Bøker av Nicola Ferguson

Service dogs play an important role in society, assisting their handlers in leading independent, fulfilling lives. These amazing dogs are trained to work with a wide range of disabilities, from visual impairments to PTSD, and come from a variety of breeds and backgrounds. Some service dogs are custom bred and trained by large charities, while others are rescue dogs of indeterminate breed, trained entirely by their owners. Disability knows no bounds and can strike anyone, at any time, leaving us alone, scared and confused, with many of us wondering how feasible it would be to integrate a service dog into our lives. This is a practical guide, written from the perspective of an ordinary dog owner turned service dog trainer, following her own need for a service dog. It covers everything from service dog breeding and selection, how to acquire a service dog, basic training, and public access work, to your dog's eventual retirement. Chapters also detail the day-to-day realities of living with and loving a service dog.

Dog training methodology is an increasingly hotly contested topic. A number of vocal trainers insist that dogs should be instructed through exclusively positive reinforcement, and that training should be totally force-free. Popularized through social media, the force-free training movement has grown into a lucrative, billion-dollar industry, but the consequences may outweigh the positives. This book examines the current state of dog training and discusses ethical alternatives to force-free methods. Chapters cover the history of dog training, common myths, equipment, and the merits of balanced training methods that don't dogmatically avoid occasional force.

An in-depth, illustrated history and gazetteer of plants with double flowers