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.

Is Your Dog A Door-Dasher?

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About half of dogs that dash out of doors do so because they are frustrated by captivity. The others are often leader types and either trying to get into the house to socialize with their owners or to continue their social contact by attempting to leave with the owner.

Whatever the basic motivation, the act can be both financially and emotionally costly. Such door-dashing has seriously injured children and elderly people, caused premature birth in pregnant women, resulted in injury and death of the dog and, in many cases, causes an automobile accident when a motorist swerves to miss the dog.

When the problem involves a dog that dashes merely to get out there to run about the neighborhood, avoiding its owners’ pleas to return, the pet is usually unruly in other circumstances as well.

These cases often involve an independent, self-oriented (spoiled) dog. Other factors may involve an early history of unrestricted outdoor activity, followed by restriction because of some problem that has arisen outside (fighting, car chasing, etc.).

Some cases involve continuous frustration relative to neighborhood activities, such as the dog’s “fretting” behind a gate or at a window.

Depending on the excitability of the animal, it may develop the same type of stereotyped behavior seen in fence-running dogs.

Simple freedom-dashing may be tension relieving in itself, or the escaped dog may have a frustration target, such as passing cars, playing children, mail carrier or other animals.

Correcting The Problem

1. Approach the door or gate. (Of course, the door-dasher will be close by.)

2. Given an inward-opening door, abruptly open it no more than 2 inches and abruptly close it. An outward-opening door should be opened no more than an inch and then closed very quickly, or the dog may push through or get a pinched snout.

3. As the door is closed, the owner must abruptly move away from it at least 8 feet and praise the dog for following, after which the owner should be encouraged to remain still for at least a minute. If the dog remains at the door, steps 1, 2 and 3 must be repeated until the dog retreats along with the owner.

4. Step 3 must be repeated until the dog stays away from the door when the owner approaches it and when the door is opened. When this occurs, the door should be opened a full foot. If the pet dashes, the door should again be slammed shut and Step 3 applied with this larger opening.

5. Step 4 is repeated until the door can be opened to its normal exit width, with the dog staying at least 8 feet away from it. When this is accomplished the owner must stay inside, close the door, return to the dog and praise it quietly. Then the owner should remain in the house, going about some other activity for at least half an hour before repeating the procedure.

6. When the dog stays away from the door on the initial approach, the owner should then proceed outside, close the door and stay away for at least 15 minutes, after which she should return as nonchalantly as possible

If this method is applied daily for a few days, most dogs begin to ignore the comings and goings of their owners.

Dogs that are extremely tenacious in their efforts to dash through a door ahead of people often have a long history of frustration about barriers, or are highly motivated by a strong stimulus on the other side of the door.

Mutts Are Special Too!

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In setting official standards for mutts, everyone has used the guiding principle that dogs belong to the same species, called the Canis familiaris. All dogs come equipped with the remarkable blend of high intelligence, fierce loyalty, human-like emotions, boundless love, and the ability to smell leftover meat two blocks away.

It is us humans that have established differences among dogs. Some dogs were selected over centuries for astonishing traits of size and temperament. These dogs were bred for high purposes, such as the Mastiff for defending the Roman Empire, the Newfoundland for rescuing sailors, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever for retrieving ducks, and the Saint Bernard for saving lost mountaineers. These are purebred dogs.

To create a purebred, all matters are arranged by a responsible breeder. On the other hand, other dogs, such as strays, neighborhood dogs or most dogs who have ever lived have met and mated as they saw fit, without the help of humans. This is evident by simply looking at them. These are called, simply, “dogs.”

All dogs are capable of the greatest genetic elasticity among mammals, providing a dazzling array of coat types, head types, tail configurations, and placements. Dogs astonish us with their rich diversity, the 250-pound Mastiff and the five-pound Miniature Poodle are members of the same species, a heart the size of a peanut and a heart as big as a fist both beating with love for us, their best friends. Breeders can’t perform this trick with other types of species.

In the last century or so, dog breeders, carefully molding remarkable lumps of canine clay, have turned out an amazing array of more than 450 distinct breed types, although only 146 breeds and varieties are formally recognized by the American Kennel Club. Dogs meeting dogs for entirely unsupervised dates have done it a little differently. For example, Yorkies serenading a song of seduction to strong, silent Shepherd types, and Terriers falling for Chihuahuas. The results of this dizzying merry-go-round of random matches is nothing less than the richest, maddest, crazy-quilt variety of mammals of a single species on Earth: mixed-breed dogs. Surely there are thousands of types of mixed-breed dogs, roughly familiar, and yet each one unique, like snowflakes.

Examples Of Working Dogs (Part 1)

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Boxers: A well-bred boxer is a wonderful family dog. They have a coat easy to care for, are not too large, and tend to be well behaved with children. The boxer is an easy breed to train. Although generally friendly, it commands respect because of its size and square face. This is a very jumpy breed of dog, so if you choose the boxer be prepared. The naturally active boxer needs quite a bit of exercise in order to maintain a relaxed demeanor.

Bullmastiff: Bullmastiffs are just plain nice, easily cared for, slow-going, beautiful dogs. Most examples are tight lipped, so the saliva is not all over the place, as is true with other mastiff dogs. Trainers have never had reservations in recommending the bullmastiff to any family that had the space to house them properly.

Doberman Pinscher: The Doberman is a dog that has suffered from an unearned reputation of aggression. The fact is that they are almost everything but. Dobermans train as if there were some genetic predisposition toward the training itself. They are extremely sensitive and at the same time more defensive than the German shepherd dog. They have a very warm and responsive character. They always seem to have their heads somewhere on your body, or at least one part of their anatomy is touching you.

Giant Schnauzer: The giant schnauzer is a large, very classy, and elegant breed of dog that carries itself proudly in conformation and character. The giant schnauzer needs grooming to maintain the coat type, They are a bit stubborn yet are very bright and train well with consistent handling.

The male can appear a little sharp at times, showing his readiness to react to any adverse situation. Trainers who have trained this breed in obedience has found them to be quite responsive to consistent training. This breed may possess enough initiative to run a household. Although they are nice, they are best housed by experienced enthusiasts of giant schnauzers.

Great Dane: There are many problems that life has to offer the poor Great Dane, both physical and behavioral. The sheer size of this breed brings with it orthopedic and systemic medical trouble. When there is an aggression problem in the Great Dane it is further complicated by the dog’s size. Obviously, if you are bitten by a dog of this size you are likely to have severe injuries.

Many trainers have very successfully trained many Great Danes and they are a pleasure to work with. Not a breed for the first-time owner; this is a prince of breeds when the genetics are correct and the dog is in the hands of a capable owner.

Adopting A Shelter Dog & Raising Him To Be Well Behaved

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The number one reason dogs are brought to shelters is that they have “behavior problems.” That label covers a multitude of common canine misbehavior’s such as house-soiling, chewing, digging, and general rowdiness or hyperactivity.

If one of those bad habits is what landed your dog in a shelter, you’ll have to be willing to work to overcome it when you bring her home.
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Remember, too, that your dog will probably have been calling a shelter “home” for some time, and the rules of the shelter may not quite correspond to the rules of your household.

Your dog will have been living in a cage where housebreaking was irrelevant and barking was nonstop. He will not have seen furniture or stairs recently (or perhaps ever), and he won’t immediately understand that he isn’t allowed to teethe on your couch and climb on your kitchen counters.

If he’s been living by his own devices for several months or more, he’ll need some extra training so that he learns his manners and can live peacefully in your home.

If he’s a young puppy, especially if he was taken from his mother and litter-mates too early, he’ll need a lot of socialization from you and your family so that he grows up to be a normal, well-adjusted dog. You’ll have to teach him the things he should have learned, but may
not have, during his first few weeks of life: how to play, how to respect authority, how to accept correction and praise.

It’s never too early or late for a dog to learn all these things. While it may take somewhat longer to train and socialize a shelter dog or puppy, you’ll find that the training process will bring the two of you even closer together and help you learn to appreciate and respect each other right from the start of your relationship.

One thing your adopted dog does not need is your pity. There are a lot of adopted dogs who get away with shameful behavior because their people feel sorry for them. And we know many humans who use their dogs’ uncertain histories as excuses for all their problems. But dog needs your understanding and leadership, not your indulgence.

That is the lesson here: if your dog grew up on the streets, that may explain why he has no qualms about shredding your curtains, but it doesn’t give his license to do so. If he was or have been unkindly treated by someone in her past, that may explain why he initially mistrusts people, but it doesn’t give him the right to growl or snap at them. It’s going to take a magical mixture of forbearance and toughness on your part to help him adjust to the world outside the shelter.

2 Items To Insist From Your Breeder When Buying A Puppy

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1. Written Guarantee: Good breeders provide written guarantees against genetic disease. It is essential to get a guarantee on the hips and eyes of your pup, given the epidemics of hip dysplasia and various forms of progressive blindness among the nation’s dogs. The guarantee entitles you to a refund of the price of the puppy or a replacement puppy should there be a problem. The guarantee should also allow you to take your new puppy to your own vet within a certain period of time in order to have its good health independently confirmed before the sale is considered final.

Beyond the guarantee of your pup, you want to see copies of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) certificate on the hips of both parents, plus the Canine Eye Registration Foundation (GERF) certificate on the eyes of both parents. Do not take the breeder’s word that the parent animals are so registered. Good breeders will not be troubled by your request.

However, you must be prepared to run into the occasional breeder whom will not want to comply with your request. You are almost sure to run into “prominent” breeders who don’t believe in having their dogs’ hips and eyes checked, even if they are from seriously afflicted breeds.

Both in a personal quest for a dog and in researching this information I had this experience again and again. For instance, there is a dog breed about which Michele Lowell says in Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer’s Guide, “He is susceptible to hip dysplasia and serious tumors.” She urges: “Buy only from OFA-registered parents.” A leading breeder of this breed, a person who sits on the national club’s breed standard committee, told me she didn’t have her animals OFA-certified because “I’ve never had any hip problems. If I ever start, I’ll have my dogs checked.” Even in the midst of a plague of canine hereditary disease, this ton-of-cure-is-worth-an-ounce-of-prevention attitude is still common. Be ready to decide for yourself if you find it acceptable.

2. Restricted Transfers: Responsible breeders are answering the distress call of America’s dogs by trying to minimize inappropriate breeding. One way to do this is with “restricted transfers.” These can involve a contract between the new owner and the breeder stipulating that the dog will not be bred until it is old enough to be tested for inherited disease and has been certified disease free. Some restricted transfers require that the animal be spayed or neutered at six months of age, with AKC papers not passing to the purchaser until this is done. You may not be interested in acquiring a pet under such conditions, but you can be sure that breeders imposing them are deeply committed to improving the quality of their breed.

Examples Of Terriers (Part 1)

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Airedale Terrier: The Airedale terrier is a large dog with tremendous play drive. Exercise is imperative for this breed. Should you attempt to cheat your Airedale out of running, he will climb the walls. Airedale terriers have been found by trainers to be comical, energetic, easy to train. This breed is also very capable of protection or police work. Airedales require regular professional grooming, and many are actually plucked instead of cut. A well-groomed Airedale is a happy Airedale.

American Staffordshire Terrier: The American Staffordshire terrier is a close relative to the English Staffordshire bull terrier. Similar to the American pit bull terrier in appearance, this breed is AKC registered. The American pit bull terrier is still often bred for its fighting drive. The American Staffordshire terrier is more commonly bred for the show ring. As with all dogs, there are exceptions. We do not mean to imply that every American Staffordshire terrier will be gentle and that all pit bull terriers will be aggressive. Everything considered, many people recommend this breed for its loyalty toward family and its desire to comply.

Australian Terrier: The Australian terrier is a spunky little guy that is lively, stubborn, smart, adorable, and often slow to housebreak. It takes an assertive owner to command the respect of an Australian terrier. You would be marveled at the fine performances offered by this breed at obedience matches. Once you have earned his respect, you have gained a great little dog.

Bedlington Terrier: The Bedlington terrier resembles a lamb, is as stubborn as a mule, and is as cute as a bunny. Trainers who work with the lovely Bedlingtons claim that they can be trained like a dream and capture their hearts. She was great with the family and possessed the uncanny ability to read their minds. Some have a genetic predisposition to liver disease, but it is important to know that diagnostic tests are available in order to rule out this problem in your potential puppy.

Bull Terrier: The bull terrier is generally recognized as the dog of General George Patton or as Spuds McKenzie. This breed is known for its aggression toward other dogs and small animals. They do however tend to have good relationships with children because they perceive the youngsters’ vulnerability as part of the pack they should protect. Many trainers have trained bull terriers in obedience with good success. Unfortunately, obsessive-compulsive behaviors have been noted in this breed, which can be exhibited as tail chasing, obsessive licking, and self-mutilation.

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