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Summer is here! I absolutely love the beautiful summer weather here in Georgia, and I'm excited that I get to spend some quality time with my daughter now that she's out of school. This season is a busy one for me. I just returned back to Atlanta from the UK and have a busy schedule of great filming and events coming up in the next few months. I had a fantastic time at the first annual National Dog Bite Prevention and Behaviour Conference in the UK, and am already looking forward to next year's event.
The summer months are a great time to get outdoors with your dog, and you may be considering adopting a new dog during your summer downtime.
Regardless of whether you have dogs or if you're thinking about getting one, it's critical to be aware of how the heat can affect our four-legged friends. Dogs can't regulate their body temperature as well as humans can, which is why dogs can overheat so quickly in a hot car. You should never leave your dog unattended in your car, especially during warm weather. There are too many heat-related canine fatalities due to human irresponsibilty--don't let your dog become a statistic.
If you're considering bringing home a new dog, keep in mind that certain breeds are more sensitive to hot weather than others. Brachycephalic breeds like bulldogs and pugs have decreased oxygen flow, which means they can overheat quickly. Double-coated or long-haired breeds are also susceptible to heat-related problems.
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Inmates as dog walkers--is this the next great animal shelter idea?
I recently read a story out of Florida about a local sheriff's department that will be using inmates to help the dogs at the county's animal control receive daily walks. The issue was brought to the Brevard County Commission after a volunteer at the shelter expressed concern that the dogs there were going stir-crazy from a lack of exercise. The county will be saving taxpayer dollars by using inmates not just for general work around the shelter, but also for walking the dogs on a daily basis.
The department will be using only non-violent offenders for the task. Considering the shelter is suffering from a shortage of volunteers, this seems like a great way to keep the dogs happy and exercised as well as giving non-violent inmates a chance to make a difference in their community.
Rewarding a Dog with Food
Positive trainers are often dismissed as "cookie pushers" who simply stuff food in a dog's mouth as training. Positive trainers do use often use food in training because it literally alters a dog's brain chemistry and makes learning easier, faster, and more effective. However, they also utilize other reward systems including toys and praise. Watch the video below to learn more.
New changes made to the UK's Dangerous Dogs Act could have far-reaching consequences for dogs and their owners. The law has previously made owners liable for dogs that are "dangerously out of control" on public property, but now the law will apply to dogs on private property as well. The law was changed in order to protect postmen, but it applies to anyone visiting a person's home that has a dog.
While the law was designed to encourage owners to have better control over their dogs both in public and in their own homes, it has the potential to create trouble for even the most responsible dog owner.
The new changes state that a dog does not actually have to bite in order to be considered dangerous. A person would only have to feel that the dog may injure them. That means that if a dog were to jump up on or bark at a person in excitement, and that person interpreted those actions as aggressive, the dog could be deemed aggressive and the owner fined or arrested and in some cases the dog removed.
Check out the latest blog post from Positively Contributor and Colorado-based VSPDT Louisa Morrissey. Louisa talks about how to better understand your dog and what your dog is trying to tell you through his body language.
"When a dog is saying "I’m happy and relaxed”, he or she usually looks likes this:
- Total body position relaxed; relaxed hips, free movement, relaxed face
- Open relaxed mouth
- Tail at a neutral position (not too high or tucked between legs, unless that position is breed specific like high on a husky or tucked low on a greyhound or whippet).
When a dog is saying ” I am alert and interested in something” they look like this:
- Tail high that might be starting to curve over their back
- Body erect with some tension
- Focused stare
- Ears erected or moved forward.
- Mouth could be closed or still open
- At this point, a dog is alert. This doesn’t mean they will be aggressive but a good sign for you to pay attention to your dog, what they are looking at and to the surrounding environment. Perhaps just getting their attention and if necessary calling them to you is all you need to do...."
Are you a cat person or a dog person?
According to new research out of Carroll University in Wisconsin, your answer to this question may say something about your personality, your interests--even your intelligence.
The researchers polled 600 college students, and researched their dog vs. cat preference as well as their personalities, interests, and hobbies. People who identified as dog lovers in the study (about 60 percent) tended to be more energetic and outgoing, and were more likely to follow and conform to rules. On the other side, those who said they were cat lovers were generally more introverted, more open-minded, and more sensitive than the dog-loving group.
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