Have You Chosen
a Dog You Can Love?
Every dog is lovable to someone. But the dog you will love is the dog
that fits in with your way of life, the dog
whose personality suits yours.
So many factors must be considered in choosing a
dog - the size of your living quarters and your
yard, the number and ages of children in the
family, the way you live, even your own
temperament.
Pedigree Group Lesson:
Pedigree dogs are those which have been bred to conform to
a Kennel Club breed standard. As more foreign dogs are
introduced to Britain, additional breeds are frequently
added to the Kennel Club's long list. Divided into seven
groups, the Pastoral, Gundog, Hound, Utility, Terrier, Toy,
and Working Groups.
In other countries Kennel Clubs also recognize different
breeds, although in most countries the majority of breeds
recognized in Britain are included in their own official
breed lists too. Grouping differs from country to country.
In the United States there are seven groups: Sporting,
Hound, Non-Sporting, Terrier, Toy, Working, and Herding ;
whilst the Federation Cynologique International (FCI), The
World Canine Organization, recognizes 329 breeds divided
into 10 different groups. In consequence, several of the
breeds which belong in a certain group in one country find
themselves differently grouped elsewhere. Of course not all
dogs are pedigree-bred. There are also cross-breeds and
mongrels.
In The Beginning:
When we look at the dog it is difficult to imagine how it has evolved over
millions of years. Early mammals fed only
on vegetation but in time meat eaters came about
- they were able to survive by eating the
vegetarians.
History takes us back to mouse sized , flesh eating mammals called
Creodonts which lived at the same time as
dinosaurs, 54 to 38 million years ago in the
Eocene period. Believed to be tree and den
dwellers, small with long backs, short legs, and
long tails. Several characteristics of Miacis
have been passed down to the dogs we know today.
Dog Anatomy:
All dogs have an
equal number of bones. It is the
length, thickness, quality and their
strength which causes breeds to
ultimately differ.
A dog's skeleton is similar to
humans. The differing attribute is a
human's posture is vertical and a
dog's posture is horizontal.
Dogs typically shed hair in spring
and fall. Other contributing factors
are; the increase and decrease in
the amount of daylight hours, and
their fluctuation in hormones.
All dogs are born blind and deaf.
Their ears and eyes typically open
up within the first 9-14 days.
In all breeds, smell is a dog's most
advanced sense. The average human
has 5 million scent receptors, while
a dog has approximately 200 million.
An average gestation period
(pregnancy length) is 63 days.
Puppies are fed solely by their
mother for the first 3-4 weeks, and
should not leave before the age of
8-10 weeks.
As a general rule, smaller breeds
live longer than larger breeds
The pigmentation of a dog's nose can
be affected by the weather and or
hormonal activity. During winter
months the nose can appear pale,
while in the hotter months it is
darker.
Dandruff can be an indication that
more fat is needed in your dog's
diet.
Dog Fact: The greyhound is
the fastest dog in the world and the
18th fastest land mammal.
A polite dog is a popular dog.
The biggest favor
you can do for your new pet is to
begin right away to teach him good
manners Wouldn't you much rather
have him liked than merely tolerated
by your neighbors and frineds?
He must know how to keep his
behavior within bounds on al
occasions, right down to the
smallest sniff.
Strict discipline isn't just for
show dogs. Nor is rigorous training
cruel. All dogs thrive on it. They
like to know who's boss. After all,
your dog wants to please you and
lives for your attention. When you
are training him, you're all his.
Anyone can
train a dog
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coming soon
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