June 9th, 2009 by admin
A vital part of good prevention is to know the common types of illnesses and disorders associated with particular dog breeds. For dogs, the parts of their body that are most frequently affected by congenital problems are the central nervous system, the eyes, the muscles, and the bones. For instance, the Beagle, Collie, miniature Poodle, German Shepherd, and Keeshond are more likely to inherit epilepsy.
Also, different types of nervous system disorders are often passed on within certain breeds. Examples are paralysis of the front and back legs, which is common in the Irish Setter, a failure of muscle coordination common in Fox Terrier, and abnormal swelling of the brain is common in the Chihuahua, English Bulldog, and Cocker Spaniel.
A great number of common breeds suffer from congenital eye abnormalities including glaucoma, cataracts, and blindness.
A hernia is a common muscular problem for many breeds. Breeds such as Basenji, Basset Hound, Pekingese, Lhasa Apso, and Cairn Terrier have a high risk for inguinal hernias (gut protrudes into the groin). Umbilical hernias (gut protrudes through the navel) are inherited defects in breeds like Bull Terrier, Cocker Spaniel, Pekingese, Basenji, Collie, Weimaraner, Airedale Terrier, and Pointer.
June 8th, 2009 by admin
The uses of dogs that capitalize on aspects of their instinctive intelligence have become more varied in today’s world. A quick sampling of some of these contemporary dog careers includes:
1. Seeing-eye dogs, who guide their blind masters around obstacles, warn them of approaching vehicles, and allow them to navigate independently, even in the complex urban environment;
2. Hearing-ear dogs, who alert their deaf masters to sounds, such as the ringing of a doorbell or telephone or the whistle of a teakettle;
3. Search and rescue dogs, who are used to track and find individuals who are lost or buried by debris in earthquakes or under snow in avalanches;
4. Water rescue dogs, who retrieve individuals and objects from the water, swim lines out to stranded boaters, and even drag small boats to waiting rescuers;
5. Drug and explosive-finding dogs, who use their scenting abilities to find contraband materials. A variation on this are the dogs that find truffles for connoisseurs of this delicacy. They are better than the pigs that have been traditionally used for two reasons: dogs have keener scenting powers, and they don’t like the taste of truffles, so there is less worry that they will eat them before the gatherers get to them.
June 7th, 2009 by admin
Never allow your puppy to bite. This sort of thing will become a bad habit and be hard to break later on. If he bites your hands, give him a tap on his nose or under his chin. He will probably yelp, but he needs this lesson as early in life as you can give it to him.
A puppy that is allowed to nip and bite becomes very bold and aggressive as he grows older. Then when he gets to be over a year old, the harassed owner takes him to a professional trainer to be tamed down. Such dogs present a problem to both their owners and society in general. It takes a firm, experienced trainer to get them under control.
Many owners are so upset by their dog’s uncontrolled behavior and aggressiveness that they decide to give him away. Unfortunately, what they do not realize is that the next person does not want a problem dog either. So take my advice and control your puppy while he is young and trainable.
