Labrador - Canada's most widely spread export?

Most people like Labradors. I mean, what is there not to like? They're friendly, playful, and beautiful. Did you know the Labrador is a Canadian dog breed? They are the most popular breed of dog registered in Canada, the UK, and the US. They are also the most popular choice for assistant dogs and police dogs in a number of countries.

Labradors are typically athletic and love to swim. They even have webbed paws! They like playing catch-and-retrieve games, and they're good with children. Many Labradors work as guide dogs for the blind.

Source: The Plexidor 2013 calendar; North American Dogs.

Image from iStockphoto.com

Easy to train dog breeds

I was clicking around on the Animal Planet Dog Breed guide - awesome page, by the way. They have a section for Easy-to-Train dog breeds.

I'm not surprised to see the Border Collie high on the list. The German Shepherd is also a given.

In alphabetic order, the list is:
Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd
Border Collie
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Doberman Pinscher
German Shepherd
Golden Retriever
Labrador Retriever
Papillon
Poodle
Rottweiler
Shetland Sheepdog

I understand how the working breeds learn easily, but the list made me curious. I definitely need to learn more about the Papillon!

Philosophical musings

I sometimes wonder if dogs wish they had thumbs. Imagine if they could open stuff like we do, and hold things like we do. I already see them as furry people, and sometimes I wonder if it isn't just a whim of nature that separates us.

We build houses and use tools out of necessity. I think our fingers, thumbs, and reasoning might have developed out of necessity; we needed to build to survive. It became a positive spiral. The more we built, the more time and opportunities we had to think, and so on. Most animals don't need houses and tools - they're equipped to get by without them.

Are we a whim of nature? What really separates us from our furry friends? What do you think?

American dog breed, or not.

I recently had the pleasure to perform some research on American dog breeds. It would be easy to think the American Eskimo is an American dog. It's not. The breed originated in Germany, and was called German Spitz up until the time of the first world war. At this time, anti-German influences were so strong, the breed was renamed American Eskimo.

The Eskie has an extremely thick, multi layered coat. There are three sizes: toy, miniature, and standard. The American Eskimo isn't considered an aggressive breed, but they were originally bred to guard people and property, and they can be valiant watchdogs when the occasion calls for it. This instinct to guard also shows itself in a tendency to bark at strangers.

Besides watching out for mom and dad, the Eskie is known for having excellent balance and they are famous for their skills as circus dogs. 

The American Eskimo is a hardy dog with an average life span of 16 years!

Poochie for President!

It is almost election time, and debates run high in media in general, as well as on Facebook and Twitter. Voting would be easy if one was a dog: I'm sure my pooches would vote for whomever promised the most treats, petdoors, and outside time. If a candidate promised no kill shelters, they'd have my vote.

What do you think? Is animal welfare something politicians should address? Would it sway your vote, or help you make up your mind? Leave me a comment; I'd love to know!

Support Alfie's Law!

Please support Alfie's law. Every pet has the right to be treated well, and since people can't seem to  understand this, we need laws to protect them. If you want to help out, there's a petition to sign at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/34522

Videocontest - win $1000!

I was looking around the Internet the other day, and found this great video contest. Who doesn't want to win $1000? All you have to do is film your pet using a Plexidor, upload it on Youtube, and fill out the form on this webpage. The contest ends December 1, so hurry up with those entries!

Good luck!