Did You Know?
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About Dobermans
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Louis Dobermann was a Tax Collector and a Dog Control
Officer in a small town in Germany. He needed a dog that could keep up with
his horse as he collected taxes and would stay with him while keeping away
from strangers. Louis bred the Dobermann Pinscher to address his needs. He
took his dog with him when collecting taxes and carried the tax money in a belt
around the dogs neck. When robbers tried to steal the money, the dog would
run away from them in fear. If cornered, the dog became a ferocious fear
bitter. The separation anxiety ensured the dog would always return to his
master. Later during WWI and WWII, the Dobermans were used as patrol dogs
with the guards to alert to anything unusual. The natural alertness in these dogs
made them valuable alarm dogs. The German Sheppard and Rotteweiler
complimented the Dobermanns by adding aggression when challenging strangers.
In America, Dobermans were adopted by the US Marines as their dog of choice. They proved their worth in the Island jungles by informing their handlers of the enemy location with 'silent growls' (handlers could feel or sense the growl). This alerted the handler and not the enemy. The heat of the tropics did not bother these short coated dogs and therefore they did not pant as much or as loudly as thicker coated breeds. Several stories of Dobermans' protection of their handler and journeying to be re-united with their handlers are documented. The Dobermans have a single short coat unlike most dogs who have two coats (under-coat, outer-coat). This means the Doberman has no insulation against the weather. He feels the cold, heat and rain - they feel what we feel. Getting a Doberman (especially the females) to go out in the rain is a challenge and in some cases may require a doggy rain coat (for areas with frequent rain). The Doberman gets cold easily and should be watched for signs of cold (ie. shivering), they easily get frost bite on their ears, feet, tail and for intact females, on their teats. Heat stroke is a constant threat to Dobermans as their dark coat attracts the sun and sunburn on the ears is a risk. Most other breeds have an under coat that traps cool air against their skin and stops the sun from burning through. Wet blankets were designed to cool the Doberman and other short coated breeds by draping a cool, water soaked blanket over the dog when they are in the sun on hot days. Dobermans will seldom back down from a dog fight, but will usually become the victim. Due to the lack of coat and lose skin, any bite from another dog will grab soft tissue causing serious damage. Avoiding dog fights is a priority, even from smaller breeds. Dobermans, like Boxers, like to box, body slam and 'neck' when playing, they seldom bite and nip like other breeds. When a Doberman gets in a dog fight, this tendency proves to be a detriment as the Doberman has little experience with real fighting. If you are looking for an alarm dog, with high intelligence and
emotional needs, and is to be an indoor dog, maybe the Doberman is right for you. |
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Skunk de-odorizer
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The trick to eliminating the smell of skunk spray is to
neutralize the smell. This can be accomplished with the following formula:
450ml Hydrogen Peroxide 3% -Antiseptic for wounds (1 bottle) Mix ingredients together and use a sponge to soak the dog or cat thoroughly.
Let sit for 2 minutes and wash off with warm water. The smell will be gone
from your pet permanently, even in the rain. Increase the ingredients to
cover the entire spray area. This mixture has been proven to work better
than formulas sold by veterinarians. |
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Family or Pack?
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Dogs have no concept of a family, they only
understand pack dynamics. So when you adopt a puppy or dog, see your family
through his eyes and determine early who is pack leader, and next in charge.
Ensure the dog understands he is part of the pack and his position in the
hierarchy. All dogs in a pack have a contributing role in their pack that
makes them useful. Ensure your dog has a role to play so he has a sense of
belonging. Each pack has an alarm dog, if this is his role, encourage him
with praise when he alerts you to anything strange (sometimes you may not
know what but praise him anyway). If the dog alarms by barking out the
windows, you must get up and let him see you look out, then praise him and tell
him that's enough. This shows you acknowledged what he saw and you are OK
with it. He has done his job well. Caution: always visually acknowledge
what your alarm dog barks at and praise him before telling him to stop
barking. If you don't, you are contradicting his job and he may learn not
to alarm. Other roles in the pack include protector (guard dogs), and
babysitters (watches over the young while the pack is away). You can create a
role for your dog like therapy dogs or handicap aid dogs. Dogs can also
assist with medical problem like epilepsy or panic attacks. No matter what
the job, every dog needs something to contribute to it's pack to feel
valued. These dogs are always the happiest and best adjusted. |
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Intelligence = Emotions
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Many people look for the more intelligent breeds because
they are easier to train. Iintelligence can be defined as ability to
learn obedience, tricks and Agility. Intelligence in dogs could also mean
instinctual intelligence such as herding, hunting or retrieving. Whatever
the intelligence you are seeking, be sure you do your homework. A hunting
dog bred specifically for hunting through several generations may not be
easily trained for obedience (ie beagles). Just because they are difficult
to train in one sport doesn't mean they are not intelligent. With breeds
bred for intelligence in our society (ie. obedience), we have inadvertently
increased their awareness of their state. These dogs which include the
Doberman and German Sheppard, show emotional needs and can easily
get depressed. Separation anxiety is the most recognized signs of emotional
intelligence. Seldom is high emotions toward people displayed by
hunting dogs. For example, trialing beagles have only one thought -
to hunt. Socializing with people is a distraction for these guys and their
first opportunity to run into the field will always be their main objective. The
selection of a socially intelligent dog comes with it the responsibility for
the emotional state of the dog. |
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Alarming vs. Guarding
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The Doberman is the only large size alarm dog. Other dogs
classified as alarm dogs include: Pomeranians, Chihuahua, Toy/Miniature
Poodle. An Alarm dogs reaction is always based from fear unless trained to react differently. They will alarm their owner to anything 'out of the norm'. They often run up to a stranger and bark continually until their owner comes to investigate and tells the dog it is OK. The separation anxiety and natural fear makes them poor guard dogs. The emotional awareness of a Doberman suggests these dogs should not be left alone on guard duty. A Guard dog reacts out of aggression as per it's generations of breeding. Some guard dogs have been bred for confirmation and may react out of fear, but this is not what they were bred for. A guard dog is an independent thinker and will react independently to different situations (alarm, attack, wait). The guard dog has been bred to guard alone without assistance from man. |
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Doggie pee Spots
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Female dog pee has a concentration of hormones that will
kill grass leaving 'brown spots' on your lawn. Male dogs pee contains
nitrogen which helps grass grow. Have you ever noticed how grass is thicker
and taller in spots your male dog pees on? Un-neutered male dogs will mark every place a female dog pees to signal to other dogs that she belongs to his pack. By peeing on her pee, the chemicals are neutralized and there will be no brown marks nor thicker taller grass growth. In short, encouraging a male dog to 'mark' a female pee spot is a good thing for your grass. |
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Functionality vs
Appearance
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The majority of pet owners select their dog based on looks.
This proves disastrous for the dog when the new owners find they can't house
break or train the dog easily, the dog is too hyper, it has a tendency to
bite when playing with the kids or it barks too much. Unfortunately, if
functionality was a priority, this scenario would be less likely to occur. A
functionally active dog like the Dalmatian or the hunting bred Beagle
should not be captive in a home with little exercise. These dogs' high
energy will convert to destructive behavior or they'll develop a compulsive
behavior (ie playing with rocks). Jack Russels are well known for compulsive
behaviors. These are a high energy hunting dogs that were bred to chase
vermin 'to ground' (ie. rats, gophers). These guys are little to allow them
to follow their prey underground, but this doesn't mean they are cuddly.
Jack Russels are often found to be a poor pet with young children as they like to
bite when playing and can become aggressive. Most are too active to settle
down in a quiet family and frequently destroy their surroundings. These dogs
need regular exercise as they are high energy. Training is easier if you are
frequently active with your dog. The Dalmatian was bred to run with the firewagon and intercept dogs that would chase the horses. Dalmatians were bred
to run 20 miles a day. If you're a jogger, this may be the breed for you.
Pomeranians don't require a lot of exercise and an apartment would be fine
for them. They don't get along with small children and prefer to be in charge over
other pets. These dogs are great for older people without children or quiet
families with older children.
When adopting a dog, functionality should be the first priority, then
comes maintenance, then looks. Following this formula you should find the
perfect dog that will fit you're lifestyle. |
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Dog Trauma prevention
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Most dogs have a maturing period when they still require the
pack to protect them. Although a dog looks physically grown, mentally they
may still be puppies. The magic age of maturity for big dogs is about 2
years (females mature faster than males). During the time of immaturity the dogs
are susceptible to emotional
scarring from trauma which they will carry with them for life. An Example is
the attack of a big dog - whether in play or aggression. If the other dog
scares your immature dog, he may fear big dogs for the remainder of his life.
He will display this by appearing aggressive towards bigger dogs. In fact,
his fear dictates 'first strike' instinct, which is not aggression but a
stay away or else behavior. This also applies to any courage testing of your
dog. Do not perform a courage test with your immature dog, he still expects
you to protect him to an extent - by leaving him 'out there' without
support in a threatening situation, he may create insecurities and may ruin what
courage your dog may have had. Most Temperament and Courage test requires
your dog to be 18 months, which may be still too young for a large breed dog. To get the best results
without scarring your dog, wait until your dog is mature - big dogs should
be 28 months at least. Some dogs may be ready earlier but if you're not sure
- wait. |
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Puppies and Children
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Unlike popular belief, puppies and children are not a
perfect match. Under no circumstance should a puppy be left
unsupervised with a young child. A puppy is defenseless with no protection
from his mom, he is vulnerable to injury from a child by rough play, cruelty
or simply by the child falling or tripping on the puppy. A puppy is at an
early stage of learning social skills and may play rough or bite the child.
Puppies learn from their littermates and mom how hard they are allowed to
bite when playing but they are separated from them before this occurs. Without this direction, the
puppy will bite too hard without realizing his error and requires direction
from adults. If the puppy gets hurt or becomes scared, he needs someone to
run to for protection and consolation. Most parents blame the puppy and
punish them for biting or playing too rough - this is not the answer. The
puppy is alone and you are his new mom, to protect, teach and feed - that is
your role to the puppy. If you punish him instead of teaching him or are not
there to protect him, then the puppy is orphaned and alone in the world.
This will impact his emotional state and his confidence. Parents who take
the responsibility of adopting a puppy while having young children take on
the responsibility to protect the puppy from the children in the same way
they need to protect the children from the puppy. Most children go through a
stage of cruelty which put dogs and especially puppies at risk. Never leave
children and puppies unsupervised and don't allow children free access to a dog
or puppy. Both dogs and puppies need a place of their own where they can get
away from a threat or just be alone and sleep. A crate is the perfect place
for a dog to retire to. Place the crate in a quiet yet accessible place for
the puppy. The puppy should always be placed in the crate when he naps to
teach him that the crate is a safe, quiet place. Leave the door to the crate
open. Children and adults should never enter the crate or drag the dog out
of the crate. If the dog makes it to the crate he is safe - no matter what
he did.
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Cropping & docking: Functional or Cosmetic?
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The world is full of 'want to be do gooders' that have no
real knowledge of what they sometimes fight for. To stand for something
means knowing all sides of the story -not just the side they want to believe
in. Most 'do gooders' take an overly aggressive stand on their beliefs and
will not listen or even try to understand the other side of the issue. This
is the case for cropping and docking. There is a group of people who rally
support by declaring docking and cropping is strictly cosmetic and won't
even investigate or listen to the origin of this practice. I have discovered
the functional logic behind cropping and docking because I work my dogs in
several areas and understand the impact to their functionality. Docking tails originated with hunting dogs to eliminate the frequent fracturing of the tails when the dogs ran through the woods. The tails would hit a tree too hard or the wrong angle and would fracture. This type of fracture is 99% of the time a length-wise fracture which will never heal. The painfulness of the fracture would impact or deter the dog from hunting as the memory of the pain is not forgotten. The fractured tail never really heals so is often amputated, but the memory of the painful ordeal has already affected the dog. Also, as an adult, the dog is aware of the lost tail and amputation is more painful and longer to heal. Any sport a dog performs that puts it's tail at risk of fracture is a candidate for docking. Docking within the first 2 days the puppy is born is relatively painless - most pups don't even cry during the procedure Whether you are for or against cropping the ears, I find most people don't have a clue why this practice started. I joined with others to test the differences between cropped and uncropped dogs of the same breed and repeated the test for different breeds. No matter what the breed, the results were obvious and consistent. Breeds tested included Dobermans, Boxers, Great Danes and Schnauzers. Testing one breed group at a time, we had the owners bring their dogs on a field on a loose 6 foot lead and stand still. At the edge of the field a person hid and when the dogs were distracted, they quietly rustled some leaves and waited. This was repeated until a dog reacted to the sound. In all cases, the dogs with cropped ears not only heard the sound first but looked directly at the location the person was hiding. The dogs with natural ears required a louder rustle of leaves to get their attention or in some cases they reacted to the cropped dogs reaction to the noise. What surprised us was the uncropped dogs looked in the general direction of the sound - they couldn't detect the exact location the sound came from. For people who work their dogs, having better hearing and less chance of injuring their dogs is a must. A great example is Search & Rescue - if you're child was lost and a Search dog was helping find him/her, the advantage of better hearing is no contest. As well, dogs with cropped ears are superior Alarm dogs - if that is your dogs role, don't you want to give him every advantage to perform his job well? Something to think about: For those who like breeds that are cropped and/or docked - I encourage you to look at your breed Rescue sites and identify if failure to crop and/or dock impacts the dogs chances of being rescued. For Dobermans, over 95% of these dogs advertised on the rescue site are uncropped and/or undocked. It's doesn't change the total package - a Dobe is a Dobe, but these guys have trouble finding a new home because they don't look like what buyers expect. Yet Dobes with ears cropped and tails docked find homes almost immediately.
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Cool Dog
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Dogs cool themselves by panting and sweating through the pads
on their feet. Never restrict a dog from panting by improperly using
muzzles, halties or other devices on their muzzles. A dog may pant because
of stress (fear or pain) or from heat. To help your dog cool down give him
cool water to drink - don't give him cold water as it could cause him to get
sick the same way people do. Try to walk your dog on a cool surface on a hot
day to help him keep cool. By walking on grass the pads of his feet cool
faster, hot pavement prevents his sweaty pads from cooling his body. A 'wet
blanket' soaked in cool water can be placed on a dog on a hot day to help
keep him cool or cool him fast if he suffers from heat exhaustion. If it's a
hot day frequently apply light pressure on the dogs gums with you fingertip
and witness the color return to the spot. If color doesn't return quickly, your dog
could be suffering from heat exhaustion - cool him down immediately and get
him out of the heat.
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A Dogs' Dog or People
Dog?
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A common statement among 'dog fanciers' is the reference
that a dog is a dog's dog or a people's dog. The meaning comes from a dogs
preference to 'hang out' with people or other dogs. Some breeds are known to
be of one preference or another. The idea is, if a dog is placed in
the middle of a field with a group of dogs at one end and a group of people
at the other end - which group would the dog go to? Common 'dog's dog' breeds include husky breeds while 'people dogs' include the Doberman. There is another group of dogs that don't fall within either category - these include Beagles and other hunting dogs who prefer hunting over companionship.
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| Legal ownership of a pet! | A person under the age of 18 cannot legally own a pet. If a person purchases a pet for their child - the purchaser of the pet or guardian of the child is legally responsible for the health, maintenance, pet safety and public safety of the pet. Next time a person talks about purchasing a pet for their child - ask them to review the pet ownership law. |
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Invisible Fencing: Why
not?
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The popularity of invisible fencing has increased since it's
introduction. It is cheaper and easier to install than a real fence. The two
draw backs of the invisible fencing are: 1) some dogs ignore the static
shock transmitted to the collar - this includes larger dogs with thick coats
(ie. Malamute) and there are dogs that just aren't deterred by the temporary
discomfort as they cross the buried wire. 2) Once the dog does cross the
buried wire and is outside of the property boundaries, the signal will
'shock' the dog when it tries to return across the wire - in effect
deterring the dog from returning home. I have met several owners who lost
their dogs because the dog could not get back home past the buried wire. There is a wireless invisible fence available that encourages the dog back to a specified area - this consists of a transmitter which signals the collar not to dispense a shock when it is within range. Once the dog leave the transmitters range - the collar will continue to emit static shock at specific intervals until the dog return to the transmitters range. This is the preferred device because it is transportable and it does not prevent the dog from returning should it wonder out of range. This Wireless Fencing can be found at: http://www.pet-safe.com/cart.php?target=category&category_id=256 Dogs should never be left unattended with invisible fencing or wireless fencing. Other dogs and animals can enter your property and harm your dog. If your dog does pass the invisible fencing wire, you will need to disarm the signal immediately to allow your dog back onto the property with no repercussions from the device. If a dog will be left unattended outside, a proper fence would ensure protection for your dog while keeping him contained on your property.
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Breaking up Dog fights
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Witnessing a dog fight is a very emotional
experience. Most people are helpless to protect their dog or their dog's
victim. Some people attempt to break up a dog fight and get seriously
injured. I have heard of people telling a dog owner to 'let them fight' and
does not attempt to stop them (most of these people believe their dog will
win). I'm sure you have been told that breaking up a dog fight is dangerous
... but it's hard to just stand there and not protect a pet. I have learned
that a dog fight can be safely ended by our interference. The caveat is that
it requires two people - otherwise one person could yell at the dogs but
should avoid putting themselves in a position of getting bit. If two people
are present, each person should maneuver to grab each dog's back legs just
below the knee lifting the back end of the dog off the ground and pull the dogs apart. If one of the dogs have a bite hold
on the other - do not pull apart but maintain tension so when the dog
re-bites for a better grip they will be separated. Once the dogs are
separated, keep them apart and holding onto there legs off the ground until they calm down,
this will prevent them from biting you, then lead one dog away quickly.
Remember, a dogs momentum comes from his back legs. Do
not re-introduce these dogs as the fight is still powerful in their minds.
The best plan is to avoid dog fights by constantly being on the watch for
other dogs and suspicious behavior - be on the lookout for eye contact
between dogs, even at a distance a dog can stare down your dog and initiate
a fight.
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| Is Your dog Near sighted or Far sighted? | Based on experiments conducted by "Mad Science" TV Program, experiment results indicate dogs with short noses (ie. pugs, bulldogs) are near sighted and often watch TV, but do not see distant objects like rabbits or squirrels as readily as their longer nosed cousins. The long nose breeds (Dobermans, hounds) tend to ignore the TV but are more aware of distant objects. Experiments on a Greyhound race track resulted in long nose dogs sighting and chasing the decoy rabbit almost instantly upon release from the gate. The short nosed breeds never seemed to see the decoy rabbit and totally ignored it. |
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Value of Dog feces |
Despite popular belief, there is value in dog
feces. Learning from 'pack behavior', wild dogs (wolves, dingo's, jackals,
African wild dogs) mark their territory using a combination of urine, feces
and scent from their feet. By placing dog feces along a fence
line or boundary you can deter other canines and even felines,
raccoons and other pests from crossing the line. Nobolis has been using this
method to prevent predators from roaming around the barns and crossing the
property at specific areas. This has worked remarkably well for 3 years.
Remember to add fresh feces periodically. Another value is to place feces around the base of plants, shrubs and small trees to prevent rabbits and mice from chewing on them in the winter. Remember to remove it in the spring - it's not good fertilizer. With new trees planted around Nobolis farms, we never seem to have enough dog feces in the winter - we haven't lost a tree or shrub since using this method. |
