DNA testing Foreign Dogs

 Over the past few years there have been an increasing number of street dogs being brought to the UK for rehoming.  Just in the past year I have noticed a sharp increase of street dogs, particularly from Romania, coming to the UK and owners are asking me for DNA tests.  

 The Blackdog DNA database of known dog breeds is intended only to test dogs from the UK, US, Australia, Canada and near Europe such as Eire, France and Germany.  Known pedigree breeds make up this database.  A dog rehomed from the streets in Romania is extremely unlikely to have any UK pedigree dogs in its ancestry!  Do you expect a Cardigan Welsh Corgi to be roaming the streets in Romania?  or perhaps a Pedigree Basenji? a prizewinning German Spitz?? or a Champion Poodle?  It just doesn't work, and it is not realistic to expect to find any known UK breeds in there.

Your dog might have the appearance of a dog breed you recognize from the UK Pedigree known dogs, but that is where it ends.  Street dogs have been roaming and breeding uncontrolled for as long as humans have been civilized.  Their appearance is determined by genes which control things like ear length, nose length, colour, coat, leg length.  It is just coincidence when these genes come together in a random way and the dog accidentally resembles a pedigree breed we might recognize.  In view of the sharp increase of foreign street dogs coming to the UK I have now changed the wording on my website and litereature to warn against DNA testing these dogs.  The results will reflect ancient breeds or a group of breeds which are linked historically. This will result in a seemingly unlikely result, but reflects the true breed ancestry.

Something Smelly!

Have you noticed how in cold weather your dog takes much more time to sniff everything?  It can be annoying if you are in a hurry to get along but your dog needs to take time to read all the local information.   The reason your dog takes so long in Winter is because the scents do not smell as strong when the weather is cold.  During warm or hot weather the molecules in the object of the sniff (a pee from another dog for instance) will be moving and going around at high speed. These items of scent are called 'volatiles'.  Think of your hot cup of tea or coffee for instance.  The heat creates volatile substances that rise at high speed into the air... you know it as steam.   But in cold weather the volatile scents are hardly moving at all, and it is these volatile scents that your dog is sniffing for.  So in cold weather there is hardly any scent coming off the object that he or she is sniffing - hence, they need to give it a jolly good, long, hard sniff to find out what it is.  Give them more time please! don't just pull them away.

The Ridgeback Gene

 You don't have to have Rhodesian Ridgeback in a mixed breed dog for it to inherit a ridge! There is some association of the ridge gene with a dermoid sinus or cyst - essentially they can get a small tube in their skin that goes from the surface of the skin as far as the spinal cord. Not a common thing but it can happen.

 This dog inherited a ridge but you can see from the chart below there is no Rhodesian Ridgeback in his ancestry at all.

The green cluster on the chart above is the genetic signature of the Rhodesian Ridgeback, and yet the tiny blue spot in the middle of the red cluster is where this dog's genetic ancestry lies.  The Rhodesian Ridgeback ancestry may be many many generations back and cannot be traced.

Basically the ridge is a dominant trait in genetics. If one of the parents carries the ridge gene (even though it might not have a ridge itself) it is possible that a ridge will be passed to any of the puppies in a litter.

Limber Tail

 I love a mystery!  There is a painful condition which can effect working gundogs, particularly Labradors known as Limber Tail syndrome. Actually it has been called quite a few names, cold water tail, wet tail, broken tail, .. and my favourite broken wag.  This is a painful condition whereby the dog's tail may stick out just a few inches from the base, then just hang down lifeless.  Sometimes the hair around the base of the tail may stick up, but many vets are not aware of this painful condition, which affects dogs which have been working or in particular, swimming.  The cause is largely unknown... but I have a theory.

Owners of gundogs and gundog trainers are more familiar with this condition. Reserach has shown that the condition is muscular in nature and scans have shown there is abnormal electrical activity in the area at the base of the tail. The muscles effected are the ones used during lateral flexion (that's wagging to you and me).  Now here is the good bit.
Whilst talking to a gundog trainer this weekend, a credible cause has been suggested.  Now if you are of a sensitive nature it would be a good idea to close your eyes while reading this next bit...
Dogs which walk or wade into water to retrieve don't usually suffer with this condition, but dogs that jump into water, COLD WATER do suffer.  Cold water can enter the dog's rectum via the anus whilst entering the water - as in the photo above.  It is the shock of the cold water inside the rectum at the base of the tail which makes the muscles go into spasm.  In order to test this theory, (now don't try this at home boys and girls) a long time ago this gundog trainer simulated this effect by squirting cold water into said area..... immediately resulting in muscle spasm and Limber tail.   This condition usually lasts a couple of days and can be treated with anti inflammatories by a vet.

Tail Docking

 The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes the docking of dogs' tails a criminal offence.  There are however, some exceptions to this law for example where it is a working dog that might damage its tail in the course of a working day, or for medical reasons.  The docking of tails is unrestricted in Ireland, so perhaps they came over from there.  Certainly many dog rescue charities bring dogs over from Ireland.

 So why did I see so many dogs with docked tails yesterday at a fun dog show?  Was this a working Rottweiler, or was it over 6 years old.  There are many reasons why I might have seen so many docked tails legally, but there were just so many that it just seems that people are still getting away with docking tails.

 Was this a working terrier?  It might have wagged its tail so hard that it was damaged and had to be surgically amputated, or it might be owned by someone who uses it for vermin control. I wonder..  Actually I did see a Doberman with cropped ears yesterday!  Definitely not legal in the UK.

And what about this Boxer puppy?  Was it born in Ireland? Did it have an unfortunate wagging accident in the last couple of weeks?  Does anyone in the UK pay attention to the Animal Welfare Act?  I'm sure if asked, all these owners would have a legitimate reason for owning a dog with a docked tail.  I am just wondering why there are still so many around.

Silver Labradors - The Truth

 I came across this wonderful Silver Labrador at a dog show last weekend.  I had been interested in the genetic diversity within dog breeds, and also the prejudice that some pedigree breeders and indeed the Kennel Club insistence that they are not pure breeds, and their old arguments about purity of lines etc..

I spoke to the owners of this lovely puppy, it was bred in the UK from pure breed Silver Labrador parents which had been imported into the UK from the USA.  It is thought that this silver colouring is a variation on the standard brown or chocolate colours which are accepted by pedigree breeders.  DNA tests have PROVED that these are pure bred Labradors and they have not been crossed with another breed.   The most common explanation given is that when the first Silver Labradors appeared they must have been crossbred with a Weimaraner.  The problem with this is that the first Silver Labs appeared in the USA way back in the 1930s, but there were no Weimaraners in the USA until after 1940.  The other problem with this theory is that BOTH parents have to posess the dilute gene for silver puppies to result becuse the dilute gene is recessive.   A mating between a Labrador and a Weimaraner would not result in silver puppies unless the Labrador already carried the gene too!

 

 This silver colouring is produced by a gene which is called Dilute.  This dilute gene is a recessive trait and a Silver Labrador dog would have to have inherited a copy of this dilute gene from both parents.    The dilute gene in black Labradors produces Charcoal puppies.  In Yellow Labradors the puppies would be Champagne coloured (not visible but dogs have a grey nose!)  and the Chocolate Labradors bred with the dilute gene produce these Silver Puppies. The recent explosion in the Chocolate Labrador population has substantially increased the chances for silver Labradors to appear naturally. 

This dilute gene is also found in many other dog breeds and the silver colouring which results is accepted by the Kennel Club in Chows, Chesapekes, Newfoundlands, Weimaraners, Whippets, and many other breeds.  

The known origins of the Labrador retriever started out in the areas of Newfoundland and Chesapeke, where it started life as a St Johns Water dog.  As both Newfoundland and Chesapeke Retrievers can posess this dilute gene, it is likely that it has been in the genetics of some Labradors all along!

First Aid for Dogs

 I have always wanted to learn about First Aid for Dogs! Nothing could be more frightening than watching your beloved dog suffer an injury or accident and just having to stand by helpless for not having any knowledge of what to do.  So today I rectified the situation.

 The lovely people from Animal Aiders run first aid courses for cats, horses and dogs, so today we learned some basic first aid bandaging, basic anatomy, life saving and common ailments. But if any of you have ever been on a human first aid course you will be familiar with the 'resusci Annie' mannequin to practice CPR.

 So after we had bandaged ears, paws and tails on these willing subjects..

We learned about resuscitation and CPR on this wonderful 'resusci doggy'   learned about mouth to snout resuscitation, heart massage and where to feel for a pulse on a dog.  A wonderful day with wonderful people.  So if you don't want to just stand there and feel helpless when a dog is in distress right in front of you, you should try this.

Genetic Diversity

 There is infinite diversity in nature.  This infinite diversity is being artificially channelled into very specific lines by pedigree breeders.  A particular set of criteria is laid down as being the pinnacle of breed purity and any diversion from this blueprint is seen as undesireable.  Just look at this gorgeous long haired Rottweiler who happens to have inherited the gene for longer hair.  The guidance for breeders and judges in the pedigree world is as follows, "If a dog possesses a feature , characteristic or colour described as undesirable or highly undesirable it is strongly recommended that it should not be rewarded in the show ring."    So what happens if a slightly different puppy appears in a litter?

 So once in a blue moon a puppy is born different, like this silver coloured Labrador.  It is NOT a crossbreed, but has  just inherited a rare genetic marker for the silver colour. Unfortunately people have thought it would be interesting to find a male and female silver Labrador and try to breed a new coloured dog.  Such a narrow gene pool is fraught with danger.

And every so often a red coloured Rottweiler is born in this way.  The official advice is, "Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect on the health and welfare of the dog."
Nature is wonderful, its infinite diversity is wonderful.  Yes occasionally a person gives birth to someone who grows to the height of 7ft and plays basketball for their country. They are not crossbreed humans, they are just different and wonderful.  The sad fact is that some dogs  do not come up to the high standards of pedigree breeders.  Is this bigotry or racism?

Border Collies

 You might think that you know what a Border Collie looks like.   I have been looking at the breed for a couple of years now and there is such a huge range of colours, shapes, sizes and coats that it is amazing that they are all considered the same breed.

 Until 1915 it did not have a name, it was just known as a Collie which may be an old Anglo-Saxon word for the colour black, or the Gaelic word for 'useful'.

 A formidable working dog with strong herding instincts, found on working farms all over the world now.  Originally black and white, but as you see from the pictures here it now comes in such a wide range of forms.

 Grey Merle, Tricolour Merle, Brown Merle.. the list goes on...

 Tri Colour long coats,

 Black and white long coats.. the list is extensive. Because this has always been a working dog it is no surprise to learn that it did not aquire a Kennel Club breed standard until 1976.

 Even some golden colours appear from time to time.  This golden Collie appeared in a litter of all sorts of different colours.

 Sable collies are another colour form within the breed. (I like this one the most!)

The Kennel Club breed standard states that a variety of colours are permissable but white should never predominate. Coats can be either moderately long or smooth.  What wonderful variety!

Diva Dogs Day - Sunday 30th September

 What do you think about dogs dressing up?  Quite a contentious issue in some circles. Is it a bit of harmless fun at dog shows, or do you feel the need to express yourself through your dog by buying him or her expensive outfits?

 
 Whatever your feelings on the subject lots and lots of people enjoy entering their dogs in fancy dress competitions!  Well, next Sunday 30th September you can certainly have fun at Diva Dogs Day at Brook Farm Training Centre, Stapleford Abbots, Essex RM4 1EG. Here they are making a Guinness World Record Attempt at the most number of dogs in fancy dress. You can join in too if you come along and help break the record!

 If it is just a bit of fun at the weekend, and the costume comes off at the end of it then I think it is great fun.

Make sure your dog is comfortable and happy at all times. Just because you like it, it doesn't mean that your dog is having fun as well. Think of your dog's welfare first at all times, but have fun!

Window of Opportunity

There is an absolutely critical period in a dog's social development when its experiences are absolutely vital to the rest of its life.  This window of opportunity is called 'The Critical Period'. This period varies from breed to breed but basically it refers to the first few weeks of its life when it goes out and explores the world.  For some breeds like German Shepherd, it starts to feel fear at seeing new experiences as early as 5 weeks old. For other breeds such as the Labrador, this fear period does not start until it is 10 weeks old.  For most breeds this window of opportunity shuts at about 15 weeks old.
Therefore, it is critical to get your dog socialised to the outside world before it starts to feel fear. This is the time to take it out and show it the world. Cars, people, trains, pavements, traffic, cats, children... absolutely everything.  If you miss this opportunity then the dog will never fully become confident around the experience that it has missed.
The most common problem is that your vet will probably advise you not to take your puppy outdoors until it has had its second set of injections at 15weeks. By that time it is too late! You must think of creative ways of introducing your puppy to the outside world as much as possible. Carry it around your local garden centre, put it in a push chair, go for a car ride, make every opportunity you can to introduce your puppy to life before 15 weeks. 
 In one awful case I heard of recently, a breeder recommended that a giant breed should not leave its house and back garden for 6 months until the bones had a chance to develop fully. This dog will never get over this start in life and will lead a fearful life. There is no repairing the damage done.
You must take a calculated risk as to whether you think there is any likelihood of catching these doggy diseases if for instance, you take it for a walk to your local shops. You must weigh up the risks of catching these diseases, with having a well socialised and fear-free dog for the next 15 years or more.

Ice Cream for Dogs!

 I was visiting a fundog show in Hampshire last week when I came across a trade stand selling ice cream for dogs!  What a brilliant idea!  Actually it is a really healthy dog-friendly iced treat in a tub which contains pure, raw fruit and vegetable puree, aloe vera juice and flaxseed oil. These are great ingredients and this one is made by www.billyandmargot.com but why not trying to make your own at home?

 

Dogs will love the variety of textures and temperatures in a frozen treat when it gets hot.  You can make their favourite KONG and stuff it with wet food and keep it in the freezer, or why not freeze some vegetables or tiny chicken pieces into some water or home made chicken stock (not stock cubes these are much too salty). Think of your dog in this heat, experiment, give them an iced treat!

Why Reward Based Training Really Works!

Why is there a picture of a Nectar Rewards card on this post?  Well, you may be thinking there is a relevance to the word 'Reward' appearing here when we are talking about dog training and behaviour. You would be right in thinking that, it is the same psychology at work here.
Let me tell you, that I regularly seek out a BP Garage to buy my petrol. Why? because I know that I will be rewarded with Nectar points every time I fill up at a BP Garage.  Even more exciting.. sometimes they run special promotions whereby you might even win a million nectar points if you are really lucky! Jackpot!  I go voluntarily, no one threatens me if I go to a Texaco garage or a Shell garage.  I willingly and happily go to a BP Garage to fill my car up with petrol.  I am rewarded for doing so.

So why is there now a picture of a motorway speed enforcement sign here?  Well, why do I observe the speed limit? Because there is a threat of punishment if I do not.  The evil CCTV camera sign is reminding me that if I do not obey the 40mph speed limit I will be punished with a speeding ticket, points on my driving licence and an expensive fine to pay as well.  How do I feel while I am under this threat? Do I obey? yes I do obey the command to drive at 40mph but I don't feel good about it. What happens when the speed restriction has finished?  I go back up to 70mph (OK sometimes it is a bit faster I admit) and I feel relief when these threats of punishment have ended. Phew!

Are you beginning to see the relevance here with how dogs are trained?  Using reward based methods of training makes your dog feel good when you ask him to do something. He knows a reward is coming when he does it right, and he does it willingly. A whole lot of brain chemicals are produced which makes him feel grrrreat! He feels good, he anticipates a pleasurable experience and he wants to obey your every word! (no really!).  Every so often there might even be an extra special 'Jackpot' reward coming to me but you never know when that might be.

So if I threaten or punish my dog with a painful choke collar, frighten him with loud noises, spray cans, vibrating collars, shout at him threaten him... well yes he is going to obey your commands because he is anticipating punishment if he doesn't. Brain chemicals are produced which make him feel anxious and fearful. When the threats and punishment are not present, he will revert back to his old behaviour, feeling great relief that the threat of punishment is over. 

So if you are looking for a behaviourist or trainer, look for someone who belongs to an accredited body of trained professionals who subscribe to a kind, fair and effective code of conduct.  Reward based training methods are the only way to go. They are not airey-fairy, namby-pamby methods. They Work!

All About Dogs - Essex

Next weekend 12th & 13th May I will be at the All About Dogs show in Brentwood, Essex.  
I will be with my Blackdog DNA trade stand looking out for mixed breed dogs.   This show will also be one of the National Heats for the Kennel Club Scruffts competition. A Nationwide dog show specifically for mixed breed dogs.
Another highlight for me will be the Dock Dogs.  What an amazing sport, I took this picture at the Newbury show a couple of weeks ago.  Way to go Digger!

A Busy Bank Holiday Weekend

It's going to be busy next weekend. I am taking my trade stand to 3 different shows. Let's hope the weather is better than this last weekend.

Saturday 5th May - Crossroads Kennels, Milton Keynes, MK17 0RD 11am
        They are having a Fun Day and Fundog Show to raise funds for tyhe Labrador Lifeline Trust.

Sunday 6th May - National Animal Welfare Trust, Watford, WD25 8WT
        They are having an open day and a fundog show to rais money for the charity.

Monday 7th May - The Barking Mad Dog Show, Broom, Biggleswade, SG18 9NN
         They are having a fundog show to raise money for Hounds for Heroes.

Lumpless Labrador

I don't think Leo will forgive me for making him miss breakfast yesterday morning!  Poor sausage had to go to have a lump taken off at the vet.  Quite wobbly on his feet last night, but much more with it this morning when he gulped down a hearty breakfast!  All systems heading back to normal, apart from the dreaded lampshade on his head!

Happy Hounds!

I spent a lovely weekend at Newbury Showground at the Wallingford Dog Training Club agility meet. The whole weekend was like a breath of fresh air for me.  As a behaviourist I spend most of my time dealing with, reading about, or studying dogs with behavioural problems which are usually brought about in some way by humans!

 But here were hundreds and hundreds of happy, happy dogs.  Owners who want to give their dog a good and meaningful life.  People having fun outdoors, running alongside their dogs who were having an amazing time.   Lots and lots of Border Collies were having the time of their lives.  This type of herding dog very often experiences behavioural problems when owners do not take account of their strong, working drives.  The outlet of being able to run around an agility course allows them to stop, start, watch their owner, jump, change direction, run and satisfy many of their innate needs.

 

In fact Border Collies are SO good at agility that another class of agility has been formed to allow other breeds a look in!  If you have a Weimaraner, Great Dane, Dachshund, or mutt you can enter them in the 'ABC' class -- Anything But a Collie!!!  Any collies, or collie cross-breeds are not allowed to enter.  So how can you tell whether they are a collie cross-breed or not?

 
 Blackdog DNA will tell you what the genetic heritage of your dog really is!  Simples!

Keeping in Touch

Networking is a wonderful thing. Not only can you enjoy the company of likeminded people, it can be really good for business too. If you are just walking your dog in the local park, then networking and chatting to other dog walkers is a fun and sociable thing to do. You can keep up with all the local doggy gossip (so can your dogs by the way) and important information can come your way. In my local park, someone has been putting down poison for dogs, knowing this can keep your dog safe from harm.
If like me, you are a professional in the dog world, then networking with other trainers, behaviourists, breeders, vets and dog minders and walkers is a really great thing to do. I never see other behaviourists or trainers as a threat to my business. We need to swap ideas, keep in touch, learn from each other, swap news, promote each others' businesses and if you are lucky you will also make friends with likeminded people.
I like to keep up to date with continuing education and training, any individual with a professional skill should do the same. I never stop learning and I am passionate about discovering the doggy world around me, and immersing myself in 'all things doggy' (quite literally sometimes!). I have seen boxers boxing, spaniels spanieling and pointers pointing! No amount of information is too small to lock away somewhere for a rainy day. For instance...
Today I was on a seminar about the different needs that different dogs have, according to their hard wired genetic breeding. Retrievers retrieve...of course. But what were Chow Chows bred to do? (you know the fluffy ones with the black tongues?), well nothing... they were bred to be eaten, as a food source in China - hence the word chow...ugh!

Help! My dog won't play!

I've come across more and more people who tell me that their dog will not play. Just not interested in toys, rough and tumble, retrieving balls or any kind of fun games. Well until we re-homed this Labrador bundle of fun, I too had a dog that was not interested in play.

Play is an activity or skill which needs to be learnt. It does not come naturally to all dogs and if this dog has missed out on a good early start in life, or with owners that didn't have the time to play then it may never learn. But it is never too late to start! You can teach an old dog new tricks! In fact, an old dog is more capable of learning new tricks because he has had a lifetime of learning what the rules of the game are!

So the rules of the game are; If I do something that my owner wants me to do, I get a treat! By getting a treat, little amounts of happy chemicals are released into the dog's brain. Hey, let's do that again and I might get another treat! You must also be prepared to make a bit of an idiot of yourself, by squealing and yipping and looking as if you are having a great time yourself! Keep the individual training sessions down to no more than 5 minutes each. As with my last dog Buddy, he was 10 years old before he learned to play, it took almost a year to do, but we made it!

Humans must be prepared to get down and dirty on the carpet, roll on the floor and make stupid noises! You must let go of all your inhibitions for your dog's sake! Remember, playing is a skill which needs to be learned.