General History Of Dogs

There is no incongruity in the idea that in the very earliest period of man's habitation of this world he made a friend and companion of some sort of aboriginal representative of our modern dog, and that in return for its aid in protecting him from wilder animals, and in guarding his sheep and goats, he gave it a share of his food, a corner in his dwelling, and grew to trust it and care for it. Probably the animal was originally little else than an unusually gentle jackal, or an ailing wolf driven by its companions from the wild marauding pack to seek shelter in alien surroundings. One can well conceive the possibility of the partnership beginning in the circumstance of some helpless whelps being brought home by the early hunters to be tended and reared by the women and children. Dogs introduced into the home as playthings for the children would grow to regard themselves, and be regarded, as members of the family

In nearly all parts of the world traces of an indigenous dog family are found, the only exceptions being the West Indian Islands, Madagascar, the eastern islands of the Malayan Archipelago, New Zealand, and the Polynesian Islands, where there is no sign that any dog, wolf, or fox has existed as a true aboriginal animal. In the ancient Oriental lands, and generally among the early Mongolians, the dog remained savage and neglected for centuries, prowling in packs, gaunt and wolf-like, as it prowls today through the streets and under the walls of every Eastern city. No attempt was made to allure it into human companionship or to improve it into docility. It is not until we come to examine the records of the higher civilisations of Assyria and Egypt that we discover any distinct varieties of canine form.

The dog was not greatly appreciated in Palestine, and in both the Old and New Testaments it is commonly spoken of with scorn and contempt as an "unclean beast." Even the familiar reference to the Sheepdog in the Book of Job "But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the dogs of my flock" is not without a suggestion of contempt, and it is significant that the only biblical allusion to the dog as a recognised companion of man occurs in the apocryphal Book of Tobit (v. 16), "So they went forth both, and the young man's dog with them."

The great multitude of different breeds of the dog and the vast differences in their size, points, and general appearance are facts which make it difficult to believe that they could have had a common ancestry. One thinks of the difference between the Mastiff and the Japanese Spaniel, the Deerhound and the fashionable Pomeranian, the St. Bernard and the Miniature Black and Tan Terrier, and is perplexed in contemplating the possibility of their having descended from a common progenitor. Yet the disparity is no greater than that between the Shire horse and the Shetland pony, the Shorthorn and the Kerry cattle, or the Patagonian and the Pygmy; and all dog breeders know how easy it is to produce a variety in type and size by studied selection.

In order properly to understand this question it is necessary first to consider the identity of structure in the wolf and the dog. This identity of structure may best be studied in a comparison of the osseous system, or skeletons, of the two animals, which so closely resemble each other that their transposition would not easily be detected.

The spine of the dog consists of seven vertebrae in the neck, thirteen in the back, seven in the loins, three sacral vertebrae, and twenty to twenty-two in the tail. In both the dog and the wolf there are thirteen pairs of ribs, nine true and four false. Each has forty-two teeth. They both have five front and four hind toes, while outwardly the common wolf has so much the appearance of a large, bare-boned dog, that a popular description of the one would serve for the other.

Nor are their habits different. The wolf's natural voice is a loud howl, but when confined with dogs he will learn to bark. Although he is carnivorous, he will also eat vegetables, and when sickly he will nibble grass. In the chase, a pack of wolves will divide into parties, one following the trail of the quarry, the other endeavouring to intercept its retreat, exercising a considerable amount of strategy, a trait which is exhibited by many of our sporting dogs and terriers when hunting in teams.

A further important point of resemblance between the Canis lupus and the Canis familiaris lies in the fact that the period of gestation in both species is sixty-three days. There are from three to nine cubs in a wolf's litter, and these are blind for twenty-one days. They are suckled for two months, but at the end of that time they are able to eat half-digested flesh disgorged for them by their dam or even their sire.

The native dogs of all regions approximate closely in size, coloration, form, and habit to the native wolf of those regions. Of this most important circumstance there are far too many instances to allow of its being looked upon as a mere coincidence. Sir John Richardson, writing in 1829, observed that "the resemblance between the North American wolves and the domestic dog of the Indians is so great that the size and strength of the wolf seems to be the only difference.

It has been suggested that the one incontrovertible argument against the lupine relationship of the dog is the fact that all domestic dogs bark, while all wild Canidae express their feelings only by howls. But the difficulty here is not so great as it seems, since we know that jackals, wild dogs, and wolf pups reared by bitches readily acquire the habit. On the other hand, domestic dogs allowed to run wild forget how to bark, while there are some which have not yet learned so to express themselves.

The presence or absence of the habit of barking cannot, then, be regarded as an argument in deciding the question concerning the origin of the dog. This stumbling block consequently disappears, leaving us in the position of agreeing with Darwin, whose final hypothesis was that "it is highly probable that the domestic dogs of the world have descended from two good species of wolf (C. lupus and C. latrans), and from two or three other doubtful species of wolves namely, the European, Indian, and North African forms; from at least one or two South American canine species; from several races or species of jackal; and perhaps from one or more extinct species"; and that the blood of these, in some cases mingled together, flows in the veins of our domestic breeds.

Tips to Save Cash With Homemade Dog Food

It may seem more expensive creating your own healthy homemade dog food as meat will take a larger percentage of the ingredients. Do not despair but be far sighted. The healthy diet availed to your pooch will save in terms of the number of visits to the vet.

For those firm believers of healthy homemade dog food and who only use the commercial baggage as a back up, incorporating money sense and able to maximize the health or your furry friend is like wining the world cup in an inflationary economy! Keep in mind these tips and your furry friend will be an asset not a liability in the numbers world.

Keep it simple

Bypass exotic and expensive meat, such as, bison, duck, ostrich and emu. The rationale is such meat are allergy free. This is based on the assumption that protein diet is causing allergy and switching the protein source will eliminate the allergy. It is best to strengthen his intestinal organs with probiotics such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Bacillus species available in many forms including food, supplements and yogurt products, as this will help reduce his sensitivity to food allergy.

Get to know your butcher

Ask your local butcher to save the unwanted cuts for your dog at a reduce price. Although some cuts may still be too fatty for heath consumption, trim the meat further yourself at home. The meat will be fresher as it has not been packaged for travel long distances. There is a possibility of organic or grass fed meat availability which is a definite plus to health.

Food is medicine, medicine is food

If you feed your dog healthy homemade dog food, this will have a direct impact on the health of your dogs. When your dog is healthy it ultimately saves you money and yet you do not have to be tight on quality ingredients. You can buy in bulk and locally thereby saving on the amount you would have paid on logistic cost. These savings can be used to creating healthy homemade dog food by using organic ingredients. To further enhance the health of your canine friend, add supplements, herbs, vitamins and minerals.

The key is balance

Take for example, vitamins or supplements, add them to healthy homemade dog food to booster the health of your canine friend but not overdose. Check with your vet to find the correct dosage. By adding enough it will save you money simultaneously protecting the health of your dog. If we check and compare what we have most of the time the products dosages overlap. We need to sit down and rationalize and before you know it we do not need some of it and we will be able to keep some cash.

Grow your own food for a healthy homemade dog food

Share the stress of the supply food chain by growing some healthy herbs and vegetables such as tomatoes in small containers that in the balcony if you live in the city. If you have your own backyard, you could have a garden of vegetables and herbs. You and your faithful companion will have hours of bonding time in a sun soak getaway.

Managing meat

If you are person who is an advocate of healthy homemade dog food and is budgeting conscious, here are some extra tips. Repackage the bulk purchases into smaller bags and freeze them until later use. Buy whatever meat that is on special, such as, chicken, beef, pork or turkey. That will save you money and add variety to satisfy the palate of your dog.

I am sure there are plenty of ways to save in a commercial driven economy and you will probably come up with a few ideas on your own. As Abraham Lincoln puts it, "Determination: Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way."

The Reasons Why Dogs Bark

Dogs bark. However, there are different types of barks and why dogs do this. Read on to learn about this.

One problem that dog owners and other people have is when a dog barks too much. This is especially true when a dog does not even seem like he would like to stop barking. There are many reasons why these animals bark. The key to stopping a dog bark is to find out and understand these reasons. That way, you would know the reason so you can find a solution to put a stop to the whole ruckus.

There are different types of barking. Dogs bark not because they want to annoy you but because they may be upset angry or bored. To handle the barking get to the main reason why he did so and handle it. Here are the different types.


• Territorial - One reason why a dog barks is because it is asserting its own territory. Dogs, just like other mammals, are territorial animals and they want you to know that it is the dominant entity in a certain place. This territorial nature can be seen when the mailman comes to deliver a letter to your home. Your pet would start barking. This is their way of saying to the mailman that your home is off limits to other people. That territory can be your house, the places that he has walks on a lot or it can be the park which he frequents.

• Alarm - Dogs usually bark when they see something that alarms them. Those which do this usually bark at anything they see regardless of whether it is within their territory or not.

• Attention seeking - When dogs feel that they are lacking attention, they will usually bark to seek attention.

• Greeting - This is a happy kind of bark, as when the pet sees their owner coming home from work, they will gleefully bark in greeting. Some would whine instead of bark when they greet their owner. You will know that the dog is greeting you when they are wagging their tail while barking.

• Compulsive - Sometimes, dogs seem to bark for no reason at all. This may be because they are bored or are anxious. This barks become compulsive barks as they do this again and again.

• Social - Dogs are social animals in certain ways. They bark because they want to communicate with other dogs. This may sound needless or angry but they are just responding to each other.

• Frustration - Dogs tend to bark when they cannot do anything about a situation they are in. For instance, when a dog is locked up in a crate, they will bark until they are released. It can be like a cry for help for them.

• Injury or illness - When a dog's bark is accompanied by whines, this could mean it is in pain or injured. Pay very close attention to this kind of bark.

• Separation anxiety - This reason can be hard to determine to pay close attention to the accompanying behavior of the dog while barking. Observe activities like destruction, pacing or making messes.

Animal Abuse - Enough is Enough!

Animal abuse comes in a lot of different forms ranging from neglect to actually hitting a pet. Spotting illegal animal abuse is sometimes hard to notice because the laws for it vary from country to country. Without knowing the laws in your state it can be hard to report any animal abuse. If you're not sure if something is legal or not you can talk to a police officer or contact a lawyer before reporting anything. Although laws can vary from place to place the New Zealand SPCA says, any person found to have intentionally overworked, tortured, tormented any living animal is in violation of the laws. The law also extends to anyone who doesn't provide enough food or water for their animal. Having a pet tied up to a short chain or having a leaking roof on your dog's doghouse when it's raining can be considered illegal. Anyone who is caught and accused of animal cruelty can face a misdemeanor or even a felony, depending on how severe it is. Even the abandonment of animals is considered illegal in most countries.

Reporting any type of animal cruelty is one of the best things that you can do to help stop it. It will not only help the animal that's being abused, it will also help prevent any other animals from being abused by that person. Animal abuse has also been linked to other violence within the families and within society. If you see any type of animal abuse it is important to not talk to the owner yourself, because the owner may think that it's okay for them abuse their pet or that it's the only way for them to learn. Many of the people hurting animals have physiological problems that only a professional can help them with. So, if you see an animal being abused call your local law enforcement or your local SPCA to report the incident. Doing so will make sure that you and the animal are both protected from future violence. It is also important to provide as much detail as possible when reporting animal abuse since it will be the start of a new investigation.

Preventing animal cruelty is the best way to help stop it. You can do it by doing one of two things, donating to a company who helps prevent it or teaching children while they're young to help stop it. Doing a simple search online can provide many charities that specialize in it and they don't require a large sum to donate, so there's no reason not to donate. The other way to prevent is to teach the younger generation of children about it. Stopping animal abuse will not only prevent animals from getting hurt but it will also prevent families from getting hurt since animal cruelty and domestic abuse go hand and hand.

Puppy Training Tips Review

The aim of every good dog owner is to produce an animal that is well behaved in every environment and situation and that is not always easy for the average person. The quickest way, and I think the best way, is to follow a well-structured training plan that has been developed by professionals, shown to work successfully and is prepared in a simple, easy to follow pattern. (This is for the owner's benefit, as well as the dog!)

Dogs are descended from pack animals and, as such, the leader of the pack is the one that gets to set the standards for the rest of the animals; in your environment, it is your role to be the leader of the pack.

There are six basic training steps for every dog and then, once mastered by both you and your pet, you can move on to some fun training with your dog so your animal can be part of the fun with you and your family.

The overpowering joy you experience on bringing home your first puppy can be quickly shattered when it makes its first impression on, or in, your home. We all know that, unless it is a pre-trained rescue dog, these types of accidents are going to happen, but probably the first time is the worst.

Therefore your dog's initial training needs to be focused on toilet training. Teaching it to use a designated place in your outside space as a toilet, and not your house, must be your first priority. This step will be fraught with difficulties and there will, of course, be other accidents along the way, but, at the end of the day, when your puppy consistently manages to both let you know when they need to go and then go where they have been trained, both of you will be overjoyed.

The next stages in training your puppy are:

2 Obedience Training
3 Crate Training
4 Walking On A Lead
5 The Recall
6 Good Puppy Manners

Finally, you can work with your dog on some fun exercises that can teach it to give you its paw, wave, rollover, etc. These are not cruel on your pet as they enjoy themselves learning and can give you and your family more joy in playing with your dog.

Although you will want to move your dog's training through at an accelerated rate, bear in mind that your dog sees these exercises, not as training, but as fun and games. You should start training your puppy as soon as you can as, like young children, they will absorb everything that you can give them. Keep the early sessions short, up to a maximum of 10-25 minutes, to keep you and your pet at a high energy level. Gauging the time of the sessions can be important as too long will make the training for your dog less enjoyable and, like you at school or work, will probably stop them learning.

As I stated earlier, the aim of every dog owner is to produce a well behaved dog in any situation. It is also important that your dog respects each situation without the need for loud words and/or striking the animal. Your role as owner and trainer of your pet is to achieve this situation. Remember, there is no such thing as a bad dog, just a bad dog owner. Your dog deserves a good home and a good owner and it is your duty to provide both of these!