Australian-Shepherd-Lovers.com All About Your Favorite Breed. Information and resources featuring sections on Australian Shepherd history, health, genetics, temperament, training and agility with directories of rescue organizations and breeders.
Approximately four and a half million people are bitten by dogs in the United States every year and one fifth of them end up needing medical attention for their wounds. Children are the most common victims with half of bite wound victims being under the age of thirteen. Children are much more likely to be severely injured due to their small size and not being aware of how one should act around a dog. Most dog bites occur while interacting with familiar dogs thus the need to educate people and their children on how to avoid dog bites. It is important to understand that any dog has the capacity to bite and that by understanding the common reasons why dogs bite it is possible to prevent them.
5 Main Reasons Dogs Bite
1. Dog Possessiveness. Protection of property is a common issue and “property” in this case can be anything from toy, food, territory or even a human being. Guard dogs and herding breeds tend to be the worst offenders but this behavior can arise in any dog. Start training early to minimize this kind of possessive behavior. Teaching the “Leave it” command works well in preventing toy aggression. Food aggression can be avoided by teaching your dog to wait while you put their food down. Teach them to sit or lie down and then remove their food and then put it back. Approach the food bowl and occasionally add treats to the food so they understand that someone approaching the bowl is not a bad thing. Teach children not to bother dogs that are eating or enjoying a treat such as a bone.
2. Dog Fear. Fear is usually directed towards strangers such as veterinarians and postal workers or in unfamiliar situations. Never approach an unfamiliar dog and teach your children to do the same. Fear bites can occur when a dog is startled at home therefore teach children never to sneak up on a dog or bother a sleeping dog. Early socialization is important so that the young dog is exposed to many different people, animals and situations minimizing the risk of a phobia developing. For example, make your first visit to the vet a simple social visit to get a feel for the clinic and meet the veterinary staff. Leave some treats and a note in the mailbox asking your postal worker to give a treat to your puppy.
3. Dog Pain. Pain can cause the friendliest dog to bite. If your dog has hip dysplasia, severe otitis or any chronic injury, instruct your children to stay away from the sore areas and be gentle handling the dog. If your dog becomes snippy for no reason consider pain as a possible cause and schedule an appointment with your regular veterinarian for a physical.
4. Maternal Instincts. The most well trained dog can become a biter when she has puppies. Be aware of and respect the maternal instinct around a bitch that has whelped recently. Teach children not to approach a young puppy around the mother and use caution yourself when handling puppies. Make sure the mother and puppies have a place where they can feel safe with minimal distraction.
5. Prey Drive. Another instinct to be aware of and is sometimes triggered by running or cycling past a dog resulting in a chase. Be aware of your environment if you are jogging or cycling and if you see a roaming dog try to avoid crossing paths. If a dog does give chase then the best things to do is stop moving and stand tall facing the dog. Be aware of the dog but do not make eye contact which can be seen as a challenge by the dog. They may come up and sniff you but will eventually find you uninteresting and move on to find something else. If a dog knocks you over then curl up in a ball protecting your face hands and neck and be still. Teach children to do the same and set up a mock “stray dog” drill.
Dog Bite Warning Signs
Knowing the common triggers that cause dog bites will empower you to avoid these situations. Dog bites are always preceded by behavior that an astute observer can use as a warning and then take steps to reduce the dog’s stress or fear. Ears are typically pinned back, the fur along their back may stand up and you may be able to see the whites of their eyes. Yawning is not an attempt by the dog to appear casual but to show off their teeth and should be considered a warning sign as well. Non-social “stand-offish” behavior such as freezing in response to a touch or look followed by direct intense eye contact back from the dog is another clear sign that he may bite.
Dog Bite Prevention
Dog bite prevention begins at home with your own dog by being a responsible dog owner. If you do not intend to breed your dog then having them spayed or neutered will help decrease the risk of bite related behaviors. Exercise and play with your dog on a regular basis to reinforce the human-animal bond and to expend excess energy that might otherwise be directed towards nervous energy. However, avoid aggressive games such as wrestling and tug of war which can lead to dominance issues. Train your dog well, they should know the basic commands such as sit, stay, come and leave it. Don’t allow your dog to roam free where they can be a danger to other people. Do try to socialize your dog and expose him to many different people and situations but take care not to overwhelm him. Keep your vaccinations up to date for a worst case scenario. In most states a dog can be destroyed if they bite someone and they are not up to date on vaccines. Seek professional help from your veterinarian if your dog shows any signs of aggression. If you have children take the time to educate them on how to act around dogs, what to watch for and what to do if a dog attacks.
What to Do If Bitten By a Dog
If the dog’s owner is present then share names and contact numbers so you can get proof of rabies vaccination from them. Gently clean the bite wound with antibacterial soap and water as soon as possible and seek medical attention as soon as possible. Either your regular doctor if the wound is mild or the emergency room if the bite wound is severe. Use common sense to determine the severity of the wound, if in doubt just head to the ER. Check with the dog’s veterinarian to make sure the rabies vaccine is up to date. Animal control and the police should be notified of the incident so they can take steps to make sure the owner of the dog takes steps to prevent their dog from biting someone again.
Recently, my husband met a man who requested the name of some Aussie Breeders (he saw my husband running with our 3 Aussies).
The first thing I want to suggest is that instead of purchasing a puppy you go to the Australian Shepherd Rescue site for your state/area. In Illionois, some of those sites are as follows:
There are many wonderful Australian Shepherds to be found at these rescue sites. What a better way to show your love and support for the breed than adopting one of these in need of a forever home!
The second, and most important, thing I want to suggest is that you thoroughly research the breed and talk to current/previous Aussie owners. This is a breed that requires a lot of exercise (or a job), an owner who is in charge and will offer lots of love along with encouragement as well as the positive training Aussies thrive on.
If you decide to go the breeder route and want a puppy, I suggest you visit the United States Australian Shepherd Associations site, http://australianshepherds.org/about-aussies/breeder-directory/ Do not purchase a puppy from a pet shop. You don’t truly know where these puppies came from (i.e., reputable breeder or puppy mill). Buying from a pet store only continues the production/sale of these puppies from those breeders.
How Can You Choose the Best Bully Sticks, Dog Treats and Dog Chews?
By Anton Hout
Bully Sticks for dogs, dog treats and dog chews come in a wide range of styles, flavors, ingredients – and quality. Poor quality bully sticks, for example, can result in unintended consequenses. Low quality production, high fat and added chemicals and preservatives can cause more harm than good.
I’ve received all too many reports from dog owners who have noticed their dogs suffering from a wide range of health problems. Many of these serious effects are linked to nutrition. Many manufacturers of dog foods and dog treats are large corporations that have shareholders to answer to. In order to assure the demands of profits they are pressured to cut corners on quality. So the long term health effects on our beloved pets takes a back seat to short-term profits.
In 2005 Avrum Elmakis and his wife Lauren decided to start a business with a difference… “We have two dogs of our own and we were spending a large amount of money on dog treats and dog chews for them at traditional pet stores and I just thought, ‘Gosh, this is costing us a fortune. There are probably other people out there like us.’ And, that’s really how we got started.”
Best Bully Sticks was born. They are a US company based in Richmond, VA and now have 8 full-time employees. Their success has been based on providing the BEST quality for their bully sticks and the many other dog treats and chews that they have added to their product line-up since then.
What Makes Them The Best Bully Sticks for Dogs?
100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Easy to Digest While Cleaning Teeth and Reducing Tartar
Better than Rawhide Because They are Naturally Low in Fat
All Natural – No Chemicals or Preservatives
They Seal Their Bully Stick Orders For Freshness
Every Order Of All-Natural Dog Treats Is Shipped Quickly
Their Bully Sticks are Inspected and Approved By USDA/FDA and National Food Inspection Authorities
And They Come From Free Range, Grass Fed Sources
The Best Bully Sticks Doesn’t Mean The Most Expensive Either!
Best Bully Sticks is passionate about dogs and they offer their high-quality bully sticks for dogs (and many other dog treats and chews) at low prices. They are very competitive and considering the added value for you and your Aussie, I can confidently recommend you give them a try. Click the Best Bully Stick box in the lower right-hand corner.
KROGER RECALLS PET FOODS DUE TO POSSIBLE HEALTH RISK
By: Courtesy by the FDA
Pet Food Recall
CINCINNATI, Ohio, December 18, 2010 – The Kroger Co. said today it is recalling select packages of pet food sold in some of its retail stores because the products may contain aflatoxin, which poses a health risk to pets.
Kroger stores in the following states are included in this recall: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
The recall also includes Dillons and Gerbes stores in Kansas and Missouri; Baker’s stores in Nebraska; Food 4 Less stores in Nebraska, Illinois and Indiana (Chicago area); and Jay C, Hilander, Owen’s, Pay Less and Scott’s stores in Illinois and Indiana.
Stores the company operates under the following names are not included in this recall: Ralphs, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, King Soopers, Smith’s, QFC, City Market, Foods Co., and Food 4 Less stores in California and Nevada.
Kroger is recalling the following items:
Pet Pride Cat Food sold in 3.5 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111088128
Pet Pride Cat Food sold in 18 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111071357
Pet Pride Tasty Blend Poultry & Seafood Cat Food sold in 3.5 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111088152
Pet Pride Tasty Blend Poultry & Seafood Cat Food sold in 18 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111074580
Pet Pride Kitten Formula Food sold in 3.5 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111071903
Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food sold in 22 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111074566
Old Yeller Chunk Dog Food sold in 50 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111074563
Kroger Value Cat Food sold in 3 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111000018
Kroger Value Chunk Dog Food sold in 15 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code: 1111071559Kroger Value Chunk Dog Food sold in 50 lb. packages with a sell by date of OCT 23 11 DP and OCT 24 11 DP under the following UPC code:1111000108
Aflatoxin is a naturally-occurring toxic chemical by-product from the growth of the fungus Aspergillus flavus on corn and other crops. If your pet shows any symptoms of illness, including sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, yellowish tint to the eyes and/or gums, and severe or bloody diarrhea, please consult your veterinarian immediately.
The safety of our customers and their pets is important to Kroger. The company is using its Customer Recall Notification system to alert customers who may have purchased these recalled products through register receipt tape messages and automated phone calls. Customers who have purchased a recalled item should not use it and should return it to a store for a full refund or replacement.
Customers who have questions about this recall may contact Kroger toll-free at (800) 632-6900. For more information, please visit www.kroger.com/recalls.
Anyone that owns an Australian Shepherd knows that they are amazing animals. Not only are they intelligent and loyal dogs, they are very diverse. You may know that Aussies excel not only in herding but also in agility, Frisbee, flyball and such sports. But did you know that they’ve expanded their horizons? Yes, now they’re getting their pilots’ wings, like Boomer did here:
ASPCA Assists in Interstate Transfer of Puppy Mill Rescues
In mid-October, the ASPCA was contacted about an organization in North Dakota, the Central Dakota Humane Society (CDHS), which had seized 129 dogs from an alleged puppy mill. The raid had filled the CDHS shelter to capacity, forcing the agency to leave approximately 60 dogs at the mill until more shelter space could be made. According to Sue Buchholz, CDHS shelter director, all the rescued dogs had parasites and were underweight; some were nearly dead of starvation while others had old wounds, ear infections, pregnancies and other health issues.
Puppy Mill Rescue Dog
It was clear that dogs had to be moved out, and quickly—so the ASPCA reached out to our partners to see if there were any organizations in the region willing and able to accept a sizable transfer of rescued dogs. Colorado’s Humane Society of Boulder Valley stepped forward to take 35 canines, but did not have the resources to move them to Colorado, so the ASPCA offered the use of our custom built animal transport vehicle.
On November 5, our driver, an animal assistant and a group of mostly mixed-breed dogs completed their journey of more than 600 miles and arrived at Boulder Valley. “Almost every dog we received is highly social, but also highly fearful,” says Connie Howard, Humane Society of Boulder Valley Vice President of Operations.
All 35 dogs were evaluated and placed in the shelter’s behavior modification program, where trainers work with them individually at least twice a day. “They are struggling, of course, with tasks such as walking on leashes, but overall are making rapid progress and doing really well,” reports Howard. Most of the dogs have been made available for adoption, and two lucky pups have already gone home with new pet parents.
It happens every day–one, two, three turns, a sniff, some scrunching up and/or pawing of the fabric and then he lies down. What’s up Ryder? That bed has memory foam, a bolster in the back and a soft, sheepskin cover . . . what could you possibly be re-arranging?
Why Dogs Turn Around Three Times Before Lying Down
By: Alex Lieber
Around and around they go
According to American humorist Robert Benchley, a dog teaches a boy three things: fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.
If you’ve ever wondered why dogs turn around several times before flopping down on the floor, the answer is simple genetics. They’ve been genetically programmed to trample their sleeping areas in the wild so that the grass is tamped down to make a comfortable resting place.
Although your dog have the finest dog bed money can buy, he still feels the urge to circle before lying down, even in the comfort of the modern home. It’s nature at work. Nature is the reason dogs gobble their food. The most successful survivors were able to eat fast before other members of the pack could grab a share. Wild dog cousins didn’t know when his next meal would come, so being the fastest gorger was a real advantage.
A fair question to ask is whether these innate traits will ever disappear? The answer is, only if we want them to. The natural evolution of dogs has been superseded by centuries of deliberate breeding. Dogs exhibiting strong retrieving instincts, high intelligence, and friendliness, for example, have been selectively bred with other dogs showing the same traits to create the retrievers of today. Likewise, undesirable traits can be bred out of dogs, if we so desire.
Because there’s no reason to eliminate the habit of turning around three times before lying down, dogs will probably keep making sure their doggy beds are tamped down to their satisfaction, even though the practice is now unnecessary.
A simple formula could help put an overweight dog on a healthier path.
Take your dog’s weight in kilograms (weight in pounds divided by 2.2) and multiply it by 30, and then add 70. The result is the number of calories your dog needs each day to maintain his or her current weight. Feed your dog 70% as many calories per day until your dog reaches his or her goal weight, then return to the maintenance instructions on the dog food bag. (http://www.dogage.com/tips/math-for-dogs)
Dogs Win Big on Election Day with Historic Victory in Missouri
Fed up with their state’s reputation as the Puppy Mill Capital of America, Missourians hit the polls on Election Day to declare that enough is enough! On Tuesday, November 2, voters in the Show Me State passed the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, which appeared on their ballots as Proposition B. (Although policy reform is most often generated through state legislatures, Prop B was a citizen supported initiative). It is an incredible victory, and one we hope will send a strong message to the governments of other states—namely, that the public wants better conditions for puppy mill dogs, and will take on the task of changing the law themselves if elected officials fail to act.
In the last three years, 15 states, including major puppy mill states such as Iowa, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania, have passed laws to crack down on puppy mills. However, in no other state were the stakes higher for puppy mill dogs than Missouri.
Missouri’s weak laws regulating commercial kennels have made it a haven for substandard breeders. As home to one-third of all the commercial dog breeding facilities in the U.S.—as many as the next three largest dog breeding states combined—Missouri supplies more than 40 percent of all puppies sold in pet stores nationwide. No matter where you live, there’s a good chance that the puppies in the window of your local pet store came from a Missouri puppy mill. Implementation of the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act will provide welcome relief to tens of thousands of adult breeding dogs—not to mention the approximately one million puppies born in Missouri kennels every year.
The new Missouri law, which becomes effective in one year, requires that dogs at these large-scale facilities be provided with sufficient food and clean water, regular veterinary care, adequate housing and space, and access to regular exercise. And with passage of Proposition B, Missouri becomes the fifth state—joining Louisiana, Oregon, Virginia and Washington—to create a limit on the number of intact, adult breeder dogs a commercial dog breeder may keep.
“Tuesday’s passage of Proposition B reflects a landmark achievement in the ongoing fight against animal cruelty,” says ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. “We are proud to have worked diligently on this campaign, and we celebrate this victory alongside the caring citizens of Missouri. The ASPCA is committed to working with local animal welfare groups to help breeders transition to the new humane standards and find loving homes for any displaced Missouri breeding dogs.”
The ASPCA wishes to thank our supporters all over the country for helping us advocate for Proposition B to your friends and family in Missouri. This victory is the culmination of 18 months of work for the ASPCA and our partners in Missourians for the Protection of Dogs, and it is proof that when we join together to use our voices for animals, we will be heard!
