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.

Why Your Dog Loves Barking At The Mailman

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Your dog probably doesn’t have anything personal against the mailman. He’s just taking care of his own. In fact, it is safe to say that every dog has a little watchdog in him. It’s something that dogs inherit from their ancestors, who had to defend their territories and limited food supplies from trespassers.

To a dog, the great thing about mailmen is that they appear to be easy targets. Here’s what happens:

The first time a dog heard this stranger coming up the walk, he got alarmed. He probably backed up a little bit at first, but one brave day, he gave a little bark. His owners came running to see what was causing the commotion. The mailman, of course, dropped off the mail and left. The combination of praise from his owners and the mailman’s retreat makes dogs very happy. They just assume that they scared the mailman off. From then on, they feel confident that they can protect their homes from these fearsome visitors, so they keep barking.

Mailmen, meter readers, United Parcel Service and FedEx couriers, and any other stranger who purposely heads up to the house and then looks as though he’s retreating when he gets barked at is going to get the same reception.

Nearly all dogs have an instinctive urge to protect their homes, but that’s not the only reason they kick up a fuss when the mail arrives. Part of it is merely anticipation. Dogs are attuned to rituals and routines to such an extent that they’d probably be called obsessive-compulsive if they were people. The mail comes every day at more or less the same time. It doesn’t matter whether this event is happily anticipated or thoroughly dreaded.

Dogs probably begin thinking about it when they get up in the morning, and their excitement grows as the time approaches. By the time the mailman finally arrives, they’re keyed up and ready to rumble. It can get to be the high point of their days. Dogs who spend their days alone get particularly excited because they feel as though they’ve been left in charge. If they don’t bark like crazy and warn off intruders, who will? They figure they’re on duty should anyone approach their property.

Personality And Behavior Of An Active Dalmatian

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Behavior and personality are two qualities which are hard to standardize within a breed, even the Dalmatian.  Although generalizations are difficult to make, most Dalmatians are alert, extremely energetic and affectionate toward their owners.  They make great working dogs because they have the capacity to be loyal and determined and have the stamina to work all day long.  This is not a breed to be cooped up in a house all day; this is not the breed for the hectic family with no time for the dog; this is not the breed to be tied in the backyard to serve as a watchdog.

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Behavior and personality are incredibly important in dogs and there seem to be quite evident extremes in the Dalmatian. The earliest of the breed were bred for guard work and that did not make them ideal house pets.  They were considered as working dogs.  Today’s Dalmatians seem far removed from their earliest ancestors.  Still, they are high energy dogs and dog owners need to provide a channel for that energy.

The ideal Dalmatian is neither aggressive nor neurotic but rather a loving family member with good self-esteem and acceptance of position in the family “pack.” Because the Dalmatian is a powerful dog and can cause much damage, it is worth spending the time when selecting a pup to pay attention to any evidence of personality problems.  It is also important that all Dalmatians be obedience trained.  Like any breed of dog, they have the potential to be vicious and unruly without appropriate training; consider obedience classes mandatory for your sake and that of your dog.

Although many Dalmatians are happy to sleep the day away in bed or on a sofa, most enjoy having a purpose in their day and that makes them excellent working dogs. They need long daily walks or runs and as well as events that involve family members.  Do not let Dalmatian pups run unrestricted because it can increase their risk of developing orthopedic disorders.  All Dalmatians owners are encouraged to enroll their pets in obedience classes to learn limits of unacceptable behaviors.

As a pet owner, there are several activities that you can share with your Dalmatian. They not only make great walking and jogging partners but they are also excellent community volunteers.  If properly trained, the loyal and loving Dalmatian will be your personal guard dog.  For Dalmatian enthusiasts who want to get into more competitive aspects of the dog world, conformation showing, road dog trials, obedience, utility, agility, hunting, guarding, tracking, herding and search & rescue are all activities that can be considered.

Physical Traits Of A Standard Dalmatian

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The Dalmatian’s spotted coat makes him instantly recognizable.  He has a global reputation as a fun loving fashion statement.  But more than a movie star, the Dalmatian is a tireless dog who has the energy to jog for miles, as his carriage escorting ancestors did for years.

The information provided in this article is not intended for show dogs and does not deal with the conformation of champions and how to select one. The description given here provides basic information about the stature of a Dalmatian and qualities of a physical nature.  Since standards come and standards go, measuring your Dalmatian against some imaginary yardstick does little for you or your dog.  Just because your dog is not a show champion, it does not mean that he is any less of a family member.  And just because a dog is a champion does not mean that he is not a genetic time bomb waiting to go off.

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When breeders and those interested in showing Dalmatians are selecting dogs, they are looking for those qualities that match the breed “standard.”  This standard changes from time to time and from country to country.  Thus, the conformation and physical characteristics that pet owners should concentrate on are somewhat different and much more practical.

Dalmatians were originally bred to be medium-sized dogs.  However, as they were used for more and more guard work, they were bred to become much larger.  Most adult males are between 22 and 24 inches at the withers and female Dalmatians are about 1-2 inches smaller.  The normal weight range for the breed is between 40 and 70 pounds.

It is not unusual to see dogs considerably larger than the breed standard allows and some males may be 27 inches at the withers and 90 pounds.  Dalmatians in Britain tend to be larger than American varieties.  Larger dogs are not necessarily better dogs.  Dalmatians were never intended to be considered “giants” and the increased size might promote some medical problems which tend to be more common in larger dogs.  Evidence shows that the larger members of the breed might be more susceptible to orthopedic disorders such as elbow dysplasia and hip dysplasia.

There are two “approved” colors for Dalmatian: white with black spots and white with liver/brown spots.  The “spots” tend to be focal and less than 5 cm (2 inches).  Larger areas of color are referred to as patches and will disqualify a Dalmatian from the conformation show ring, though these patches have no health impact.

Choosing A Mixed-Bred Dog

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Any dog with two or more ancestors of different breeds is called a mixed-breed. There are probably as many mixed-breed dogs in this country as there are purebreds, largely the result of failure to alter or contain pets properly. However, it is important to realize, of course, that each of today’s purebred dogs began as a calculated experiment in selective breeding by a fancier with a definite purpose in mind, to engineer a new breed to suit a specific need.

Mixed-breed dogs are normally no better or worse than purebred dogs with regard to temperament and physiology. Keep in mind that a mixed-breed dog is simply the product of purebred animals. There is no process occurring that would make mixed-breed dogs far better or far worse than purebreds. Some people insist that mixed breeds are hardier than purebreds because they come from a larger gene pool, but this is not generally true. If today’s mixed breeds were farther removed from their purebred ancestors – say, ten or twenty generations – there might be validity to that claim. But this is not the case. The vast majority of mixed breeds had a purebred parent or grandparent and will therefore approximate their physiology and temperament, albeit with some minor and often interesting variations.

Mixed-breed dogs are always available, unlike purebreds, which often require a search and then a waiting period. Shelters in this country are filled with mixed breeds of all ages, as a result of the irresponsibility of owners. They are also very affordable, usually costing only the price of altering, licensing, and vaccinations. Purebred dogs on the other hand can cost anywhere from three hundred dollars for a pet-quality puppy of a popular breed to well over a thousand dollars for a large or rare show-quality dog. In addition, if you get a mixed breed through a shelter, you will most likely be provided with some educational material, and you may also be given an opportunity to enroll in an obedience class.

There are drawbacks to acquiring a mixed breed dog, however. It is hard to predict the size that a mixed breed pup will attain when fully grown. In a year you could end up with a two-hundred-pound pet. Even more important, you will usually know little or nothing about the dog’s history or breeding. Was the dog abused? Hit by a car? What were his parent and litter-mates like?

Understanding Dog Behaviour for Successful Dog Training

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The normal mistake is that most people always thought dog behavior as can only be good or bad where actually it is most likely be both.

Behavior challenges are as widespread with dogs as they are with us humans.

Just like people, where behavior can be shaped and replaced, dog behavior can be altered by modification programs.

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Behavior modification engage consideration, and alteration of dog behavior through reward and punishment exercises conducted again and again which at times can last for weeks or months.

The belief that you cannot train an old dog new tricks is certainly erroneous. Even though there is no guarantee that training will solve all dog behavioral problems, they do establish a solid groundwork for solving just about any dog problem.

Understanding that dog behavior changes quickly from time to time, constant training and consistency is therefore important in shaping dogs behavior.

Since dogs are unlike people who adapt their many behavioral qualities from their ancestors, people have the psychological competence to self-alter their behavioral instinct with an improved behavior by logical reckoning which are not likely with dogs.

However since dog behavior are most of the times developed from where they live and who has owned them before, it is absolutely likely that the change of owner behavior and environment where the dog is living could modify their behavior traits.

There again, once you understood the reason following each of the dog behavior problems, then you can solve it by modification programs, whether the behavior challenges comes from separation anxiety, territorial aggression, health issues or awful previous owners.

These grounds are as valid as the grounds sometimes we as human being misbehave, like littering, throwing tantrums, and other behavior nuisance that we normally felt as a turned off in this civilized world.

For example, your dog might be misbehaving because to separation anxiety, and then you know how to precondition your dog to your absence by giving a safe toy and by increasing the absence of your company gradually.

While if your dog show aggression due to territorial protectiveness, then you can condition him to more public places so that your dog can be used to more people and show a lesser amount of aggression due to his territorial protectiveness.

For as long as you start your modification programs with the right mindset that there is nothing uncommon about your dog behaviour problems, then you will have a much special relationship with your dog.

Starting with this right mindset and attitude is the one thing you need to have in order to be a responsible dog owner.

Then again, to be more effective in training your dog, it is recommended that you know what kind or method to be used based on the reason behind the behaviour problems and this is where knowledge is significant.

You should get a good dog training Manual that can help you determine the modification exercises to be carried out.

At the end of the day dog training should comes with a fruitful and meaningful relationship between your dog and yourself. The effort spent on training your dog will certainly be worth it. Do it right and do it well and you will reap the rewards.

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