Dog Articles

An Introduction to Agility

Agility is one of the fastest growing sports with dogs of all breeds and styles taking part.  It is a challenging, fast paced, and exciting training experience for both dog and handler.  Read more...

An Introduction to Herding

Herding is one of oldest canine activities available.  It has real world applications and is still in place for viable farm assistance in many places.  For urban individuals, herding has become more of a training activity for competition for those breeds of dogs with natural instinct.  Read more...

An Introduction to Competitive Obedience

Everyone is familiar with sit, down, and come and other similar commands that are standard fare in the general obedience training class.  The novice handler might not be familiar with what competitive obedience looks like or realize that it’s really just a continuation of those basic skills.  Read more...

The Life Expectancy of Your Dog

When you decide to get a dog, you are doing so with the expectation that your new canine companion is going to be with you for many years to come. But how many years, exactly? This is something that all prospective pet owners would like to know. The average lifespan for a dog is about 12 years, but this fact by itself tells you very little. In reality, there are a number of variables that will help determine how long the newest member of your family is likely to be with you.  Read more...

General Grooming of Dogs

Food, shelter, exercise and regular visits to the veterinarian are all a part of the basic care package that accompanies dog ownership. However, there is one more important aspect of proper canine care that must not be forgotten or neglected, and that is grooming. In order for a dog to stay clean and healthy, proper hygiene must be maintained, and given that dogs can do little more than lick themselves to remove the occasional annoying substance, grooming of your animal is your responsibility.  Read more...

The Cost of Owning a Dog

If you ever owned a dog when you were a child, you can probably recall the joy and exhilaration you felt every day, playing with your best buddy. Once you grew up and (assuming you) started a family, you probably wanted your kid(s) to experience the same things that you did. A loving, loyal, fun-loving animal companion is one of the best things in the world.  Read more...

Questions to Ask a Breeder

If you have decided on a breed of dog, then probably you have already done a decent amount of research about that particular breed’s characteristics, history, temperament, appearance and potential health problems. Then again, maybe you have selected a breed based on childhood memories of another dog or because a  Read more...

Is a Raw Food Diet Right for Your Dog?

If you read the labels on the back of commercially-prepared dog food, at first glance it might appear as if they are well-fortified with all the nutrients a dog needs to stay healthy. But if you read a little more closely, you will soon realize that this kind of food is heavily laced with preservatives, additives and other kinds of   Read more...

Finding a Dog Trainer

Half the battle of dog training is finding the right training class and the right trainer to assist you along the way.  Not all dog trainers or classes are created equal! There are a lot of differences among trainers, and you need to be prepared to find the best one for you and your dog.  Read more...

Different Dogs: Different Exercise Needs

All dogs need to be exercised everyday in some form or fashion.  The most common method is through the walk around the neighborhood, but is a short walk around the block enough exercise for your particular dog?  Read more...

Traveling with Your Dog

Dogs are a part of the family, and they go everywhere with us.  Whether it just a short trip for an errand, to the park, to a training class, or to a competitive event, you have to plan ahead to travel safely with your dog.  Read more...

Organized Sports for Your Dog

Training your dog is a fun activity for you and your dog! General training is a basic requirement for dog ownership, but more advanced training can be a fun endeavor.  If you haven’t ventured into the various activities available to you and your dog, you might not realize how many opportunities there truly are.  We’ll take a look at some of the most commonly available options.  Read more...

How to Choose the Right Breed for You

So you have made the decision to get a dog. Perhaps you had a bad experience once before with a dog who you thought was cute or friendly, but then when you got him home he turned out to be a holy terror, and the whole thing turned into a nightmare. Even if you have never had such a bad experience, the fact remains that choosing a pet is a life-changing decision, and it is one that takes a lot of thought and research.  Read more...

Health Issues in Dogs

Dogs can suffer from a whole host of diseases and other serious health problems. Some of these conditions are inherited, while others are caused by viruses; still others are related to lifestyle and environmental influences.  Read more...

An Introduction to Clicker Training

If you’re not directly familiar with clicker training, you might be a little confused on what exactly this style of training is all about.  It is a newer style (although has been known and used for many decades) of training in the sense that it took a while for dog trainers to really hook onto it.   Read more...

How to Successfully Adopt a Dog from a Rescue

One of the kindest things any person can do is to adopt an animal from a shelter or humane society. These are animals that desperately need a home and human beings to love and care for them. However, if you have decided to adopt a dog from a rescue situation, you must go in with your eyes wide open.  Read more...

Training a SAR (Search and Rescue) Dog

A well trained SAR dog is a sight to behold.  The dog can evenly maneuver the most difficult of terrain with the grace of a mountain goat all the while looking for a trapped or hidden human being.  This type of work is often done on the fly, at the drop of the hat, with little advanced warning.  It requires a talented dog and a special handler willing to invest the time and effort.  Read more...

The Importance of Titles, Health Screening and Breed Surveys on Breeding Stock

Historically, dog shows and other related events were developed with a very specific purpose in mind – to select and recognize those dogs with the best breeding characteristics, in order to guarantee the future health, stability and vitality of individual breeds. The practice of dog breeding is dedicated to this purpose, and dog breeders have a responsibility to do what is best for the breeds with which they choose to work.   Read more...

The American Bulldog

When one thinks of the bulldog, the image that first comes to mind is probably that of the English Bulldog, with its squat build, round head and distinctive “face that only a mother could love.” But there is another kind of beloved breed of bulldog: bigger and more athletic, and ruggedly handsome where the English Bulldog is charmingly ugly. This is the American Bulldog, a breed that almost literally came back from the dead to become widely popular as both a working dog and a family pet.  Read more...

Training the German Shepherd Dog for the Show Ring

Before a dog is ever entered for a competitive show, there is a lot of work that must be accomplished in order to be able to present the dog properly.  There is nothing like having a quality dog that is unprepared for a show.  A dog that hasn’t been well trained and conditioned just won’t be a competitive dog.  Read more...

Puppy Training: Raising the Perfect Puppy

Is there such a thing as the perfect puppy? In all likelihood there is not.  There is always something one might change in any dog (or person really), but the goal should be to always strive towards raising a puppy to be its most perfect self.  This is hard work, to be sure, but it is not only possible, it is necessary.  Read more...

Getting a Second Dog – Pros and Cons

Having a dog has been a fun and wonderful experience for everyone in your family. In fact, it has been so rewarding that you are now seriously thinking of getting a second dog. However, it is important that you really think this decision through, because having two dogs can be an entirely different experience from having one.  Read more...

The Belgian Malinios

The Belgian Malinios is also known as the Belgian Shepherd. However, despite its superficial resemblance to the German Shepherd, the Belgian Malinios is actually a type of sheep dog. Weighing in at 60 to 80 pounds when fully grown, and measuring between 22 and 26 inches in height, the Malinios is classified as a medium-sized working dog.  Read more...

Starting Your Dog in Tracking

Tracking is a sport where the people take the passenger’s seat.  The dog is in the lead and is able to confidently do what comes naturally to it, and we must learn to trust in this ability.  For some people, trusting the dog and letting it lead are two of the hardest parts of beginning work in tracking.  Read more...

What is Schutzhund and IPO?

The origins of all training, such as Schutzhund or IPO, are based in Germany.  These training tests were developed as a primary method of producing top level German Shepherd Dogs.  They were geared to identify suitability of individual dogs for work in several formats  Read more...

Choosing a Male or a Female Dog: What is the Difference

You may have felt that choosing a breed was the biggest decision you had to make before getting a dog. But now that you have made that choice, you are now faced with a more basic decision: do you want a male dog, or a female?  Read more...

The Role of Diet and Exercise

There are many factors that come into play in the mental and physical health of a dog, but perhaps two of the most important are diet and exercise.  Diet and exercise aren’t just important for the high energy performance or working dog.  They are key for the average pet dog as well.   Read more...

The Importance of Socializing Your Dog

The personality of a dog is flexible and indeterminate. Dogs can be exuberant or shy; friendly or hostile; fearful or bold; aggressive or passive or some combination of the above. These differences in personality may to some extent be determined by breed, or individual genetics, but for the most part it is based on how and to what extent each particular dog has been socialized.   Read more...

Training Your Dog

For the health and wellbeing of your dog, training should really not ever be considered an option when owning a dog.  Well trained dogs are more likely to be behaved and listen, be void of behavioral issues, be good in public, and are less likely to bite.  Owners also have a much closer connection with the dog when the time is taken to form a relationship through training.  Read more...

The German Shepherd Dog

Many breeds of dog become popular because they have one or two distinct characteristics that people admire and appreciate. But what perhaps sets the German Shepherd apart from other popular breeds is the unique constellation of attributes that these dogs possess. Loyal, loving, tranquil, intelligent, athletic, eager to learn, cheerful, serious, strong, handsome, dignified – these adjectives can all legitimately be used to define the personality of the highly respected and beloved German Shepherd (GSD).  Read more...

Understanding the Siegerschau "T" rating

If you are wondering why some of the previous years' top placing dogs can't be found in the current year's top placings, it MAY be because they have been placed in the "T" Category listing at the BOTTOM of their Class!!  Read more...

HD Zuchtwert Breed Value Assessment Number

The best tool for breeders in the fight against canine hip dysplasia (CHD), to come along in years, is the SV's HD Zuchtwert, or Breed value assessment number (HD ZW). The HD ZW number is an estimation of the probability that a dog will produce progeny with CHD.   Read more...