Is this a dog-friendly community?
August 27, 2008
Did you ever wonder how many dogs were in your community? We took a trip to Oakville, Ontario this summer and everywhere we looked, we saw people out walking their dogs.
The town of Oakville hosts a large school for training guide dogs for the blind - maybe there are lots of foster families in the area, starting dogs out with the proper obedience training before turning them over to the school.
Anyways, it got me to wondering how many dogs might live in my hometown.
Does Manhattan Hate Golden Retrievers?
August 17, 2008
I just returned from a vacation in Manhattan. We saw all kinds of dogs out being walked. I was kind of surprised because I don’t think of NYC as a dog city. I guess you see so many people out walking their dogs because you can’t let your dogs out in a back yard you don’t have.
Anyways, in all of our travels - believe me, we walked up and down the whole island - we didn’t see even one golden retriever. We saw boxers, pugs, dachshunds, and tons of mutts. So, is there something New Yorkers don’t like about Goldens? If you live, or have lived there, let me know what the story is!
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
MWD: Meapons of Wass Destruction?
July 18, 2008
No, actually MWD stands for military working dog. The US Air Force has recently shed a bit of light on the training program it uses to train dogs for everything from guard duty to explosives detection.
First, the dog must be the right breed. The Air Force most commonly uses German Shepherd and Belgian Malinois, with a slight preference for the Malinois due to its longer average lifespan. Next, the dog is evaluated for its drive or “ability to remain focused and determined to obtain a goal”, according to Staff Sgt. Manuel Garcia of the 35th Security Forces Squadron.
The dog must undergo basic training, just as airmen do, at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The program lasts from four to six months, depending on whether or not the dog gets held back for remedial training.
After being sent to its permanent base, the dog spends a few weeks with its new handler, learning to follow his commands. When the dog is ready, they review the basic obedience learned at Lackland, staying close to the handler and obeying his basic commands.
A few weeks later, the dog moves on to advanced obedience, where he learns to follow the same commands, even though he is off leash and at a distance from his handler. The dog also learns to crawl and roll, tactical moves he may need later.
Soon, the lessons begin to include actual work skills such as detection, attack, search, and working under the gun (literally!)
Once trained, the dog will work between 10 and 12 years, then be retired. He could be adopted, returned to Lackland to train new dogs, or be given to local police departments for further work.
A round of applause for our military working dogs! (As well as those they work with!)
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Least Aggressive Dogs
July 16, 2008
As promised yesterday, here are the dogs that scored very low on the aggression scale in the study recently reported in the Applied Animal Behavior Science journal. This study, compiled by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, involved asking 6,000 dog owners about their dog’s behavior. Thirty-three different breeds were catalogued and rated according to how aggressive they are.
The dogs that were least aggressive were:
Basset Hound
Golden Retriever
Labradors
Siberian Huskies
Greyhounds
The Rottweiler, often assumed to be very aggressive, ranked average in its hostility towards strangers.
The researchers did note, however, that even though small dogs headed the most aggressive list and big dogs headed the least aggressive list, the bites from the larger dogs were more likely to have required medical attention than those from the smaller dogs.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
Prison Dogs
June 23, 2008
From the Hamilton, Ohio Journal News: Project Free Inmate Dog Obedience (FIDO) is matching dogs from the humane society to prisoners at the Butler County Jail for obedience training. The prisoners are screened to make sure they have not abused animals, then they are matched to a dog from the shelter.
Meet Gus
June 23, 2008
From Petaluma, CA: Have you ever met a dog you thought was so ugly, you couldn’t imagine why anyone would ever want him? Apparently, you haven’t met Gus, whose family, the Teeds of Florida, thinks he is just adorable, in spite of his winning the world’s ugliest dog contest over the weekend.
Smartest Dogs
June 21, 2008
Yesterday, we presented the list compiled by the CBS Early Show as the ten dumbest dogs. As promised, today we have their list of the ten smartest dogs. They are listed below, from the 10th smartest to the overall smartest breed of dog. Here’s the disclaimer: These were picked by someone at CBS, and I don’t necessarily agree.
Dumbest Dogs
June 20, 2008
Not sure what the criteria were, but the CBS Early Show has listed its picks for the ten dumbest breeds of dog. THESE ARE NOT MY CHOICES! However, I’d love to hear your opinion. Listed below are the ten they picked, shown from the smartest of the bottom ten to the dumbest.
The Wild, Wacky, and Just Plain Sad World of Dogs & Crime
May 28, 2008
A wrap-up of stories from the world of crime involving dogs. (You have to read this in your most serious newscaster voice.)
Ah…Ah…Ah…CHOO!
May 13, 2008
The European Respiratory Journal has published a study by German researchers that states having a dog in the home during your child’s infancy is actually healthy! It appears to be protective against future allergic reactions such as asthma, eczema, and hay fever.
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