Posts from — July 2005

In this article, we’re going to go over a very basic dog training command known as “Off” or “Down”. If you have a Pit Bull that loves to jump up on company and doesn’t know the meaning of “Down”, this article is for you. “Off” or “Down” simply tells your dog “do not touch”.

The “Off” command is usually used to command your dog not to jump up on house guests or even yourself. Everyone has experienced the unruly dog who jumps up and makes a mess of your outfit when you try to pet him.

Situations like this are what you’re going to be teaching your dog not to do with the “Off” command. You may begin this dog behavior training practice by showing your dog a treat and then watching as he jumps up to grab it. At this point, you’ll simply give him the “Off” command in a firm voice. If your Pit doesn’t listen, simply lift one knee towards your chest and he’ll comply. The purpose of this isn’t to knee your Pit in the face, you simply want to bump him in the chest and it will drop him back down to all fours.

As soon as your Pit Bull has all fours on the ground again, praise him excitedly. Doing so will reward him and show him that his actions were appreciated. Using positive reinforcement for dog training is the most effective means available for teaching your dog right and wrong.

Now, that is the basic way that you’ll teach your Pit Bull terrier the “Off” or “Down” command, the key now is repetition. You need to practice this over and over and over again.

You can begin anticipating his jumping up as well. If you notice that he’s getting ready for liftoff, simply give him the “Off” command. There is no need to wait…

In time, your Pit Bull will restrain from ever jumping up on others and as you can see, the entire training process is really very simple. Enjoy!

To learn all about pitbullsrevealed.com/ American Pit Bull Terriers and training a pitbullsrevealed.com/ Pit Bull, visit pitbullsrevealed.com/ pitbullsrevealed.com/ today.

If you’ve owned your dogs for any length of time, your faithful canine companion has let everyone within a block of your home know someone walked by or you have a visitor at your door. The method I’m about to explain to you worked like a charm on both our dogs and now quiet reins supreme when a neighbor walks by, our doorbell rings, or we hear a knock on our front door.

First, there are two reasons why your dog barks at almost anything. One reason is some type’s of dogs are just born to bark. If you own a basset hound, foxhound, or bloodhound, you unfortunately have a dog that was born to bark.

And here’s why: All three of these were bred to bark as a way to communicate to their owners during a hunt. When they find prey they need a way to let the owner know, “here’s what you’re looking for.”

The other reason is some dogs are naturally very territorial. To them your home is their place to defend. When your dog barks they’re telling you, “Come quick, I need to know if this person is a friend or an enemy!”

And we instinctively – yell at them to be quiet. Hey, it works with children, why not dogs? Unfortunately, yelling at your dog doesn’t work, in fact, it makes things even worse.

Why?

Because a barking dog takes our yelling as our attempt to join them in warning everyone of the intruder. Your yelling is inadvertently telling your dog, “Keep it up, bark more and make it louder too!”

Okay, so here’s what you can do to stop the barking. First, you need to realize your dog must be retrained. They must develop a new link to the sound of the doorbell ringing or knocking on the door.

Here’s how to create that new link: Start by ringing or knocking on the door. When your dog barks – ignore them. Just stand there and wait for a few seconds, then quietly say, “thank you” then reward them. Now, you must wait until they stop, don’t give them the treat before they do. And yes, it’s just that simple.

That’s because you need to think like your dog. What would you do, keep barking and get nothing or get a favorite treat for being quiet? Easy answer, if you’re a dog. Now you’ll need to do these training sessions 3-4 times a day until your dog realizes, “thank you” means be quiet and being quite means a favorite treat.

And here’s the key: With each session make the time between when you say, “thank you” and giving them the treat a little bit longer. After they have responded correctly a few times, then say, “thank you” when they’re actually barking and reward them when they stop.

Now, if by chance this method doesn’t work for you, here’s Plan B. When they start barking, call them to you and throw a favorite toy for them to fetch or some other activity they enjoy. After they’ve done the activity – reward them.

Remember, it’s a good thing to have your dog warn you of potential danger. You don’t want to train them so well they just sit there like a statue when someone rings your doorbell or knocks on the door. You just want them to do it once or twice, and then stop. Using the silence and treat method or the activity diversionary method will do trick.

This way you have a better behaved dog that doesn’t irritate you and the family with no-stop barking whenever a stranger walks by or the door bell rings.

Edie Mackenzie has been a dog nut for longer than she can remember and
is the author of two books on designer dogs, the

You Must Be The Alpha Dog

First, let’s take a look at what a “pack mentality” means. Dogs are born into packs – in the wild, packs are the essential social order. Unlike humans, who use a variety of political processes to determine leadership and rank, dogs sort out their social order by dominance and power. In a wolf pack, there is a Top Dog – a clear leader who is the dominant, Alpha male. He’s the Big Dog, with pride of place at the dinner table (well, if wolves had a dinner table!), first in mating, first in decision making for the pack.

Whether you realize it or not, your dog views your household as his own personal wolf pack. The pack mentality is so engrained in your dog’s psyche that he will either view you as a leader – or a follower – depending on your actions. If you are to have a well-trained dog, you must establish that you are the leader, and he is the follower. Your dog has to know in his heart that you are the Alpha Dog, the Head Honcho, the Big Dog, the Top Dog – call it whatever you want, but your dog needs to know you’re in charge.

Dogs are a little like children in one respect – they’re looking for someone else to be the leader – they want rules and regulations because that makes their role in the pack more clear-cut and understandable. It’s scary being the leader – if you’re not up to it, your dog may assume the role – because someone has to be in charge!

If that’s what’s happened at your house, you need to re-establish your position as the Top Dog, or “Leader of the Pack.” But here’s an important note: being the leader of the pack has absolutely nothing to do with harsh punishment. It has everything to do with consistency and setting limits.

A simple rule to remember (and one people have great difficulty keeping in mind) is that you are the leader, not your dog.

1. You Go Through The Door First
Even something as straightforward as who walks through the door first can reinforce your position as “dominant dog.” Leaders lead. Followers follow. If you allow your dog to charge through the door ahead of you, he perceives that as asserting his dominance over you. Put your dog on the leash, and make sure you’re the first one through the door.

2. You Eat Before Your Dog
Who gets fed first in your house – you or your dog? In a wolf pack, the leader eats first, and when he is done, the rest of the pack can dine. Do you feed your dog first because he pesters you when you’re cooking your dinner, and it’s simply more convenient to have him quiet and out of the way when you’re eating?

Food is a powerful motivator that can be used to clearly demonstrate who is the ruler of the roost at your house. In no way, shape or form am I suggesting that you withhold food from your dog – that’s cruel and unusual punishment any way you look at it. What I am suggesting is that you control the timing of the food – you should eat first, your dog second, after you’re done with your meal.

3. Don’t Walk Around Your Dog

Does your dog lie on the floor and expect you to walk around him? In the wild, dominant dogs lie wherever they want, and dogs lower in the social order go around so they don’t disturb the Big Dog. If you walk around your dog, he will assume this to be an act of submission on your part; therefore he must be the leader, not you.

If your dog is lying in the middle of the hallway, or right in front of your easy chair, make him move. If he’s on the couch and you want to lie down, make him move. Don’t step over him. Just gently nudge him and make him get out of your way. You’re the Big Dog, remember?

4. You Determine When Your Dog Gets Attention

Even asking for attention or affection can be seen as an act of dominance from your dog’s point of view. Dogs that demand attention are asserting dominance, so if your dog gets pushy, ignore him. When you’re ready to give him attention or affection or pet or play with him, ask him to sit first.
Don’t run after him just so you can pet him. Make him come to you when you’re ready to give him attention, or play with him. And when you play with a toy, make sure that you end up with possession of the toy, and then put the toy away when you’re done. (Note: I’m not talking about his favorite toys that you leave in his crate. I’m talking about play toys that the two of you use for games.)

5. Don’t Let Your Dog Sleep In Your Bed

This is a tough one for a lot of people, but when you let your dog share your bed, at best you’re making him an equal to you. He should have his own bed, either a dog pad or his crate that he feels comfortable in – you can even put the dog pad next to your bed if that makes both of you happier – but don’t let him take over the sleeping arrangements. Before you know it, he’ll be trying to make you sleep on the floor!

Again, reinforcing or retraining your dog to recognize you as the Head Honcho has absolutely nothing to do with harsh discipline. These are changes you can make that will change the way your dog thinks about you. And making even small changes like these can have an enormous impact on the way your dog views the social hierarchy in your home – all without a harsh word being spoken!

Charlie Lafave, author, “Dog Training Secrets!”
To transform your stubborn, misbehaving dog into a loyal, well-behaving “best friend” who obeys your every command and is the envy of the neighborhood, visit:
tinyurl.com/6u2cj tinyurl.com/6u2cj

To simplify the story of the Allen Roundheads for those who haven’t heard it before.

Will Allen of Mississippi obtained a Boston Roundhead gamecock from Dr. Fred Saunders and crossed him over some hens that a blend of Redquill and Grist Grady. The Gradys’ were originated seemingly as a succession of battle crosses by Col Grist of GA. Some of the breeds making up the Gradys were Claiborne, Shawl neck (Southern USA Whitehackles) and Warhorse, plus a bit of Spanish blue stock.

Since all these breeds are straight comb, it would seem that Boston cock had very strong pea comb genes to give that characteristic to his offspring and descendants for generations to come to this day- after 100 yrs. or so.

I have owned many, many “Roundhead” fowl over the past long yrs. I have been in the sport. I put the name in quotes because it refers (in the USA) to most any pea comb fowl that happens to be black breasted reds with white or yellow legs and that do not show too much of their Oriental lineage.

However there are also Black Roundheads and Negro Roundheads and on and on. So now it is used more as a generic term for pea comb fowl than as the name of a specific breed. However, generally the name refers to the Allen and Shelton Roundheads (Shelton was Allen’s brother-in-law and they owned the fowl together). But another” however” the Allen Roundheads were breed and to a great extent developed by another old man-R.E. Walt. In fact in my younger days, most of the Roundhead gamefowl around OK. were referred to as RE Walt Roundheads instead of Allens.

You might ask about the Boston Roundheads that made the Allens. They arrived in the USA from Ireland without an ID tag. According to my sources, these fowl were known to be Irish Whitehackles-bred just like the more common English Whitehackles such as the North Britons, Earl of Derbies, and so on but many of the Irish had pea combs. The original Kearney (and Duryea) Irish Whitehackles had a % of pea combs as well as the Irish Whitehackles bred by my Irish friend John Tynan. I think he called them Queen Anne Whitehackles but I have forgotten for sure.

Remember after England colonized India, the English breeders had access to the best Oriental fowl such as Asil and even Japanese. These Oriental bloodlines were then added to the early English fowl of 500 yrs. or so ago that weighed only around 4 lbs.-about like the small Spanish cocks today. The Oriental crosses increased the size to around 5 lbs. or bigger, which most American cocks are today.

Over the years, the English breeders bred out the pea comb but since it didn’t bother the Irish, they continued to breed both straight comb and pea comb Whitehackles. Of course the name Whitehackles comes from the old English custom of trimming the neck hackles close to the skin so that the cocks with a white under feather in the neck would be a whitehackle. There are also breeds called Blackhackle. There are jillions of Oriental/American crosses that come peacomb and are called Roundheads that contain not a drop of the original Allen bloodline. As is true for all other strains-some Roundheads are awfully good while others are awfully bad but most are somewhat in the middle. The pea comb Kelso fowl owe much of their good qualities to the George Smith Roundhead (same stock as Lundy Roundheads) that was blended with Claret to make the McClanahans that Walter Kelso used in his initial cross.

For more information regarding gamefowl history, breeds and bloodlines visit the
sites below.
gamefowlworld.com The Gamefowl World
gamefowlworld.com/home2/index.html
Gamefowl Breeds History
and Bloodlines

Few people think of physical therapy as a viable option for rehabilitating injured cats. It is usually assumed that cats will not cooperate, but contrary to popular belief, most do not resist treatment. Physical therapy can benefit most cats that have undergone surgery. It is helpful for cats with chronic disease or injury that causes pain, which may be displayed as limping, stiffness, aggression or social withdrawal.

How does physical therapy work?

After an operation, physical therapy reduces pain and swelling, increases strength in weakened muscles and improves the flexibility of joints.

Hot and Cold Treatments

Hot and cold treatments are known as passive rehabilitation techniques. They can be used immediately after a surgical procedure, and also to help chronic conditions such as arthritis. The application of cold compresses can reduce inflammation, pain and bleeding, and they can be applied for 20 minutes one to four times daily. It is important to place a layer of material between the cold pack and the cats skin so it is not uncomfortable.

Heat therapy can be used once the signs of inflammation have gone. Heat therapy increases metabolism and, when applied at this stage, helps decrease pain. Heat is usually applied for 20 minutes two to four times daily, but the applier must check the cats skin every few minutes to check it is not uncomfortably hot. Treatment should be stopped if the cat shows any signs of discomfort.

Therapeutic Ultrasound

Therapeutic ultrasound is another of the passive rehabilitation techniques. This increases the extensibility of collagen fibres, improves muscle condition and improves blood flow to the area treated. In doing this, it decreases pain and accelerates healing. Care must be taken in cats that have had metal implants to fix fractures, as reflection of the waves off the metal can intensify the heat and cause burns.

Another modern technique being pioneered by some clinics is phototherapy, also known as cold laser. This involves applying a low power light to an area that accelerates tissue repair.

Passive Range of Motion

Passive range of motion is the next step in the rehabilitation program. This involves extending and manipulating the cats joint, and can be started before the cat is fully weight bearing. This can be very important in cats that have had splints or casts applied, when the joints have been static for some time. By carrying out controlled movement, scar and connective tissue is strengthened and the effects of contracture are minimised.

Active Rehabilitation

Active rehabilitation can start once a cat starts using an injured limb more. This further increases muscle strength, muscle endurance and flexibility. There are various techniques available, such as the use of balls, balance boards, slings and aquatic therapy.

When doing the ball exercise, the cat lies on the top of the inflatable ball and is supported. The ball is gently rolled forward until the cats front paws come into contact with the ground. The ball is then bounced gently, which helps strengthen trunk muscles as the cat maintains balance. The ball is then rolled back until the hind paws touch the floor, and then gently bounced again. Cats may resist the therapy at first, but soon become accustomed to the rhythmic movement of the ball.

Balance boards are platforms with a curved rubber bottom. The cat is placed on the centre of the board with its feet shoulder width apart, and the board is slowly rocked from side to side. This is excellent for restoring stability in the early stages of weight bearing after fracture or joint surgery. Slings help support the cat during the early stages of recovery from many conditions where the nervous system has been affected, and are particularly useful as support for cats that have had pelvic surgery.

Aquatic therapy is best performed with a custom designed water tank and underwater treadmill. It provides outstanding rehabilitation for soft tissue injuries, arthritis, post surgery fracture care, post amputation care and neurological problems. It is excellent for increasing strength, flexibility and endurance, while reducing the risk of reinjury.

How long should the therapy go on for?

The length and frequency of therapy depends entirely on the type of injury, age and general health of the cat. Most fracture repairs benefit from therapy 2 to 3 times a week for 6 weeks, while chronic conditions such as arthritis require twice weekly therapy indefinitely (though this usually occurs at home). The owners motivation is the key factor in the success of the therapy, but with some simple demonstrations and a little effort, a huge difference can be made.

Is professional physical therapy in a clinic expensive?

There is a lot of variety among clinics, largely dependent on the expertise of the therapists and the facilities available. Expect to pay US$50 to $75 per session.

Dr Matthew Homfray is one of the veterinary pet experts at whydoesmypet.com WhyDoesMyPet.com. Our dedicated community of caring pet experts are waiting to offer you advice, second opinions and support.

Vego’s first ride went very well. For the most part I just sat on his back Rachael directed him around the round pen. OK, so now for the second and third ride.

I lead Vego to the round pen and saddled him up. I put the hackamore on him and tied the throatlatch. I proceeded to do about 5-10 minutes of ground work. I lunged him at a trot in small circles changing directions frequently. I backed him up, did some single rein stops, flexed his head and yielded his hind and front quarters. He responded nicely so I decided that it was safe to ride him.

Vego and I walked to the center of the round pen. I mounted him and sat in the saddle flexing his head to each side for a couple minutes. I didn’t want him to think we were in a hurry. I also don’t want him to think that every time I am in the saddle it is time to move. I then yielded his hind quarters using leg pressure on his flank. All was going well so I decided to move to the next step and get him moving around the round pen.

The goal for this ride was to give more queues to Vego from the saddle and rely less on Rachael, who was on the ground, to direct Vego around the round pen. The sequence of events went something like this…

To Move Forward

Rider: Squeeze with heels
Rachael: Point in direction horse should move
Rider: Make clicking sound
Rachael: Add energy and start to twirl lead rope or stick towards Vego’s butt
Rider: Spank with end of reins

Note: If Vego moved forward at step 2 we would not continue on to step 3. In fact all queues would cease. If Vego stopped moving we would immediately start queuing him again from step one and progress as needed.

When we began Vego would start to move at about step 2 or 3. However, he would frequently slow down so we would have to queue him again. We walked him around the arena for about 5-10 minutes. Then we turned up the heat a little and had him trot. I would give the same queues mentioned above but would not release the queue until he was in a trot. For example, I would squeeze with my heels and he would start to walk. I would keep the pressure on and if he did not start to trot I move to step 2 and so on. Once he stared to trot I released the pressure from my heels and stop queuing him. Occasionally we would yield the hind quarters, flex his head to one side and bring him to a stop. We did this for about 5-10 minutes. We then used the same procedure that we used for the trot to get him to canter. He did very well with all of this. We only had to proceed to step 4 a few times during this session.

We stopped Vego in the center of the round pen. I flexed his head a bit and just sat there for a few minutes petting him and letting him know that he did a good job. I then dismounted and walked him out of the round pen, removed his saddle and hackamore and set him free in his pasture.

The third ride was very similar to the second ride. Vego never needed any queues from Rachael. She was there mainly for my safety. If for some reason Vego decided not to stop or get a little crazy, Rachael could assist by making him change direction and thus slowing him down.

Next goal, ride Vego in a large arena at a walk, trot and canter.

Todd Mera is a Biochemist that has always had a love for horses. Todd started training horses in his 30s. He has worked with and trained many horse starting from birth and older problem horses. EverythingEquus.com EverythingEquus.com

There are many diseases that can affect your aquarium fish and once your tank is infected, there’s a good change that all your fish can get sick. Luckily, keeping a disease free tank is not that hard. Most disease is a result of poor water quality so not overcrowding your tank and keeping a regular maintenance schedule is a must.

Most aquarium disease can be avoided by making sure your aquarium water is healthy. If disease does break out, doing a water change and treating the water for the particular disease is the best way to nip it in the bud. If you don’t do these two things your tank is a disaster waiting to happen.

Neglecting the appropriate tank maintenance and partial water changes will allow toxins to build up in the water, basically polluting your fish’s environment. As the water becomes more toxic your fish become more “stressed”, the more stressed your fish becomes the easier it is for the micro organisms present in your aquarium water to infect your fish with various diseases.

I addition to insuring your aquarium has good water quality, you should also keep an eye on your fish each day so that you can be alerted to any signs of stress right away and take the appropriate action.

So how do you tell if your tropical fish are stressed?

Tropical fish don’t react the same way to stress as people do, but there are some tell tale signs you can be on the look out for. Some things to look for include; fish rubbing themselves against the gravel or aquarium décor, fish hiding in the corner or under plants or rocks all the time, fish bobbing around with their fins close to they body and any growths or white fuzzy spots are some of the things that indicate aquarium disease.

Of course, the first step in treating aquarium disease is preventing it. Here’s some steps to make sure your aquarium remains free of disease.

1. Don’t overcrowd your fish tank. Your tank can only support so many fish – the more fish you have the more waste they create and if the filtration cannot handle the waste you end up with toxins in the water that can accumulate to dangerous levels over time. The larger the tank, the more fish you can have.

2. Acclimate new fish to the tank properly. When you bring a new fish home form the pet store, it’s already been through quite a bit. Shipped from the breeders to the new store and put in a new tank, then transported into your tank all can be stressful to the fish. To acclimate your fish properly, make sure you float him in the bag in your aquarium for 10 minutes then open the back and introduce some of your aquarium water into the bag, let that sit for about 10 minutes and then let the fish out into your tank.

3. Make sure to have great water quality. Since poor water quality is the greatest case of fish disease and death you’ll want to be diligent about your tank maintenance and partial water changes. Also, make sure to test the PH and nitrite / nitrate levels and adjust the tank accordingly. This is quite easy and there are test kits made for testing as well as adjusting the water.

Keeping your aquarium disease free is not difficult and will help you enjoy beautiful healthy fish for years to come!

Lee Dobbins writes for fish-tank-guide.com fish-tank-guide.com where you can learn more about aquarium maintenance and fish disease. Visit the Fish Tank Guide to learn more about fish-tank-guide.com/fish-disease.html diseases that strike tropical aquarium fish.

If you are thinking about buying a Shih Tzu puppy – congratulations! This adorable and loyal dog will most likely become an important and treasured part of your family.

The Shih Tzu is a toy dog; characterized by its proud, sturdy and miniature stature – this dog breed is one of the most popular of the miniature breeds. But did you know it was originally bred to look like a lion?

The Shih Tzu’s regal attitude is as a result of its long and distinguished history. Recent DNA testing has confirmed what researchers already suspected – the Shih Tzu is one of the oldest breeds of dog. The name comes from that of Xi Shi who is regarded as one of the most beautiful women in ancient China.

The earliest history of the Shih Tzu dates back many centuries. The Buddhist monks bred what is now believed was a cross between the Pekingese and a Tibetan dog breed called Llasa Apso.

The Buddhist monks were known for breeding special temple dogs. These monks bred special “palace dogs” for various emperors. As was their custom they sent some of what they then called the Tibetan Shih Tzu Kou or Tibetan Lion Dogs to the Tzu Hsi – the Empress of the Manchu Dynasty. She fell in love with her little dogs and they became common around the palace from then on.

From the middle of the 19th Century the Shih Tzu was bred as a watchdog for the emperors of the Manchu Dynasty. Typical of a Shih Tzu; these little dogs were expected to do little else that sit on laps and be pampered. You can now see where the “pampered princess” aspect of the breed originated from! The Shih Tzu was kept along some other toy dog breeds and while originally they were strictly bred in separate quarters but it is believed that after the empress died they were crossbred with the other dogs.

The Shih Tzu’s were not kept separate from the other palace dogs and today’s Shih Tzu’s have traces of Pekingese and Pugs thanks to the sloppy breeding practices at the palace.

At this time it was somewhat of a competition in China between various palaces to produce the best looking dogs with the most beautiful colorings and coats. Breeding practices became guarded secrets and sadly the records of the Shi Tzu’s rich and unique heritage will never be known.

Today’s Shih Tzu’s are a popular breed which is widely loved and make a great royal companion.

Steve Allison is a third generation of professional dog breeders along with his brother Gary. It all started with his grandparents in 1970 with the Boston Terriers and has expanded to Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Pugs, Shih Tzu’s and Pomeranians. He is also actively involved with dog rescue and has a website that showcases the puppies they occasionally has for sale at

It seems that every country has its own history when it comes to dogs and which dogs become the particular dog which has flourished in that country. Cuba is no exception, for it is the native country of the Havanese. Although the Havanese most probably originated with the Spanish settlers of Cuba many centuries ago as descendants of the Bichon Barbichon of Southern Spain , it became apparent after many years of development that the dog was destined to become a unique breed. Because at first there seemed to be many of these little toy dogs that carried a distinctive coat color of a deep brown similar in color to that of the cigar, it is theorized that the name “Havanese” came from the name “Havana Brown” which is the first known name of the dog. Eventually this name was popularized into the name “Havanese” and it is under this name that the dog is now recognized as an A.K.C. breed.

This little dog is similar in many respects to the Bichon Frize. However the coat color can be of any blend or combination, whereas the Bichon is always white. The coat of the Havanese is long and shaggy and the standards for the show ring require that the coat not be clipped, altered, or tampered with in any way. The coat is double. However, since this is a bred that has lived for years in the tropics, the double coat is not “hard” or woolly but is soft and silkyin appearance and texture, rather like that of a single coat. The guard hairs of the top coat are long and rather wavy. The A.K.C. also allows for the mature Havanese to be shown in a “corded” coat. A Corded coat will happen naturally if, as the dog is maturing, the coat is allowed to separate itself into parted clumps of hair which gradually will wrap around themselves over time (usually with human interference) and develop into cords. This type of coat is seldom seen on a pet Havanese for it takes a lot of patience to “train” a coat in this manner. The head is furnished with a beard and hair which is long over the eyes. This long hair is believed to protect the eyes of the dog from the hot Cuban sun and because of this it has become tradition for this breed to leave the hair in a loose fall over the eyes rather than pulling it back into a topknot. The Havanese is not a large dog, at the withers the height should not be over 11 and a half inches, the minimum being 8 inches.

This little dog should be jaunty and happy in appearance and of course should have a temperament to match. It is a dog that has been used through centuries as a family pet and also a herder and protector of the family chicken flock, a task which it can perform quite well. It is an active breed and not one to remain quiet for long, as some small lap dogs do. This little dog is quite intelligent and does well at tricks and also excels in such ring sports as obedience and agility and flyball.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to

Unless you have a sixth sense, you can’t predict when or where your dog is going to go to the toilet. This is why dog toilet training is such a necessity. Your dog needs to learn to “hold it” and that there is a time and place for this particular business.

Though this form of training can be difficult, you do have nature working with you. Dogs are instinctively clean animals. They would prefer not to soil the areas where they sleep and eat. They’re also quick at developing habits regarding where they prefer to urinate and defecate. For example, dogs that are used to eliminating on concrete or gravel will prefer to eliminate there rather than on grass or dirt. It’s easy to use these natural canine habits when house training your dog.

When starting your dog out on toilet training you need to give him a place of his own, perhaps a corner of your back room, a small area of a bathroom, or a cordoned off area of the den. This is where you put his food, his bed, and his toys. You’ll also want to cover the floor in newspaper. When you leave the house make sure he’s in this room and can’t get out.

Routine will be your ally in the dog toilet training process. Every day should unfold on the same schedule, with the same time for eating, the same times for walks, the same times for your dog to do his business. When it goes right, especially during this early part of the training, you’ll want lavish constant attention on him.

Be prepared … at first, when you’re gone, when he needs to go to the toilet he’ll go wherever he’s standing. However, over time he’ll pick a particular place to do his business and generally confine himself to this place. Once he begins to do this, you can start to remove the newspaper from those areas furthest from his chosen spot. Gradually continue this process until there’s only a small space available for him to go. If he misses the paper, then you’re probably moving a little too fast and need to go back a step or two and replace some of the newspapers.

When you’re home, spend as much time with your dog as possible. As mentioned above, dog toilet training will be much easier when you invest some time and attention on your dog. Every 45 minutes or so take him outside and whenever he does his business outside make sure he’s praised with plenty of enthusiasm. Do this every time he “goes” outside. He’ll quickly realize this is where he needs to go to the toilet, and once he can better control his bladder he’ll wait until you come to let him out.

Generally, a dog will be around six months old or so before you’ll be able to see real results in his dog toilet training. The process does require a little time and patience. However, don’t give up. With your participation, he will learn.

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