Golden retrievers have long been one of the most favorite breeds of dogs for household pets. This breed is easy to take care of, very affectionate, and loyal. They are big enough to serve as guard dogs for the home but at the same time still friendly enough to cuddle and play with. While most golden retrievers are gold or cream in color, there has been quite a demand for the white golden retriever in recent years. However, there has been a debate about whether a white retriever is a different breed on its own or if they are just a variation from the existing breed.
Experts in the dog breeding industry have said that there is no such thing as a white golden retriever since this breed does not come in the white variation. What has been considered as white really is the pale, very light, cream-colored fur that some retrievers are born with.
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Why Fully Training Your Pet German Shepherd Is Critical
German Shepherds are large dogs that came from, naturally, in the country of Germany. German Shepherd history goes back to 1899 which makes them a relatively new dog breed. They are a very intelligent and obedient dog breed that originally was used for guarding and herding sheep. Today, because of their intelligence, size, and strength they are frequently used as military or police dogs. Their loyal and obedient nature also makes them ideal household pets and are one of the most popular dogs registered with the American Kennel Club.
Despite their loyalty and obedient nature, owning a German Shepherd can have a big potential downside. If they are not properly trained and controlled, their size and strength can make them dangerous. They may view other dogs or strangers as a threat to their home and family. When this situation happens, an untrained dog may bite or attack the other dog or person. While there are not concrete statistics on the how likely it is that a German Shepherd will bite, several reputable organizations state that they are more likely than other breeds to attack other dogs or people. This makes German Shepherd training critical for everybody who owns one.
There are a couple options when it comes to training a German Shepherd. Investing in a professional dog trainer is the first option. This could be a group training program at the local pet store or a private dog trainer. A personal trainer can be good because they give a dog more attention, but the group class can be good to get the dog used to being around other dogs and people. A do it yourself training program is the second option for dog training. There are several good programs available including some that you can download immediately on the internet.
If you spend a little time on training, German Shepherds can be fantastic pets. They can be cherished family members that are also a great protector for your home.
Commercial Dog Food – Is The Recent Pet Food Recall Finally Smartening People Up?
Commercial pet (dog) food is a multi-billion-dollar industry that seems to grow in sales each year that goes by, due to rising interest of dog health. What is happening here, are more animals being adopted or are more pet owners being sold on the idea that dogs absolutely must eat dog food in order to be healthy?
Surprisingly, the answer is the latter of the two possibilities. Dog owners seem to sheepishly think that their dogs will be healthier and have more energy by consuming processed commercial dog food.
There was an article written in the New York Times by a woman named Laura Cunningham. The year was 1981 and back then Laura reported that $4 billion dollars was spent yearly on pet food. Recently, when the pet food recall took place, the media reported in March of 2007 that people are now spending over $16 billion annually on pet food.
To further add an interesting statistic to the conversation, back in 1988 the American Pet Products Association ran their very first pet ownership research study and came back with their poll report which claimed that approximately 56% of every household in America had a pet, either a cat or a dog. The most current poll conducted states that approximately 63% of today’s US households maintains a pet in the family.
Not all statistics are accurate, but this only shows a 7% increase of household pets. Surely this 7% increase cannot be consuming the extra $12 billion per year in pet food that was eaten in 1981. In other words, less people bought pet food for their dogs and cats than they do today. With so many people buying commercial dog food and other pet foods, why then were they so surprised about the alarming pet food recall?
People Are Smartening Up
There are many dog and cat owners who can see through the advertising and myths of feeding a cat “cat food” and a dog “dog food”. However, most people seem to just fly through their lives, being busier than ever, and due to convenience, believe everything that corporations are telling them – or should we say “selling” them. However, the recent pet food recall has started to wake up many dog owners, and other pet owners, to the fact that these products may not be as important to dog health as the commercials claim.
Although many dog and pet owners neglect thorough research on nutrition and continue to believe that processed pet food is the best thing to feed their animals, it doesn’t mean that they do not care. We all want our pets to be healthy and have the best possible food that is good for them. And unfortunately, many of these pet owners truly believed they were doing the right things by their pets. Luckily, with tainted food causing many pets to get ill, as well as a few deaths, more and more people are starting to ask questions and find out the truth behind proper dog health for their pets.