Selecting perfect puppy takes homework

Honolulu Advertiser - highly aggressive, highly reactive breeds such as West Highland white terriers and springer spaniels, whereas a Labrador Do your homework, then seek the advice of local, trusted experts such as veterinarians, shelter personnel or breeders, and Continued

IC Wales - She lost her nose, lips and chin during the attack by her pet Labrador while she slept. The dog was later put down, despite He said that a certificate would go some way to curbing the actions of the “unscrupulous” breeders who are prepared to sell Continued

The Labrador Retriever : The Best Search-And-Rescue Dog

Labrador Retrievers are often found working in airports, on street patrol, and in other public locations, as it has been found that they have the concentration capacity and staying power to maintain scent work in large, populated areas. labradors are becoming more popular in this job and have been known for their ability to work among civilians without creating anxiety which is often known to occur when the more traditional police dogs such as German Shepherds and Dobermans are used.
Following in the path of the Saint Bernard, Labrador Retrievers have become a vital part of rescue teams. The Labrador’s superior scenting ability has made him one of the top Disaster Dogs. Because of their keen sense of smell, labradors are being trained to find people buried by the debris of earthquakes or similar disasters. The work is arduous and requires great concentration in dangerous surroundings; The dog must go to his task in the rubble of collapsed buildings, surrounded by the clamor of emergency vehicles, and often fire.
In these crisis situations, the air is usually choked with dust, smoke, and gas escaping from broken gas lines. labradors are able to focus on the human scent and locate trapped victims. Upon making a find, the Disaster Dog is trained to indicate this to his handler by barking and scratching gently at the spot. The intensity of the bark generally indicates whether the victim is dead or alive. The handler calls in another team to verify and then notifies the rescue officials, who do the removal.
Labrador Retrievers work efficiently, in a calm, gentle manner, rather than the aggressive, almost attacking method exhibited by breeds that have been tried but eliminated from the program. Each Disaster Dog has undergone extensive training and must be fully reliable to work individually off-lead and be fully responsive to his handler. Despite his desire to continue searching, a Disaster Dog must withdraw immediately upon command, as the handler may spot a danger that the dog is unaware of.
The Disaster Dog program is run by unpaid volunteers who teach the dog to master all obedience skills as well special techniques. A Disaster Dog must be trained to climb over difficult obstacles, such as ladders, thin walk ways, rocks, and downed trees, and avoid broken glass, collapsing surface and other life-threatening situations. He must also be able to climb on through small windows or crevices where people may be trapped. This type of work requires a superlative dog that is dedicated to saving lives, putting his own on the line without fear.

14 held in gang sweep 

More than 100 law enforcement officers descended on 30 locations Thursday and arrested 14 people, seized seven firearms and a small amount of drugs. Read More…

The 4-H Seeing Eye puppy Club helps give a solid start to dogs training to be guides. Read More…

Teaching Your Labrador To Retrieve

Mutual trust and understanding are required between the hunter and his dog before a satisfactory retrieving companion is developed. The intelligent Labrador Retriever, brought up as a house pet with the love and understanding of the person who is to take him hunting, requires a minimum of training in order to accomplish the job. Much of this training can be done in the house and a few minutes a day is enough. Such things as blind retrieves and hand signals can become a game in the house with the dog learning to trust his nose as one of the important by-products.
Introduction to feathers can be accomplished by tying feathers on a dummy or using a pigeon or chicken wing with the feathers intact. Remember that a Labrador should hand you the object retrieved and not drop it on the ground as is allowed with other breeds. This is also one of the requirements for a working certificate for a show dog. One important thing should not be overlooked and that is allowing persons to throw just anything for a dog and not requiring the dog to bring it back and give it to them. Let toys be toys, but certain definite other things should be reserved for training.
If a dog has a tendency to go off with the object you are training with outdoors, it is a good idea to reduce the available working space so that evading you is minimized. In such circumstances, moving away from the dog may induce following and the training object may be retrieved as the dog passes. His game of keep-away is thus converted to delivering the object for reward of the praise bestowed upon surrender of the object.
For outside work, training involves getting your dog to go far out, which is not possible in the house. Introducing him to gunfire must also be done outdoors. You can find a training aid called a dummy thrower that is very useful, but test it without your dog the first time as the dummy goes a long way.
For dog owners wishing to use a whistle for signals, one of the product that you can get is the Acme Thunderer. With this type of whistle, one can almost talk as it is possible to make various other sounds. One blast is commonly used for a dog to sit wherever he is, and three blasts to summon the dog to come towards or all the way back to you. The single blast is used also to signal for the dog to pay attention when you plan to use hand signals.

today’s cartoons

Slate - She wrenched my shoulder out of its socket in her relentless dash to sniff pee-mails left by other dogs. A recent Or the couple unable to enjoy conjugal relations because their Labrador insisted on sleeping between them and became hostile Find Out More

News In Brief 

CALLOUS pet owners hurled two Labrador cross-breed puppies from a moving car and left them for dead … TWO of the country’s biggest companies are bringing 350 jobs to our area as they expand their ca… Find Out More…

As visitors enter the front door of the Selma/Dallas County Animal Shelter, they are greeted by a cacophony of barks, howls, hisses and me-ow-ows, as well as a friendly “Hello” from Interim Director Warren Hinson, behind the counter at one side of the comfortable waiting room. Find Out More…

Taking Care Of Your Labrador’s Feet & Paws

A Labrador retriever’s feet are susceptible to various injuries if it spends much time outdoors. The pads of the feet should be inspected after every vigorous run in thick brush for cuts, splinters, burrs, or embedded stones. For minor problems, a cleaning, using sterilized tweezers to remove any objects, and a mild antiseptic should be all that is needed. The dog should not be permitted any hard running until the cut is healed. Undiscovered minor irritations can quickly become infected and painful, causing the dog to favor the leg and limp. A dog that develops a sudden limp may have been stung by an insect. In such a case, an ice compress will usually reduce or prevent swelling and the pain should quickly pass. (Be alert to any difficulty in breathing, as an allergic reaction to stings may also produce dangerous side effects.) If there is no evidence of a cut and the dog continues to favor the leg, consult a veterinarian as there may be an injury to the bones or muscles of the foot, or something may be embedded within the footpad that will need an experienced hand to remove.
Because many adult dogs dislike having their feet touched or inspected, begin this as a daily routine while the dog is young. Dogs that receive ample exercise outside the house will seldom need to have their nails trimmed, as moving about on rough surfaces should be enough to keep the nails quite short. Dogs that are more sedentary will need their nails attended to. If allowed to continue growing, the nails will impede the normal placement of the foot and affect the dog’s gait.
Specially designed nail clippers for medium-sized dogs such as Labrador retrievers can be purchased at most pet shops or grooming parlors. The process is quick and painless, if done properly. If you are inexperienced with this, have your veterinarian show you this simple procedure at the dog’s regular checkup. From then on this can be performed at home. Be sure to cut only the outer shell of the nail, as cutting too close to the quick will cause bleeding. Once the nail is the proper length, smooth the surface with a few touches of an emery board. Should bleeding occur from the cutting, apply pressure to the area by holding a cotton swab over the nail. Once the bleeding stops, dab the nail with a mild antiseptic.
In the wintertime, if you live in the colder areas, check your dog’s feet after it walks on snow-covered or shoveled sidewalks. The chemicals that are commonly applied to melt snow on walkways and roads can be caustic to your dog’s skin and feet and must be removed quickly by a thorough washing with warm, soapy water.
Follow this by applying a generous amount of petroleum jelly to the footpads to soothe any discomfort. If the use of such snow-melting chemicals is common in your area, ask your veterinarian to recommend a cream that you can apply to protect the footpads before damage occurs. If this salt is allowed to remain, the pads can be chemically burned. In response to the pain the dog may try to wash the chemicals off by licking, which complicates the problem further. If ingested in large enough doses, such materials can injure the digestive tract and other organs. The same applies to any antifreeze that may leak onto the streets. Not only is this liquid deadly, but it also actually attracts dogs by its pleasant smell and taste. Beware of letting your dog walk on or lick any liquids in the streets.

Professionals, inmates train canines to be assistance dogs 

Samuri and Solis are probably the youngest creatures “doing time” at the Palm Beach County Stockade. When they finish their “sentence,” they’ll move into another training session - and will end up as assistance dogs for the disabled. Find Out More…

It’s being described by the treating veterinarian as the *worst trauma he’s ever seen to a dog. A one year old chocolate labrador dragged down a Van Zandt County Road behind a pick-up truck. KLTV 7’s Lindsay Wilcox has the story of a young dogs incredible will to survive. Find Out More…

For Adopt-A-Dog Month, tips for controlling the pet population. Labrador, boxer, Chihuahua, border collie, Dalmatian, blue heeler, schnauzer. Pick a breed, and chances are it can be found at an animal shelter, said Janet Ott, board president of the Humane Society of Williamson County in Leander. Find Out More…

Showing Your Labrador Retriever

The general appearance of the Labrador should be that of a strongly built and a very active dog. He should be fairly wide over the loins and strong and muscular in the hindquarters. The coat should be close, short, dense and free from feather.
The skull should be wide, giving brain room; there should be a slight stop, the brow should be slightly pronounced so that the skull is not absolutely in a straight line with the nose. The head should be clean-cut and free from fleshy cheeks. The jaws should be long and powerful; the nose should be wide and the nostrils are well developed. Teeth should be strong and regular.
The ears should hang moderately close to the head, rather far back, should be set somewhat low and not be large and heavy. The eyes should be of a medium size, expressing great intelligence and good temper, and can be brown, yellow or black, but brown or black is preferred.
The neck should be medium length, powerful and not throaty. The shoulders should be long and sloping. The chest must be of good width and depth, the ribs are well sprung and the loins wide and strong, stifles are well turned, and the hindquarters are well developed and of great power.
The legs must be straight from the shoulder to ground, and the feet compact with toes well arched, and pads well developed; the hocks should be well bent, and the dog must neither be cow hocked nor be too wide behind; he must stand and move true all round on legs and feet. Legs should be of medium length, showing good bone and muscle, but not so short as to be out of balance with rest of body.
The tail is a distinctive feature of the breed; it should be very thick towards the base, gradually tapering towards the tip, of medium length, should be free from any feathering, and should be clothed thickly all round with the Labrador’s short, thick, dense coat, thus giving the peculiar “rounded” appearance which has been described as the “otter” tail. The tail may be carried gaily but should not curl over the back.
The coat is another very distinctive feature; it should be short, very dense and without wave, and should give a fairly hard feeling to the hand.
Movement should be free and effortless. The forelegs should be strong and true, and correctly placed. Watching a dog move towards one, there should be no signs of elbows being out in front, but neatly held to the body with legs not too close together, and moving straight forward without pacing or weaving. When viewing the dog from the rear, you should get the impression that the hind legs, which should be well muscled and not cow hocked, move as nearly parallel as possible, with hocks doing their full share of work and flexing well, thus giving the appearance of power and strength.

Assistance dogs do more than help people gain independence 

Not having the use of your arms and legs or being hearing impaired can be very difficult. That’s why gaining independence is important for people faced with disabilities. Find Out More…

Southeast Pug Rescue and Adoption, SEPRA, will celebrate its annual Pugfest October 28 at the Gwinnet County Fairgrounds in Lawrenceville, Georgia. The group takes in stray and abandoned Pugs and … Find Out More…