Dog Breeds: The Designer Dog, The Mongrel And The Purebred!

Ever noticed the sniffy hauteur with which purebred dog owners appraise mixed breed dogs? You can almost see them flinch as their condescending eye roves across the form of the objectionable mutt while they grudgingly concede that perhaps their refined canine specimen and that pollutant mutt do indeed belong to the same species! In fact you need only trawl various online dog forums to experience firsthand just how contentious the issue of mutt versus purebred really is. Yet much as purebred dog owners may put down the humble mutt or mixed breed dog the strange thing is:

Purebred Dogs Are Merely Strain-Refined Mutts!

Doberman Pinscher: The Doberman Pinscher dog breed was the brainchild of door-to-door tax collector Herr Louis Doberman. Whether Herr Doberman developed this dog breed as enforcer or protector has never been truly established but one aspect that is not in contention is the fact that his was an unenviable profession! It is well documented that since biblical times the tax collector has been much reviled; even today the tax collector is the subject of scorn and disgust. If you truly want to belabor the point, the next time you are at a social gathering, casually mention that you work for the IRS and watch the little-witnessed phenomenon of how so many can disappear so quickly!

However back to Herr Doberman and his dangerous profession; tired of being pushed about and quite possibly being set upon by irate tax payers, poor Herr Doberman came up with the novel yet economic solution of developing a dog breed that would be both enforcer and protector! The "ingredients" for his new dog breed included the following: Rottweiler; German Pinscher; Greyhound and the Manchester Terrier. Though some wishful fanciers contend that the German Shepherd dog was also involved in the genetic compilation of the Doberman Pinscher, this is highly unlikely since the development of the German Shepherd occurred a little later than that of the Doberman Pinscher.

The early form of the Doberman Pinscher dog was not the sleek lean machine that epitomizes the breed today, but it was a heavier-boned dog somewhat more similar in appearance to the Rottweiler dog breed. Subsequent tweaks by later breeders eventually resulted with the sleek contemporary dog that defines the modern Doberman Pinscher. The point of note here is that the Doberman Pinscher, a well-known dog breed that is officially recognized by countless of International Kennels such as the AKC, was a crossbreed developed from various other dog breeds before it attained the holy-grail status of purebred!

Verdict: The Doberman Pinscher, like all the other so-called purebred dogs is nothing more than a strain refined mutt. Sniff! What can I say…these pesky mongrels are everywhere, most of them disguising themselves as well-established purebreds!

Designer/Hybrid Dogs

Though the Labradoodle is widely accredited as the crossbreed dog that set the whole designer-dog movement rolling along at a good clip, the truth of the matter is that other well established crossbreeds already existed. One such crossbreed or so-called designer dog is the Cockerpoo (Cockapoo), a cross between the American Cocker Spaniel and a Miniature Poodle. The Cockerpoo has been in existence since the 1960s (in contrast to the Labradoodle which was developed in the 1980s). The Cockerpoo is currently so well established in North America that there is a strong movement to consolidate a breeding standard.

These days "Oodles" or "Poos" (Poodle hybrids) are practically everywhere in North America for the simple reason they translate into mega bucks. Though the Labradoodle (perhaps the best known Poodle derivative) was developed with a utilitarian purpose in mind, most designer dogs have no other function than to propel a burgeoning and lucrative market for these hybrid dogs; as it so happens, backyard breeders very quickly recognized the enormous profits to be had from designer dogs.

To date the designer dog market is flourishing, strong evidence that people are quite willing to shell out mega bucks so as to differentiate themselves from the rest of the crowd. And perhaps you've noticed, nobody refers to these mutts as well…mutts, for the simple reason crossbreeds do not satisfy people's sniff factor! (Sniff Factor defines the human tendency to snobbishness; in earlier times the upper classes were predisposed to strolling about with their noses pointed skywards as an expression of their obvious class superiority (as though reaching for air unpolluted by the masses!) Calling a mongrel a designer dog is certain to guarantee a far better price than if the animal were addressed as a crossbreed.

The unfortunate fallout of this whole designer dog issue, is that there're now many more dogs in shelters and rescues, as well as dogs being euthanized, because of unethical breeders, who without regard to genetics, breed thousands of these dogs every year in a bid to capitalize on the public's ignorance and insatiable appetite for "exclusive" or "limited" dogs.

So how did this designer dog brouhaha really begin?

Good Intentions Open Pandora's Box

Sometime during the 1980s, Wally Conron, the breeding manager for the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia embarked on a quest to develop a non-allergenic guide dog for a visually impaired client whose husband happened to be allergic to common dog fur. Conron settled on the standard Poodle as the ideal cross with the already established Labradors in use at their center, for the simple fact that the Poodle,s as a highly trainable working dog with tightly curled coat, constituted a the best-fit match.

After two years of trials including 33 successive disappointment runs, Wally Conron hit pay dirt! A cross mating between one of their most prized Labradors and a Poodle specimen resulted in a litter of 3 non-allergenic puppies. Sultan the 1^st ever Labradoodle destined for guide-dog greatness was introduced to his new owner amidst great fanfare. The bonding was a great success and Conron was confident that the remaining two puppies would quickly be snapped up; after all, the center at which he worked had a 6-month backlog of requests from people hoping to foster a dog. But he miscalculated; nobody it seemed wanted a dog that was associated with the dirty word crossbreed.

As eight weeks rolled by, the remaining two pups still hadn't found homes and the critical-period window in which they needed to bond with a new owner and thus become successful guide dogs was closing fast. Out of sheer frustration Wally Conron decided to call his new dog breed the Labradoodle and thenceforth stopped referring to them as crossbreeds. That was the eureka moment he had been waiting for (evidence of the sniff factor in play again)!

Within weeks, requests for this new "miracle dog" inundated the center…the rest as the saying goes, was history! Other than the Labradoodle, few designer dogs have been developed for utilitarian purposes and in fact for the most part new breeds are introduced for purely cosmetic purposes. Having said that though, it would be remiss not to acknowledge the fact that some new dog breeds are currently being developed to address the all pervasive problem of genetic disease in the canine; especially in the more popular breeds.

Some other well-established crossbreeds are the Bull Boxer which is a cross between the Boxer and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. The Bull Boxer is said to be a more affable dog, especially towards other pets, than the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and is also reputed to be less inclined to exhibit the immature behaviorisms characteristic of the Boxer. By and large though, the substantial prevalence of the designer-dog set is to be found firmly within the realm of Poodle mixes. Such Poodle mixes usually go by names, which if not exactly flattering, are to say the least, colorful:

1. Doxiepoo (Dachshund Poodle Mix)

2. Papipoo (Papillon Poodle Mix)

3. Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever Poodle Mix)

4. Jack-A-Poo (Jack Russell Terrier Poodle Mix)

5. Irish Doodle (Irish Setter Poodle Mix) to name but a few.

Verdict: Sniff! These dogs may go under the guise of designer dog…but let's be honest, they are no more than glorified mutts!

The Humble Yet Ubiquitous Mutt

So where does the lowly mutt fit in this picture of brave new doggy world; that is to say, other than bearing the brunt of the purebred afficionado's scorn! Well as I have amply illustrated in the paragraphs above, all dog breeds are essentially mixed breeds even the purebreds. Purebred dogs are so entitled because over several generations they have been specifically bred for selective traits. But therein lies their Achilles' heel or weakness. Due to such selective-trait breeding, purebred dogs have an inherently high prevalence of genetic disease.

A classic example illustrating some of the problems encountered in trait-selective breeding can be found in the history of the Dalmatian. Breeding for the sharply-defined spot trait unintentionally also led to selective breeding for an abnormal uric acid gene (case of gene linkage). The result was that the Dalmatian dog breed was dogged (no pun intended) with hereditary urine stone disease. In an attempt to rectify the problem yet retain the desired spot pattern, the Dalmatian was crossbred with various Pointer breeds (Sniff! Sniff! What did I tell you…all mutts the lot of them!).

Conversely the lack of trait-selective breeding and a diverse gene pool in the mutt makes such dogs so much healthier and more robust than their purebred counterparts! Thus unless you're going to develop your own dog breed, if all you're looking for in a dog is a pet, do yourself, your pocket as well as the millions of dogs on death row a favor and adopt a dog from a shelter! Trust me, they make excellent pets. (Shelters cannot house dogs forever and each year more than 7,000,000 cats and dogs are euthanized!)

Verdict: Hmmm…the lowly mutt. At last! A dog without pretensions!

Dogs

Caucasian Mountain Dog|Caucasian Ovcharka

The Caucasian Mountain Dog

The Caucasian Mountain Dog also known as the Caucasian Ovtcharka is an ancient breed that for centuries was little known outside the remote regions from which it hails, namely the Caucasus which incorporate: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Iran and Turkey. The Caucasian Mountain Dog or Ovtcharka (in Russian Ovtcharka means shepherd or sheepdog) is a member of the working group of dog breed and despite its appellation of sheepdog/shepherd this dog was never a livestock herder but rather a guardian or protector which goes a long way in explaining its not inconsiderable size! The Caucasian Mountain dog was bred to protect livestock against wolves, bears and other predators; in fact the Caucasian Ovtcharka has an uncanny resemblance to a bear!

Considered until fairly recently by many to be a descendent of the Tibetan Mastiff, updated archaeological evidence suggests that its ancestry originated from ancient dogs that lived in the woody hills of Iraq and Mesopotamia. It is believed that assorted dog types that accompanied nomadic tribes that settled in the Caucasus regions, with little intervention and interference from outside influences, eventually evolved into the Caucasian Mountain Dog.

Up until the 1930s, the Caucasian Ovtcharka was little known outside its home range until it started appearing in European dog shows in Germany. Around 1952 the Caucasian Mountain Dog was sub-divided into two distinct breeds: the Transcaucasian Ovtcharka which is typically the heavier-boned, massive dog that hails from the mountainous regions; and the Caucasian Ovtcharka, the less heavily built type that originates from the steppe regions.

In 1976 the two sub-breeds were consolidated and reclassified as one breed, and these days the Caucasian Mountain Dog is expected to conform to a single standard. Be that as it may however, the various sub-breeds can still be differentiated regionally from the various territories of the former USSR and nowadays one of the most coveted type of Caucasian Mountain Dog is the so-called Georgia sub-breed which is characteristically a thick-coated, heavy-boned, massive dog that most closely resembles a bear.

The potential of the Caucasian Mountain Dog as much more than a Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD) was quickly realized by the now defunct Soviet Army and soon enough this dog breed was employed both during peace and war time as auxiliary military "personnel" within the expanse of the Soviet Union. In the late 1960s the Caucasian Ovcharka was widely introduced to East Germany specifically for border patrol duty, fore mostly to patrol the infamous Berlin Wall. When the Berlin Wall came toppling down in 1989, the by-then, at least 7000-strong unit of Caucasian Mountain Dogs employed to patrol the Wall's perimeter was disbanded and many of those dogs found new homes within the newly emancipated civilian population!

Temperament

This dog breed was developed to guard flocks and livestock and hence has a strong inherent guardian/protector trait. Much as a Border Collie family dog will tend to herd its family as a substitute flock of sheep, the Caucasian Mountain Dog will have the tendency to be somewhat protective of its immediate family, a characteristic that has obvious benefits but perhaps less obvious consequences. The Caucasian Ovcharka is a strong-willed (some might say stubborn) breed of dog that requires a firmer hand for proper socialization and training. The so-called stubborn nature of this dog type is not surprising when one considers that it was bred over hundreds of years for these exact qualities.

This dog was bred to largely exist independent of humans (except for its shepherd) and was bred to co-exist with the livestock it was guarding; thus the Caucasian Mountain dog breed is inherently wary of strangers be they people or animals. Unsurprisingly, the Caucasian Ovtcharka is most active at night (livestock predators tend to hunt under the cover of night) and though it may give the impression that it's a big lazy dozing dog, at the slightest hint of intruders the Caucasian Mountain Dog will nimbly get to its feet, sound the alarm (barking) and immediately go to confront the threat!

The Caucasian Ovcharka takes the protection of its territory (these days consider that the family yard) very seriously and will consider any encroachment by a stranger as a threat. Despite its formidable size this dog is characterized by the use of minimal force to dissuade any threat. Such minimal force may likely take the form of confronting the predator and barking and growling aggressively; usually that is enough to change the minds of most intruders because much like its wild Canid counterparts, this old dog breed still retains the mindset that physical (or deadly) force should be a last resort since it tends to be counter productive (i.e., injury to either party).

Any Good With Kids?

As previously noted this dog breed tends to substitute its immediate family for the livestock it was selectively bred to protect; in other words this dog is strongly protective of members of its family. Hence it is important to understand that this dog could perceive rambunctious or rough child's play between a family member and a friend (as is the tendency with boys) to be a threat and its hardwired protect-the-flock genetics will immediately kick in!

Thus it is vitally imperative to properly socialize this dog breed and also explain to your kids that just because they know that "Shaggy" would never hurt them, they should understand that the same may not go for their friends unless the dog knows them well (i.e., has accepted them as an extension of its flock). Obviously with a dog this size all activity around small children should be supervised, because though the family pet may not intend harm, it's a big dog that during the heat of play may easily forget its formidable strength and size and could accidentally hurt a young child!

The Question Of Apartment Dwelling?

By and large the Caucasian Mountain Dog does not make the ideal apartment dweller. Although like most big dogs its energy level is somewhat low this dog breed is inherently nocturnal and was bred to alert and warn of, and off intruders. In other words your love for your Caucasian Mountain Dog could well translate into hatred from your neighbors because your Caucasian Ovcharka is driving them crazy with its nightly cacophony (barking...which is especially true if your neighbors are creatures of the night aka party animals).

Interactivity With Other Dogs

From a genetic view point the Caucasian Mountain Dog was never bred to be overly friendly with other canids be they dogs or wolves, because as a flock guardian it would have been expected to ward off all potential predators which naturally would have included feral dogs. However as with most any breed of dog timely and proper socialization usually overcomes any unfriendliness towards other dogs or animals in this breed!

Caucasian Mountain Dog Breed Standard

Currently there appear to be conflicting breed standards which could be in part explained by the different sub-breeds and the late acceptance of this breed into the AKC; as of now this dog breed has no AKC ranking. Only recently has the AKC moved to officially recognize this dog breed (May 2007) even though the Caucasian Ovcharka has been on record with the FSS (Foundation Stock Services) since 1996. From January of 2008 the Caucasian Mountain Dog will be allowed to formally compete in the AKC Companion Events.

Size Requirements:

The following height measurements are for the mature dog and are measured up to the shoulder bone.

Height of Males: 25.5 - 30 inches (64cm - 70cm) Height Females: 24.5 and upwards

Weight of Males: 100lbs + (45kg - 70 kg) Weight Females: 80lbs + (37kg - upwards)

It should be noted however that for the Kavkazskaya Ovcharka Breed (the Georgian Caucasian Mountain Dog sub-breed that most closely resembles a bear) the requisite dimensions differ considerably:

Height of Male: 28.3 - 29.5 inches (72cm - 75cm; minimum is 68cm or 26.8 inches) Female Height: 26.0 - 27.2 inches (66cm - 69cm; minimum is 64 cm or 25.2 inches)

Naturally the weight of the Kavkazskaya Ovcharka Breed will tend to be somewhat heavier and it is not unusual for males to top 180lbs!

The Caucasian Mountain Dog falls under the category of Working Dogs as a Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD).

More about dogs

Caucasian Mountain Dog Rebounds From 15 Minutes Of Infamy!

Caucasian Mountain Dog

In 2004 a National Geographic documentary covering so-called Designer Dogs aired an episode covering the Caucasian Mountain Dog that proceeded to so misrepresent this dog breed as a lethal weapon and danger to society that almost overnight several dogs were destroyed and the breed ostracized! Fact is this dog was bred to protect livestock!

That year of 2004 was a dismal year for the dog breed known as the Caucasian Mountain Dog, and was even more dismal for the several poor individual dogs that were killed unnecessarily! And how did all this come about? Indeed to this day it still leaves one's mind aghast at how a reputable company such as National Geographic could air such sensationalistic rubbish; stuff that up until then was firmly relegated to tawdry tabloids! One can only assume that the program badly needed to shore up its dwindling ratings...but at what a price! Anyway here's how this sordid mess that resulted in the deaths of several dogs and very many more becoming homeless overnight happened.

As part of its segment on so-called designer dogs, National Geographic decided to run an episode covering the Caucasian Mountain Dog, also known as the Caucasian Ovcharka. Obviously accuracy was not part of their itenary because under no category could this dog breed, dating back several hundred years, be called a designer dog like the Labradoodle whose founder Wally Conron developed in 1989 as an allergen-free dog breed destined to aid the blind. The Caucasian Mountain Dog has been in existence longer than several well-known breeds such as the German Shepherd, the Doberman Pinscher and even the world number 1 ranking dog (in popularity at least) the Labrador.

But such triavilities obviously did not deter the National Geographic team...the Caucasian Mountain Dog breed was little known in America and that's what mattered the most! Oh! Another bonus factor for the National Geographic team was that the Caucasian Mountain Dog (depending on sub-breed) is a massive, heavily-boned and heavily coated dog that often has an uncanny resemblance to a bear.

After contacting a few reputable breeders whom they ultimately turned down as source material for their segment, obviously because they considered such material to mundane and tepid to trigger the desired necessary buttons in their viewers that would translate into favorable ratings, the National Geographic team somehow ended up with a documenatry that was awash with out-of-control, over-sized dogs seemingly attacking people, chasing cars and ripping the inside of stationary vehicles to bits (evidently some carefully editing was done, as well as using shady breeders as their source material). All in all the entire piece epitomized mayhem and violence!

Within hours of the show airing, reputable Caucasian Mountain Dog breeders were inundated with new interested callers and potential buyers. Most of the new applicants however wanted the dogs as destructive elements and lethal weapons so much so that one person claimed this dog breed was better than a loded gun because it required no licence...how could you beat that huh? 160 pounds of solid weapon!

The back lash was swift as it was severe! Dogs were evicted from their homes overnight! Some shelters destroyed dogs they had been housing, immediately! Owners of Caucasian Mountain Dogs who were inclined to keep their dogs were forced to give them up because their neighbors could not stomach the thought of the leashed (or unleashed) furry weapon living next door to them! Due to the National Geographic story and as a result of unethical breeders and unethical owners who trained their dogs to be aggressive and out of control, this breed was banned in several places including Holland,Massachusetts...it seemed the back-lash hysteria had no limits. Even today you can see videos of irresponsible owners proudly showing the aggressive nature of their dogs on youtube.

Fact is, the Caucasian Mountain Dog was bred to protect livestock such as sheep against predators like bears, wolves and feral dogs, so if this animal were truly inherently dangerous and aggressive how could it possibly be used as a flock guardian. In the same way that several other dog breeds have garnered the dubious designation of dangerous dog (rottweiler, doberman, pitbull to name but a few) the problem lies with those owners who purposefully mistreat their dogs and breed selectively for the aggressive trait.

Much in the same way that a child who grows up in violence, unless otherwise shown any better will be more than likely to grow up perpuating the cycle of violence, a dog that is mistreated and not socialized when young is more likely to become a menace to society!

Next year as of January 2008 the Caucasian Mountain Dog will be officially allowed to compete in the AKC Companion Events, evident proof that National Geographics episodic15 minutes of Caucasian Ovcharka infamy that destroyed several hundred years of the breeds history, is finally being overturned!

Click below to learn more about this wonderful dog breed:

Caucasian Mountain Dog

Click link for more about dogs

The Difficulty In Assessing Dog Smarts

Our understanding of dog intelligence has come along way and certainly immense comprehensive strides have been made since the days of Rene Descartes (the renowned French philosopher, scientist and mathematician) who pioneered the school of thought that proposed animals were nothing more than biological machines!

According to Descartes, observed animal behavior amounted to nothing more than a reflex response to external stimuli, much in the same way as when a bare-footed person steps on a sharp object such as a thumb tack when they immediately withdraw the affected foot without any apparent conscious decision.

Descartes' views on animal intelligence, or more accurately put, lack thereof, not only denied the existence of intelligence in animals they propounded that animals were not self-aware and thus were incapable of emotional range or being able to consciously register pain. Being an extremely influential person of his time Descartes opinions went a long way in justifying undue cruelty to animals be it through experimentation or otherwise.

However thankfully those barbaric days are long behind us and today it is the rare individual who still believes that animals are incapable of thought or emotions. That said though, there's still a ways to go before we can accurately qualify and quantify animal intelligence. Ironically this is perhaps so for the simple reason that since we measure the intelligence of different species against that of ourselves we are inherently practicing anthropomorphism (attributing human qualities and characteristics to non-human subjects, be they animals or inanimate objects), because we innately identify and attribute higher value to those behaviors that somehow mimic ours or make some form of sense to us.

The Anthropomorphism Factor

The inherent flaw in this approach is that it overlooks the reason why the various species of animal behave the way they do; namely that their brains are connected and wired in a pattern best designed to perpetuate the success of that species within its designated environmental niche; a niche which is invariably very different to that occupied by people.

This is not to say that humans are not smarter than any other (as far as we know) animal on earth, but it just means that we have to concede the fact that when we measure the intelligence of other species against our own, by necessity anthropomorphism is going to be a factor. Perhaps this is no more evident than in the assessment of dog intelligence, most specifically, the difference of intelligence in the various dog breeds.

Perhaps the most cited authority on dog intelligence is the excellent book by Stanley Coren (click Here). In Dr. Coren's book which is based on his observations and research Coren asserts that there are three kinds of intelligence displayed by dogs which include the following: adaptive intelligence (the ability to solve problems); instinctive intelligence (characteristics and behaviorisms that are genetically driven); and lastly working / obedience intelligence which refers to the ability to obey and carry out instructions.

With particular emphasis on obedience intelligence, Coren came up with a list describing the most intelligent dog breed first, running down to the least intelligent dog breed, based on the observations of some 200 dog obedience judges and trainers.

However Dr. Coren's study has generated a number of vocal criticisms of which perhaps the most pertinent object to the sample size of the study as well as to the subjectivity of its approach. Many claim that 200 is far too small a number to result in meaningful conclusions and that furthermore any conclusions were inherently biased because they were based on the subjective observations of the various dog trainers.

According to the study, the dog that topped the list as the smartest canine was the Border Collie and the dog that was bottom of the list was the Afghan Hound. Much as Coren rightfully points out that the measure of intelligence is not limited to any one factor, one however, cannot but help get the impression that more value was attributed to a dog's ability to carry out instructions (obedience/ working intelligence) than was accorded to the other parameters of intelligence.

Comparative studies and experiments have revealed that dogs exhibit surprisingly poor problem-solving abilities compared to their wild counterparts (wolves, coyotes, jackals, dingos etc). Research conducted on wolves illustrated that they generally learn through observation in contrast to dogs that learn through repetition. Such cognitive insightfulness appears to be inherent in the wild forms of canid which may explain why tamed individuals of those wild canids are notorious for escaping their pens and kennels!

Though great progress has been made in understanding dog intelligence evidently there is still much to be learned and much we still don't know.

Dog Breeds

Dog Meat Trade: One Man's Meat Is Another's Best Friend!

Dog Genetic Disease:Every Single Dog Carries At Least 4-5 Defective Genes!

The Disturbing Prevalence Of Genetic Disease In The Dog

Genetic disease is rampant in the dog community of today.Over 500 genetic diseases have been described in dogs and several individualdog breeds are associated with well over 100 hereditary diseases. The Poodle forexample, is the dog breed that tops the list, being associated with over 145genetic diseases (The reason why the Poodle is predisposed to so many geneticdiseases is because not only are there 3 distinct sizes of Poodle, the large count of disease is a reflection of the popularity of this dogbreed. By and large a good rule of thumb is the more popular a dog breed thegreater the number of genetic diseases inherent in that breed.)

In fact every single dog that exists today carries at leastfour to five defective genes and currently dog breeders spend over 500 milliondollars annually in an effort to address this problem of genetic disease in thedog. However if this alarming trend is to be properly addressed it requires theparticipation of everyday dog owners!

Click link below find out more on this issue.


Dog Genetic Disease

Dog Killed By Swat Team Run Amok

It what can only be described as the epitome of unprofessionalism

Dog Socialization: How To Avoid Having A Problematic Dog

Why is it some dogs get on well with other dogs and people, while others are consistently in fights with their fellow canine and prone to biting people too! The reason why is actually quite basic; some dogs were properly and timely socialized as puppies while the anti-social animals were not. If a dog does not undergo socialization as a puppy within a period extending from 2 weeks to 16 weeks then that animal is going to have problems as a pet.

Though dogs are domesticated animals (meaning that they give birth to tamed/domestic offspring as opposed to a tamed wolf which gives birth to wild offspring) they still have to undergo a period of socialization if they are going to learn proper canine etiquette and if they are to be well adjusted pets. Every animal requires some degree of socialization if it is to exist harmoniously with the rest of its species; this applies to humans too!

A study group of populations of wild elephants observed a rather bizarre phenomenon. Young bull elephants were seen attacking, killing and in certain cases raping adult wild rhinos; this was a phenomenon that had never been noticed before. Elephants and rhinos for years have co-existed side by side, if not exactly in a truly harmonious manner, at least in a truce that respected each other’s boundaries.

The study group eventually concluded that the reason why rhino attacks by elephants was on the rise was because the young elephants were inadequately and improperly socialized. And the reason the new generation of elephants are poorly socialized is because the vast majority of the older generation of elephants (the big tuskers) have been hunted down by that most vicious and indiscriminate of predators (man) for their ivory!

Just like in people, early socialization of your dog as a puppy can inhibit certain undesirable hereditable traits while instilling new foreign ones. A child who grows up harmoniously in a multicultural background is far more likely to get on with different races as an adult as opposed to the child who has never mingled with any race other than his/her own. In the same manner, a dog that is socialized to other animals such as cats, hamsters and birds will not exhibit the inherent tendency to chase or kill those animals.

Timely socialization of a dog as a puppy is also the reason why livestock guardian and herding dogs are able to co-exist harmoniously with an animal that under natural circumstances would be prey! Click below for more:

Dog Socialization

Dog Domestication: Did The Wolf Tame Itself To Eventually Evolve Into The Dog?

Popular thinking has it that the humans domesticated the wolf about 15,000 years ago in the Mesolithic period when permanent settlements were becoming all the rage. In theory this sound good and well after all the dog is a descendant of the wolf and indeed the two canids (both come from the family Canidae) can interbreed. In fact it is on this basis that some argue that the dog is really a subspecies of the wolf. Although it is instinctive to assume that man did indeed tame the wolf which tamed animals then eventually evolved into the domesticated dog, there is a gaping flaw in this theory! The flaw is that this theory assumes that Mesolithic humans had the time or the intelligence to invest in a selective breeding program that aimed to create a tamer wolf; this would have necessarily meant that those people had hundreds of tame wolves with which to select desired traits from…a notion that is simply preposterous!

Click Below For Full Article

Dog Domestication

Dog Bashing On The Rise?

Troubled Dog Behavior Linked To Genes!

Ever since the complete dog genome was sequenced at The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, scientists and animal behaviorists have been traipsing into exciting new unchartered territory such as explaining the complex association between psychiatric problems in dogs and their genes.

Horror Story At Pet Cemetery

It was a classic case of slapping insult to injury! Here's what happened:

Imagine the grief of seeing your beloved dog fall sick and die prematurely right before your eyes and knowing that there is absolutely nothing you can do! The cause of death; literally the greed of commercial dog food manufacturers but more specifically irreversible kidney failure due to the toxins found in commercial dog food. And as if that was not enough, imagine the horror of finding out that the burial you presumed was accorded your beloved pet in keeping with your wishes (not to mention your finances) never ever happened at all! That in fact those ashes you so lovingly caress each morning just before you head out did not in fact belong to your late dog Fido…that in fact those ashes didn't belong to a dog at all but to a cat!

This is the shocking reality that dog owners who'd taken their pets to Misty Gardens Pet Cemetery and Domestic Animal Cremation in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) had to grapple with. One dog owner who's Labrador had died six months earlier but who'd been awaiting confirmation of burial from the establishment decided to investigate a little deeper; she wished she never had, but was glad that she did.

Click Name Above or Here To See Video!

She went to the pet cemetery only to find the remains of her dog unceremoniously decomposing in a ripped garbage bag somewhere on the grounds of the cemetery…not exactly the farewell she'd envisaged for her dog!

Another pet owner following a gut feeling decided to find out if the ashes in the urn were really those of her dearly departed doggie. She took the ashes to the University of Manitoba where they were analyzed and lo and behold the results came back feline not canine!

Dog Breeds

Importance of Early Socialization

Belgian Tervueren

Polish Lowland Sheepdog

History: The Polish Lowland Sheepdog, also known as the Polski Owczarek Nizinny (and nicknamed PON in America) hails as its name clearly indicates from Poland. This dog has roots that trail to Central Asia and is derived from Tibetan Terrier bloodlines. The Polish Lowland Sheepdog was evolved more as a flock herder than a flock guarder which would explain its moderate size; while other larger herd dogs protected the livestock from large predators the PON worked with the Shepherds to control and guide the sheep.

King Shepherd

History: The King Shepherd is a very new breed only dating back to 1995. Developed by American dog breeders, Shelley Watts-Cross and David Turkheimer, the King Shepherd is a cross between German Shepherds of American descent, Alaskan Malamutes, Great Pyrenees and then re-crossed to German Shepherds of European descent. The overall result is a very large majestic looking German Shepherd. One of the advantages of this breed is that it addresses many of the inherent health problems characteristic of the German Shepherd such as elbow dysplasia.

Commercial Dog Food Could Be Poisoning Your Dog!

If you are a dog owner you're probably aware of the recent pet food scandal that has rocked the nation, resulted in several pet deaths, hundreds of animals falling mysteriously ill and the nationwide recall of 60 million packages of dog food products (and counting) as well as other pet foods!

The Culprit

Melamine: This is the substance at the center of the pet food poison scandal. Pure melamine is used to make plastics and fertilizer so how the heck could it make the transition into dog food? Well the story begins in China…kind of.

Animal feed producers in China have apparently for some time routinely supplemented their feed with melamine to artificially boost the protein content (which translates into more profit). Protein readings are done by assessing the nitrogen levels of the feed and guess what? Melamine has a high nitrogen content!

Unfortunately this sordid tale gets worse. As if adding poisonous melamine to your dog's food was not bad enough another toxic ingredient is routinely added to Chinese animal feed products. This substance is known as cyanuric acid. In the United States this stuff is commonly used to disinfect swimming pools!

Investigators looking into the hundreds of pet food poison related deaths now believe that the combination of those two ingredients in commercial dog food and other pet food synergistically elevated the toxins to the point where they became lethal to pets.

The Dirty Secret Close To Home

Although American food safety regulators are pinning the blame on pet food contaminated with Chinese animal feed products, the alarming truth is that dog food manufactured in the USA is also toxic to your pet!

Commercial dog food manufactured in the US contains no less than 6 deadly chemicals that have been banned as unfit for human consumption because they cause:

Hair Loss (fur loss);

Kidney Disease;

Liver dysfunction;

Stomach cancer;

Blindness;

Leukemia; and

Skin cancer, to name but a few! The substances that cause these problems are found in preservatives…

Oh But I Always Use Preservative Free Dog Food!

You may think that your dog is safe and healthy because you only insist on buying preservative free dog food. Well dog manufacturers have found a legit way around that too! Many dog foods labeled as preservative free in fact contain preservatives because the manufacturers exploit a loophole whereby they do not have to list any preservative that they themselves did not add.

And unfortunately many preservatives are added to pet foods at the rendering plant well before the meat is ever sent to the manufacturer. One of the most widely used and most powerful preservatives also happens to be one of the most toxic! It is called ethoxyquin (EQ) and you aren't going to see it listed on your dog food label anytime soon (even though it is in that "preservative free" dry pet food you love to buy) because the manufacturer has no legal obligation to list it.

Although ethoxyquin is permitted in pet food, workers exposed to this substance showed symptoms similar to those of people exposed to agent orange (poisonous herbicide used by the US government in Vietnam War that caused cancer and other diseases).

Your Dog Is Eating Dead Dogs And Dead Cats!

Perhaps the sickest part of this sick tale is that euthanized (put down) dogs and cats are recycled as chow for your pet! The city of angels (Los Angeles) is known for the devilish practice of recycling approximately 200 tons of dead cats and dogs each month into pet food!

Arrrgghh…disgusting huh?

Still it gets worse; poisonous disinfectants and denaturing chemicals are used to treat those recycled dead animals and "render them safe" for your dog's consumption, not to mention the fact that the toxin used to kill those animals (sodium pentobarbital) can withstand the heat used in the denaturing process.

Bottom line: If you love your dog and want to see him/her live to a ripe healthy old age, perhaps it is time you considered alternative means of nutrition!

Dog Breed

Caucasian Mountain Dog

History: Also known as the Caucasian Ovtcharka, this is an old breed of dog with Molosser origins. The word ovtcharka is Russian and translates as sheepdog or shepherd. The Caucasian Mountain dog is a large attractive dog which somewhat resembles a bear. It hails from the Caucasus regions which encompasses Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Daghestan, Iran and Turkey. Although this dog was bred as a protector of livestock against predators it has had quite an illustrious history in other careers most notably as a service dog. The Caucasian Ovtcharka debuted in East Germany in the late 1960s as a border patrol dog guarding the BerlinWall; when the Wall came down in 1989 the 7,000 or so dogs that made up the canine border patrol was disbanded and the dogs were relocated to families throughout Germany.

Anatolian Shepherd

History: Dating back to the Middle Ages this dog has been ever since by Turkish shepherds to protect their herds rather than herd them. The Anatolian Shepherd probably has some Tibetan Mastiff somewhere in its genes as well as influence from the vaunted Roman Mollosian war dogs that were brought to Turkey by the Romans 4000 years ago.

Afghan Hound

History: First introduced to the West in 1907 this dog's roots date back to the pharaohs of Egypt and is derived from the ancient sighthounds of the Middle East. The Afghan Hound eventually made its way to Afghanistan where it exists in three varieties: short haired; fringe haired and the long thick haired much favored in the West and a darling of dog shows.

Dog Evolution

Around 54 to 38 million years ago a new line of meat-eating mammals evolved. They became known as the carnivores and were distinct from all other meat eaters for the fact they possessed a unique feature – four carnassial teeth. Only carnivorous mammals possess teeth that adapted from a crushing chewing mechanics to a tearing and ripping mechanism facilitating cutting through flesh.

Modern day carnivores are believed to have evolved from two separate ancestral lines at some point:

1. Hesperocyon which habited North America 38-26 million years ago. This was perhaps the first genus to have developed an inner-ear anatomy a feature characteristic of the canine family.

2. Amphicyon which dominated the Eurasian continent for millions of years inter-lapping the same time frame as Hesperocyon. However somewhere along the line it is believed that the Amphicyon line died out.

Around 26-7 million years ago during the Miocene era Hesperocyon evolved into 42 different genera of canines with dog-like features of which Leptocyon (12 million years ago) an evolutionary descendant of Hesperocyon eventually evolved into the Canidae from whence came the modern canids which include wolves, foxes, jackals and hyenas.

Interestingly enough up until 10-20 million years ago bears and dogs were actually members of the same family before their evolution diverged to continue along separate paths. The ancestors of dogs are known to have evolved in response to climatic changes as well as changes to the environment. As tropical forests were superseded by vast areas of wide open savannah and steppes, so came into being the large herds of herbivores that are still present today in Africa.

Where beforehand the dog may have been a solitary hunter with the change in the environment it became expedient for the dog to evolve into a pack animal with a well formed social stratum. In this way dogs were able to successfully hunt and tackle the much larger prey that was characteristic of the grazing herds of herbivore. This pack mentality is still evident in the domestic dog as witnessed by roving packs of stray dogs in urban areas.

It is this innate ability of dogs to develop social relationships (inherited from wolves from which the domestic dog was bred) that is the basis of their success as a species!


Dog Breeds

Poodle

History: Though most credit France as the Poodle's country of origin this dog was probably derived from curly-coated dogs out of Central Asia. Some consider the Barbet as the earliest incarnation of the Poodle. The name Poodle however is derived from the German word pfudel

which means puddle or splash in keeping with the Poodle's water loving nature. The Poodle has had a many faceted career through history with uses which include: military dog; guide dog; water-hunting companion and circus performer.

Alaskan Malamute

Great Dane

HISTORY: The Great Dane is misnamed because it originated from Germany not Denmark. In fact in 1880 the German authorities insisted that it only be referred to as Deutsche Dogge following its early "adoption" by the British gentry and their subsequent change of its name! The Great Dane was much revered for its hunting prowess and regal stature. This breed of dog was probably derived from a combination of the Greyhound and some breed of Mastiff explaining its sleek lines and large size.

Dachshund

Chihuahua

History: The Chihuahua, the smallest breed of dog has a controversial history of origin. On eschool of thought has it that the dog originated from China and was introduced to the New world by the Spanish armies of Hernando Cortes in 1519; the other school of thought postulates that the Chihuahua is a descendant of the Techichi, a dog bred by the ancient Toltec civilization of Mexico for sacrifice. Whatever the case, the truth probably lies somewhere in between. The native sacrificial dog, the Techichi likely cross-bred with the small hairless Chinese dogs that were introduced by Spanish.

What is well documented though is that in 1850 three very small dogs were "discovered" in Chihuahua, Mexico (hence the name) and were introduced to the United States. The Chihuahua breed never caught on in the US until it was popularized by Xavier Cugat (aka the rhumba king) who appeared very often in public with one as his companion!

Rottweiler

The Rottweiler is a large muscular dog with males measuring from 24 to 27 inches at shoulder height while females stand from 22 to 25 inches.

German Shepherd

History: Also known as an Alsatian, the German Shepherd is one of the smartest dogs as well as one of the most popular dog breeds. The German Shepherd breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz a German cavalry officer in the 1890s. In 1899 Stephanitz acquired his first breeding stud dog which he renamed Horand vom Grafrath from Hector Linkrshein and this dog became the foundation of the German Shepherd breed.

Breed Group:

Labrador Retriever

HISTORY: The Labrador is one of the world's most popular dogs and originated from the St. John's region of Newfoundland. In fact this dog was not initially known as the Labrador Retriever but as The Small Water Dog to distinguish it from the larger Newfoundland.

Golden Retriever

The Golden Retriever is one of the most popular of dogs.

Dog Grooming

Smartest Dog Breeds

Origin of Dogs

The modern dog comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and were once thought to have originated from differing genetic pools. However scientists today believe that the dramatic differences found in dogs is as a result of intensive breeding over the last 500 years by humanity!

Previously dogs were thought to have originated in the Middle East but now scientists believe their origin was from a handful of wolves tamed by humans in or around China less than 15,000 years ago. Their research suggests that all dogs today have a common genetic pool backtracking to only three females known as the so-called "Eves" of the dog world!

Dog Domestication Began In The Country That Banned Them!
Dogs (Canis Familiaris) were domesticated from their not-too-distant cousins the wolf (Canis Lupus) and until recently the origins of that domestication process was still in doubt. Scientists originally favored the Middle East as the birth place of the domestication of dogs on the premise that several other species of animal were first domesticated there. Another favorite region for the initiation of the domestication of the dog was the West, probably because of the abundance of the various dog breeds.

New research however almost conclusively rules out those regions despite the fact that the best archeological evidence puts the earliest dog domestication occurring in Irael and Germany.

Mapping the Origin of Dogs
The steps to tracing the origins of dog domestication were tentative and came in fits rather than a cascading torrent. One of the early clues was observed by a scientist who noted that a distinctive feature of the modern dog traced back to only one population of wolves; Chinese wolves! The particular feature in question was found in the dog's cheek bone.

Research conducted by Peter Savolainen of the Royal Institute of Technology of Stockholm which analyzed dog DNA samples taken from canines from across the globe revealed that the greatest genetic variation was found in East Asia indicating that domestication of the dog most likely started there, specifically in China which is somewhat ironic seeing at some point in that country's history they banned dogs on the basis they were an affectation of the bourgeoisie!


Dogs