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.

Establishing A Positive Behavioral Training For Your Dalmatian

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The key to having a good relationship with a Dalmatian, whether he is a member of the family as an older dog or comes as a puppy from a litter, is in the amount of attention and affection with which you establish boundaries of behavior. They are eagerly responsive to attention, games, praise and positive training.  However, they have a sharp memory for negative or harshly corrective actions. They will respond much more readily to rewards for approximating desired behavior than being forced into the position or posture you wish them to assume.

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Dog Training Tips To Get Your Dog To Obey!

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The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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The difference between holding out a reward until they sit versus pushing down on their hindquarters while pulling up on their lead and commanding them to “sit!” lies in two critical areas.  They will more readily and consistently respond to a “sit” command taught through play learning, and they will not start calculating how they can avoid you or avoid sitting, or get back at you for the “pushy” approach.  No dog is happily responsive to abusive training practices, but the Dalmatian has a peculiarly sharp memory for affronts.  If they have had a bad experience learning how to sit, they are almost certain to resist other obedience lessons which take on the same manipulative tone.

Many people think that a Dalmatian has nervous temperaments, excessive energy and are hyper. This generalization is unfair to the breed, because good temperament has been a specific focus of breeders for the last twenty years. There is little question that in any planned breeding program, you can select for bad temperament just as you can select for good temperament.  Parentage, pedigrees and the variety of genetic possibilities force breeders to contend with that possibility.  It is one of the conscious considerations in every breeding decision.

There is no question that a Dalmatian get excited when someone comes on the property or to the door. They want to be the first one there to check out the visitor.  Proper training will take care of any barking or control problems in this area, but guests who are greeted in this manner, especially those who have heard that Dalmatians are “hyper,” could easily confirm what they have heard by the excitement they first see.  Hopefully, they will stay long enough to see the excited greeting followed by the normal pattern, which usually includes acceptance followed by settling back down for a snooze under the table.

If Dalmatian puppies have been raised in a calm environment with their mother; if they have been touched, petted and handled regularly by the breeder; if they have been properly vaccinated and wormed; if they have been weaned to a good quality puppy food; if they were taken from their litter by their new owner no earlier than seven weeks of age; and if they were introduced to their new home life with kindness and thoughtfulness, then chances are good that you will not see any behavior abnormalities in your Dalmatian.

Why Does A Poodle Have Those Interesting Haircuts?

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The Poodle coat consists of two types of hair. The outer coat should be thick, wiry and curly. The undercoat must be soft and woolly to provide warmth. Puppies, however, are exceptions. Poodle puppy coats are soft and fine with little or no curl, but often with a slight wave.

As the dog matures into adulthood, the coat develops a thick, curly quality. The best way to judge a puppy’s potential adult coat is to look at the parents. If they carry good coats, their
puppies will likely possess them too.

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Ever since the first hunters trimmed their retrieving dogs to prevent drowning, the Poodle hairstyle has been a favorite topic of conversation among dog people. Initially, Poodles sported either a Continental clip or an English Saddle clip. Now, hundreds of years later, these are still popular as they are required clips for show dogs.

Puppies under one year of age are shown in a simple trim known as a “Puppy clip”. Only the face, throat, feet and base of tail are clipped. The tail displays the characteristic pompom at its end. The body coat is lightly trimmed to give it a neat unbroken line for a pleasant appearance.

The “Continental clip” has full hair around the chest and rib cage, with shaved hindquarters and legs. Large pompons are sculpted over each hip above the area of the kidneys (optional) and around the ankles for protection from the cold.

The “English Saddle clip” permits a short mantle of hair over the hindquarters and full
coat from the waist to the topknot and ears. The ankle and knee joints are also protected with pompons.

All Poodles are given a topknot of hair over the skull that is brushed out and groomed to stand erect in a rounded pompon. Adult dogs must be shown in either the English Saddle or Continental clip; the only exception being competitors in Stud Dog classes, for which a Sporting clip is permitted. The English Saddle and Continental are the clips of choice for the conformation ring around the world, except in the UK, where the Lion clip is preferred.

Pet Poodles and those not being shown in breed conformation classes at dog shows are usually groomed in styles designed for ease of maintenance. Often the body hair is clipped short, with the legs trimmed a bit longer. Some male Poodles sport tiny mustaches around the muzzles. The pet style is usually determined by the owner’s willingness and capability to maintain the coat in a well-groomed fashion. In addition. a Poodle that spend a lot of time outdoors are usually kept shorter because it’s easier to keep the coat clean when the hair isn’t too long.

The Current Poodle Breed Standard (Part 2)

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Neck, Topline, & Body: The ideal Poodle has a neck that is “well-proportioned, strong and long enough to permit the head to be carried high and with dignity.” The topline is “level, with the exception of a slight hollow just behind the shoulder.”

The shoulders should be strong and “smoothly muscled,” with the shoulder blade “well laid back and approximately the same length as the upper foreleg.” (Well-laid-back means about 45 degrees.) The forelegs should be straight and parallel when viewed from the front. When seen from the side, the elbow should be “directly below the highest point of the shoulder.”

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The feet are “rather small, oval in shape with toes well arched and cushioned on thick firm pads.” They should not turn in or out. The angle of the hindquarters balances that of the forequarters. The hind legs should be “straight and parallel” when viewed from the rear.

The chest should be “deep and moderately wide with well-sprung ribs.” The loin is short, broad, and muscular. The tail is docked, “set on high and carried up.” A tail that is set low, curled, or carried over the back is a major fault.

Gait: The show ring gait (movement) of a Poodle should be “a straightforward trot with light springy action, and strong hindquarters drive.”

Coat: The coat can be “Curly of naturally harsh texture, dense throughout,” or “Corded: hanging in tight even cords of varying length, longer on mane or body coat, head, and ears; shorter on puffs, bracelets, and pompons.”

For showing, a Poodle must appear in one of the following traditional clips: a puppy clip, (for dogs under 12 months of age); the English saddle clip; the continental clip; or the sporting clip (for non-competitive classes like veterans or for stud classes).

Colors: Poodles may be of any solid color: apricot, black, blue, brown, cafe au lait, cream, gray, silver, or white, with black and white being the most common. Whatever the color, however, it must be solid. Any parti-colored Poodle, for instance a black dog with white paws or chest, is disqualified from the show ring-—although they make charming pets.

The Origin Of Today’s Poodle

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Today’s Poodle

Theories on the precise origin of the Poodle vary from authority to authority, but it has been agreed that three sizes could be found throughout Europe: small (but not toy), medium and large. The desired color of well-bred Poodles was black, with white, brown or partial colored dogs being regarded as lesser quality.

The large and medium-sized dogs were extraordinary swimmers and eager retrievers.

Since they had to work in extremely cold waters, Poodles made good use of their profuse coat; however, the very thickness of the coat was a hindrance to their swimming and potentially hazardous in the swamps and reeds in which they worked.

To overcome this problem, hunters devised styles of shearing that bared the hindquarters to allow for free use of the back legs, which in turn gave the dogs more swiftness and lightness in swimming.

Regardless of variety, the Poodle is one of the most intelligent of the canine race, having within its own breed great variations of character.

In fact, there is something more human than canine about most Poodles, which quality makes them unique dogs and enchanting companions.

Whatever its origin, the Poodle is a well-established breed, for – as far as standards and records show – it has scarcely changed through the centuries, and the various standards of different countries today are much alike. The Poodles of today are a lot higher on the leg, as well as longer and narrower in the head and muzzle than formerly.

If this fashion in type does not become too exaggerated, it improves the natural grace and beauty of the breed.

Today’s Poodle Styles

The various styles of clipping the Poodle are a matter of taste. The two seen most today are the Continental, which leaves the hindquarters bare, with rosettes on the hips and hocks; and the English or saddle clip, in which a short, clipped blanket of hair covers the hips. The fashion of clipping the Poodle has sometimes been called artificial, even detrimental to the dignity of the breed, but it is such an ancient tradition and in many ways so practical, that it is certain to continue. One has only to know a Poodle for a brief time to realize that its great natural dignity, vitality, and sportsmanship are not diminished but rather enhanced by this unique and ancient style of clipping parts of the coat.

Until recently, Poodles in the show ring could be seen with bright ribbons adorning their topknots. This tradition began when different colors of ribbons were used to distinguish one dog from another when they were in the water hunting for their masters. The method by which the Poodle hunted on land entailed his flushing of the game for his master, or, in some cases, actually attacking the game himself. During the period in which the Poodle was known as the “Water Dog” his hunting was not a sporting diversion for his master, but a very serious and necessary means of obtaining food. Thus, because of the importance of the hunt, those Poodles selected to work in the woods had to meet exceedingly stringent requirements. Hunters required dogs that were intelligent, obedient and reliable, traits still present and revered in the Poodle today.

Anal Sac Problems In Dogs

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Something that you may not have understood about your dog before are his anal sacs. These two sacs are located in the muscle tissue on either side of the anus at the five and seven o’clock positions. An intensely malodorous secretion, usually brownish and watery in appearance, resides within the sacs.

The anal sac fluid, which emerges through two tiny ducts, serves an unknown purpose in the dog. It may help dogs mark territory or enable them to distinguish one another’s sexual identity, according to different theories. Whatever their purpose, the anal sacs of most dogs can be ignored throughout life. Other dogs, however, are bothered by periodic anal sac problems. They show it by madly dragging their hindquarters across the floor or biting and licking at the tail area. These dogs need to have their anal sacs manually emptied (expressed). A few need to have the sacs surgically removed.

How often may your dog’s anal sacs need to be expressed? This depends on whether your dog is one who suffers from bouts of impaction or from actual anal sac infections. Some dogs need monthly attention, while others can go several months without a problem. This is best discussed with your veterinarian, especially if anal sac impaction affects your dog. Should you feel you want to empty the anal sacs at home, here are some guidelines.

1. Begin by standing the dog on a firm surface. The floor will do fine with a large dog, while a table (with surface protected) may be necessary to express the sacs of a small dog. Hold a piece of cotton or paper towel in one hand to cover the anal area. This is useful because the secretion usually squirts out from the ducts once pressure is applied over the sacs.

2. With the absorbent material in place, put your thumb on one side of the anus and your index finger on the other. Gently squeeze your fingers together until the contents of the sacs begin to emerge from the ducts. Usually, the secretion is quite watery, but if it’s been retained for a while, it may resemble toothpaste. Don’t use excessive force, or you may rupture the delicate sacs.

3. Another method of expressing the anal sacs involves inserting your gloved and lubricated forefinger into the anus and feeling for each anal sac individually within the sphincter muscle. Then, grasping it between your thumb and finger, gently press on the sac until the fluid is released. This procedure should not be painful but it may be uncomfortable for the dog, so you’ll probably need somebody to hold the animal.

If you find that the secretion won’t budge, first try redirecting the pressure. Occasionally, the sacs will be completely impacted and then it’s time to see the veterinarian. This also holds true for secretion containing pus or blood, which indicates an infection of the anal sacs. If not treated promptly, they could become abscessed, which is very painful. Anal sac infections are frequently treated with oral and local antibiotics. The latter is inserted through the ducts into the anal sacs themselves.

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