Are you tired of putting your doogy doo in plastic baggies?  Hate picking it up in plastic bags?  Try making your own or buying a doggy pot or doggy composter.  For a few bucks and a trash can, you can build yourself one.   There are several ways to build them online, but the pattern I like best is listed on the City Gardener’s website.

A couple of adjustments that he doesn’t mention.  First, don’t just put in poop.  Feel free to add tree brush,  grass, and other yard clippings.   Two, your poo bucket should be proportionate to your dog.  If you’re going to bury a small trash can in the yard, remember that the average dog creates like 250+ pounds of waste a year.   Think of all those 40lb bags of dog food and where they end up going.  Also, consider how often you’re going to use the soil on your yard.

Rabies has plagued animals wild and domesticated for centuries and is still active in the United States. The only state never to report a case of human or animal rabies is Hawaii. In the early 1900’s the number of deaths in human from rabies were 100 or more cases per year. The big decline started in the 1940’s when vaccine and animal control programs were put into place and human rabies cases were about 40 cases each year. In the 1950”s the number of human rabies cases were 99 for the entire decade. Then in the 1960’s the number dropped again to 15 cases. The vaccine campaigns started in the 1940’s all but eliminated the circulation of canine strains by the 1960’s. But late 1970’s and early 1980’s brought a surge of a variant strain that was well adapted to dogs. In the last 40 years in the US, most reports have been confirmed in wild animals rather than domestic animals. Raccoons are the most frequent species to carry rabies followed by skunks, bats and foxes. There are seven rabies virus strains, six which effect man. Genotype 2 has never been isolated in a human case. While there are countries that are rabies free (Germany, Japan, Iceland, Finland, France, Sweden, Norway, just to name a few), we still cannot let our guard down. We must remember to vaccinate our pets and beware of wild animals that seem tame. If your vaccinated pet gets bitten or scratched by another animal suspected of being rabid, your dog needs to be revaccinated immediately and closely observed for 45 days. If your dog has not been vaccinated for rabies and gets bitten or scratched by a suspected rabid animal, it is recommended that your dog be euthanized immediately. The rabies virus is spread through a bite or scratch from an infected animal. The virus is in the salvia, and spreads through the nervous system and brain in 2 to 6 weeks. In the first stage an infected dog shows signs of nervousness, anxiety, aggression in sweet dogs and friendly behavior in dogs that are normally shy. A dog will lick the site of the wound and run a high fever. The next stage is where the dog is very irritable, disoriented, has seizures, and become vicious. Death can occur at this stage. The last stage the dog has difficulty breathing and facial muscles become paralyzed. The dog may also salivate or foam at the mouth. This is a terrible death for a beloved pet! Don’t take your chances with your best friend and maybe family members as well, see your vet for regular rabies vaccine!

In every litter there is a mix of personalities. Consider the personality, just like you consider the gender and the looks of the pup.

There is always a “leader of the pack” maybe even two or more.  This is the pup that is very confident, intelligent and funny. This pup loves to play and wrestle with the rest of the litter and always wins!   This pup will leap toward you immediately with a wagging tail and will greet everyone in the same manner.  This pup will be a training challenge and will take a serious commitment to instill the rules.

Then there is the “number two” pup.  This pup also loves to wrestle with his litter mates, and is confident and happy.  This pup is energetic and boisterous and also needs an owner with a serious commitment to training.

The “middle pup” defends itself while wrestling but he is not interested in the competition of being top dog.  The pup will be more relaxed and is not scared of loud noises.   Training needs to be consistent, but this pup will not challenge your every command.

The “quiet pup” submits to his litter mates and may just watch the others wrestle.  This pup tends to need a gentle but firm hand while training, and positive reinforcement.

The “runt” is usually very shy and gets pushed aside by his litter mates.  This pup is afraid of loud noises and has low self esteem.  The pup will also need a gentle but firm hand while training.  Patient and encouragement will also be needed to bring this pup out of his shell.

With each litter of pups there maybe any combination of these personalities.  For instances, there could be several leaders and several quiet pups.  Any combination is possible.  So the next time you are purchasing a pup, take your time, and remember that you will be the “new leader of the pack”!

If your dog is an active dog that plays in the snow, hangs his head out the car window as you drive down the road, or goes for bike or motorcycle rides, your dog needs eye protection. Doggles, sun goggles for dogs, protect eyes from foreign objects, dirt, debris and UV light. They have flexible frames that fit snuggly without irritation against your dog’s face. The frames are foam padded and have an adjustable elastic head and chin strap to keep the Doggles attached securely. The lens are anti fog and polycarbonate (shatterproof). Search and rescue dogs often wear Doggles for eye protection.

The frames come in many fashionable colors and many with designs on the side. The lens are also available in many colors to suit every dog’s fashionable need. There is a pair of Doggles out there waiting for your dog!!

Did you know that you can become a puppy foster parent? Perhaps you don’t want to commit to owning a dog full time, or you don’t want to commit the next ten years to worrying about your dog, but love dogs. 

Most people think of Puppy Foster Care as a way to raise dogs for programs such as law enforcement, seeing eye dogs, and other service dogs. However, you can also become a foster parent of a puppy as a way to rescue them from a dog shelter. 

Animal fostering is a great way to help rescued animals in need (mostly puppies and kittens of course).  The fostering time can vary from days to weeks depending on the amount of care or behavior modification that is required to make the dog more desirable for adoption. 

There are many reasons why Puppy Foster Care has become popular. The biggest one is the overcrowding of kennels.  Your Foster home can provide space until space becomes available, or until a suitable adoption can be made. 

Puppy Foster Parents may perform the following tasks

• Provide medical care after an illness or injury – this includes highly contagious diseases such as kennel cough that could become a plague on a shelter. 
• Care for unweaned orphans
• Correct Behavioral problems – larger, untrained breeds, who are still puppies, but have developed into their terrible twos may have been sent on a one way trip because of an unfortunate accident. Once trained, they’ll be ready for adoption. 

There are several hundreds of purebred dogs that AKC does not recognize. At his current time there are ten breeds that are working on AKC recognition.

If you watch the Westminster Dog Show you will notice that they do accept new breeds and they do compete with other recognized breeds. The 2009 Westminster Dog Show introduced the Dogue de Bordeaux as a recognized breed. Most of us know this dog as “Hooch” from the movie “Turner and Hooch”. Although the Dogue de Bordeaux first came to the U.S. in the 1890’s, it was placed in the Miscellaneous Class in 2006. In July 2008, the breed was AKC recognized and finally eligible to compete in the Working Group.

The AKC has a list of requirements for development of a new breed. This includes an active parent club that is working to expand the breed over a geographic area. When all the criteria are met for the breed they are entered into the Miscellaneous Class. They may compete and earn titles in companion and performance events. The breed may also compete in Junior Showmanship. When the AKC Board of Directors feel that the breed is striving for healthy growth, it is then admitted into the Stud Book and may compete with other recognized breeds.

As of January 1, 2009, AKC has 161 recognized breeds. The breeds to gain recognition as of January 1, 2009 are the Irish Red & White Setter, Pyrenean Shepherd and the Norwegian Buhund.

The ten breeds that are currently in the Miscellaneous Class are Bluetick Coonhound, Boykin Spaniel, Cane Corso, Cesky Terrier, Entlebucher Mountain Dog, Icelandic Sheepdog, Leonberger, Norwegian Lundehund, Redbone Coonhound, and the Xoloitzcuintli. It will be interesting to see what breed will be recognized next!

I have lived in Pennsylvania all my life and I know that our official state dog is the Great Dane. I was wondering which state claimed the English Springer Spaniel as their state dog. In doing some research, I was surprised to find that only nine states have named state dogs. Although, Springers cannot by found in that list of dogs, they were used in the development of the Boykin Spaniel. Some of the reasons for the choice of state dog were obvious, and other choices left me wondering why that dog. Further research made the choices more clear.

In 1964, Maryland claimed the Chesapeake Bay Retriever as their official state dog. The “Chessie” can trace their origin to two Newfoundland dogs that were rescued in 1807 from a floundering ship off the coast of Maryland and bred with Irish Water Spaniels and different types of retrievers for hunting and retrieving fowl in the rough and icy waters of the bay. This breed was recognized by the AKC in 1878.

Pennsylvania claimed the Great Dane in 1965 as their official state dog. The Great Dane originated in Germany about 400 years ago. William Penn, the founder of the Keystone state, was the owner of a Great Dane. A portrait of William Penn and his Great Dane hangs in the Governor’s reception room. This breed was recognized by AKC in 1887.

In 1966, Virginia chose the American Foxhound as their state dog. The American Foxhound was developed in colonial times for fox hunting from Irish, English and French hounds. George Washington owned many hounds at Mount Vernon and made a big contribution to the development of the breed. The breed was recognized by AKC in 1894.

In 1979, Louisiana chose the Catahoula Leopard Dog as their state dog. This dog was breed to find livestock in any type of terrain and handle wild cattle and wild hogs in Louisiana. The Catahoula Leopard Dog is the only native domesticated North American breed developed by Native Americans and early settlers. The breed is currently not recognized by AKC.

Massachusetts chose the Boston Terrier as their state dog in 1979. The Boston Terrier originated in Boston, Massachusetts in 1869 from a cross of the English Bulldog and a white English Terrier and later bred with the French Bulldog and other similar breeds to produce the dog we know today. The Boston Terrier was recognized by AKC in 1893.

In 1985, South Carolina picks the Boykin Spaniel as their official state dog. The Boykin Spaniel was bred for hunting wild turkeys in the swamps in South Carolina in the early 1900’s. A stray dog with excellent hunting abilities was bred by Whit Boykin with other gun dogs including English Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, Pointers, Setters, Labs, Beagles and American Water Spaniels. While the Boykin Spaniels do participate in the AKC Spaniel Hunt tests the Boykin Spaniel Club and Breeders Association of America (BSCBAA) is currently seeking AKC breed recognition.

Wisconsin picks the American Water Spaniel as their official state dog in 1985. The American Water Spaniel is the only native breed to Wisconsin. There is little documentation of their origin but the theory of cross breeding of the English Water Spaniel, Field Spaniel, Curly Coated Retriever, Irish Water Spaniel, Tweed Water Spaniel and maybe Chesapeake Bay Retriever is thought to be the development of this breed. AKC recognized this breed in 1940.

North Carolina claims the Plott Hound in 1989 as their state dog. The Plott Hound was developed in the mountains of North Carolina by a German immigrant Jonathan Plott around 1750 from the wild boar hounds that he brought into the country. He kept his strain pure and then passed his dogs to Henry Plott. A Georgia hunter, who was breeding a strain of “leopard spotted bear dogs”, heard of the famous Plott Hounds and convinced Henry to cross with one of his dogs. That single cross breeding is the only known time of new blood since the dogs were brought into this country. The breed was only recently recognized by AKC in 1998.

In 2005, Texas chose the Blue Lacy as their official state dog. The Blue Lacy is the only breed that originated in Texas. The Lacy brothers in the mid 1800’s developed the Blue Lacy by breeding of coyote or wolf, English Shepherd, Greyhound and possibly scent hounds to produce this herding dog. At this time the AKC does not recognize this breed.

Certainly there are enough breeds of dogs for the other 41 states to choose their official state dog!

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A dog choke collar (also known as a choke chain, slip collar, or choke chain) is a type of dog collar that is very effective in training dogs. It’s especially useful in obedience classes. On the other hand, it’s not recommendable in training that requires a high level of activity, such as agility training.

A dog choke collar consists of a metal chain or a strip that is made of nylon. There are two loops at each end of the strip. The strip goes into one of the loops, making a “P” form (we were told to remember P for Puppy, that’s how you know you have it on correctly, otherwise it won’t work), which is then slipped through the dog’s head. The leash is then attached to the loop on the back of the dogís neck.

Setting the collar is very important, and a professional instructor should teach you if you have zero or little experience with it. If the dog choke collar is too loose, it won’t serve its purpose. If it’s too tight, it can hurt the dog’s neck. The collar should also be worn as high as possible, just behind the dog’s ears. If the loop comes from the dog’s chin instead of its neck, you have to take it off, as it was put on backwards.

The way that a choke collar works is by pulling and releasing it. Pulling upwards the dog choke collar will apply some pressure on the dogís neck, which indicates the dog that it has incurred in an undesired action. This pull should be fast and very brief, and it should be accompanied by a command in a strong and firm voice, such as “NO” or “GET BACK.” This movement is called leash pop, snap, or correction.

When training your dog with a dog choke collar, your dog should walk at your left side. Your left hand will hold the loop and your right hand will perform the correction. It’s very recommendable to watch your dog trainer do it first and then imitate him or her under supervision.

Some people claim that a dog choke collar is cruel. This is mostly because of the deceiving name of the collar. However, the dog is never choked, and in fact, the sensation reproduces the quick nips that mother dogs give their puppies to correct them.

Nevertheless, you should never let a dog on a dog choke collar out of your sight. And the collar should be taken off as soon as training is finished. Although it’s harmless under supervision, a choke collar can hurt your dog if it gets stuck with something, so always be careful about that.

Everybody that owns a dog, thinks in the back of their head that if anyone attempted to break into their home that their sweet, lovable, friendly dog would turn into a vicious watch dog and would thwart a burglar’s attempt. And if you ever spent the night alone you are grateful for the watchful eye of your beloved pet as you sleep, no matter how friendly your pet can be. Late one Friday evening my husband got called to work and he knew it would be daylight before the job was finished. My daughter was spending the night at grandma’s house, so that left me and my Springer, Spencer to spend the night alone.

I watched television until I was sleepy and then went to bed. Spencer would sleep in bed with me if I was alone. Another comfort to me, and I quickly fell fast asleep. About 2:00 am Spencer started growling, and hopped off the bed. I heard him but I wanted to sleep. He started pacing up and down the hallway. Then I heard my neighbor’s two dogs barking. Soon Spencer was joining them in this barking trio. Now I was wide awake! I got up and looked out the window at the back door. I saw nothing. I looked out the living room window, and I saw nothing. But all three dogs were barking and something was just not quite right! I looked for the neighbor’s cars and they were both gone. I saw no one around and the street was quiet other than the trio of barkers. Spencer wanted to go outside, but I was just too afraid to allow that to happen. I tried to go back to bed but the trio of barkers just would not quit! I just did not know what to do, so I called my mother. Now I woke her and my father too! “What should I do,” I asked? Call the police my mother said. Well, I just did not think it was an emergency, but the dogs were not letting up and something was awry and I was not going outside to find out what was the problem!

The police arrived very soon and I saw them outside with their flashlights. My telephone soon began ringing and it made me jump. I answered and the police told me that they took care of the problem and I had nothing to worry about. The problem that caused three quiet dogs to go crazy in the wee hours of the morning….a cat was sitting on the neighbor’s front porch! I called my mother and father back to let them know everything was okay and we could all go back to sleep…even the three dogs!