An interesting study on a dog's ability to understand or deduce the meaning of words states:

As many a dog owner will attest, our furry friends are listening. Now, for the doubters, there is scientific proof they understand much of what they hear.

German researchers have found a border collie named Rico who understands more than 200 words and can learn new ones as quickly as many children.

Patti Strand, an American Kennel Club board member, called the report "good news for those of us who talk to our dogs."

"Like parents of toddlers, we learned long ago the importance of spelling key words like bath, pill or vet when speaking in front of our dogs," Strand said. "Thanks to the researchers who've proven that people who talk to their dogs are cutting-edge communicators, not just a bunch of eccentrics."

The researchers found that Rico knows the names of dozens of play toys and can find the one called for by his owner. That is a vocabulary size about the same as apes, dolphins and parrots trained to understand words, the researchers say.

Rico can even take the next step, figuring out what a new word means.

The researchers put several known toys in a room along with one that Rico had not seen before. From a different room, Rico's owner asked him to fetch a toy, using a name for the toy the dog had never heard.

The border collie, a breed known primarily for its herding ability, was able to go to the room with the toys and, seven times out of 10, bring back the one he had not seen before. The dog seemingly understood that because he knew the names of all the other toys, the new one must be the one with the unfamiliar name.

"Apparently he was able to link the novel word to the novel item based on exclusion learning, either because he knew that the familiar items already had names or because they were not novel," said the researchers, led by Julia Fischer of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig

I can attest that my dog understands a lot of words, though the context is important. Politically Incorrect Dog likely thinks that his name means No because the only time he hears his name is when he's misbehaving.

On a related note, I knew a contractor who had a border collie that he took to work with him. One day, the contractor was working on a roof. Had I not seen it, I wouldn't believe it. The dog would climb the ladder and stay on the roof with the contractor. The contractor could look at the dog and say the name of a tool, for example he'd say Hammer. The dog would descend the ladder, go to the contractor's open tool box in the back of his truck, grab the hammer and take it back up the ladder to the contractor. Truly amazing. Even more amazing was that the dog could differentiate between a flathead and Phillips screwdriver. My wife can't even do that.

There is a move to ban pit bull breeding in New Mexico. An opponent of the bill has an interesting tale:

Sally Mayer has been through a vicious dog attack of her own.

"It chewed my face off," said Mayer, a city councilor.

She was 2 years old at the time and had to go through a battery of medical treatments, including painful shots in her stomach to prevent rabies.

The breed of dog?

"It was a cocker spaniel, like Lady of 'Lady and the Tramp,' " Mayer said.

Mayer, now 53, has not, however, grown up to believe cocker spaniels are dangerous.

That's partly why she says banning the breeding of pit bulls in New Mexico, as has been proposed by a state senator, is the wrong approach.

"It's not the dog that's the problem; it's the owner," Mayer said.

There's not a pit bull problem, there's a responsible pet owner problem.

This vicious pit bull saved it's owner from a wild dog attack:

"We went out and all of a sudden he stopped,'' Cox said. "I said, 'Come on baby, go potty.' That's when I saw the hairs coming up on his back.''

A big stray dog approached, snarling and growling. Cox said it looked like it had the head of a chow and the body of a Rottweiler.

Although Maverick is a formidable presence at a heavily muscled 90 pounds, Cox said, the stray was even bigger.

Maverick pounced and clamped its powerful jaws around the stray's neck. Screaming, Cox let go of Maverick's leash and the two dogs did vicious battle in the yard outside the family's trailer.

Hats off to Maverick.

Got a few hits from people searching for flirt poles. I mentioned one here briefly. What is a flirt pole? It's a handle little toy that accomplishes two things:

1 - It's a fun toy for your dog.

2 - It requires minimal effort on the part of the user.

Here's a picture of one in use. Now, you don't have to do all that ramp jumping stuff to wear a dog out. Mine just likes to chase it. Here's how you make one:

You need: 1) a stick of some sort (I use a telescopic handle from a car wash brush that I accidentally ran over) - it can be of nearly any length. I've seen them as long as 10 feet. Mine is about 3 feet. 2) Some thin nylon rope (if you use a long stick, you use less rope). I use about 6 feet. 3) Bait. The bait can be anything that the dog likes to chase and is light enough to flick around. I have used old socks, plush dog toys that have had the stuffing removed (by the dog), and old wash rags. Some folks use strips of rawhide.

Attach one end of the rope to the end of the stick. Tie the bait to the other end of the rope. No, go dog fishing.

Get the dog to play with the bait. Wiggle it in front of his face and encourage him to chase it. You can remain completely stationary and flick the flirt pole. The dog will start chasing it. If you have a dog that likes to jump, you can get some good aerobatics going on. Also, dragging it along the ground is fun for them too as it simulates prey drive.

Flirt poles are not meant to be tug toys. I don't recommend that, when the dog catches it (and he will eventually outsmart you) you tug the toy. Just drop the handle, let the dog prance around with it and tell him what a good boy he is for catching it.

Your dog will love it. If you have a dog that apparently doesn't like sticks (Politically Correct Dog was apparently hit with one in his former life as he runs from sticks as soon as they appear) you may not get them to play.

I'll dig up some pics of Politically Incorrect Dog in action later.

Update: Here's a pic of one of the longer ones in action. And it has more sophisticated plans than mine.

Here's an image of an American Bull Dog pulling a Jeep that is loaded with six people.

Picking a pup can be one of the most exciting things you ever do. When you head to the breeder’s place (you do go to breeders don’t you? Never support pet stores), there will be a lot of activity. You’ll likely get to meet mom and maybe dad. And there will be cute little puppies running amok.

The basis of a dog’s temperament is set pretty early and you can see this in the pups based on a few things (most notably their interaction with litter mates). You should first decide what type dog you want because the type of dog you want may not be the type I want. For example, you may want an overly submissive dog. I don’t. It try to look for certain characteristics in a pup and, based on their behavior, can usually determine if the have those traits. Back when I trained police dogs, we picked up pups regularly. However, I’ve only picked out one now in the last decade.

Following are traits I look for and what I do to ascertain if the dog has those traits:

Inquisitive (and not fearful): does he run up to me or run from me? I’ll drop my car keys. The pups that run are ruled out. The ones that stop and look without retreating are curious. The ones that run up to the keys to check them out are the inquisitive ones. Stamp your feet on the ground and see who runs and who does a play bow.

Confidence: When you reach for the pup, does he turn away? How about his interaction with littermates? Does he rule the roost or is he quiet? Is he picked on by others without responding? When it’s time to nurse, does your pup get moved out of the way by littermates or is he the one diving right in there?

Intelligence: This one, you just have to watch for cues. There’s not really a test. However, avoid the one that keeps running head first into hard objects.

Play drive: Take a small ball or a wash rag. Try to initiate a game of fetch/catch with the pups with the ball. Does he take to it or run? Is he interested but cautious? Try to get him to play tug with the wash rag. Does the pup play hard or does he give up as soon as you tug back. Jiggle your keys and see who comes running or runs away.

Prey drive: Drag the wash rag along the ground. Does he chase it? Does he mouth things (yeah, all pups do)?

And remember, if you do all these tests and decide that Pup 1 is the dog for you, you may end up getting Pup 2 because your wife thinks the patch over his eye is cute.

I understand that before a baby is due, it is common for the mother-to-be to begin nesting. The Mrs. hasn't taken this up yet. However, I have begun building things. I guess the pending addition has brought out the builder in me. I've taken up carpentry of all things.

I've never had any training and the only power tools I have are a power drill, circular saw and a Dremel. The only other thing I'd ever built before was basically a board with some cross supports that had clothespins attached. It was so I could hang the spices that I grow on it to dry. In the last couple of weeks, I built a growth chart for the baby and a workbench with an 8 feet by 3 feet table surface that could survive a nuclear blast.

Now, I am planning on building a dog house. I'm not building it because I think my dogs will really use it, after all they hang out in the air conditioned house on their my leather couch. I'm building it as practice to some day build a play house for our daughter.

Any way, here's a website with some dog houses people made. Pay special attention to the one that has a patio and an air conditioner. I'm not going that far with it but the lengths some folks go to for their pets is amazing.

I guess it is the male form of nesting.

The American Pit Bull Rescue Association has stated it will file suit against Council Bluffs if it enacts a pit bull ban:

An Omaha-based pit bull association has threatened to take legal action against the city of Council Bluffs if it enacts a ban against pit bulls.

According to a letter faxed to The Daily Nonpareil, the American Pit Bull Rescue Association cites the 14th Amendment's prohibition against the state deriving residents of property without equal protection and due process as the basis for why a ban would be unconstitutional.

In addition, the group said a ban is only treating the symptoms without getting to the source of the problem.

Update: Apparently, I need to get out west more. All the stories I read about this issue came from Omaha news sources. Therefore, I assumed Council Bluffs was a suburb of Omaha. It's actually in Iowa. Go figure.

I've asserted many times, based on an article I read, that there is no scientific way to determine what breed of dog a particular dog is. It turns out that may or may not be the case. This article details a study on dog genes and is pretty interesting.

Apparently, dogs have roughly 99% of their genes that are common and a few distinct differences account for the different breeds. However, some supposedly different breeds have been found to be genetically identical. And some dogs are genetically closer to wolves than other dogs. A scientist stated:

"One of the most interesting questions still to understand ... is why did the wolf keep locked in its genome everything that was necessary to make a Pekingese to a Great Dane,"

More interestingly (to me, having read before that it wasn't possible to scientifically determine a dog's breed) was this:

According to co-author Leonid Kruglyak of the Howard Hughes Medical Center, the study also found that while dogs have much in common, the 1 percent of their genes that determine different breeds are genetically quite distinct.

"These differences are so distinct that we could just feed a dog's genetic pattern into the database, and the computer could match it to a breed," said Kruglyak.

That was surprising because most of the breeds were genetically isolated only in the 19th Century, with the advent of breed clubs and breed standards, she said.

I guess that means I could let them test Politically Correct Dog to determine if I am correct in my assumption he's some sort of Blue Tick Hound/German Short-Haired Pointer mix.

Yet:

Of 85 breeds tested, only four failed to show consistent sets of genes in common. They were the Perro de Presa Canario, German Shorthaired Pointer, Australian Shepherd and Chihuahua.

So I can still assert that Politically Incorrect Dog is a Chihuahua? Additionally, more dogs were labeled virtually identical.

For future reference, I have pasted the entire article in the extended entry section (hit MORE) since Yahoo! link longevity is measured in days.

Via the mullet (who is considering a dog), comes this article on finding the perfect dog. It's a good read. But if there is one thing that you take from this article, it should be this:

2. How can I get a well-behaved dog? You can't. You can only create one. Dogs don't come that way. It's natural canine behavior to chew on all sorts of things, roll in other animals' droppings, hump and fight other dogs, menace anything that invades the home. All these behaviors can be curbed, but that takes a lot of work. Trainers say it requires nearly 2,000 repetitions of a behavior for a dog to completely absorb it.

Council Bluffs is apparently considering a ban:

If the dogs were banned, pit bull owners could keep their animals, but could not raise another after the dog dies. Owners also would have to spay and neuter the dogs, and no new pit bulls would be allowed into the city.

The counter proposal is almost as bad:

Instead of a ban, Dierks said, the city could declare the breed dangerous. With that designation, the dog owners would have to carry $100,000 liability insurance policies and keep the animals in kennels while they are outdoors.

Only adults 18 and older could walk pit bulls, and the dog would have to wear a muzzle and be kept on a four-foot leash.

Banning breeds is pointless. Irresponsible owners will ignore the ban or move to another breed. Insuring pit bulls is almost as bad because it just increases the costs for owners and doesn't do anything to prevent attacks. How about prosecuting owners whose dogs attack people?

A dog ban in Ohio:

Because the city law doesn't allow SPCA wardens to ticket dog owners, the wardens must call a police officer each time. And officers can't handle the calls themselves, because a SPCA warden must officially identify the dog as a pit bull.

There is no scientific way to determine what breed of dog a particular dog is. The criteria is appearance. In fact, take this little quiz.

They are also proposing more laws to give either the police or SPCA more power to regulate this asinine ban. More:

The ordinance says that only pit bulls registered before Nov. 1, 2003, can remain in the city. Anyone violating the law faces up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine.

Twenty violations have been filed since November: 14 are pending, five other dogs were euthanized and one was returned to its owner.

The SPCA has billed the police more than $20,000 since December for boarding, care and euthanasia of pit bulls confiscated as part of city cases.

The Comedian emails this story:

A mountain lion that had prowled the streets of residential Palo Alto for hours was shot and killed Monday after a dog chased it up a tree.

An 11-year-old black Labrador named Kelsy caught scent of the big cat and bolted for it, chasing it up a tree until police arrived, according to the dog's owner, John Furrier.

"She had a ferocious growl that we've never heard before," Furrier said of Kelsy. "I think she's a hero. I think she could have saved some lives."

Given that guns aren't to be carried in California to defend yourself from nature, a good dog could be the way to go.

Politically Incorrect Dog saved me from a ferocious beast once. He became a ball of snarls, teeth and fur as he leapt at the horrendous monstrosity that was about to lay waste to me. I had him on a leash and pulled him back before he could sink his teeth into the vile creature. What was it? A seven pound catfish that a friend caught while we were camping. PID was none to pleased to see this thing on land.

Hats off to Kelsy!

Here we are about to enjoy our cupcake (which is liver flavored - no, I kid):

Here we are finishing it off:

Update: For the benefit of Big Stupid Tommy, who tells that dogs in hats are always funny, yes it is the same hat as last year. Guess we need some new dog hats.

Seems like just yesterday I brought that 10 pound little round-headed thing home. Now, at seventy four pounds, he's still convinced he's a lapdog. Since then, we've taken up swimming, walking, running, playing catch, getting in some air time with a flirt pole, tormenting geese, and other things together. If you learn one thing from a dog, it should be that every time you get up, you ought to have a good yawn and a stretch.

Today, Politically Incorrect Dog turns two.

Here's a pic from last year's birthday festivities:

There is a proposed ordinance to ban pit bulls in Bracken County:

Last Month, Bracken County Animal Control Officer James Moore requested the court pass an ordinance banning vicious dogs, mainly pit bulls, because of the danger they pose to area residents.

While serving three years in his present position, Moore said he has encountered many problems because of a pit bull's bred viciousness.

You'd think someone that works that closely with dogs would know better. It's not the breed, it's irresponsible owners.

A while back I wrote about an ordinance that would classify all dogs over 30 pounds as potentially dangerous, Robert Douglas reports that common sense has prevailed:

[The ordinance] defines a potentially dangerous dog as one that, when unprovoked, bites, chases or threatens a person or domestic animal, or is known to have bitten a person or domestic animal.

While I take a slight issue with the unprovoked inclusion (after all, a poodle jumping on a mastiff is provoking but controllable), it's a positive step.

The AKC is reporting:

Despite opposition from concerned dog owners and fanciers at a public hearing in Boston on Thursday, April 29th, legislators appear resolute in their support of a breed-specific ordinance. The proposal now heads to committee for further consideration.

What can you do?

Immediate help is needed to fight this proposal. Boston dog owners are strongly urged to contact the City Council and express their opposition to the ordinance. The measure may come up for a vote later this month, so there is no time to lose!

Boston City Council
1 City Hall Plaza
5th Floor
Boston, MA 02201
Phone: 617-635-3040
Fax: 617-635-4203

The 15 year old ban on politically incorrect dogs in Denver has been suspended. The city still plans on suing the state to uphold the breed specific legislation.

I know there are a few pet owners reading this blog, so here's a question: what are the pros and cons of various means of securing your dog in a vehicle? In particular, I'm wondering if anybody has used or heard good/bad things about these dog seat belts.

As a follow up to this post on pending Breed Specific Legislation, comes this report of dog owners protesting the proposed law:

A pack of pit bull owners turned up at City Hall yesterday to bark about a proposed requirement that the infamous dogs be muzzled at all times while on public property in Boston. But three feisty city councilors and several dog lovers who said their pooches were savagely mauled by pit bulls argued the breed must be restrained before a child is killed. ``Then everybody is going to be falling over themselves wringing their hands saying we should have done something,'' City Councilor James Kelly said. ``Let's do something now.'' The proposed ordinance must be adopted by the full council before it can take effect.

And my favorite quote from the article:

``If a child is killed by a German shepherd tomorrow, are you going to be back in here to muzzle all German shepherds?'' asked pit bull owner Nina Capozzi.

Ms. Capozzi, don't you know that's how government works?

The AKC alerts us to some potential breed specific legislation pending in Boston:

Attention Boston dog owners! Councillors Rob Consalvo and James Kelly have introduced an ordinance that requires residents to register their “pit bulls” with the city at a cost of $50 annually. Pit bulls are defined as American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, or any mix of those breeds. The measure also limits residents to two pit bulls and requires owners to leash and muzzle their dogs when in public. Additionally, owners must display a sign on their property stating that a pit bull is located on the premises. Violators will be subject to a $100 fine and the pit bull will be immediately impounded. Exemptions are provided for animals participating in contests, shows or exhibitions within city limits, but animals may not remain for more than two weeks.

The American Kennel Club strongly supports reasonable, enforceable dangerous dog laws designed to keep communities safe for both people and dogs. We believe that dog owners should be responsible for their dogs and that laws should impose appropriate penalties on irresponsible owners. In order to be effective, however, such legislation should judge a dog based on its deed rather than its breed.

What You Can Do:

Immediate help is needed to fight this proposal. Boston dog owners are strongly urged to attend a public hearing on Thursday, April 29th from 11:00 AM-1:00 PM to express their opposition to the ordinance.

Boston City Council
1 City Hall Plaza
5th Floor, Iannella Chamber
Boston, MA 02201
Phone: 617-635-3040

Louisiana is looking to ban hog catching:

A Louisiana state legislator is trying to outlaw a violent spectator sport: fights pitting vicious dogs against wild hogs.

Rep. Warren Triche, a Democrat from Thibodaux, has introduced a bill that would ban the bloodiest forms of "hog-doggin," as the pig-versus-canine duels are known in the rural corners of his state.

"My motivation is that it is an absolute cruelty, and damned well sadistic," Triche told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

The bill passed the Louisiana House on Tuesday after Triche showed bloody videos of squealing feral hogs being attacked by specially trained dogs. But it must now go the state Senate where Triche fears it may be mired in the mud by opponents friendly to the rural contests.

"This is a hillbilly attitude. You could film 'Deliverance 2' and '3' with this kind of attitude," Triche said, referring to the 1972 film that depicted the ordeal suffered by vacationing city dwellers at the hands of a vicious band of rural residents.

First, it's probably not a good idea to refer to your constituents as hillbillies, but that's a separate issue. The article misleads as to what hog catching really is. It's not a fight. I've seen hog catching events. Essentially, a dog runs up to a wild boar that is kept in a pen, grabs it by the ear or nose, and holds it down long enough for the dog's owner to run up behind the pig and lift it's back legs. This is done to show that the dog has control of the pig. It's not a fight. The obvious comparison is a rodeo. Sure, the pigs don't enjoy it but calves don't like being hog tied.

The purpose of this is to prepare the dogs to actually go into the wild and hunt feral pigs, which are considered a nuisance. And it has nothing to do with vicious dogs, it has to do with training them to accomplish a task that is arguably brutal.

A humane society was trying to shut one such show down a while back. I've never taken Politically Incorrect Dog hog catching, but I've seen his parents do it. It's impressive watching an 80 pound dog tackle a 200 pound pig.

Hunting feral pigs with guns is OK. With dogs, apparently not so much.

Looks like Prince George's County Council is looking to repeal its breed specific legislation that targets pit bulls. Good.

Colorado's new dog law has saved its first two lives:

A Staffordshire bull terrier and a pit bull on "doggy death row" were released from the Denver animal pound after Owens signed the new law.

Good. Denver still plans on suing over the law:

The City Council declared it wouldn't "roll over and play dead" in face of a new state law that has voided its ban on pit bulls.

The council voted unanimously Monday night to authorize the city attorney to sue the state or take other legal action to protect its right to keep the dogs out of the city.

I knew that the history of various bully/mastiff/molosser breeds went back quite a bit. I recall reading stories about the dogs in England in the 1500s and 1800s as bull baiting and fighting dogs.

The other day, I caught on episode of Animal Planet's Breed All About it and the breed this episode was bulldogs. They spent most of the episode discussing the freak of nature but there was a brief segment on American Bulldogs and how they were more representative of the original English Bulldog (i.e., before it became that deformed freak of nature).

The show stated that the earliest record of bulldogs was 55 B.C. Apparently, the Romans (who were invading England at the time) documented bully type dogs that were trained to run up to cavalry horses, bite down on the horses' noses, and hang on. I could see this being a real problem for a cavalryman.

Note: In reference to the freak of nature, I just find it sad that years of breeding have caused that poor animal the health problems it has.

Catherine, of the always excellent Dogreader, is back. Her latest article is depressing but insightful. The article is on how dogs mourn the loss of other dogs.

Xrlq alerts us that Colorado's Governor signed a bill into law banning Breed Specific Legislation. Good news!

Denver, content to continue murdering 400 innocent animals per year, is suing to overturn the ban on breeds. Apparently, the change to the law to exempt cities with populations over 400,000 (that I wrote about here) wasn't added to the bill.

Good for Colorado.

Well, the indestructible ball has now survived four hours of almost continuous play without getting destroyed. Cool.

Seemed to light for him at first, as it is hollow hard plastic. I filled it half way with water, which was too heavy. He could move it just not quickly enough for a work out. Now, it's about 1/8 full and he loves it.

I highly recommend the indestructible ball. Now, if I could get one that threw itself!

Xrlq alerts us to a heroic dog who saved her buddy from a gator. That dog looks awful familiar.

We used to get those over-sized tennis balls, regular tennis balls, and the occasional basketball for Politically Incorrect Dog™. Problem is, he'd pop them pretty quick. The last leather basketball he got was popped in a record 5 minutes. So, I set out to find an indestructible ball. PetDiscounters offers this model:

Indestructible Dog Balls The name says it all! These "Gorilla-Tough" balls are virtually indestructible and will not be will not be destroyed by your dog's teeth & rough playing! Molded from safe, non-toxic polyethylene. They won't tear, break, or burst open like many other dog toys. Easy screw plug allows 10" balls to be filled with water, sand or gravel, which makes it ideal for working dogs or for dogs that need to build up a little more muscle. Great exercise for dogs of all sizes. Actual color of product may vary. Made in the U.S.A.

The Mrs. ordered one. I'll let you know how it goes. If it gets destroyed, I guess I'll just give him a tire or something.

Via Robert Douglas, Auburn is wanting to tie a dog's weight to whether it is dangerous or not. The threshold: 30 pounds:

Unlike most dog-control ordinances, Auburn's proposal would not require a dog to do anything to be listed as "potentially dangerous" except weigh more than 30 pounds — the belief being that larger dogs are inherently more dangerous.

As written, the proposal would require any dog exceeding that weight to be kept on a leash or within a fenced yard or kennel.

Should a 30-pound-plus dog happen to get out of the yard, even inadvertently, its status would be upgraded to dangerous, and its owner would be required to take out a $250,000 insurance policy, available from only one company in the nation — a Florida firm that insures circus animals. Homeowners policies don't insure dogs labeled as dangerous.

I am of the opinion that all dogs should be properly restrained and not running loose, as are most responsible pet owners.

Weight being a factor is as ludicrous as breed being a factor. Up next, color will be a factor.

More:

Moreover, the owner also could be required to secure a special dangerous-animal permit from the city at a cost of $100.

Yup, the city needs to make some dollars off the deal.

Half acre lot in the country: $30,000

Sod so your back yard isn't a mud pit: $3,600

Fence to keep the good guys in and the bad guys out: $3,300

Popping an over-sized tennis ball:

And playing tug with a friend:

Priceless!

A pit bull was apparently shot while defending its owner from a home invasion. The story is also just odd:

The owner of a pit bull who was shot to death by armed intruders said the dog died a hero.

"The dog saved my mom's life," the victim's daughter said Wednesday from her home on Pacific Place in North Kelso.

She declined to speak further, saying the family was shaken by the events of late Tuesday night, when two or three men masked with bandannas and armed with a shotgun tried to push past her mother and enter their home.

[snip]

Kelso police Capt. Vern Thompson said that after the intruders fled, officers arrived and found a large homemade bomb under the front wheel of a car parked in front of the house.

Tom is having some trouble training his dog. I suggest he check out dogreader, which isn't currently updating but has excellent archives on training issues. I also suggest he read an old post of mine.

Here goes:

Bite inhibition: I cover that in the link above, but here's the relevant portion:

Biting, chewing and mouthing! That cute pup has big, gnarly fangs. Ok, they’re actually small, sharp teeth and they hurt. One school of thought is to discourage all pups’ attempts to touch their mouths to human flesh. It’s generally safer since you don’t want to encourage your dog to bite people. However, I realize that dogs experience so much of their lives with their mouths and it’s how they play. So, I teach my dogs bite control. They know they can nibble on me gently when playing. They learn the commands ‘Easy’ and ‘No bite.’ Teach them ‘Easy’ by giving them a treat while covering most of the treat in your hand so that they have to put their mouth on your hand to get it. If he bites hard, tell him ‘Easy’ and withdraw the treat. Try again. He’ll figure out that when he gently tries to take the treat that he gets the treat. Only do this with puppies. It’s dangerous to try to teach this to a full grown dog who has no bite control. Also, whenever pupster bites too hard, yell ‘ouch’ sharply enough to scare him and immediately stop playing with him. He learns that hard biting means no play time.

Jumping up: This one is easy. Pup jumps, raise your knee into his chest enough to knock him back but, obviously, not enough to do damage. In addition to you and the wife doing that when he jumps, get a friend that the dog is accustomed to seeing (and often excited to see) to come over periodically. Tell this friend when the dog jumps on him to knee him as mentioned above.

Heel: First, buy a choke collar or pinch collar. It is important in the case of choke collars that they are on correctly. When looking at pupster's face from the front, the loop should look like the letter P. If the loop looks like a backward letter Q, you can damage pupster's throat. And use it correctly. Don't tug or pull on it. Merely snap it. The noise is mostly what gets their attention but it should be used to lead some times. By snap it, I mean raise the leash up quickly then drop the leash quickly (kind of like a whip). With a pincher, a quick tug is all you need.

Start with a sit command (it also helps to put some treats in your pocket). With the dog on your left, give a sit command (praise him for complying or give a treat). Give the heel command, snap the leash once, and start walking. Decide your comfort zone for heel (mine is about 3 feet). If he strays from that zone, give the heel command and snap his leash toward you. Repeat as needed. If pupster gets it right, continue to saying heel periodically and praise him.

Come when called: Another easy one. Buy a 30 feet long (or so) rope, nylon canvas ties will do. It doesn't have to be too strong. Tie the rope to his collar. Put on his choke collar. Start with a sit and stay. If he doesn't, correct him with a snap and tell him to sit and stay again. Take the end of the rope not attached to pupster and walk away from him, making sure he sits and stays. Turn around and give the come command. If he doesn't come, snap the rope. As he gets closer to you, actually start walking briskly backward away from him. This will actually make him speed up to get to you. When he gets to you, reward him (praise or a treat). Repeat for about 10 minutes per day until he gets it.

Down: He may hate it but he needs to know who's boss. My dog hates stay and down, but he does it. He whines the entire time but does it. Essentially, if he doesn't comply physically put him down. You can do this by lifting his feet. The other method is to do it with his collar on and snap his collar down toward the ground. He may still hate it but he'll do it. He needs to be taught who's boss. Here's some dominance advice from my previously mentioned post that may help in showing him who is boss:

Show the pup who is boss! Your dog thinks that your home is a pack. Every dog pack has a leader who is dominant. Your pup will eventually (unless you take steps) get to a point where he will try to assert his dominance over you. He’ll do this by humping your leg, nipping harder than usual to get you to say ‘ouch’, or just pouncing on you. There are two schools of thought on this, both of which (in my opinion) work. One is to display regular dominance over your dog by rolling him on his back, placing your hand on his chest, and staring him in the eyes until he looks away. Once he looks away, let him up and praise him silly. This seems cruel, but that’s what dogs do when they fight for dominance. One dog holds the other down and it submits. Also note, don’t do this violently. If you do this too harshly, your dog will let you know by pissing on you. Squirting urine during confrontations is a sign of submission, just like looking away. The other method (much more fun for you and your dog) is to start rubbing your pup’s belly. He’ll eventually roll over and willingly submit to you. The former method typically works better for older dogs who are unwilling to accept that they aren’t dominant. The latter works better with pups since you’re teaching them who is the boss from the start. Fixing your dog also curtails lots of these problems.

Eliminating hand signals: This will require re-training. The dog has already learned to associate the hand signals with the behavior. Hand signals are good because if the dog can't hear (loud noises) it can still obey. Now, you just need to train him to sit, stay, etc. without using the hand signals. It's good that he knows both.

Hope that helps.

As a result of Chad Daniel Crawford place kicking someone's pet, the TN legislature has proposed the Gizmo Bill to strengthen (i.e., make a felony) animal cruelty charges.

Existing laws are adequate, I would say. But the appearance that our legislators do something is more important than doing the right thing.

The Colorado bill I blogged about here has been changed to allow cities with populations over 400,000 (i.e., Denver) exemption to the law that bans breed specific legislation.

Other than the fact I'm opposed to BSL, I have other issues with the legislation. Why exempt only cities with certain populations? Doesn't seem to provide equal protection if you ask me.

This is Chad Daniel Crawford. This lunatic allegedly 'place kicked' a two pound Yorkshire terrier and killed it while its owners watched.

What a sick bastard.

MadOgre, a blog I read regularly due to his excellent gun articles, stated:

I hate Pit Bulls. I really do. Pit Bulls are nasty creatures. Might as well have a pet fucking alligator. These things should not be pets. I don’t care what people say about them being nice. That’s what they all say after the dog snaps and eats someone. A stray Pit Bull around my house will become a dead Pit Bull collar or no.

I sent him the following email and invited him to peruse my Pet Archives:

You and I agree on many issues but your comment about pit bulls is quite disheartening. I trained police dogs for attack, obedience and drug work for years. Bully type dogs have a high drive and are eager to please.

Most dog attacks are the result of improper treatment, restraint, and socialization. Even more sad is that people who shouldn't own any dog are often the ones that own pit bulls and then train them to be mean. I can take any dog as a pup and make it a dangerous or a sociable animal.

Also, there is no scientific way to determine what breed any particular dog is. Dogs of molosser stock (which includes pits, american bulldogs, mastiffs, boxers, and dozens of other breeds) all look and behave similarly.

Pit Bulls were also the most popular breed in the US up through the 1950s. Pit Bulls served valiantly in WW1 and WW2. Also, Pits served as Search and Rescue Dogs at the WTC rubble.

Pet ownership is about responsibility and not about breeds of dog. Your comment about how they shouldn't be pets is similar to the nannyism (particularly with respect to guns) that you rant about. I'm disappointed, after all you're advocating banning "assault dogs".

I suppose you can tell I am rather passionate about this topic, you can read more at:

http://saysuncle.com/archives/cat_pets_responsibility.html

Regards,

Mr. Ogre is swayed by the bad press the breed gets. Sadly, most other people who support breed bans are as well. This is a growing problem for pet owners as breed licensing is on the rise. Punish the deed, not the breed.

Update: Ogre responds with:

Bull dogs are one thing… Police dogs one thing… Rotts are one thing…

Rotts and German Sheppards and Dobbermans rarely snap and attack kids.

But Pit Bulls are another thing all together. I despise them.

I don’t dislike any other dog… but Pit Bulls. They can snap and attack in a blink.

Assault Dog? Come on now. An Assault Rifle doesn’t suddenly turn around and shoot the owner or his kids.

If you can handle them – bully for you. Not many people can. Not many people can handle a timber wolf either, but Ranger is doing fine. So I guess maybe I’m a Pot calling out a Kettle

I responded with:

People "despise" guns too.

Fatal dog attack stats: http://www.fataldogattacks.com/statistics.html

Pit Bull and Pit-bull-type dogs (21%), Mixed breed dogs (16%),
Rottweilers (13%), German Shepherd Dogs (9%), Wolf Dogs (5%),
Siberian Huskies (5%), Malamutes (4%), Great Danes (3%),
St. Bernards (3%), Chow Chows (3%), Doberman Pinschers (3%),
other breeds & non-specified breeds (15%).

Given that American Bulldogs, Staffordshires and other dogs are routinely lumped in the pit bull category (because they're all "Bull" dogs), I'd say the numbers are fairly comparable. And your wolf makes the list too. The primary factor seems to be reproductive status of the animal:

"Of the 28 single dogs responsible for a fatal attack between 2000-2001;
26 were males and 2 were females. Of the 26 males, 21 were found to be intact (the reproductive status of the remaining 5 males dogs could not be determined"

You'll notice also that the overall fatal attacks are very low. 28 out of how many dogs in this country? Surely, you can start to see the parallel between politically incorrect dogs and guns.

I'd even say, to continue your assault rifle analogy, that less proportional number of dogs "suddenly turn" on someone as people accidentally shoot themselves due to negligence or a gun defect. A dog turning on someone or attacking someone is the result of improper training and socialization. Dogs are what people make them to be.

I tend to think I am not changing anyone's mind. It does occur to me that 5% of fatal attacks are by Wolf Dogs, which I assume means some sort of domesticated wolf. 21% are pit bulls, which likely means any bully breed. But I wonder how many people own domesticated wolves vs. people that own pit bulls. It would stand to reason considerably less. So, statistically speaking, it is possible that domesticated wolves are more likely to kill someone. However, I can't find stats on wolf ownership, so it's just a guess.

Blue was put to death in Denver for being a dog of a prohibited breed.

So were Sasha and Summer and Oreo, although they had attacked nobody.

Butch and Peaches survived. Their owner sent them to Aurora, which allows pit bull terriers, before their trip to the Denver dog pound reached a date with a fatal needle.

In Denver, one of the largest U.S. cities to ban pit bulls, the list of dogs on death row keeps growing. Last year alone, the city put to death 410 pit bulls; 240 others were returned to owners promising to get their dogs out of town immediately.

Killing all these dogs because they are politically incorrect animals. Abysmal.

A Cocke County man had his pet lion cub taken from him by authorities. It's illegal to own such animals without a permit.

Now, I don't know much about lions because I don't like cats. As with other animals, I'm sure they can be appropriately socialized. However, domesticated dogs and cats have been domesticated for thousands of years and some of that social behavior is ingrained in them. I don't know if that is the case for a lion (or any other sort of animal).

So long as the animal is appropriately restrained and can't wonder the streets, I really have no problem with the concept of owning big cats. However, I don't want one.

The Colorado legislature is looking at a bill that forbids cities (such as Denver) from banning certain breeds. The bill also provides one strike and you're out rule regarding dog bites.

One thing that people will warn you about when considering a bully type dog is that they tend to be a bit flatulent. Supposedly, they toot a lot. When our non-bully dog (Politically Correct Dog) strips a gear, it usually goes like this:

The family is watching a movie when suddenly Politically Correct Dog’s ears perk up and he runs away quickly. Then, you can count to about seven or so and you smell the result of his booty burp. Politically Correct Dog doesn’t really have a warning system for his barking spiders because him leaving the room may mean that he hears a noise and doesn’t necessarily denote a bratwurst bugle. He's silent but violent.

The same situation with Politically Incorrect Dog (our bully) is different. See, Politically Incorrect Dog comes equipped with anal acoustics. When he rips a bubbler, everyone in the house knows exactly what happened. This warning system is awesome as it gives you ample time to prepare yourself for the pungency of his fartvergnugen. When you hear his butt trumpets, you have time to clear the area. And boy should you. It's not that bullies let loose with low flying geese any more often but their fannytosis is usually loud.

What is particularly funny, is that his poots often surprise him. Suddenly, he takes a keen interest in his nether regions (as if to say Now, what the Hell was that?) for about 0.5 seconds before running like the wind he just broke. It is not uncommon for his air biscuits to awaken him (and the household) from a slumber.

I don’t think that Politically Incorrect Dog cuts muffins any more than Politically Correct Dog. It’s just that when he shoots bunnies, it’s louder. Mind you, no matter which dog steps on a duck, it smells like ass.

I have noticed Politically Incorrect Dog and Politically Correct Dog crank out a lot more duck calls since Mrs. Uncle is pregnant.

Jeff has started a new blog about pets and asked for pictures. A while back, I told everyone how a laser pointer is entertaining for bull dogs and owners, even if you aim at the ceiling:

Yes, he's on my couch.

A Veterinarian claims he has never seen a pit bull or a pit bull mix come into his adoption center:

Veterinarian Dr. Bill Suro, medical director at the MaxFund Animal Adoption Center, has never seen a mixed-breed pit bull arrive at his shelter, let alone a full-blooded pit bull terrier.

Of course, he's seen lots of "boxer mixes" and "American bulldog mixes," which bear an astonishing resemblance to pit bulls. But a pit bull? No, he's never seen one. And as long as Denver has a ban on the breed, and as long as city animal-control officials euthanize all dogs they suspect are pit bulls or pit bull mixes, Suro isn't likely to see one.

MaxFund Animal Adoption Center medical director Dr. Bill Suro says that if MaxFund resident Malcolm had ended up at the pound, he would have been euthanized for his resemblance to a pit bull.

Veterinarian Dr. Bill Suro, medical director at the MaxFund Animal Adoption Center, has never seen a mixed-breed pit bull arrive at his shelter, let alone a full-blooded pit bull terrier.

Of course, he's seen lots of "boxer mixes" and "American bulldog mixes," which bear an astonishing resemblance to pit bulls. But a pit bull? No, he's never seen one. And as long as Denver has a ban on the breed, and as long as city animal-control officials euthanize all dogs they suspect are pit bulls or pit bull mixes, Suro isn't likely to see one.

"Yes, I'd say we do have some dogs here who'd be put to sleep if they got to the pound," Suro says. "Their ancestry is in question. But it's silly to say if someone looks Italian, they must be Italian. . . . They have no way of proving they're pit bulls except to say they look like pit bulls."

Good. Down with doggie racism. As regular readers know, there is no scientific way to determine what breed of dog a particular dog is. If you live in an area with Breed Specific Legislation, take advice from this guy and call your dog a boxer.

In a follow up to my post on BSL in Adrian, I am glad to report that the mayor is no longer pushing a breed ban but is looking at ways to make pet owners more responsible. Of course, just making people responsible in general would be a good idea. Too bad it's just not that common these days. It is good that they are not trying to pass the ban.

The bill requiring dogs in truck bed to be restrained has been withdrawn. I find it odd that this bill has been front page news off and on for about a month. Not much happens here in Tennessee.

Here is a decent article on problems with Pit Bull bans:

"Many people believe that pit bulls and Rottweilers are dangerous dogs. In law, the general rule in the United States is that no dog is dangerous because of its breed. Rather, it is dangerous only as a result of its actions."

After all, ANY dog -- for that matter, any animal, including a human -- can be "trained" to become a vicious, anti-social beast. Violent tendencies are not necessarily inherent to a particular breed, they are learned behaviors.

And that is where the focus should rightly be placed: on the owner who trains the dog to be a threat to unsuspecting passers-by.

We hope city commissioners will not fall victim to that peculiar brand of groupthink in which an entire breed is condemned due to the unfortunate actions of a few unpenitent outlaws.

There are laws already on the books concerning animal behavior; those laws simply must be enforced, because they were intended to guarantee public safety.

This also ignores the fact that when Breed Specific Legislation is passed, owners of dogs who teach those dogs to be vicious just switch to another breed.

After a month long hiatus due to denial of service attacks, DogReader is back. Glad to see it.

The mayor in Adrian, MI suggested a pit bull ban. Local pet owners are out protesting the ban. Good for them.

The bill has been watered down:

Dunn's bill to outlaw the practice was watered down in the subcommittee. Instead of requiring dog owners to tether or cage their dogs in the truck beds, the bill now simply urges owners not to put their animals and other motorists on the highways at risk.

In other words, it won't be a law. Strangely, they still want to waste time and money to pass it.

Fatal Dog Attacks has a page with statistics that are quite interesting. Most notably:

Of the 28 single dogs responsible for a fatal attack between 2000-2001; 26 were males and 2 were females. Of the 26 males, 21 were found to be intact (the reproductive status of the remaining 5 males dogs could not be determined).

That's an case for neutering if I ever heard one.

Some friends came over for dinner the other night and brought their five-month-old son. This proved as a test run for the dogs with respect to their interaction with babies. They both have a lot of exposure to small children but minimal exposure to babies. They both play well with children. Since Politically Incorrect Dog was a pup, we’d subject him to all sorts of dry runs for behavior. We’d grab his tail, ears, jowls, whiskers, feet and take various food items/toys from his mouth. He never once was aggressive while we did this, which is the goal. We’d praise him for reacting positively to these pokes and prods. We do these things so that we can get him accustomed to not overreacting and acting aggressively when these things are done to him by kids. That way, when a child grabs something, he will not bite.

Our efforts have been successful. Politically Incorrect Dog was very interested in the baby. He sniffed quite a bit and didn’t want to be too far away from the action. At the same time, we also don’t want him getting too excited or playful and jumping. He’d approach the baby and gently sniff or gently rest his head on the child’s tummy and we'd praise him. Once, the child reached up and grabbed a big handful of whiskers and started tugging. Politically Incorrect Dog was the model of good behavior. He sat patiently while enduring this pretty unpleasant experience and never once snapped or pulled away. In fact, he seemed excited about the experience in general.

As an added bonus, Politically Incorrect Dog can detect poopy diapers in about two seconds.

Politically Correct Dog gently sniffed a few times and was uninterested in the baby after that. They have no idea what’s coming. So, we’re also preparing them for that.

We set up the nursery and displayed some of the toys. The hard part is informing the dogs that those toys aren’t their toys. We let them sniff the toys and give them praise. When they try to pick one up, we gently take it from them and praise them when they let go. We are being very careful not to give unpleasant corrections when they show interest in baby stuff as this could make them uncomfortable around baby stuff.

Also, after little Ms. Uncle is born, I will make a few trips home with blankets and clothing that baby has used. I’ll let the dogs sniff the items and praise them so that they associate the scent with something pleasant. When baby finally comes home, the dogs will be introduced to her in the front yard, which they view as neutral territory. Since in our front yard, there aren’t territory issues for them to deal with they should welcome the new addition into our pack.

We are also acclimating our daughter to the dogs. See, we don’t want our daughter to be awakened by the sound of dogs barking. So, we give the dogs the speak command a few times a day. Little Mrs. Uncle already has ears and can hear certain loud sounds that occur outside the womb. If we get her accustomed to the dogs’ barks and our voices, these hopefully won’t scare her after she’s born.

Here's a story that details a trend of people getting pit bulls as pets, then realizing they can't control them. So, they turn them loose instead of finding homes or shelters for them. People won't take them to shelters because of Breed Specific Legislation. The dogs are banned. Turn them in and go to jail or be fined. Just another example of the problems of Breed Specific Legislation.

A woman saw a dog in a pen outside without water. She went into the pen and gave the dog water. Now, she's been charged with trespassing. Hopefully, neglect charges will be filed against the dog's owners.

Bubba tells a reader why they shouldn't support pet stores. Amen.

I have found it more common among owners of small dogs that their dogs are rude. What do I mean by rude? Jumping on people, jumping in laps, nipping at people, aggressiveness toward people, aggressiveness toward dogs, and barking at people. People are more willing to tolerate rude behavior from small dogs because of their size. A Jack Russell Terrier who jumps on you or nips at you will not do much or really any damage. Therefore, some folks view the rude behavior as cute and harmless. They even unintentionally encourage it by rewarding the behavior. If you have a Mastiff who displays these rude behaviors, you’re in for trouble. A 150 pound dog who jumps on you can knock you over.

Dogs in general have no concept of their size. My neighbors Pomeranian wrestles with Politically Incorrect Dog all the time. Occasionally, he’ll step on her and she’ll let out a yelp. Otherwise, she thinks she weighs seventy pounds too. And Politically Incorrect Dog struggles with the concept that he’s not lapdog sized. He sees the Pomeranian in a lap and wants to be in a lap too. He is corrected when he tries.

A recent example of bad behavior: last night the Mrs. and I were checking out some of our property. We had our dogs with us and were walking around. Being responsible pet owners, our dogs were on leashes. Another vehicle pulls up about 50 yards down the road and opens the door. Out jumps a Jack Russell Terrier and a Miniature Pinscher. The two dogs, who were not on leashes, immediately start barking with hackles raised and charge at us. We’re not scared because the little guys are, well, little. I give Politically Incorrect Dog a sit and stay command and the Mrs. does the same with Politically Correct Dog. They comply. They sit quietly with ears raised as the two rude dogs circle them and bark frantically. Politically Incorrect Dog wags his tail and does a play bow. The owner runs up to retrieve her dogs, calling them to come, at which point they run down the busy road away from her. If they don’t come on command, you have an accident waiting to happen. She chases her dogs for several hundred yards. All this could have been avoided with proper training and socialization. Even simpler, it could have been avoided by using a leash.

Politically Incorrect Dog is not dog aggressive. Politically Correct Dog is dog aggressive. Had Politically Correct Dog not been well-behaved and restrained, he could have easily done some major damage to these two rude dogs. Of course, I won't allow him to.

I’m not a person who despises little dogs. I like little dogs fine, as long as they are well-behaved. I do find that little dogs are more likely to bite children. After all, if a child tugs the tail of a small dog, it will hurt and the dog will feel threatened. And the dog will defend itself by biting. A big dog will not feel as threatened and will likely just walk away, if properly socialized. Size is not an excuse to justify bad behavior.

This article says:

A woman had the clothes and flesh ripped from her body trying to stop a pit bull mastiff savaging her two-year-old niece.

I have heard of pit bulls and I have heard of bull mastiffs. I have never heard of a pit bull mastiff. Anyone out there confirmed this new breed? Or is it just hype in the media?

He's a hoss when he wants to be. Otherwise, he's generally goofy. 70 pounds of pure muscle and affection. This is my dog, not Petey from The Little Rascals.

Licensing enforced by the state:

The owners of for Paws Boutique in Auburn were arrested Monday in connection with instances of practicing veterinary medicine without a license, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

The Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners investigated the pet store and issued search and arrest warrants for owners Rebekah Perry and Cindy Salter. The Lee County Sheriff's Office assisted with the arrest and search Monday at about 4:45 p.m.

"I do not know why they investigated (the store)," said Perry. "I am not a veterinarian and I am not practicing veterinary medicine."

The Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners would not comment on reasons for the arrest because of an ongoing investigation.

Both Perry and Salter were rescuing stray cats and vaccinating the animals, Perry said. The owners purchased the vaccinations, and buying these vaccinations is not illegal, she added.

The Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners were searching for rabies vaccinations, and it is against the law to purchase rabies vaccinations, Perry said.

I know a few dog breeders that give shots to their newborn pups because it is cheaper than paying a vet for it. You can buy these shots at farmers co-ops cheaply and legally. The shots are easy to give and provide the valuable service of keeping the animals disease-free. Alabama law may be different.

Closing:

About 23 cats are currently living at the pet boutique. Perry said she is not going to adopt stray cats anymore, and each cat will be sent to the Lee County Humane Society. The cats will more than likely be euthanized, she added. "And it's a shame."

A shame indeed.