All positions of a dog’s ears should be gauged relative to the way the dog normally carries his ears when he is relaxed. Dogs with severely cropped or very long ears will be harder to read.

Ears erect or slightly forward: “What is that?” This is a sign of attention in response to a sound or when studying a new situation. Accompanied by a slightly tilted head and a relaxed or slightly open mouth, the meaning changes to “This is really interesting” or “I do not understand that” and is associated with observation of an event. However, when accompanied with bared teeth and wrinkled nose, it is an offensive threat by a confident dog.

Ears pulled back flat against the head: “I am scared” or “I am protecting myself against a possible attack.” This is usually associated with a challenge of some sort.

Ears pulled slightly back: On a prick-eared dog such as…

continue reading.....

The belief that dogs learn by trial and error presumes they have a mental ability to link elements together through their experiences that gives logic to their behavior. Dogs are presumed to explore one way to approach a situation and then record the consequence as to whether they were successful or not.

Then it is assumed that in a similar situation they can recall their experience and opt for a different approach if they’re looking for a higher dividend. This theory presupposes that dogs, like humans, have the ability to deduce and make choices and that they can project into the future to predict a possible outcome based on a previous experience.

Dogs perceive through their prey instinct. A dog can only respond to stimuli that are of relevance to this instinct. Therefore, problem solving for him has to do with ascertaining whether something is pertinent to this means of perceiving and…

continue reading.....

Type: You will hear references to the “type” of a dog. This is a rather difficult expression to explain to a novice because first the novice must know that there are different types within a breed.

It is only after you know your breed thoroughly that you begin to realize that these different types exist. Also, to different people the word has different meanings. With some people, type means size or shape of body. They will say, “I do not like his type, he is too small and racy.” Here they are referring to size, and when they say “racy” they mean shape of body.

Usually a racy dog is one who is slight for the breed in question and also, in addition to being slight, the dog may have a top line which slopes rather more than usual for that breed. Then, again, you will hear, “I do not…

continue reading.....

During breeding, some female dogs tend to be uncooperative. Therefore, it is usually necessary to assist your young stud. If you are there helping him and praising him, whether or not your help is actually needed, he will expect and accept this as a matter of course when a difficult female dog comes along.

Supplies that you may need for breeding include K-Y jelly and a length of gauze with which to muzzle the female should it be necessary to keep her from biting you or the stud. Some females put up a fight while others are calm. It is therefore best to be prepared.

It is wise for both parties to have the terms of the transaction clearly understood before the breeding starts. At the time of the breeding, the stud fee is expected to be paid promptly. A return service is normally offered in case the female misses…

continue reading.....

Having proved their love for humans and their desire to serve, Labradors are now being trained throughout the world to assist many types of handicapped owners in the chores of everyday life. You have probably seen a handicapped man or woman being guided by a loving and well-trained Labrador Retriever at some time. With some assistance, many people who would formerly have been confined in their activities are now entering the mainstream of society. Their extensively trained Labradors are their vehicles to freedom.

Because Labradors have extraordinary sense of perceptions, they are one of the breeds being widely used as Hearing Ear Dogs. After completing a rigorous four- to six-month obedience and auditory awareness program, they are specifically trained to the individual needs of their hearing-impaired or deaf owners. Their primary tasks are to alert the owner to the noises that most people take for granted such as the doorbell or…

continue reading.....

Poodles found their way to America from England. They did so in 1887. Prior to World War I, Poodle popularity reached a peak at American dog shows. Originally, Standards and Miniatures in America were shown as a single breed, and Toys were shown as a separate breed prior to World War II.

The Poodle Club of America, founded in 1931 to govern the standard of perfection for all Poodles, offered classes with the same criteria for all three sizes. As a matter of fact, the first Miniature to earn an American championship title was the black English dog named “Chopstick”.

Some of England’s finest Poodles as well as several from the Continent were imported to America during the early 1900s. Their genetic heritage still carries on today, and we often see the names of well-known English dogs in the pedigrees of modern American Poodles.

By 1960, America had caught up with the British…

continue reading.....