There is a lot of controversy surrounding the DNA testing of dogs, specifically breeders versus buyer’s mentality, but there is no way to deny that DNA testing can significantly help any dog breed. The problem with breeding is that is has been going on for so long and certain breeds are genetically predisposed to certain problems, some of which can be quite serious. Reputable, responsible dog breeders have always made a point of not breeding dogs which display any of these problems, but this is no longer enough. The problem with this technique, as breeders have been noticing for quite a while now, is that you can still end up breeding a carrier of a breed specific health or behavioral problem without even knowing it – the carriers never necessarily exhibit the symptoms of the problem itself, but they pass it on to their puppies, and then breeders are left with a litter of whelps which are either carriers themselves or ultimately develop the problem.
With DNA testing, it is now possible to test for certain genetic defects and problems. That way, breeders can end the cycle and they will no longer have to take chances which inevitably result in breeding a carrier and making his or her progeny suffer for it. Given that the ultimate goal of the good, responsible dog breeder is to make every litter of puppies better than his or her parents, these DNA techniques give them a much better chance to do this. They will be able to get closer and closer to achieving the Breed Standard, something that it has long been understood could not ever really be reached. Now, it is potentially possible – or at least more possible than it has ever been before.
There are several crucial things to consider before breeding your dog. These are things that you need to be aware of and familiarize yourself before you take the first step towards breeding your dog – in fact, knowing some essential facts should be your first step. The population for domesticated pets is getting incredibly out of control, and it is important that all dog breeders be aware of that problem and make responsible decisions with the animal population in mind.
To begin with, neither AKC registration, CKC registration, UCK registration, nor any other type of registration is an automatic indication of dog qualities. To be perfectly honest, there are a lot of dogs out there which simply should not be bred. Breeding, especially pure breeding, has been going on for a very long time, and some of the progeny in certain breeds are really showing the effects of that. Some of them have defects when it comes to bone structure, health, behavior, and personality, and these defects should not be passed onto another generation. That is something you need to consider before breeding your dog: how healthy is he or she? Does he or she have any such health problems? The top goal of every good breeder is to meet the Breed Standard. You should only seek to improve the breed.
If you are thinking about breeding your dog as a way to make money quickly, then you need to think again. Becoming a breeder initially costs much more money than it will ever make. It is an investment of time, love, patience, care, and money. Think about it: sires, dams, and puppies all need their shots; regular vet check ups; food; shelter; proof of quality; et cetera. You may have to pay stud fees, there may be complications with a dam’s pregnancy – nothing is impossible, and the possibilities are endless.
In order to find a reputable breeder, you first need to recognize and familiarize yourself with what a reputable is and what a reputable breeder does. Anyone can take a male and female dog, mate them together, and breed puppies, and a lot of people do actually do this, then they sell the puppies for far more than they may be worth. It is thus important to research and look into all the breeders from whom you are thinking about getting a dog. If it is a truly good breeder with a steady, respectable reputation, then he or she will not mind that you ask questions – in fact, he or she will likely encourage it!
There are some personality traits and practices you need to look for when choosing a good breeder. For starts, the dog breeder you choose should be responsible; he or she should take extremely good care of all of his or her dogs, whether they are part of the breeding stock or the litters. In order to be considered responsible, a dog breeder should provide several things, beginning with satisfactory companionship for his or her dogs. They should not just be baby making machines or dollar signs instead of puppies. A reputable dog breeder loves his or her dogs, and shows them affection, interacts with them, and gives them all the attention they need. A reputable dog breeder pays very close attention to nutrition, providing healthy food and fresh water; he or she will provide sufficient shelter as well, in addition to immunizations, adequate veterinary care, grooming, exercise, and socialization.
A reputable dog breeder should not be some Joe off the street who simply threw two dogs together and had them mate. He or she should belong to some kind of breeding club, whether it is a national club, a local club, or both. Furthermore, he or she should strictly follow the breeding club’s Code of Ethics.
Different breeds and sizes of dogs will age at different rates and many consider "Mutts" hardier than purebred breeds. However, no matter what the breed or size, at some point a dog will exhibit signs of aging. Start preparing yourself early on and be observant to any changes in your dog's health, mood or behavior patterns.
Like human medicine, veterinary medicine has made great strides in geriatric care allowing our pets to live longer than ever before. The key is to recognize any problems as early on as possible and talk with your Veterinarian.
The Aging Process
Some noticeable signs of aging might include: sleeping more; eating less; being startled by noises, bright lights, or lots of activity; not coming immediately when you call (may indicate hearing loss or physical difficulties such as arthritis); a duller coat; skin with less elasticity; eyes that are not as bright or may be clouded (including the possibility of cataracts); or loss of bladder or bowel control.
Keeping Your Senior Dog Comfy
At times, caring for your older dog might require patience. Providing old dog care really isn't much different than caring for an aging person. They too may lose their hearing, forget where they are and become easily startled. Be patient and kind while making every effort to keep your best friend comfortable in his or her old age.
Remote dog training collars are all the rage right now thanks to some TV adverts and clever magazine placements. But, are they really worth the investment, and are you doing your dog any harm?
We'll address the two questions separately, but first I want to talk about whether or not remote dog training collars are actually good for your dog.
Imagine if you were walking down the street one day with your partner, and you happened to give a beautiful young lady a second glance as she walked past you. Now imagine that suddenly you are jolted with a violent electric shock, as if from nowhere. Or, depending on the variety of training collar that your partner has secretly snuck around your neck, you might get a blast of a seriously unpleasant odour right up your nose.
Does that sound like something you'd want? Worse, what happens if your partner drops the remote somewhere and a small child picks it up and starts zapping you like a maniac? Or if she's feeling vicious one day and wants to take out some aggression on you - remote dog training collars make this very easy indeed.
In all seriousness, although this example is a bit of fun, remote dog training collars present a real problem in dog training systems. This is that the dog cannot associate his bad behavior, you and the punishment together. By telling your dog "NO" when he misbehaves, he knows that you are unhappy about what he's just done.
By randomly shocking him from across the room or even in the other room, he's more likely to go mad trying to work out what's going on. What's more, you could provoke potentially dangerous and aggressive behavior through excessive use of a remote dog training collar, and that's entirely the opposite of what you're trying to do.
Dog breeding is not an endeavor which should ever be taken lightly, and it should never be done for the wrong reasons. For instance, if you are in it for the money, then stop now. If you want to breed your dog because you want a puppy just like him or her, then stop now. If you cannot or are unwilling to invest the time, patience, love, care, and money necessary to become a dog breeder then stop now. If you are interested in breeding your dog just once, “just for fun,” or just for the experience, then stop now. Becoming a really good, reputable dog breeder takes years and there are several crucial things to understand.
To begin with, the goal of all good dog breeders should be to meet the Breed Standard; that is what you should always strive for, whether it is possible or not. No one has ever bred the perfect dog, but trying, always, to get as close to healthy perfection as you possibly can is the key. You need to really sit down and think about why you are considering dog breeding. The best dog breeders do so because they love dogs and are fulfilled by spending time and effort on and with them. It takes true commitment and a deep love for dogs, because that way, you know that their health and happiness will always be at the forefront of your mind.
Numerous people across the world love to keep dogs as their pets. They will do everything to keep their dogs in the best of health. These people also like to breed their dogs, either to increase their numbers or to make money out of them. However, most of them do not have a fair idea of how to breed healthy dogs and land themselves into problems. Therefore, if you are one of them, and if you need to know about the ways to breeding healthy dogs, you must follow some good advice.
One of the foremost things is choosing the right mate for your dog. While choosing the right mate, you must see whether it is compatible and possesses good temperament. Both the male and the female should be healthy and must have no genetic faults, which may potentially jeopardize the health of their puppies. Moreover, you must be sure whether the female dog is healthy, as it will determine her pregnancy and the process of birth. In this case, you must support the female dog with healthy supplements and nutritious food to ensure healthy birth. Better health will enable them to stay healthy during pregnancy as well.
Pit Bulls are definitely the most sold and purchased breed of dog in America. Pit Bulls, or more specifically the American Pit Bull Terriers, are still preferred by Americans for their agility, strength and faithfulness, in spite of the recent bad press.
Pit Bull breeders are usually well-equipped with the knowledge of genetics and the technique of dog breeding. Pit Bull Terriers may be bred to be silver, blue or the rarer merle colored; or they could be bred to have blue glassy eyes or red noses. Its a mix and match process to produce qualities that may be desirable enough to fetch a huge price. This kind of breeding is called show breeding.
Breeders widely advertise their puppy and adult Pit Bull dogs on the net. The rarer the dog, the higher the price. Blue coated dogs and merle coats are much in demand. Plus, there are seasonal trends that buyers look out for in Pit Bulls like wide mouths, shorter statures or drooping cheeks. A merle or a blue puppy could fetch something like $5000.
However there are some Pit Bull breeders who breed their dogs to be more aggressive and tenacious so that they could be used in dogfights. Bets are laid on dogs in these events and though this is an objected activity, it still goes on discreetly. When a breeding farm labels its dog as 'game-bred', it means that the dog has been bred specially to fight. This nefarious activity has brought several dog breeders a lot of heat.
Too many people never stop to think of the kind of shampoo they are using to bathe their dog – until the dog shows an adverse reaction to it. A good dog shampoo is important for so many reasons. Unlike us, dogs cannot apply lotions and ointments to their skin if it gets dry and sore – they lack the thumbs! But dogs – and their skin – can be just as sensitive as our own, if not more so. A shampoo that worked during the summer may make your dog uncomfortable during the winter, and a shampoo which works perfectly for one dog may be all wrong for another dog. There are several things to consider when choosing the best shampoo for your dog, but first, there is a rule: never, ever use your own, human shampoo on your dog. It can be irritating and itchy. But think about it – you may need a shampoo for dry hair, oily hair, thick hair, thin hair, et cetera. Does it not stand to reason that your dog has such needs, as well?
The first step in choosing a good dog shampoo is to know your dog’s skin type. Just as it is for humans, there are dog shampoos designed to help oily skin, dry skin, and normal skin. Because it can be difficult to determine your dog’s skin type on your own, you can talk to your vet, he has the knowledge and resources to help you figure it out.
Dog training begins when you dog is just a puppy, but most of the training in the early stages is training yourself rather than the dog. As dogs and humans develop that "special bond," it is important to understand that he looks to you for education and guidance. It is in a dog's basic nature to function within a social group, and it is our job to understand the stages of development of our dog so that we can give him the appropriate guidance at the appropriate time.
Birth to 4 weeks old. The puppy is only concerned with his mother as the key his survival: food, warmth, and security. His mom is the first disciplinarian, and it is at this time that he instinctively begins to accept discipline and training.
Five to seven weeks old. He is still learning from his mother to accept discipline, correction, training, and affection. This is a good time for puppies to meet people. Puppies shouldn't be taken from their mother yet as sometimes this may cause problems later in accepting human rules and discipline.
Eight weeks old. Traditionally, this is the time when puppies leave their mothers. You should take special care to make his transition as smooth as possible as this can be a traumatic period for him. As a new family member, he must be treated with love and kindness.