Random fun fact

The webpage 99 fun facts about dogs claims President Franklin Roosevelt created a minor international incident when he claimed he sent a destroyer to the Aleutian Islands to pick up his Scottish Terrier who had been left behind.

I sympathize; if my dog was left behind and I had a destroyer, I'd send it. :o)

Rat Terrier

The first I heard someone say, "That's a ratty" I thought, "It's a what-and-a-what?" Then, I learned Rat Terrier is an actual dog breed.

The Rat Terrier is an American Dog breed used as all-around farm dog and hunting companion. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, and are often mistaken for Jack Russels. The Rat Terrier always has a single coat, though. They range from about ten to twenty pounds, and stand thirteen to eighteen inches at the shoulder.

Now, that's a sense of smell...

I learned something new today. The average human has about 5 million smell-detecting cells, and the average dog has more than 220 million. The part of the brain that interprets smell is four times larger in a dog than a human.

How smart is a dog?

A dog is actually very smart, much more so than most people give them credit for. An average pooch can be compared to a two year old child, and can learn to understand about 150-200 words, including hand signals and hand movements. (Source: Bailey, Gwen. 2002. What Is My Dog Thinking?) An average dog can also learn to count to four or five, and has a basic understanding of arithmetics. (Source: petside.com)

The Border Collie and the Poodle generally top the lists of intelligent dogs. They can learn over 1000 words and understand the difference between nouns and verbs. (Source: petside.com)

The video might or might not play, ABC News doesn't seem to like the spreading of it, but it's worth checking out, so follow the link to Youtube. =D

Interesting fact about dog history

I stumbled over a website called 99 Fun Facts About Dogs. I didn't know this:

"All dogs can be traced back 40 million years ago to a weasel-like animal called the Miacis, which dwelled in trees and dens."

Never heard of. Further googling led to this image. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's kinda cute! 40 million years. Wow.

Landseer

The first time I heard the name Landseer, I thought it had to be a mix of a Labrador-something-something. Boy was I wrong... 

The Landseer is another Canadian breed, closely related to the Newfoundland. Some kennel clubs consider the Landseer a black and white version of the Newfoundland, others see it as a separate breed.

They're known for being gentle and serene, and they love to swim. 

Landseers have been very popular with fishermen because they excel at rescuing drowning people. 

BarkBox

I just learned about this fantastic thing called a BarkBox. It's kind of a subscription service for our furry friends, delivering goodies every month. To make it even better, parts of the proceeds go to charities; they sponsor a shelter each month. A monthly BarkBox cost only $18, and 10% of each box goes to a rescue group.

They have options for every size of dog, and boxes are shipped on the 15th of each month. Maybe this will make the doggies more positive to the mailman! (My gang thinks the mailtruck is a fire breathing dragon, and if the poor mailman dares approach the front door, they wish they could jump through the window to scare him off...)

Toller - a northern pearl

The first time I saw an adult Toller I thought it was an oddly colored Border Collie. Turns out they're not even remotely related. Shows how much I really know about dogs... Alternately, the first place my mind goes to.

The Toller is a Canadian breed, and the real name is Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. 

It is a medium sized dogs bred primarily for hunting, and they're known for being athletic, compact, balanced, and powerful.

Tollers are generally very intelligent and affectionate, and they have a lot of energy.

The Toller was bread to retrieve from icy waters, and they have a water-repellent double coat with a soft and dense undercoat. They're generally red with a pale nose, and have webbed feet.

Adventures in grooming

Do your dogs like grooming? Mine are fairly good with getting baths and being brushed, a couple even let me brush their teeth. When it comes to their nails, not so much.

I take them to a groomer, because it's much faster when a professional does it than when I fumble with the clippers, and I reason that being quick lessens the poor doggie's agony. They still put up a pretty good fight, and I keep expecting the groomers to flee when they see my car pull up outside... I tip them pretty well though, maybe that makes up for it...

It's a little hard with rescues, you never know what they've been through in their life, and why they don't want people to do certain things. One of the dogs has become pretty good - the first time we were there it took three people to hold and distract him, but now he accepts it pretty well. My groomer calls him, "The good one."

The "bad one" is also becoming pretty good, but it has taken a year of regular visits. When I first got her, each nail trim was a wrestling match between her and every person at the groomer's. Now she only needs one person to distract her while another does the actual clipping. They're learning that it's not the end of the world, but it takes time.

Do you have experiences with this? Do your pets accept having their feet handled?

Cartoon time!

Off the Leash on Facebook have some hilarious cartoons. I know I posted one just the other day, but this one also cracks me up.

Chew proof pet door

Talking about pet doors, have you seen this one? The Plexidor Top Swing is guaranteed chew proof, how cool is that?

It's available from dogdoors.com, and can be mounted through a door, wall, or window.

Off the Leash

I posted a cartoon from the Off The Leash Facebook page the other day. Here's another one that's just too funny!

Rare dog breeds

The Xolo... Xolo... the dog I posted the other day inspired me to look up more rare dog breeds. I found a pretty cool list.

I don't know how accurate it is, but I've only heard of a couple of these breeds before. I've linked the names to pages with more information. =)

10. Catalburun
9. Mudi
8. Thai Ridgeback
7. Norwegian Lundehund
6. Carolina Dog
5. Tibetan Mastiff
4. Azawakh
3. Otterhound
2. Stabyhoun
1. Chinook

Xoloitzcuintli

I recently learned there's a dog breed called Xoloitzcuintli. Try saying that three times fast... The Xolo... Xylo... dog comes in three sizes; toy, mini, and standard, and each has two varieties: hairless or coated. It's allegedly an ancient, original breed from Mexico. I so totally want one!

I snatched the image to the right from AKC's webpage about the breed.

The Xolo (I admit, there's no way I can spell the word right more than once) is one of the world's oldest and rarest breeds, and has existed in Mexico for over 3000 years. How cool is that! The Aztecs believed it helped guide souls to the afterlife.

They are prized for their loyalty and intelligence, and some areas view them as healing animals. The breed is described as calm, tranquil, aloof, and attentive.

For more information, check out Iam's dog breed guide.

New favorite product: CleanEr

Cleaning a dog's ears, yeah, that's fun. Not. I mean, some of them actually like it, but others barely let you touch their ears. Drying them out with a cotton ball or something is out of the question: let the chase around the house begin.

I found a product at Deidre's K9 Naturals that makes the dreaded cleaning at least a little easier. CleanER comes in a convenient dripping bottle, and if you can just catch the pooch long enough to hold the bottle over the ear and get some in there, the process is simplified.

This is how it's supposed to happen according to the instructions:
"Apply liberally into the ear canal. Massage the base of the ear. Allow pet to shake head. Clean excess with a cotton ball."

In reality, it turned more into me dripping in CleanEr, the dog rubbing his head against the carpet, and me trying to clean whatever ran down his face with a towel, but that's more due to an uncooperative dog and my own clumsiness than any fault of the product.

It's cheap too. A small bottle costs around four dollars, and they have plenty of opportunities to get free shipping.

Promising the doggie door

It is a new year, and I'm not usually big on New Year's resolutions. This year, maybe I'll actually get around to putting the dog door in. We have one, it's really pretty, we just never get around to installing it. Considering the house doesn't have a back door, a dog door would be a great alternative to walking the pooches around every time they want to go out...

Do you have one, and if so, what kind do you have? Do you like it?
=)