A YouTube video posted by Amelia Glynn shows Jenny a pug puppy pushing her pug dollies in a pram around Portland, Oregon. The pink pram and the pink umbrella are an amusing sight.
You can watch it here:-
It does not look as if the pug is tied to the pram, and it is probably something that it learnt to do on its own, maybe from watching its owner and then being rewarded when it started to push the pram. 🙂
Maxine on cross dog breeds
There is a lot of it around. Check the newspapers any day and you will see people mixing pedigree dogs to get all kinds of crosses.
To be objective, this is how different breeds were created. At some time, different breeds were deliberately crossed to create new breeds.
And there will always be some nice dogs out there, who are “rescue” dogs and dogs of a “mix”. And some of these will also go to excellent homes and I am glad to see some of the cute rescue type dogs saved and maybe go overseas when their owners leave the island.
But when people deliberately cross and mix up breeds and these are usually people who are just looking to make some money from the home or yard dogs, they can do damage to a breed.
Years ago, I sold a male Bouvier puppy to a person who said she loved the breed. At that time she had a mixed breed from a pedigree Bouvier Keith Laurie had. I did not realise at that time that the person really did not love the breed but loved breeding and making money from selling coated puppies as she realised there was a market for that.
At one time, I believe she had as many as 3 litters (as she had several mixed breed females in her yard) and someone told me it was like a choir to go to her gate, all the litters in lines :). I understand most of them eventually went down to the dogs’ pound. To have between 15 to 24 puppies to get off at one time is a lot.
She would advertise the puppies as Bouviers (which they were not) and cut the coats in a Bouvier trim as I had shown her how to cut the coat of the pedigree Bouvier pup I sold her.
Some of her sales, however, lead their owners to try and get a real pedigree Bouvier as they then researched the breed thoroughly.
The bulk of the puppies did not have the true Bouvier temperaments and so people buying them because they wanted a Bouvier, did not keep them.
When you buy a pedigree puppy from a breeder who is respected as knowledgeable and dedicated to the breed, you should get what you are expecting to find in the breed. And it is easy to research breeds.
In the above ‘net pix, Maxine said above what you might get from crossing a Bulldog and Shitzu. It’s possibly true.
I realise people in Barbados will mix breeds and some breeders will not sell to those people, just as all over the world, breeders who love their breed are carefull to whom they sell puppies.
To me, a very bad thing about it, is when the mixed breeder tries to pass the puppies off as the real thing. That is very dishonest. Or they will tell people, that their puppies have various breeds in them (which might be rare and in demand) to get a puppy sale.
Walking Bouviers one evening, a lady approached me and said she had once had a Bouvier. She described it as “small, a male, weighing about 30 lbs.”. She said she got “rid of it as it did not bark”.
Bouviers weighing 30 lbs. you have to be kidding 🙂
Even my females weigh over 75 lbs. and I have an imported male here who weighs close to 110 lbs.
Top news in the dog world is the tragic death of seven high priced show dogs, including the Akita, “Jersey” who was regarded as the fourth top ranked Akita in the USA.
It is reported that the handler returned home after a dog show and left the dogs in her van around one o’clock in the early morning when she went to sleep.
The dogs which died from possible heat stroke were a Malamute, a Siberian Husky, a Dalmation, three Golden Retrievers and the Akita, “Jersey”.
The handler said the garage was too hot to return the dogs to in their kennels so she left them in the cargo van. She said she put 6 electric fans there to keep them cool, she left the van door open and a window partly open.
When she awoke around 6:30 am. the dogs were in distress. Only one of the eight dogs survived when they were rushed to a vet.
It is thought that the temperature could rise to 120 degrees inside the van and the dogs’ body temperature could have exceeded 108 degrees.
The vet there said that it takes only five minutes for heat stroke to happen. Dogs do not sweat, they pant and that is not enough to release the heat in the brain.
The lone survivor was a Siberian Husky who was shown to have kidney failure and was being monitored.
The most recent news on this is that the 24 year old handler has been charged with 8 counts of animal cruelty.
It is bad news and I don’t think the handler dreampt for one minute that the dogs in her care were in any danger. But if she has just taken them out of the hot van, in their crates, they could still have been alive. It was a judgemental call.
In Barbados, I often see people walking dogs at times of the day when the sun is very hot. We all need to be aware of heat stroke and be conscious of the need to provide water and shade also for dogs which may be tied up and in kennels.
Dog biting his tail
There are quite a few reasons why a dog might appear to chase and want to catch and bite his tail. One could be boredom, especially for dogs in small kennels with nothing else to do. Another could be because he gets a positive reinforcement from humans – laughter. Fleas and ticks can usually attack a dog’s tail and he will be unable to scratch to try and remove them. Also, “hot spots” caused by allergies to food, or other elements such as the grass at certain times of the year are frequently found on tails. Or the tail might have a cut that the dog will try to lick. Several dogs with tails get their tails broken as puppies or as adults.
Dog owners in other parts of the world who could dock tails may never have experienced watching a dog trying to catch a tail but with the new legislation preventing them from docking, tails are there to stay, to move and maybe be caught 🙂
Dog tails can give clues as to the dog’s intention which may be harder to read when the dog has a docked tail. For example, a dog showing pleasure in greeting a person may wag its tail and its whole butt and it is usually easy to read that the dog is approachable.
Shy or fearful dogs may even have their tails tucked between their legs.
A dog which stands in a tense position, staring or “eye balling” with a tail held high which moves slowly back and forth is probably not inviting play or friendship. So be careful as a tail wag is not always a sign of friendship.
With breed standards changing, even in Barbados, breeds like the Rottweiler which used to have its tail docked, there should be a lot more tails around for dogs to catch 🙂
What a bite
LOL, I don’t think that dog would need to bark to scare anyone 🙂
Dog shows are usually beauty shows. Dogs well groomed and showing type and conformation to their breed standards should do well.
But imagine a contest to pick the ugliest dog?
The dog in the above pix. who is said to be a Boxer mix, won. The Boxer is one of the breeds who has an undershot bite and in this case, the Boxer mix had a very undershot bite which would have helped in the win for the Ugly title.
In the pedigree category, Miss Ellie, a hairless Chinese Crested, who is 15 years old and blind, won.
But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I’m sure these dogs would be beautiful to their owners.
🙂
🙂
The competition took place in California and the prizes included US $1,600 in prize money, pet supplies and a modelling contract with “House of Dog”. A modelling contract……hmmm. 🙂
Some of the walkers and their dogs
The B’dos. Dog Training Club organised a walk which took place this evening in St. John. It started from the grounds of Peter Evelyn, Q.C, and Anne Blanchard’s home and walkers had a choice of a short walk in the country side with their dogs, or a much longer walk.
Some of the breeds I saw there were Golden Retrievers, Labradors, Great Danes, a Collie, a Malinois (first one I have seen on the island) and Bull Mastiffs. Refreshments were available at Hothersall House afterwards.
- High in CD trials
Sandra Manning and her German Shepherd, Topaz
Sue Blanford was the judge for The B’dos. Dog Training Club trials. Rosemary Coghlan was also in the ring assisting.
There were 8 contestants in the CD trials.
Scoring high (first) in the class was Sandra Manning and her German Shepherd Dog, Topaz. I am so pleased for Sandra. They now go on to leg C. Also high in trials and in 2nd place was the Bouvier Des Flandres, Rita who got 185.5/200. Rita will also go on to leg C.
The only dog there that evening achieving the CD title was the Bouvier Des Flandres, Rhapsody, who passed leg C with a score of 178/200. Rhapsody passed both legs A and B when we sat trials last year. Each leg is supposed to be marked harder and I am very pleased with both Bouviers.
A Flat Coated Retriever passed something but I’ m not sure whether it was leg A or B.
Hopefully, the other participants will work with their dogs and return to trials later in the year to achieve legs A, B, or the CD title (when they pass leg C)
It is not easy coming from basic training, for dogs to pass the Novice A on the first attempt as the dog has exercises to do like heeling off leash with various speeds and turns. So new comers should not be too disappointed.
I have only had one Bouvier pass on the first try and that is Dena who passed legs A and B on the first attempt and then also leg C on the first attempt. Dena (out of Ch. Kanix Oscar of Calliope and Ch. Calliope Tina, CD) and an imported Bouvier “Jovi” (Ch. Farleycross So Far So Good at Calliope) are around the same age and “Jovi” was mainly in the show ring and Dena was doing obedience and agility.
Rita reminds me of her mother “Jovi” in her attitude to obedience. Rhapsody (her litter sister) comes in full speed for a recall. Rita appears to think about whether she should come at all, and likes to look around before coming in but she does do a good sit and finish. I talk on line to a lot of Bouvier people, and Bouvier trainers overseas have helped me a lot as a trainer.
Absence from classes for the year seemed to be good for the Bouviers who on the night seemed extremely happy and playful and came into the ring wagging their butts and bouncing about.
They did attend the mock trails and the trainer for the class, Jeff Evelyn, invited me to a little fun training at his home the following Sunday. I think that also helped them as they enjoyed themselves. Towards the time coming up to the trials, I would take them to Waterford. It is, however, more challenging to train 2 dogs at the same time but I would do their stands, sits and downs together and work separately on the other areas.
- Jeff with 2 Bouviers
L-r are Calliope Rita, Ch. Calliope Rhapsody and Jeff Evelyn.
I believe this is the first time Jeff has trained for The B’dos. Dog Training Club. Jeff has achieved a CD title with a Boxer as well as a Great Dane.
In my opinion, some breeds are easier to train in obedience than others and I regard it more challenging to achieve CD or CDX titles with some of the breeds in the Working Group as opposed to some of the less dominant breeds coming from other groups, like the Gundog group. What might work for training a Golden Retriever might not work for a Bouvier and tactics used with Jeff’s Boxer, Great Dane, or my Bouviers might not work with the “softer” breeds.
A good trainer needs to understand each dog and what motivates them to work and then assist their handlers in understanding the best methods and the steps for achieving the required results.
Tags: Dog training in Barbados
A year ago in Kansas, a small zoo was struggling to survive declining visitors and hard times. And a Bendal tiger they had gave birth to 3 cubs and then abandoned them. Isabella, a Golden Retriever, was in the process of weaning her own two pups and the Harveys, owners of the zoo, tried Isabella with the cubs. Isabella responded by treating them as her own!
It was reported that the story reached the “Today” news and despite the soaring gas prices, people flocked to the zoo which had been set to close, to see the dog and the tiger cubs. So Isabella really saved the day for the zoo and the tiger cubs. 🙂
The tiger cubs are now grown and eating chicken and beef and other “tiger” foods and they each weigh around 140 lbs. Still playing, under supervision, with their “sister” who was reared with them, and their “mother” Isabella, the owners have the tigers in a large enclosed area with a pool. Although they have never shown anything other than affection for their Golden Retriever family, the Harveys gave them their last visit together this week and said that for safety they should no longer be romping together unsupervised.
There are other instances around the world of dogs and other animals who have reared young not belonging to them and have treated them as their own.
Bo the White House Dog
The official White House photographer, Chuck Kennedy, took the above pix. of Bo for the Baseball card.
It’s a tradition that the “first dog” gets his picture on a basecard card and Bo’s is already out with some fun things: Like his goal is to “make friends with foreign dognitaries, favourite foods: tomatoes and/or toys”,
Any breed which becomes “The First Dog” can become very fashionable and people may clamour for the breed just as they did when movies made certain breeds very popular. There was “101 Dalmations”, “Beverley Hills Chihuahua”, “Lassie”, “Marley and Me”.
When the movie “A Dog of Flandres” came out, The American Bouvier Des Flandres Club acted swiftly to educate the public that the Bouvier was not a breed suitable for everyone. And children should always be reminded that the dog in the movie is a trained dog.
Responsible breeders will protect their breed and the feedback I am seeing is that the Portuguese Water Dog breeders will do just that. They will carefully screen the people wishing to buy puppies. It would be hoped that they are successful as if not, I am sure the puppy mills will spring up to supply the demand for Portuguese Water Dogs now made so popular because of Bo Ohama. 🙂
Bo Obama
Millie, a Springer Spaniel, owned by Barbara Bush was regarded as the most famous of the White House Dogs and Millie is credited as the author of the bestseller “Millie’s Book, as Dictated to Barbara Bush”.
Bo will be staring in his own comic book written for children. “Puppy Power, Bo Obama” is written by Paul J. Salamoff and drawn by Emmy Award winning Disney and Warner Brothers artist Keith Tucker. In his book, Bo gives children an insider’s look at the White House. Readers will discover who is the real “top dog” in Washington.
Another Bo book is:
Bo in the White House book
“Bo: America’s Commander In Leash,” by Naren Aryal with illustrations by Danny Moore, is being released by a small Virginia publisher. This book is aimed at children aged between 4 – 10. First print run is 100,000 with 50,000 being preordered. Bo is the narrator of the story.
These books are expected to be top sellers.
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