Puppies enjoying their meal
The above puppies are a cross between a German Shepherd dog and a Belgium Shepherd dog (Malinois).
The puppies’ parents were on the Novice Obedience Class with one of my Bouviers and they both have achieved the CD title and are involved in Schutzhound training.
Interested persons can contact Trevor O’Neale at 231-7676 ©, or 428-5722 (h) for more information such as their price or e-mail him at jimboallstars@hotmail.com
Dogs have been man’s friend for a very long time and it is interesting to see how their usefulness has evolved from being a guard or watch dog, a companion type dog, a farm worker herding sheep and cattle to the more specialized training we are seeing today.
For many years now, dogs have been used to detect drugs and explosives at airports and other areas. We know they are also used to assist in finding lost humans and also used in the recovery process to locate dead bodies.
It is fascinating to read about the therapy dogs which are trained to go into hospitals and nursing homes and socialize and bring cheer and comfort to the residents of those organizations. I am sure that the dogs sense that they are dealing with humans who are not as strong as average and they are extra gentle with these people.
Children with autism have also been shown to respond well to therapy dogs.
There are dogs which are used as “seeing eyes” for the blind and also dogs used for the hearing impaired.
Even people with mobility problems can be assisted by trained dogs, who can assist by fetching things, opening doors and other household tasks.
Now in some prisons, dogs are used to help prisoners have a better sense of self esteem through training and programmes offer the prisoners a period of comfort, once they like dogs, and the sense of unconditional love and loyalty which dogs give so willingly.
There are dogs which are trained to alert people with epilepsy – these are known as seizure alert dogs – and these dogs when they alert the person, give the person a chance to call for help or even get themselves to a safer place. It is not known how dogs can sense these things which humans can not, but it may be a subtle change in chemical levels, maybe in sweat glands and/or the person’s breath.
Dogs used their powerful powers of scent to alert also for some types of cancer.
I recently learnt that there are Diabetic Alert Dogs known as DAD or hypoglycemia alert dogs. These are dogs which are trained to detect abnormal glucose levels in humans. These dogs, when they detect an abnormal level, then signal to the person, or the person’s family by barking, pawing or licking the person.
So although, diabetics can control their blood sugar levels through proper medication, the trained dog is a very valuable aid as it can identify when action needs to be taken. And this includes, even when a diabetic is sleeping, and the trained dog is in the room, the dog can wake and alert the person or the person’s family to the problem.
There are lots of real examples of dogs helping people who are diabetic.
These dogs are not easy to obtain and they can be expensive to buy because of their training. Golden Retrievers and Labradors and/or crosses of these breeds seem to be popular for use as Diabetic Alert Dogs.
It comes down to selecting the correct dog with the correct temperament and ability to do a task. Then a trainer needs to be skillful enough to develop the natural instincts and train the dog for the intended purpose.
I have Bouvier Des Flandres dogs. This is a breed noted for herding and guard dog abilities. It is a breed which is also fun loving and loves to be around its owner(s). It is a breed which is alert and intelligent. It is not a subservient breed and does seem to get bored with repetitive actions which would be found in obedience trials.
Rita finally passed leg C of the CD trials and was the most difficult Bouvier I have ever had in the obedience ring.
Rita can move extremely fast when she wishes to chase after anything but in the obedience ring, once she knows there is no longer a leash attached to her collar or choke chain, she returns to being a terrible lagger.
So here is how we managed to pass:-
Understanding that dogs work with positive and/or negative reinforcement, I tried to make the exercise more fun for Rita. I tried to make it a game; I tried treats for close and fast heels. But when Rita sensed the treats were not forthcoming, she reverted to lagging and I could sense she was bored.
Then I tried a prong collar but Rita realized when the leash was not attached, she could do as she pleased again.
And as the off leash exercise was 45 points out of the total of 200, we had to pass and do well in the off leash exercise.
There are little tricks a handler can try in the ring to get a lagging dog to catch up. Beware, however, that these little tricks can cost the handler points but it is better to lose a few points than to fail the exercise.
A lagging dog might come in to a better heel with the handler calling the dog’s name, slapping his/her thigh for attention.
Touching the dog, or attempting to pull the dog by the collar will cost substantial points and so should not be done in an off leash heel exercise.
Another helpful tip, might be when you start the off leash heel exercise to alert the dog by saying heel before you step off as opposed to your starting to heel and then hoping the dog will follow.
Try not to look back at the dog, or accommodate your speed to the dog’s speed, and try always to do brisk heeling. You are not allowed to praise the dog during an exercise.
I had seen a few dogs and trainers using e-collars. One of these was Adrian Ward of BGI (a link is on my site) who is a Schutzhound trainer and some of the dogs he trained were on my class doing the CD title and these dogs all did good off leash heeling. So I spent an evening on the B’dos. Dog Training Club’s class with Linda Pearson using an e-collar on Rita.
When Rita lagged, she got a zap, and I had a very thin leash on her which was hanging so as to appear she was free, and I pulled her in close to me after the zap. Whenever she fell behind, she got a zap and after a few minutes, she realized that if she did not want the zap, she had better stay close to me. Rita learnt in one session to heel close to me.
To prevent her from being collar wise which I saw happen to another dog in the trials, I borrowed an e-collar (which was not working for some reason) from one of the other participants on the course and put the collar on her sometimes. So that she did not associate the collar at a training session with being zapped. And I did no heel work with her outside of the training grounds so she did not get the opportunity to do poor off leash heeling again and get away with it.
After only one session, although a working e-collar was placed on Rita on the training grounds for a second session, Rita was heeling and doing the about turns, left and right turns at a fast speed and was a different dog in the obedience ring.
So to people saying an e-collar should never be used, I don’t agree. It is a correction tool and I believe dogs need to be corrected from time to time. I think it should be used by experienced people and the dog should only get a zap when absolutely necessary and only at the exact time when it is exhibiting the behavior which needs to be changed.
There are a lot of factors in play when training for obedience. For instance, breeds like Golden Retrievers love to please and do well in obedience. Breeds like Border Collies excel in agility and obedience as they love to have “work” to do.
Dogs which come from kennels and are let out might regard the obedience exercises as fun. In contrast to dogs like Rita who are never kenneled and have their freedom and might therefore find the repetitive exercises very boring.
And for temperament, Rita was the ringleader of the litter of puppies she came from. She would march her litter mates down to the mango trees and break of a stem of young mangoes and everyone would chase her. And she would also be the last to get back inside the puppies’ enclosure and was the first to get out of the litter box and wander around.
So Rita is a very independent dog which has made her training more challenging. Unlike some parts the world, e-collars are not illegal in Barbados and I would recommend them being used for lagging dogs once the e-collars are used by experienced trainers.
Of course, I would always recommend using motivational methods such as praise, and rewards first on a lagging dog.
Here’s a video showing what a Novice trial looks like. In Barbados, the area is not fenced in. There is a ring which has ropes (and some dogs doing an off leash exercise do decide when they have had enough and exit the ring by going under the ropes 
)
Tags: Dog training in Barbados
Rita and Prince
A disappointing night for several handlers.
Highest mark in the CD trials went to a Golden Retriever who was handled by Jean Ray and this is the successful completion of the first leg of the trials.
In second place was a Labrador Retriever handled by Zoe Marshall who has now also passed the first leg of the CD trial.
In third place of the trials was my Bouvier Des Flandres who has now passed the third and final leg of the trials and so has achieved the CD title. Rita scored 180 out of a possible 200 points.
Passing leg A was the Pitbull Prince who is in the above photo and passing leg B was the Boxer.
Some handlers cancelled and some dogs which normally performed well had an off evening and so got scored under the required 170 points for a passing score.
Rhodeshian Ridgebacks at trials
There were no passing scores in the CDX trials.
And I will post later in the week, tips on passing the Novice Obedience Trials, especially with a lagging dog as I had that challenge with Rita.
Tags: Dog training in Barbados
Wednesday next week should have the largest amount of dogs on record doing a CD trial through The Barbados Dog Training Club.
The dogs are at different levels and I believe a dog doing leg C will be marked harder than a dog doing leg A.
The CD title consists of legs A, B and C.
The judge is Wayne Nicholls.
The trainer is Linda Pearson.
Doing leg C is Dahlia, who is a mixed breed and is actually what we call here a “cane” dog who was rescued by her owners. It is really nice to see the change in Dahlia since she started training as she was rather shy and nervous but now seems comfortable and happy among other dogs. If Dahlia passes leg C on Wednesday, she will go on to the first leg of the CDX.
And Rita, the free spirted Bouvier, who likes to clown around the ring. We passed legs A and B ages ago. I think Rita is bored by the repetition in obedience and she is an extremely independant dog – if she passes this time, I promise to reveal what I did to get her there. I also do no training with her at home.
Then we have Topaz, a German Shepherd dog who, like Rita, has scored high in one of the trials but has been stuck on leg C for a while.
Also doing leg C, is their friend Jack, a Golden Retriever.
Doing leg B is a Boxer, Kia and a German Shepherd dog, Leo.
Leg A has 10 dogs and these include a Pitbull, a Belgium Malinois, 2 Rhodesian Ridgebacks, 2 Golden Retrievers, 2 Labrador Retrievers, a German Shepherd dog, and an Irish Setter.
There are at least 2 dogs entered for the CDX, Cash, a Flatcoated Retriever and Lily a Rhodesian Ridgeback.
In the ring on Wednesday with their dogs will be several very experienced handlers, who are also trainers and some of them are also obedience judges.
I have no doubt that some of these dogs will sense the ring, the lights, and a different atmosphere and will be entertaining, especially when the leash comes off and they know that they are free
At this level none of these dogs should move from a stay position and so if one dog gets up and wanders among, I expect most will remain in the stay position.
The handlers do not select the order in which they go in the ring, for instance Rita goes in second and she will have Dahlia and Topaz on either side for the sits, downs, and stays exercise. Rita is very well liked and is not dog agressive and is friendly with both of these dogs. I would have no problems if Rita were placed between any of the other dogs. Always at trials, handlers hope to get their dog by dogs which will do reliable sits and downs so it does not affect their own dog.
This is a good group to watch as some of the dogs are from working lines and would be regarded as tough dogs. And some of the dogs, like the Golden Retrievers, which tend to be excellent at obedience trials, are very gentle.
E-collars are not illegal in Barbados. I would not advocate using them on the soft type breeds which are naturally subservient and different handlers will use different methods on their dogs and it is up to them to decide which method to use.
Quite a few of the dogs doing the CD trials are very motivated by food, some are motivated to work and no food is given to them with training. Some are motivated by toys.
At trials, no training aids are allowed in the ring.
For the CDX, which involves, the retrival of a dumb bell, it can become even more challenging for all breeds do not naturally retrieve. For those that don’t, a forced method of retrieve can be taught.
A group of us are hoping when we finally complete the CDX to go on to the Utility and I believe that would also be a first for The Barbados Dog Training Club and Barbados.
I am hoping to post pix. here and some results next week. Barbados is now in its rainy season and these trials were postponed from Wednesday this week because of the weather.
The trials start at 6 pm. and the Club always requests all handers, friends etc. to be there before 6 pm. Dogs should perform with distractions but it is very easy for dogs to fail if they get distracted in the ring for any reason, especially in the off leash heeling where the handler should lose substantial points if the dog is touched to bring it back to a heel position.
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Tags: Dog training in Barbados
Ripple
Missing from her home in Locust Hall, St George, Barbados, is Ripple. She is a female Golden Retriever, 16 months old. She is tattooed in her inner ear with an ID number and also has an ID chip. She had on a collar at the time she went missing. She has been missing since last week.
There is a reward of $2,500.00 for her safe return.
Please contact Mark or Adam at 256-8010 if you have any information which can help them get her back.
Golden Retrievers are very friendly dogs and she will probably come with her tail wagging if you see her and call her and her owners would be very grateful to get her back.
Today was the Thanksgiving Service and internment of Anthony Harris. “Tony” as most of us called him, had been around the dog scene in Barbados for a long time.
He would have served in the positions of President, Vice President and on the Committee of the local Barbados Dog Training Club. Besides being a trainer in obedience, he was also an obedience judge.
I believe the first time I met Tony I had my first Bouvier Nita and as a puppy I took her down to the club to be trained and also to socialise with other dogs.
Everything was going okay with the trainer, Tony Harris, until it came to his command “stand your dog, and leave when ready”. It took a little persuasion to get her not to follow me, but stay she did. And here, the trainer is supposed to approach the dog from in front and lightly touch it with the dog showing no fear nor aggression and remaining in a “stay” position.
Bouviers are a breed where, because of the fall of hair by their eyes, you cannot always see their eyes. Tony approached in his usual brisk manner, Nita did not move but a low growl came out. And Tony stopped and asked me what breed of dog she was. When I told him, he went and called some of the other trainers, who were females. It made no difference to Nita whether they were male or female. She gave a louder growl.
Tony told me to go and practice the exercise outside of class and also to trim her coat so he could see her eyes. Nita did not growl with people she knew but when we returned to class, and she did it again, Tony told me he knew the breed and it was a very dominant breed and although she was a puppy, he was not taking any chances of her biting his hand. Shortly after that, I received a letter from The Barbados Dog Training Club advising me that if I wanted to stay on the class with Nita, she would have to be muzzled. I did not return to the class with her. She was always one of my smartest and favourite Bouviers.
I did see Tony again last year and this time I had Rita at Novice level in the obedience ring. Rita, is a fun loving clown and a lagger, and after Rita had entertained people by trying to untie the rope which made up the ring, Tony, who was the judge, gave us a non qualifying score and said to me afterwards. “You are too soft on these dogs.”
As a trainer, Tony did not believe in motivation through food. A dog should be motivated to work he used to say. Some of Tony’s time in the UK had been spent with the Police force and in the Canine Division where he would have been exposed to various training methods. He used to compare the appearance of the German Shepherd dog of years ago with the version we are seeing now.
He did remember Nita as Rita is also large and black and we did have a laugh about the muzzle part. Nita did not discriminate, unless she had gotten to know and accept the person, she would not allow anyone to touch her. I can remember when I had to take her to the vet, giving her any necessary injections under the vet’s supervision and her card read “Do not touch”.
I will miss seeing Tony as we got on well, and we would usually exchange a hug in greeting. And I do recall his little smile when watching Rita clowning the ring.
I am sorry that I did not know he was sick as if I could have helped him in any way then, I would have. Actually, some of the other people I talked with who are involved in training their dogs through that Club were also surprised to hear of his brief illness and passing.
My sincere condolences to his family.
Ch. Rick Lois From The Dogsfarm at Calliope
One of the common causes of an allergy in a dog might come because it is allergic to certain types of food, corn, soy, meats like pork and beef can set an allergic dog into a state of agony with itching and the poor dog will be constantly licking the affected areas, and might be seen to develop hair loss and infected hot spots.
I believe quite a few of the people who are feeding “raw” diets do this because their dogs are allergic to most bagged and processed dog foods.
Even one flea bite, if the dog is allergic to the saliva from the flea, can cause a serious reaction of itching, and rubbing, scratching and severve discomfort. For dog owners who know they have this problem I would recommend that they treat their dogs for tapeworm (because of the relationship of the tapeworm cycle and fleas) and also use FrontLine or a similiar product to prevent fleas from causing the allergic reaction. Flea eggs can generally be found on the dog even if the fleas are not are not easily seen. Best area to quickly see them might be the stomach area where dogs have less hair.
Some dogs can have inhalant allergies as a result of pollens, or other air borne bodies. And every year, around the same time, the dog will end up at the vet to ease its discomfort from the allergy.
Dr. Gus Reader, of Central Veterinary Clinic, usually sees my Bouvier, Rick (Ch. Rick Lois From the Dogsfarm at Calliope) once a year and either in late April or May.
I notice Rick will start with licking his paws, and develops a wheezing cough, and then quickly he begins to bite his tail (which is like an Akita’s, full of hair and curled over his hindquarters) until it is almost hairless. He does not go off his food but he is obviously very uncomfortable with constant scratching and licking.
So off to the vet we went this morning. And Gus Reader, the vet, when he pulled Rick’s card, smiled and said “yep, that time of the year again for you boy”.
And Rick got a steroid shot which will control the allergy for three months and after that Rick should be fine within 48 hours and by the time the steroid is out of his stystem, whatever he is allergic to is then gone from the environment.
I did discuss with this vet being proactive. Knowing that Rick is affected by an allergy in April/May every year but the vet told me that antihistamines do not seem to work very well in dogs and he would recommend instead as soon as I see the symptoms of the allergy developing in April/May to bring Rick in for a steroid shot. It is the only time Rick visits the vet and he is extremely healthy otherwise.
And when I visit the vet with any of my dogs, I always take the opportunity to walk them onto the vet’s scales. Rick weighs 117 lbs. but he is a very strong muscular dog and does not look overweight.
And Rick seems to enjoy his annual visit to the vet. I see some people pulling and lifting up their dogs to go inside. Rick marches in, tail wagging and full of bounce. And he is even polite enough to offer a paw to some people’s amusement
At this time of the year in Barbados most of our tropical trees are in full bloom and they are gorgeous – Flamboyant trees in red and yellow, all of the cassias, in pinks and yellows, the bauhinia tree with its pink flowers which look like orchids.
Bauhinia - orchid tree in bloom
Although I have flowering trees on my grounds, Rick’s allergy might be coming from the grass as the rains have finally arrived after a period of drought and everywhere is looking green and lush again. Or it could be pollen seasonable to this time of the year blowing in the wind.
Dealing with allergies must be extremely challenging for owners who purchase puppies from breeders who know the sire or dam has an inherited skin disorder, allergic dermatisis and still breed it. And then produce progengy that must live its life on a special diet and on steroids.
All of my Bouviers eat prepared and processed dog foods. Because I shop in PriceSmart, I will purchase Pedigree but now that they are carrying the Kirtland brand instead, I have been purchasing that with no problems. My dogs also get cooked meats and except for Rick’s annual allergy, I have no history of skin problems with Bouviers.
But for the dogs out there who are getting no relief for the itching and have owners who are too busy, don’t care or don’t have the money to go to the vet, it must be sheer agnony.
A simple test for a owner to do to confirm the problem, would be to put his/her hand on the dog’s back and press, automatically the dog will begin to rapidly scratch
For readers in Barbados who use the Central Veterinary Clinic, it is of interest to note that you can now make an appointment. To me, this would make sense to utilise this appointment system as lots of people tend to get to the Clinic just before it closes.
Tags: dog allergies
It would be difficult to put a value on most people’s pets. Sure, there is the monetary value they paid for the pet but we all know that sometimes pets are priceless.
The very rich can now pay a fortune to clone their beloved dogs, Rover or Daisy or whomever as they would miss them so much when they are gone.
I did smile when I read about Bo Obama and I thought of my friends at Barbados Free Press who are always hoping to see integrity legislation passed in Barbados where members of Parliament would declare their assets upon taking up their Ministerial duties and also on their departure.
I don’t believe Barbados will follow the President’s example when it comes to filing assets
President Obama has included Bo Obama in his annual disclosure forms. The value he put on Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog, which was given to the President and his family by the late Senator Ted Kennedy is US$1,600.
First dog for the two Obama children and it was what their father had promised them if they made it to the White House.
I’ve seen it posted that the President enjoys taking Bo for walks and the whole family help with the chores a dog can create.
I have not seen any reports of the damage Bo might have done but I would imagine with all the expensive furniture and other fittings in the White House Bo would have been and probably still is closely supervised
And Bo would have had the best trainers to teach him to behave himself around the reporters and other visitors.
President Obama certainly seems to be setting a good example of openness with his disclosure forms.
Matter of Trust Org in San Francisco USA, a non profit environmental group, is appealing to hair saloons, dog groomers, wool farmers and other places where hair, fur, materials like clippings, and waste wool can be obtained to donate same to assist with the clean up of the Gulf oil spill.
The above video explains the process and is a great example of useful recycling.
Imagine, dogs’ hair being made into mats to clean the beaches, as these mats can absorb the oil like a sponge, larger mats can be used in the ocean and be towed by boats to soak up the oil, along with hair brooms.
Phil McCrory, a hair stylist from Alabama is credited with the idea of using hair to help with oil spills and his idea developed after watching television coverage of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Hair absorbs oil so the dogs like Akitas which shed and other breeds like Bouviers, Poodles, and Schnauzers which get hair cuts, can once their owners participate, donate the hair which would normally be thrown out in the garbage to a cause which will help save marine life and birds that are native to the Gulf Coast area. And this will help mankind as well as in some places which are affected by the spill, the livilihood of people is also affected.
It will be interesting to see further videos of how effective this part of the campaign is with dealing with the massive oil spill. Oil has already been washing ashore in Louisanna and it is predicted to be in the Alabama and Florida coastal shores in the next few days.
Of course, authorities are trying to stop the leak but it may still take months before it is fully contained.
Barbados, and other Caribbean islands depend very heavily on tourism and like the rest of the world, emphasis should be placed on protecting and preserving our environment.
Oil spills are just one more disaster which the world has to combact to protect its environment.
And it is nice to see that “garbage” as in hair and fur from animals may be of help.
Tags: dogs' hair, Gulf coast oil spill
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