Brownie the Shelter Dog

I give full credit to Animal Planet for this story.

Brownie the Shelter Dog was a chocolate Labrador Retriever who looked as though she may face euthanasia. No one seemed to want her. She was rather thin and carried the scars of past neglect. But one man saw some potential in her that would save many lives. He took her for the training she would require.

Brownie soared through the requirements to be a bomb sniffing dog. She was soon paired with a bomb technician who matched her eagerness to work.

Officer Jackie renamed Brownie "JJ." Jackie had a dream to have a canine partner, because she knew their great value. She took some tips from a friend of hers that had a bomb sniffing dog. (The friend's dog did not like her and growled. Some dogs only like their handlers.)

Obviously, to become a team, Jackie and JJ had to undergo rigorous training, working very closely together. But once Jackie learned to run in front of JJ and to keep her ambition in check just a little bit more, they made a top bomb sniffing team!

Most dogs who don't work out in families can do exceptionally well in some of these life-or-death jobs. Sadly for people and animals both, too many such dogs are euthanized and never given the chance!

Rena Murray
DogWhisperWoman

Dog Body Language - Is That Really Aggressive Dog Behavior?

A few months ago, I was taking a bike ride when a couple with a Black Labrador Retriever and a Golden Retriever stopped and asked me for directions. One thing about me is that I never fib about such things; if I don't know where I'm going, I say so.

Naturally I asked the woman about her dogs. Both were sweet. The Golden Retriever was particularly mellow.

The Golden Retriever's first owner had a six year-old, she said. The dog has hip dysplasia and was sound asleep. The six year-old jumped off the couch and landed on the sleeping dog's hips. Of course, she bit him! Can you believe the owner was ready to put her to sleep for that?

Needless to say, it took me a few minutes to calm down from that one. I would never tolerate aggressive dog behavior, much less toward a child.

But think about it. When people are sleeping, if you startle them, most will wack you one! It's reflexive. It's defensive. It's automatic, before they are fully awake.

A lot of people panic over growls and showing of teeth. A lot of times, the dog is playing. Watch the body language. If that rear is in the air while the dog is growling at you, I promise you - He just wants to play! That is referred to as the "play bow."

Or if you have just come home, your dog's tail is wagging and his mouth is open so that all his teeth are exposed - He's smiling!

The display of one canine tooth is also a warning. Not really dog aggression.

Everybody needs to become more aware of dog body language... and stop panicking.

My old Beagle Hound used to growl when she was playing. My current dog doesn't. He asks permission to step past me, runs a figure eight outside and does a jump in the air to release his exuberance, then comes back to me.

Please, pay attention to your pet's dog body language.

If you have concerns about anything your dog is doing, ask a dog behavior professional to be sure you are not overreacting.

Truth About Mixed Dog Breeds

It's a hot topic today. We hear: "Mixed dog breeds don't have all the years of inbreeding, so they don't have all the health problems that purebred dogs do."

What about: "Labradoodles don't have ear problems. Labradoodles don't shed."

Truth is, Labradoodles often have worse ear problems than Labrador Retrievers, and they surely do shed, quite unlike the Standard Poodle!

"Mixed breeds are just as easy to train as Purebreds, and the mix doesn't matter," you say?

Truth is, yes the mix DOES matter. It's extremely hard to train a dog with a double-track mind ... say a Lab-Husky mix. One side wants to be with his owners, and the other side wants to run all the time.

Golden Retrievers and Labs make a compatible cross and great pets. They have consistent mind sets.... But the crossing of totally incompatible breeds certainly causes some dogs to go crazy! Literally.

Don't do away with mixed breeds, nor fail to love on some of our precious pets from shelters. (Remember everybody, I have a rescue dog now, had others in the past, and will continue to have them.)

Do away with intentionally throwing everything together and leaving it, saying there's nothing wrong with it... or even giving it a cutesy name and promoting it.

That's a lie that is giving dogs a bad name. As a result, more innocent dogs that might possibly have found good homes are put to sleep ... simply because of similarities with ones that went crazy.

Let us take responsibility for our actions and use some wisdom in them.

What Was Your Dog Bred To Do?

If you are considering getting a dog, and your heart is set on a certain Dog Breed simply because it is pretty, think again. You need to sit back and look at a few things to really consider if this dog is going to do well with your lifestyle.

Research the dog breed and see what it was born to do. If you cannot find something to match that dog instinctive behavior, then you are likely to have a dog whose instincts spiral out of control.

For example, the Bernese Mountain Dog was known in the 1930's as "the poor man's horse." They pulled carts.

Come on, now...It's not like 1930's carts are everywhere now. You have got to be kidding. Just use some common sense and make your own cart. Use a dolly or child's wagon, then put some bricks on it, wood or cement blocks ... nice, heavy things that will avoid as much creeking as possible.

The dog spooks at the sound of the cart once it is on the pavement? Do not try to reassure him with affection. Just keep him moving forward. Otherwise, he will be afraid to let you put the harness on for the cart again.

I also had a client who had two Labrador Retrievers and some sheep. She was going to spend money for field training. Since she was not planning to hunt the dogs, I told her not to waste her money and, instead, to use what she had. We took twenty minutes or so teaching the dogs to herd the sheep. That worked.

Most dog breeds have more than one thing for which they were bred. Pick the option that best suits your lifestyle, or try to find a good imitation of it. Do some good, old fashioned thinking!