Archive for July, 2010
Sneaky Dog Tricks
Do you trust you dog alone? If he is well trained the answer is usually yes. If your Answer is no, you probably have a dog crate 
set up for when you not at home.
Some dogs are just sneaky and mischievous critters. Some examples of sneaky and mischievous acts committed by dogs include:
Counter surfing for people food is a common problem for dog owners. If you know he is doing It when you’re not looking, start looking. He usually does it when you’ve been cooking, good smells abound, and you’ve just left the room. Have a penny can ready. (a penny can is a soft drink can with eight pennies in it) When you catch him red pawed, toss the penny can at his behind. He’ll get the message.
Does Fido watch you open his food container when you’re getting ready to feed him? If you have a snap lid on the container, he will soon learn to open it and help himself. Get the penny can ready.
We had a dog who could undo zippers and open suitcases. She was really sneaky.
Beggars and Choosers
Is your dog spoiled? Most dogs are, some more than others. Why are they spoiled? Their spoiled because we spoil them.
Does Fido sit next to you at the dinner table? Does he have good reason to? Do you disappoint him? Quality dog food is made for dogs? People food is made for people. Fido will be a much healthier dog if he eats what was made for him.
We currently have a dog named Jamie who is fourteen years old, acts like 7 and weighs 48 lbs. which is a normal weight for his breed. He eats quality dog food and his treats are also made for him. He gets sardines on his birthday, and also on the birthday of each of his pack mates. He receives quality health care, and is a happy dog.
Jamie had a litter mate named Ice who was fed pizza, fried potatoes steak scraps, and whatever else momma and daddy were eating that day. When dinner was over he licked all the plates before they were put in the dishwasher. Ice was truly spoiled. He was a happy dog who always got his way, weighed 75 lbs and died at the age of eleven.
Dogs Can Count!
Can your dog count? If you say no, you may want to rethink your answer. How many times do you give your dog a command before he responds to it? Once, twice, three times? If your answer is more than three, you really need to train your dog.
If you only have to give a command once, congratulations, you have a well trained dog. If you have to give the same command more than once, you have work to do.
Suppose you are taking Fido for a walk. He is off leash
for some unknown reason. He dashes toward the street. Sensing danger you tell him to come. Then you tell him to come again, then the third time. Fido comes after the third command. He knew what he was suppose to do after the first command, but waited until the third because he knew that’s what you always do and that’s when you really meant it.
If there had been a car coming, would there have been enough time for three commands? Tell him once. If he responds, congratulations are in order. If he doesn’t respond, correct him. Repeat the exercise until he learns to respond on the first command. It could save his life.
Who’s Top Dog at Your House?
Every household has a boss. The boss is defined as the person or creature that gets his, her or its way most of the time. In most households, this title is held by mom.
Your dog is looking for leadership and his place in the pecking order. If mom is firm and consistent, provides him with the majority of his care and is the one who feeds him, she will be in his mind, the leader of the pack.
Who’s next in the mind of Fido? This would be the person with the firmest hand, not the one who spoils him the most. It could be dad or one of the kids. The one who spoils Fido the most,
who feeds him extra treats, and is always letting him out of his dog crate
, is often placed behind Fido in the pecking order in Fido’s mind, Fido is getting his way. So he must be ahead of him. If you have multiple dogs In your household, they will settle on their own order amongst themselves. Dog’s need order in their lives. The pecking order is just one of them.
Why Choose Orthopedic Dog Beds?
After a long day of work or play, climbing into bed is the perfect remedy for your aching limbs. Restorative sleep is essential for recuperation for all animals, not just humans. But what does your dog have to climb in to at the end of a long day? Orthopedic dog beds will provide your best friend with the same relief your mattress gives you.
Pumping your dog full of painkillers to alleviate their aches and pains certainly isn’t the preferred M.O. Orthopedic dog beds are specifically designed to provide relief for older dogs, arthritic dogs, and dogs with joint pain without the use of medication. They’re also recommended for younger dogs with hip dysplasia, as it will put less strain on their joints over time.
Canine Classifieds – Part 10
For Sale – Adult Dog
Any time a dog is advertised for sale in the classified section of a newspaper, caution flags should go up immediately. Why are they trying to sell the dog? What’s wrong with the dog?
Has he been cared for properly? Is the person selling the dog in the business of selling dog?
People’s situations change. Often times when people get a dog they don’t understand how much of a commitment they are making to the dog. When they find out, they want to get rid of the dog. And the dog is stuck in a kennel run or dog crate 
until they do.
Most quality breeders have a return policy. This policy states if for any reason you no longer want the dog, they will take it back. They won’t buy it back, but they will take it back and find a new home for the dog.
Is the person who is advertising the dog, a caring person? A person who really cares for the dog, but for some reason has to part with it? If this were the case, the ad would read, Adult Dog Free to Good Home.
Canine Classifieds – Part 9
For Sale – Stud Service
Wow! Somebody has a male dog and wants to make some money. What a novel idea! Does the ad say what breed of dog they have? Maybe they have several breeds, or a breed match doesn’t matter to them.
One of the first rules of any responsible breeder is, never pimp your dog. If you have a quality male dog suitable for breeding, other breeders will find you via word of mouth. You don’t need to advertise.
You have a male dog that you feel is a quality dog. You want to find a suitable mate. The best way to do this is to join a dog fanciers club in your area. Take your dog to training classes. Let others get to know your dog while on leash
or in a play time situation. Let them see how great he looks, how friendly he is, and what a great temperament he has. You won’t need to run an ad, the suitable mate will come to you.
Canine Classifieds – Part 8
For Sale– Puppies
You want to get a puppy and you aren’t sure where to start looking. You go to the classified section of the newspaper, and you see an ad, Puppies for sale.
Is this ad from a quality breeder? Probably not. Most quality breeders don’t advertise in the newspaper. Most if not all of their sales come from referrals. Their puppies are sold before the breeding takes place.
If the ad came from a pet shop, care must be taken to be sure the puppy has been cared for. Has it received proper nutrition, exercise regularly and has it’s health tests been completed.
Or has it been locked in its crate
since it arrived at the store?
If the ad is from a backyard breeder, all of the above questions need to be answered as well as getting information about the sire and dam. Check references and do your homework. You’ll be glad you did.
Canine Classifieds – Part 7
Help Wanted – Guard Dog
People get dogs for different reasons. Some want a show dog to aid them in gratifying their own competitive nature in a sporting environment. Some just want a pet or an addition to the family. To take for walks on leash
, or to the park.
Others have a need to feel safe in their surroundings or neighborhood and want a watchdog.
A guard dog or watch dog is a dog used to guard against, and watch for, unwanted or unexpected people or animals.
Both guard dogs and watchdogs bark loudly to alert their owners of an intruder’s presence and scare away the intruder. The watch dog’s function ends here; a guard dog is capable of attacking or restraining the intruder.
For example, livestock guardian dogs are often large enough and strong enough to attack and drive away livestock predators such as wolves. Likewise, if the risk is from human intruders, a suitable dog can be simply trained to be aggressive towards unrecognized humans and then tethered or enclosed unsupervised in an area the owner wishes to protect when he is not around (such as at night); the stereotypical “junkyard dog” is a common example of this.
Other guard dogs intended for police or more supervised work are trained to bite, restrain and release an intruder only on the specific commands of its handler.
Some breeds (such as Keeshonden) are excellent watchdogs but not excellent guard dogs because they bark loudly to alert their masters of intruders but are not given to assertive behavior. Similarly, even very small but attentive dogs (among a few other species) may function well as watchdogs.
Canine Classifieds – Part 6
Help Wanted – Search and Rescue Dog
Dog want to be active and useful. They don’t want to be stuck in a kennel run or wire dog crate
all day. One of the ways many dogs can be useful and use their given instincts is in Search and Rescue.
The use of dogs in search and rescue (SAR) is a valuable component in responding to Law
Enforcement requests for missing people. Dedicated handlers and hard working, well-trained dogs are required in search efforts to be effective in their task.
From their training and experience, search and rescue dogs can be classified broadly as either air scenting dogs or trailing (and tracking) dogs. They also can be classified according to whether they “scent discriminate”, and under what conditions they can work. Scent discriminating dogs have proven their ability to alert only on the scent of an individual person, after being given a sample of that person’s scent. Non-scent discriminating dogs alert on or follow any scent of a given type, such as any human scent or any cadaver scent. SAR dogs can be trained specifically for rubble searches, for water searches, and for avalanche searches.