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Welcome to the latest Newsletter.
If you would like to read previous issues of my Newsletter, please go
here
If
you fancy exploring this site further, then go to the resources page
which you can find
here where you will find
links to all sorts of valuable information, such as articles, my blog,
charities and much more. If you refer others to this site, which you
can do from that resources page, I will send you a FREE Screen Saver with
beautiful pictures of dogs from my readership.
I want to build a second screen saver with pictures of
YOUR dog(s). So why not send me a picture with some short details about
your dog (its' name, where it lives, any story about how you acquired him or
her and
what made you chose them etc.). All I ask is that you add the words "there are no
usage restrictions with these photographs", so I know there are no copyright
issues to contend with. Send your details to me at
info@trainingdogsrus.com
Many of you have sent in your pictures, but to make the screen saver more
beautiful and rich it would help to have some more. REMEMBER, all
those who send in
their photographs will get a copy of the new screen saver completely free of
charge, which will contain your pictures within it of course!
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You will not want to miss this one. A great video of a real cool
dog - I just wish I could skateboard as well as he can!
Just click on the "Video of the Week" image opposite
Enjoy! |
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This Week's News
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Man Pulls Dog
From 6-Foot Gator's Jaws
LEE COUNTY: The old adage states
that a dog is man's best friend. But after a man wrestled a six-foot alligator
to save his dog's life, some say those roles may be reversed.
For the full story and a story video click
here
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Dog Attack Laws
Prosecutors say they could be testing out new
tougher "dangerous dog laws" in a Harrisonburg pit bull attack case.
The latest attack happened Monday night when a pit bull attacked a man on
Ashby Avenue, Harrisonburg
For the full story click
here |
The
wonderful thing about Tigger? He can swim
KEY LARGO -- Ray Truche Jr. and
Lisa Largrassa fished for hours and didn't catch anything -- except a drowning
dog.
Motoring their 23-foot fishing boat earlier this month on Florida Bay, the two
hit something unusual and turned around to check.
As we came back upon it, I realized it was a little fat dog," said Truche, of
Manchester, Mass. "It was having trouble keeping its head above water. Its big
eyes were looking at us. It was almost as if it was saying, 'Don't leave me
here!'"Read this lovely story
here
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Seat belts do work for dogs and cats
There seems to be a perception by
owners that using restraints on pets in cars is restrictive,
uncomfortable and possibly unkind. Also a lack of awareness
about the safety issues may make owners feel they are being over
anxious and over protective by strapping in their pets. And it
doesn't help that few of the major pet organisations actively
advocate the use of in car restraints for pets. This contributes
to a lack of familiarity with the various safety systems and
possibly a concern about using a "complicated" harness
Read this
important story
here - it could save your dog's life! |
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Now for this
week's tips and advice |
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“One Size Doesn’t Fit All, Especially
When Choosing a City Dog”
There are one hundred and sixty nine breeds
of dogs registered with the American Kennel Club of all
sizes, shapes, and colors, sorted into in 8 breed groups. So
take your choice. They are all good breeds. I have one
warning to give. If you are contemplating one of the big
fellows, especially for a city pet, a Great Dane, for
instance, or an Irish Wolfhound, a St. Bernard, or one of
the larger hunting dogs, you had better have plenty of
space, food, cast-iron furniture, and the strength and
endurance of a wrestler. They eat from three to five pounds
of meat a day; they can upset a coffee table or smash a lamp
with a wag of their tail. When they are puppies, during the
chewing stage, they can go through an apartment like a chain
gang of goats. Sufficient exercise is the greatest problem.
A brisk walk which leaves you panting is just a stroll for
one of these boys.
Fortunately, there are dog-walking services in most cities
now where you can hire a walker by the hour, day, or week.
For a small fee he will trudge up and down city pavements
for you after you have collapsed. But walking isn't enough.
Big dogs ought to run and jump and limber themselves up all
over. A gymnasium is the only solution I can think of for
big city dogs, and I am surprised that some enterprising
person hasn't opened one. Everything else has been provided
for: beauty parlours, restaurants, hospitals, cemeteries,
boarding houses and schools. Perhaps it's just a matter of
time before there'll be gymnasiums for dogs. Until then,
think carefully before you take on a big dog.
Now that I've cautioned you about big dogs (and I do think
they are better suited to the country), I must admit that
I've seen dozens of perfectly healthy big dogs live to ripe
and robust old ages in cities. And as for sufficient
exercise, how many country dogs take exercise all on their
own? Most of them lie around on the doorstep or in front of
the fireplace all day long. If their owner or some other
human takes a walk, the dog will go along. Otherwise, he
takes it easy. I would hazard a guess that on the whole city
dogs get considerably more exercise than country dogs.
Any of the smaller dogs are good city dogs. The small or toy
dogs present no problems that can't be coped with, but again
I will have to leave the choice of breed up to you. Just now
the Cocker Spaniel and the Pit Bulls are the most popular
choice in this country. Before the Cocker it was the Boston
terrier. Before the Terrier the Scotty was all the vogue,
with his picture on Christmas cards, cigarette cases, tie
clasps, cocktail napkins and I don't know what else. For a
while there every Scotty you met fancied himself as an
artist's model and would strike a pose for you at the drop
of a contract. Before the Scotty the Airedale was a great
favourite, and, back in the early nineteen hundreds, no
fashionable dog fancier would, apparently, be found dead
with anything but an Albert Payson Terhune Collie (I have
never even seen one). There are dog shows being held all
over the country almost all the time, and it might be a good
idea for you to go to a few of them and become familiar with
the various breeds before you settle on one. Many splendid
breeds are displayed at dog shows that you don't see or hear
of every day, and you might easily find your ideal in a
breed that has never had its picture in anything but a
kennel catalogue.
There is one thing every amateur dog buyer must beware of
and that is well-intended advice from people who think they
know everything about dogs. That includes me. Many people
will warn you, for example, that certain breeds of dogs are
nervous and high-strung; that certain breeds are vicious.
Chows and German shepherds (police dogs) are frequently
libelled in this manner; that certain breeds are ideal with
children; that certain breeds (usually the French poodle or
the common mongrel) are smarter than all the rest put
together, and so on and on. I don't think it is possible to
make a blanket statement about breeds. I do think that too
close breeding for points in the past has been unfortunate
for certain breeds, particularly where the heads have become
narrower and narrower until there remained little brain
space. Otherwise, the whole matter settles down to the fact
that there are good and bad, smart and dull, healthy and
unhealthy dogs in all breeds. The St. Bernard, for instance,
has been revered for generations as the great friend of
children. On the whole, St. Bernard’s are unquestionably
fine, upstanding dogs but I have met a couple of St.
Bernard’s in my day that Mike Tyson Beatty wouldn't be safe
with. On the other hand, as I mentioned before, the German
shepherd has long been considered a vicious animal, yet it
is the German shepherd mostly that is being trained today to
guide the blind for the Seeing Eye organization.
Dog owners are notoriously biased in their opinions about
dogs. Nearly all of them are one-breed fanciers. They
recognize other breeds but only after a fashion. They know
there exist odd-looking animals walking around on four legs
claiming to be dogs, but in their hearts they don't quite
accept any breed but their own, and their own is usually the
breed they started out with. So when you're advised that the
Cocker Spaniel is nervous, the Pomeranian delicate and hard
to raise, the Irish Setter fickle, the Airedale daffy and
the Chow a heel, take the advice politely and buy whatever
breed of dog you like. It's how you raise and train the dog
that's going to count.
That’s all from me now but in a future newsletter I’m going
to cover in more detail what types of breed may be best in
certain home situations. Those breeds for example that
really do have a lot of energy and those that might be
better off with children etc. I really do think so much
depends on the amount of exercise training and time you can
give to a dog, but there are obviously (to some of us that
is) certain dogs that do not suit certain situations.
Oh, and before all you mongrel lovers write to me in high
dudgeon and say what about them, I have not deliberately
left your darlings out. This was only about pure breeds
because that’s were I started looking at the suitability of
certain breeds (mostly through looking at my own darling
Briard, who although he is a pure breed, has a good many
short comings of his own, brain power being one of them….and
wondering what precisely he really is suited to…I am still
hoping to find out!). I have to say that most of the
mongrels I meet are smashing dogs far better suited to the
families they live with than any breed dog would be. They
are excellent and resilient chaps in their own rights and
would be far higher up on my list of recommended companions
than most pure breeds would be.
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Warmly
Debbie Boffa
Author of
“Instant Dog
Obedience”
http:www.trainingdogsrus.com
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BOOK OF
THE MONTH
In the bestselling
spirit of "Why Do Men Have Nipples?" comes this irreverent
yet informative look at the myths, behaviors and surprising
facts about our canine companions. When you open your home
and your heart to a dog, you open a Pandora's box of
questions, such as "Why Do Dogs Drink Out Of The Toilet?" |
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P.S. Do let me have photos and a short synopsis for future "Dog
of the Month" features - I am sure your dog deserves the title!
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