Doggles

Our dogs, like most everyone's dogs, like to stick their heads out the window in the car.  It's exciting outside the car window with all those interesting and new smells going by.  It is actually not very good for you to allow your dog to stick their head out the window of a moving car.  Many times dogs can get debris stuck in their eyes and can cause serious problems.  Our answer to the problem:  Doggles.  These are goggles made for dogs, and they're pretty cool.  Here are some pictures of our dogs sporting their new Doggles.

Nekita & Caravaggio with their Doggles.

Breed of the Month--Rhodesian Ridgeback

Rhodesian Ridgeback


Color:  Red wheaten to light wheaten
Height:  Males:  25-27 inches/  Females:  24-26 inches
Weight:  Males:  75-85 lbs/  Females:  65-70.5 lbs
Life Span:  10-12 years

Breed Health Concerns:  hypothyroidism, elbow and hip dysplasia, cataracts, dermoid sinus, congenital deafness, and cysts.

Coat:  Dense, sleek, short, glossy
Country of Origin:  Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia)

Visit the American Kennel Club for breed standards and more information.

This breed is very well named for its symmetrical ridge that runs along the dog's spine.  Many breeds contribute to the Rhodesian Ridgeback including: the Khoikhoi dog, Mastiff, Pointer, Greyhound, and Bloodhound.  The breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1959.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is an excellent hunter, loyal, and an exceptional companion.  Rhodesian Ridgebacks are very loyal and protective of their family.

Exercise:
The Rhodesian Ridgeback is very curious and must be given regular vigorous exercise to remain happy.  This breed is powerful and athletic.

Grooming:
Only the occasional brushing and rub with a hound glove is necessary.

Training:
Many people think Rhodesian to be stubborn, but they just bore easily.  Training must remain interesting and challenging.  Puppy socialization for the Rhodesian Ridgeback is essential.

The well know Ridge the breed was named for.

Leadership

When adding any new dog to your family, leadership is very important.

To be a good leader to your dog, you must be strong, consistent, non-confrontational, and dependable.  Dogs become extremely stressed without a leader.  A dog will only fill the family leader position if there is no strong leader for him to look to.  Dogs can become very stressed when forced into the leadership role, however some dominant temperament-type dogs can manipulate their way into this role.  The dog that does this will use aggression to maintain his leadership status.  Obviously, this is not something we want.

Duties of the Leader:
1)  Establish the rules
2)  Enforce the rules
3)  Maintain social order

For many past centuries, dogs have had a job within the family unit.  Some of these jobs include:  hunting, protection, herding, pulling carts, eliminating vermin, and locating lost people.  Over the years the dog has become a non-working member of the family.  Humans unknowingly treat dogs as leaders every day.  These things include:  letting a dog eat as much as he wants whenever he wants, receiving constant free attention, and being able to demand sleep time, affection, and alone times.

It is vitally important for the human to establish and enforce house rules from day one!

Relationship Exercises can help maintain your strong leadership role while building a strong bond of trust between you and your dog.  When you control your dog's access to everything, you can more easily train your dog while also keeping him (and your belonging) safe.

Feeding.  Leaders always eat first.  I encourage people to have their dinner and then feed the dog(s) afterwards.  By doing so, your dog is not only learning to wait nicely (no begging), but learning to work for something he likes.  He is earning his food, not just getting it for free.  Dogs that get things for free tend to develop many different kinds of unwanted behaviors.
So when feeding your dog, make him sit and wait while you put the bowl down.  I also always require my dogs to "watch me" (look in my eyes), before being rewarded with food.  Also, do not free feed your dog.  A dog should be fed twice every day.  If the dog does not eat the food within 30 minutes, remove the food.  The dog will not get fed again until the regularly scheduled next mealtime.

Sleeping.  I strongly try to discourage people from allowing their dogs in their beds.  Start your training by only allowing the dog on the floor and his dog bed.  If you initially teach a dog he is not allowed on the places humans usually rest, you are reinforcing your leadership role.
Also, I encourage people with young puppies to sometimes remove them from wherever they are sleeping.  Dogs can become possessive over their favorite sleeping spots and this can sometimes lead to an aggressive response.  Every so often, move your dog from their current sleeping spot.  Positively reward any calm behavior the dog offers when doing so.

Free Time.  Access to freedom throughout your house is definitely something that should be earned by your dog.  When first bringing a new dog into your house, always start with an on-leash tour.  Go through the house, only entering a new room when the dog is calm, waiting, and paying attention to the leader on the other end of the leash.  The person should always enter the new space first.  New dogs and puppies must be consistently supervised and should only be allowed limited access when not being watched.  A new dog or puppy that is left along should either be crated or left in a small area where they can't get into any trouble.  Remember part of training is preparation and maintenance.  If you leave your dog in his crate with his toys, he can't really do wrong.  If you just leave him locked a bathroom with regular bathroom items around, you will have a big mess to clean when you return (any possibly a very sick little puppy).  Remember to protect your dog (and your things) by planning ahead.  Get down on the floor on your stomach and look around.  Those are all little things down there that you don't normally think of that's staring your dog right in the face.  Electric cords, poisonous items, and choking hazards are probably lurking just under your nose.

These are just a few items and examples of how to take proper leadership over your dog.

Breed of the Month--Greyhound

Greyhound


Color:  White, black, fawn, brindle, blue, red, fallow, or any of these broken with white.
Height:  Males:  27-30 inches/  Females:  26-28 inches
Weight:  Males:  65-75 lbs/  Females:  60-70 lbs
Life Span:  10-12 years

Breed Health Concerns:  thyroid problems, bloat, osteosarcoma.

Coat:  Close lying, firm, short, smooth coat
Country of Origin:  Great Britain

Visit the American Kennel Club for breed standards and more information.

As far back as 4th century BCE, Egyptian tombs show drawings of dogs very similar to the appearance  of todays Greyhounds and Salukis.  Sighthounds became very popular over the next several centuries and the breed was eventually refined in Great Britain.
Greyhounds are extremely fast runners and can reach speeds up to 45 mph.  Racing Greyhounds has been popular for 100s of years.
Even though the Greyhound is a good hunter, they are playful yet docile, compassionate, and easy to manage.  Greyhounds have an extremely high prey drive and should never be trusted off leash.

Exercise:
Surprisingly Greyhounds do not need as much exercise as you would expect.  Even though they can run faster than any other dog, a regular high-energy walk every day will keep him happy.  Greyhounds do enjoy being able to run (in a safe enclosed area) and owners would do well to indulge their dog in this respect.

Grooming:
The short coat of the Greyhound needs barely and brushing, but requires occasional rubbing with a currycomb or hound glove.

Training:
To prevent fearfulness, Greyhounds should be socialized at an early age.  Positive reinforcement training is necessary to properly train a Greyhound.  The easily take to using a food lure in training.  It can be somewhat difficult to teach the Greyhound to sit.  His large but lean size can make this position somewhat uncomfortable.

No Reward Marker

A No Reward Marker is a signal or cue to a dog that is paired with punishment each time the dog gives an incorrect response.  This marker should motivate the dog to try something else, and stop presenting the current behavior, or mistake.

The best example of using a No Reward Marker is simply saying an "Uh-oh" when the dog makes a mistake, and trying again.  It is important to remember not to get frustrated when your dog makes a mistake.  Stay calm, try again.

When we teach our dogs a clear system of communicating with us, we can easily point out the behavior we are looking for.  Dogs experience the world quite differently from humans.  Dogs communicate mainly through body language and some small vocalizations, and learn through their senses of hearing and smell.  Never assume your dog just knowns what behavior is good or bad.  We must clearly communicate with our dog what we expect from them, and mark behaviors we like.

Tail Blanket

My dogs seem to cuddle more than you would think any dogs ever would.

Today's cuddling question:  Will your tail help keep me warm?

Breed of the Month--Jindo

Jindo


Color:  Brindle, red fawn, white, gray, black, black and tan.
Height:  Males:  19.5-21.5 inches/  Females:  17.5-19.5 inches
Weight:  Males:  40-50 lbs/  Females:  33-42 lbs
Life Span:  12-14 years

Bread Health Concerns:  none reported

Coat:  Double coat, dense, soft undercoat and a stiff, medium-length outercoat.
Country of Origin:  Korea


Although there is no certain history for the Jindo, it is believed that the Jindo has existed on Jindo Island off of Korea.  In Jindo county, the Jindo Dog Research and Testing Center believes that this breed is a native hunting dog that has existed there going back millions of years.  Korea passed a Jindo Preservation Ordinance in 1962 to protect the breed.  When the Olympics were held in Seoul Korea in 1988, a Jindo walked in the opening ceremony.

Although the Jindo is energetic and independent, he is an extremely loyal dog and enjoys being a constant part of the family dynamic.  The Jindo must be given proper exercise and mental stimulation, he is very energetic and likes to be outdoors as much as possible.

Exercise:
The Jindo needs plenty of daily exercise and prefers to be outdoors.  Although the Jindo does not care for water, if properly trained he can make an excellent companion for biking, running, or hiking.

Grooming:
The Jindo needs only occasional brushing except for times of heavy seasonal shedding.

Training:
Consistency, patience, and positive reinforcement are all important to properly train a Jindo.  Socialization is very important.  Getting angry or frustrated when trying to train a Jindo will get you nowhere.

Yes...this is a Jindo with a Lion

(Korean Zoo, 2006)

Stages of Learning

There are four basic stages of learning for dogs.
1)  Acquisition
2)  Automation
3)  Generalization
4)  Maintenance

During the Acquisition stage of learning, a dog learns the a particular new behavior is rewarding through prompting and shaping.
Shaping  is basically teaching a dog through small steps.  An example of this would be trying to teach a dog to go on his matt or place.  Place the matt a few feet from the dog and wait for the dog to look or take a step toward the matt, reward.  Next the dog steps away from the matt, you do not reward.  It is basically like playing the game "Hot or Cold."  As the dog moves closer to the matt, keep rewarding.  When the dog works out in his mind that this is what you are looking for and makes it all the way to the matt, greatly reward for a job well done.  This is using shaping.

Capturing a behavior is basically waiting for your dog to do something you like, then rewarding him for it.  An example of this would be waiting for your dog to naturally "wipe" his feet after going number two, and rewarding him for the behavior.  Capturing a behavior is catching your dog in the act of a desired behavior and rewarding them for it.

During the Automation stage of learning, the dog automatically will give a specific behavior to a cue without being lured or prompted.  An automation response is when the dog moves into the down position every time you say "down."

During the Generalization stage, the dog learns that the response should be the same, no matter if a different person gives the cue, or if the cue is given in a different location.  Dogs do NOT generalize well.  Owners should practice all known cues in as many different places with as many different people as possible.

When a dog is complying consistently with a cue in many situations 90-100% of the times, he is in the Maintenance stage of learning.  You can feel comfortable that your dog has an understanding of the cue once he has reached the maintenance stage.  When the dog makes a mistake, you must go back to practicing an easier version of the cue, or "Go back to Kindergarten."  

Homework Dog

Our dogs generally want to hang out with us no matter what we might be doing.  Today Nekita decided my boyfriend needed some help with his homework, although she doesn't seem to find math very interesting.

Breed of the Month--Chinese Crested

Chinese Crested


Color:  Any color or combination of colors.
Height:  Males:  11-13 inches/  Females:  9-12 inches
Weight:  Varies, no more than 12 lbs
Life Span:  10-12 years

Breed Health Concerns:  Allergies, patellar luxation, dental problems, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, and skin problems (hairless).

Coat:  Two Types:  1) Hairless, has a silky, soft, flowing hair on head, feet, and tail.
   2) Powderpuff, has a double coat with a short, silky undercoat, and a soft, straight outer coat.
Country of Origin:  China/ Africa

Visit the American Kennel Club for breed standards and more information.

The hairless breeds of today have evolved from mutations that have occurred in past pariah-type puppy litters.  With such a unique appearance in the dog world, they Chinese Crested came to be very popular in Africa, China, Mexico, and Spain.

Many people fall in love with the Chinese Crested because it is affectionate, lively, and playful.  Proper socialization is very important in this breed to keep him comfortable with strangers and more outgoing.  This breed likes to dig and climb.  The Chinese Crested has a hare foot, making it able to hold food, toys, and even people.

Exercise: 
Chinese Crested dogs get some of their energy out by following family members around in their daily routine, but do need a good walk daily as well.

Grooming: 
Chinese Cresteds have no odor and are very clean.  The hairless kind needs to be bathed on a regular basis as well as have oil and/or creme applied to help protect it's skin.  The Powerpuff variety needs regular brushing, as the undercoat will become matted if not tended to.  Both types are naturally resistant to ticks and fleas.

Training:
The Chinese Crested will comply with basic requests and responds well to positive training.  Making training a game for the entire family will help this breed have fun and learn more quickly.