sandgrubber

I don't worry much about DDs. Here in NZ, it's obvious that the Huntaway was a designer dog... and the design worked. Rat terrier in the US .. Another successful design. Go back 150 years and you can add dozens if not hundreds of breeds to the list. I do, however, worry about commercial dog raising, ie puppy farms, whether pure or cross bred. Selection for $ does no good.

Opinion : unless I had good reason to suspect a food allergy - - or it was inexpensive - - I wouldn't bother. Dog food marketing has gone crazy with gimmicks. Itchiness from food allergies isn't all that common.

I'd put my money on the proposition that it's complicated, but basically some dogs are born to be neurotic, some can be driven to neurosis by owners or environment, and some are so stable you couldn't tip them over if you tried. The proportion of dogs in each category varies among breeds, as does the form of neurosis.

NO GUNSHY GUNDOG SHOULD BE BRED. FULL STOP. And it should be an automatic disqualification. Not fit for purpose. A gunshy dog is not a gun dog.

I'm not sure findings from Shetland sheep dogs and border collies can be generalized to all dogs. In my experience in the boarding kennel, BCs are particularly high strung (we didn't get any Shetland sheep dogs so can't say, there). I've owned Labs in periods of high stress. Their reaction to my blow outs was consistently calm and soothing. Perhaps they were affected... it would be interesting to have cortisol measurements, say, from dogs trained to work with people suffering from PTSD or severe spectrum disorders.

Heartbreaking photos of greyhounds caught in a Spanish hunting tradition https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/2019/06/07/heartbreaking-photos-greyhounds-caught-an-age-old-spanish-hunting-tradition/

Not PC these days, but I find unwashed plastic containers that once held cream (best), milk, yogurt etc will keep a pup occupied for hours and won't damage teeth or, in the case that bits get swallowed, puncture innards. Fats seem to permiate plastic... So you could probably make something interesting by heating bacon drippings, etc in a plastic jug.

Years back a friend took her boy in for hip scoring. She had coffee rock mulch in garden beds. The Xrays showed many pebbles in his abdomen. Not good. Be sure she's not swallowing them.

She's still with me Like a phantom limb. At least I know her pain is over. True Labrador, she was munching the vet's treats when her heart stopped. I know the flowers on her grave are for me. She had no interest in flowers.

Same study? https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/madison/news/2019/05/06/trial-to-test-cancer-vaccine-on-dogs-begins

The most recent post on the skeptvet.com blog considers screening practices in veterinary medicine. Good to see vets looking for a balance between the pros and cons of testing. Bottom line : The challenge for veterinary medicine is to recognize the potential harms of screening and to actively collect evidence to identify the risks and benefits of specific tests in specific populations. The current approach of assuming the theoretical benefits of screening must apply and that harms are negligible is not consistent with the evidence from human medicine and not a cost-effective, evidence-based approach for improving the welfare of our patients. http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2019/05/what-are-screening-tests-and-should-you-use-them/

RIP Jarrah.

From Discover on Google https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/29/labrador-took-nine-orphaned-ducklings-adopts-six-hearts-melting-9731044/amp/

A lot depends on your first dog. In my experience, most dogs at 2years, are good with puppies. A few hate them. Some get excited and play too rough. Some are nervous or possessive and might snap. You need to be prepared to watch them and adjust, and be prepared to separate them as needed. It may be worth noting that Berners are not a long lived breed. You may be setting yourself up for a very sorrowful year as two dogs approach the rainbow bridge together.

The article says: 'she was attacked by the large Staffordshire terrier-Rhodesian ridgeback cross at her home'. I'm against BSL, BUT breed does matter. I've known a lot of pitties in the U.S. and lots of SBTs in oz. Can't see much difference...both breeds are mostly waggy and friendly to people, often dog aggressive, and have a few very problematic individuals. Breeding to a large hunting breed like a ridgie can go very wrong.

I'd recommend reading this blog post. http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2014/03/legs-glucosamine-study-sows-little-evidence-of-real-benefit/

Damn zombies!

Yoli is one of them. She came right back for more.

Rats are definitely sentient. When are they banning rat poison?

All my dogs get a bed based morning cuddle. The logistics get complicated with four dogs and two hands. I have an Springer pup, 8 months now. Her idea of closeness involving lying on my chest and putting her muzzle into my face. Not sure what she gets from it. Seems like she likes to inhale my breath. Irritates me no end, so I push her away with the no command. She comes right back. Curious to know if anyone else has had this problem. Is it a Springer thing? Will it eventually go away if I persist? (I'd love to include a picture, but the dog on my chest precludes selfies).

E-collars can be good training tools, though they are not a silver bullet, and I'm sure there are fools who try to use them as a behavioral on-off switch (and fail). There is absolutely no value in a collar that shocks enough to burn...in most cases you want them to tickle, only. I think most trainers would be fine with banning e-collars that give strong shocks.

BBC News - Dog rescues baby buried alive in field in Thailand https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-48311028

Prong collars are widespread in parts of the USA. The abuse I've seen most is leaving the dog (typically a pittie or a mastiff cross) chained with a prong collar. IMO that should be illegal. The trouble I have with mine is that it sometimes falls apart when walking loose. My habitual puller doesn't run off, so it's not serious. A bit of work with the pliers would probably fix it

A review of research findings that may cause some rethinking...or maybe just piss people off https://thesciencedog.com/2019/05/15/the-raw-deal/

From Wikipedia : Experimental studies of rabies infection in the Virginia opossum have shown the importance of the mode of transmission. Opossums became infected when exposed to air-borne virus but were found to be fairly resistant to intramuscular inoculations.[16][17][18]