Golden Retriever

Breed Group: Sporting (AKC), Gun Dog (UKC)

History and Overview:

Originally bred for retrieving and companionship in the Scottish highlands, the Golden Retriever was created by British aristocrat Lord Tweedmouth in the mid-19th century.  The first Golden Retriever is believed to be a cross between a yellow, wavy-coated Retriever and a Tweed Water Spaniel (now extinct). First recognized by the AKC in 1925, the breed is currently recognized as the fourth most popular dog in the United States. This popularity is not surprising, due to the fact that the Golden Retriever is highly affectionate, friendly towards strangers and foreign animals, easily trainable, and always playful.

Physique:

The Golden Retriever is a medium to large-size dog. It averages between 21-24 inches tall and weighs roughly 55-75lbs. It is characterized by a broad head with drop ears, a black or brownish black nose, brown eyes, and a long tail.

Character and Temperament:

The Golden Retriever is known as “everyone’s friend” and is widely appreciated for its natural inclination toward companionship. Golden Retrievers get along with pretty much everyone and are great with children. They are also very physical animals and love to play. One downside: their high energy can lead to behavior problems when they do not get enough exercise. Furthermore, poor breeding practices have produced Golden Retrievers who are overly boisterous when left alone at home. This can be remedied by training and providing chew toys for your dog while you are away. A properly bred Retriever is one that will remain calm when trained, yet energetic when given the opportunity to play outside.

Training:

The Golden Retriever is intelligent and therefore, easily trainable. Standard training methods are advised. The Golden Retriever’s natural obedience also makes it a top performer in competition.

Health:

The average life expectancy for Golden Retrievers is between 10-12 years. Some common health problems are a proneness to cancer, hip and elbow dysplasia, cataracts, heart problems, and skin allergies. Golden Retrievers gain weight easily which can lead to hip and elbow dysplasia, so control their diet carefully.

Coat & Grooming:

The Golden Retriever has a double coat consisting of a soft, dense undercoat and a thick outer coat. Its outer coat can be either straight or wavy and is usually one of many different shades of gold. The Gold Retriever sheds seasonally and requires daily brushing with a firm bristle brush. Bathe only when necessary.

Notable Crossbreeds:

• Goldador – Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever
• Goldendoodle – Golden Retriever, Poodle

Yorkshire Terrier

Breed Group: Toy (AKC), Companion (UKC)

History and Overview:

Originally bred to control rats in the mines and cotton mills of Yorkshire, England, the Yorkshire Terrier quickly became a popular breed among working class families. An adorable member of the toy dog group, the tiny breed is a mixture of England’s finest terriers: the Clydesdale Terrier, English Black and Tan Terrier, Waterside Terrier, and the Paisley Terrier. The Yorkie’s popularity has only grown since the its introduction to the United States in the 1870s, and they are currently the third most popular dog according the American Kennel Club.

Physique:

The Yorkie is a very small, well-balanced dog with square proportions and a high head carriage. Average height for a Yorkie is between 7-9 inches. They usually weigh between 3-7lbs.

Character and Temperament:

The temperament of this dog breed is that of a confident and courageous animal. The Yorkshire Terrier seems to be oblivious to its small stature. Always eager for fun and adventure, this dog can be a bit aggressive towards other small animals and strange canines. It definitely maintains that old rough-edged terrier spirit. However, if properly socialized and trained, the Yorkie can get along well with most animals and children.

Training:

Training and proper socialization is important for the Yorkie. An untrained Yorkie can be much more aggressive and feisty with other animals and children. On the other hand, a well-trained Yorkie can be a fantastic pet. Yorkies are intelligent and easily trainable. The Yorkshire Terrier is even a popular showdog.

Health:

Yorkies have an average life span of 13-16 years. Like other toy dog breeds, the Yorkshire Terrier needs exercise but can get all of the physical activity it needs by running between the rooms of a house or small apartment. However, this does not mean that the Yorkie does not enjoy the outdoors. In fact, Yorkies love to take brisk walks with their owners. Just be sure to keep your dog on leash to avoid problems with other small animals. Yorkies can suffer from dental problems, luxating patellas, hypoglycemia, Legg-Perthes disease, and liver shunt.

Coat & Grooming:

The Yorkie is easily recognized by its long, silky coat. Its hair usually parts down the middle of its back and can drag across the ground. The hair on its face is long and blends in with the rest of its coat. Puppies are usually born black and tan, but will often mature into a steel blue and tan coat. Other common coat colors are blue and gold and black and gold. The Yorkie is often considered to be a hypoallergenic dog breed because it sheds much less than most dog breeds. Still, daily brushing and a monthly bath is recommended. You may also want to consider having your Yorkie’s hair trimmed on occasion for easier care.

Notable Crossbreeds:

• The Australian Silky Terrier
• Biewer Terrier
• Yorkie Pin (Yorkshire Terrier, Miniature Pinscher)
• Yoranian (Yorkshire Terrier, Pomeranian)
• Snorkie (Miniature Schnauzer, Yorkshire Terrier)
• Malkies a/k/a Morkies (Maltese, Yorkshire Terrier)

It’s not uncommon for people to accidentally leave food sitting out on a coffee table or other low-lying location where pets are tempted to steal a bite. This happens more often during the holidays, when there are massive quantities of food and people are more easily distracted by the large congregation of family and friends. But, this mistake can be costly. A number of common foods can seriously harm or even kill your beloved pets. Be diligent and do not leave food lying around. It  is also important as a pet owner that you educate yourself on specific foods to avoid.

13 Foods That Could Kill Your Pet

1. Grapes and Raisins: These cause kidney failure and death when ingested by dogs. Even a small serving can be lethal.

2. Onions: Onions kill red blood cells, resulting in anemia in your pet. High intake can result in death.

3. Chocolate: Seizures, coma, and death can result from your dog consuming chocolate. Highly concentrated chocolate such as baking chocolate is the most lethal to your pets, but even milk chocolate can be quite dangerous.

4. Coffee, Coffee grounds, tea and tea bags: Drinks/foods containing caffeine cause problems similar to the problems caused by chocolate.

5. Macadamia Nuts and Walnuts: Muscle tremor, paralysis, and weakness are a result of macadamia nut and walnut consumption. Other types of nuts can cause bladder stones, so it is recommended that you avoid feeding your pet nuts altogether. Peanut Butter seems to be the exception to the rule. Make sure to use organic (salt free/sugar free) peanut butter. Regular peanut butter contains toxins, and is full of pesticides.

6. Animal fat and fried foods: Pancreatitis can result from too much animal fat or fried foods, so avoid feeding your pet things like fried chicken, too much red meat, etc. It can also lead to obesity as well if too much is eaten, which can lead to diabetes.

7. Bones: They can splinter and, if swallowed, lead to internal organ damage.

8. Tomatoes: Heart arrythmias and tremors may result from your pet consuming tomatoes.

9. Avocados: Found in guacamole, this fruit is very toxic to your pet. Avocados cause difficulty breathing and leas to fluid accumulation in the chest, abdomen, and heart.

10. Nutmeg: If consumed, nutmeg can lead to tremors, seizures, and possibly death.

11. Pits and Seeds of Apples, Cherries, Peaches, etc.: These are extremely poisonous to both dogs and humans. The fruit itself is great, but dogs will not stop eating once they reach the core/pit. Dogs have reported being dead within 24 hours of consumption.

12. Raw eggs: Just like in humans, eating raw eggs can poison your pet with samonella.

13. Salt: Large amounts of salt can lead to kidney issues for your dog or cat.

…and there you have it. Remember, this is not a complete list of all foods that can be harmful to your pet. As always, consult your vet if you have any questions. Play it safe and stick with regular dog or cat food. Also, if you wish to take things a step further, ensure your dog or cat’s health by investing in an automatic pet feeder that will precisely control the amount of food your pet consumes.

The Rottweiler is a physically imposing and intimidating looking dog that ranks at the top of the charts for being an excellent watchdog and a family protector. This dog breed has a history that is said to have stemmed from the Romans, used as drover dogs, herding large stocks of cattle over great distances, and into many countries.

Rottweilers are said to have entered the United States sometime in nearly 1930s which then gained recognition by the AKC. Having become nearly extinct years earlier due to lack of functioning use by people, the Rottweiler has become one of the most popular dog breeds in today’s households, making its mark in the top 10 most popular registered dogs of the American kennel club.

This animal is extremely bold, confident, and alert. In fact, the Rottweiler is a top pick for anyone who is looking for a watchdog that has extensive protection abilities. However, when a dog is as courageous and aggressively confident as the Rottweiler is, sometimes stubbornness comes with the territory in terms of training ability. However, it is worth putting in the extra time and patience when making this dog breed a household pet.

Taking Care of Your Rottweiler

Like most large dogs, the Rottweiler must have physical activity on a daily basis. Mental play and obedience lessons should also be a part of the daily regimen. Vigorous games and long walks on the leash through safe areas would make an ideal day for the Rottweiler.

Do you have the ability to understand what it is your dog is saying? Learning how these animals communicate is not only beneficial to proper training, it also helps tighten the bond between man’s best friend and his owner.

In addition to using his barking, tail wagging, and body movements, dogs can also relay messages by the language of ear positions. The frightened dog tells of his submissive attitude to man by flattening his ears as well as lowering himself on haunches.

Also, in the last step in the sequence of aggression just before attack, the dog folds his ears close to his head and bares his teeth. But in the first step of aggressive movement, the dog picks up his ears to a vertical position.

Even the dog with hanging ears will pull the base of his ears forward, which makes the rest of his ears stand forward and outward. This upright position tells his human handler that there is every reason to be alert or on guard.

During World War II, the marines of M Company of the Second Raider Battalion laid their lives on the line in their dependence on the ability of their dogs to communicate to them what was ahead. While he was in the thick of battle, a Doberman named Andy had advanced from the shore to the jungle on Bougainville Island.

Andy liked to work off his leash. The dog was about ten yards ahead of the men when he froze and alerted his ears. The soldiers knew that those stiffened ears meant that there was a Japanese sniper just ahead. The scout leader sent two riflemen ahead, and they sprayed a mangrove tree with bullets. The sniper fell out. That same day Andy silently alerted his handler to snipers on two other occasions.

Now you might not have your own dog trained to such an elite degree, but you don’t have to in order to know how well your dog supplements his silent body language with his vocal communication. The vocal vocabulary has numerous and varied forms – your dog whimpers, whines, signs, grunts, hums, coons, howls, squeals, growls, and barks.

Your dog can vary his barking enough to communicate with you. Almost subconsciously, you have no doubt learned to understand the nuances of your pet’s barking. These minute differences may be in the tone, the frequency, the rhythm and the level of loudness. Your pet may bark to show his excitement, his pleasure, his sense of fear, and the need for your attention.

And your dog, by his tail-wagging, his licking, nosing, barking, howling and his many clever individual expressions, talks to you. Your pet tells you how much he wants to be your protector, your companion and your best friend. Like dogs throughout the ages, your dog has become your friend by his uncanny ability to communicate.

When you verbally ask someone a question you expect an answer, right? A well-mannered, thought-out response is always appreciated and humans talk with their mouths and voice boxes to respond. This is how we interact, mostly with words to let others know how we feel.

Dogs, on the other hand, communicate in a very different way. Yes they bark and use their vocal cords to cry about something, but the number one way to read how a dog is feeling or what he wants you to know is by looking at his tail.

As your dog wags his tail in happiness, he may also exercise the rest of his body to tell you that you are a welcome sight. He may greet you by jumping, dancing around, and attempting to lick your face.

As one dog trainer, Chris, tells of his German short-haired pointer, named Tiger, your dog can let you know when he is approaching a place which associates with comfort and happiness.

When Chris, who spent many hours out of the house to play golf and hunt, would come home from his long day and driving hours to get home, his wife would comment on how Tiger’s ears would perk up and the dog would show ripples of excitement up and down his back in awaiting Chris’s return.

What is amazing is that these signs of excitement to greet his owner at the door, Tiger would start to become anxious and happy when Chris was still more than an hour away driving home.

In addition to their expression of elation, dogs many times warns their owners of danger. You have probably heard many emotional stories of dogs scratching at the bedroom door to warn the family that the house was on fire. It happens all of the time.

One woman was suffering a heart attack while her dog literally broke through the backyard screen door to get to the husband, barking fiercely in the attempt to get the husband’s attention of what was happening inside the house. It worked – the woman survived.

Dogs also communicate with people by using their head and nose as part of the body actions. My three-year-old Dachshund nosed a message to me one afternoon. Sandy had learned that the covered candy dish on the coffee table was a good place to satisfy her sweet tooth.

This particular day, I was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper, and I wasn’t paying attention to Sandy. She jumped up on the couch and nudged me with her nose. When I looked at her, she gave her head a jerk, pointing her nose straight at the candy dish.

After sensing that I knew what she wanted, she began to jump up and down as if to say, “Please, please, please! Just one little piece!” I had understood very well what my dog was saying with her nonverbal head and nose language.

You’ve just gotten home after a brutal day at work. The headache from your busy schedule would love nothing more than to be relieved by a warm welcome from your family. As soon as you open the door, you hear the high-pitched voice of your wife scolding your ten-year-old son, while his little sister is sobbing because he broke one of her new dolls.

The television is loud and your Mother-in-law is chatting on the phone…

So who is the loving one that meets you at the door?

Sammy, your three-year old mongrel dog, does. He’s wagging and wiggling from head to tail. He dances, then jumps into your arms, and, if you allow him, he licks your face. Obviously, he’s glad to see you. Your dog has expressed himself in the language that he knows you understand.

Your dog, like pet dogs all over the world, uses body language and a variety of vocal sounds to communicate with you. The dog possesses an incredible ability to communicate.Your dog talks to tell you how sad he is when he’s scolded. He shouts his distress when a stranger or something foreign approaches, and he talks to you about how happy he is to be near you and share your companionship. Your dog talks best with his tail. When you accidentally step on your pet or upbraid him, he will tuck his tail between his legs and cower down. This shows his submission. By tucking the tail, the dog is hiding his scent and thus hiding himself. This language goes back to the ancient wild dog when submissiveness and dominance were integral parts in pack dynamics. Your pet’s ancestors signaled his subservience to the dominant dog by dropping that tail. Today, the domesticated dog is saying, “I feel terrible about what happened.”

In contrast to the submissive tail movement, there is that happy, excited tail-wagging that states how much your dog wants to please you. The following story is such an example of this need to please. Max, a Collie, did his doggy best to please his young owner while she prepared for her wedding. Max had watched as Angelica opened her wedding gifts the week before the ceremony.  One afternoon, the Collie decided to provide his own gift for Angelica…

He yanked a brocade pillow from a neighbor’s clothesline and brought it home. After placing the pillow at Angelica’s feet, he wagged his tail in sheer joy. He thought he was pleasing his owner and sharing her prenuptial pleasures. As you might be able to deduce from this heartwarming example of one Collie’s desire to communicate pleasure, dogs are much more intelligent than we give them credit for. This is especially true in the communication department.

Many urban areas are experiencing an increased concern with the increasing accumulation of dog litter in city streets. With the huge concentration of dogs in metropolitan areas, whether as household pets or guard dogs, the city is experiencing a comparable increase in waste materials dotting the already run-down urban landscape.

Concern over environmental pollution in general is also on the rise. Many citizens and some media reporters have made a sensation over dog litter, claiming that every disease from the common cold to bubonic plague comes directly from dog litter. Some people have gone overboard by attempting to agitate parents with such slogans as “children before dogs”.

Generally speaking, dog litter presents few problems of medical concern to the average citizen residing in large city areas. The more serious health hazard is, of course, to other dogs. Diseases such as hepatitis and distemper are passed from infected dogs to healthy ones through saliva and urine, while internal parasites are transmitted through the stool of infected dogs.

However, for a human to contract a disease from a dog would, it would be required that said person walk the street barefoot or physically ingest dog waste or fleas. This is highly unlikely. The argument of the “children before dogs” group is that children will unwittingly eat dog fleas and stool. It is illogical to believe that parents would let their young children play unattended on public streets and parks; and when they are old enough to play unattended, they have been taught the basics of cleanliness and hygiene.

More likely to be of significant danger to human health is contamination of food by roaches, rats, and the common housefly, none of which seem to be exciting enough for these same people who are so concerned with dog litter.

But regardless of who’s judging who, most people agree that dog litter does present an awful smell and unsightly pollution of our environment in an area that can hardly afford it. Every dog owner is responsible for the mess created by his dog. Whether it is a Great Dane or a Chihuahua, each dog does his share in contaminating natural resources and infuriating pedestrians.

It is puzzling that dog owners who are fortunate enough to have a backyard have no difficulty keeping it clean of dog waste; but these same owners will walk their dog out the front door and allow her to pollute the public street, which is basically everyone’s’ front yard.

Animal lovers have a sensitivity to nature and animals that is not known to people who have never loved a pet. But the love and sensitivity must go beyond our pets and encompass our human neighbors. We cannot ignore the rights and privileges of other people. Our dogs are our responsibility and we have no right to inflict them on others.

If we all clean up after our pets, we will be contributing to a substantially cleaner, more pleasant environment. It is up to us to preserve decent cities to our pets as well as for ourselves and our neighbors.

The Chihuahua, a member of the toy dog group, is a popular favorite among dog enthusiasts. This spicy little character of a dog is extremely devoted and loyal to its owner. Although reserved with strangers and a little aggressive towards other dogs, the Chihuahua can get along great with other indoor pets that you may have.

Not all Chihuahuas have the same bold temperament. Some are very intense and will have an attitude as if they can take on the world while others may be extremely shy and timid. Either way, all Chihuahuas are very protective of their owners and families.

Taking Care of Your Chihuahua

The Chihuahua is a very excitable dog that requires a bit of daily exercise. But the good news is that these little guys can get all of the vigorous physical activity they need from running room to room in a house or even a small apartment.  However, it is still important to include outdoor walks and play time. The Chihuahua loves to roam outside and explore.

In terms of living arrangements, the Chihuahua is an indoor dog and should not be kept outside. There is nothing wrong with having him explore the yard a couple of hours each day, but this should only be temporary. Chihuahuas absolutely hate cold temperatures and will run to seek out warmth and comfort.

Cocker Spaniels (the American version) were derived from English Cocker Spaniels after they found their way to the United States in the late 1800s. Americans preferred to breed a smaller sized Spaniel that would be ideal to hunt quail in various other small birds. Although the exact practice and decision to which the American version was created is not entirely known, we do know that the first true American Cocker Spaniel was recorded to be born sometime in the 1880s and his name was the dog Obo 2nd.

At that time, both the American Cocker Spaniel and the English Cocker Spaniel were considered to be the same breed by the American kennel club. However, in 1935 the AKC decided to finally separate the two as different breeds. The Cocker Spaniel then rose to popularity and was considered the most popular dog breed for a large number of years. It was then divided into three color types: black, particolor, and ASCOB (Any Solid Color Other than Black).

This dog breed is extremely cheerful, playful, and always willing to please. They are great family dogs which are wonderful with little children. If there was a scorecard to rate the Cocker Spaniel on its affection level and friendliness towards animals and people, it would rate at the highest score. This dog is also easy to train and is considered to be a moderate watchdog.

Taking Care of Your Cocker Spaniel

Keeping up with the Cocker Spaniel in terms of grooming takes a little work on a daily basis. They have extremely long hair with heavy fur growing from head to toe. Even their ears and its long hair will need a brushing on a daily basis. Professional clipping should be taken into consideration at least once per month in order to maintain a decent coat.