Dog Smarts: Do You Have A Smart Dog?

Dog Smarts:  Do you have a smart dog?  I ran across this thought provoking article online the other day and thought I would share it with you.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/pets/detail?entry_id=51503&tsp=1

There is no debating that a dog has varied levels of intelligence.  It depends on his breeding (genetics), his environment, social interaction and its owner – especially in the early stages of a puppy’s life.

It also lists its idea of the top 10 smart dog breeds and the 10 not-so smart dog breeds.  I agree with some of the smartest breeds listed and disagree with all of the not-so smart breeds.  I just have a hard time qualifying a dog as not so smart based on breed as the only criteria.

Remember that most dog breeds were bred for specific tasks.  How can that make a breed not so smart?  In my opinion, it can’t.

Feel free to comment on your thoughts about dog breed intelligence.

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Nov 12, 2009 | 0 | Dog Behavior

Standard Poodle

At a glance:

  • Height: 22 to 27 inches
  • Weight: 45 to 70 lbs
  • Color: Cream,cafe’-au-lait, apricot, gray, blue, brown, silver
  • Life Expectancy: 12-15 years
  • Average litter: 8
  • Grooming: Demanding
  • Exercise: Medium
  • Temperament: Sparky and cheerful

History :

The Standard Poodle is considered to have originated in france and is said to have descended from the Barbet which is a virtually extinct French water dog and the Hungarian water hound. The breed derives its name form the German word Pundel meaning one who plays in water.

The Standard Poodle was originally used in France as well as in Germany to retrieve waterfowls. They were employed as gun dogs by hunters who clipped thier coats leaving fur on the legs and joints in order to provide protection form frigid waters. Their high intelligence and trainability was effectively used by the French for circus performances. The Toy and Miniature varieties of the Poodle were created through the crossing of the Standard Poodle with smaller dogs.

Physical Representation:

The Standard Poodle is an elegant medium to large sized dog, squarely built with a symmetrical body. The wire haired coat is abundant and curls naturally. The rounded skull has a somewhat distinct stop and the mouth closes in a distinct scissors bite. The wide ears hang close to the head and the oval shaped eyes are usually have a dark hue. The feet are small in comparison to the rest of the body but at the same time are very compact. The coat is groomed into three styles known as the Pet clip, English Saddle clip and the Continental clip. In the Pet clip the coat is maintained with short hair all over the body whereas in the Continental and English Saddle clip the rear half of the body is shaved leaving portions of hair around the ankles and pompoms on the hips and tail.

Type of work the breed does:

The Standard Poodle was originally used as a gun dog and for the retrevial of waterfowl. However, today they are bred exclusively as companion pets and show dogs.

Personality and Temperament:

The Standard Poodle has a happy, playful and lively personality. They are inherently good natured with proud and dignified mannerisms. Being highly intelligent they are very easy to train. They are excellent companions for children and readily take to other pets. The Standard Poodle needs companionship and does not like being left alone for prolonged periods of time. This breed is friendly with strangers as well but can also be trained to be good guard dogs.

Care:

This breed requires a lot of maintenance and needs to be groomed extensively. Baths should be given regularly and trimming is necessary every six weeks or so. The ears should be checked regularly for infection and parasites and the teeth need to be scaled once in a while as well. The shed little or no fur.

Living Environment:

The Standard Poodle can easily adapt to apartment life but a small yard for them to run freely about will be ideal.

Electric Dog Containment:

Standard Poodles do need an area to be able to exercise.  The electric dog fence system is a great for exercise and happy play.  In my experience, poodles adapt very well to these systems with the proper fence training.

Do not allow anyone to just shock these loving creatures.  It is not fair or necessary.  Proper dog fence training is the key.

Never, ever put a Standard Poodle puppy or any other puppy on these electric dog containment systems before at least 16 weeks of age.

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Oct 14, 2009 | 0 | Dog Breeds, General Pet Info, Non-Sporting Dogs

Dog Saves Dog

Here is an incredible video of a dog saving another dog on an incredibly busy highway in Chile.

There has been much controversy if the dog was saving the dog as a heroic act or because it was starving.  From Chilean reports, it was not due to starvation.

Either way, the video of the dog saving another dog’s life is incredible.

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Oct 09, 2009 | 0 | Dog News