I have become aware of a certain type of dog behavior called Gender Aversion. It usually appears in dogs that are adopted from rescue shelters and who have been abandoned by the previous owner. It can also show up without any reason. The most common form seems to be an aversion to Males. This makes sense since many men lack nurturing skills and will resort to hitting when a puppy misbehaves. When the dogs behavior becomes neurotic due to abuse it is dumped at a shelter.
I am going to be doing a major internet research project on this because it fascinates me so much. These are the main questions I will be trying to answer.
- How can a dog identify gender in humans so quickly and at a distance?
- Is the aversion size or height based rather than gender based?
- Is an individuals voice an important factor in gender identification for dogs?
- Can a dog be cured of a fear of certain types of people through positive conditioning?
I was just at the Surprise Dog Park and noticed they’ve posted a sign with the cities Animal Control number on it in case you need to report a dog attack. Last summer this park was in the local news because some one pulled a gun another dog owner. I like walking my dog around the big pond outside the dog park but I am going to be staying out of the enclosure for the time being.
I’ve been looking for a Dog Breed DNA testing kit for my dog because I suspect she is a Coyote hybrid. I finally found what looks like a fairly well rated kit and lab at this link.
Dog Breed DNA Kit
Here is a video link to a preview of the 100 Heartbeats special that will be on MSNBC Sunday night. If you love your dog than you should also care about the massive number of species we are driving to extinction. Jeff Corwin is a cool guy.
Jeff Corwin 100 Heartbeats Promo Video
Honda is marketing a 2009 Dog Friendly Element car. Go to this link to check out what’s included in the package: Dog Friendly Honda Element Promo Page
One of the oldest dog parks in Phoenix; Shawnee Park in Chandler, may be shutting down due to neighborhood complaints. I agree that as a dog park it is a sprawling mess without any modern amenities. The poop pick up issue is a problem. Rather than using poop bags they have community scoops available which probably means a few people are handling the pick up. Noise seems to be the main issue which is impossible for a park to control. The most likely scenario is that they will shut it down then rebuild it in a more central location in the park. In this economy I would guess this will take one to two years.
I just got a new toy that is working great at the dog park. It’s called the kong zinger and it’s a plastic handle that allows you to fling not a tennis ball but a rubber donut shaped object. When the donut hits the ground it will continue to roll for over one hundred feet easy. The dogs all seem to like it though it takes them a while to get used to the donut shape. If your dog has a smaller mouth like mine it is much easier to carry than a tennis ball. I got the handle and one donut for $9.99 at Petsmart. They also sell the donuts separately. I highly recommend this product.
I just posted a video of two dogs playing at the dog park. You can find it on youtube. Without some previous knowledge of how dogs interact with each other it can be very scary for the new dog park attendee to see their dogs establishing their place in the pack then engaging in wrestling matches. I hope this helps.
One of our dog park friends told me the other day that the geckos that climb up the walls outside my house were poisonous to my dog. I’ve caught my dog killing these cute little lizards a number of times on my patio and became alarmed that she might get sick. According to this article I found on the web, gecko lizards pose no threat, this is just folklore. I still don’t like my dog killing lizards because they are great to have around but with all the things in Arizona my dog is threatened by(coyotes, rattle snakes, scorpions) I am glad to have one thing I can cross off the list.
I guarantee you my dog does not have a weight problem but I’ve been frustrated with all the treat giving you need to do with a dog to train and reward them. We are on a tight budget and dog treats are outrageously priced.
When a Mom at our dog park told me that her vet recommended giving her overweight dogs canned green beans(salt free) and baby carrots a bell went off in my head. I went to the grocery store and bought a can of green beans for $0.77 and a bag of baby carrots for $1.59. My dog loves them. She eats them very slowly which gives me time to run to the bathroom or check my email. The treats I’ve been giving her like liver snacks she swallows whole. I have seen no negative effects, her stool remains firm.
