Our Services may be in danger!
Urgent: Federal Bill Could Impact Wildlife Avoidance Training for Dogs!
Your voice matters right now.
Congress is considering a dangerous amendment to the 2026 Farm Bill that threatens the future of lawful hunting, working dogs, and long-standing animal training practices across the United States.
At first glance, it doesn’t seem like something most of us would ever be affected by.
The amendment is based on the so-called Greyhound Protection Act (H.R. 5017), and while it is being presented as a measure to address commercial greyhound racing, its actual language is overly broad and deeply concerning.
It bans something called “live lure training” using anything other than an inanimate object to train dogs… but it doesn’t clearly define what that includes.
Because of that, it can reach far beyond greyhound racing.
It could affect hunting dog training, barn hunt, earthdog, field work… and very likely even the kind of training we provide, the same training that teaches dogs to stay away from Rattlesnakes, Porcupines, and Skunks.
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The purpose of this training is simple:
Teach dogs to avoid those situations entirely!
Just recently an owner shared a wonderful success story with us. Last year, a dog we trained had a rattlesnake in its own yard. This is a livestock guardian dog who herded all of their sheep behind him while he stood guard and barked at the snake from a safe distance, alerting the owners that something was wrong.
We’ve also had trail horse riders tell us their trained dog alerted them to multiple snakes ahead on the trail, giving them time to safely avoid the snakes before the horses saw it and got spooked.
These aren’t rare moments.
This is exactly what the training is designed to do.
In many cases, that’s the difference between a scare and an emergency vet visit….or worse.
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This isn’t just our concern.
Groups like the American Kennel Club, The Cavalry Group, and the International Association of Canine Professionals have all raised concerns about this exact language.
They’re pointing out the same issue: it’s broad, undefined, and risks impacting responsible, widely accepted dog training practices across the country.
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The good news is this is still in motion, which means there’s time to fix it.
This isn’t about stopping the bill, it’s about making sure the wording is clear so that programs designed to keep dogs safe aren’t unintentionally affected.
If this matters to you as a dog owner, please take a moment to review the information and reach out to your elected officials.
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We see it every season. Most people don’t think about this until their dog has a close call.
And if a bill like this eliminates the training that prevents those moments in the first place, it’s worth paying attention to.
Please take a moment to share this, use your voice, and help protect the training that keeps dogs, and the people and animals around them, safe.
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