If my dogs were human, they would be...

Hello Green Dog,

Sometimes, the funniest thoughts come to my mind and I feel like I have to talk about it. Like what I'll write about now...

Do you sometimes think about what your dog would be if he was human? I never thought about it before having 2 dogs because my dogs have 2 VERY different personalities and they don't react the same way for the same thing.

Let me explain.

Jake is a loner, despite being a Lab. As long as he is with me, or that he can sleep on a bed, he is happy. He likes to see grass grow and doesn't care for the company of other dogs. When we go to the dog park, if there is dogs bothering him, he'll just walk away, to smell the air, the grass or just to walk. He loves to play fetch, could do it for hours, really and will always back down from any volatile situation.

If Jake was a human, he would probably be the nerd kid in the class. The nerd kid that is the teacher's pet.

Bella is obsessive-compulsive. She has separation anxiety and she's just plain crazy. But she is a lovely crazy dog! She lived in the streets until she was 7-8 months. Those months have marked her, I think, for the rest of her life. She never ask for food, unlike Jake who expects me to feed him twice a day, but when I feed her, she eats so fast that she inhales it (which is why I have to separate all of her feeding in 2). If she is thirsty, she won't ask for her water bowl. If she is outside, she'll find a puddle of mud and will gladly go in the toilet bowl. She fell in love with Jake at first sight. And if Jake is out of her sight, she will go crazy. Completely nuts. Jumping, crying, barking, running, I am afraid that she will hurt herself. I can leave her, the entire family can leave her, but if Jake leaves without her, she has a problem.

If Bella was human, she would be the crazy lady that lives alone with her cats. She would be obsessed by them, by their feeding, their drinking and their businesses. She would live for them and would die a little bit inside each time something happens to them. She would chase intruders with a shotgun (right now, she tries to chase squirrels out of her backyard).

I am curious. What, or who, your dog would be?

FlyBall... Or what is it exactly?

For some people, having a dog and play fetch with him doesn't fulfill the need for exercise for either the dog or his owner.

It might be the reason why, in the early 1970's, a group of dog trainers in California invented the first flyball box.

But what is a flyball?
An easy answer to this question would be that flyball is a dog team relay-race sport.

http://www.americanwhippetclub.net/awcpages/whipfly.html

According to the flyballdogs.com website, Flyball is "...a relay race with 4 dogs on a team. The course consists of a starting line, 4 hurdles spaced 10 feet apart and a box. The first hurdle is 6 feet from the start line and the box is 15 feet from the last hurdle for a 51 foot overall length. The dogs jump the hurdles and steps on a spring loaded box that shoots out a tennis ball. The dog catches the tennis ball and then runs back over the 4 hurdles. When the dog crosses the starting line the next dog goes. The first team to have all 4 dogs run without errors wins the heat. Tournaments are usually organized in either a double elimination or round robin foramt. Double elimination is usually best of 3 or best of 5. Round robin is usually best 3 out of 5 and the first team to win 3 heats receives 1 point towards their standing in the tournament."

The height of the jump is determined by the smallest dog of the team (of 4). This dog is called the "height dog" and he is measured at the withers. This number is then rounded down to the nearest inch, and another 5 inches is subtracted to get the jump height. Let's say a dog has a height of 13 1/4", the nearest down inch would be 13", minus 5", which means that the jump height would be 8". The minimum jump height is 7" and the highest is 14".

For a better understanding of the sport, take a look at this explanatory video from www.flyball.org :

A little bit of history
Shortly after a presentation of the sport by Herbert Wagner on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, the sport got so popular that the first ever flyball tournament was held in 1983 and the North American Flyball Association (NAFA) was created. What had started by an association of 12 Flyball clubs in Michigan and Ontario is now a worldwide activity for dogs and their owners.

Flyball is now a sport that is practiced worldwide.

In North America, Flyball is governed by the North American Flyball Association(NAFA).  

In the United Kingdom, Flyball is governed by the British Flyball Association.

In Belgium, flyball is governed by the Belgian Flyball Federation.

In Australia, contact the Australian Flyball Association at http://www.flyball.org.au/flyball/

Can my dog be a Flyball Dog?

Yes. All dogs can play Flyball, including all mix-breeds. Of course, I would first make sure that your dog is in good health and has no joint problem first, but that is just my two cents. The best way to know more about how your dog can become a Flyball Dog is to ask your regional association, listed above. 

According to the above video, even senior dogs can play Flyball (there is a class just for them). The video even show a 3-legged dog playing it (BTW, that 3-legged dog look fast!)!

There is four classes of competition :

Regular, Multi-breed, Veterans and Open. 

Regular : Allows for any dogs to run on the team.

Multi-Breed : Teams consist of different breed (min of 4, max. of 6 with different breeds running a heat).

Veterans : Every dog in a team must be at least 7 years old.

Open : Combination of dogs teaming up from any club.

With more than 400 active clubs and 6,500 competing dogs,Flyball is a sport that is very much alive.  To watch a Flyball Tournament live and/or a demonstration, look on the websites listed above and share the excitation and trepidation of the dogs and their owners.

Sources :
http://nafadb.flyball.org
http://www.flyball.org
http://flyballdogs.com
http://jetsetgo.wordpress.com/international-flyball-racing/

NEW SUBSCRIBERS - GIVE AWAY

Did you forget to comment on the giveaway to let me know you were now following me? Because if it is the case, you won't be eligible to win one pound of Green Doggie Treats!

Because a lot of new subscribers used Google Reader, they forgot to let me know by commenting on the blog and they can't be considered for the giveaway. Please take a minute and leave a comment letting me know about it!

Good luck to all!

SNOWDOGS!

I spent the afternoon at the dog park today and I was able to take some very good pictures.

But after last night walk, where Jake slipped off his collar, I had to use the prongs collars for both Jake and Bella, because I am now too worry to only use their normal collars.

Enjoy my dogs!

Funny Bella! When she runs, she sticks out her tongue!

Bella doesn't even touch the ground!

Go left and I'll go right!

Yup, Bella is as crazy as she looks!

Jake qualifies for the Happy Dog !

Whiskersicles

Beautiful girl :)

"Let me taste the wind!"

Dog Park Etiquette

(This article was first written for my then-blog : http://jakethechocolatelab.wordpress.com/)

When the weather is nice, we like to bring The Beast to the dog park. It is a good way to let him spend some of that pent up energy and to meet, for him new furry friends and for us, meet other dog owners that don’t mind talking about their dog without sounding as if we are obsessive about them (yeah, we are a little bit like that).


When we first start to hang out at the dog park, I realized that, even if it wasn’t written down, there is a Dog Park Etiquette. I didn’t invent it, but I sure do live by it.

And now, here is the :

Dog Park Etiquette

1. Bring your own leash/collar/dog poop bag.

2. If you bring a toy for your dog, be aware that other dogs can steal it form your dog to play with it.

3. Be careful when you open and close the door of the dog park.
Some dogs are con artists that are always on the look-out  for an escape route.

4. If you have a humper that starts to hump, YOU have to leave.
I shouldn’t have to because my Jake knows how to behave.
Oh, and don’t be proud. There is nothing be proud about.
And if you allow your dog to hump, I wonder what it says of your character.

 5. If you have a bully, please invest in dog obedience lessons and
change your own energy/state of mind.
Not only no dogs will want to be around yours, but dog owners will also stay away from you.

6. Your dog should have ALL his shots up to date. And that, is common sense.
I would be devastated if my Jake would get sick after a visit to the dog park.
And I would, no, I will, sue your sorry ass.

7. Please accept my apologies, and I accept yours, if my dogs jumps on you and licks your face
because you have a ball.
He is a Lab and have a *light* addictions to balls.

8. If you have an aggressive dog, don’t even come to the dog park.
Even if you keep your dog on leash, he will exude bad energy that will set the other dogs on edge.

9. If it is summer, bring your own water. I can’t go back home to get more water if Jake’s bottle is empty and my first priority is MY dog.

10. Have fun and be happy. Your dog will feel it and act like a happy dog.

See, it’s quite simple. The Dog Park Etiquette is not asking you for your first born and/or a pint of blood. Most of it is really common sense.

What are YOUR rules when you go to do dog park ?

Do You Miss.... Dogs of Summer?

As I was looking for pictures for the FIDO Friendly's LOVE contest, I founded these pictures, that make me miss summer....

Here are my Dogs of Summer:

One of my fav of Jake

The promise of a treats make Bella, literally, run

Bella rarely take the stairs. She jumps them.

I love the green of the grass and the blur that is Jake

Jake is looking at us while we play ball

Do you miss the Dogs of Summer as much as I do?

How I started the Eukanuba 28-Day Challenge

For those who don't know, my dogs are doing the Eukanuba 28-Day Challenge.

Jake is eating the Breed specific food for Labrador Retriever.
Of course, he is more handsome than the Lab on the bag :)

I am happy to report that Jake (with the Breed Specific food) and Bella (with Adult Maintenance) are doing great with their new food. In fact, they are are doing more than great.

They have so much energy now, that it is a joy to see them running in the backyard. And because they play so much with so much happiness, they now sleep. And when I say sleep, I mean SLEEP at night and during nap time in the afternoon. Isn't ironic that more energy = more sleep?

Bella is eating the Adult Maintenance food.
Stay tuned for a funny video of Bella wanting to eat.

How I did the change
But the act of changing, or switching, from one brand to another brand of dog food is not something to take lightly. In order to keep my dogs happy and healthy, it took me 3 days to switch dog food. I started by giving 1/3 of Eukanuba and 2/3 of their usual food the first 2 days and 1/2 1/2 the third day. By the fourth day, they were ready to switch 100% to Eukanuba.

I could have taken more time to do the switch, I think that one week is the recommended time, but I know my dogs and I know how they handle changes.

100% Eukanuba
The switch went smoothly and, by day 3 of eating 100% Eukanuba, I started to see changes in my dogs. Stay tuned, I'll talk more about it in future posts.

Is the Pit-Bull the Most Vicious Dog?

If you think so, you are wrong.

I have been looking for a list of vicious dogs for a long time because I don't believe that the reputation of Pit-Bulls is fair.

I've been raised with Dobermans and I can still remember to this day people commenting about how vicious Dobs are. I couldn't understand why then, or now, how people could say that because my dogs were not only well behaved, but they were our first bests friends that had let us dress them, paint their nails and used them as pillow when we were kids.

Later in life, I had a boyfriend that had Chow-Chow. Again, countless of negative comments about the breed from most people. And again, all of these comments were not only uncalled for, but they were coming from people who had no dogs and knew of no Chow-Chow.

And today, it's the Pit-Bull turn (and most Bull terrier) to become the target of fear and misconceptions.

ATTS

This is why I'd like to talk to you about the ATTS, which stands for the American Temperament Test Society. The ATTS is a national organization that tests, every year, dogs (pure breed and mix-breed) to evaluate their temperament. 

As of 2007, 28010 dogs were tested for good temperament and 22 847 dogs earned a TT (Temperament Tested) title.

According to the ATTS website, "The ATTS Temperament Test focuses on and measures different aspects of temperament such as stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness as well as the dog's instinct for protectiveness towards its handler and/or self-preservation in the face of a threat." Check below for a more detailed description.

What happens when your dog fails the ATTS test?

If your dog fails the test, you may have him retest after a 5 months period. An important information for me was to learn that a dog might be tested only twice. It is comforting for me to know because, independently of the breed, some dogs ARE aggressive and those dogs won't be able to adapt to the test.

Now, let's see which 7 breed scored high on the ATTS test. 

You just might be surprised!

French Bulldog - 96.4%

By danny O. (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Staffordshire Bull Terrier - 89.6%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staffordshire_Bull_Terrier

Siberian Husky - 87.1%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KyraCairns951125.JPG

 American PillBull Terrier - 86.0%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pit_Bull_Terrier

German Shepherd - 84.2 %

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:German_Shepherds_in_ravine.jpg

 Boxer - 84%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boxer_%28dog%29.jpg

American Staffordshire - 83.9%

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:12_year_old_AmStaff.jpg

This is taken directly from the ATTS website, that you can visit by clicking here. It is a description of the test. The test simulates a casual walk through a park or neighborhood where everyday life situations are encountered. During this walk, the dog experiences visual, auditory and tactile stimuli. Neutral, friendly and threatening situations are encountered, calling into play the dog's ability to distinguish between non-threatening situations and those calling for watchful and protective reactions.

Dogs must be at least 18 months old to enter this test. The test takes about eight to 12 minutes to complete. The dog is on a loose six-foot (6') lead. The handler is not allowed to talk to the dog, give commands, or give corrections.

Failure on any part of the test is recognized when a dog shows:

• Unprovoked aggression
• Panic without recovery
• Strong avoidance

The ATTS Temperament Test consists of ten subtests divided into five subcategories:

Behavior Toward Strangers
Objective: To measure the dog's reaction to strangers in a non-threatening situation.

Subtest 1: Neutral stranger
A stranger to the dog approaches the handler, shakes hands with the handler and engages the handler in a brief conversation, ignoring the dog.
The purpose of this subtest is to evaluate the dog's reaction to passive socialization and the dog's protective instinct.

Subtest 2: Friendly stranger
A stranger to the dog approaches happily and briskly, is very friendly to the dog and pets the dog. The purpose of this subtest is to evaluate the dog's active social skills.

Reaction to Auditory Stimuli
Objective: To measure the dog's reaction to auditory stimuli and the dog's investigative behavior.

Subtest 3: Hidden Noise
The handler/dog team approaches a hidden assistant who rattles a metal bucket filled with rocks and sets this bucket in the path of the team. The handler may encourage the dog to investigate the bucket only when asked to do so. The handler's focus must be on the bucket, not on the dog.
The purpose of this subtest is to test alertness and curiosity.

Subtest 4: Gunshots
The handler stops at a designated marker with his/her back towards a well hidden assistant. The assistant fires three shots using a .22 caliber starter pistol (SHOT-PAUSE-SHOT-SHOT).
The purpose of this subtest is to measure the dog's recovery response to a sudden noise.

Reaction to Visual Stimulus
Objective: To measure the dog's reaction to a sudden visual stimulus.

Subtest 5: Umbrella
The handler/dog team approaches an assistant sitting in a chair holding a closed umbrella parallel to the ground at a 90 degree angle to the approaching team. When the dog is five feet from the assistant, the umbrella is opened. The handler may encourage the dog to investigate the umbrella only when asked to do so. The handler's focus must be on the umbrella, not on the dog.

Tactile Stimuli
Objective: To measure the dog's reaction to unusual footing.

Subtest 6: Plastic Footing
Both the handler and the dog walk the entire length of a 15-foot by 6-foot clear plastic strip.

Subtest 7: Wire Footing
Only the dog will walk the entire length of a 12-foot by 3-foot unfolded exercise pen.

The purpose of these subtests is to measure the dog's sensitivity to unusual footing, its ability to recover from the fear of unusual footing and to measure its investigative behavior to the unusual footing.

Self Protective/Aggressive Behavior
Objective: These tests collectively evaluate the dog's capacity to recognize an unusual situation, its threshold to provocation, its protective instincts, and its propensity to realize when the situation becomes a threat.

Subtest 8: Non-Threatening
The handler/dog team stops at the designated marker. A weirdly-dressed stranger crosses the path 38 feet in front of the team.
The purpose of this subtest is to test the dog's alertness to an unusual situation.

Subtest 9: Threatening
The weird stranger advances 10 feet towards the stationary handler in a threatening manner.
The purpose of this subtest is to evaluate the dog's ability to recognize when an unusual situation turns into a provocation.

Subtest 10: Aggression
The weird stranger advances to within 18 feet of the stationary handler in an aggressive manner. 

The purpose of this subtest is to evaluate the dog's protective instincts.

The stranger is never closer than 10 feet from the dog. The handler's 2 foot arm and the 6' lead is added in for a total of 18 feet. Aggression here is checked against the breed standard and the dog's training. A schutzhund trained dog lunging at the stranger is allowed, but if an untrained Siberian husky does the same, it may fail.

At the conclusion of the test, the handler will receive a critique about the dog's performance. Certificate will be mailed within 90 days of the test.

This copyrighted test may not be used in whole or part without the express written consent of the American Temperament Test Society.

COOL CONTESTS OF THE WEEK

This week,

- Enter to win one of three Bun-Gee Pup-ee Expandabble Dog Leashes.
- Enter to win ONE pound of Green Doggie Treats!
- Win a Subscription to Dogs Naturally Magazine!


Let us know if you win !

Jake loves his food...

When I opened the Eukanuba bag....

Eukanuba 28-Day Challenge - DAY 1

And so it has started. Today is the 1st day of the Eukanuba 28-Day Challenge and somebody is excited about it!

Take a look at a Jake Video, when I make him wait for his food.... and he is salivating for it!

Green Doggie Treats Give Away

To celebrate the success of our Green Doggie Treats, we are giving away ONE POUND of them! Yes, you read that right!

Here is a Weight Loss bag of Green Doggie Treats!

Our Green Doggie Treats are all natural and they are baked by the order. That means that we don't keep stock and that we wait for an order to start the baking. Therefore, you only get the fresh of the fresh! Because we don't use preservatives, you can keep them up to 3 weeks in your fridge and 6 months in your freezer.

The treats come in 5 delicious flavors. Take a look at them :
Beefy Biscuits, Just Peanut Butter, Good for a Kiss, Weight Loss and PB & Bacon. 

How do you win?
Easily! Become a follower of our blog between now and January 31st 2011 (11:59PM Eastern time) and let us know in our comment section. Don't forget to give us your email address and which flavor you want for your doggie !

Legal stuff
Now, this giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be announce up to 2 days after the drawing (using Random.org) by email. The winner will have 5 days after receiving our email to respond, otherwise we will draw another winner.
The winner will receive the flavor he choose (in his blog comment). If there is no flavor mentioned, the Green Dog Pet Supplies reserved the right to send one of its choice. The square cut will be by default.

MONDAY VIDEO

Good morning GreenDog readers!

Today is a video about a Labrador who is best friend with a dolphin.  I find this friendship extraordinary and we should all learn lesson about it. Love and friendship should know no frontiers.






I don't know if this video is about the same dog, but it gives us a closer look to an amazing friendship.

After the bionic man, here is the BIONIC DOG!

When you think you've seen it all, Murphy's Law shows you that you don't.

Source of the picture here

Meet Mitzi Davis, a 3 year old German Shepherd from the U.K. 

Mitzi was trampled by a horse last year and her foot and its blood and nerves supplies were crushed. 

She was saved by Dr. Noël Fitzpatrick, who performed a surgery unheard of. 

Dr. Fitzpatrick fitted a titanium implant to the bone below Mitzi's joint, the first K-9 prosthesis in a fully articulated bone, which means that the titanium foot can move like a normal dog.

The surgery is a success. Mitzi can now walk with a normal gait.

How does it work?

Source of picture her

Despite its complexity, quite easily. 

Mitzi first had a surgery to insert a titanium rod into her leg, which left her with a peg to which a prosthesis could be attached.

Technology was Mitzi's best friend because her new foot was designed with the help of a computer, modeled after her own gait so it would be able to absorb shock and to prevent it from snapping off.

The implant is attached to the bone, at the amputation site and stick out through the skin, where a prosthesis can then be attached.

This technology allows the skin to grow with the implant and create a barrier against infections.

                                                                                 

Bionic Mitzi (source of picture here)

Check out this video that explain the technology : 

Read more here : http://www.dailymail.co.uk

And here : http://www.dogmagazine.net

Finally, a law that protects pets from owners who leave them outside for too long

Source of the picture here

On Tuesday, January 18th, 2011, New York City passed a new law that could send dog owners to jail for chaining their pets outside for too long.

This new law states that dog owners will not be able to tie their pets for more than 3 hours during any 12 hours stretch.

Owners that chain their dogs while they (the dogs) are injured can receive a $250 fine or a written warning if the dog is unharmed.

If the dog owners ignore the law a second time during the year, they will receive a $500 fine and will spend up to 3 months in jail.

This new law also forbid :
- dog owners to use choke or pinch collars while their dogs are tied up and;
- dog owners from chaining dogs without food, shelter and water for more than 15 minutes.

Believe it or not, but one of the loudest advocate for this law was... Joan Rivers.

It's about time that a big city takes a stand against chained dog. It is a real problem that is too often overlook or just plain ignored by the general population.

In the North Country, where we live, the temperatures in winter can go as low as -30F, with wind and snow. And you would not believe the quantities of dogs left chained outside by irresponsible dog owners. Unfortunately for them, there is no law protect them and this means that there is nothing and nobody out there to protect them.

Maybe smaller cities will also change their laws to incorporate a regulation to protect their pets. And maybe we should start right now by writing to our city/town officials.

To learn why this practice is cruel to animal, please visit the Humane Society website by clicking here.

Source

Armored Puppy Looking for his Forever Home

A German Shepherd puppy named Teddy is now on the road of recovery after being mauled by another dog and abandonned in an animal shelter.

Click here for the source of the picture

After being claimed by the  German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County (GSROC) on Christmas Eve, Teddy was taken to the Veterinary Surgical Specialists in Tustin, where Dr. Peter Sebestyen repaired Teddy's injuries:a broken upper leg and multiple bit woulds and punctures.

With the help of pins and an external splint, Teddy's is doing well and seems unphased by the metal apparatus on his leg, according to Maria Dales, from the GSROC.

Teddy has to wear his special armor for 2 more weeks before the removal of his pins and his *neutering surgery and he is still looking for his forever family.

To help pay for Teddy’s medical bills, contributions can be sent to German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County at 177F Riverside Avenue, Newport Beach, CA 92663 or via the group’s website at www.gsroc.org.

For more information call 714-773-5915.

Source : http://ocpets.ocregister.com

EDIT : Changed spaying for neutering. Thanks for noticing!

Eukanuba 28-Days Challenge

Good saturday GreenDog readers!
I am very excited because we have been asked to take part in the Eukanuba 28-Day Challenge!


What is the Eukanuba 28-Day Challenge?
Eukanuba asked selected dog-bloggers to try their choice of  Eukanuba dog food for a period of 28 days and to share their experiences.

So we decided to embark in this fun and exciting journey because we are always on the look-out for new ways to get our dogs happy and healthy.

How is it going to happen?
Quite easily, really. The dogs eat their food and we talk about it, about how it works on them.


What food did we choose?
Eukanuba has a wide variety of dog food, from the puppy food to Breed specific food, from Senior food to Special conditions food.

Jake and his new food

For Jake, our Chocolate Labrador, we choose the Labrador Retriever formula (this food is also good for Golden Retriever, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Flat-Coated Retriever, Irish Water Spaniel and Curly-Coated Retriever). We choose this food, instead of the Adult Maintenance, because it helps:

• Supports healthy joints and mobility
• Helps burn fat for healthy weight and a lean body
• Contains antioxidants to support the immune system

(Of course I think that Jake is handsomer than the Lab on the bag)

And as you know, Labradors are prone to hip dysplasia and can suffer from other ailments known to the breed. By choosing this particular food, we can help him by preventing, as much as we can, the appearance of these medical conditions.

Bella and her bag of food

For Bella, our mix-mutt, we choose the Adult Maintenance, because she is a healthy mix-girl that is more than 1 year old and she has (so far) no need for a special diet. She is not over-weight or she doesn't have a medical condition.

As you can see, Bella doesn't like to pose for the camera. But I wanted to have a picture of her and the bag, so I shouldn't complain!

Stay tune for more about this Challenge!

Follow the Green Dog on DogTime.com!

Starting this week, the GreenDog's blog will be live on DogTime.com website (http://blogs.dogtime.com/the-green-dog-pet-supplies)! It is a great association because like us, DogTime is a great place to visit for dog lovers.

The mission of DogTime is to keep all dogs out of shelters, in good homes by giving to every dog owners the tools and information to make and keep their dogs tails wagging.

DogTime.com is one of the voice of animal adoption and it now shows more adoptable dogs and cats to web users in one minute than the average human blinks their eyes. Take a look at our page Adoptable Pets to see more of these adorable adoptable dogs and cats.

DogTime is also a community of more than 460 pet bloggers, 500 pet publishers, 12,000 articles, 70,000 adoptable animals, and 30 million monthly visitors.

DogTime also branched out and became the premier companion animal Expert Center on the web. The hub plays host to the most renowned trainers, writers, and veterinarians in the field, including Ian Dunbar, Sophia Yin, Nancy Kay, Jean Donaldson, Jon Katz, and Tamar Geller.

So if you are like the GreenDog, please add DogTime to your list of favorites!

Jake eats his antler

Hello GreenDog readers!

I know, the quality of this video is ... not that good. But I wanted to show you how crazy is my Jake with his antler.






Share on Stumble Upon

The importance of K-9 socialization

Socialization in the K-9 world is an important step that can't be overlooked. It's what will make your dog receptive to other dogs, people and situations.

It is recommended to start the process of socialization as early as possible, AFTER the first set of shots.

Right AFTER his first set of shots is the right time to start socialization

What is socialization?
Socialization is a process that is fun and enjoyable for both a puppy and his family. And it's quite simple too. Socialization consist of putting a puppy in front of positives new situations, i.e. meet other puppies and/or dogs (that are vaccinated), go to the store, the dog park, to a football/baseball/softball/soccer game, visit the vet office, enroll in a puppy class, etc.

A car ride is also considered as a socialization experience

But NOT that type of car ride!

 According to the AKC, researches have shown that there are crucial "socialization windows" of socialization during the 1st year of a puppy. Of those periods, the first 12 weeks are the most important. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) states that during that period of 12 weeks, sociability outweights fear, making that period the primary window of opportunity for puppies to adapt to new people, animals and experiences.

A visit to the dog park is a good activity to promote socialization

If you miss that window of opportunity, there is still time because the benefits of socialization will continue through (and beyond) the first 18 months of life of a dog. Be aware that it might require more work.

The socialization will make a dog a companion that will behave good in (mostly) any situation. And add training to socialization and you will developp a trusting relationship with your dog.



What happens when a dog is not socialized?
When a dog is not socialization as a puppy, later in his life, he could exhibit one, or all of these unwanted behaviors :

- Agressiveness and/or fear in presence of other dogs, people, situation;
- Walks might become a very hard activity, since the unsocializaed dog will not know how to react and he might pull a lot, be afraid of passing cars, dogs and people;
- Having friends and family over might be very stressful and bring aggression since the dog will have no where to go to fell protected;
- Show of agressiveness, nervous barks, defensive bites.

Is it too late for socializing?
But hope is not all lost, as so many dogs are showing us. Take puppymills breeder dogs, who have lived all their life in a cage, without human contact or seeing the sun. Take Michael Vicks dog-fight pit-bulls.

The examples are heart-breaking and there is plenty of them and they all show us that with time, trust, care and training, even a dog that had missed this important step in his development can become a great dog, a great friend.

Rare Breed : Olde English Bulldogge

If you think that the AKC keeps record of all the dogs breeds, you are wrong. Although the organization gives the public the guidelines for many breeds we know of, it doesn't include ALL the breeds, and it is a shame since many wonderful breeds are out there.

The American Rare Breed Association (ARBA.org) is the place to go if you are looking for information about a rare breed.

According to the ARBA, a rare breed is.."is a dog that there are very few of. While most of our breeds are recognized around the world by the Federation Cynologique Internationale and other Registries, they are not recognized by the United States of America's largest Registry, the American Kennel Club."

Without looking far from home, you already have seen or heard about a rare breed.

Did you know about...

Olde English Bulldogge?

Origin of the picture

The Olde English Bulldogge is an "old" new breed of bulldog. The breed as we know it today is a re-creation of a passionnate dog lover, David Leavitt (Check Leavitt's website association for more information). 

The Olde English Bulldogge is a new version, enhanced without the breeding and breathing problems of re-creation of the bulldog. Because of the attention to details of David Leavitt, the man behind this new breed, the Olde English Bulldogge is a very healthy dog. A mix of the Bullmastiff, the Bulldog, the American Bulldog and of the American Pit Bull Terriers, he is the picture of the 18th and 19th century.

 The Olde English Bulldogge is very calm and part of the working group breed, used today as family companion and guardian

According to the IOEBA, the Olde English Bulldogge is a loyal, courageous dog of medium size with a large powerful head and stout muscular body.

Olde English Bulldogges are athletic and most importantly of very good health, males are free breeders and females are free whelpers. 

The Olde English Bulldogge is devoid of all breathing issues and is capable of enjoying outdoor activity without concern except in extreme heat or cold. 

The temperament is very stable and trustworthy making them a loyal companion, capable protector and the ultimate family member. 

Olde English Bulldogges thrive on pleasing their owners and are very trainable.

Their lifespan is between 10 and 14 years.

The Olde English Bulldogges make good companions for families. Loyal, funny, outgoing, happy and watchdog.