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Posts Tagged ‘dog breed’

The Havanese is a Bichon Group breed, that includes Bichon Frise, Bolognese, Coton de Tulear, Lowchen and Maltese The Havanese is a playful little dog, toy dog that were bred to be good companions, so are good with children. They like to have peoples notice and will do tricks to catch peoples attention. This love for attention means they are not the choice for a working couple. They will often follow owners around the home, but are rarely overly possessive of their “ people”, so are great with other animals and dogs. This seeking for attention often shows when eating, as they like someone present, so if you leave the room, they will often follow, eating as they go, which can be messy. They are a “ true dog”, playing games such as football with gusto. Not the greatest walkers in the world, often liking breaks with games or just watching the world go by. Professional Dog Walkers such as London Dog Walking, if doing grouped walks will pair them with similar dogs, rather than big energetic dogs.

For dog care they are straightforward. One advantage of the Havanese is that they do not shed much. You may see on lists that they do not shed, this misleading as all hair follicles will have a cycle of growing and dying, shedding it hair, but this is variable and not often, so there is no strong cycle of hair shedding. The coat catches the hair and dander internally, so many people think it is non-allergenic, but they all release dander that can aggravate allergies. If you have an allergy sufferer in the house, have one to stay for a few days to check.

The Havanese have a slight wavy double coat, which is light and soft, with a heavier undercoat.

The Havanese must be groomed daily, as they have the tendency for their fur to mat. If you are not showing the dog, you can have the fur trimmed. Whilst they have a good coat, they do suffer in extreme cold, so in some areas you may need to buy sweaters for them.

When you bath them, dry with a towel and allow them to dry off naturally inside, as they are susceptible to skin problems if dried with a hair drier. It is a breed that the kennel clubs, prefer and dictate a natural look, avoiding the bows and preferring the hair over the eyes, that protected their eyes from the Cuban sun.

The original Harvanese were white, but now they occur in all types of coat colours and patterns.
The Havanese has  a stocky build compared to most toy dog breeds. The Havanese weight ranges from four to six Kgs (ten to fifteen lbs). Its height measured at the withers is 220-290mm(around ten). It is an unusual dog in that the rump is higher than the shoulders.

They move with an agile springy gait. Whilst they are relatively good swimmers, they generally shire away from water, but be prudent close to water  if there is something for them to chase.

The Havanese have almond eyes, with average sized ears that are well covered and hang down. They are inclined to ear infections, so routinely inspect their ears and clean them. From time to time they may require their inner hairs to be pulled by hand or tweezers. The tail sweeps over the back and is also well covered. The Havanese have very sensitive noses and are trained often for search. The Havanese are easily trainable so are often used in circus shows, tracking, hearing assistance dogs, mould, termite and drug search.

The Havanese normally live fourteen to sixteen years. The Havanese being breed from a limited gene pool suffer from some genetic diseases. These include liver disease, heart disease, cataracts and retinal dysplasia ( blots on the retina). It is recommended only to acquire Havanese from parent dogs who have clear eye certificates. Havanese may develop brown tear stains, which is especially noticeable on those with white or light coats.

The dog was bred from the now extent Bichon Tenerife and was taken to Cuba by original settlers and traders. Being popular in Havana in Cuba. Globally the Havanese is a new breed, taking off in the seventies from only ten animals in the US. They were common in Cuba, prior to the revolution, but suffered afterwards. Rapid growth in popularity now makes it difficult to find a puppy.

A wonderful family dog that is well worth considering.

The German Shepherd Dog also known as an Alsatian comes literally from the German Deutscher Schäferhund.  They are a relatively new breed of large-sized dog that dates from the late 19th century. They are part of the Herding group that was originally developed as a working dog for herding sheep.

Often employed by the military and police for their obedience and intelligence. The Alsatian is also one of the most popular breeds around the world.
The original dog was named Hektor Linksrhein. He so impressed Von Stephanitz that he bought it and renamed him to Horand von Grafrath and founded the Society for the German Shepherd Dogs.
Horand von Grafrath became the hub of the society’s breeding programs and was bred with many other society member dogs.
The Alsatians popularity has grown rapidly through the 20th Century, though taking dives in popularity in the early days due to health problems from poor breeding and after the world wars with anti German sentiment. To such an extent that the UK Kennel Club renamed it to “Alsatian Wolf Dog”, a while later the wolf dog appendage was dropped and in the late 70s, the breed officially became the Alsatian Dog. The Alsatian popularity was fuelled by animal actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart. Now days it is in most countries the third most popular dog breed.

They are a large dog of around 60 centimetres (around 24 inches) at the top of the back and weigh around 30 kilograms ( 49 and 88 lb).

The Alsatian’s face has a long square cut muzzle, a doomed forehead, a long neck, strong jaws, large erect ears (that are often pulled back when on the move), black nose and brown, medium-sized eyes. With a bushy tail.
 
Alsatians come in many colours, the normal versions are the tan/black and red/black varieties with black saddles and masks. Less common variations include the sable, all-black, all-white, liver and blue varieties, which may not fit country breed standards. German Shepherds have a double coat. A dense close thick outer coat, which sheds all year round and a thick undercoat. There is also the rare long-hair variant.
Like many working dogs, German Shepherds were bred for their intelligence,  and are considered to be the third most intelligent breed of dog (Border Collies is deemed to be number one by Stanley Coren in his book The Intelligence of Dogs). This intelligence combined with their strength makes the German Shepherd desirable as guard, police, search and rescue dogs, being able to quickly learn various tasks and interpret instructions better than other large breeds.
Alsatians are known for aggression and have been banned in areas as a result. Statistically, in the States, the Alsatian is responsible for more unprovoked indiscriminate bites than any other breed, and have a known tendency to attack smaller breeds of dogs.

Additionally studies have shown that German Shepherds are the third most likely dog breed to attack a person and in a different study, Alsatians were responsible for nearly half of the dog bites that needed medical attention, compared to a more typical 20% of bites requiring medical treatment, not a surprise with their powerful jaws and sharp canine teeth.
 
There is no problem with the German Shepherd breed, it is the fault of the owners. As with all intelligent energetic dog (or person), if they are not regularly active and kept busy, they can become difficult. The Alsatian must have puppy socialisation and good training from an early stage. The Alsatian is different from the collie, which a lot of its aggressiveness has been removed by breeding for shows, the Alsatian has not lost this streak.

They can bond very well with their family, however they can become over-protective of their family and territory. Due to this they may appear a bit aloof.

Alsatians are rapid learners and are highly obedient and not easily distracted, but due to their strong character,  you need to be very forceful with them.
The German Shepherd will need to have two good walks a day. They are not a dog for a busy family without time for attention.  For this reason, busy couples often ask dog walkers to help out by walking them for several hours a day.
Poor breeding has led to common genetic health issues, elbow and hip joint problems (dysplasia) which is painful for the dog and often causes arthritis. The German Shepherd also is susceptible from monorchidism (one testicle), weakness of temperament, and missing teeth, as well as folded or bent ears which never fully turn up when reaching adulthood. The Alsatian is often has ear problems due to his large and open ears.

Alsatians, like many large chested dogs are sensitive to bloat, this is a very dangerous and often rapidly fatal problem, so if in doubt consult a veterinary. This is a build up of gas in the stomach, caused by a number of different causes. The symptoms of distress for no apparent reason, a firm distension of the abdomen, general weakness, depression, problems breathing, hypersalivation, and retching without vomiting. A high rate of dogs with bloat have cardiac arrhythmias ( 40 percent in one study), loss of appetite, vomiting and weight loss.

The German Shepherd also suffers from Degenerative Myelopathy, or DM is a neurological disease and are more likely to have Von Willebrand Disease, a common generic bleeding disorder, which shows in variable degrees of bleeding tendency, commonly in the form of easy bruising, nosebleeds and bleeding gums. .

In spite of these problems, the Alsatian is robust with simple dog care and the average lifespan of a Alsatian is 7 – 10 years, which is typical for a dog of this size.

The Alsatian has great olfactory sensitivity so is one of the often used in a many roles requiring this ability, including search and rescue, cadaver searching, narcotics detection, explosives detection, accelerant detection, and mine detection dog, amongst others.

So the Alsatian is a superb clever breed that will bond well with you, if you have the time and energy for him. Not advised for busy working families.

There are huge dogs such as Retriever’s and Boxers, then there are the more smaller type of dog breed such as the Teacup Chihuahua. A Teacup Chihuahua, although is very small and not recognized by major kennel associations, is loved by many people for many reasons.

Having a Teacup Chihuahua can make your life livelier as they are quite an interesting breed. The only bad thing about their size is that they are more fragile than other dogs and thus needs special attention by their owners.

If you want to adopt a Teacup Chihuahua, there are certain things to be considered before getting one. Leading a busy life and being unable to commit yourself to looking after a Teacup Chihuahua would result in misery for both you and the dog. Therefore following a few key points would help you get started in selecting the dog you need.

Like every other dog, the Teacup Chihuahua expects a lot of love and need to socialize with their owners. Happy is the Teacup Chihuahua who gets a lot of attention from family members. Some dogs tend to lack self-discipline and can’t be trained when they don’t socialize with other people. This situation can be eliminated if you socialize with your teacup Chihuahua.

Having children in your home could be bad for the Teacup Chihuahua. Their size is the main reason for this. Being small means that they can be stepped upon by mistake.

A teacup Chihuahua can suffer from various health conditions such as high blood sugar, thyroid and liver problems, etc.

Keeping a clean home is important if you have a teacup Chihuahua around. If there are cleaning agents and other chemicals lying around, a teacup Chihuahua could lick it off and then end up getting sick.

If you love Dogs and would like more information, or if you have dog articles you would like published then visit our Dog Breeds World – Article Directory

Yorkie and bichon have been America’s sweet heart dogs for many years now. But what if these two number one choices of pets be mixed together and bring out an yorkie bichon mix?.

However this sort of a yorkie bichon mix will have its own drawbacks just as any other mix would. The outcome is fairly unpredictable. If the ancestors do not have a good history of cross breeding, there’s a fair bit of chance for all to go hilariously wrong. This could lead to a poorer outcome.

With the history of yorkie bichon mix the outcome is believed to have a better chance of being the cutest thing you have ever seen. But this doesn’t mean that there isn’t any chance for a failure. No one can expect the entire history of the breed to run over hundreds of years, hence the predictions made are more than likely to be wrong. In many yorkie bichon mixes the crop is more than likely to have 50-50 ingredients from both the breeds, provided that both the yorkie and the bichon are from an original breed.

It would be fairly heartening to observe the characteristics of a yorki bichon compared to their parents. The dog is almost assured to be faithful and loyal to you while the mannerisms are set to take more to the yorkie’s side.

Yorkie Bichon mix is supposedly more fashionable than their father or mother. They tend to develop a rich and smooth hair unlike their parents. The size is more likely to be as same as their parents where they’d weigh up to around 10-15 pounds. These cute little yorkie bichon mixed dogs are more than likely to make a better spirit around the house and be as playful as their parents.Even though with their active nature there isn’t a great requirement for a lot of exercising to be done because of their smaller body size. Their lower built will make sure that only a little amount of activities will provide them with the daily stretching they need. These smaller packaged dogs are easy to carry around and handle.

Search online to find the nearest place where you could get the most adorable yorkie bichon puppy and let them cheer you up for the whole day at home. One thing for sure is that your yorkie bichon mix will be more than your best friend.

If you love Dogs and would like more information or if you have dog articles you would like published then visit our Dog Breeds World – Article Directory.

If it is the first time you are thinking of buying a puppy, choosing the best dog breeds can be tricky. Children are the ones who are almost always interested in buying a dog but little do they know about dog breeds that are friendlier and suitable for home fronts and those dog breeds that are not.

It is a known common fact that some dog breeds tend to become jealous towards children which can be dangerous in the household, especially if your kid is very small. Therefore, you should read up on the nature of dog breeds, basic dog care techniques and what kind of environment is suitable for the breed that you are planning on buying.

American kennel society has recognized over 150 dog breeds including working dogs, companion dogs and more. remember that dog breeds have characteristics of their own and they come in to play. We all know that a dog can be a mans best friend but never forget it is also important to consider the aspects that might go wrong when buying a specific dog breed.

There are two types of dogs to begind with; territorial and friendly. Some dog breeds require a single master who will have the control over the dog’s behavior and know how to discipline them. A perfect example of such single master dogs are guard dogs used by police.

Some dogs really know how to obey people and they will also know how to tease. One more thing you should focus on when selecting your dog breed is the general temperament of the dog and grooming.

If the dog breeds you choose have a fair temperament then that means they are easy to discipline and they d probably make good friends with children. If not, they could be used as custodial dogs.

Grooming can become a hassle for many dog owners. As a basic guide, it’s fair to say that short haired dogs are easier to maintain than long haired.

You will need to learn grooming techniques depending on the dog breed that you choose because some dogs have curly and twisted hair for which different grooming techniques are used.

Whichever dog breed you choose to join your family be sure to give your pet the love and attention they truly deserve.

The title is a little misleading since no disease is truly common in Dachshunds. Most Dachshunds are born healthy and live long, relatively disease-free lives.Some minor health issues arise for nearly every dog at some point, even those who receive early vaccinations and excellent life-long care.

Nevertheless, some conditions do occur more often in Dachshund than in other breeds.

Adrenal Gland Malfunction

One common disease of the adrenal gland is Cushing’s Disease, or hyperadrenocorticism. In Cushing’s Disease, too much of the hormone cortisol is produced, either by a primary tumor or the adrenal gland, or a malfunction of the pituitary gland, which is the master gland that tells the adrenal gland how much cortisol to produce. The elevated cortisol level results in excessive drinking and urination, a pot-bellied appearance, skin conditions, hair loss and some times diabetes. Lab tests are performed to measure the cortisol levels and the ability of the adrenal gland to produce cortisol. Several drugs are can be used to decrease the level of cortisol. If adrenal cancer is present, surgical excision of the gland may be needed. Cushing’s disease is not limited to Dachshunds and can be found in other breeds, too.

The opposite condition is called Addison’s disease or hypoadrenocorticsim (low cortisol). Whereas, Cushing’s takes some time to present itself, Addison’s disease is a sudden episode of collapse due to to low of glucose (blood sugar) and an imbalance of the electrolytes. The sudden illness results in an emergency visit to the veterinarian for cortisone injections and fluid therapy to correct the imbalances. Addison’s  is the most difficult disease to diagnose because the sudden collapse resembles many disorders. Specialized blood tests are needed to identify both Cushing’s and Addison’s Disease. Prednisone and electrolyte supplements will be needed for life long treatment of Addison’s disease.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)

Several eye diseases can affect Dachshunds, such as cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy. PRA is a degeneration of the retina, the lining in the back of the eye. The degeneration results with gradual vision loss and blindness. PRA is a genetic trait and because it often does not show up until the dog is older, the dog may have already been bred and passed the condition to the puppies. Unfortunately, there is no cure or treatment for PRA. Other eye diseases that can affect Dachshunds are glaucoma, cataracts, optic nerve hypoplasia, distichiasis (abnormal eyelashes) as well as other conditions. Regular eye exams can help detect these eye-disorders early.

Intervertebral Disc Disease

By far the most common disease of Dachshunds is related to the discs between the vertebrae (the bones of the spine). The disc is normally gelatinous and provides a cushion between the bones of the spine (back). In Dachshunds, this material some times calcifies, or hardens, and sometimes ruptures. The herniated disc causes swelling and pain around the spinal cord and the nerves coming out from the spinal canal. The herniated disc causes pain, a reluctance to jump up, partial paralysis and can progress to total paralysis. The majority of Dachshunds with disc disease can be managed medically with pain medication and anti-inflammatory medications. Some owners have tried holistic medicine, such as acupuncture or chiropractic manipulation to help with the pain. With a complete rupture resulting in total paralysis, immediate surgery to relieve the pressure on the spinal cord may help restore full function in the legs. The sooner the surgery is preformed, the greater the chances of full recovery.

Experimental treatments are being tested using laser needles to fuse the disc material to try and prevent the herniation. Because this is such a common problem in the Dachshund, I do recommend purchasing health insurance for your pet. Because surgery to repair the herniated disc is expensive, euthanasia is sometimes the option for the paralyzed pet. A few of my patients that were partially paralyzed did recover some function of their legs over time. It is impossible to predict which dogs will recover without the surgery.

Vaccination Reactions

Allergic reactions to vaccinations does seem to occur in the Dachshund more often than any other breed. Usually, the reaction is minor, resulting in swelling of the face and muzzle and occasional hives. Vaccine reactions do occur with any dog, so it is wise to observe your pet for a few hours after receiving. Improvements in vaccine technology have decreased the side effects and the benefits of preventing disease outweighs the risks.

Dachshunds can lead a very long and healthy life, sometimes upward to 15 years. Proper diets, preventive health checks, vaccinations, heartworm and parasite prevention, and good dental care can help your Dachshund live longer.  You can find more information concerning your dogs health at LuvUrDog.com as well Dachshund breed gifts.

So, there you are, under your shady tree in the middle of a Saturday afternoon and you’re thinking about getting a dog but what? For some people, choosing breed of dogs is really that easy. You just follow what pops out of your head and voila, off you go to a pet store and buy a mutt only to find out that it’s not for you. You might have chosen a breed that is too big for you and its meals are way too high for your budget. You might have bought a small mouse of a dog but you found out you need something to guard you 24/7.

With this in mind, choosing dog breeds are not that easy. You have to consider so many things. Budget is number one. Do you have a budget for buying an expensive dog? Does your budget fit in with the expenses in making or buying a dog house, the food that it requires and do you have the budget for training it and make it the most obedient dog in the world? There are some of the things you have to consider and if you’re really serious and would want to instantly decide to buy one, here is one tip you might want to consider: go through the Internet.

Online, there are hundreds of guides in choosing a dog breed and they come in different sizes and forms, just like dogs: from CDs, to DVDs, to e-books to online tutorials and such. What you just need is to view them out, maybe get some reviews about all products pertaining to how to look and decide for the dog breed that is right for you and from there, determine what you want. And furthermore, with a guide, you might even realize that you don’t want a dog but a monster. You might even decide to go for the smallest or the funniest. You will never regret what you have decided when choosing the right dog breed if you have a guide with you.