As a dedicated dog owner, you’ve likely experienced the incredible bond that forms between you and your furry friend. Dogs possess an innate ability to understand our emotions and provide comfort during difficult times. At Fetch and More, we’ve made it our mission to help dogs reach their full potential as psychiatric or emotional support animals, as well as search and rescue dogs. In today’s post, we’ll discuss some advanced skills your dog can learn to support you and others, and why Fetch and More is the best choice for your dog’s training.
Understanding Your Dog’s Body Language
A critical aspect of effective communication with your dog involves understanding their body language. This skill is especially important when training a psychiatric or emotional support animal. A few tips to help you read your dog’s body language include:
- Pay attention to their ears and tail – these can indicate whether they’re relaxed, alert, or scared.
- Observe their posture – a stiff, tense posture can signify stress or anxiety.
- Watch their facial expressions – yawning, lip licking, or whale eye can indicate stress or discomfort.
Although these tips can be helpful, it’s essential to remember that each dog is unique, and interpreting their body language can be challenging. That’s where Fetch and More’s expertise comes in.
Advanced Skills Your Dog Can Learn
As a psychiatric or emotional support animal, your dog can learn various advanced skills, such as:
- Deep pressure therapy: Providing comfort by applying gentle pressure to the owner during times of stress or anxiety.
- Sensing emotional distress: Recognizing signs of emotional distress and providing support.
- Grounding techniques: Offering tactile comfort by placing their head or paw on the owner’s lap during panic attacks or episodes of dissociation.
For search and rescue dogs, we focus on teaching essential skills like:
- Scent discrimination: Identifying and tracking specific scents.
- Area search: Effectively searching for missing persons in a designated area.
- Obedience and agility: Responding to commands and navigating difficult terrain.
At Fetch and More, our years of experience, training, and certifications ensure that our training methods are top-of-the-line. We believe that almost any dog can be trained as a psychiatric or emotional support animal, or as a search and rescue dog. Our team travels to each client, providing training in a familiar environment, which is vital for your dog’s success. In addition to specialized training, we also offer house training to help your dog become a well-behaved member of your family. Our experts will give you the confidence to know that your dog is receiving the best possible training. When you’re ready to begin, contact us.
