I know there is a lot of negativism floating around right now. Watching the news can easily lead to discouragement. Discouragement can lead to pessimism and pessimism can quickly turn to anger. Anger will cripple anyone from moving ahead to a better future.

That is why I want you to know that if you have a true passion for working with dogs there has never been a better time to do it. The pet industry is set to do over $52 billion dollars in sales this year and that is in spite of us being in a a recession! I talk to dog trainers all over the country and everyone I talk to tells me that business is better than ever. I have experienced that same thing with my dog training business here in Nashville.

Things may be tough right now but people are still spending money on man’s best friend, the family dog. Don’t put it off any longer ….get off the fence and get started with your own dog training business. Take a look at these outstanding dog training programs.

www.k9-university.com – online programs and “Live” programs in Nashville

www.learntotraindogs.com – 4, 6, and 12 week programs in Austin, Texas

www.dogtrainercoach.com – an online membership training program

Good luck and make 2009 the best year you have ever had….your family deserves it.

Announcing a new membership learning site

TheDogBehaviorCoach.com will be launching soon. I have had so many trainers asking for a program like this. There has been nothing available to teach about behavior issues and how to solve them until now.

We have also developed an eight week Behavior Training Program at K9-University.com. Feel free to take a look at both programs.

We will talk more about this new program when it launches.

Arson detection, or accelerant detection dogs, includes dogs trained for law enforcement, such as fire departments, as well as private detection companies who do searches for insurance companies.

Arson detection dogs require intensive training. Training usually begins even before the dog is assigned a handler. Dogs can be trained with small tins containing a couple of drops of evaporated gasoline. The dog is then rewarded. As you would expect, the dog begins to associate the smell of the accelerant with the reward. Many other accelerants besides gasoline can be taught.

The reward is very important for these dogs. Some trainers train with food while others use toys or give a tennis ball. But the reward must be consistent. Arson detection dogs are typically very enthusiastic and focused on their work.

Once the handlers arrive for their training sessions with the dogs, the dogs are taught how to alert the handler to the presence of an accelerant, either by sitting or by showing excitement. Together the dog and handler will work on other accelerants and the handlers will hide drops for the dogs to find in difficult places.

Once dogs and handlers are paired up they usually remain a team for several years with the dog living with the handler off-duty. After the dog is retired they can live out their years with their handler or be placed in a home with a family who wishes to adopt them.

Arson/accelerant detection dogs are more sensitive to finding accelerants than human electronic equipment. In one study to determine the smallest amount detectable by the dogs, they found .01 micro liter of 50 percent evaporated gasoline 100 percent of the time. A .01 micro liter sample is 1/1000th of a drop. Lab confirmation of a dog’s sense findings is always necessary. The dogs tell the investigators where to take samples, usually finding the spots at the fire scene where the smell of the accelerant is strongest so the investigator can take the sample for the lab. The dogs can also help rule out arson if no accelerant is detected.

In more sophisticated training the dogs are trained using many scents they might detect at an arson scene, but they are only rewarded for alerting to accelerants. Some of the scents may be almost identical to accelerants so the dog must be very discriminating and precise. Some arson/accelerant dogs can alert to as many as 20 different accelerants.

Dogs and handlers must be re-certified yearly.

Arson/accelerant dogs have only been in use since about 1985 but they have proven to be very effective for fire departments, the ATF, and private detection companies. The dogs can work in both urban and rural settings and have been used to determine whether accelerants were used during wildfires. Demand for the dogs is growing and there should be more opportunities for trainers for these important dogs.

If you are interested in training Arson Dogs take a look at:

www.arsondogs.com/trainerschedule.html

www.learntotraindogs.com

www.k9-university.com/programs/arson.html

We will be launching a new Drug Dog Training program in the next few days at www.DrugDogCoach.com .

This membership program will feature weekly lessons as well as audio and video to help with the learning process. As I mentioned this is a membership program that will allow you to pay monthly rather than a large up front fee.

I will keep you posted on the launch.

Dog ownership in the United States is at an all-time high. There are more than 75 million pet dogs in the United States and the number increases each year. At the moment many people are obtaining dogs and puppies from animal shelters and rescues. This means that the dogs may not have had the best start in life. Unlike puppies which come from dedicated breeders, puppies and dogs in shelters and rescues may have been abandoned or abused. They may not have been socialized. They may already have had one or more homes and been dumped by owners when they displayed some behavior that the owner couldn’t solve. In some cases these “behavior problems” may not be serious at all. However, with first time dog owners the behavior, such as a housebreaking issue or too much barking, may be enough to land the dog in the pound.

In this environment there is enormous opportunity for good dog trainers to help owners and dogs. Whether you offer private consultations for specific behavior problems, puppy kindergarten classes for socialization, group obedience classes, or other training, you can help dogs learn to adjust to their homes. This means they can be saved from another trip to the animal shelter where they could be put to sleep. You can literally save a dog’s life by proper training. Well-trained dogs keep their homes. Untrained dogs are much more likely to be dumped and put to sleep. Once a dog has a reputation as a problem dog it’s less likely that anyone will want to adopt him. There are too many dogs available that don’t have that strike against them yet.

In most cases it’s just as important to train the owner as it is the dog. The dog may not be able to learn what he’s supposed to do because the owner isn’t communicating effectively. Your training for both owner and dog can save the relationship.

Some shelters have discovered that if they offer some basic training classes after adoption that owners who attend are much more likely to keep their dogs. Just a few basic lessons in how to handle common dog problems is enough to help them manage the issues they may face at home with their new dogs.

Unfortunately many people who get cute puppies play with them for a few weeks only to discover that the puppy has trouble learning to be housebroken, or continues to chew on people or things, or jumps up on people, or any of a dozen other ordinary dog behaviors. The puppy isn’t bad. The puppy is doing things that are natural for him. But there is a breakdown in communication between what the owner wants the dog to do and what the puppy understands. Too often the result is that people take these young dogs back to the shelter. As they get older it gets harder and harder to adopt them out and they are more likely to be put to sleep.

As a dog trainer you are in a position to help these owners and their dogs. It’s a great feeling when you know that you have helped to save a dog’s life by teaching him and his owner how to understand each other.

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