Paws News - Apology

“PAWS ABILITIES”
BEHAVIOUR & LEARNING CENTRE


Hi Everyone, 2009-02-13
Just a quick note of APOLOGY from me (Louise)

I often write and compile our Paws Abilities Newsletter in the “wee hours” and I do confess to sometimes committing the odd typo or spelling error (can’t spell / won’t spell!).

However, this time I have really made a big boo boo. In the opening pages of the last issue, (February 2009) I cut and pasted some info without reading it first – this is really stupid of me and in retrospect makes me the big wally! The info was on dog origins was “supposedly” taken from the master himself Coppinger – (was sent to me by a friend).

The article must be considered a total misinterpretation! . Again I confess that I did not read it before putting it in the newsletter (it was late – I was tired – no excuse really) and afterward (when a reader kindly pointed it out to me) and I actually read that section, I was shocked at its misinterpretation!

So Please Accept My Humble Apologies for my oversight. I really have no excuse except for my recent hectic lifestyle and being (overworked and underpaid)!!!

The next section re-breed classifications – I also confess I did not read – and just popped it in.
Again please accept my apologies for the absolute guff in that section.

Fortunately the following section on page four – Deciding which Breed is Right for You and Your Family” (which I did write) is more accurate (phew …..)

Please see below, some further breed information – kindly supplied by Johan Gallant.
The US, UK and RSA have 7 groups; , Herding, Hounds, Gundogs, Toys, Utility, Working and Terrier group. The FCI has 10 groups. This is a simplified way the categorise dog breeds.

A lot of Sight hounds originated in the Middle East and north Africa.
Borzoi is Russian, Irish wolfhound is Irish. Whippet and Greyhound were bred for racing.

American water spaniel is a retriever for water birds.

The term Spitz type dogs to my knowledge means dogs with pointed muzzles and erected ears.
All continents have spits type dogs.

The Papillion, can have standing ears or dropped ears, have been selectively bred as companions, and come from spaniels.

The Schipperke is a Belgian breed, man made dog like most of our breeds. He was the companion of the people that lived on the cargo riverboats in Belgium.

The keeshond (Wolfspitz) and Pomeranian (Zwergspitz) are German breeds,

The Chowchow and the Shar pei originated in China and where purely bred for eating. In the early 1900, a few dogs where taken to England, where they where selectively bred as companions and show dogs. And have not much in common any more with the aboriginal Chinese dogs from which they where extracted.

The Artic breeds from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Siberia, like the Eskimo dog , Siberian Husky, Alaska Malamute, are sledge dogs and the Nordic breeds from Scandinavia (is part of the European continent) like the Elkhound, Finnish spitz, Lundehund, Lapphund, the are mostly hunting dogs.



Terriers where selectively bred for a specific function from the local dogs that where available .
The article made no difference between your terriers: Hunting under ground and above ground and your fighting terrier.

The Dachshund, was selectively bred from achondroplastic dogs which is a deformity caused by lack of development of the long bones of the limbs. Breeders used this abnormality to make the Dachshund specifically for blood scent. When a animal is wounded the dachshund is put on the track and follow the blood scent and find the wounded animal in dense undergrowth in the German forests.
He has a tremendous sense of smell, he can easily work a track that is more than 24 hours old.

Scent:
1 The average dog has around 220 million scent receptors .....
2 If the membranes lining the inside of the dog's nose were laid out flat, the total surface area of those membranes would be far greater than the total surface area of the dog's entire body.
3 The average dog has about seven square meter of nasal membrane ......

Herding dogs
The proper Livestock guard dogs are, Kuvask, Anatolian, Akbash, Pyrenean mountain dog, Komondor,Maremmano etc. See DOGS Coppinger.

The Bouvier was used as guard dog on the farms, and during the first world war in the trenches, he was also used as a police dog. Belgian shepherds were used as sheep dog but in a very different way than the Border Collies.

The Great Dane ( his name in Europe is Deutche Dogge=Mastiff), Bullmastiffs and the Boxer which ancestors were like most of the Mastiffs, big game hunters (The Mastiffs. Their history, development and future. by Col. David Hencock mbe).

The Dobermann is not a scent hound and Giant Schnauzer never had anything to do with herding livestock or was a livestock guard dog ( The world of Schnauzer by Johan Gallant) They are modern guard and defence dogs, and came into existence from around the 1920; they are man made breeds, they extracts from a handful of at that time existing landraces ( geographical race) like most of our purebred dog breeds of today. This 2 breeds have again a very particular character, and are very different from the Livestock guard dogs and the mastiffs.

The St. Bernard was a rescue dog and The Newfoundland was the fisherman's working companion.
The Shar pei (see Chowchow.)

The Bernese Mountain dog was a farm guard and draught dog.


Again, (with mud on my face) I would like to thank everyone (in advance) for your understanding – and promise that I will not make the same mistake again.

Best Regards
Louise
Paws Abilities