British dog breeds on the comeback!

It was good to read today that British native dog breeds are on the rise again! . Its been a while since Ive seen an Old English Sheepdog around , however according to the BBC there's a 7% rise in their numbers. The english setter saw a rise of 34% in puppy registerations last year. All good figures. The BBC article is here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21163388

Canned Fish ?

Further to my previous post , I now think that canned fish is really good for dogs - As soon as I put some in her food, she goes crazy for it! I've been feeding her fish now for a couple of weeks, and her coat is amazing and shiny - possibly the oils? Its got to be better than factory produced dog food - I mean , lets be honest - we have no real idea whats going into their processed food . I think we can be sure its not top quality cuts of meat! Any thoughts?

Fitness Training in parks

Im quite worried about the amount of group fitness classes that are starting up in our local parks , certainly in my park they now hos one on both a Saturday ans Sunday morning ... the time when most people want to take their dogs out. While I understand that there are lots of 'fitness' related drives around , and get people moving incentives , I also think that there should be a limit on the number of occasions a park is used for them. After all , the organisers aren't doing this for nothing , they are charging a reasonable about of money for their services - these are businesses that are moving into our parks. Whats your views? , Parks for recreation? or should we be more accepting of fitness classes and businesses using them? Here's an interesting article from the BBC regarding councils charging fitness instructors for the use of parks http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16656288

Boxer dogs forum!

A quick post about the boxer dog forum , just found this site and it looks pretty good - lots of information there. http://www.boxerdogforums.com/

From the BBC , re microchipping dogs

Hi Folks , an interesting read from the BBC website - Every dog owner in England will have to microchip their animal from 2016 under plans intended to cut a rise in strays. The microchips will be coded with owners' details, and owners who do not comply could face fines of up to £500. A legal loophole may also be closed, meaning owners could be prosecuted over an attack by their dog on private land. The RSPCA welcomed the proposals, but said it doubted that they alone would "make owners more responsible or ensure fewer dogs bite people". Government figures reveal that more than 100,000 dogs are dumped or lost each year, at a cost of £57m to the taxpayer and welfare charities. Ministers hope the change in the law will help reunite owners with lost or stolen pets and relieve some of the burden on animal charities and local authorities. Whats your views? Its good to know that every dog will be digitally linked to the owner , but that doesn't mean that the owner is going to 'care' for the dog . How about the idea of a pet licence? People have to go through a huge program to adopt a child , but anyone can go out and buy a dog .. food for thought!

Just a quick note...

We have listed out blog on Technorati ... what will it bring? Who knows! Im hoping that the people that have read the blog so far are enjoying it! NVKWX49FA5DP Thanks , keep coming back for more news! Jim

Long Line

Ok , So the morning walk is done - like I've said in previous posts , Polly's recall is awful , and believe me she's had a lot of training! So , the solution for me has been the long line - it's a lightweight nylon line which allows her to have a good run around , but gives me a fighting change of getting her back if she bolts! Here's a video of her on it! http://youtu.be/qosB8YHsnKk

Breakfast Time!

Here's an interesting one for you , tying to get my dog to eat in the morning can be difficult - sometimes she will go all day without touching her food. I read an article about giving them canned fish - so I've given it a go , miracle! She cant eat it fast enough. Be careful though , a lot of canned fish is kept in either tomato sauce or brine - high in salt. Ive managed to find Mackerel at Waitrose, in spring water , perfect! She loves it.

Turning away in training

I was always told that when a dog jumps up at you , the correct way to deal with the situation is to turn away and ignore it. Now that's fine in principle , however when you have a boxer that spends more time on two legs than four , it becomes a problem! Our local park of currently like a mud bath - and im guessing that most other parks are the same at this time of year. Unfortunately, when Polly gets excited , she starts jumping up at me , covering me (literally) head to toe in mud! Every time I go out with her now I have to come straight home and put all my clothes in the washing machine , nightmare! Ok , so ways of dealing with it.. Well , I could tell her off , but to be honest she thinks that's a game and jumps even more. I could turn away and ignore her, but again shes persistent .. keeps on jumping and continues to make me look like the mud monster of the west. Or maybe a training spray? , I have tried one of those small red 'Pet corrector' compressed air cans - she thought that was highly amusing and started jumping around the park like a kangaroo. The quest for a training solution continues , I'm going to post a video of her doing it soon .. stay tuned for a laugh.

New insight into dogs' fear responses to noise

New insight into dogs' fear responses to noise This is kind of interesting , my dog has no issues with noise! .. The only thing she gets upset about is the neighbours moving their wheely bins around. Nothing else bothers her!

I know , I know!

As you can see , Polly has managed to find her way onto the sofa - people have views about this ...Personally , its her home as well , if she wants to get on the sofa its ok with me! lol

On or Off?

Just some food for thought .... When Polly was in heat I walked her in the local park , of course on the lead. On several occasions other dogs would 'naturally' come over and pay her unwanted interest. At one point a dog 'had a go' , if that makes sense? I shouted its owner explaining that she was in season , and his response was 'Well , you shouldn't bring her into the park then'! Now I'm thinking that if my dog is on the lead - im being responsible .. any thoughts?

Dog ID issues

There's an article on the BBC website which highlights responsible dog ownership and the importance of micro chipping. The subject of the article is a guy who's dog escaped from a communal garden , was impounded by the council but the owner didn't have the funds to recover his dog. A stranger then offered the owner £68 to pay the recovery fee. Its an interesting one , should people own dogs if they don't have the funds to look after them? or is this a chap that's fallen on hard times ? Either way , its good news that the dog is reunited with its owner. Here's a link to the page

Introductions!

Welcome to my new blog , I'm James and I'm guessing that if your here you share the same interest and passion for dogs as I do! Firstly let me introduce you to Polly , shes a 17 month old boxer , who quite simply is mad! - stay tuned for video's of her antics. Well , you going to get all the interesting , bizarre and wonderful news relating to dogs .. please feel free to leave a comment and introduce yourself!