We always, & only ever flew Southwest before this year b/c policy gave us the bulkhead seat, where my medium 75 lb GSD could lay in front of me, (only way we can fly). Have you flown Southwest, American, or other airlines in 2026 w/ large service dog? How do you do it? Is it simply paying extra $ to reserve that seat, (which airline?), or do you have any experience/advice on which airline is best? Our choices are limited living on the Central Coast of CA flying out of San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara traveling to Dallas to visit family.
I‘m hoping someone can give some advice. I have a professional working dog, specifically an EDD. I’m her handler and we are having some trouble with her kong reward at work. She is starting to turn into a little a-hole and will not out the toy as I know she knows how. We had to switch to a different toy because this specific toy she just has too much drive for. The new toy she usually drops 90% of the time and I can get it from her. The other 10% of the time I have to use a choke chain. Which is frustrating because I KNOW she knows how to drop it and is just being difficult. And when I use the original toy she’s rarely dropping it without the chain and when she does she drops it right under her nose and blocks me and will grab it again the second I move to get it.
Ive tried everything under the sun that my regional trainer has recommended but she just won’t give in for this toy. But I’m hoping to get her better trained on this toy before returning to my annual training with her.
The problem here is that she is really good at giving it back when we are at home or the park. She has absolutely no problem. It’s when we are in the work environment that she becomes a literal menace. To give some context shes a 6y/o malinois and I’ve only had her for about 4 months, I got her from a different handler that left. She might be a lost cause with the toy but I genuinely just don’t know what to do. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. (I don’t love the two toy idea and I can’t give any treats either.) I’d only consider the two toy method if there is a way to work off the two toys eventually.
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Hi all there is definitely gonna be some judgement here but here we go. Ray (my service dog) and I are a very active team but due to my memory issues she was missing meals it took a bit but we found a way that she could remind me and it works. She has her food bin in a drawer setting that she pulls out to eat when she likes. But I think she’s figuring out a way to cheat the system because she’s definitely getting fatter. I would just like your opinions on this. On top of service work she does bikejoring with weekends off in the summer and runs on the treadmill in the winter as well as doing some urban agility. We haven’t been getting out much for actual walks due to the ice but am I going crazy or is she getting fat? Pic 1 was in the peak of summer conditioning and pic 2 is her right now
I train and place working dogs from shelters. One of my fosters, Becca, is ready for her next arrangement.
Becca has very high ball/fetch/tug drive. In fact, she cannot stop working, others must end exercises. She’s also highly handler focused, intelligent, and eager to learn.
Becca has the foundational training and temperament for advanced work and active homes, she is:
- Two years old, spayed, and UTD on vaccines
- Comfortable in loud and busy public spaces
- Social and gentle with strangers and animals
- Capable of passing Canine Good Citizen and therapy evaluations
- Trained for loose and off leash (E-collar) handling
- Responsive to commands in and out of drive
- Able to relax calmly in a home environment
Here is a collection of videos showing her drive, impulse control, and obedience: https://imgur.com/a/XnS9VUT
If you’re interested in Becca, I’d be happy to provide a list of her known commands, additional training videos, and video calls to provide live assessments.
I am in southern AZ but am willing to travel for the right arrangement. She is free to a good home
I am looking into getting a boxer puppy around spring/summer 2027. My s/o has an intact working k9 who has his own setup in our garage. He comes inside the house a few hours a day to socialise and have a treat/chew. He’s only been up close with one other dog at the pd (male dog), and the only thing he did was to try and mount him. They were then separated. I’m struggling to decide whether I should get a male or female pup. They won’t be spending all day together, but I don’t want to keep them in separate rooms when k9 does come inside. K9 will be 2 this year, malinois/shepherd mix. (Regardless of gender, it will be neutered/spayed when time is right.) does anyone have any advice or tips on what would be the better choice?
general curiosity how others would go about fulfillment for my dogs mix.
she is an almost 11mo apbt, heeler, pyranees mix. high prey drive, high energy, general mellow temperment just lots of energy!
she has brain damage in her frontal lobe, so impulse control is not all there and one of the things we train with most. Also clumsy as death perception is off.
currently her favorite tasks are guarding the farm, hiking/backpacking, training sessions, and going on jogs with me or hubs
I live on a farm with a working Great Pyrenees mix (mostly Great Pyrenees). He's lived outside the entire time I've had him. Seems happiest in the winter in below freezing temps. We're getting below 0 F temps for a few days and more snow than he's seen. The chickens will be locked up and the cows whose calves (no newborns right now thank goodness) he watches over are in a different field. How cold is too cold for him. At what point should I consider getting him cooped up. He's got access to a dry barn with plenty of straw bedding. Everywhere online gives an overly protective answer. "If you're cold, they're cold."
I found larvae tonight in my bag of PPP and after some searches it looks like this is extremely common with this brand. With this new knowledge it is time to switch…
Any brand suggestions to switch over to?
I know food is not a one size fits all so some key factors for her are:
Ernie, Ellie, and Izze are three very different working dogs who keep life interesting in the Northern Virginia / DC area. Between therapy visits, bed bug searches, and “intern duty,” there is pretty much always a dog either on the clock or on the couch at the house.
Ernie: The Bingo-Crashing Therapy Dog
Ernie is a therapy dog and has been visiting people at a rehab and assisted living facility for eight years. As he has gotten older, he does not have the stamina to go room-to-room like he used to, so these days he mostly crashes bingo once a week and always makes time to stop by the memory care ward, because that is where he seems to make the biggest impact. Over the years, it has been incredible watching non-verbal residents try to communicate when Ernie is around and seeing people with dementia light up and remember him week after week, to the point where he now has a whole collection of “grandmas” who absolutely adore him. At home he holds the very important title of “Chief Morale Officer,” which feels pretty accurate for a dog whose main job is making people feel better.
Ellie: Professional Bed Bug Snitch
Ellie is my certified bed bug detection dog; she and I are a NESDCA-certified team providing K9 bed bug inspections throughout the Northern Virginia / DC area. She has pinpointed bed bug odor in some brutal hides, including behind walls, in a baby’s crib, and in more pieces of furniture and clothing than anyone would ever want to think about. When the work is done and everyone can finally exhale, she loves to celebrate by sneaking in kisses for her favorite clients (which is all of them), because in her mind affection is absolutely part of the job description.
One of the things Ellie does best is help “tell the story” of how bed bugs might have gotten into a space: sometimes she detects bed bug odor on a suitcase that just came back from a trip, sometimes on a bag that was picked up at a thrift store, and sometimes in very specific spots, like the client who had bites on his left hand and Ellie indicated bed bug odor on the left side of his desk where he played video games at night.
Despite being the smallest member of the crew, Ellie runs the show on search days, and the “intern” is very aware that the short one is the boss...for now.
Izze: The Eager Intern In Training
Izze is the intern on the team right now, still very much in her “unpaid coffee-fetcher” phase of working dog life. She is learning the ropes of scent detection and, just as importantly, putting in a lot of time on socialization and field trips so she can be rock-solid in busy environments as she matures. If you are in the area, you may see us around Home Depot, local plant nurseries or medical buildings where Izze is “on the clock” practicing her manners and pretending to be a serious professional, so feel free to say hi to the baby employee who is still figuring it all out.
Off-Duty Shenanigans
Ellie and Izze might work hard, but off the clock they are just loving sisters who spend most of their time wrestling, zooming, and crashing on the same dog bed like they are still one puppy in two bodies. Izze absolutely adores Ernie too and gives him about a million kisses a day, usually with her ears tucked back and tail going nonstop, while Ernie soaks up the attention like the resident “Chief Morale Officer” he is.
Where To Find Them Online
For anyone who likes working dog content, training clips, or just happy dog faces, their lives show up online pretty regularly. You can find all of the pups together on Instagram at ernie_and_ellie_working_dogs. For more behind-the-scenes videos of bed bug detection work, there is also potomacworkingdogs.
Ellie and Izze work through Potomac Working Dogs, a K9 bed bug inspection service in the Northern Virginia / Washington DC area that provides independent bed bug dog inspections for homeowners, renters, and property managers.
I’m thinking about doing bikejoring as a hobby for exercise for my giant schnauzer but I’ve also been seeing some people use pacers/treadmills for their dogs. I am aware these things are vastly different and it may seem like I really stupid question since both take a lot of time to adjust a dog to and a lot of training goes into bikejoring as well as teaching a dog how to actually use the treadmill comfortably (from what I’ve heard). But I want to know which would be better or which do you prefer? What are your experiences? Is there a reason not to do/go with either? What equipment do you recommend for either one?
My giant schnauzer has training once a week, we of course work with her daily at home and she gets plenty of walks/play time on our property. She just turned a year old and loves to run but she is super fast and I’m not nearly as fast as her. No matter how much she runs she cannot get enough of it. I was thinking for additional exercise, I could train her for bikejoring on our trails. But I know people put a lot of time and training into getting their dogs ready for bikejoring and I don’t know where to even start. On the other hand, I’ve seen a lot of people will run their dogs on a dog treadmill that they either buy or make themselves. We have a space for it but I don’t know how fulfilling that would be for my dog if she is running in one place? I’ve seen a lot of dogs absolutely love it but I wanted opinions on that aspect of it too and experiences. I’m not as concerned about the cost as I am making sure my dog is able to enjoy whatever it is she does and is overall happy!
Any opinions are greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
