IXdogs

12/02/2023

Is Your Dog Linguistically Gifted?
Some dogs, like Chaser, the Border Collie who famously knew the name of over 1,000 toys, are able to learn hundreds of vocabulary words. But, according to researchers, this skill is rare.

“We know that dogs can learn commands or cues or sound stimuli or any stimulus for a behaviour, which is basically a process of association,” says Dr. Claudia Fugazza, a researcher of dogs' social cognitive abilities at the Department of Ethology in Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. “But there was [no existing research] about learning the names of objects. So, we started investigating and we found that irrespective of the age when you start training, most dogs do not learn the name of objects. We trained a group of dogs very intensively for three months—we included a group of puppies around three months old and a group of adult dogs—and none of them could learn any words.”
https://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/your-dog-linguistically-gifted/135225

Some dogs, like Chaser, the Border Collie who famously knew the name of over 1,000 toys, are able to learn hundreds of vocabulary words. But, according to researchers, this skill is rare.

12/02/2023

What to do About a Fearful Dog
Sure, to you, they look like delivery folks, vacuum cleaners, and kids on skateboards. But your dog is convinced they may be potential serial killers, demons, and monsters. Don’t you wish you could just tell him everything is okay? If only it worked that way. Fear is not rational. Some fears are easy to slay, but others may take years to overcome—and your reaction will have a big impact on whether your dog thinks there’s something to worry about. So, how should you help a fearful dog? Should you comfort a dog that is scared? Read on to find out…
First off, is your dog afraid? Some signs of fear are more subtle:

• Balking. For example, your puppy refuses to walk in your neighbourhood. You may think she’s tired or walking far is too hard for her yet, but in many cases, she is simply afraid of the environment and doesn’t want to continue forward.
https://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/what-do-about-fearful-dog/135699

06/02/2023

Dog Quickly Shows Owner The Effectiveness of Months of Toilet Training
New puppy is all fun and games—until they start urinating in places they shouldn't.
In a viral clip that has eight million views, TikTok user can be seen rolling a large cream rug onto the floor. She is shortly joined by Cleo, a Bichon Frise, who then decides to wee on the rug, leaving Kim in complete shock.

She added the following text to the video: "bringing my rug back out after months of training my dog not to p*e inside."

https://www.newsweek.com/tiktok-dog-quickly-shows-owner-effectiveness-toilet-training-1779170

https://www.newsweek.com/tiktok-dog-quickly-shows-owner-effectiveness-toilet-training-1779170

The top comment has 89,000 likes, it said: "Noooo. She knew what she was doing."

06/02/2023

Nutrition trends for canine athletes
What do you feed your sporting dog? He may wolf down any brand of dog food, but is it what he needs as a canine athlete? For any dog owner – whether yours is a family pet, furbaby or a sporting companion – nutrition forms the cornerstone of your dog’s health and wellbeing. Understanding good canine nutrition is important for good health.

Lifestyle and diet

When choosing the best diet for your dog, you need to consider his age and size. A puppy will transition to adult dog food at about one year of age for small and medium breeds, and one-and-a-half years of age for large and giant breeds. We also need to consider the dog’s lifestyle and energy levels. Working and sporting dogs need additional energy and, depending on the type and duration of the sport, the amount of energy required can far surpass that of the average pet dog.

The need for high-performance diets can also be seasonal, depending on when the dog trains and competes and requires the additional kilojoules. Overfeeding can cause weight gain, which in turn increases the dog’s risk for injury, so it is important to consider when a decrease or change in diet is required.

https://animaltalk.co.za/nutrition-trends-for-canine-athletes/

05/02/2023

Keeping the Geriatric Dog’s Brain and Body Fit with Exercise
From improving memory and cognition to strengthening muscles and enhancing quality of life, regular exercise is beneficial to the health and well-being of your geriatric dog.
by Laurie McCauley, DVM, DACVSMR, CCRT, CVA, CVC, and Evelyn Orenbuch, DVM, DACVSMR, CCRT, CAVCA

We’ve all seen it. The 80-year-old ladies lifting weights, doing Tai chi, going for power walks, staying healthy and mobile. These active octogenarians are striving for not only a long lifespan, but a long healthspan as well. Likewise, our older canine dogs need to exercise and keep moving to achieve a health-span that matches their lifespan. But first, let’s look at the terminology and science around aging, the changes we are combating, and what exercise can do for the geriatric dog.

https://animalwellnessmagazine.com/keeping-the-geriatric-dogs-brain-and-body-fit-with-exercise/

05/02/2023

National Pet Dental Health Month: Oral health tips and tricks!
It’s that time of year again: National Pet Dental Health Month.

The purpose of this incredibly important month is to serve as a reminder to take your pet to your veterinarian to get a checkup on your pet’s dental health. Why is it critical to do this? Dental disease is a HUGE driver of overall health.
https://animalwellnessmagazine.com/national-pet-dental-health-month-oral-health-tips-and-tricks/

25/01/2023

Want to a greet a dog the right way? These five trainer approved tips will keep the dog and its owner happy
Dogs are very sociable animals to have but this doesn't mean to say they always enjoy being touched by new people, especially when strangers do this carelessly or without consent.

Teaching a dog to behave well on walks can take up a lot of time and effort, and in some cases, many of the best puppy toys to maintain their attention during training. So if you've ever noticed a dog owner look a little annoyed or stand-offish with you when you've gone to pet or play with their dog in public, it could be because you are encouraging their dog to react in a way that isn't in line with their training.

It's important that you don't take it personally. Dogs are very lovable animals and more often than not look too adorable not to go over and pet them. But you never know whether or not they could be a very anxious dog or it may be in training to become a working dog
https://www.petsradar.com/news/want-to-a-greet-a-dog-the-right-way-these-five-trainer-approved-tips-will-keep-the-dog-and-its-owner-happy

25/01/2023

Building Our Dog’s Attention
Our dog’s attention is the foundation for all training.
Building the focus and attention of our dogs is the foundation on which learning can take place. Without our dog’s attention, no teaching is likely to take place. Instead, they will be distracted by other things around them.

I divide this into two types of attention behaviour.

The first is requested attention or name recognition. We call our dog’s name, and they stop what they are doing and focus on us.

The second is an automatic focus. This automatic behaviour is voluntary, where our dog ‘check-in’ with us.

As with all training, the most important thing to remember is that training takes time and consistency. So be consistent with rewarding the choices we want our dogs to continue to use and keep it fun for all.

https://positive4paws.co.uk/dog-training/how-to-train-building-our-dogs-attention-on-us/

22/01/2023

Does Your Dog Tilt His Head?
Ah, the head-tilt, one of dogdom’s most endearing, adorable habits—and, it turns out, a sign of intelligence.

In a recent study published in Animal Cognition, a p*er-reviewed scientific journal, researchers from Eotvos Lorand University posited that the canine head-tilt indicated the processing of “relevant, meaningful stimuli.” Think: a dog hearing a word and recalling its meaning, be it a favourite toy or activity.

Researchers observed the reactions of 40 dogs, mostly Border Collies, during “object-label knowledge tests,” in which owners verbally requested that their pups fetch a familiar toy by name. The scientists looked for the presence of head-tilts.
https://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/does-your-dog-tilt-his-head/135252

22/01/2023

What is the Dalmatian Temperament Like?
Known exclusively for their spotted coats and depictions with firetrucks, Dalmatians are the kind of dog who gets you noticed quickly. Aside from the show-stopping black and white coat, Dalmatians have big personalities. They are intelligent, affectionate, active and protective.
Dalmatians as family dogs
Sara Krieger has owned Dalmatians for 11 years and has bred two litters. The dogs are a large part of her family, and they appreciate the vast space they have to run around the family farm.

“Dalmatians are great family dogs and are great with children,” says Sara, although adult supervision is always recommended.
https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/dog-breeds-lifestyle/what-is-the-dalmatian-temperament-like

12/01/2023

Dog walks booklet helps charity fighting to survive
A dog lover has produced her own booklet of walks to raise money for a charity in crisis.

Emily Rawlins, aged 46, of Todmorden, West Yorkshire, wrote and designed Dog plods from Tod to support PAWS (Pennine Animal Welfare Society), which may have to close unless it can raise £300,000 for a new premises.

Emily said, “I spent a lot of time during lockdowns out with my greyhound, Elsa, exploring the spectacular countryside we have here in the south Pennines. When I heard about the plight of PAWS, I had the idea to compile our walks into a collection to try to raise money and awareness.”

A dog lover has produced her own booklet of dog walks to raise money for a charity in crisis, PAWS (Pennine Animal Welfare Society).

12/01/2023

Dogs Trust Vice Chairman Awarded MBE in King’s Inaugural Honours List
Philip Daubeny, the Vice Chairman of Dogs Trust, has been awarded an MBE for services to Animal Welfare in King Charles’ inaugural New Year Honours list. Daubeny has been at the charity for 27 years, and has been Vice Chairman since 2015 after serving 13 years as Chairman.

Dogs Trust stated, “During his time as a Trustee of Dogs Trust, Philip has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of dogs in the UK. He advocated the build of five new rehoming centres to help provide a roof to even more dogs each year, and has worked on a further six major rebuilds, each with world class facilities, to ensure each dog can be fully assessed and rehabilitated before being made available for rehoming.

“He is a most willing volunteer, equally at home rolling up his sleeves to volunteer on the front line, feeding dogs or helping paint a kennel as he is in a boardroom contributing to high level strategic decisions.”

The Vice Chairman of Dogs Trust has been awarded an MBE for services to Animal Welfare in King Charles' inaugural New Year Honours list.