Rediscovering Dogs

It’s been over three months since Nancy passed away and she is really missed. After a few attempts at looking for a rescue dog we decided to get a puppy from a reputable breeder. I feel guilty about buying a dog but we have some very specific requirements and want to know the new dog’s history. So where to start? The Kennel Club’s website is a great first step; they have a very nifty questionnaire that asks you what you are looking for in a dog. After answering questions the site lists the breeds most fitted to your requirements. There were five we were interested in: Poodle, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Schnauzer, Tibetan Terrier and Portuguese Water Dog.

Then off we went to Discover Dogs at Earls Court. It’s a much smaller version of Crufts but it’s closer to us in London; held every year in November. The Kennel Club was there to answer any questions and each breed is represented by that Breed Club with a selection of dogs for you to view. This way you see all the dogs in one place and you can ask any questions you have about the breed you are interested in. Discover Dogs have lots of vendors selling everything doggy, there are some entertaining and informational activities and alot of rescue organisations are present as well. We saw a competition for the best trained dog with a cooking twist and a demonstration on how canine partners train their dogs for the disabled. Didn't take many pictures because we were constantly moving; wish we had more time. What a great day, I would recommend going.

The Kennel Club was very helpful and showed me how to look for puppy breeders on the internet, they also gave me two very useful pamphlets.

1. Information Guide - Choosing and bringing home the right dog for you www. thekennelclub.org.uk. The information guide has an easy to use suitability grid reference with all the breeds answering the question of size, grooming, exercise, locality and lifespan. If everyone read this and thought carefully before getting a dog I don’t think there would be as many dogs needing re-homing.

2. Assured Breeder Scheme – I want to buy a puppy. Why should I buy a pedigree dog www.findapuppy.org.uk. This scheme is an attempt by the Kennel Club to put puppy farms out of business. Although some good breeders do not subscribe because it costs money to register with them.  Another good reference for good breeders is the breed club websites.

Everyone at Discover Dogs was very helpful and after asking questions about known illnesses, grooming, temperament and availability we decided on the dog for us. We decided to buy a puppy from a breeder registered with the Kennel Club’s assured breeder scheme. The breed we chose has some hereditary diseases so we can be reassured that the mum and dad will have had the proper tests. Next step find a puppy...

To Insure or Not? Confused.com

Deciding whether to insure your pet is a personal preference, one that I have not done. I may not have made the right choice...but I’ve made my dog bed.

If you do decide you want to insure your dog or cat, Confused.com has launched a multi pet insurance comparison website and asked me to blog about it. While searching the site I learned my 12 year old male Labrador mix could be covered for £120.36/yr (accident only) or £196.92/yr (lifetime). These costs do not include regular visits to the vet or for neutering, which in Lenny’s case is not necessary as he was snipped a long time ago. The max payout per year is £2,000 and the policy is with an insurer that I am not familiar with. The most expensive policy with another insurer was for £654.96/yr (lifetime) with £5,000 max coverage. Coverage seemed really good but the cost for it was extreme in my view… I know he’s old but come on. Although my cat in the last year of her life did rack up over £2,000 in vet bills.

Confused.com is very easy to navigate and there are 12 insurers listed: Animal Friends, Computer Quote, Cover My Pet, Green Insurance, Healthy Pets, Help u Cover, More Than, Pet Insurance, Pet Pals, Pet Protect, Purely Pets and Vets Medi Cover. Haven’t heard of many of these companies but then again Lenny isn’t insured. The insurers and policy types are listed by order of expense making it easy to compare. If you Google ‘pet insurance’ there are at least two biggies not compared, but you could easily search those websites individually. Confused.com also doesn’t list the supermarkets and major insurers not dedicated to pets, probably offshoots to their core insurance coverage, of which I am suspicious. What I really want to know is how people view these companies and if they find them easy to deal with… now that would be useful. I guess that would be a consumer watch dog (ha) website.

Confused.com boasts…”The new solution allows customers to get an insurance quote for up to five pets in the same quote process”…. “As well as offering discounts of up to 10% on multi-pet insurance policies, customers will also be rewarded with 1,000 nectar points for every pet named on the multi-pet insurance policy. “ The website also has testimonies from customers’ illustrating savings.

If you try the site or have insight into animal insurance I'd love to hear what you have to say so let me know.

Book Review 'Inside of a Dog' by Alexandra Horowitz

Reading ‘Inside of a Dog’ has made me look at dogs in a different way. I have always thought of my pets as human and hadn’t realised they have another perspective on the world that is unlike ours. The author has combined her love of animals with a scientist’s background to research dog’s behaviour. There is a lot of information packed into 301 pages of very interesting reading and the biggest revelation for me was that humans see, hear and smell very differently because of our genetic makeup. Dogs have better hearing and sense of smell and they see things faster. They are also lower to the ground so their world and field of view is much different. Therefore dogs process information in another way, but manage to live with us so easily. We are their source of food and shelter and they dedicate most of their time to studying us and our behaviours.

There were a lot of things that wowed me but one fact I found most interesting; “a dog can detect a teaspoon of sugar diluted in a million gallons of water” Think about that the next time you are walking your dog and he stops to smell a blade of grass.

Canines are really quite brilliant and reading this book has allowed me to see my dog for the genius he is.

I would recommend 'Inside of a Dog' by Alexandra Horowitz to all dog lovers.

Lenny's Pet Toy Test

When the toys arrived Lenny nosed around and seemed most interested in the Kong but without the right size treats we would need to test it later.

With leftover steak in all four activity boxes of the Trixie toy, Lenny walked right past it. This was surprising because he usually has such a good sense of smell. After showing him what was inside he went for the easiest box first. He’s good at lifting things up with his nose (e.g. the rubbish bin) so he had no problem. The others proved more difficult and he really wasn’t bothered. Adding cheese to the meat gave him more incentive; he lifted the same box again, then knocked over the drawer box. The next two puzzles he couldn’t open so he dragged the game away laid down next to it and looked at me. Now a staring match and not about to let him get his way, I went inside knowing the video camera would catch the rest. When he could’t see me Lenny opened the third puzzle. Then he laid down for a while (8 mins) looking disinterested but all of a sudden got up pawed the knob a few times and opened the box. Don’t know why he waited so long; was he contemplating some evil plan or just resting…. only he knows. After lunch we played again with leftover ploughmen’s lunch, this time he got through all four puzzles a lot quicker.

This game was fun for me, but don't think Lenny saw it that way.

The second game we tried was the Karlie Shell Game. With cheese inside he found the right shell immediately but getting the cheese out was proving difficult, his tongue was too big. Washing the cheese out was tricky too, it melted into the wood. We tried the game with his hard food and he was able to find the shell right away. Later we played again with small treats bought at the pet store, but the smell seemed all over the place because he was picking all the shells up and licking them.

The slide game on the other side was tougher. Lenny tried the same tactic as with the shells and was biting all the sliders. This game is probably for a smaller dog and one that is more motivated by food. Or an owner willing to train their dog to use the toy, there is a small instruction manual we didn’t bother with. Lenny is lazy (me too) and apart from licking the shells and chewing on them I don’t think he or I got much from it. Also being made of wood and some kind of heavy cardboard didn’t seem sturdy enough for a medium sized dog. I was worried Lenny would swallow the shells.

For the Kong, we bought a bunch of small smelly treats from the pet store. An assistant suggested this semi hard food for it. When looking at the way you put the food inside something mushy didn’t seem to be right, so I just loaded it with lots of small treats. Lenny loved it, he spent a good half an hour licking and biting at it.

The Kong was the only toy that didn’t need my participation. It was fun to just watch him have a go. The mushy stuff would have been better because Lenny was not able to get the treats out and I felt bad. But the clean up would have been messy; anyway Lenny didn’t seem to notice. Between the Trixie game and the Kong, Lenny picked the Kong.

The true winner and Lenny’s pick is the Kong. The toy is sturdy and kept him occupied for a long time without my interaction. This gave me time to enjoy his antics and take lots of pictures. The Trixie Dog Activity set was sturdy, easy to clean and had lots of space for treats but Lenny liked the Kong better. The Karlie Doggy Brain Train wasn’t for us but would probably be fun for a smaller dog and a person who likes to teach their dog tricks.
Lenny’s order of approval:
1. Kong Genius
2. Trixie Dog Activity Strategiespiel Poker Box – Level 2
3. Karlie Doggy Brain Train (Shell Game then Slider Game)

Kong Genius is the WINNER!!!!

Petplan has provided me with these toys as part of their Pet Toy Test review programme. Visit the Petplan UK Facebook page for more information and a chance to win the winning toy!

Crufts Best In Show 2012

Best in Show at Crufts on More 4 last night was epic and proved that girls do rule the world. Elizabeth the 7 year old Lhasa Apso bitch won Best In Show. It would have been better if the Newfoundland, Brutus who won best reserve had won BIS. I loved all the dogs but the Newfie has never won at Crufts and they are such awesome dogs. All the Groups had powerful contenders, although I don't really know much about the Irish Water Dog. The Pomeranian had a wonderful ring presence and great personality that showed when he did circles and practically jumped into the judges arms. Did Dreamer know he was the smallest dog there? The Norwich Terrier, Paris was very cute and confident for such a young dog. We will definitely see Paris a lot more in the future. The Borzoi had it the toughest because it just won best Hound minutes earlier. Although showing takes alot out of the dog and handler, Luke still managed a gentle sloping gate around the ring. The Old English Sheepdog, Jimmy had to be the most talked about with a name like Bottom Shaker my Secret. This dog did not have a docked tail that he carried beautifully with a fabulous stride.  All in all, the show was excellent and the judge Frank Kane did a wonderful job.  I would love to know what he was thinking.

To recap the finalists were:
Utility Group, Elizabeth the Lhasa Apso bitch won Best In Show
Working Group, Brutus the Newfoundland dog won Reserve
Gundog Group, Merlin the Irish Water Dog
Pastoral Group, Jimmy the Old English Sheepdog
Hound Group, Luke the Borzoi dog
Terrier Group, Paris the Norwich Terrier dog
Toy Group, Dreamer the Pomeranian dog