The last day of April, 2023, brings a change in the Picture Parades.
My son, Alex, is a very keen photographer and has taken many beautiful photos of birds. He wants to build his following especially on Instagram (that is a link to Alex’s page) and I was very willing to assist him in his endeavour.
So starting today I will be posting the photographs taken by Alex and repeating this every other Sunday. In other words, I shall now be alternating between birds and dogs for as long as is possible.
But first of all here is Alex’s QR code.
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Alex uses an Olympus camera, an OM-1, and his lens is an Olympus M zuiko 150-400TC pro. A feature of the camera is the continuous shooting rate of 130 frames per second that Alex uses to good effect; as you can see.
So if you are interested in photography, please go across to this Instagram link and revel in the wonderful pictures featuring wildlife from the UK🇬🇧, mainly in the counties of Somerset, Gloucestershire and Bristol.
From time to time various persons are in touch asking if I will accept a guest post. As long as the author is not connected to a commercial organisation then I am more than willing to accept.
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The Benefits of Spaying or Neutering Your Puppy
By Souvik Ghosh.
Spaying is the removal of a dog’s reproductive organs, while neutering is the removal of a dog’s testicles. Both of these procedures are usually completed between the ages of six to nine months old. The decision to spay or neuter your puppy is an important one, and one that every pet parent should consider carefully. Spaying or neutering your puppy can have many benefits; both for your pet, and for pet owners. In this article, we will explore the many benefits of spaying or neutering your puppy.
1. Cost Benefits
A. Lower veterinary expenses
By sanctioning spaying or neutering your puppy, you can spare yourself incurring costly veterinary bills. Not only that, but spayed and neutered pets often require fewer vet visits overall than unaltered animals, thus resulting in further financial savings.
B. Avoidance of unwanted litters and associated costs
Opting to spay or neuter your puppy will avoid the costs associated with an unwanted or unexpected litter. Having a litter of puppies can involve additional health care expenses, such as vaccinations or deworming, as well as other costs such as food, housing supplies, and potential vet visits due to complications or illness. What’s more, finding homes for each of the puppies can take a considerable amount of time and money. If a litter is born and is not able to be cared for or placed in a permanent home, euthanasia may also become a cost consideration.
C. Reduced potential for destructive behaviors
Spayed and neutered pets are less likely to display destructive behaviors associated with hormones, such as urine spraying, marking territory, escaping from the house, stray breeding, and aggression. Dealing with these behaviors can involve costly fence repair, kenneling, veterinary bills, and in extreme cases even legal fees. By taking preventative measures and having your puppy spayed or neutered, you can save yourself considerable financial hardship in the long-run.
2. Health Benefits
A. Reduced risk of certain cancers
Spaying or neutering your pet has many potential health benefits for your pup. First, spaying or neutering your puppy can reduce their risk of certain cancers. Spayed females are at almost no risk for certain types of ovarian and uterine cancer, while neutered males are at a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer.
B. Decreased risk of infections and diseases
In addition to curbing cancer risk, spayed or neutered puppies also have decreased risk of bacterial and viral infections, as well as other dog diseases, such as Urinary Tract Infection or “cherry eye.” Unneutered male dogs are a lot more likely to develop testicular tumors, while unspayed female pups are more likely to get vaginal infections or mammary tumors.
C. Prevention of reproductive issues
Spaying or neutering your puppy can also prevent reproductive issues such as false pregnancies, proestrus, and ovarian cysts. Spaying can also reduce “hump” behavior – or the act of mounting other animals – as well as “marking” their territory by urinating on objects or other animals. If a male dog hasn’t been neutered, these behaviors may continue into adulthood.
3. Behavioral Benefits
A. Reduced aggression and territorial tendencies
One of the primary behavioral benefits is that spayed or neutered puppies will have reduced aggression and territorial tendencies. Unneutered animals are more likely to attempt to protect their territory, which often manifests as aggressive behavior. By removing the instinct to mate and reproduce, these issues can be avoided.
B. Decreased likelihood of wandering or escaping
Another advantage is that spaying or neutering your puppy can decrease the likelihood of them wandering or escaping from home. Unneutered animals are more likely to attempt to find a mate, and as a result may be more tempted to roam. By removing this instinct, your puppy can enjoy a safe and secure living space.
C. Less marking and mounting behaviors
Spaying or neutering your pet can help them to avoid certain sexual impulses. Unneutered animals are more likely to engage in marking and mounting behaviors, which can be embarrassing and bothersome. This can be avoided by removing the unneutered dog’s natural urges to seek out a mate.
4. Community Benefits
A. Control over population and homelessness
The most obvious benefit of spaying or neutering your puppy is that it helps to control the overall population and reduce homelessness. When dogs reproduce without consequence, the population grows dramatically and shelters become overwhelmed with strays. These strays can be quite disruptive to the community, especially if they’re aggressive or overly vocal. By having your pet spayed or neutered, your community benefits significantly by avoiding this population surge.
B. Reduced noise and nuisance behaviors
You can also reduce the amount of noise and nuisance behaviors that can plague a community. Dogs can become territorial if they haven’t been neutered or spayed, which can affect their overall behavior. Un-neutered dogs are more likely to bark more, roam, and even become aggressive. This can be a nuisance to neighbors, and even other pet owners in the area. By having your puppy spayed or neutered, your pup won’t be as prone to these behaviors, making it easier to live in harmony with your surrounding community.
C. Improved relationships with neighbors and other pet owners
Having your puppy spayed or neutered can improve relationships with your neighbors as well as other pet owners. It can help ensure it’s better behaved when around people, making it much easier for neighbors or other pet owners to interact with your dog. It may even help build a friendlier, less fearful relationship between people and your pup, making it easier for your neighbor to come over for a visit. And better relations with pet owners in the area can help strengthen the bond between community members.
Conclusion
Spaying or neutering your pet can have numerous benefits, both medically and behaviorally, and it is important to consider if it is the right fit for you and your pet. We would encourage all pet owners to take the steps needed in order to be responsible pet owners, and spay or neuter their pup. By doing so, you can help ensure your pet lives a long and healthy life, while contributing to a kinder, more compassionate society.
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That last sentence says it all. I quote, “By doing so, you can help ensure your pet lives a long and healthy life, while contributing to a kinder, more compassionate society.“
Who doesn’t want a kinder and more compassionate society!
Luckily dogs that have behaviour problems are unknown in our home. But that doesn’t mean that a primer on preventing dog bites is not called for. The following seems like a primer!
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Dog Bite Prevention
Increasing Safety, Reducing Risks
To reduce the number of injuries from dog bites, adults and children should be educated about bite prevention, and dog owners should practice responsible dog ownership.
Understanding dog body language is a key way to help avoid being bitten for people of all ages. Know the signs that dogs give to indicate that they’re feeling anxious, afraid, threatened or aggressive, and be sure to respect the dog’s feelings about interacting with or being touched by strangers.
An aggressive dog may try to make themselves look bigger. Their ears may be up and forward, the fur on their back and tail may stand on end or puff out, and their tail may be straight up—it may even wag. They may have a stiff, straight-legged stance and be moving toward or staring directly at what they think is an approaching threat. They may also bare their teeth, growl, lunge or bark.
An anxious or scared dog may try to make themselves look smaller. They may shrink to the ground in a crouch, lower their head, repeatedly lick their lips, put their tail between their legs, flatten their ears back and yawn. They may look away to avoid direct eye contact. The dog may stay very still or roll on their back and expose their stomach. Alternatively, they may try to turn away or slowly move away from what they think is an approaching threat.
Many dogs can show a mixture of these body postures, indicating that they feel conflicted. Remember to avoid any dog showing any of signs of fear, aggression or anxiety—no matter what else the dog is doing. It’s important to realize that a wagging tail or a crouching body doesn’t always mean friendliness.
Ask first before petting a dog. When meeting an unfamiliar dog, don’t reach out to pet them. First, ask their pet parent, “May I pet your dog?” A strange hand in a dog’s face may scare them, leading to a bite.
If you receive permission to pet a dog, let them sniff your closed hand. Then, you may proceed to pet their shoulders or chest. Avoid petting the top of the dog’s head. If the dog looks uncomfortable, speak happily to the dog and casually remove your hand. Resist moving abruptly or jerkily.
Avoid dogs who are barking or growling. It is also best to steer clear of dogs who are loose, behind a fence or tied up.
If an unknown dog approaches you, stay quiet and still. Do not run or scream.
Always supervise children and dogs. Never leave a baby or young child alone with a dog. Teach your children to treat your dog gently and with respect, giving the dog their own space and opportunities to rest.
When in public, always keep your dog on a leash for the safety of your dog and those around them.
Recommendations for Pet Parents
Although you can’t guarantee that your dog will never bite someone, there are many ways that you can significantly reduce the risk.
Adopt from a well-managed animal shelter whose staff and volunteers can fill you in on the dog’s background, personality and behavior in the shelter.
Socialize your dog! Well-socialized dogs make enjoyable, trustworthy companions. Undersocialized dogs are a risk to their owners and to others because they can become frightened by everyday things—which means they are more likely to aggress or bite. Socializing is the opposite of isolating. It’s important for puppies to meet, greet and enjoy a variety of people, animals, places and things. Done properly, socializing helps puppies feel comfortable and friendly in various situations, rather than uncomfortable and potentially aggressive. The main rule for effective socializing is to let your dog progress at their own pace and never force them to be around someone or something when they’re clearly fearful or uncomfortable.
Take your dog to humane, reward-based training classes—the earlier the better. We recommend starting your puppy in puppy kindergarten classes as early as eight weeks, right after their first set of vaccinations. Early training opens a window of communication between you and your dog that will help you consistently and effectively teach them good behavior.
Always supervise your dog while they’re outdoors—even in a fenced yard. Don’t allow your dog to roam alone.
Don’t wait for a serious accident to happen. The first time your dog shows aggressive behavior toward anybody, even if no injury occurs, seek professional help from a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), a veterinary behaviorist (Dip ACVB), or a qualified Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT). Please see our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help, for information about finding an expert in your area. Your animal shelter may also offer or be able to refer you to helpful services.
Err on the safe side. Be aware of common triggers of aggression, including pain, injury or sickness, the approach of strangers or strange dogs, the approach of people in uniforms, costumes or unusual attire (especially hats), unexpected touching, unfamiliar places, crowds and loud noises like thunder, wind, construction, fireworks and appliances. If possible, avoid exposing your dog to these triggers. If they seem stressed or panicked in crowds, leave them at home. If they overreact to visitors or delivery personnel, keep them in another room when they come to your house. Work with a qualified behavior and training professional to help your dog become more comfortable with these and other situations.
License your dog as required by law and provide regular veterinary care, including rabies vaccinations.
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This appears to be very good advice, and I hope there’s no-one out there that has suffered from the consequences of dog aggression. If there’s a reader who has something to share with you all, then read my Interaction page.
This list came in from the ASPCA recently and I though it worth sharing with you. But just before I do that let me select from the About Us page on the ASPCA website.
We Are Their Voice
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®) was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world.
Our organization was founded on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans and must be protected under the law. Headquartered in New York City, the ASPCA maintains a strong local presence, and with programs that extend our anti-cruelty mission across the country, we are recognized as a national animal welfare organization. We are a privately funded 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, and are proud to boast more than 2 million supporters across the country.
The ASPCA’s mission, as stated by founder Henry Bergh in 1866, is “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.”
Plus there is a YouTube video.
Now to that plant list. It is a long list and I am going to only show you the first few dozen plants. If you want to see more of the list then you are going to have to go here and look it up for yourself.
As soon as I read it I contacted Jason and asked his permission to share it with you all.
Here it is!
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How I met my first working dog.
April 6th, 2023
Hello, my name is Jason. For as long as I can remember, I have loved dogs. Dogs have been a big part of my life while growing up. They have also been a big part of having a family with kids.
I am super lucky, because over the last couple of years, I have had the job of my dreams. I get to work with a dog every day. This dog has become my best friend, she has become my work partner, and she has become a very important part of my family.
I am excited to share my stories about this big, floppy eared, wrinkly faced, hard working Bloodhound. Would it surprise any of you that the job that Sophie and I do every day is to help find people that have gone missing?
Her nose, second to none in the dog world, has helped the community where we work to find people in many aspects. We have found criminals that have ran away from law enforcement, we have found missing children that ran away from home, and we have helped look for people that for any number of circumstances were in danger if they weren’t found in a timely manner.
This is Sophie!
I hope to be able to entertain you with stories of this wonderful dog. She’s got a stubborn streak both while working and while at home. She has made life interesting to be sure, and more entertaining and loving than I deserve in a friend and partner. I want to share my story of how I met her.
Unfortunately, her story wasn’t one without a few struggles of her own. She had to deal with some struggles before I was able to be lucky enough to have her stumble head first into my life. Maybe in some ways though, her and I were better off having to work through some of the repercussions of moving away from multiple families. Maybe because of what she went through, it opened my eyes to the opportunity to train with her in more than just search and rescue type work.
It’s been a long road from the time that I got her. Trying to help her get through her anxiety and stress that led to her sometimes biting people, dog aggression, and sometimes just not wanting to listen to me at all.
The dog that I live with now is still a working machine. She loves the hunt more than anything else. So much so that if we go too many days without it, she starts destroying my house. Instead of the biting and hating other dogs, she now gets to live with my family of a wife and two children. She has grown to love and co-exist with a stubborn Rottweiler that constantly gives her a run for her money.
I still wonder how I had the opportunity to have a dog that was born and raised in Massachusetts. At least for the first two years of her life.
Her story started with a hound handler that had many years, and many hounds during his time of working with dogs. Sophie was still really young when her handler had an unfortunate thing happen to him. He injured his back to where he was no longer able to run with a hound the same way he had in the past.
With her age, abilities, and ultimately what she was bred for, her first owner decided that he still wanted the world to have the opportunity to have Sophie provide her assistance to a community somewhere.
Across the United States in the state of Utah was a small police department that had been in contact with the organization that Sophie’s handler was part of. The police chief with this department had attended a seminar where this organization presented the abilities and benefits of a hound working for a local police department.
This police chief made quick friends with the people of this organization. He was also invited to Massachusetts where he spent some time watching the hounds work. Learning first hand what these amazing dogs can do to help find missing people.
When this organization realized that Sophie needed a new home, they contacted this chief from Utah and told them of a rare opportunity they wanted to offer him. They told him that they had a hound that needed to be re-homed. That she was a couple of years old, and was fully trained in her abilities. All she needed was a handler and a department willing to use her. The chief of police sent his lieutenant to Massachusetts where he spent about a week learning the basics of how Sophie worked. The lieutenant then drove back to Utah to start a bloodhound unit program with this police department.
A couple of years in of getting this program off of the ground, another incident happened. Sophie’s new handler got injured. For month’s it was thought that the lieutenant would be back to work. He was adamant that he wanted to stay with the department until Sophie retired so he could take her with him. He came to the realization though, that he was going to have to leave before Sophie could retire.
It was rumored around the police department that Sophie was just going to retire with the lieutenant even though she had years left available to keep working and providing for the community. One day, the lieutenant announced that he wanted officers to put in letters of interest to be the new hound handler for the department. He told those interested that there was going to be a panel of three officers, all hound handlers from Utah, that would decide who the best candidate would be for Sophie.
I was about two years into my career as a law enforcement officer at this same police department where Sophie worked. When I first started in law enforcement, my goal and biggest dreams were to work with a dog in some capacity. When I heard that they were looking for people that wanted the position, I didn’t think much of it. I was newer, other more experienced officers were putting in for the position, and I didn’t know if I wanted to run a tracking/trailing dog. I had always dreamed of having a dog that helped find drugs or had a more known job as a police officer.
I was called by my lieutenant shortly after the position to be Sophie’s handler opened up. He was aware that I have always wanted to be a K9 handler. He knew that I spent a lot of time working with another officer with the department that has a dog used to find drugs. He told me that he wanted me to put in for the position.
I wrote my letter of interest, then started the process of getting ready to interview. I had a small amount of experience with training a dog that I had previously that had behavior issues. My experience was no more than working with a company that helped with behavioral modification for my dog that had health and anxiety issues.
During the interview, among many questions, I was asked what experience I had working with dogs. I shared the small bit of experience that I had. Among all the other questions that stood out to me was asking if my family was prepared for the time and energy it took to be a police K9 handler. I was able to explain to them that my wife was very aware that having a dog in a working capacity has been a dream of mine even before meeting her. That I probably have no idea how big of a commitment this really was, but if given the opportunity, I would give it my all and put forth all the effort I could to succeed.
Hours after the interview, my lieutenant called me and one other officer that made it to the final interview process. The call was to announce to the two of us who had gotten the position. I expected this other officer, almost a 20 year veteran officer, to get the position. Well, I was pleasantly surprised and shocked that my name was the one called to be Sophie’s next handler!
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I hope you read it completely through because you would agree with me that this is most interesting. Hopefully, Jason will be publishing more posts.
Gordon Earle Moore (January 3, 1929 – March 24, 2023) was an American businessman, engineer, and the co-founder and emeritus chairman of Intel Corporation.
It was in 1965 that Gordon Moore suggested that every year there would be a doubling of the number of components per integrated circuit. In 1975 he revised his forecast to a doubling every two years; that prediction has become a reliable outcome and became known as Moore’s Law.
Just look at the left-hand scale of that graph above and ponder on the figures. From less than 10,000 in 1971 to more than 10 billion in 2021!
Incredible!
Gordon Earle Moore in 1978. He died on March 24th, 2023 aged 94 years.
A video courtesy of Zak George’s Dog Training Revolution.
I was in a bit of a hurry yesterday and looked through my folder of blog posts and came across this video.
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The words that accompanied the video are also presented:
Discover the secrets to successful dog training in a multi-dog household! We delve into the challenges and rewards of training multiple dogs, offering practical tips and expert advice to help you create a harmonious home. From establishing routines and managing individual training sessions to addressing common behavioral issues, we’ve got you covered in this informative and insightful video. I’ll guide you through essential techniques for managing multiple dogs, including establishing boundaries, promoting positive reinforcement, and tailoring training approaches to each dog’s unique personality and needs. Whether you’re a seasoned dog owner or new to multi-dog households, these expert tips will help you transform potential chaos into a well-coordinated, stress-free environment. Don’t miss out on this valuable resource for training multiple dogs effectively and efficiently. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe to our channel for more dog training tips and tricks. We’d love to hear about your own experiences with multi-dog households and training, so leave a comment below to join the conversation!
Sponsored by PupBox! Get your first PupBox for ONLY $5!!! Use code: ZAK5 at https://pupbox.com
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Needless to say I have no affiliation with PupBox.
