Search Results for: blog about herding group dogs

Managing Smart Dogs

Smart is often a selling point for dogs. There are certain breeds, especially those known for herding, that are generally considered the cream of the clever canine crop. Thus if you want an intelligent dog it might not be too hard to seek one out, but there are some things you need to know before adopting a brainy companion. Pet site ZooToo has some tips. The most important thing to consider first is that smart doesn’t necessarily mean easy. We think that it will; we think how nice it will be to have a dog that can fetch slippers and … Continue reading →

Types of Jobs for Dogs

I’m forever praising Murph for all the help he gives me with chores, but some dogs truly do work for a living. I got to pondering all the many types of jobs for dogs there are when I was coming up with ideas for animal holidays and observances there should be if there aren’t already. For that article I stumbled across Aimee’s article about working group dogs as part of my research and it dawned on me: “Wow. I never realized just how many dogs work.” Yes, times are getting tough, but, no, this won’t be an article of ways … Continue reading →

Fighting Like Cats and Dogs

So why do dogs and cats have this stereotypical relationship as enemies? We see it over and over in books, television, and film — think about Garfield and Odie, for example. Most dogs can learn to tolerate cats. It depends largely on the dog’s prey drive. Canines are predators. They chase and catch smaller animals for food; even thousands of years of domestic life can’t quite change that instinct to chase. Selective breeding has enhanced that trait in some dogs, and faded it in others. For instance, many terriers have high prey drives, as they were bred to be hunting … Continue reading →

About Working Group Dogs

Working group dogs were bred to perform jobs — “working” isn’t just a clever name! American Kennel Club working group dogs are used to guard property, pull sleds, and assist in rescue efforts. Working dogs have also been seen carrying messages in wartime, guiding the blind, and working with police. Don’t confuse working dogs with herding or hunting dogs — in the American Kennel Club, these are separate groups of dogs. In general, working group dogs are intelligent, capable, and quick to learn. They also tend to be very large, and may not be the best pets for families with … Continue reading →

About Herding Group Dogs

The American Kennel Club divides show dogs into seven different groups: Sporting, Non-Sporting, Hounds, Terriers, Toy, and Working. Each group has particular characteristics in common. The Herding Group is the American Kennel Club’s newest classification, dating back to 1983. The Herding Group split off from the Working Group to include breeds with the ability to direct or control the movement of other animals. Traditionally, these dogs were used to herd livestock. Herding Group dogs are used today in parks to control flocks of geese and to move goats around for natural lawn control. Herding Group dogs are generally intelligent dogs … Continue reading →

Breed-Specific Dog Food

I was paging through an issue of Dog Fancy magazine and saw an ad for Royal Canin’s new line of breed-specific foods. Interesting idea, huh? Instead of just tailoring foods to dogs of a certain size or age group, they’ve developed foods for specific breeds. It makes sense that puppies would have different nutritional needs than adults or seniors… but what about dogs of the same age but different breeds? Royal Canin — backed by years of research — says that dogs of different heritage have different nutritional needs. Generally speaking, dogs all need the same things. Protein, carbohydrates, vitamins … Continue reading →

Anatolian Shepherds

I had never heard of an Anatolian Shepherd until yesterday when I accompanied my friend Karen to the Nashville Humane Society. (Karen wanted to see if they had a photographer doing fund raising for them like the Josephs do for the Humane Society in Jacksonville.) Turns out the NHS does have someone who does that, but their events person was very nice and gave us a tour of the facility. That’s when I saw this big white dog who was desperate to get my attention. And when she did, there was such a spark…I just may have to take Wayne … Continue reading →

What Makes a Good Search and Rescue Dog?

The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation is on a mission. They are rescuing dogs, training them to save lives, and sending them out to work with firefighters and other emergency workers. This is the search dog pledge: no one is left behind. Most candidates for the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation come from shelters and breed-specific rescue groups. Dogs who are adopted by the SDF are guaranteed a lifetime of care — whether or not they work out as search and rescue dogs. Dogs that don’t complete the program are placed in loving forever homes. Active search dogs that retire … Continue reading →

Bearded Collie

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The bearded collie — also known as the Highland collie, the mountain collie, or just the Beardie — is one of Great Britain’s oldest dog breeds. Some historians believe that the breed existed in Britain during the first Roman invasion; a more popular theory is that the breed comes from the Magyar people’s shaggy herding dogs (like the Komondor and the Puli). The bearded collie was not a nobleman’s dog — the breed was popular with the herdsmen of Great Britain. But there are few early records of dogs that weren’t popular with the nobles. One of the first known … Continue reading →

Great Pyrenees

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Back home in New Jersey, my neighbor’s daughter had a Great Pyrenees named Cloud — what a perfect name for this fluffy, white breed of herding dog! Cloud is a pretty awesome dog. My dog Miko sure thought so — he loved Cloud and she could do no wrong. When she came to visit, she was allowed to eat his biscuits and flop out on his bed. Of course, she probably outweighed him by a good fifty pounds or so… so I don’t know that he could have stopped her anyway! Great Pyrenees are BIG dogs. Males can reach up … Continue reading →