Cattle

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The Giant Schnauzer, also referred to as a Riesenschnauzer, is a German breed that was developed to be a cattle dog. It is suspected that this breed was created by crossing rough-coated shepherd, Bouvier des Flandres, smooth-coated drover dogs, and Great Danes. Today this breed is used as a guard dog, as a watch dog and as a family dog.

This impressive breed stands between 23.5 and 27.5 inches tall and weighs between 70 and 77 pounds. Their coat is short and wiry and it comes in solid black or salt and pepper variations. This is a very loyal and protective breed that can fit into just about any type of family as long as they are socialized properly. To keep the Giant Schnauzer happy and healthy you will need to provide it with plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. Giant Schnauzers are actually not gigantic dogs as suggested by their name, but simply a larger and more powerful version of the Standard Schnauzer.

They will only reach the heights of 28 inches for males and 26 inches for females. Giant Schnauzers that go beyond 80 pounds are considered overweight.

Origin:

The breed was developed in the Wurttemberg and Bavarian sections of Germany. These places were agricultural areas. Dogs like the Giant Schnauzers are in high demand as farm workers that help in variety of tasks. They were used as livestock controllers and they aid shepherds with driving livestock to market. They were also used as guard dogs

Appearance and Abilities:

Giant Schnauzers are practically enlarged standard schnauzers. In general appearance, they should resemble their smaller relatives. They are robust, strongly built, nearly square in proportion of body length to height at withers, active, sturdy, and well muscled.

They have a rugged build with a dense weather resistant coat that is wiry. They are powerful dogs and are very useful as working breeds. Giant Schnauzers are versatile and very intelligent. Their high train-ability makes them useful for police work as well.

The Giant Schnauzers coat, distinctive beard and eyebrows are its trademark appearance. The breed is accepted in solid black or salt and pepper.

They have free, balanced and vigorous gaits, with good reach in the forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters. When moving at a fast trot, a properly built dog will have a strong, firm, and flat gait.

Temperament and Tendencies:

Giant Schnauzers are active and always in high spirits. They are extremely intelligent and have reliable temperaments. This breed loves to work and it naturally wants a job to do.

They have strong territorial; instincts which makes them very good watchdogs. The Giant Schnauzer loves his owners and feels great responsibility to protect them. Fortunately, its remarkable intelligence makes it learns quickly to distinguish between friend and foe.

Giant Schnauzers are bold and valiant creatures. They are courageous and enduring. They have profound alertness with intelligence and reliability. However, they are genuinely composed and deeply loyal to family. They can be amiable and playful with people they are comfortable with. But they are very commanding creatures when aroused.

Training and Care:

The objective in training this dog is to achieve the alpha dog status. It is a natural instinct for a dog to have an order in their pack. When we humans live with dogs, we become their pack. The entire pack works together under a single leader. As an owner, always assume the top position to manage and control your Giant Schnauzers behavior.

This breed must be socialized early and extensively to prevent the strong territorial instincts and to keep them from becoming hostile.

Giant Schnauzers need a lot of exercise, requiring daily walks, playtime with another dog or romps in the yard.

The breed requires regular grooming, including brushing and stripping. Giant Schnauzers’ owners should be prepared to spend time maintaining the breed’s coat.

Part of many cat’s personalities is independence. Since most cats can fend for themselves, are very good hunters, and cautious by nature they may not be very social. Or in pet terms, they just don’t care if you want them to do something; they do what ever they want.

This really irritates some people to no end. They want to have a pet that responds to their directions. For the most part, my advice for those people is to get a dog. But cats can be social or friendly with a little training. I’m not absolutely sure they may really mean it but they will at least act like it.

Two things all animals respond to are food and affection or positive reinforcement. Many animals will not respond to punishment or physical discipline, especially cats. So the best method I’ve found is to bribe them. Many cats who are prone to hissing or even threatening to strangers do so because at one time or another they were mistreated. Cats aren’t very trustworthy to begin with and any memory of a bad situation just confirms their belief that all strangers may pose a threat.

I’ve spent a lot of time rescuing abandoned or feral cats and in order to catch them and find them a home you need to gain their trust. Food and patients are your only means of trying to restore that trust. Some who were recently abandoned are pretty easy; cats who were born feral are a lot tougher. Sometimes it takes up to 6 months of constant work to bring them around. A few never adapt depending on their age and natural disposition.

But if you have a cat that is aggressive or hides when company comes, you have a cat with a social problem. Some may not even have had a bad experience; they are just suspicious of anyone. You may never completely eliminate the problem but you can make some serious progress. It does take a little work and effort.

One of my best tricks is to get the stranger to offer the cat some food that they especially like. Obviously you need someone to help in this type of training. And you may have to take it in very small steps. The food is offered to the cat, if they still don’t calm down or if they still run away, set the food down in a neutral area. Not to close but not to far away. Over time the cat will come out or stop the aggressive behavior, inch by inch.

The room needs to be quiet, no sudden movements by anyone, and once you put down the food you need to pay no attention to it or the cat. The food has to be irresistible and I try not and feed the cat for a few hours before the training exercise. Most of my experience shows that on the first few times you may have to put the food down and back away at least 20-25 feet, giving the cat a clear escape route. Slowly but surely you move the food closer to the person.

Once the cat starts taking the food right in front of the person, they need to slowly try and pet the cat. No fast or sudden motions, and just one or two strokes to start with when petting. Once the cat starts recognizing that they will get food and attention from a stranger, they will start being friendlier.

Aggressive cats require very quick reactions just in case. Never put yourself at risk, I’ve seen a cat shred someone’s hand or ankle in nothing flat. And on the scardy cat problems, you need to start eliminating the far away hiding spots. Give them somewhere to hide but keep it close so they can smell the food and get used to new people being in the same room.

Like I mentioned, this may take months of working with the cat. Repetition will get results but you need to be patient with the cat. You are trying to overcome a basic insecurity (that may be justified) and these behavior modifications are slow to stick. And some may never totally overcome their problems but most do improve. I had one especially aggressive feral cat that started out as one mean son of a gun. Within a few months he would come up and rub against people. Now you still had to keep any eye on him, but he wouldn’t beat up other cats (he also used to beat up dogs too) or take a swipe at people who went to pet him anymore.

One of the key factors on finding a rescue cat a home is that they learn how to behave around new people and quickly adapt to their new family. And a cat that will attack people is definitely not a good thing for visitors, human or animal. Positive reinforcement and a little effort can make a huge improvement on cat social skills.

Okay, so you’ve decided you want to do some agility training with your dog. That’s great! You’ve seen some competitions, know you need some dog agility equipment, and decide to go to the pet store looking for some of the standard training items such as a tunnel. When you get there what you find is there are a lot of options to choose from but you really have no idea which one would suit you and Fido best. Not so great.

Well fortunately, here is some information that can help. This is the information you need to know how to select an agility tunnel.

Tunnels come in several different types. The basic selection for competition comes in 10 ft, 12 ft, 15 ft, and 20 ft lengths. They can be 4 inch pitch or 6 inch pitch. The Pitch refers to the amount of space between the metal that structures the tunnel inside. It can be heat sealed or sewed. Sewed is better for a hot climate like Az. The rip stop industrial strength fabric is very durable. The sun can actually make a heat sealed one fall apart after a while.

Various Agility venues have different requirements for the pitch. AKC, and USDAA, for instance requires 4 inch pitch. The pitch lends durability, stability, and weight to a tunnel. The heaviest weight may be required when hundreds of dogs are running through one, but for your own training needs at home to practice, a 6 inch pitch will usually work just fine. It really depends on your level of competition and the wishes of your trainer for you and your dog.

All sizes of tunnels are used on an agility course. You need longer ones to do a U or L shaped tunnel. You also may bend them underneath other pieces of contact equipment like an A frame or dog walk to teach the dog to discriminate between two obstacles. Most dogs find tunnels really tempting, so it is a distraction of sorts.

There are also collapsed tunnels or they are also referred to as Chutes. These are attached to a barrel and clamped on to form a flat or collapsed tunnel which is usually more challenging for the dog and it also takes longer to get through. You should never leave a chute unattended in your back yard as a dog can get tangled in one and there may be dire results of injury or worse. It is only to be used with handler supervision. Most dogs like these with practice.

If a person is in a puppy class or has a young dog and they want to do some back yard fun training, a practice tunnel made of light weight nylon type material is available for this type of activity. It is less expensive and easy to transport or store.

In order to stabilize your tunnel, you should ideally have tunnel weights or fasteners that look like straps on both ends and possibly the middle to keep it from moving or pitching when a fast dog runs through it. Milk jugs filled with sand and a rope or cord may have the same effect if you don’t want to immediately purchase tunnel bags, but that is what they are designed for-to keep your tunnel stable.

Tunnels can be a multitude of colors. You can mix and match and have fun making your course colorful.

Now a trip to the pet store to purchase dog agility training equipment won’t be so overwhelming since you know how to select an agility tunnel.

The Rottweiler is a muscular, highly protective dog that is a favorite for police and the military. They have a reputation as a dog not to fool with and they strike fear in the bad guys. They need to be extensively socialized to get along with other pets and other dogs. They can get along well with children if they are older. As a reminder, never leave a child unsupervised with a puppy or dog. They can do well with a fenced yard for exercise but they expect plenty of family time.

*Approximate Adult Size. The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the male Rottweiler is 24 to 27 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and 95 to 130 pounds. The female ranges from 22 to 25 inches to the withers and 85 to 115 pounds.

*Special Health Considerations. Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the Rottweiler is no exception. Be on the look out for Parvo, eye problems, progressive spinal cord disorder, Canine Hip Dysplasia (genetic based looseness in the hip joint that can lead to arthritis pain and lameness), and bloat (Gastric Dilation-Volvulus, the second leading killer of dogs, can kill within the hour, this space is too limited for a complete explanation but you should read up on this). Feeding more then once a day and avoiding exercise right after meals may help guard against bloat. This disease list is an informative guideline only. Other diseases may also be significant threats, please contact your veterinarian for a complete list.

She should visit the veterinarian several times in the first year for shots, boosters and check up. Then, as an adult, she should visit the veterinarian yearly for shots and check up. As she gets older, six years and on, she should visit the veterinarian twice a year for check ups and shots. Remember; avoid feeding your dog sweets.

*Grooming. The Rottweiler has a double coat. The outer coat is medium length, flat, dense, coarse and straight. The inner coat is thick or thin depending upon climate. She should be brushed regularly. Brushing will help her maintain a clean and healthy coat, help you keep a closer eye on her health and strengthen your emotional bond with her.

Her teeth should be brushed at least twice a week with toothpaste and toothbrush designed for dogs. Brushing removes the accumulation of plaque and tartar which can cause cavities (rarely) and periodontal disease. Dog periodontal disease can lead to pain, loss of teeth, bad breath and other serious disease.

Her toenails may need to be examined for growth and clipped regularly. The toenails of the rear feet grow slower than the toenails of the front feet.

*Life Span. The Rottweiler can live between 8 and 9 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.

*History. The Rottweiler comes from Germany where they were used for control livestock. They evolved into being used for guard dogs, military and police dogs. They were first registered by the American Kennel Association in 1931.

Some Registries:
*American Rottweiler Club
*UKC United Kennel Club
*NKC National Kennel Club
*CKC Continental Kennel Club
*APRI Americas Pet Registry Inc.
*AKC American Kennel Club
*FCI Federation Cynologique Internationale
*NZKC New Zealand Kennel Club
*KCGB = Kennel Club of Great Britain
*ANKC = Australian National Kennel Club
*ACR = American Canine Registry

Litter Size: 4 to 10 Rottweiler puppies

Category: Working Group

Terms To Describe: Powerful, robust, endurance, strength, agility, calm, courageous, confident, aloof, guardian, protective

*SPECIAL GOOD POINTS
Very good watch dog.
Very good guard dog.

*SPECIAL BAD POINTS
Tends to snore.
Tends to over eat.
Needs strong obedience training early.

*Other Names Known By: Butchers Dog, Metzgerhund, Rottie

*Every dog is an individual so not everything in this information may be correct for your dog. This information is meant as a good faith guideline only.

Collies come in two different varieties, ‘smooth’ and ‘rough.’ Rough collies require much more grooming, but smoothes do need to be groomed regularly to keep their coats healthy. Collies have a double coat of hair, meaning there is a thick undercoat and an outer coat of thinner and flatter hair.

A smooth collie has shorter hair like that of a Labrador or Dalmatian. The hair is short and smooth with a thick undercoat. Rough collies have a long and flowing topcoat and a dense undercoat. You can keep your collie looking good, no matter what the variety, with regular brushing.

You’ll need a pin brush, a slicker brush, a comb, scissors and a spray bottle filled with a conditioner spray. You can buy a commercial conditioner spray, or make your own using 1 to 2 tablespoons of dog conditioner diluted with water. Make sure it is diluted well or the spray will make your Collie’s coat greasy.

Make sure to spray your dog’s hair thoroughly before you start to brush. Never brush a Collie’s coat dry because it will break their hair. If you have a rough collie, part the dog’s hair and brush from the roots out. The pin brush can be used if your dog is not shedding and is free of matting.

The slicker brush and comb are helpful for shedding dogs and for removing mats. If a mat cannot be brushed out of the Collie’s hair, you can cut it out. Collies most often have matted hair behind their ears, underneath the front legs and on their underbelly so make sure to check those areas carefully. For a smooth collie, a slicker brush will suffice for both the undercoat and outer coat.

You should brush your collie everyday during shedding seasons, and at least once a week when they are not shedding. Regular brushing is important to remove the dead hair. If left alone, the dead hair will cause hot spots on your dog’s skin.

Collies generally do not require all over trimming, but you might want to keep their feet trimmed. With a small pair of scissors, carefully trim the hair around each footpad.

This will keep your collie’s feet clean. While you are working with your collie’s feet, you can also trim the nails. This should be done every 1 to 2 weeks to keep the nails from getting too long.

If your collie is a puppy, you can train them to be used to a Dremel tool with a sandpaper attachment. Apply light pressure with the Dremel and grind down to just before the pink quick.

The alternative to using the Dremel is to use a standard dog nail trimmer. Before you clip the dog’s nails, find the pink quick and cut just before that point. Cutting into the quick will make the dog’s nail bleed. If this happens, styptic powder is helpful to have on hand to stop the bleeding.

Finally, remember to clean your Collie’s ears about once a week. You can purchase a canine ear cleaner at any pet store. Squirt the ear cleaner into your dog’s ear canal and then rub the base of the ear. This will help the ear cleaner coat the inside of the ear canal. You can use a cotton ball to remove the excess cleaner and then allow the ear canal to dry naturally.