confronted with a wild-eyed, half-washed, upset dog, feel that in order to complete the wash they have to forcibly restrain him. This only adds to the dog’s sense of panic, and reinforces his impression of a wash as something to be avoided at all costs – if necessary, to defend himself from it with a display of teeth and hackles.

Can I “retrain” him to enjoy being handled and groomed?

In a word: yes. It’s a lot easier if you start from a young age – handle your puppy a lot, get him used to being touched and rubbed all over. Young dogs generally enjoy being handled – it’s only older ones who haven’t had a lot of physical contact throughout their lives that sometimes find physical affection difficult to accept.

Practice picking up his paws and touching them with the clipper; practice taking him into the bath (or outside, under the faucet – whatever works for you, but warm water is much more pleasant for a dog than a freezing spray of ice-water!), and augment the process throughout with lots of praise and the occasional small treat.

For an older dog that may already have had several unpleasant handling/grooming experiences, things are a little more difficult. You need to undo the damage already caused by those bad experiences, which you can do by taking things very slowly – with an emphasis on keeping your dog calm.

The instant he starts to show signs of stress, stop immediately and let him relax. Try to make the whole thing into a game: give him lots of praise, pats, and treats.

Take things slowly. Don’t push it too far: if you get nervous, stop.

Dogs show aggression for a reason: they’re warning you to back off, or else! If your dog just can’t seem to accept being groomed, no matter how much practice you put in, it’s best to hand the job over to the professionals.

Your vet will clip his nails for you (make sure you tell him first that he gets aggressive when the clippers come out, so your vet can take the necessary precautions!). As far as washing and brushing goes, the dog-grooming business is a flourishing industry: for a small fee, you can get your dog washed, clipped, brushed, and whatever else you require by experienced professionals (again, make sure you tell them about your dog’s reaction to the experience first!)
If you like this article, you will find much more useful dog training information on our dog training website Dog Training Success where you will find useful tips, tricks and an amazing guide that will help you train your dog with immediate results. No matter what your dog training problem there is a solution and this fantastic dog training guide will show you how to handle each and every situation in detail. Can you afford not to find our more? Click Here Now!
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Do you want a new dog? Have you really thought about it? Why are you thinking about adding a new dog companion to your family in the first place? Do you have any idea what you’re looking for in a new dog companion? What are you real needs in a dog? And your wants? There are many things to consider first before bringing home that new bundle of joy.

It is very important, first, to match your new dogs overall personality, exercise requirements and needs to you and your family as closely as possible. With luck you’re choosing an animal that is likely to be with you for 10 years or longer so put forth a little research time in the beginning and you’ll be rewarded for your efforts for years to come.

Were you aware that the common dog comes in more than 400 different breed types world wide? There is much more variation among our friend the family dog than in any other species of mammal known today. The selection of available dog types to choose from is truly amazing. They come in more sizes, shapes, colors, coat types, abilities and personalities than you could shake a bone at.

Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to find the right dog breed to fit your personality as well as your current lifestyle. Dogs, just like people, have many different jobs and most were bred for very specific activities. This is probably one of the most important things you need to know before you get the wrong dog for you. Example: If you are a couch potato you don’t want to bring home a dog breed with extreme energy – and a need to express that – or if you are a triathlete, you don’t want to bring home a new exercise partner with tremendously low exercise requirements.

Here I will list each of the major AKC dog groups, briefly describe their overall purpose and what the dogs were originally bred to do, list many of the jobs dogs in each particular group currently perform, as well listing as a few members of each group.

- The Herding Group

Bred for stamina, these super intelligent herding dog breeds work with their owners all day long out in the fields moving livestock. Overall, these energetic, intelligent herding dog breeds make excellent pets and work extremely well with different kinds of training such as agility, flyball, Schutzhund, search and rescue and obedience. Keep in mind, since these dogs were bred to do a particular job (herding), they do better when they have lots of exercise.

A few members of the AKC herding group are the German Shepherd, Australian Shepherd, Border Collie and Bouvier des Flandres.

- The Working Group

The dogs of the working group were bred to help man in many various jobs – from pulling sleds, guarding a home or tracking, to pulling carts, water rescues, and more. These particular dog breeds have been bred for several generations for very definite purposes and they need jobs to fill their days. They have very active minds, and are very trainable and willing to work – it is also true that these working dog breeds also require a lot of training.

Overall, the larger size, power and strength of many of the members of this group may make them unsuitable for most families, however they thrive with the right companions. Remember, since most were bred to work, they do best with lots of exercise and a specific task to do.

A few members of the AKC working group are the Boxer, Alaskan Malamute, Great Dane, Saint Bernard, and Rottweiler.

- The Hound Group

The members of the AKC hound group were bred to help man while hunting. Divided into 2 separate groups, the hounds track their prey using their wonderful senses of sight (called sight hounds) or smell (called scent hounds). The hound dog group has some of the oldest dog breeds known to man today.

Many of these dogs are quite vocal based on their hunting background so it would be a good idea to hear their vocalizations before you decide to get a hound of your own. Also, it is also a good idea to keep these dogs on a leash at all times since they can easily be led by their nose, or eyes, into situations that may get them into trouble.

A few members of the AKC hound group are the Basset Hound, Beagle, Bloodhound, Greyhound and Rhodesian Ridgeback.

- The Terrier Group

The fiesty and energetic terrier group dog breed members were bred to hunt vermin both above and below ground and are often described as the “pest controllers” of the dog world. Typically these tenacious little dogs have little to no tolerance for any small fast moving animals, the postman, other dogs, etc. They are well known for their tenacious, fiesty and independent nature.

Terriers can make great pets in the right home but need a determined owner who matches their dogs’ spirited personality.

A few members of the AKC terrier group are the Airedale Terrier, Bull Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Scottish Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier.

- The Toy Group

The toy group dog breeds were developed simply to be our companions. Their main job is to make their owners happy. The only things the members of this dog group have in common really is their petit size. The toy dogs are also called “lap dogs” sometimes because this is where many of these toy breeds prefer to stay, in their masters lap.

It is very true that the name “toy” is very misleading. Many of the toy dogs are as tough as nails. Toy dogs are especially popular with people that live in apartments or people without a lot of living space.

A few members of the AKC toy group are the Pomeranian, Chihuahua, Pug, Yorkshire Terrier and the Havanese.

- Non-sporting Group

The different purebred dog breeds in the non-sporting group are a wide collection of dogs in all different types of shapes, sizes, coat types, jobs types, personalities and overall appearances. Many people call this the AKC “catch-all” dog group. The diverse membership of the non-sporting group contains a little bit of everything – big dogs, little dogs, hairy dogs, bald dog breeds and some of the finest companion dogs you might possibly ever own.

A few members of the AKC non-sporting group are the Bulldog, Lhasa Apso, Dalmatian, Boston Terrier, French Bulldog, and Keeshond.

- The Sporting Group

Well known for their incredible instincts in both the water and woods, many of the members of this AKC sporting dog group continue to actively participate in hunting and other field trials today, actively retrieving and hunting feathered or furred game for their masters. The sporting dog breeds are well known also for their easy going temperaments.

Included in this group you’ll find the pointers, retrievers, setters and spaniels. Keep in mind that the sporting dogs do need regular exercise, frequently.

A few members of the AKC sporting group are the Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Irish Setter, Pointer and the Cocker Spaniel.

- Miscellaneous Dog Group

The many different dog breeds included in the AKC Miscellaneous Group are awaiting final breed recognition by the AKC. All dog breeds that are in this group can compete and earn titles in AKC Obedience, Tracking and Agility events.

Many of these dog breeds are ones that you may not see everyday but can make great pets in the right homes. Research each of these breeds one by one since they have different working backgrounds such as hunting, herding or guarding.

As of the writing of this article, the current members of the AKC Miscellaneous Group are the Pyrenean Shepherd, Beauceron, Redbone Coonhound, Dogue de Bordeaux, Norwegian Buhund and the Swedish Vallhund.

If you’re like most people you probably have many unanswered questions about dogs in general. Hopefully armed with the information above you will have a better idea of what various dog breeds were originally bred to do and will better understand whether or not they will fit your needs. Finding the right dog breed for you is truly a very important process. The best way to do that is when armed with the knowledge to make a decision based totally on fact, not fiction or hear say.

Copyright 2007. Debbie Ray. All Rights Reserved.

Debbie Ray, owner of http://www.pedigreedpups.com and http://www.total-german-shepherd.com, is a lifelong animal lover and dog enthusiast. Interested in more dog information? Training and health tips? Thinking about getting a purebred dog? Interested in the German Shepherd Dog in particular? Need to promote your dog related website and get additional in bound links? Check out pedigreedpups.com , total-german-shepherd.com or http://www.canine-hotline.com (purebred dog store) for more information.
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