The Maltese Dog

A small breed of dog, with beautiful silky white hair that often comes down to the floor. Most pet owners keep the dog groomed with a puppy cut, which really makes them look cute.

Its name implies that it originated on the island of Malta, but where it originated from is still unknown. This is an ancient breed, going back to Greece around 500 B.C. Aristotle mentioned this breed in 370 B.C. when he referred to its Melitaei Catelli. It wasn’t officially called Maltese until the Kennel Club settled on the name in the 19th century.

Maltese are small, generally ranging between 4 to 7 pounds. In spite of their small size, they are gentle, fearless, brave and lively. They love to be with their masters/mistresses and want a lot of hugging and handling. They are very playful (watch out for your slippers. They love slippers, sneakers, shoes etc.), and want a lot of attention. Be prepared to be licked a lot.

They may bark as they are very protective of their home and family. They hear a noise and they are up and ready to defend their home.

Appearance
They have a slightly rounded head, with a black nose. They have a compact body with the length equaling the height. Their eyes are round and black. They have drop ears with long hair. They have an alert and intelligent expression.

Coat and Color
Maltese only come in white. There are some slight variations in the color, with some creme or lemon color appearing, but the basic color is white. They have a single coat of long silky hair, with no undercoat, so they do not shed. They should be brushed daily and groomed often to keep their hair from matting.

Size
They range in size from 3 to 7 pounds (1.4 to 3.2 kg). The American Kennel club prefers the weight to be between 4 to 6 pounds.

Newfoundland – The Aristocrat Among Dogs

The dogs which take their name from the island of Newfoundland appeal to all lovers of animals.There are now two established varieties, the black and the white and black. There are also bronze-coloured dogs, but they are rare. The black variety of the Newfoundland is essentially black in colour; but this does not mean that there may be no other colour, for most black Newfoundlands have some white marks. In fact, a white marking on the chest is said to be typical of the true breed. Any white on the head or body would place the dog in the other than black variety. The black colour should preferably be of a dull jet appearance which approximates to brown. In the other than black class, there may be black and tan, bronze, and white and black. The latter predominates, and in this colour, beauty of marking is very important. The head should be black with a white muzzle and blaze, and the body and legs should be white with large patches of black on the saddle and quarters, with possibly other small black spots on the body and legs.

Apart from colour, the varieties should conform to the same standard. The head should be broad and massive, but in no sense heavy in appearance. The muzzle should be short, square, and clean cut, eyes rather wide apart, deep set, dark and small, not showing any haw; ears small, with close side carriage, covered with fine short hair (there should be no fringe to the ears), expression full of intelligence, dignity, and kindness.

The body should be long, square, and massive, loins strong and well filled; chest deep and broad; legs quite straight, somewhat short in proportion to the length of the body, and powerful, with round bone well covered with muscle; feet large, round, and close. The tail should be only long enough to reach just below the hocks, free from kink, and never curled over the back. The quality of the coat is very important; the coat should be very dense, with plenty of undercoat; the outer coat somewhat harsh and quite straight.

The appearance generally should indicate a dog of great strength, and very active for his build and size, moving freely with the body swung loosely between the legs, which gives a slight roll in gait. As regards size, the Newfoundland Club standard gives 140 lbs. to 120 lbs. weight for a dog, and 110 lbs. to 120 lbs. for a bitch, with an average height at the shoulder of 27 inches and 25 inches respectively; but it is doubtful whether dogs in proper condition do conform to both requirements.

When rearing puppies give them soft food, such as well-boiled rice and milk, as soon as they will lap, and, shortly afterwards, scraped lean meat. Newfoundland puppies require plenty of meat to induce proper growth. The puppies should increase in weight at the rate of 3 lbs. a week, and this necessitates plenty of flesh, bone and muscle-forming food, plenty of meat, both raw and cooked. Milk is also good, but it requires to be strengthened with casein. The secret of growing full-sized dogs with plenty of bone and substance is to get a good start from birth, good feeding, warm, dry quarters, and freedom for the puppies to move about and exercise themselves as they wish. Forced exercise may make them go wrong on their legs. Medicine should not be required except for worms, and the puppies should be physicked for these soon after they are weaned, and again when three or four months old, or before that if they are not thriving. If free from worms, Newfoundland puppies will be found quite hardy, and, under proper conditions of food and quarters, they are easy to rear.

Dog Training Basics: Giving Rewards

Learning about dog training may not be as hard as you think it is. Yes, professional dog trainers go through a lot before really becoming a professional but you could also train your dog effectively once you learn about these dog training basics. The most important thing in dog training is the trainer should always have patience. You have to understand that dogs do not speak and understand the same language as humans so you have to be extra patient in training your pet.

While a student would be able to use logic in comprehending your instructions, dogs would find it hard to understand if you constantly change your manner of giving instructions. Dogs are incapable of using logic in reasoning so the only way they learn is through associations. You should always give commands the same way and be consistent with the treats or praises. This way, the dogs would be able to establish a strong association between the tricks and the rewards. If the dog quickly learns that once it does a trick properly, it would always get a reward either in the form of food or praise, the training process would be successful.

Just keep in mind that you should not spoil your dog with rewards. Dogs are like children in this manner because they can easily be spoiled. One of the dog training basics that you should learn is to moderate your rewards. Always make sure that your dog receives something if it does something right but you should not provide food every time. Dogs would also be satisfied if you simply praise it. You could do this by tapping its head or saying praises such as “Good job” or Good dog”. It is natural for dogs to follow those who provide them food and are affectionate to them. By constantly praising our dog whenever it performs a trick well or follows your orders immediately, it would soon learn that that is the way to get love from the master.

These dog training basics could only do so much so if you are willing to learn more about the proper way of dog training, you could consult professionals or seek books containing information on dog training.

Dog Training Secrets You Wouldn’t Want to Miss

You are probably wondering why you could not seem to teach your dog new tricks even when you are doing the exact same thing professional dog trainers do. Well, maybe the mistake here is you are not doing it exactly. There are secrets to every trick but unlike magic tricks, dog training secrets could be deciphered a lot easier. All you have to consider is that dogs do not think the same way as humans do, so dog should not be treated the same way as teachers treat their students in the classroom.

One thing that you should never forget when you are training your pet is you have to be consistent. Learning more about dog training secrets would make you aware that our commands should always be specific because dogs learn through associations. They do not use logic unlike humans do so they would not be able to comprehend instructions when you are saying it in different ways. If you are instructing your dog to come to you, you should choose a specific word or phrase and use only that when commanding it to come to you. For example, if you keep varying your commands—like using different words such as a simple “come” and “come here”, the dog would be confused whether to follow the “come” command or wait for you to say “come here”. If the dog does not follow your order the first time, you should not show impatience by repeating the command or saying it in a different way. That would only make the dog confused and even more unable to perform the commands you want it to.

One of the most important dog training secrets professionals have is the ability to not treat the dogs with rough handling when they fail to perform their tasks. Ordinary pet owners tend to get frustrated over their dogs when they seem to not learn any of the tricks being taught to them. By being impatient and treating the dog harshly, the pet owner would not get anything but the pet’s mistrust. The dog would soon learn that training is not good for him because he always gets punished and would even perform worse.