Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

The Airedale

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Airedale History and origin:

Developed by crossing old English black and tan terrier with Otterhound bloodlines, the Airedale was first used in 19th century England for big game hunting, vermin killing, and police and military work. The breed is named after the valley of Aire in Yorkshire.

Description:

The tallest of the terriers, the Airedale stands 22 to 23 inches at the shoulder and weighing between 50 and 60 pounds. He has a strong, muscular, sturdy body and a wiry, non-shedding coat that requires daily grooming with a stiff brush and periodic clipping. Show dogs, however, need hand-stripping, a process that involves pulling dead hair out by hand to preserve the luster and hard texture of the coat. Color is normally black-and-tan, with some red and, less often, white markings.

About the Airedale:

This beautiful, strong, athletic breed exhibits all the tenacity and determination of a terrier, only in a larger package. The Airedale is stubborn and is often difficult to train. He learns slowly, so do not expect one to pick up on things as quickly as a German Shepherd or a Border Collie. The Airedale is active, sometimes flighty, and often sensitive to the demands of training. If an Airedale resists learning a certain command, the last thing you should do is get firmer with the dog. His resistance will only increase and could accelerate into panic. He should not be spoiled, either; a concise, incremental training technique needs to be implemented from puppy hood. Though affectionate with his owners, the Airedale tends to be suspicious of strangers and can show aggression toward people and dogs. He makes a great watchdog because of his territorial instinct. The Airedale cannot always discriminate between a friend and a stranger, however, and he may give your friends and your children’s friends a hard time. This breed is not recommended for families with young children. Early obedience training and lots of socialization with people and other dogs from an early age is mandatory.

Feeding Your Airedale

Recommended feeding for the Airedale is at least 1-1 ½ cans (13.3oz) of high-quality dog food or the fresh meat equivalent everyday with biscuit added.

Ideal home:

A house with a fenced yard is essential for this breed. The owner of an Airedale should be a strong, confident leader who combines firm discipline with patience and precision. Persons considering this breed should desire a dog that has an active, tenacious temperament and is reserved with strangers. Nervous persons will create a pushy, obnoxious dog that lacks confidence. Overbearing types may bring out fear-aggressive behavior. The Airedale needs daily exercise and makes a good jogging partner because of his athletic physique. If left alone for long periods, he might become destructive and noisy. This breed has a high prey drive, so be careful around small animals. He may not tolerate the hectic, unpredictable behavior of young children. Older children are okay, provided they can gain the animal’s respect by working him in obedience. The elderly and the disabled may have trouble controlling this energetic, driven Airedale.

The Afghan Hound

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Afghan hound History and origin:

Often referred to as the “Dog of Noah’s Ark”, the Afghan Hound is one of the oldest, if not the oldest breed in existence. He was used as a herding dog, a guard dog, and a hunting dog. The Afghan’s long coat allowed him to stay warm in the harsh climate of Afghanistan, something that his faster, short-haired cousin from Egypt, the Greyhound, would not have been able to do.

Description:

The Afghan Hound stands 25 to 27 inches at the shoulder and weighs between 50 and 60 pounds. He possess an athletic body that is capable of supple and agile movement. The shedding coat is long, silky, and hard to maintain. It absorbs moisture and odors and requires daily brushing and regular clipping to prevent matting. The feet and ears are feathered, and there is a topknot of long silky hair. The color may be silver, cream, black, brindle, black-and-tan, or a combination of shades.

About the Afghan Hound:

This fast, graceful sight hound is aloof, dignified, and somewhat snooty with all but his close family. He is very elegant and aristocratic by nature who is also reserved and suspicious toward strangers. Though warm and affectionate to his owners, the Afghan is a hunting dog who is very independent and will not tolerate boisterous children or uninvited attention. He may shy away from the unwanted petting hand of a stranger. This breed is very laid-back at home, happily curling up on a sofa idling the day away. However, he also needs plenty of exercise and free running to keep him fit. Training is difficult with the Afghan. Sensitive and not overly bright, he will balk if pushed too quickly. He processes information more slowly than other breeds. Training technique must therefore be clear, slow, and precise. Overbearing methods will only to panic the breed and possibly bring on fearful snapping. As with most sight hounds, the Sit and Come commands take an especially long time to teach. The Afghan needs to be socialized from an early age so as to limit his aloof, distrustful nature. This is not a breed to spoil or pamper, despite his beauty and his elegance. Spoiling will enhance a dominant attitude and increase the chances of aggression. Because of his hunting nature, this breed can also be small dog-aggressive and has a very high prey drive toward smaller animals.

Feeding: Recommended feeding for this breed is 1 ½ -2 ½ cans (13.3oz) of high-quality meaty product with added biscuit in equal part or 5 cupfuls of a complete dry food.

Ideal Home: The owner of an Afghan Hound should be an easy-going person who does not demand constant attention and affection from the dog. A hunter by nature, the Afghan Hound needs a big place for him to be able to run free and is therefore not suitable for apartment living.

The Alaskan Malamute

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History and origin: The Alaskan Malamute is named after a native tribe called the “Mahlemuts.”  He is closely related to other Spitz-types such as the Samoyed and has been used as a sled dog.  Bred for strength, endurance, and independence, he has the ability to tolerate extremely low temperatures.  Today the Alaskan Malamute is used in sled-pulling competitions, some being able to pull a sled weighing close to a ton.

Description: The Alaskan Malamute stands 23 to 26 inches at the shoulder and usually weighs 75 to 125 pounds, while some are even larger.  He is thick-boned and has a large, muscular body.  The weather-resistant coat is thick, heavy, and of medium length.  The undercoat is dense and insulative.  He sheds abundantly year- round, particularly in early summer.  Regular brushing will keep his coat in good condition.  The color may be black-and-white with an off-white undercoat, red-and-white, or gray-and-white with an off-white undercoat.

About the breed: This is a sociable, affectionate, fast, strong, intelligent, and powerful breed who is always friendly and good-natured but somewhat stubborn. Usually good with children , the Alaskan Malamute does not make a good watchdog, but he does have a high prey drive and will show aggression toward other dogs.  He can be impetuous, dominant, and challenging, and is not the most cooperative breed with regard to obedience training.

Early training is important due to the breed’s size, level of dominance, and aggression toward animals.  The “Come” command is the most difficult to teach a Malamute because of his independent, free-thinking nature, though the females tend to be less dominant and aggressive.  A firm, consistent training technique must be used with this sometimes resistant breed.

He tends to be quite vocal and can be very destructive if not exercised daily.  Though he is friendly, keep in mind that this large breed can knock over and hurt a child during play.  No roughhousing or chase games should be tolerated. The Malamute loves to dig and will create holes all over your yard.  A large kennel with a concrete floor will eliminate this problem.

This breed can be left outside during even the coldest winter.  Although they are almost always good-natured, there are a few cases of aggression toward people with this breed, particularly from the males.  Once this behavior occurs, it is very difficult to modify and usually results in the destruction of the animal.

The Alaskan Malamute lives for only ten to twelve years and can suffer from hip dysplasia, shoulder problems, and bloat.  He loves the cold and will suffer in warmer climates.  He needs exercise, but should not be run long distances due to his weight and susceptibility to hip and shoulder problems.  This breed eats large amounts of food and can develop diarrhea if the diet is changed too rapidly.

Altering can lengthen the  life of an Alaskan Malamute and help prevent aggression and other behavioral problems.

Feeding: Recommended feeding for this breed is 1 ½ – 2 ½ cans (13.3oz) of high-quality meaty product with biscuit added in equal part or 5 cupfuls of a complete, dry dog food.

Ideal home: This big, independent breed needs a  house with a fenced yard or kennel.  He needs a firm, consistent leader who is confident and physically able to deal with a powerful breed.   Training should begin early and should include daily socialization, handling, and grooming.  Spoiling, cautious, and overbearing persons should avoid the Alaskan Malamute, as should the elderly and the disabled.

Why a Labrador Retriever Is a Great Search-And-Rescue Dog

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The Labrador Retriever is often found working in airports, on street patrol, and in other public locations, as it has been found that they have the concentration capacity and staying power to maintain scent work in large, populated areas.

The Labrador Retriever is becoming more popular in this job and have been known for their ability to work among civilians without creating anxiety which is often known to occur when the more traditional police dogs such as German Shepherds and Dobermans are used.

Following in the path of the Saint Bernard, the Labrador Retriever has become a vital part of rescue teams. The Labrador’s superior scenting ability has made him one of the top Disaster Dogs. Because of their keen sense of smell, Labradors are being trained to find people buried by the debris of earthquakes or similar disasters.

The work is arduous and requires great concentration in dangerous surroundings; The dog must go to his task in the rubble of collapsed buildings, surrounded by the clamor of emergency vehicles, and often fire.

In these crisis situations, the air is usually choked with dust, smoke, and gas escaping from broken gas lines. A Labrador Retriever is able to focus on the human scent and locate trapped victims. Upon making a find, the Disaster Dog is trained to indicate this to his handler by barking and scratching gently at the spot.

The intensity of the bark generally indicates whether the victim is dead or alive. The handler calls in another team to verify and then notifies the rescue officials, who do the removal.

The Labrador Retriever works efficiently, in a calm, gentle manner, rather than the aggressive, almost attacking method exhibited by breeds that have been tried but eliminated from the program. Each Disaster Dog has undergone extensive training and must be fully reliable to work individually off-lead and be fully responsive to his handler.

Despite his desire to continue searching, a Disaster Dog must withdraw immediately upon command, as the handler may spot a danger that the dog is unaware of.

The Disaster Dog program is run by unpaid volunteers who teach the dog to master all obedience skills as well special techniques.

A Disaster Dog must be trained to climb over difficult obstacles, such as ladders, thin walk ways, rocks, and downed trees, and avoid broken glass, collapsing surface and other life-threatening situations. He must also be able to climb on through small windows or crevices where people may be trapped.

This type of work requires a superlative dog like the Labrador Retriever that is dedicated to saving lives, putting his own on the line without fear.

Teaching Your Labrador Retriever To Retrieve

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Mutual trust and understanding are required between the hunter and his Labrador Retriever before a satisfactory retrieving companion is developed.

The intelligent Labrador Retriever, brought up as a house pet with the love and understanding of the person who is to take him hunting, requires a minimum of training in order to accomplish the job.  Much of this training can be done in the house and a few minutes a day is enough.

Such things as blind retrieves and hand signals can become a game in the house with the dog learning to trust his nose as one of the important by-products.

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Introduction to feathers can be accomplished by tying feathers on a dummy or using a pigeon or chicken wing with the feathers intact.  Remember that a Labrador should hand you the object retrieved and not drop it on the ground as is allowed with other breeds.  This is also one of the requirements for a working certificate for a show dog.  One important thing should not be overlooked and that is allowing persons to throw just anything for a dog and not requiring the dog to bring it back and give it to them.  Let toys be toys, but certain definite other things should be reserved for training.

If a dog has a tendency to go off with the object you are training with outdoors, it is a good idea to reduce the available working space so that evading you is minimized.  In such circumstances, moving away from the dog may induce following and the training object may be retrieved as the dog passes.  His game of keep-away is thus converted to delivering the object for reward of the praise bestowed upon surrender of the object.

For outside work, training involves getting your Labrador Retriever to go far out, which is not possible in the house.  Introducing him to gunfire must also be done outdoors.  You can find a training aid called a dummy thrower that is very useful, but test it without your dog the first time as the dummy goes a long way.

For Labrador Retriever owners wishing to use a whistle for signals, one of the product that you can get is the Acme Thunderer.  With this type of whistle, one can almost talk as it is possible to make various other sounds.  One blast is commonly used for a dog to sit wherever he is, and three blasts to summon the dog to come towards or all the way back to you.  The single blast is used also to signal for the Labrador Retriever to pay attention when you plan to use hand signals.

Feeding Your Labrador Retriever: Part 2

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Many Labrador Retriever owners feed their pet semi-moist foods because they are easier to prepare than canned food and usually more delectable than regular dry food.

Semi-moist foods are usually packaged in easy-open pouches or as “hamburger patties.” The semi-moist foods contain much less water than canned foods, but they are expensive and loaded with sugar, preservatives, and additives.

These materials can sometimes produce allergic reactions that commonly result in skin biting or scratching by the sensitive Labrador Retriever. Though there are some semi-moist foods that are more nutritious than others, it is best to limit their intake to no more than ¼  of the dog’s diet, with the remaining ¾  being a quality dry food.

The dry-food category spans a large spectrum of quality, mostly commercial and professional. Most of the popular brands that are seen in supermarkets fall into the first category. The main problem with these is the amount the dog needs to consume daily in order to attain proper nutrition. Often, it is just too much, and leads to excessive elimination.

Check the recommended feeding amounts on the bag and apply it to the weight of your Labrador Retriever. If the suggested amount turns out to be more than your dog can easily eat in one meal, choose another brand. A second drawback of this type of dry food is that the mixture of ingredients often varies from batch to batch, due to fluctuations in which crop such as soy, wheat, oats, etc. is available at what time.  Therefore, the nutritional value may differ somewhat from bag to bag.

The “professional” meat-meal blends offer some improvement. These are the high-quality dry foods that are sold primarily in pet shops, specialty stores, and online catalogs. They offer a nutritious, balanced diet in an easily digestible form. The makers retain a standard blending procedure from batch to batch to insure a uniform product.

The suggested feeding amounts are adequate to fill a dog up without overfeeding him. Although such products may cost a little more than the regular dry food, in the long run they are no more expensive than brands that require more to be eaten.

A quality meat-meal-based dry food has also been shown to aid in the housebreaking a Labrador Retriever because this type of mixture usually contains bran or fiber in amounts that help to produce firmer stools.

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