Quick, if someone asked you to name the all time greatest German Shepherd Dog in the history of the breed, who would you say? How about if they asked you who the best looking dog of all time was? Want to make a bet that you would name a male dog for both of those questions?
Admit it, when you were a kid and someone would mention the German Shepherd Dog, I bet you would visualize a male dog. I know that I did. I’ve always loved the noble look of this breed. I visualized them as being a masculine, big boned dog with a great big old head. I thought of them as a powerful breed; strong and courageous and willing to defend you with their life! Not once did I ever think of a German Shepherd bitch when I thought about this breed! For some reason, thinking of a German Shepherd brings up a picture in most peoples mind of the majestic male of this breed. Many times if your parents bought a German Shepherd as a pet, nine times out of ten, it was probably a male. They were probably looking for a guardian for their family, but more importantly a powerful protector of their property and valuables.
There’s just something about the noble German Shepherd Dog that makes you think in terms of the males of this breed. On the other hand, if you’re thinking of a lap dog, many times you might think in terms of a female.
When I first started out in this breed, a male is all I ever thought about owning. I wanted a big masculine dog that would turn people’s heads when I walked down the street with him. “That’s right, we’re cool. I got myself a big “bad boy!” I wanted a dog that commanded people’s respect and in my mind, what better way to do this than with a male German Shepherd? That was my mind set then. German Shepherd Dogs equaled male dogs! That was until I was knocked down a few pegs when one of my very first lessons in this breed is when someone told me: “Your kennel is only as good as the bitches you own!” Really? But I loved the males. That might have been true, but unless he was a star, I would be just about the only one that loved him. He would never be used for public stud and would only remain my beloved pet! Boy, that didn’t seem fair at all! I mean after all he had the same bloodlines as his more desirable litter sister! How come it was OK for me to keep her and not him? Seemed like a reasonable question to me at the time.
I was told that if the bitch didn’t turn out for showing, I could always breed her to a top producing stud dog and perhaps get a show quality puppy or two. On the other hand, if I kept her brother and he didn’t turn out, no one would breed to him, except me and that would mean I would have to go out and buy myself a bitch to breed to him. It looked like if I wanted to have any little bit of success in this breed, I’d better learn to follow the advise of those seasoned pros that proved what they were saying was true by keeping mostly bitches in their kennels. However, the few males if any that they owned were all top winning dogs.
I would soon find out the difference in owning males compared to owning bitches! Both sexes certainly have their own unique personalities. I find it very different owning a bitch compared to a male. The majority of German Shepherds that I’ve owned have been bitches; so therefore, the majority of my favorite dogs throughout the years have been females. That said I still miss the males. I find that they are easier to get along with as long as you don’t have females in season! Most of the time they make great house dogs! Very much like the human male, they can be big babies!!! They like to be pampered and loved on and thrive on attention. Most of the time, they're quieter than the bitches.
The female on the other hand has earned her title (and wears it proudly) of being called a bitch and everything that the word may stand for! She is nobility at its best. She may even be the homeliest little thing that was ever born, or even the runt of the litter but don’t tell her that, because she’d never believe it. She’s too into herself strutting around like she owns the place. And if truth be told, she does (well in her own mind anyway)! She rules her domain by either being a showoff looking for endless adoration or ruling with a quiet dignified look to anyone that might challenge or doubt her. With her dark Hershey brown eyes, ears standing strong and centered resting on a fabulous feminine head well there's just nothing more breathtaking!
The bitches are definitely unique in how they view their world. They can be cunning, inquisitive, and sometimes oh so challenging! Living with bitches means there is never a dull moment. There is nothing funnier than when you see a 90 pound male submitting to the 58 pound “Queen Bee” as she steals his favorite toy only to drop it after she gets it. Then she runs over to put her teeth gently but firmly across his mouth to let him know she really didn’t want it at all but to let him know she can have it anytime she pleases! It’s like she’s saying, “I don’t really want it, but I don’t want you to have it either!” Can we say "Diva" here? Hmm…….sounds like some human bitches that I know of!
As far as watchdogs, both sexes of this breed are excellent, but sometimes the bitches can be just a little be nastier than her male housemate! She has to make up for all his bravado so what she may lack in strength, she makes up for in speed! They’re quick and it’s almost like their maternal instincts kick in when defending their human family and property. They’re very purpose driven; not being satisfied until they accomplish what they’ve set out to do. For sheer strength and power, you couldn’t want a more formidable defender than the male German Shepherd. He is not a dog that an intruder wants to find greeting him. But for sheer quickness and agility all the exercise and jogging in the world won’t save the perpetrator from the sheer cunning of the bitch of this breed! If you trespass on this breeds property, their goal is to get you and they’re going to “get you good!”
Living with the male German Shepherd he has learned how to manipulate his humans to get what he wants by surprising them with his “big baby” ways. Those big old brown “cow eyes” that hold you in his stare makes for some “laugh out loud” moments. Few can resist this big macho dog collapsing at your side for a belly rub. The bitch can be more demanding of your attention by moaning, groaning and whining when she feels her needs are not being met. If she were human, this would probably equate to the not so nice label of being called a “nag!” Oh they do keep us on our toes!
So no matter what sex you decide upon, living with a German Shepherd is always an adventure. You never know what your day is going to be like with these guys, but one thing is for certain, it’s never going to be boring. They make sure it’s not. They’re just too darn smart for that!
Showing posts with label german shepherd puppies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label german shepherd puppies. Show all posts
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
IS BIGGER ALWAYS BETTER?
So the last couple of times that I talked to one of my friends she has made mention of wanting to get a bigger dog. Mind you MOST of the time throughout her years, she has owned smaller dogs. WAY smaller…….having owned and still owns a Chihuahua! Now let me explain to you a little more about my friend. She’s a lovely woman with a kind heart and has a beautiful home. She is elderly (69 – 70) but looks and acts more like a 59 – 60 year old. In fact she looks wonderful! Did I mention that she has a beautiful home? Oh yeah, I just did. Well this “youthful” looking 70ish year old woman is what I call a “Fuss Ass” meaning she is a fanatic in her home!
About two years ago my friend rescued a Chihuahua mixed female to come live with her and her husband and her purebred female Chihuahua. Life was wonderful when the new puppy arrived. Her other dog now had a companion and my friend had a new “baby” to love. It seems the purebred is more her husband’s dog than hers. So this “new kid on the block” would be hers to spoil and love on. She’d call me up to ask about advice about food and health questions. The puppy was extremely loving and extremely “puppy” in behavior.
So the cute, adorable love fest went on for awhile until the “puppy antics” showed its ugly little head a little more than my friend could or would tolerate. First of all the pup had the terrible, yucky habit of eating her stools. She tried everything that I suggested and the stools were still her puppy’s “treat of choice!” Take one point off for stool eating.
Next the little rascal starting eating her wallpaper off of her walls. Seems she had one favorite place for doing this. Take off another point for wall paper eating. Then there were the usual puppy leaks on the floor and carpet. Yup another point was taken off for puppy potty deposits in the house. I encouraged her to get a dog crate which she did and the puppy was fine with going into her “den.” But it was those times that she was out of the den that left “Mrs. Susie Homemaker’s” nerves stretched to its limits. Now mind you this is a woman that is a fanatic in her home. I’m sure she must walk around the house with a spray bottle of Lysol attached to her pants. Smudge marks, muddy paw prints, water on the floor, dog biscuit crumbs might just send her running to the medicine cabinet for another tranquilizer!
She bought a new mat to place in front of her back door. Seems like the little mixed breed thought it was her invitation to leave her “tinkles” on it. So now the last point was taken off! It looks as though the little dog ran out of points and second and third chances! So long story short, she just placed the “new kid on the block” on someone else’s block to live and they love her very much; especially the teenage daughter. So the youngster is doing fine, but now my friend is experiencing the “empty nest” syndrome!
So she gets this brainstorm that she must get a large dog. Her birthday is coming up soon and her husband asked her what would she like? Wrong question to ask a “determined to get what she wants” obsessed woman!!! Her husband is not in favor of a large dog mind you! So she runs this by me again yesterday. So I went down a whole list of reasons why she should not get a large dog. This is what I told her……..small dog = small problems. Large dog = large problems! Now I’m not saying that large dogs are necessarily problem dogs, but they are dogs after all and dogs do, well doggie things!
She says to me, “Well you have three large dogs.” Yeah and I say to her, I’m not a fanatic around the house either or I would have shot them a long time ago! I told her there is no guarantee about her new dog’s personality traits. I might have three dogs, but they are most certainly different in personality. My house dog is a great house dog. Her daughters are horrible house dogs. Yes, yes, I know a trained and obedient dog is a wonderful dog to live with. But therein lies the key……..personality traits also dictate the obedience time spent on training a dog. My housedog is very smart and willing to learn. Her nerves and concentration level is more steady. I believe her two daughters have “attention deficit disorder!” Oh they’re very smart too, but their concentration level is on another planet somewhere! And with my own health issues and my lack of physical endurance and strength, I must use caution when trying to train them. A younger me probably could have trained them properly, but the older me just can’t keep up with these two. So these are things my friend needs to think about as well. Does she have the strength and health to train a dog of this size? The little dog she can just pick up and put him back down again. Try doing that with a 60 – 90 pound dog!
Oh yeah, I also mentioned to her that she better get ready to change her home owners insurance now that she was getting a large “guard dog!” I told her depending upon where she lived, she might have a hard time getting insurance once she owned this type of breed. She didn’t think of that before.
Having owned German Shepherds for most of my adult life, I find them great dogs to live with, but there are those occasional few (like two of mine) that might make you rethink about owning them at all. They can be destructive. They are highly intelligent and they never miss a trick. Their noses are on everything because of their need to investigate anything new that might come into the house. They might communicate with you that they want to go outside by smudging their noses on your sliding glass door or scratching at the back door with their heavy paws. Be prepared to use your vacuum cleaner a heck of a lot more than you normally would. Hair and dander removal from rugs, floors, clothes, etc. is a normal part of your life now. Smudges and scratches and dog hair and dander are not for the fanatic housekeeping type. Before I get those private e-mails sent to me…………I AM NOT SAYING LARGE BREED DOG OWNERS ARE LOUSY HOUSEKEEPERS! I’m just saying that having a larger dog is more work than having a smaller dog. Oh yeah, lets not forget about cleaning up after them after they have done a “potty call!” It’s a whole lot different then picking up after a smaller dog!
So to my friend that is thinking of adding 70 or 80 more pounds of dog flesh and hair to your beautiful, “magazine picture perfect home,” do heed my advice. Your friends and family don’t want to see your face plastered on the front page of the National Enquirer announcing “Woman locked away for the rest of her life” because large dog squashed his nose against her windowpane for the hundredth time. Enjoy your little dog and the teeny tiny piddle that she may leave behind because it’s a heck of a lot easier to clean than a darn lake all over your antique Oriental rug!
My rating: Large dogs or small dogs: (4), Taking care of large dogs: (2), Taking care of small dogs: (3)
About two years ago my friend rescued a Chihuahua mixed female to come live with her and her husband and her purebred female Chihuahua. Life was wonderful when the new puppy arrived. Her other dog now had a companion and my friend had a new “baby” to love. It seems the purebred is more her husband’s dog than hers. So this “new kid on the block” would be hers to spoil and love on. She’d call me up to ask about advice about food and health questions. The puppy was extremely loving and extremely “puppy” in behavior.
So the cute, adorable love fest went on for awhile until the “puppy antics” showed its ugly little head a little more than my friend could or would tolerate. First of all the pup had the terrible, yucky habit of eating her stools. She tried everything that I suggested and the stools were still her puppy’s “treat of choice!” Take one point off for stool eating.
Next the little rascal starting eating her wallpaper off of her walls. Seems she had one favorite place for doing this. Take off another point for wall paper eating. Then there were the usual puppy leaks on the floor and carpet. Yup another point was taken off for puppy potty deposits in the house. I encouraged her to get a dog crate which she did and the puppy was fine with going into her “den.” But it was those times that she was out of the den that left “Mrs. Susie Homemaker’s” nerves stretched to its limits. Now mind you this is a woman that is a fanatic in her home. I’m sure she must walk around the house with a spray bottle of Lysol attached to her pants. Smudge marks, muddy paw prints, water on the floor, dog biscuit crumbs might just send her running to the medicine cabinet for another tranquilizer!
She bought a new mat to place in front of her back door. Seems like the little mixed breed thought it was her invitation to leave her “tinkles” on it. So now the last point was taken off! It looks as though the little dog ran out of points and second and third chances! So long story short, she just placed the “new kid on the block” on someone else’s block to live and they love her very much; especially the teenage daughter. So the youngster is doing fine, but now my friend is experiencing the “empty nest” syndrome!
So she gets this brainstorm that she must get a large dog. Her birthday is coming up soon and her husband asked her what would she like? Wrong question to ask a “determined to get what she wants” obsessed woman!!! Her husband is not in favor of a large dog mind you! So she runs this by me again yesterday. So I went down a whole list of reasons why she should not get a large dog. This is what I told her……..small dog = small problems. Large dog = large problems! Now I’m not saying that large dogs are necessarily problem dogs, but they are dogs after all and dogs do, well doggie things!
She says to me, “Well you have three large dogs.” Yeah and I say to her, I’m not a fanatic around the house either or I would have shot them a long time ago! I told her there is no guarantee about her new dog’s personality traits. I might have three dogs, but they are most certainly different in personality. My house dog is a great house dog. Her daughters are horrible house dogs. Yes, yes, I know a trained and obedient dog is a wonderful dog to live with. But therein lies the key……..personality traits also dictate the obedience time spent on training a dog. My housedog is very smart and willing to learn. Her nerves and concentration level is more steady. I believe her two daughters have “attention deficit disorder!” Oh they’re very smart too, but their concentration level is on another planet somewhere! And with my own health issues and my lack of physical endurance and strength, I must use caution when trying to train them. A younger me probably could have trained them properly, but the older me just can’t keep up with these two. So these are things my friend needs to think about as well. Does she have the strength and health to train a dog of this size? The little dog she can just pick up and put him back down again. Try doing that with a 60 – 90 pound dog!
Oh yeah, I also mentioned to her that she better get ready to change her home owners insurance now that she was getting a large “guard dog!” I told her depending upon where she lived, she might have a hard time getting insurance once she owned this type of breed. She didn’t think of that before.
Having owned German Shepherds for most of my adult life, I find them great dogs to live with, but there are those occasional few (like two of mine) that might make you rethink about owning them at all. They can be destructive. They are highly intelligent and they never miss a trick. Their noses are on everything because of their need to investigate anything new that might come into the house. They might communicate with you that they want to go outside by smudging their noses on your sliding glass door or scratching at the back door with their heavy paws. Be prepared to use your vacuum cleaner a heck of a lot more than you normally would. Hair and dander removal from rugs, floors, clothes, etc. is a normal part of your life now. Smudges and scratches and dog hair and dander are not for the fanatic housekeeping type. Before I get those private e-mails sent to me…………I AM NOT SAYING LARGE BREED DOG OWNERS ARE LOUSY HOUSEKEEPERS! I’m just saying that having a larger dog is more work than having a smaller dog. Oh yeah, lets not forget about cleaning up after them after they have done a “potty call!” It’s a whole lot different then picking up after a smaller dog!
So to my friend that is thinking of adding 70 or 80 more pounds of dog flesh and hair to your beautiful, “magazine picture perfect home,” do heed my advice. Your friends and family don’t want to see your face plastered on the front page of the National Enquirer announcing “Woman locked away for the rest of her life” because large dog squashed his nose against her windowpane for the hundredth time. Enjoy your little dog and the teeny tiny piddle that she may leave behind because it’s a heck of a lot easier to clean than a darn lake all over your antique Oriental rug!
My rating: Large dogs or small dogs: (4), Taking care of large dogs: (2), Taking care of small dogs: (3)
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
THE WISDOM OF THOSE THAT WALKED BEFORE US!
Anything that has ever lived, never truly dies. Oh we may not actually see that person or that animal, but because they have lived, they still walk among us. For one reason is that we keep them alive in our hearts. Their memory lingers on. But if truth be told, it’s more than just our memories that keep them alive. It is their impact that they left that lingers behind. I know this all may seem philosophical but just give it some thought.
Every President of the parent club (GSDCA) that ever conducted a meeting, every board member, every person that was a member that has brought change to the club lives on in the history of this governing body of our beloved breed.
Every judge that ever judged the GSDCA’s National Specialty show that has pointed to the newest Grand Victor or Victrix has helped shape the genetic pool of this breed. Every judge that has judged at major specialty shows has helped dictate the style and movement of this breed through his interpretation of the standard.
Some past breeders are responsible for some people’s kennels that are now producing top winning show dogs. Some past breeders are responsible for putting smiles on family’s faces for all the love and devotion that their dogs are bringing to these people’s homes. Some past breeders are responsible for helping keep our country safe for their dogs are protecting our country by serving in the military or local police forces. When these dogs leave us, their legacy that they leave behind far outlives the short times that they lived here on this earth.
Great dogs are not born every day and I dare say maybe not even in a decade or two. Sure we’ll see some really good ones in our time, but very few great ones! Just think about it, when was the last time you saw a really great German Shepherd and the impact that he left on the breed? How often in your lifetime do you think you’re going to see it? I know everyone thinks that the dog that they own is great and just maybe he is, but I’m talking about the greatness this great dog leaves behind.
How often does a dog like GV Ch Lance of Fran-Jo come along? Lance was a little before my time, so I never got to see this dog in person. From his pictures, he looked to have been a stallion type dog. He appeared to be a hard, dry animal in breed type. He wasn’t necessarily my type of dog, but the impact of what this dog did for the breed remains till this day. Was he a perfect dog? Of course not. For all those that loved him and thought he did some great producing, there are others that blamed him for the problems in the breed as well. Whatever side of the fence you are on about this dog, one thing is for sure; very few ever changed this breed as much as this dog did. Very few have been talked about as much as this dog. Although he has been gone for many years now, his bloodlines are still behind some of today’s top winning dogs. This is truly an example of a dog that walked among us and still does today. A dog that has had this much of an impact on the breed never dies.
Any of the icons of the breed, the greats among the greats has never left us either. If you were fortunate enough to have been mentored by them or even to have shared a friendship with them, they still walk among us. It’s because they have lived and shared their knowledge with us that they never die. Anything that remains still lives on. It’s what they have taught us and we bring to our own breeding program today. It’s in the echoes of our mind that we still hear their words of wisdom. Every breeder that taught you what good movement was about, every breeder that pointed out good character and structure to you lives on every time you look at a dog now yourself. That mentor may not physically be standing right next to you, but he lives on in your memories by his teachings. A teacher never dies because their students carry on their teachings.
Every forefather of this breed that sat down and helped put together the standard lives on every time a judge sets foot in the ring. It is those people’s foresights and wisdom that is carried on in the show ring today. They paved the way for others to follow and for them to leave their footsteps behind for future generations.
Every writer that has written a good book about this breed, every editor of the German Shepherd Dog Review has been responsible for helping educate today’s generation so they too may bring their knowledge for the generations that follow.
Every dog that has played with your children, every dog that has protected your home never dies because your memories keep him alive.
It is because these people and dogs have lived that the breed continues today. The truly great ones (in whatever way you may perceive that) still walks among you and me today. Aren’t you glad that they touched your life? It’s because they’ve positively touched our lives that we pass on to future generations the wisdom of those that walked before us!
I can still hear the soft voice and laughter of Connie Beckhardt or the accent of Joan Ford answering a very novice person’s question. I remember Marge Dolan whispering in my ear at a show, “I want you to run for the President of our club.” I can still hear the cackle of LaMar standing ringside and proclaiming to me, “Darling did you ever see such a magnificent looking animal in your life?” These people have just gone onto another plain of existence perhaps somewhere in another galaxy, but their teachings, their friendship, their expertise still lives on and sets an example of what can be to those that now follow and look to pave their own path. May all those that walked before us, continue to walk with us now. Because they have lived, they never truly have died!
From the book: "CREATING A LIFE WORTH LIVING"...Dreaming is easy. Making it happen is hard. With a fresh perspective, Carol Lloyd motivates the person searching for two things: the creative life and a life of sanity, happiness and financial solvency. Creating a Life Worth Living helps the reader search memory for inspiration, understand his or her individual artistic profile, explore possible futures, design a daily process and build a structure of support. Each of the 12 chapters, such as "The Drudge We Do For Dollars" and "Excavating the Future," contains specific exercises and daily tasks that help readers to clarify their desires and create a tangible plan of action for realizing dreams. The book also provides inspiring anecdotes and interviews with people who have succeeded in their chosen fields.
My rating: Learning from a mentor: (4), Becoming a mentor: (4)
Every President of the parent club (GSDCA) that ever conducted a meeting, every board member, every person that was a member that has brought change to the club lives on in the history of this governing body of our beloved breed.
Every judge that ever judged the GSDCA’s National Specialty show that has pointed to the newest Grand Victor or Victrix has helped shape the genetic pool of this breed. Every judge that has judged at major specialty shows has helped dictate the style and movement of this breed through his interpretation of the standard.
Some past breeders are responsible for some people’s kennels that are now producing top winning show dogs. Some past breeders are responsible for putting smiles on family’s faces for all the love and devotion that their dogs are bringing to these people’s homes. Some past breeders are responsible for helping keep our country safe for their dogs are protecting our country by serving in the military or local police forces. When these dogs leave us, their legacy that they leave behind far outlives the short times that they lived here on this earth.
Great dogs are not born every day and I dare say maybe not even in a decade or two. Sure we’ll see some really good ones in our time, but very few great ones! Just think about it, when was the last time you saw a really great German Shepherd and the impact that he left on the breed? How often in your lifetime do you think you’re going to see it? I know everyone thinks that the dog that they own is great and just maybe he is, but I’m talking about the greatness this great dog leaves behind.
How often does a dog like GV Ch Lance of Fran-Jo come along? Lance was a little before my time, so I never got to see this dog in person. From his pictures, he looked to have been a stallion type dog. He appeared to be a hard, dry animal in breed type. He wasn’t necessarily my type of dog, but the impact of what this dog did for the breed remains till this day. Was he a perfect dog? Of course not. For all those that loved him and thought he did some great producing, there are others that blamed him for the problems in the breed as well. Whatever side of the fence you are on about this dog, one thing is for sure; very few ever changed this breed as much as this dog did. Very few have been talked about as much as this dog. Although he has been gone for many years now, his bloodlines are still behind some of today’s top winning dogs. This is truly an example of a dog that walked among us and still does today. A dog that has had this much of an impact on the breed never dies.
Any of the icons of the breed, the greats among the greats has never left us either. If you were fortunate enough to have been mentored by them or even to have shared a friendship with them, they still walk among us. It’s because they have lived and shared their knowledge with us that they never die. Anything that remains still lives on. It’s what they have taught us and we bring to our own breeding program today. It’s in the echoes of our mind that we still hear their words of wisdom. Every breeder that taught you what good movement was about, every breeder that pointed out good character and structure to you lives on every time you look at a dog now yourself. That mentor may not physically be standing right next to you, but he lives on in your memories by his teachings. A teacher never dies because their students carry on their teachings.
Every forefather of this breed that sat down and helped put together the standard lives on every time a judge sets foot in the ring. It is those people’s foresights and wisdom that is carried on in the show ring today. They paved the way for others to follow and for them to leave their footsteps behind for future generations.
Every writer that has written a good book about this breed, every editor of the German Shepherd Dog Review has been responsible for helping educate today’s generation so they too may bring their knowledge for the generations that follow.
Every dog that has played with your children, every dog that has protected your home never dies because your memories keep him alive.
It is because these people and dogs have lived that the breed continues today. The truly great ones (in whatever way you may perceive that) still walks among you and me today. Aren’t you glad that they touched your life? It’s because they’ve positively touched our lives that we pass on to future generations the wisdom of those that walked before us!
I can still hear the soft voice and laughter of Connie Beckhardt or the accent of Joan Ford answering a very novice person’s question. I remember Marge Dolan whispering in my ear at a show, “I want you to run for the President of our club.” I can still hear the cackle of LaMar standing ringside and proclaiming to me, “Darling did you ever see such a magnificent looking animal in your life?” These people have just gone onto another plain of existence perhaps somewhere in another galaxy, but their teachings, their friendship, their expertise still lives on and sets an example of what can be to those that now follow and look to pave their own path. May all those that walked before us, continue to walk with us now. Because they have lived, they never truly have died!
From the book: "CREATING A LIFE WORTH LIVING"...Dreaming is easy. Making it happen is hard. With a fresh perspective, Carol Lloyd motivates the person searching for two things: the creative life and a life of sanity, happiness and financial solvency. Creating a Life Worth Living helps the reader search memory for inspiration, understand his or her individual artistic profile, explore possible futures, design a daily process and build a structure of support. Each of the 12 chapters, such as "The Drudge We Do For Dollars" and "Excavating the Future," contains specific exercises and daily tasks that help readers to clarify their desires and create a tangible plan of action for realizing dreams. The book also provides inspiring anecdotes and interviews with people who have succeeded in their chosen fields.
My rating: Learning from a mentor: (4), Becoming a mentor: (4)
Monday, November 29, 2010
BUNDLE UP WARM SO YOU DON'T CATCH A "VIRUS!"
Hey everyone, I’m sorry I haven’t been writing on my blog this past week, but as some of you know that belong to my e-mail list, my computer caught a virus! In all the years that I have had a computer and internet service, I was one of the lucky ones. I never got a virus. I read about everyone else around me getting them, but not me! That is until Thanksgiving evening!
I got a pop up from my tool bar on the bottom of my screen and it said it was from Windows and said that my computer had been infected with multiple viruses. Yikes, more than one? So I clicked on the message and it told me to click on it again and it would scan my computer to locate where the viruses was. Little did I know that my computer was not infected until I clicked for them to run the scanner. The so called scanner was not deleting any virus, IT WAS ADDING THE VIRUS! From then on in, I couldn’t get on the internet or retrieve or read my e-mails. Instead I kept getting pop ups and pornography sent to me and it would ask if I wanted to get rid of this virus to pay with a credit card for the software that would get rid of “my problem.”
By this time, I alerted my brother who does trouble shooting with computer problems for a living. He told me not to respond to these pop ups. He told me to run my virus program already on my computer to see if that could help get rid of the virus. All this did was go through everything on my computer and locate the many viruses that were now sitting on my computer. There were many Trojans installed, but they couldn’t remove them. So my brother took my computer home with him and had it back to me in two days. I was so thankful!
What was life like without my computer? Well for one thing, I couldn’t write this blog. I couldn’t get onto my e-mail list. For that fact, I couldn’t get on anyone’s e-mail list! No more Facebook, no more researching, no more connecting with people that I normally wouldn’t connect with if it weren’t for the computer. It’s a sad fact how we’ve become so used to the internet for so many things. It makes one wonder how we got along without it.
Anyway, I just wanted to touch base with you all. I hope to have another blog up in a couple of days. I have some other pressing things that I need to get to that I wasn’t able to do without my computer. So once that gets done, I’ll be back writing on here again.
Watch out for those viruses. When you least expect it……there it is. It can come from anywhere and like my brother said the people (lowlifes) that do this kind of stuff are becoming more and more advanced. They have you believing what they send to you is legitimate. It’s not. So beware my friends. Have a great day everyone!
From the book: "THE ART OF COMPUTER VIRUS RESEARCH AND DEFENSE"....."Of all the computer-related books I've read recently, this one influenced my thoughts about security the most. There is very little trustworthy information about computer viruses. Peter Szor is one of the best virus analysts in the world and has the perfect credentials to write this book."
I got a pop up from my tool bar on the bottom of my screen and it said it was from Windows and said that my computer had been infected with multiple viruses. Yikes, more than one? So I clicked on the message and it told me to click on it again and it would scan my computer to locate where the viruses was. Little did I know that my computer was not infected until I clicked for them to run the scanner. The so called scanner was not deleting any virus, IT WAS ADDING THE VIRUS! From then on in, I couldn’t get on the internet or retrieve or read my e-mails. Instead I kept getting pop ups and pornography sent to me and it would ask if I wanted to get rid of this virus to pay with a credit card for the software that would get rid of “my problem.”
By this time, I alerted my brother who does trouble shooting with computer problems for a living. He told me not to respond to these pop ups. He told me to run my virus program already on my computer to see if that could help get rid of the virus. All this did was go through everything on my computer and locate the many viruses that were now sitting on my computer. There were many Trojans installed, but they couldn’t remove them. So my brother took my computer home with him and had it back to me in two days. I was so thankful!
What was life like without my computer? Well for one thing, I couldn’t write this blog. I couldn’t get onto my e-mail list. For that fact, I couldn’t get on anyone’s e-mail list! No more Facebook, no more researching, no more connecting with people that I normally wouldn’t connect with if it weren’t for the computer. It’s a sad fact how we’ve become so used to the internet for so many things. It makes one wonder how we got along without it.
Anyway, I just wanted to touch base with you all. I hope to have another blog up in a couple of days. I have some other pressing things that I need to get to that I wasn’t able to do without my computer. So once that gets done, I’ll be back writing on here again.
Watch out for those viruses. When you least expect it……there it is. It can come from anywhere and like my brother said the people (lowlifes) that do this kind of stuff are becoming more and more advanced. They have you believing what they send to you is legitimate. It’s not. So beware my friends. Have a great day everyone!
From the book: "THE ART OF COMPUTER VIRUS RESEARCH AND DEFENSE"....."Of all the computer-related books I've read recently, this one influenced my thoughts about security the most. There is very little trustworthy information about computer viruses. Peter Szor is one of the best virus analysts in the world and has the perfect credentials to write this book."
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RAMIFICATIONS OF SHOWING DOGS
You’ve been preparing to show your newest little superstar before he was even born. You planned his breeding; you socialized him, trained him, and groomed him getting him ready for his first introduction into the show ring. You’ve made preparations to hire the best handler that money can afford. You “talked” him up to your friends and family. You even showed a picture or two of him on some of the show dog lists. You did a real good job of selling him to the show dog public. People now are starting to talk about him and anticipating seeing a real “head turner” when he walks into the ring.
The big day arrives. In trots your much “hyped” up superstar. You see people starting to whisper and you accept this as an acceptance of his star power. You smile to yourself knowing they haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait until they see your guy move around that ring. Off he goes and he’s charging around the ring. You’re beaming with pride about his great showmanship and attitude. People are whispering even more now. The judge calls his handler out to the center of the ring for a loose lead temperament test. Your dog is bucking and jumping pulling the handler in the opposite direction. Finally the handler gets him to the center of the ring. The dog blows his mind when the judge tries to examine him. Oh he doesn’t try to bite the judge; he’s too scared for that. So the judge sends him to the back of the line and that is where he stays as the winners are handed their ribbons and you’re handed back your dog.
Now the whispers grow louder and you can’t help but overhear some of the snide remarks made as you and your dog walk by. “Even if he didn’t blow his mind, he’s not that much better than a pet dog” someone says a little too loudly. “That’s not movement. He was running because he was afraid of his handler” another voice says.
Showing dogs is not just about getting a dog ready and prepared for the show ring. You better learn to be pretty tough skinned when you are showing dogs. Naturally the above scenario is in the extreme. But sometimes even the best of dogs can have an off day and they may be a little unruly in the show ring. People will talk if a dog looks at them the wrong way. Some people can be down right cruel when it comes to showing dogs. It is a competition and some are out to win no matter which way they can do it. Step aside if you are faint of heart because you may get run over.
There is a whole psychology in the showing of dogs. No one likes to lose, but if you don’t learn how to lose well, then you’re going to carry it from show to show. And an angry competitor is not a very nice person to be around. The dog picks up on it. Ring side picks up on it and the other exhibitors pick up on it. All and all it doesn’t make for a very enjoyable show experience. Showing should be fun. If it isn’t, then what are you doing it for? I can think of a lot of other ways to spend one’s time than doing something that turns your insides upside down.
If you don’t psychologically prepare yourself to show dogs then you may be in for a big shock. All the preparation in the world of getting your dog ready to be shown will not take the sting out of losing with this dog that you have placed so much hope in. If you have a good dog, common sense will tell you that sooner or later, he will be rewarded as being such. To lose control of yourself because one or two judges don’t agree with you is silly. Even the best of dogs will lose throughout their show careers. It’s to be expected in any sport. It’s the nature of the beast if you will. You win some and you lose some. Everybody likes to win. No one likes to lose. But lose you will and if you don’t know how to lose, you can make yourself sick about it!
Oh sure there will be some times that you lose and your dog lost to a better dog that day. Come on admit it now…….the other dog was better on this day. And then there will be those days that you lose to an inferior dog and you want to scream! Go ahead and do it if you have to, but try to do it away from the ring so the judge doesn’t feel like you’re going to jump the rope and strangle her! Probably the worst loss would be when you feel like you walked into a set up situation. You know the ones that I mean. The winning dog/bitch was determined before he even set foot in the ring! And before you die hard “believe that all judges are honest” fans shout that never happens…………..OH YES IT DOES! In this case, if you feel like jumping the rope to strangle the judge, ask your friends to hold you back so you don’t lose your AKC privileges and you can still show your dog under honest judges in the future!
Let me tell you, if you are reading this and have never shown a dog before it can be very nerve wracking. Headaches are throbbing temples, tempers are at their most unattractive stage, stomachs are doing cartwheels, intestines are in knots and exhibitors are fighting for the next free bathroom seat in the nearest restroom! I kid you not. I know I’ve been there before.
Talk about catty people……my goodness gracious just walk around ringside and eaves drop if you must and listen and watch the tongues……….they’re wagging faster than your dog’s tail. This is where people come to observe, to compare, to learn and yes to gossip. It’s alright I guess if you are one that is partaking of the sometimes unsavory conversations, but what about if you’re on the opposite side of this equation and you’re the one that they are gossiping about? It can be pretty painful stuff………if you let it get to you. If you go to the show knowing that sometimes your feelings will get hurt because people may not like your dog and are talking negatively about him, then you may be better prepared to deal with it. If on the other hand you go to the show and EXPECT that everyone will love your dog, you may be in for a rude awakening.
Showing dogs can be some of the most thrilling times of your life and some of the most positive as well. You must bring along with you the right attitude. If you do, your losses will not overcome you. You’re smart enough to know it just comes with the territory. Tomorrow is another day and another judge!
Go to the show knowing you love your dog and hope that others will as well. If they don’t, don’t take it personally. Remember you are competition the moment you step foot on the show ground. Not everyone will like your dog and so what. Take him home and love him anyway. Have fun and don’t let the psychological warfare of showing dogs get to you. If it does, then maybe this is not the sport that you should be in. If you’re not having fun, then do something else with your dog where you are having fun! The German Shepherd is one of the most intelligent of breeds. If you’re not enjoying yourself and are tense and upset, he knows and feels it. You can’t expect him to perform his best if you are not willing to accept the consequences of his performance on that day!
From the DVD: "CAUTION: SHOW DOGS!"......Behind all the glamour and excitement lies the never-ending hard work, enormous amounts of love and an all-consuming dedication that is difficult to imagine. Get to know four top breeders, and their dogs, while sharing the years of knowledge and experience required to produce consistent champions. In fact, the full-length movie CAUTION: SHOW DOGS! puts you behind-the-scenes so you can share the excitement and exhilaration of the world of SHOW DOGS!
My rating: showing dogs: (3 -4)
The big day arrives. In trots your much “hyped” up superstar. You see people starting to whisper and you accept this as an acceptance of his star power. You smile to yourself knowing they haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait until they see your guy move around that ring. Off he goes and he’s charging around the ring. You’re beaming with pride about his great showmanship and attitude. People are whispering even more now. The judge calls his handler out to the center of the ring for a loose lead temperament test. Your dog is bucking and jumping pulling the handler in the opposite direction. Finally the handler gets him to the center of the ring. The dog blows his mind when the judge tries to examine him. Oh he doesn’t try to bite the judge; he’s too scared for that. So the judge sends him to the back of the line and that is where he stays as the winners are handed their ribbons and you’re handed back your dog.
Now the whispers grow louder and you can’t help but overhear some of the snide remarks made as you and your dog walk by. “Even if he didn’t blow his mind, he’s not that much better than a pet dog” someone says a little too loudly. “That’s not movement. He was running because he was afraid of his handler” another voice says.
Showing dogs is not just about getting a dog ready and prepared for the show ring. You better learn to be pretty tough skinned when you are showing dogs. Naturally the above scenario is in the extreme. But sometimes even the best of dogs can have an off day and they may be a little unruly in the show ring. People will talk if a dog looks at them the wrong way. Some people can be down right cruel when it comes to showing dogs. It is a competition and some are out to win no matter which way they can do it. Step aside if you are faint of heart because you may get run over.
There is a whole psychology in the showing of dogs. No one likes to lose, but if you don’t learn how to lose well, then you’re going to carry it from show to show. And an angry competitor is not a very nice person to be around. The dog picks up on it. Ring side picks up on it and the other exhibitors pick up on it. All and all it doesn’t make for a very enjoyable show experience. Showing should be fun. If it isn’t, then what are you doing it for? I can think of a lot of other ways to spend one’s time than doing something that turns your insides upside down.
If you don’t psychologically prepare yourself to show dogs then you may be in for a big shock. All the preparation in the world of getting your dog ready to be shown will not take the sting out of losing with this dog that you have placed so much hope in. If you have a good dog, common sense will tell you that sooner or later, he will be rewarded as being such. To lose control of yourself because one or two judges don’t agree with you is silly. Even the best of dogs will lose throughout their show careers. It’s to be expected in any sport. It’s the nature of the beast if you will. You win some and you lose some. Everybody likes to win. No one likes to lose. But lose you will and if you don’t know how to lose, you can make yourself sick about it!
Oh sure there will be some times that you lose and your dog lost to a better dog that day. Come on admit it now…….the other dog was better on this day. And then there will be those days that you lose to an inferior dog and you want to scream! Go ahead and do it if you have to, but try to do it away from the ring so the judge doesn’t feel like you’re going to jump the rope and strangle her! Probably the worst loss would be when you feel like you walked into a set up situation. You know the ones that I mean. The winning dog/bitch was determined before he even set foot in the ring! And before you die hard “believe that all judges are honest” fans shout that never happens…………..OH YES IT DOES! In this case, if you feel like jumping the rope to strangle the judge, ask your friends to hold you back so you don’t lose your AKC privileges and you can still show your dog under honest judges in the future!
Let me tell you, if you are reading this and have never shown a dog before it can be very nerve wracking. Headaches are throbbing temples, tempers are at their most unattractive stage, stomachs are doing cartwheels, intestines are in knots and exhibitors are fighting for the next free bathroom seat in the nearest restroom! I kid you not. I know I’ve been there before.
Talk about catty people……my goodness gracious just walk around ringside and eaves drop if you must and listen and watch the tongues……….they’re wagging faster than your dog’s tail. This is where people come to observe, to compare, to learn and yes to gossip. It’s alright I guess if you are one that is partaking of the sometimes unsavory conversations, but what about if you’re on the opposite side of this equation and you’re the one that they are gossiping about? It can be pretty painful stuff………if you let it get to you. If you go to the show knowing that sometimes your feelings will get hurt because people may not like your dog and are talking negatively about him, then you may be better prepared to deal with it. If on the other hand you go to the show and EXPECT that everyone will love your dog, you may be in for a rude awakening.
Showing dogs can be some of the most thrilling times of your life and some of the most positive as well. You must bring along with you the right attitude. If you do, your losses will not overcome you. You’re smart enough to know it just comes with the territory. Tomorrow is another day and another judge!
Go to the show knowing you love your dog and hope that others will as well. If they don’t, don’t take it personally. Remember you are competition the moment you step foot on the show ground. Not everyone will like your dog and so what. Take him home and love him anyway. Have fun and don’t let the psychological warfare of showing dogs get to you. If it does, then maybe this is not the sport that you should be in. If you’re not having fun, then do something else with your dog where you are having fun! The German Shepherd is one of the most intelligent of breeds. If you’re not enjoying yourself and are tense and upset, he knows and feels it. You can’t expect him to perform his best if you are not willing to accept the consequences of his performance on that day!
From the DVD: "CAUTION: SHOW DOGS!"......Behind all the glamour and excitement lies the never-ending hard work, enormous amounts of love and an all-consuming dedication that is difficult to imagine. Get to know four top breeders, and their dogs, while sharing the years of knowledge and experience required to produce consistent champions. In fact, the full-length movie CAUTION: SHOW DOGS! puts you behind-the-scenes so you can share the excitement and exhilaration of the world of SHOW DOGS!
My rating: showing dogs: (3 -4)
Friday, October 29, 2010
WOLF DOG - WOLF/GERMAN SHEPHERD HYBRIDS
A couple of days ago over on my list (The GSD Showcase) we touched briefly on the subject of German Shepherd/Wolf breeding or the hybrid. I wanted to write a little about this subject as I found it to be interesting and disturbing at the same time. A couple of people had written that they at one time had owned this type of dog.
I became interested in this subject when I was watching a program last week on Animal Planet called “Fatal Attraction.” It is an excellent program in my opinion that shows how some people become involved out of the kindness of their hearts with wild animals. The program can be very graphic but I think it needs to be to show how serious this subject is.
I think it’s safe to say that most people that read my blog or belong to my list or other lists are animal lovers or at least German Shepherd dog lovers. Many of us have big hearts when it comes to animals. Many of us treat our dogs like they’re part of our families and some like they’re our child. It is this love for animals that can extend to wild life as well. We feed the birds, the squirrels, and even a wild cat or two. Because eating is one of the strongest needs an animal has, he will return time and time again to its food source. And if its food source is being generously handed out by a human, then the wildlife grows more tolerant of human beings and before you know it, they are standing at your back door. And the bigger the animal you’re feeding, the more brazen some of them can get to where they’re not just standing at your back door, but they’re scratching at it and even trying to break through it.
It’s tempting to feed a wild animal. You’re doing it because you love animals and you don’t see the harm in it. But feeding wild animals can have deadly consequences for both the human that’s doing it and ultimately the animal that we’re trying to help survive. We are putting ourselves and the animal in real danger. It’s dangerous for the human who may find himself the wild animal’s supper and then for the animal that will be hunted and killed. That’s why feeding wildlife in national parks and refuges is illegal. In many states, feeding certain wild animals is punishable by fines and /or imprisonment.
On one of these “Fatal Attraction” shows last week, there was a program about Wolfs and Wolf hybrids where the wolf and German Shepherd Dog were mixed. It showed a story of a woman who raised these Wolfs and hybrids. She truly loved her animals and they were like her children. It showed pictures of her and her companions up on the sofa laying there like any other “dog” would. They were beautiful animals. The videos showed some of the animals outside in a fenced in enclosure. Although they were “domesticated” by this woman, one could still see how restless and wild they still were. They played rough with the woman and the dominate alpha personality of the Wolf was very evident.
I wonder why man felt the need to breed the Wolf with the German Shepherd and what he was hoping to accomplish. I realize that dogs come from Wolfs but if man bred away from some of those negative characteristics of the Wolf, why would they want to reintroduce it in the bloodlines again? There are actually breeders who breed these two animals together and are selling their puppies to the public. Although the German Shepherd looks probably the most like a Wolf, he most certainly doesn’t have some of the characteristics of the animal. Although the German Shepherd has a strong character and you must be the “pack leader”, he is very happy to allow you to be so once you establish that rank from the time he is a puppy. The Wolf on the other hand, is extremely dominate and it’s much harder to take the “alpha” out of him. He will challenge you time and time again. Sometimes the German Shepherd will challenge you as well, but the Wolf is a predator and one should always be aware of this if you think owning a Wolf or a hybrid is the thing to do.
Most of the pictures that I’ve seen of the Wolf/German Shepherd cross look more like the Wolf than the dog. One of the main differences is in the shape of the eye of the two animals. The Wolf has a very slanted eye whereas the German Shepherd’s eye is almond shaped. Also the Wolf’s eye is very cold and has a staring look to his face. The German Shepherd’s eye is usually friendlier looking. If you have the hybrid, most of the time he has a colder stare which really makes him look like a wild animal rather than a domesticated dog.
Also the hybrid can be more skittish in temperament. They can be easily spooked by fast motion or loud noises. They can learn to love their people, but at the same time can be extremely aggressive towards strangers. This would not be one that I would invite into the house when I had company. Who wants an animal that you can’t trust? We must never lose the fact that these mixed bred animals have the characteristics of both the wolf and the dog. Because they have the characteristics of a wolf, one never knows when the wolf side of him will show up.
Much patience is needed when you train this animal. They need consistent and firm training and lots of room to roam. From what I’ve read, the Wolf Hybrid will start to show the Wolf side of his DNA when he’s about 18 months old. Prior to this, they are playful and adapt more easily to their surroundings. They are easier to train and even bond with other dogs. As they mature and their hormonal system reaches maturity, this is when you will see them begin to exhibit all of the typical behaviors of the Wolf.
I think we’ve come a long way from the Wolf in our domestication of the dog and the German Shepherd in general. With our breed, one can see the beauty of the Wolf without the aggressive predator showing it’s dominate face. The German Shepherd may look like a Wolf and may even be considered the “King of dogs” but he’s come a long way from the plains and forests of the land to be a companion, protector and unlimited source of love and affection to his master. As much I as I love the wild animals and enjoy immensely watching them on television, I’ve always said, let the wild animals alone. Let them remain wild. I hate them locked in cages in carnivals or zoos. I hate them used to entertain at a circus jumping from one platform to another or sitting up on command! There is just something so wrong seeing a wild animal caged panting and pacing back and forth for our viewing enjoyment. NOT!
From the book: "THE WOLF: THE ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF AN ENDANGERED SPECIES" - Since the dawn of history, no other living thing (save, possibly, the snake) has been as reviled by humankind as the wolf. Still, wolves and people have been drawn to each other since the beginning. Canis lupus bounds through our folklore, howls in our dreams, and--occasionally--competes with us on the hunt. As one zoologist imagines it: "Through the cold of winter the wolf made music in the mysterious darkness and sometimes, in curiosity, sat just beyond the dwindling circle of firelight and watched." The curiosity was mutual; this is the feared animal, ironically, that gave rise to man's best friend. Yet only recently has science begun to understand these complex social mammals. Enter biologist L. David Mech. Years of research during the 1960s in Michigan's Isle Royale National Park provided Mech with a level of firsthand knowledge shared by few in the field. In 1970 he compiled his findings (updated in 1980) into the preeminent document of its kind. Thomas McNamee, author of The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone, calls the book the "best single source of information on wolf biology," and refers to its author as "the undisputed king of wolf research." When government officials in the early 1990s decided to embark on an ambitious project to reintroduce wolves into their former range of Yellowstone National Park, they called on Mech's expertise. All this is to say that, if you want to learn about wolves, you cannot ignore this seminal work or its author. Chapters cover wolf evolution, range, and physiology; society and pack behavior; reproduction; hunting and predator-prey relationships; and the species' uncertain future. Like any self-respecting scientist, Mech includes all the hard data, but he presents his work in an engaging manner that is accessible to a broader audience, drawing heavily on anecdotes and personal experience. "Many people strongly dislike the wolf," Mech writes, "others rush to its defense. But no one denies that the animal is strong, powerful, intelligent, keen, and dynamic." While persecution by man has severely restricted its current status, the tide is turning, thanks to education and conservation efforts. After all, a night without a howl echoing somewhere across the landscape would surely be a colder, less alive night. --Langdon Cook
My rating: German Shepherd Dog: (4), Wolf: (4), German Shepherd/Wolf hybrid: (1)
I became interested in this subject when I was watching a program last week on Animal Planet called “Fatal Attraction.” It is an excellent program in my opinion that shows how some people become involved out of the kindness of their hearts with wild animals. The program can be very graphic but I think it needs to be to show how serious this subject is.
I think it’s safe to say that most people that read my blog or belong to my list or other lists are animal lovers or at least German Shepherd dog lovers. Many of us have big hearts when it comes to animals. Many of us treat our dogs like they’re part of our families and some like they’re our child. It is this love for animals that can extend to wild life as well. We feed the birds, the squirrels, and even a wild cat or two. Because eating is one of the strongest needs an animal has, he will return time and time again to its food source. And if its food source is being generously handed out by a human, then the wildlife grows more tolerant of human beings and before you know it, they are standing at your back door. And the bigger the animal you’re feeding, the more brazen some of them can get to where they’re not just standing at your back door, but they’re scratching at it and even trying to break through it.
It’s tempting to feed a wild animal. You’re doing it because you love animals and you don’t see the harm in it. But feeding wild animals can have deadly consequences for both the human that’s doing it and ultimately the animal that we’re trying to help survive. We are putting ourselves and the animal in real danger. It’s dangerous for the human who may find himself the wild animal’s supper and then for the animal that will be hunted and killed. That’s why feeding wildlife in national parks and refuges is illegal. In many states, feeding certain wild animals is punishable by fines and /or imprisonment.
On one of these “Fatal Attraction” shows last week, there was a program about Wolfs and Wolf hybrids where the wolf and German Shepherd Dog were mixed. It showed a story of a woman who raised these Wolfs and hybrids. She truly loved her animals and they were like her children. It showed pictures of her and her companions up on the sofa laying there like any other “dog” would. They were beautiful animals. The videos showed some of the animals outside in a fenced in enclosure. Although they were “domesticated” by this woman, one could still see how restless and wild they still were. They played rough with the woman and the dominate alpha personality of the Wolf was very evident.
I wonder why man felt the need to breed the Wolf with the German Shepherd and what he was hoping to accomplish. I realize that dogs come from Wolfs but if man bred away from some of those negative characteristics of the Wolf, why would they want to reintroduce it in the bloodlines again? There are actually breeders who breed these two animals together and are selling their puppies to the public. Although the German Shepherd looks probably the most like a Wolf, he most certainly doesn’t have some of the characteristics of the animal. Although the German Shepherd has a strong character and you must be the “pack leader”, he is very happy to allow you to be so once you establish that rank from the time he is a puppy. The Wolf on the other hand, is extremely dominate and it’s much harder to take the “alpha” out of him. He will challenge you time and time again. Sometimes the German Shepherd will challenge you as well, but the Wolf is a predator and one should always be aware of this if you think owning a Wolf or a hybrid is the thing to do.
Most of the pictures that I’ve seen of the Wolf/German Shepherd cross look more like the Wolf than the dog. One of the main differences is in the shape of the eye of the two animals. The Wolf has a very slanted eye whereas the German Shepherd’s eye is almond shaped. Also the Wolf’s eye is very cold and has a staring look to his face. The German Shepherd’s eye is usually friendlier looking. If you have the hybrid, most of the time he has a colder stare which really makes him look like a wild animal rather than a domesticated dog.
Also the hybrid can be more skittish in temperament. They can be easily spooked by fast motion or loud noises. They can learn to love their people, but at the same time can be extremely aggressive towards strangers. This would not be one that I would invite into the house when I had company. Who wants an animal that you can’t trust? We must never lose the fact that these mixed bred animals have the characteristics of both the wolf and the dog. Because they have the characteristics of a wolf, one never knows when the wolf side of him will show up.
Much patience is needed when you train this animal. They need consistent and firm training and lots of room to roam. From what I’ve read, the Wolf Hybrid will start to show the Wolf side of his DNA when he’s about 18 months old. Prior to this, they are playful and adapt more easily to their surroundings. They are easier to train and even bond with other dogs. As they mature and their hormonal system reaches maturity, this is when you will see them begin to exhibit all of the typical behaviors of the Wolf.
I think we’ve come a long way from the Wolf in our domestication of the dog and the German Shepherd in general. With our breed, one can see the beauty of the Wolf without the aggressive predator showing it’s dominate face. The German Shepherd may look like a Wolf and may even be considered the “King of dogs” but he’s come a long way from the plains and forests of the land to be a companion, protector and unlimited source of love and affection to his master. As much I as I love the wild animals and enjoy immensely watching them on television, I’ve always said, let the wild animals alone. Let them remain wild. I hate them locked in cages in carnivals or zoos. I hate them used to entertain at a circus jumping from one platform to another or sitting up on command! There is just something so wrong seeing a wild animal caged panting and pacing back and forth for our viewing enjoyment. NOT!
From the book: "THE WOLF: THE ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF AN ENDANGERED SPECIES" - Since the dawn of history, no other living thing (save, possibly, the snake) has been as reviled by humankind as the wolf. Still, wolves and people have been drawn to each other since the beginning. Canis lupus bounds through our folklore, howls in our dreams, and--occasionally--competes with us on the hunt. As one zoologist imagines it: "Through the cold of winter the wolf made music in the mysterious darkness and sometimes, in curiosity, sat just beyond the dwindling circle of firelight and watched." The curiosity was mutual; this is the feared animal, ironically, that gave rise to man's best friend. Yet only recently has science begun to understand these complex social mammals. Enter biologist L. David Mech. Years of research during the 1960s in Michigan's Isle Royale National Park provided Mech with a level of firsthand knowledge shared by few in the field. In 1970 he compiled his findings (updated in 1980) into the preeminent document of its kind. Thomas McNamee, author of The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone, calls the book the "best single source of information on wolf biology," and refers to its author as "the undisputed king of wolf research." When government officials in the early 1990s decided to embark on an ambitious project to reintroduce wolves into their former range of Yellowstone National Park, they called on Mech's expertise. All this is to say that, if you want to learn about wolves, you cannot ignore this seminal work or its author. Chapters cover wolf evolution, range, and physiology; society and pack behavior; reproduction; hunting and predator-prey relationships; and the species' uncertain future. Like any self-respecting scientist, Mech includes all the hard data, but he presents his work in an engaging manner that is accessible to a broader audience, drawing heavily on anecdotes and personal experience. "Many people strongly dislike the wolf," Mech writes, "others rush to its defense. But no one denies that the animal is strong, powerful, intelligent, keen, and dynamic." While persecution by man has severely restricted its current status, the tide is turning, thanks to education and conservation efforts. After all, a night without a howl echoing somewhere across the landscape would surely be a colder, less alive night. --Langdon Cook
My rating: German Shepherd Dog: (4), Wolf: (4), German Shepherd/Wolf hybrid: (1)
Monday, September 27, 2010
WHICH DISQUALIFICATION OR FAULT BOTHERS YOU THE MOST?
According to the German Shepherd Dog Club of America’s standard for the German Shepherd Dog, these are the disqualifications for our breed:
DISQUALIFICATIONS:
Cropped or hanging ears
Dogs with noses not predominantly black
Undershot jaw
Docked tail
White dogs
And dog that attempts to bite the judge
Surprisingly enough, all of these disqualifications (except the last one) are all physical things. That just about blows my love of the movement of this breed right out of the water. Many of you that know me, know that I’m a movement nut. Okay I admit it; I’m crazy for a good moving dog. But it’s not a disqualification if your dog isn’t a good moving dog. You just don’t show him under a judge that is “nutty” like me!
So the next time you hear someone say something about someone’s dog that can’t move out of their own way, carry a copy of the breed standard with you to show them. If he can’t move, that’s not a disqualification.
Oh there are other things in the breed that are considered serious or undesirable traits. To view them, go on the German Shepherd Dog Club of America’s website and look at the breed standard.
Some of the other things that I dislike about some dogs that are not disqualifications are: light protruding round shaped eyes. There is just something so unattractive to me about a homely face on a German Shepherd and in my opinion ones that have eyes that look like this, well lets just say he’s not going to win any beauty contest. Top that off with ears that stick out like a donkey, well you get the picture.
Missing teeth doesn’t bother me as much as a very overshot jaw or one that is undershot. Any missing teeth other than first premolars are a serious fault. I wonder why they need all those teeth anyway – 42 teeth, 20 upper and 22 lower. I wonder why it’s considered a serious fault.
I’ll tell you one structural fault that I truly dislike and that’s a bad back. Now a bad back can mean many different things to different people. It could mean that the dog is roach backed, shows a dip behind the withers, soft back, swayed back, running downhill into the shoulders, etc. The only thing that I want to see moving on the dog when he gaits is his four legs. I love looking at an iron back and a dog that carries a great top line in motion. You won’t see this dog moving with a soft back that moves every which way or a dip in his back. You won’t see the dog running downhill in motion making him look like his rear is running into his shoulders.
Then there’s the croup. A certain popular dog in recent times was notorious for producing flat croups. I remember watching his stud dog presentation at a National one year. It was a huge class, but the majority of them all had this same unattractive flat croup.
How about the front of the dog and the lack of a good shoulder? Does this bother you? I love a good front on a dog. Nothing is so unappealing to me than when I see a dog reaching from the elbow. And nothing is so shocking to me to see people show pictures of their dogs moving like this and saying what a great mover he is!
Besides a dog trying to bite a judge, there are other undesirable temperament problems. A dog that shies away from the judge, backs up, belly crawls on the ground, tucks his tail, his eyes looking as if he’s ready to bolt and say “Let me out of here”, one that growls or shows is teeth……all undesirable traits.
And how about the pigment of the dog? Ideally rich, dark colors are what we all hope to achieve when we produce litters of puppies. This is not always the case. We have lines in the breed that consistently produce washed out colors in their dogs. Of course it’s not a disqualification, but stand him next to a dog that’s richly pigmented, and then it becomes even more noticeable.
So what fault bothers you most? Is it locked hocks, kicking up in the rear with no follow through? Perhaps it’s a lack of length of coat. Or maybe you don’t like a German Shepherd that acts like a Golden Retriever in personality……loving on everyone he meets. What is it that you just can’t live with in this breed? And I’m not talking about health and genetics here. I’m just talking about the breed standard.
My rating: Disqualifications and faults of the breed: (1 - 4)
DISQUALIFICATIONS:
Cropped or hanging ears
Dogs with noses not predominantly black
Undershot jaw
Docked tail
White dogs
And dog that attempts to bite the judge
Surprisingly enough, all of these disqualifications (except the last one) are all physical things. That just about blows my love of the movement of this breed right out of the water. Many of you that know me, know that I’m a movement nut. Okay I admit it; I’m crazy for a good moving dog. But it’s not a disqualification if your dog isn’t a good moving dog. You just don’t show him under a judge that is “nutty” like me!
So the next time you hear someone say something about someone’s dog that can’t move out of their own way, carry a copy of the breed standard with you to show them. If he can’t move, that’s not a disqualification.
Oh there are other things in the breed that are considered serious or undesirable traits. To view them, go on the German Shepherd Dog Club of America’s website and look at the breed standard.
Some of the other things that I dislike about some dogs that are not disqualifications are: light protruding round shaped eyes. There is just something so unattractive to me about a homely face on a German Shepherd and in my opinion ones that have eyes that look like this, well lets just say he’s not going to win any beauty contest. Top that off with ears that stick out like a donkey, well you get the picture.
Missing teeth doesn’t bother me as much as a very overshot jaw or one that is undershot. Any missing teeth other than first premolars are a serious fault. I wonder why they need all those teeth anyway – 42 teeth, 20 upper and 22 lower. I wonder why it’s considered a serious fault.
I’ll tell you one structural fault that I truly dislike and that’s a bad back. Now a bad back can mean many different things to different people. It could mean that the dog is roach backed, shows a dip behind the withers, soft back, swayed back, running downhill into the shoulders, etc. The only thing that I want to see moving on the dog when he gaits is his four legs. I love looking at an iron back and a dog that carries a great top line in motion. You won’t see this dog moving with a soft back that moves every which way or a dip in his back. You won’t see the dog running downhill in motion making him look like his rear is running into his shoulders.
Then there’s the croup. A certain popular dog in recent times was notorious for producing flat croups. I remember watching his stud dog presentation at a National one year. It was a huge class, but the majority of them all had this same unattractive flat croup.
How about the front of the dog and the lack of a good shoulder? Does this bother you? I love a good front on a dog. Nothing is so unappealing to me than when I see a dog reaching from the elbow. And nothing is so shocking to me to see people show pictures of their dogs moving like this and saying what a great mover he is!
Besides a dog trying to bite a judge, there are other undesirable temperament problems. A dog that shies away from the judge, backs up, belly crawls on the ground, tucks his tail, his eyes looking as if he’s ready to bolt and say “Let me out of here”, one that growls or shows is teeth……all undesirable traits.
And how about the pigment of the dog? Ideally rich, dark colors are what we all hope to achieve when we produce litters of puppies. This is not always the case. We have lines in the breed that consistently produce washed out colors in their dogs. Of course it’s not a disqualification, but stand him next to a dog that’s richly pigmented, and then it becomes even more noticeable.
So what fault bothers you most? Is it locked hocks, kicking up in the rear with no follow through? Perhaps it’s a lack of length of coat. Or maybe you don’t like a German Shepherd that acts like a Golden Retriever in personality……loving on everyone he meets. What is it that you just can’t live with in this breed? And I’m not talking about health and genetics here. I’m just talking about the breed standard.
My rating: Disqualifications and faults of the breed: (1 - 4)
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
WHAT STATE SHOULD BE DECLARED THE OFFICIAL STATE OF THE GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG?
Last week I read an article about how some states now have an official dog that represents their state. You know like each state has a flower that’s connected to it or if you are one of those people that like to read other peoples license plates, the license plate will tell you what that state is known for. For instance, Florida is the “sunshine state.” You know that kind of thing. I noticed that no state has made claim to the wonderful German Shepherd Dog yet. So it got me to thinking, which state should the German Shepherd represent and why. Oh I know there are those of you that are saying that the German Shepherd is a dog for all reasons and therefore, should be the official dog of the United States of America! Hey I just made that up and it sounds good to me!
So what state do you think the German Shepherd Dog should represent and why? So far these are the dogs that now represent other states.
Maryland: Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Pennsylvania: Great Dane
Virginia: American Foxhound
Louisiana: Catahoula Leopard Dog
Massachusetts: Boston Terrier
Wisconsin: American Water Spaniel
South Carolina: Boykin Spaniel
North Carolina: Plott Hound
Texas: Blue Lacy
Alaska: Alaskan Malamute
Well because I come from and live in New York, my vote for the German Shepherd Dog is right here in the “empire state.” Why? Well because there’s already a great number of this breed protecting New York by working on the police force, patrolling the subways and sniffing out bombs and narcotics in the airports. They were there on that terrible day that New York City was attacked and the Great Towers tumbled to the ground. Because this breed is used for rescue work and to tackle and bring down predators, I can’t think of a better place for them to do it than right here in New York City. They protect our homeland and security. In my opinion, no better place to do it than in New York! So yup, my vote is that the German Shepherd should be this states official dog!
So tell me, do you think that your state should be the official state of the German Shepherd Dog and why is that? Or maybe you think another state would be better represented by the German Shepherd. Let me know and I will report the results here.
My rating: German Shepherd as the official dog of the United States: (4)
So what state do you think the German Shepherd Dog should represent and why? So far these are the dogs that now represent other states.
Maryland: Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Pennsylvania: Great Dane
Virginia: American Foxhound
Louisiana: Catahoula Leopard Dog
Massachusetts: Boston Terrier
Wisconsin: American Water Spaniel
South Carolina: Boykin Spaniel
North Carolina: Plott Hound
Texas: Blue Lacy
Alaska: Alaskan Malamute
Well because I come from and live in New York, my vote for the German Shepherd Dog is right here in the “empire state.” Why? Well because there’s already a great number of this breed protecting New York by working on the police force, patrolling the subways and sniffing out bombs and narcotics in the airports. They were there on that terrible day that New York City was attacked and the Great Towers tumbled to the ground. Because this breed is used for rescue work and to tackle and bring down predators, I can’t think of a better place for them to do it than right here in New York City. They protect our homeland and security. In my opinion, no better place to do it than in New York! So yup, my vote is that the German Shepherd should be this states official dog!
So tell me, do you think that your state should be the official state of the German Shepherd Dog and why is that? Or maybe you think another state would be better represented by the German Shepherd. Let me know and I will report the results here.
My rating: German Shepherd as the official dog of the United States: (4)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
SO YOU WANT TO BREED A LITTER OF PUPPIES - (Part 3)
Most German Shepherd “mothers to be” are good eaters while they’re carrying their litter of puppies. However, not all of them are. This is why it is important to make sure you are feeding her a top quality food to ensure that she is getting the proper amount of nutrition. Supplementing her food with vitamins is important also. Some bitches will go off their food at certain times when they are pregnant and the owner is about ready to pull her hair out worrying that her puppies are not going to be healthy. I had a bitch do this every single time that she was bred. Because she did this, I knew she was in whelp. Like some women who get morning sickness when they are pregnant, there’s no reason to think that some dogs don’t go through the same thing. Any and all food that I would offer her, she would refuse, EXCEPT…….dog biscuits. She loved dog biscuits when she was pregnant. So dog biscuits are what she got along with her vitamins. Just as long as she was eating something, I didn’t care! If anyone came to my house and looked at her, they must have thought that I abused her because she looked so skinny.
Anyway, let’s assume that your girl continues to eat; you should increase her food the last couple of weeks during her pregnancy because she’s eating for a whole litter now! Sometimes a bitch may go off her food or cut back during the last few days of her pregnancy.
By now you will have set up a whelping box for your bitch in a quiet area of your house where she is free from unneeded stress or other distractions. You will have bought a heating lamp for the whelping box as it is important to keep the new pups warm and toasty. Make sure that the whelping box that you invest in is large enough for the mother to stretch out and big enough for her growing puppies. Another thing the whelping box should have is a rail that goes around the inside of the box. This is where the puppies can lay under so they don’t accidentally get squished by their mother. I know some breeders use a kiddy pool for the mother and her puppies. They swear by it, but I don’t understand how those puppies don’t get squished.
Hopefully you have been in contact with your veterinarian about your breeding of your bitch. You have let him know when she is due to whelp. As the actual time of her whelping draws near, you should be in contact with him to let him know how she is doing. Also you should know what his procedure is if your girl should run into an emergency situation. Will he come to her aid and meet you at his office during the evening hours after his office is closed? Or do you have to rely on an emergency vet to take care of her needs? Find this all out BEFORE you actually need help! A Vet that works with a breeder is a God send!
During the bitches last few days of pregnancy it is a good idea to monitor her body temperature. Normally you can do this using a rectal thermometer. The normal body temperature for animals is generally higher than for humans. The normal rectal temperature of a dog is 99.5° to 102.5°F. What you’re looking for is her temperature to drop to 98 degrees from her normal 99 – 101 degrees. You may even see her temperature fluctuate going up and down. It’s when it stays down, you normally have 12 – 24 hours from the time that she first started to drop her temperature. When it goes down to 98 or 97.9, then you may expect the first born in 2 – 12 hours. This is just a guideline as all bitches are different.
When your bitch is getting closer to whelping, you may find she goes from periods of sleeping for hours to becoming restless pacing back and forth. She may look stressed and excited. She will have to urinate more because of the pressure that she is feeling. Make sure you go outside with her when she goes potty as you don’t want her running off somewhere in the woods to deliver her first puppy. When her water breaks, you might not even see it, but if you check her, right before she’s ready to give birth, you will normally see a white mucous like substance. Stay with her. Your litter of puppies is getting ready to enter this world!
To be continued…..
From the book: "THE COMPLETE BOOK OF DOG BREEDING"....... A veterinarian with many years of canine practice experience offers guidance to novice and professional dog breeders, emphasizing the responsibilities of reputable breeders to their dogs and to the buyers of the puppies they produce. Topics covered include: the choosing, health, quality, and conditioning of brood stock; practical DNA use, and Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) surveys and data storage to scientifically improve the selection of healthy brood stock and puppies; potential breeding problems; artificial insemination; pregnancy and its duration; embryonic and fetal activity; pregnancy nutrition; physical changes during pregnancy; stages of labor; normal and Cesarean-section births, and how to assist in both; nutrition of dams and puppies and how to recognize and prevent potential problems in both; neonatal puppy care; lactation and weaning the puppies; socializing the puppies; pedigrees, registration, and titles; and much more. Filled with color photos and line art.
My rating: Dog breeding: (1 - 4)
Anyway, let’s assume that your girl continues to eat; you should increase her food the last couple of weeks during her pregnancy because she’s eating for a whole litter now! Sometimes a bitch may go off her food or cut back during the last few days of her pregnancy.
By now you will have set up a whelping box for your bitch in a quiet area of your house where she is free from unneeded stress or other distractions. You will have bought a heating lamp for the whelping box as it is important to keep the new pups warm and toasty. Make sure that the whelping box that you invest in is large enough for the mother to stretch out and big enough for her growing puppies. Another thing the whelping box should have is a rail that goes around the inside of the box. This is where the puppies can lay under so they don’t accidentally get squished by their mother. I know some breeders use a kiddy pool for the mother and her puppies. They swear by it, but I don’t understand how those puppies don’t get squished.
Hopefully you have been in contact with your veterinarian about your breeding of your bitch. You have let him know when she is due to whelp. As the actual time of her whelping draws near, you should be in contact with him to let him know how she is doing. Also you should know what his procedure is if your girl should run into an emergency situation. Will he come to her aid and meet you at his office during the evening hours after his office is closed? Or do you have to rely on an emergency vet to take care of her needs? Find this all out BEFORE you actually need help! A Vet that works with a breeder is a God send!
During the bitches last few days of pregnancy it is a good idea to monitor her body temperature. Normally you can do this using a rectal thermometer. The normal body temperature for animals is generally higher than for humans. The normal rectal temperature of a dog is 99.5° to 102.5°F. What you’re looking for is her temperature to drop to 98 degrees from her normal 99 – 101 degrees. You may even see her temperature fluctuate going up and down. It’s when it stays down, you normally have 12 – 24 hours from the time that she first started to drop her temperature. When it goes down to 98 or 97.9, then you may expect the first born in 2 – 12 hours. This is just a guideline as all bitches are different.
When your bitch is getting closer to whelping, you may find she goes from periods of sleeping for hours to becoming restless pacing back and forth. She may look stressed and excited. She will have to urinate more because of the pressure that she is feeling. Make sure you go outside with her when she goes potty as you don’t want her running off somewhere in the woods to deliver her first puppy. When her water breaks, you might not even see it, but if you check her, right before she’s ready to give birth, you will normally see a white mucous like substance. Stay with her. Your litter of puppies is getting ready to enter this world!
To be continued…..
From the book: "THE COMPLETE BOOK OF DOG BREEDING"....... A veterinarian with many years of canine practice experience offers guidance to novice and professional dog breeders, emphasizing the responsibilities of reputable breeders to their dogs and to the buyers of the puppies they produce. Topics covered include: the choosing, health, quality, and conditioning of brood stock; practical DNA use, and Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) surveys and data storage to scientifically improve the selection of healthy brood stock and puppies; potential breeding problems; artificial insemination; pregnancy and its duration; embryonic and fetal activity; pregnancy nutrition; physical changes during pregnancy; stages of labor; normal and Cesarean-section births, and how to assist in both; nutrition of dams and puppies and how to recognize and prevent potential problems in both; neonatal puppy care; lactation and weaning the puppies; socializing the puppies; pedigrees, registration, and titles; and much more. Filled with color photos and line art.
My rating: Dog breeding: (1 - 4)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
SO YOU WANT TO BREED A LITTER OF PUPPIES - (Part 1)
Well what it takes is a lot of blood, sweat and tears and a lot of luck! In other words, it’s a lot of hard work. Most breeders are real excited once the puppies are born and nine times out of ten, most happy, grateful and exhausted by the time the puppies leave for their new homes.
For the non-breeder that views the pictures of the fluffy little butterballs, they think what a wonderful thing this must be to have all these little guys to play with. They are adorable and you just want to pick them up, hug and kiss them. That’s the fun part. But more than anything else, having a litter of puppies is a full time job. No actually it’s more like putting in overtime, because you’re on 24 hour duty when you are raising puppies.
So alright, let’s take a look at the process that takes place when breeding. Before you do anything else, make sure you’re breeding for the right reasons. And no, breeding to let the kids experience what birth and new born life is all about is not the right reason to breed a litter of puppies! And it’s not about thinking you’re going to be able to make a fortune to pay your mortgage payment that month or put a down payment on a new car. Think again. IF you’re lucky, you just MIGHT break out even. Other times you end up losing money when you breed a litter of puppies. That is if you are doing it right. Breeding is expensive.
The only reason to breed a litter of puppies is to help improve the quality and promote the betterment of the breed. With each new litter, the good breeder is looking to improve on the quality of her last litter. She takes from that experience all the best and worst of her lines and tries to improve on it with her next and subsequent litters. Hopefully, she will know the strengths and weaknesses of her lines and will breed accordingly in her future breeding.
So when does the breeding begin? It is not when the two dogs mate that it begins. The good breeder has planned her litter long before the “honeymooners” meet. The good breeder will have spent countless hours and research of the pedigrees of the dogs that she wishes to breed. The good breeder doesn’t just wake up one morning and decides to breed her bitch to “Joe Schmoe’s” dog down the street. No she’s been planning her bitches breeding from the time she bought or bred her.
Foremost in one’s mind if they want to be a good breeder is the acquisition of a well bred bitch that is properly structured and possesses an undeniable character according to the breed standard. She also should have been x-rayed or that she is quarantined to x-ray well. Ideally, it would be to your advantage to know something about the pedigree she comes from. Is there good temperament, hips and elbows in her line? Does she come from lines that have the proper breed standard? What about the health problems in her line? And don’t let her breeder tell you that there is nothing in her line that carries any health problems. EVERY line has some health concerns in the pedigree. The trick is to stay away from those lines that are known for producing a multitude of health problems. It would be wise to investigate the health problems of the German Shepherd Dog BEFORE you start breeding into it. There are many articles all over the internet that can help educate you on this breeds predisposition for genetic health problems.
If you can’t see her parents, at least see pictures of them and what’s behind your bitches bloodlines. Does the breeder have her sisters and brothers or other relatives that you can look at? This will give you an idea of what to expect with your own bitch as far as temperament and structure is concerned.
When you are looking to buy your breeding bitch, do you know what good German Shepherd temperament is? If you are buying a puppy, look for the puppy that is outgoing, confident and just darn right sure of herself. Does the puppy greet you? Is she freely sharing her kisses with you? Watch to see how she interacts with her littermates. Does she play “nice” with them or is she the “boss” over the rest of the litter? If she’s the boss, then you are looking at the “alpha” of the litter. She will be the one that has the most dominate personality. She will be strong willed and will challenge you for the alpha position in your home. She is the one that must know at all times that it is YOU that is the alpha in your home. In other words you are the boss and not her!
Don’t be swayed by the cute little fluffy pup that sits over in the corner or hides under the table. Sometimes people have the tendency to want to “rescue” the shy little pup. “Oh look how cute that one is over there. The poor little baby is scared. Come here sweetheart.” If she is shy, this is not what you want to introduce in your breeding program. That shy puppy may turn into a fear biter or become aggressive later on in life. Temperament of the puppies started long before they were born. It’s in their genetic make-up. Shy away from the shy puppy.
If you buy yourself an older puppy or a young adult, the same requirements should be in place as far as temperament goes. It’s even more important now as their personalities are already set in. So get familiar with the breed standard which you can read about on the Parent Club website (The German Shepherd Dog Club of America).
Alright then, you’ve just purchased your foundation bitch. This is probably the most important thing that you can do when establishing your breeding program. Buy the best bitch that you can afford. She will determine your future success as a breeder.
Take her home, love her, play with her, train her, socialize her and feed her the best food that you can afford. The breeder that you bought her from has done her part as far as breeding the best quality that she could. Now it’s up to you to make sure that she realizes her genetic worth and that you too breed her to the best of your ability. Don’t forget to “pick the brain” of the breeder that you bought her from. She should help guide you because she is familiar with her bloodlines. If she’s a good breeder, she likes to see her kennel’s bloodlines being utilized in a good breeding program.
(To be continued)….
From the book: "BREEDING BETTER DOGS".............. Highly recommended as a basic reference in every breeder's library. It should be required reading for all breeders. -- Helen Sondrel - breeder
It is fascinating and easy to understand. I can now hope to master the methods and ideas that will really make a difference. -- Patricia H. Riepe
The text focuses on the fundamental aspects of producing better dogs. It was written for those interested in upgrading their stock and producing quality animals. The author anticipates the type of information that most breeders need and presents it in a clear and easy-to-understand style.
Some of the unique methods which have proven to be of great value are the color charts and stick dog figures that are designed to help breeders plan their future breeding on paper to see what they are likely to produce. The pedigree charts and stick dog illustrations provide an easy method for interpreting the pedigrees of potential dams and sires, and for predicting the qualities in their expected litters.
My rating: Breeding puppies: (1 - 4)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
WARNING - PLEASE READ - FOREIGN OBJECTS FOUND IN DOG FOOD!
Last night when I was feeding my dogs, I found a piece of glass in one of my dog’s food bowls. It wasn’t a sliver but a small hunk of glass. I was so upset because if I didn’t see that, my dog could be laying on a table at the vet’s office right now. I checked the other dog’s bowls of food and I didn’t find any other pieces of glass. I just got off the phone with the company (Diamond) and I will send them the piece of glass for their quality control people to review. I've asked that their quality control people call me.
I know that I’ve occasionally found suspicious things in human food as well. But I’ve never found anything that could really be considered dangerous to my health. Just things that may have been unappetizing. I think we’ve all been to a restaurant and may have found a bug in our food and sent it back. This happened to me at a Chinese restaurant one time and although they offered me another plate of food, my appetite was severely diminished at this point. So I went back to work without having had lunch that day.
We have all read about the disgusting things that can be put in dog food by the rendering plants (beaks, hoofs, feathers, road kill, etc.). However yucky those things appear to us, I don’t know how many dogs lives have been immediately compromised by those unsavory ingredients, but long term health issues is what every dog owner has to question. But to find something like a piece of glass is something that I can’t take lightly. How did something like this happen? Have any of you ever found some dangerous things in your dog’s food? Oh I’ve heard even of a dead mouse in dog food before. That would make me sick, but at least I would be able to see it. I was very lucky to have seen this piece of glass at all. My eye sight isn’t the greatest, so I thank God that I did see this!
The government runs the pet food industry which is known as AAFCO. It is this industry that determines what our animals eat. They actually allow a certain amount of contaminants in dog’s food. This may include waste matter, dirt, foreign objects such as bedding, decomposed matter, etc. This is safe for our dogs? They wouldn’t put it in our food, so why are they allowed to put it in our dog’s food?
It’s bad enough that we have to worry about our animals foods being contaminated because of the rendered meat meals and by-product meals. These are frequently highly contaminated with bacteria because their source is not always slaughtered animals. Animals that have died because of disease, injury or natural caused are a source of meat for meat meal. The dead animal might not be rendered until days after its death. So by this time the carcass is often contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli. Dangerous E. coli bacteria are estimated to contaminate more than 50% of meat meals. While the cooking process may kill bacteria, it does not eliminate the endotoxins some bacteria produce during their growth and are released when they die. These toxins can cause sickness and disease. Pet food manufacturers do not test their product for endotoxins.
Now to make this incident about the glass in my dog’s food even scarier is the fact that I just told a breeder friend of mine whose wife is an x-ray technician about this. He told me that my dog could have died and I would never have known why. He told me that an x-ray would not have revealed the piece of glass. So my vets would have never found it on an x-ray. This is horrifying!
So please check your dog’s food when you feed him. I’ve never experienced this before and hopefully this will be the last time that I do. But all it takes is one time, one piece of glass or something else that has a sharp edge to puncture our animal’s intestines. I shudder at thinking what could have happen had I not detected this in my dog’s food. I’m still shaking about this incident. Has it come to the point where we need to check everything we pour into our dog’s food dish with a magnifying glass? With all the recalls on animal foods that we have to worry about, we can now add this to the list as well.
From the book: "DOG OWNER'S HOME VETERINARY HANDBOOK".......Open the front cover and the first two pages you see contain the Index of Signs and Symptoms, from Abdomen (painful, swollen, distended, and tucked up) to Weight loss, Wheezing, and Whining (continual). There's a comprehensive index in back, of course, running the gamut from Abortion to Zinc-Responsive Dermatosis, which is all very useful, but when your pooch is in pain, it's great to be able to turn, with the minimum of folderol, to the page that says to relax, it's nothing a bit of extra grooming won't fix, or alternatively to hightail it over to the vet hospital. It's a wonderful reference for any dog owner, with chapters on emergencies (such as burns, dehydration, and poisoning), as well as worms, infectious diseases, skin care, and canine eyes, ears, and nose. There are chapters on the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems, the nervous, musculoskeletal, and urinary systems, plus dog sex, whelping, puppy pediatrics, geriatrics, and chapters on cancers and medications. In short, it covers every health dimension a dog owner might want to know more about, identifies the possible causes, helps you determine the severity of the condition, and indicates what treatments or actions to take to best insure your dog's good health.
My rating: Dog Food industry: (1 - 4)
I know that I’ve occasionally found suspicious things in human food as well. But I’ve never found anything that could really be considered dangerous to my health. Just things that may have been unappetizing. I think we’ve all been to a restaurant and may have found a bug in our food and sent it back. This happened to me at a Chinese restaurant one time and although they offered me another plate of food, my appetite was severely diminished at this point. So I went back to work without having had lunch that day.
We have all read about the disgusting things that can be put in dog food by the rendering plants (beaks, hoofs, feathers, road kill, etc.). However yucky those things appear to us, I don’t know how many dogs lives have been immediately compromised by those unsavory ingredients, but long term health issues is what every dog owner has to question. But to find something like a piece of glass is something that I can’t take lightly. How did something like this happen? Have any of you ever found some dangerous things in your dog’s food? Oh I’ve heard even of a dead mouse in dog food before. That would make me sick, but at least I would be able to see it. I was very lucky to have seen this piece of glass at all. My eye sight isn’t the greatest, so I thank God that I did see this!
The government runs the pet food industry which is known as AAFCO. It is this industry that determines what our animals eat. They actually allow a certain amount of contaminants in dog’s food. This may include waste matter, dirt, foreign objects such as bedding, decomposed matter, etc. This is safe for our dogs? They wouldn’t put it in our food, so why are they allowed to put it in our dog’s food?
It’s bad enough that we have to worry about our animals foods being contaminated because of the rendered meat meals and by-product meals. These are frequently highly contaminated with bacteria because their source is not always slaughtered animals. Animals that have died because of disease, injury or natural caused are a source of meat for meat meal. The dead animal might not be rendered until days after its death. So by this time the carcass is often contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli. Dangerous E. coli bacteria are estimated to contaminate more than 50% of meat meals. While the cooking process may kill bacteria, it does not eliminate the endotoxins some bacteria produce during their growth and are released when they die. These toxins can cause sickness and disease. Pet food manufacturers do not test their product for endotoxins.
Now to make this incident about the glass in my dog’s food even scarier is the fact that I just told a breeder friend of mine whose wife is an x-ray technician about this. He told me that my dog could have died and I would never have known why. He told me that an x-ray would not have revealed the piece of glass. So my vets would have never found it on an x-ray. This is horrifying!
So please check your dog’s food when you feed him. I’ve never experienced this before and hopefully this will be the last time that I do. But all it takes is one time, one piece of glass or something else that has a sharp edge to puncture our animal’s intestines. I shudder at thinking what could have happen had I not detected this in my dog’s food. I’m still shaking about this incident. Has it come to the point where we need to check everything we pour into our dog’s food dish with a magnifying glass? With all the recalls on animal foods that we have to worry about, we can now add this to the list as well.
From the book: "DOG OWNER'S HOME VETERINARY HANDBOOK".......Open the front cover and the first two pages you see contain the Index of Signs and Symptoms, from Abdomen (painful, swollen, distended, and tucked up) to Weight loss, Wheezing, and Whining (continual). There's a comprehensive index in back, of course, running the gamut from Abortion to Zinc-Responsive Dermatosis, which is all very useful, but when your pooch is in pain, it's great to be able to turn, with the minimum of folderol, to the page that says to relax, it's nothing a bit of extra grooming won't fix, or alternatively to hightail it over to the vet hospital. It's a wonderful reference for any dog owner, with chapters on emergencies (such as burns, dehydration, and poisoning), as well as worms, infectious diseases, skin care, and canine eyes, ears, and nose. There are chapters on the digestive, respiratory, and circulatory systems, the nervous, musculoskeletal, and urinary systems, plus dog sex, whelping, puppy pediatrics, geriatrics, and chapters on cancers and medications. In short, it covers every health dimension a dog owner might want to know more about, identifies the possible causes, helps you determine the severity of the condition, and indicates what treatments or actions to take to best insure your dog's good health.
My rating: Dog Food industry: (1 - 4)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
"GREATNESS" WAS BURIED TODAY
I went to a funeral today to watch “Greatness” be buried. It was a sad occasion indeed. “Mediocrity” stood up at the podium and read a eulogy about “Greatness.” There wasn’t a dry eye to be found by those who were in attendance. “Mediocrity” said that all of us in this church today could only hope to strive to be like “Greatness” was. When talking about “Greatness” the word ordinary never came up in conversation. All conceded that he was beyond reproach and no one ever questioned his integrity.
There were those that never made it to the funeral today. “Must be right” decided to give her point of view while writing to someone on an e-mail list why the club needed to stay the way it was. “Meekness” could only shake her head in agreement as no one ever listened to what she had to say anyway. When backbones were given out, someone else got hers as well. So “Meekness” just went along with “Must be right” because well, maybe she is right after all!
Then there was “Good Old Sap” who goes along with everything everyone else says because being liked is more important to him then being right. He figures if the majority wants to change the club, well he’s up for anything.
“Old timer” tells everyone to leave everything alone. The club has survived all these years with things the way that it always has been. “Old timer” doesn’t like change. She believes leave things alone and stop trying to change them all the time.
“New beginnings” is bright eyed and hopeful. She wants so much to learn and hopes that she can follow in the footsteps of “Greatness” some day. “Cranky old geezer” has her nose way too high up in the air to take “New beginnings” even remotely serious. She’s of the thought that you start at the bottom, scrap and claw your way to the top like she did. Don’t look for any hand outs from her! Nope “Cranky old geezer” and “New beginnings” don’t even correspond with one another.
And how about “Under the disguise of?” “Under the disguise of” is the guy that aims to please everyone. One day he’s serious and the next day he’s the joker. Most of the time the rest of the crowd enjoys reading his e-mails and laughing at his jokes. But there are those other times that the crowd doesn’t appreciate his brand of humor when they are trying to get something serious done. “Under the disguise of” can be very shrewd while trying to win the popular vote of the day.
“Leader of the Pack” is the one everyone thinks has all the answers to the clubs problems. Sometimes she does and other times, well lets just say, everyone is left to draw their own conclusions. When she has the answers, she’s a saint. When she doesn’t, there are those that wonder why they voted her in to office in the first place.
“Quarrelsome Ed” is the guy that say’s white if you say black. No if you say yes. “Quarrelsome Ed” is the one that is out to prove everything you say is wrong. If someone says the club should stay the way it is, “Quarrelsome Ed” will say, “No it’s time for a change in the club.”
“Don’t give a damn anymore” is tired of all the bickering in the club and feels that nothing ever is accomplished anyway. So he’s moving on and won’t be renewing his membership dues come the end of the year. He feels the money he puts out for his membership dues will find a better purpose.
“Sick and tired” is moving on also. “Sick and tired” is sick and tired of all of the bickering, jealously and back stabbing. Not only is she giving up on renewing her membership to the club, she has chosen to get out of the German Shepherd Dog breed all together and has just bought herself one of those expensive designer dogs where they don’t have any AKC conformation shows anyway………well not yet.
So some remained and some left and some wondered if they should stay or leave. And those that went to the funeral of “Greatness” walked with a heavy heart from the church to his burial plot. Oh “Greatness” would have been so proud of the stone that his loyal friends bought for him. He would have looked at the headstone with pride as he read the words for all those to see that ventured past his grave site. They would read: “Here lies “Greatness” which only few hope to ever achieve; loyal beyond compare. Heaven opens her gates for him because what Heaven sends it calls home again.”
And so the battle rages on about the future of the club. While they continue to “get their points” across, some forget about the real reason they got involved in the German Shepherd Dog breed to begin with….to promote, to love, to get the word out about the best dog on earth. They forgot today that “Greatness” got buried. They forgot that today they buried the German Shepherd Dog!
From the book: HOW WE CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY: THE 9 CHOICES OF EXTREMELY HAPPY PEOPLE....Foster and Hicks conduct workshops internationally in the development of interpersonal skills. For this book, they interviewed happy people from all walks of life, from the United States to Eastern Europe. The resulting personal stories, writing exercises, and quotes together inform and instruct the reader in the nine principles discovered by the authors in their travels. Foster and Hicks use their nine choices to teach leadership development in the corporate world and also as a diagnostic tool for medical doctors. These choices include the active intention to be happy, accountability, identifying needs and desires, and centralizing goals by creating a dream list. These are followed by recasting (looking at experiences in positive ways), exploring options, appreciating every day, the art of giving, and, finally, exploring truthfulness. Similar to Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance (Warner, 1995) and the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, this is recommended for public libraries and consumer health collections.
As one reader wrote: when I stumbled across this book a few years ago, it changed everything. Of course, I still have normal bad days, times when I feel sad or discouraged. But it's different now -- I don't despair -- I know that I'm finally learned how to be truly happy, and nothing can take that away from me now. READ THIS BOOK!!
My rating: The German Shepherd Dog: (4), Club woes and troubles: (1)
There were those that never made it to the funeral today. “Must be right” decided to give her point of view while writing to someone on an e-mail list why the club needed to stay the way it was. “Meekness” could only shake her head in agreement as no one ever listened to what she had to say anyway. When backbones were given out, someone else got hers as well. So “Meekness” just went along with “Must be right” because well, maybe she is right after all!
Then there was “Good Old Sap” who goes along with everything everyone else says because being liked is more important to him then being right. He figures if the majority wants to change the club, well he’s up for anything.
“Old timer” tells everyone to leave everything alone. The club has survived all these years with things the way that it always has been. “Old timer” doesn’t like change. She believes leave things alone and stop trying to change them all the time.
“New beginnings” is bright eyed and hopeful. She wants so much to learn and hopes that she can follow in the footsteps of “Greatness” some day. “Cranky old geezer” has her nose way too high up in the air to take “New beginnings” even remotely serious. She’s of the thought that you start at the bottom, scrap and claw your way to the top like she did. Don’t look for any hand outs from her! Nope “Cranky old geezer” and “New beginnings” don’t even correspond with one another.
And how about “Under the disguise of?” “Under the disguise of” is the guy that aims to please everyone. One day he’s serious and the next day he’s the joker. Most of the time the rest of the crowd enjoys reading his e-mails and laughing at his jokes. But there are those other times that the crowd doesn’t appreciate his brand of humor when they are trying to get something serious done. “Under the disguise of” can be very shrewd while trying to win the popular vote of the day.
“Leader of the Pack” is the one everyone thinks has all the answers to the clubs problems. Sometimes she does and other times, well lets just say, everyone is left to draw their own conclusions. When she has the answers, she’s a saint. When she doesn’t, there are those that wonder why they voted her in to office in the first place.
“Quarrelsome Ed” is the guy that say’s white if you say black. No if you say yes. “Quarrelsome Ed” is the one that is out to prove everything you say is wrong. If someone says the club should stay the way it is, “Quarrelsome Ed” will say, “No it’s time for a change in the club.”
“Don’t give a damn anymore” is tired of all the bickering in the club and feels that nothing ever is accomplished anyway. So he’s moving on and won’t be renewing his membership dues come the end of the year. He feels the money he puts out for his membership dues will find a better purpose.
“Sick and tired” is moving on also. “Sick and tired” is sick and tired of all of the bickering, jealously and back stabbing. Not only is she giving up on renewing her membership to the club, she has chosen to get out of the German Shepherd Dog breed all together and has just bought herself one of those expensive designer dogs where they don’t have any AKC conformation shows anyway………well not yet.
So some remained and some left and some wondered if they should stay or leave. And those that went to the funeral of “Greatness” walked with a heavy heart from the church to his burial plot. Oh “Greatness” would have been so proud of the stone that his loyal friends bought for him. He would have looked at the headstone with pride as he read the words for all those to see that ventured past his grave site. They would read: “Here lies “Greatness” which only few hope to ever achieve; loyal beyond compare. Heaven opens her gates for him because what Heaven sends it calls home again.”
And so the battle rages on about the future of the club. While they continue to “get their points” across, some forget about the real reason they got involved in the German Shepherd Dog breed to begin with….to promote, to love, to get the word out about the best dog on earth. They forgot today that “Greatness” got buried. They forgot that today they buried the German Shepherd Dog!
From the book: HOW WE CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY: THE 9 CHOICES OF EXTREMELY HAPPY PEOPLE....Foster and Hicks conduct workshops internationally in the development of interpersonal skills. For this book, they interviewed happy people from all walks of life, from the United States to Eastern Europe. The resulting personal stories, writing exercises, and quotes together inform and instruct the reader in the nine principles discovered by the authors in their travels. Foster and Hicks use their nine choices to teach leadership development in the corporate world and also as a diagnostic tool for medical doctors. These choices include the active intention to be happy, accountability, identifying needs and desires, and centralizing goals by creating a dream list. These are followed by recasting (looking at experiences in positive ways), exploring options, appreciating every day, the art of giving, and, finally, exploring truthfulness. Similar to Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance (Warner, 1995) and the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, this is recommended for public libraries and consumer health collections.
As one reader wrote: when I stumbled across this book a few years ago, it changed everything. Of course, I still have normal bad days, times when I feel sad or discouraged. But it's different now -- I don't despair -- I know that I'm finally learned how to be truly happy, and nothing can take that away from me now. READ THIS BOOK!!
My rating: The German Shepherd Dog: (4), Club woes and troubles: (1)
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
WHAT TYPE OF PEOPLE OWNS THE GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG?
Is there any one personality type that chooses to own a German Shepherd Dog? Do we all have similar personality traits? Absolutely and totally no we do not! Are our personalities anything like the breed that we love? Are we a noble, proud and loyal bunch of people? Can we be trusted no matter what? Will we come to the defense of those that we care about? Are we intelligent and do we learn quickly? One shoe most definitely does not fit all when it comes to those people that own this breed. But there must be a reason why we chose the breed that we do. They must answer some type of need that we have when we decided that the German Shepherd Dog is the dog for us.
So who is it that owns this “King” of dogs? It’s the lawyer, the doctor, the secretary, the nurse, the homemaker and people just like you and me. It’s the outdoors type of person. It’s the couch potato. It’s the friendly, “wish he was your best friend” kind of person. And it’s also the “no good for nothing” kind of person as well. Yes this dog is universal in his appeal to the general public.
One person may include his German Shepherd Dog in all of his activities with his family. The dog may have sleeping rights to juniors bed at night or may be found curled up at the bottom of the bed lying next to his master’s side. He may be treated like one of the kids of the family. He swims in the pool, sails the ocean with his master, goes fishing down at the pond, and he even eats left over steak once in awhile. He competes for as many toy’s in his dog chest as little Johnny has in his toy chest. He’s made a fool of when it’s his birthday and gets gifts wrapped up in pretty wrapping paper and bows. We may even bake a cake for him. And then again we may even take pictures of him in a totally ridiculous looking hat we made just for him. Yup, we humans sometimes have a way of trying to humanize our dogs! Some of us readily admit it while others do these “cute” little things for them behind closed doors just in case the men in the white coats are on the prowl that day!
Then there are those owners that treat “Duke” like, “Yeah, so what, he’s just a dog!” He never gets to come into the house to receive the attention that he’s dying for. He doesn’t even know that his master has little Susie May and Dexter Lee as the children in the family. Heck he doesn’t even know what children look like. His “home” probably consists of some old broken down dog house held together by very rusty nails that soon will be giving way to old age and then Duke won’t have a dog house at all. He doesn’t even have the benefit of a fenced in yard to play in. Oh there’s lots of property here alright, but he never gets to explore it. In the ten acres or so his master owns he’s only been on 20 feet of it. His chain is too strong even for his powerful body to break free from. When supper time rolls around, he anxiously awaits his Wal-Mart’s brand of food that his master got on special this week. Steak, what’s that? It would probably me a shock for good old Duke’s system if a piece of it were kindly thrown his way. Toys, bones, swimming pool, boat, a warm bed...............not in this dog’s lifetime!
There are also those people who own this breed that kennel their dogs. The dogs are well fed, watered and vaccinated. They’re warm in the winter and cool in the summer in their climate controlled dog kennel. They exercise on cement or dirt flooring by chasing the dog next to their dog run. They’re fed a decent to high end quality food. They get fresh air and sometimes are even taken out to be played with. Some of them are trained to be show dogs or obedience dogs. Many of them are used for breeding purposes. Most of the time, they belong to caring owners. But sometimes they are owned by owners looking to make money by breeding their animals over and over again until they’re all worn out. The latter are what some would call puppy mills. These are not true lovers of the noble German Shepherd Dog.
Is it the strong type of personalities that own this breed or is it the more kindly, friendly type of person you’ll see walking proudly besides his dog down the street? Are these people sweet natured or mean spirited? Well actually you’ll see both types that own the German Shepherd Dog. And you know what because of the nature of this animal; they love their master no matter what. They adore the attention that they get from the warm, loving, nurturing master that owns them. There isn’t too much that they wouldn’t do for another belly rub. On the other hand those that are owned by the cold, “go away don’t bother me” type personality equally or even more so vies for the attention that his owner is giving to something else and not to him. The German Shepherd thrives on attention from his loved one even if that loved one is incapable of giving it to him. It is his mission in live to change his mind.
Then there are those types of people who have no love at all to give. To this type of personality, the German Shepherd is a money maker. He is after all the second most registered dog in the American Kennel Club. There’s no denying his popularity and in some peoples minds his money making capabilities. This dog was never bought to throw a ball to and to discover the true meaning of what it is to be “man’s best friend.” The dog is the owner’s property to do whatever it is he wants to do with him. Just as long as he’s making money from him, that’s all he cares about. It’s as if the dog is his tenant and he pays “rent” to stay in his kennel or make-shift dog run or mud hole by “spitting” out puppy after puppy. It’s like the dog and man have what used to be called the barter system. I want this from you so in order for you to get it, you have to give me something in return. There are no free rides here for this dog. This dog is paying (literally) for his time on this earth.
So there you have it. There are many wonderful people that own this beautiful breed of ours and know the true value of ownership of the German Shepherd Dog. They have developed and maintained the integrity and beauty of the breed. The others, although thankfully fewer in numbers have used and abused this dogs worthiness for their own financial gain. I don’t think, but I know that I like the first group of people a whole lot better than the second group of people! Oh yeah, if the German Shepherd could talk, I know he’d agree too!
From the book: "PLEASE UNDERSTAND ME: CHARACTER AND TEMPERAMENT TYPES"......Does your spouse's need to alphabetically organize books on the shelves puzzle you? Do your boss's tsunami-like moods leave you exasperated? Do your child's constant questions make you batty? If you've ever wanted to change your mate, your coworkers, or a family member, then "Put down your chisel," advise David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates in this book of personality types. We are different for a reason, and that reason is probably more good than bad. Keirsey and Bates believe that not only is it impossible to truly change others (which they call embarking on a "Pygmalion project"), it's much more important to understand and affirm differences. Sounds easier than it is, you might say. Well, this book is a guide for putting an end to the Pygmalion projects in your life and starting on the path to acceptance.
My rating: Accepting other peoples differences: (1 - 4)!
So who is it that owns this “King” of dogs? It’s the lawyer, the doctor, the secretary, the nurse, the homemaker and people just like you and me. It’s the outdoors type of person. It’s the couch potato. It’s the friendly, “wish he was your best friend” kind of person. And it’s also the “no good for nothing” kind of person as well. Yes this dog is universal in his appeal to the general public.
One person may include his German Shepherd Dog in all of his activities with his family. The dog may have sleeping rights to juniors bed at night or may be found curled up at the bottom of the bed lying next to his master’s side. He may be treated like one of the kids of the family. He swims in the pool, sails the ocean with his master, goes fishing down at the pond, and he even eats left over steak once in awhile. He competes for as many toy’s in his dog chest as little Johnny has in his toy chest. He’s made a fool of when it’s his birthday and gets gifts wrapped up in pretty wrapping paper and bows. We may even bake a cake for him. And then again we may even take pictures of him in a totally ridiculous looking hat we made just for him. Yup, we humans sometimes have a way of trying to humanize our dogs! Some of us readily admit it while others do these “cute” little things for them behind closed doors just in case the men in the white coats are on the prowl that day!
Then there are those owners that treat “Duke” like, “Yeah, so what, he’s just a dog!” He never gets to come into the house to receive the attention that he’s dying for. He doesn’t even know that his master has little Susie May and Dexter Lee as the children in the family. Heck he doesn’t even know what children look like. His “home” probably consists of some old broken down dog house held together by very rusty nails that soon will be giving way to old age and then Duke won’t have a dog house at all. He doesn’t even have the benefit of a fenced in yard to play in. Oh there’s lots of property here alright, but he never gets to explore it. In the ten acres or so his master owns he’s only been on 20 feet of it. His chain is too strong even for his powerful body to break free from. When supper time rolls around, he anxiously awaits his Wal-Mart’s brand of food that his master got on special this week. Steak, what’s that? It would probably me a shock for good old Duke’s system if a piece of it were kindly thrown his way. Toys, bones, swimming pool, boat, a warm bed...............not in this dog’s lifetime!
There are also those people who own this breed that kennel their dogs. The dogs are well fed, watered and vaccinated. They’re warm in the winter and cool in the summer in their climate controlled dog kennel. They exercise on cement or dirt flooring by chasing the dog next to their dog run. They’re fed a decent to high end quality food. They get fresh air and sometimes are even taken out to be played with. Some of them are trained to be show dogs or obedience dogs. Many of them are used for breeding purposes. Most of the time, they belong to caring owners. But sometimes they are owned by owners looking to make money by breeding their animals over and over again until they’re all worn out. The latter are what some would call puppy mills. These are not true lovers of the noble German Shepherd Dog.
Is it the strong type of personalities that own this breed or is it the more kindly, friendly type of person you’ll see walking proudly besides his dog down the street? Are these people sweet natured or mean spirited? Well actually you’ll see both types that own the German Shepherd Dog. And you know what because of the nature of this animal; they love their master no matter what. They adore the attention that they get from the warm, loving, nurturing master that owns them. There isn’t too much that they wouldn’t do for another belly rub. On the other hand those that are owned by the cold, “go away don’t bother me” type personality equally or even more so vies for the attention that his owner is giving to something else and not to him. The German Shepherd thrives on attention from his loved one even if that loved one is incapable of giving it to him. It is his mission in live to change his mind.
Then there are those types of people who have no love at all to give. To this type of personality, the German Shepherd is a money maker. He is after all the second most registered dog in the American Kennel Club. There’s no denying his popularity and in some peoples minds his money making capabilities. This dog was never bought to throw a ball to and to discover the true meaning of what it is to be “man’s best friend.” The dog is the owner’s property to do whatever it is he wants to do with him. Just as long as he’s making money from him, that’s all he cares about. It’s as if the dog is his tenant and he pays “rent” to stay in his kennel or make-shift dog run or mud hole by “spitting” out puppy after puppy. It’s like the dog and man have what used to be called the barter system. I want this from you so in order for you to get it, you have to give me something in return. There are no free rides here for this dog. This dog is paying (literally) for his time on this earth.
So there you have it. There are many wonderful people that own this beautiful breed of ours and know the true value of ownership of the German Shepherd Dog. They have developed and maintained the integrity and beauty of the breed. The others, although thankfully fewer in numbers have used and abused this dogs worthiness for their own financial gain. I don’t think, but I know that I like the first group of people a whole lot better than the second group of people! Oh yeah, if the German Shepherd could talk, I know he’d agree too!
From the book: "PLEASE UNDERSTAND ME: CHARACTER AND TEMPERAMENT TYPES"......Does your spouse's need to alphabetically organize books on the shelves puzzle you? Do your boss's tsunami-like moods leave you exasperated? Do your child's constant questions make you batty? If you've ever wanted to change your mate, your coworkers, or a family member, then "Put down your chisel," advise David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates in this book of personality types. We are different for a reason, and that reason is probably more good than bad. Keirsey and Bates believe that not only is it impossible to truly change others (which they call embarking on a "Pygmalion project"), it's much more important to understand and affirm differences. Sounds easier than it is, you might say. Well, this book is a guide for putting an end to the Pygmalion projects in your life and starting on the path to acceptance.
My rating: Accepting other peoples differences: (1 - 4)!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
BREEDING DOGS WITH GENETIC HEALTH PROBLEMS
I got a pretty good response to my three articles about breeding problems. Then I got a private e-mail from someone who asked if I would continue this subject but to dive into it a little deeper. She asked me if I could write about those breeders that knowingly breed dogs with genetic health problems in their bloodlines. She was most concerned with those that use dogs for breeding that has produced bloat, mega, toxic gut, temperament problems, hips, elbows, etc. She continued by saying that we all know several big time breeders that may produce puppies with mega that will put them down but still breed their littermates. She wanted to know if this is contaminating the gene pool or not.
So this writer made me think about this subject and what I knew about it. And yes she was right, we probably all know of some of the breeders that she is talking about. For instance, someone told me recently of a litter that was born a few years back that has several dogs being shown right now. One of the littermates was put to sleep because the puppy had mega. This very same litter also has a few with bad temperament problems that are being trained for the show ring right now. These types of breeders may think that they are fooling the public but people talk that have had contact with these dogs that they’re showing or training. This genetic problem of poor temperament is sometimes overlooked all for the sake of attaining an undeserving dog’s championship so the parent’s can obtain some more ROM (register of merit) points. I don’t consider these types of people breeders. I consider them polluters…..those that chose to pollute the gene pool with genetically inferior animals all in the name of producing some show dogs.
Before I go any further, I want to say that not all show dogs are genetically inferior animals. Most breeders are good, honest people trying to produce the best dogs that they can. Most show dogs deserve to be show dogs and deserve to be bred. I'm addressing those that choose to breed pretty darn anything that they want to breed if it's going to help them attain their goals. I'm just trying to address the writers questions about those breeders that knowingly breed animals with genetic health problems.
Some are of the belief that if the mother only produced these genetic health problems in one litter and never again, then what’s the harm in it? Oh, but what about her grandchildren or great grandchildren that are now being bred and are producing these genetic health problems? Just because they don’t have the problem themselves doesn’t mean that they don’t or can’t carry the faulty gene through their parents or grandparents. This is a reason why the genetic pool can become so unhealthy.
It is very tempting as a breeder that has just produced a puppy that is everything that he had been hoping for in a show quality dog to breed him anyway even if his littermates were not healthy. They figure, what the heck. Who will know? Maybe no one at first, but eventually the bloodlines will tell. You can only hide it for so long before the genetic problems keep popping up time and time again in the offspring.
Rumor has it…….that some Select dogs, some champions, some ROM titled dogs have had their share of genetic health problems. Heck if you breed long enough, you will probably run into some of these problems. But what about some of these dogs that have the problems but yet the owner/breeder continue to show him anyway? What the heck do they care? They got their show dogs and that’s all that matters to them.
What about some breeders breeding dogs that have bad elbows and even those with bad hips? These are the type of breeders that I classify as the “right now” breeders. Yeah, I just made that up. But what I mean is that they only care about what’s happening right now in this dog’s lifetime. They’re not concerned about the future of the breed and how their genetically inferior dog may be impacting the German Shepherd gene pool for decades to come. It’s all about the winning…..right here, right now and the heck with tomorrow.
And what about those unsuspecting buyers that buy a show dog sired by one of these genetic disasters? They trust that the breeder is selling them a good quality dog. And maybe the youngster is a good quality dog, but carries every major health problem you can think of! Then the next question is what type of obligation does the breeder have to give to a buyer about these puppies genetics? Do you believe that the buyer is buying the dog as is…..what you see is what you get? Maybe you’re of the belief that the person is buying a show dog and that’s what you’re selling them? When a person buys a show dog, aren’t they going to want to breed her when she finishes her championship? So does the breeder have the obligation of selling a show dog that can be bred?
So you spend your couple of grand. Your puppy finishes quickly. You breed her time and time again but each and every litter has genetic health problems. You’re frustrated that your beautiful quality show dog will probably never see one of her offspring shown. But hey, you should be happy, she was a quick winner. You now own yourself a genetically inferior but show ring worthy champion. Congratulations!
KONG ZOOMGROOM DOG GROOMING TOOL - KONG Zoomgroom is the best grooming and shampooing brush available. Removes loose hair like a magnet, stimulates capillaries and natural oil production for healthy skin and coats. Zoomgroom brushes are effective for all dogs and coat types. "Groomassage" your dog with the Zoomgroom. Regular grooming with Zoomgroom effectively reduces shedding.
My rating: Choosing to breed genetically unhealthy dogs: (1)
So this writer made me think about this subject and what I knew about it. And yes she was right, we probably all know of some of the breeders that she is talking about. For instance, someone told me recently of a litter that was born a few years back that has several dogs being shown right now. One of the littermates was put to sleep because the puppy had mega. This very same litter also has a few with bad temperament problems that are being trained for the show ring right now. These types of breeders may think that they are fooling the public but people talk that have had contact with these dogs that they’re showing or training. This genetic problem of poor temperament is sometimes overlooked all for the sake of attaining an undeserving dog’s championship so the parent’s can obtain some more ROM (register of merit) points. I don’t consider these types of people breeders. I consider them polluters…..those that chose to pollute the gene pool with genetically inferior animals all in the name of producing some show dogs.
Before I go any further, I want to say that not all show dogs are genetically inferior animals. Most breeders are good, honest people trying to produce the best dogs that they can. Most show dogs deserve to be show dogs and deserve to be bred. I'm addressing those that choose to breed pretty darn anything that they want to breed if it's going to help them attain their goals. I'm just trying to address the writers questions about those breeders that knowingly breed animals with genetic health problems.
Some are of the belief that if the mother only produced these genetic health problems in one litter and never again, then what’s the harm in it? Oh, but what about her grandchildren or great grandchildren that are now being bred and are producing these genetic health problems? Just because they don’t have the problem themselves doesn’t mean that they don’t or can’t carry the faulty gene through their parents or grandparents. This is a reason why the genetic pool can become so unhealthy.
It is very tempting as a breeder that has just produced a puppy that is everything that he had been hoping for in a show quality dog to breed him anyway even if his littermates were not healthy. They figure, what the heck. Who will know? Maybe no one at first, but eventually the bloodlines will tell. You can only hide it for so long before the genetic problems keep popping up time and time again in the offspring.
Rumor has it…….that some Select dogs, some champions, some ROM titled dogs have had their share of genetic health problems. Heck if you breed long enough, you will probably run into some of these problems. But what about some of these dogs that have the problems but yet the owner/breeder continue to show him anyway? What the heck do they care? They got their show dogs and that’s all that matters to them.
What about some breeders breeding dogs that have bad elbows and even those with bad hips? These are the type of breeders that I classify as the “right now” breeders. Yeah, I just made that up. But what I mean is that they only care about what’s happening right now in this dog’s lifetime. They’re not concerned about the future of the breed and how their genetically inferior dog may be impacting the German Shepherd gene pool for decades to come. It’s all about the winning…..right here, right now and the heck with tomorrow.
And what about those unsuspecting buyers that buy a show dog sired by one of these genetic disasters? They trust that the breeder is selling them a good quality dog. And maybe the youngster is a good quality dog, but carries every major health problem you can think of! Then the next question is what type of obligation does the breeder have to give to a buyer about these puppies genetics? Do you believe that the buyer is buying the dog as is…..what you see is what you get? Maybe you’re of the belief that the person is buying a show dog and that’s what you’re selling them? When a person buys a show dog, aren’t they going to want to breed her when she finishes her championship? So does the breeder have the obligation of selling a show dog that can be bred?
So you spend your couple of grand. Your puppy finishes quickly. You breed her time and time again but each and every litter has genetic health problems. You’re frustrated that your beautiful quality show dog will probably never see one of her offspring shown. But hey, you should be happy, she was a quick winner. You now own yourself a genetically inferior but show ring worthy champion. Congratulations!
KONG ZOOMGROOM DOG GROOMING TOOL - KONG Zoomgroom is the best grooming and shampooing brush available. Removes loose hair like a magnet, stimulates capillaries and natural oil production for healthy skin and coats. Zoomgroom brushes are effective for all dogs and coat types. "Groomassage" your dog with the Zoomgroom. Regular grooming with Zoomgroom effectively reduces shedding.
My rating: Choosing to breed genetically unhealthy dogs: (1)
Friday, July 23, 2010
DOG BREEDING PROBLEMS - (Conclusion)
Mastitis is an inflammation and infection of the mammary glands. I only had this happen once to one of my bitches. It was very painful for the bitch and lots of work for me. One of my breeder friends is going through this now with one of her “first time mother” bitches. It got so bad for her bitch that she was bleeding and now she has had to take the puppies off of the mother at two weeks of age and has been bottle feeding the new babies.
Mastitis if localized to one gland by show no signs of illness. If it spreads throughout the mammary gland, she may show signs of illness. The bitch’s mammary glands should be checked daily for signs of warmth, pain or hardness. Her milk should also be checked daily for color and consistency. If the bitch has mastitis her milk may be off color and clumping. She may run a fever and even refuse to nurse her puppies. Upon diagnosis of the condition, treatment will depend on the severity of the condition. Treatment may include antibiotics, hot packing the affected glands and milking out the affected glands. If the milk remains normal, the puppies can continue to nurse from the affected gland.
When the uterus gets an infection and inflammation it could be caused by a condition known as Metritis. The symptoms will usually be noticeably 3-7 days postpartum and include fever, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, lack of appetite, listlessness, lack of maternal instincts and decrease in mild production. A diagnosis is confirmed through blood work and x-rays. The reason an x-ray is done is to make sure that no fetuses have been retained. The treatment for a bitch that has metritis is antibiotics and fluid therapy. Having the bitch spayed is curative if she is able to handle the surgery.
Pyometra is an infection in the uterus in which the uterus fills with pus. This is typically seen 2-12 weeks after a heat cycle. The symptoms you may see are vomiting, listlessness and an increase in drinking. If the cervix is open, a discharge from the vagina is seen. If it is closed then no discharge is seen. A diagnosis is made by a physical exam, blood work and x-rays. Ideally a vet may want to spay the bitch. If the bitches’ condition is caught early enough, she will need to be stabilized before surgery is attempted. If the breeder wants to keep this bitch for breeding, antibiotic therapy could be tried, but it usually is not successful.
Subinvolution of placental sites occurs when the uterus does not fully repair itself after delivery. This results in a vaginal discharge beyond the normal six weeks postpartum. Usually treatment is not necessary as the bitch is healthy and able to become pregnant again.
Because subinvolution of the placental sites, metritis and pyometra may all have a vaginal discharge, a proper diagnosis is necessary as metritis and pyometra need to be treated.
When uterine prolapse occurs, the uterus is pushed out of the body through the vagina. Treatment consists of manual replacement of the uterus or an ovariohysterectomy (spay).
Normally in a bitch the size of a German Shepherd, retained placentas a rarely a problem. Usually the placenta is passed within 15 minutes of each puppy and the bitch may eat it. Treatment may include an oxytocin injection.
Sometimes a mother will show a lack of maternal instinct for her puppies. I have never had a bitch do this although I had one bitch that was what I call a “dense” mother. She’d nurse and clean her puppies just fine, but lack of normal German Shepherd intelligence is something she didn’t display when it came to taking good care of her babies. She was very people oriented and cared more about you coming in to greet and pet her than nursing her babies. She would stand up in the whelping box and step all over her puppies. I leased this bitch and although beautiful in breed type, she was in “another world” when it came to true German Shepherd intelligence.
Some think that a lack of maternal instinct for a bitch to care for her puppies is due to genetics and the amount of maternal drive the bitch’s dam showed for her offspring or it could be illness or stress due to the owners own level or stress or poor environment. Sometimes a first time mom will need several days to find out what her role is being a mother and will need assistance from the owner in helping her until she does. She may need to be made to lay down for the puppies to nurse and be praised when she shows interest in the puppies. If she is going to come around and care for the puppies, it should occur within several days.
Also sometimes if a puppy is very large or is not positioned in the birth canal correctly, the bitch may have a difficult time delivering the puppy. I’ve seen puppies stick their little heads out of the birth canal only to be sucked back up inside the mother again. This always makes me nervous. You have to wait until the bitch produces another contraction and many times you will find yourself having to gently grab the puppy and pull when she is having a contraction. This can be painful and a tough birth for her and hard on you if you are delivering the puppies by yourself. It’s always better if you have the assistance of someone else so that they can hold the bitches head while you gently remove the puppy. No matter how gentle you are, the “momma” dog is going to feel pain.
So although most German Shepherds don’t have too many problems when it comes to whelping a litter, sooner or later you will run into one that does. Good luck and here’s wishing all of you happy and healthy litters of newborns! Oh yeah, the next time a pet person asks you “Why do you charge so much money for your puppies,” show them this article!!!!! Who ever said there was money to be made breeding dogs hasn’t tried it yet.
From the book: BREEDING BETTER DOGS....DogRead book of the month March 2002 This book was chose to be on the prestigious 'DogRead' ... as a book selection of the month. We only do 12 books or videos a year. The author comes on line for the whole month to answer questions on the book. To be selected for this group means the book or video MUST be one of the very best it its field. treshell owner DogRead..........This is an exceptional book. Easy to understand, gets you involved and interested in a subject that might scare a few away. I love it and often go back to remind myself of the basics.
My rating: Breeding should be done by educated breeders: (4)
Mastitis if localized to one gland by show no signs of illness. If it spreads throughout the mammary gland, she may show signs of illness. The bitch’s mammary glands should be checked daily for signs of warmth, pain or hardness. Her milk should also be checked daily for color and consistency. If the bitch has mastitis her milk may be off color and clumping. She may run a fever and even refuse to nurse her puppies. Upon diagnosis of the condition, treatment will depend on the severity of the condition. Treatment may include antibiotics, hot packing the affected glands and milking out the affected glands. If the milk remains normal, the puppies can continue to nurse from the affected gland.
When the uterus gets an infection and inflammation it could be caused by a condition known as Metritis. The symptoms will usually be noticeably 3-7 days postpartum and include fever, foul-smelling vaginal discharge, lack of appetite, listlessness, lack of maternal instincts and decrease in mild production. A diagnosis is confirmed through blood work and x-rays. The reason an x-ray is done is to make sure that no fetuses have been retained. The treatment for a bitch that has metritis is antibiotics and fluid therapy. Having the bitch spayed is curative if she is able to handle the surgery.
Pyometra is an infection in the uterus in which the uterus fills with pus. This is typically seen 2-12 weeks after a heat cycle. The symptoms you may see are vomiting, listlessness and an increase in drinking. If the cervix is open, a discharge from the vagina is seen. If it is closed then no discharge is seen. A diagnosis is made by a physical exam, blood work and x-rays. Ideally a vet may want to spay the bitch. If the bitches’ condition is caught early enough, she will need to be stabilized before surgery is attempted. If the breeder wants to keep this bitch for breeding, antibiotic therapy could be tried, but it usually is not successful.
Subinvolution of placental sites occurs when the uterus does not fully repair itself after delivery. This results in a vaginal discharge beyond the normal six weeks postpartum. Usually treatment is not necessary as the bitch is healthy and able to become pregnant again.
Because subinvolution of the placental sites, metritis and pyometra may all have a vaginal discharge, a proper diagnosis is necessary as metritis and pyometra need to be treated.
When uterine prolapse occurs, the uterus is pushed out of the body through the vagina. Treatment consists of manual replacement of the uterus or an ovariohysterectomy (spay).
Normally in a bitch the size of a German Shepherd, retained placentas a rarely a problem. Usually the placenta is passed within 15 minutes of each puppy and the bitch may eat it. Treatment may include an oxytocin injection.
Sometimes a mother will show a lack of maternal instinct for her puppies. I have never had a bitch do this although I had one bitch that was what I call a “dense” mother. She’d nurse and clean her puppies just fine, but lack of normal German Shepherd intelligence is something she didn’t display when it came to taking good care of her babies. She was very people oriented and cared more about you coming in to greet and pet her than nursing her babies. She would stand up in the whelping box and step all over her puppies. I leased this bitch and although beautiful in breed type, she was in “another world” when it came to true German Shepherd intelligence.
Some think that a lack of maternal instinct for a bitch to care for her puppies is due to genetics and the amount of maternal drive the bitch’s dam showed for her offspring or it could be illness or stress due to the owners own level or stress or poor environment. Sometimes a first time mom will need several days to find out what her role is being a mother and will need assistance from the owner in helping her until she does. She may need to be made to lay down for the puppies to nurse and be praised when she shows interest in the puppies. If she is going to come around and care for the puppies, it should occur within several days.
Also sometimes if a puppy is very large or is not positioned in the birth canal correctly, the bitch may have a difficult time delivering the puppy. I’ve seen puppies stick their little heads out of the birth canal only to be sucked back up inside the mother again. This always makes me nervous. You have to wait until the bitch produces another contraction and many times you will find yourself having to gently grab the puppy and pull when she is having a contraction. This can be painful and a tough birth for her and hard on you if you are delivering the puppies by yourself. It’s always better if you have the assistance of someone else so that they can hold the bitches head while you gently remove the puppy. No matter how gentle you are, the “momma” dog is going to feel pain.
So although most German Shepherds don’t have too many problems when it comes to whelping a litter, sooner or later you will run into one that does. Good luck and here’s wishing all of you happy and healthy litters of newborns! Oh yeah, the next time a pet person asks you “Why do you charge so much money for your puppies,” show them this article!!!!! Who ever said there was money to be made breeding dogs hasn’t tried it yet.
From the book: BREEDING BETTER DOGS....DogRead book of the month March 2002 This book was chose to be on the prestigious 'DogRead' ... as a book selection of the month. We only do 12 books or videos a year. The author comes on line for the whole month to answer questions on the book. To be selected for this group means the book or video MUST be one of the very best it its field. treshell owner DogRead..........This is an exceptional book. Easy to understand, gets you involved and interested in a subject that might scare a few away. I love it and often go back to remind myself of the basics.
My rating: Breeding should be done by educated breeders: (4)
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