Puppy Wraps

With an unlimited source of a variety of dogs at his disposal, Dobermann began to experiment by crossing various breeds. What he really used is a bit of a mystery. What he created was a rather rough, but very effective version of what has evolved to the Doberman Pinscher we know and love today. Old German Shepherd, Weinmaraner, Great Dane, Rottweiler and possibly Greyhound may be part of that early equation.

Today’s Dobe, as their owners affectionately call them, is a far cry in appearance and demeanor from Dobermann’s dogs. Given the fact in the past hundred years they have retained the agile, astute, perceptive, protective and loyal character of their ancestors; they have been a favorite for the military, police, and customs. Recognizing and appreciating their gentle nature, they have also been caring therapy dogs. Their stamina makes them perfect for search and rescue.

This medium size dog, weighing between 60-100 pounds, hardly ever looks approachable. However, that image is part of their appeal so some owners.

They come in four colors: black, red, fawn and blue. Albino Dobermans are rare, but it does happen.

Alert, agile, energetic, and with incredible stamina, the Doberman is an extremely intelligent and loyal breed. They are not recommended for an inexperienced dog owner. Intuitively, Dobermans trust and respect authority. They can sense who has it, and who doesn’t. Without clear boundaries, they can develop serious and possibly dangerous behavior problems.

However, if socialized and obedience trained at an early age, the Dobe makes an unbelievable family pet. Their obedience, loyalty and attachment to their family are without reservation. They thrive on interactions with their humans. An amazingly perceptive animal, they instinctively provide their family with not only a good watchdog, but also an extraordinary guard dog. They can be wary of strangers.

They need regular training and plenty of socialization even as adults. By not challenging them mentally, you are doing them a great disservice. A sensitive dog, with astounding intelligence, they do not need to be strong-armed or hollered at. A firm tone of voice, and positive reinforcement, punishment-free methods of socialization and obedience training are effective.

This is a dog that needs plenty of exercise! They have remarkable stamina, so be prepared to spend time briskly walking and physically interacting with them. If not adequately exercised physically and challenged mentally, they will develop unacceptable behaviors, which may become very difficult to modify. This is not a dog that will tend to stray. Their attachment to their owner far outweighs their need to explore. They are leaners! They have to be touching their people. Many an owner will tell you, they feel their dog is more an accessory than a pet.

A shorthaired dog, they don’t require much grooming. A bath and good brushing now and then will help get rid of loose hairs. They are sensitive to the cold and should not be kenneled outside.

Doberman’s have their fair share of health problems, the most common being Dilated Cardiomyopathy (weakened and enlarged heart). Neutering reduces many of the risks intact males have to Canine Prostatic Diseases. Other health issues include: Von Willebrand’s Disease, obesity, Wobbler Syndrome (compression of the spinal cord), hypothyroidism, Gastric Dilation and Volvus (GDV-bloat), hip dysplasia, Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRT) and Congenital Heart Disease (CHD).

Their average lifespan is 10-14 years.

Bottom line: Do your homework. As they are so popular, avoid flea markets, backyard breeders and pet shops. They only perpetuate dreadful puppy mills that are grinding out inferior quality dogs. Find a responsible, trustworthy breeder. Shelters and rescues often have Doberman Pinschers. They are more often surrendered because of economic circumstances than behavior problems. Who knows, perhaps your new best friend may be patiently waiting for you there.

Golden Retriever puppies are small and snuggly and cute. It it can be very tempting to make an emotional decision pick them up the first place you seem them. That typically means a pet shop, or possibly even online. This could not be a worse decision.

Pet Shops are not the place to buy your new friend. Usually pet shops are trying to do a good business and this means they must make money on the puppies. Make money is not a bad thing, but it’s not really the right way to approach dog ownership. Pet shops tend to turn a blind eye to the source of the puppies.

Typically a pet shop will source them from a puppy mill, knowingly or unknowingly. This isn’t really where you want your pup to come from. You want a puppy to come from somebody that cares about puppies. And also preferably someone that has a great deal of knowledge. If you have ever talked to pet shop staff about a dog, you probably realize that while they have good intentions, they don’t seem to know an awful lot about the dog.

So where did you get a dog? How about online? Unfortunately, this is a great choice either. The last thing you want to do is make a deal with somebody online never having seen a dog or met the person. Chances are that you will simply be parting with your money. There is nothing wrong with cruising online advertisements and websites but you definitely want to meet individuals selling the dogs and see the dogs in person.

Also, there are lots of good training resources online. There are lots of good sources of information to help you pick the right place to get your next dog. But to actually perform transaction online it is not something I would advise.

What’s the best choice? Well the answer is a breeder. But not just any breeder. This is another area where there are lots of people out there just trying to take your money. What you want to look for is a serious hobby breeder.

You’re looking for the individual that shows his dogs and exhibits his dogs with the American kennel club and other dog clubs. Why is this the case? This shows pride in the breeding operation. This is an individual that cares a great deal about dogs, and is the individual you want to buy a dog from., This is a person that knows what they’re doing. They have a depth of knowledge that comes from both their experience, and dog club memberships. They want to share their information with others that are doing the same thing. And they also typically want to learn from them.

So when looking for golden retriever puppies how do we know a bad breeder from a good one? Look for ribbons, exhibit notices and pictures and ask to see kennel club memberships such as the American Kennel Club. Typically a good breeder will also belong to a local club, probably more than one.

It’s also a good idea to interview several breeders before selecting one. Visit the AKC website and talk to members of the local dog clubs. Use your instincts, it will make your golden retriever puppies selection successful and you will both be happy.

If you choose a purebred puppy – and there are hundreds of breeds to choose from – you’ll know ahead of time how your puppy is going to turn out when he grows up. That’s the benefit of choosing a purebred as opposed to a mixed-breed or hybrid dog! You can find out before you even buy him: how much he’ll shed, how easy he’ll be to train, how much grooming he’ll require, whether he’s going to be a good watchdog or guard dog, how big he’s going to be, what he’s going to look like, how athletic he’ll be, and how he’s going to behave. Of course, every dog has it’s own unique personality and behavioral quirks. But in general, all dogs of a particular breed will grow up to act and behave like the other dogs of that breed. For example, you know that a German Shepherd puppy is going to grow up into a dog that striking in appearance, very easy to train, eager-to-please, athletic, protective, and intelligent: like all German Shepherd dogs are. Purebred dogs are man-made.
They wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for us. Pugs, Border Collies, Yorkies – every breed – wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for us humans creating them. To create a new breed someone decides what characteristics they want the breed to have. Then they only breed dogs together who have those characteristics. Lots of inbreeding then takes place. After years of selective breeding (breeding out the undesirable characteristics) and inbreeding a new “breed” is born. And when you breed dogs of that new breed together they produce puppies who grow up to be the same as the parents.
As I mentioned above the benefit of choosing a purebred puppy is that you know how your dog is going to turn out — in advance — even before he’s born. So assuming you’re going to purchase or adopt a purebred puppy or dog, here are some of the things to consider about the many different breeds: Shedding All dog breeds shed hair. They all shed different amounts of hair. Some breeds shed virtually no hair, some shed quite a lot, and some shed a lot of hair! If it bothers you finding loose hairs stuck to everything in your home then choose a low-shedding breed. Ease of Training Some breeds are easier to train than others because they learn training commands faster.
The easier the dog is to train the less time and patience you need to train him. If you want a dog who learns your commands quickly choose a breed that is easy to train. Grooming How much time you need to spend grooming your dog depends on the length of the coat and how much the coat sheds. If the dog breed you’re considering has a long coat you’ll need to either clip it short, or brush it often. If the dog breed you’re considering sheds lot of hair you might find yourself brushing the coat every day to remove the dead hair. Because what you remove with a brush doesn’t end up in the house! Want a Jogging Companion? Some breeds were made to be athletic and posses great stamina. If you want a dog who can accompany you on long walks, hikes, jogs and rides then you should choose one of these breeds.
Good With Children Pretty much all breeds are great with children. Thousands of people have small children and own Rottweiler, Pit Bulls, and other more aggressive dogs and they never have any problems at all. These owners will tell you that their dogs are the sweetest and most gentle dogs on earth. And it’s true. However, which dog has the ability to do more damage to a small child: a Pit Bull or a Pug? Obviously it’s the Pit Bull. So if you want to play it safe choose a breed who doesn’t really have the ability to harm a child or one who doesn’t have a bad reputation. And always supervise very small children and babies around the dog! Small children could inadvertently tease the dog and he could snap at them. Guard Dog or Watchdog Some breeds like German Shepherds and Rottweilers make excellent guard dogs.
They’re naturally very protective and suspicious of strangers. They have the ability to intimidate and deter an intruder. On the other hand, some breeds are just good at keeping watch and raising the alarm. And some little dogs have such a loud, deep bark they can even scare and intruder away. Size When choosing a breed consider size. Small dogs are make training easier because you can control them a lot easier than a big, strong and powerful dog. The small breeds also make less mess, and they coast less to care for.

A dog is one of the best companions one can ever have. Depending on the breed and the reason why you actually picked on getting one, a dog can be a companion, a security guard, a toy of some-sort, and even just a simple pet. But regardless of why you plan to pick up or buy one, black German Shepherd pups, like many other dogs, are long term investments and you have to make sure that your investment pays back big time.

Here are several things you should bear in mind when you’re shopping for that perfect dog of yours:

• Research. Did you know that a lot of owners are frustrated because they did not take time to read about their chosen breed? Yes, many owners go for just looks without exerting effort to research about any particular breed. Make sure that when you want an athletic type, read more about athletic dogs. Same goes with the toy dogs.
• Ask the breeder ALL of your questions. You want to make sure that your breeder knows his pets as well as the things he talks about.
• Ask that the pup be seen with its mother as well as its other siblings. This way, you can observe it’s temperament
• Know the health issues of the pup as well as it’s medical history. Has it been dewormed? Microchipped?
• Insist on seeing the papers. Pure Breeds must have papers. This is your guarantee that measures have been taken to maintain breed standards
• Research on possible genetic health issues that your chosen breed might have. This is one way to prevent headaches and heartaches in the near future.

Description.

The Polish lowland sheepdog is a medium to large size with the male dogs measuring 16-20 inches in height and weighing 30-35 pounds, and the female bitch being some 42-47cms high and 13-18kgs in weight. They have a double coat which is shiny on the outside, with the undercoat being downy, for warmth and weather resistance. Whereas they can be any colour the most common are, brown, white, and grey with grey, black or brown markings, these colours can fade as the dog ages. These are large boned with a strong skeleton supporting a fairly impressive musculature.

History.

As the name suggests these dogs originated in Poland, where they are still quite common. However, in Poland they are known by their correct name, which is the Polish Owczarek Nizinny often shortened to PONS (and with a name like that you can see why). Whilst bred originally as a sheepdog the vast majority are now kept as pets, although in their native Poland some are still kept as working dogs. This breed, as with many others, nearly reached extinction during World War II, but was revived by Polish breeders after the end of the war.

Temperament.

These are generally happy dogs, which are quite animated and boisterous, while also being affectionate and intelligent with a good level of obedience. They can be wary and watchful of people they do not know, and will announce the arrival of any of your visitors, in no uncertain terms, at very high-volume. You need to assert yourself over your pet as early as possible, they are bred to look after sheep and have a strong instinct to be in charge, if you do not show this dog that they are number two and you are, in fact, in charge then problems may arise. As long as they are socialised early they will be a faithful friendly household pet, however there herding instinct can surface and you may find that the dog starts to nip at ankles, trying to herd the family. Whilst this can be annoying; you have to admit it is quite funny. If being raised in a family with young children, this trait could be quite handy, if you send your dog out they will be able the round of your children and bring them home (providing great entertainment to their friends, I am sure).
Health issues.

As with most medium to large dogs the Polish lowland sheepdog can sufferer from hip dysplasia. Other problems include a possibility of epilepsy, and a risk of congenital deafness. Although overall they are a healthy breed with a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years.
Grooming. Because of their very long shaggy coat, they require grooming at least once a week with a stiff brush and comb, to prevent knots and matting of their fur. They will require bathing fairly regularly, to eliminate the risk of tics and other skin parasites, which tend to like living in this type of fur and can be difficult to remove. Dependent on the surfaces they walk, they will require their nails to be clipped regularly.
Living conditions.

This breed will require a good amount of exercise; however, as long as they receive this they are reasonably happy with living in either an apartment or house. They prefer cooler weather, but during summer they can cope providing the area they are in is well ventilated, they could be kept in the garden, if you have one, during the summer daytimes. They are friendly and can easily be accommodated in a house with children, as with all large dogs care must be taken of small children as whilst playing it is easy for them to be accidentally knocked over, especially if the dog gets a little overexcited.