"The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. . . .He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. . . .When all other friends desert, he remains.''
- George G. Vest

Took the pack to Glasgow today, to do a home-check and pop in to Richard's family. I walked the dogs along the Clyde Canal, we spotted 2 foxes and a large heron, it was warm and sunny, and the dogs were on top form. I had no end of compliments about how well behaved they were especially from joggers and bikers, as I moved them into the side and did a 'down-wait'. We helped find a missing male Pointer too, he came to say hi to the dogs but was too shy to let me slip the lead on him, but we pointed his owner in his direction when we met her.
A lovely day out, and worth the two hour stint in the car for othe dogs as they got to go somewhere new! However on the way home disaster struck, the exhaust fell off just as we hit Dundee! 11 pm at night, and right in the middle of the Kingsway...
A simple case of jacking the car up to get the end part off so we could continue on, but the JACK was under 6 dogs in the boot!
So this is why we teach a solid 'stay': open the boot onto the Kingsway, direct dogs to grass verge, 'down stay'. We got many observers I will say that much! The dogs thought it was just another drill, not a real life event, I wish I could say Richard was as calm as the dogs.... With danger that near, you don't ever want to risk your dog's life, but put in the work, and even under the worst circumstances, you can trust your solid training. Very good outcome - although we had to call the AA in the end, that is the 3rd time and 3rd car this month, well at least the membership is paying off!


7th March 2010
Superstitions

A very brave man (Hydroelectric) appeared at the back door this morning, surrounded by an excited mob ''who is this guy and what has he brought for us''. Turns out he has two German Shepherds and not much phases him! He recognised Kitsune and called his colleague from the car ''don't you have one of 'em?'' Turns out he did (they are quite rare!) a girl exactly like Kit, he dug out a photo for me. Not allowed off lead though, as he was told she would desert him...

It has got me thinking about how we 'label' dogs; labs are gentle for families with babies, pointers are highly strung, huskys and spitz types can't be trusted off lead, border collies are intelligent (humph) the list goes on. I think alot of these labels are superstitious, they are passed on and on and eventually become fact. There are dogs, then breeds, then individuals. Giving and individual a label before it has a chance to prove itself or otherwise is, well silly. I was also told that Shibas cannot be let off lead, but I have always 'learned the hard way' as my mother still likes to remind me. I refused to label her before she was able to have her own character. Plus I know a secret, that much of her character I can shape, through experiences. I am not going to lie, it hasn't been easy, she is taxing and cheeky and independant, but knowing when to scold and when to reward as a consequence is the aim, and good timing a must. The other half of the equation, if something like freedom is  'normal' then they take it for granted, if it is withheld (for no good reason) then they will want it more, to the point they will stay awa from you as they enjoy it so much. I also have two husky types who are headstrong, but also trainable, just gotta find the right motivation (they tend not to be fussed about toys and sticks like a collie). It is a good idea to research your chosen breed, especially for energy levels, however they are all dogs first, and a breed second.

3rd March 2010
Diet Matters

Going to Crufts 2010 very soon, and one of the things I like to do there is talk to the commercial pet food companies, as I am forever on the look out for better dog food.
I have many many gripes with commerical pet food, one of the biggest is their use of Copper Sulphate.

For those of you who don't know, Copper Sulphate is the most brilliant blue beautiful toxin, it is a pesticide and a fungicide that is added to your dog's food as a preservative. A quick google search for a toxicity report will read:

- Skin contact may result in itching or eczema (observed plenty of this, many breeds like Wesites are particularly susceptible)
- The growth of rats was retarded when given dietary doses of 25 mg/kg/day of copper sulphate
- Sheep given oral doses of 20 mg/kg/day showed blood cell and kidney damage. They also showed an absence of appetite, anemia, and degenerative changes
- Copper sulphate has been shown to cause reproductive effects in test animals
- As low as 10mg/kg/day caused endocrine tumours in chickens given the material through an intravenous or intramuscular injection.
- Most animal life in soil, including large earthworms, have been eliminated by the extensive use of copper containing fungicides in orchards
- If you were to buy some of this cheap compound online you will see the warning before purchase ‘’toxic when ingested’'

If you have gone to check out your pet food, you will not find copper sulphate under listed 'ingredients' instead find it hidden in ‘typical analysis’. Pet food companies will tell you that it is used to prevent anaemia, and that copper is an essential mineral…

Excellent natural sources of copper include calf liver, turnip, molasses, chard, spinach, sesame seeds, mustard greens, kale, squash, asparagus, eggplant, cashews, peppermint, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, ginger, green beans, potato.

I will report on my findings and answers to my questions here after Crufts 2010 !