A walk with the dogs

I don't get out with my dogs enough. They love to get out and run, off lead, and I think it is good for them to do that.

I was able to find a few hours last week to get them up in the dunes. It was the perfect spring day for it, slight breeze and slowly rising temps.

We meandered through the sloping sand and found lots of holes to explore.




This time of year there is not much chance that there will be a fox underground, but the dogs went and explored them, both dogs pushing to get inside.


We don't have groundhogs in my area, so the fox have nothing to dig their holes. These holes are much bigger than the ones that we see up north when we go to ground and the dogs squirt in and out easily, no digging or squirming for my overlarge dogs.



Our fox are mostly grays, but we also have a smattering of reds. I've also seen a few that I believe may be a mix of the two. These holes most likely belonged to the reds, as grays generally do not dig dens, they use holes in trees and root balls.

After a few hours of exploring, the dogs were exhausted. We didn't catch anything, and that was just as well, but ended up at home, tired and happy.

Why dogs are smarter than cats

One reason I love harris hawks is because of their social nature. They learn quickly, they communicate, and they allow me to be a part of it.

Researches have found that social animals, in general, are more intelligent than their isolated peers.

For the first time researchers have attempted to chart the evolutionary history of the brain across different groups of mammals over 60 million years. They have discovered that there are huge variations in how the brains of different groups of mammals have evolved over that time. They also suggest that there is a link between the sociality of mammals and the size of their brains relative to body size, according to a study published in the PNAS journal.

The research team analysed available data on the brain size and body size of more than 500 species of living and fossilised mammals. It found that the brains of monkeys grew the most over time, followed by horses, dolphins, camels and dogs. The study shows that groups of mammals with relatively bigger brains tend to live in stable social groups. The brains of more solitary mammals, such as cats, deer and rhino, grew much more slowly during the same period.

Previous research which has looked at why certain groups of living mammals have bigger brains has relied on studies of distantly-related living mammals. It was widely believed that the growth rate of the brain relative to body size followed a general trend across all groups of mammals. However, this study by Dr Susanne Shultz and Professor Robin Dunbar, from Oxford University's Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology (ICEA), overturns this view. They find that there is wide variation in patterns of brain growth across different groups of mammals and they have discovered that not all mammal groups have larger brains, suggesting that social animals needed to think more.

Read the rest here.

Where are the dingos

The Australian dingo is disappearing. The question now is, should this feared predator be saved? Like the wolf in North America in the 1800's, the dingo is considered a dangerous predator that is a threat to livestock. The dingo is hated by much of Australia. On the other side, it is a part of their national identity.

What to do?

Where did the Australian dingo go? Once present throughout that country, the feared predator (Canis lupus dingo) in its current form is on its way to extinction as it is either killed or breeds and hybridizes with domesticated dogs. With the disappearance of the purebred dingo comes the loss of an important part of the region's ecosystem as well as a greater chance of environmental destruction by invasive species such as foxes and feral cats...

...Back in 2008 the Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment declared the dingo a threatened species and has now, finally, taken the first steps toward preventing the dingo's extinction by planning to set aside public land for dingo preservation. (No land has actually been set aside yet, however.)

Part of the problem is that so many Australians, to put it mildly, hate the dingo. Farmers see the predator as a pest and threat to livestock. There is also a history of dingo attacks on humans, typified by the oft-quoted line spoken by Meryl Streep in A Cry in the Dark, "the dingo ate my baby."

Read the rest here.

The Human, Animal connection

It's probably not news to you, but some researches believe that the human animal connection may have been an important component to the development of humans as a species.

"Every mouthful you feed to another species is one that your own children do not eat. On the face of it, caring for another species is maladaptive, so why do we humans do this?"

Shipman suggests that the animal connection was prompted by the invention of stone tools 2.6-million years ago. "Having sharp tools transformed wimpy human ancestors into effective predators who left many cut marks on the fossilized bones of their prey," Shipman said. Becoming a predator also put our ancestors into direct competition with other carnivores for carcasses and prey. As Shipman explains, the human ancestors who learned to observe and understand the behavior of potential prey obtained more meat. "Those who also focused on the behavior of potential competitors reaped a double evolutionary advantage for natural selection," she said.

Over time, Shipman explains, the volume of information about animals increased, the evolutionary benefits of communicating this knowledge to others increased, and language evolved as an external means of handling and communicating information through symbols. "Though we cannot discover the earliest use of language itself, we can learn something from the earliest prehistoric art with unambiguous content. Nearly all of these artworks depict animals. Other potentially vital topics -- edible plants, water, tools or weapons, or relationships among humans -- are rarely if ever shown," Shipman said. She sees this disproportion as evidence that the evolutionary pressure to develop an external means of storing and transmitting information -- symbolic language -- came primarily from the animal connection.

Shipman concludes that detailed information about animals became so advantageous that our ancestors began to nurture wild animals -- a practice that led to the domestication of the dog about 32,000 years ago.

Read the rest here.

Kill them all

There is a lot of information out there on pure bred dogs and closed registry systems. Terrierman writes about the evils of closed registry a lot. There has also been a lot in the news lately about dangerous breeds.

usually they mean pit bulls, rottweilers, and the like. I don't claim to be an expert on dog breeds and which are dangerous and which are not. there have been calls for "breed bans" to keep certian dogs out of the hands of people that want to own them.

There is also a lot out there about kill rates and dog shelters. PeTA is famous for the high percentages of animals that die in their shelters. Then there is the other side of the spectrum and the "no kill" shelter.

Denmark has a new idea.

Ban the pests and kill the rest. under consideration is the ban of some breeds and the disposal of the mongrels.

all cross-breeds should be killed. An estimated 40,000 mongrels are born in Denmark each year and a general cull would sentence to death hundreds of thousands of animals.

I suppose there is no hope for the personal responsibly of owners. I keep hoping that people will pop up and try to do the right thing for their charges - but maybe that is too much to ask.

Hat tip to Querencia for this article. Read it for yourself. Interesting stuff.

Coat of Preference

When it comes to dogs - there is one thing that everyone can agree on.... that most of us won't agree.

I have some specific requirements when it comes to dogs coats. These requirements come to me as a compromise between myself and my wife, but they have worked for me thus far.

As most of my dogs are inside dogs - they sit on the couch and sleep on the bed - we don't want heavy shedders. There are a few ways to go about this, but when it comes to dogs that can get out into the elements to do a little work, the best way for me is to opt for the rough coated dog.

The mini schnauzer is supposed to have a wire coat, but here in the US, it is very difficult to find a decent coat. Here they tend to be too soft, and catch easily on briers, thorns, and sand spurs.

I can't even walk the dog off of the road, as her feet get to caught up in briers. I end up carrying her all the way home and waste a bunch of time.

The coat of the dog has to match the terrain that you hunt.

A long coat can catch like the schnauzers did. It catches and sheds, and is hard to groom.

The short coat is great. It doesn't shed much, but I worry that it doesn't protect enough against the elements. Patrick - over at Terrierman will disagree - but it is a concern of mine when we spend hours on end in the bottom lands, wet and cold. I would rather have a dog with fur.

So when looking for a hunting dog - I like a traditional wire coat. Wire coats are hard to find. My first terrier had a nice one - and I got really lucky with Gordon. His is perfect.

The hardest thing about a hard wire coat is keeping it up - it really needs to be stripped, or the dog needs to be hunted. That way he will be stripped naturally.

Over at Born to Track - he talks about his good wire coats often. Just recently he said:

With most wires, the best approach to grooming is by hand-stripping. This is the only way that will maintain a correct wiry and harsh texture of the coat. By pulling out old coat you will make room for a new and strong coat to grow in. If you clip your wire, you will just cut the hair tips, that's all. The old coat will not be removed, and in the long run the coat will lose its desirable harsh texture. I tried to find a good guide to stripping a wirehaired coat on the web, and the article I like very much (not too technical and lengthy) is at http://clubs.akc.org/btcoa/research/groomguide.html. It deals with Border Terrier's coat but principles are exactly the same.

You can do the same with a rough coat in a jack russel too. But many people just choose to leave them alone - unless you are showing them, or you don't like the bit of hair that they will shed - just leave it.

But, as I said before - everyone will disagree. Boarder collies have their coats for a reason, as do labs, and pointers. Choose the one that is best for where you hunt and what you hunt.

Some dogs undesrtand better than others

Dogs have been bred for thousands of years to be companion animals for humans. More importantly, dogs have been bread to make the lives of people easier.

Historically, the dog that followed direction was desired over the dog that didn't. Now, I'm not talking about "pet dogs", I 'm talking about dogs with jobs.

Scientists have been finding that dogs that have historically work with people, understand better than dogs that work independently.

In other words - pointing dogs know our language better than terriers. Herding dogs - understand us the most.

Márta Gácsi, from Eötvös University, Hungary, worked with a team of researchers to examine the performance of different breeds of dogs in making sense of the human pointing gesture. ScienceDaily Gácsi said, "It has been suggested that the study of the domestic dog might help to explain the evolution of human communicative skills, because the dog has been selected for living in a human environment and engaging in communicative interactions with humans for more than 10,000 years. However, this study is the first to reveal striking difference in the performance of breed groups selected for different characteristics."

The researchers found that gun dogs and sheep dogs were better than hunting hounds, earth dogs (dogs used for underground hunting), livestock guard dogs and sled dogs at following a pointing finger. They also out-performed mongrels. Moreover, breeds with short noses and centrally placed eyes were better at interpreting the gesture than those with long noses and widely spaced eyes, which can probably be connected to a more optimal retinal location of greatest visual acuity, that might help focus their attention.

Does this make one dog any better than the other? No. Every dog has a purpose. Just be sure you know what you are getting.

Are Yorkshire terriers really terriers?

You be the judge.

Pupdate

As you know, the family adopted a dog about a week ago. We had a week to decide whether we were going to keep him or not. We didn't need a week. I couldn't have asked for a better dog. He is calm and well mannered, gets along with other dogs and kids, and doesn't mark in the house.

He comes to us crate trained, leash trained, house trained. That makes life so much easier. Now I need to be sure that he listens in the field.

I took Gordon out today on a dragged line (think creance) and we wandered around Run Hill park. I'd been having some trouble with him and the "come" command when we were outside, so that was our goal today. He did excellent. Once he realized I had hot dog bits, and I wasn't going to stop him from wandering every time I called him back, he seemed to settle right in and didn't even try to wander far.

We followed some fox tracks for a bit as they wove through the grape covered dunes. We found a spot where fox would sit and watch the surrounding area. Ive seen both red and gray fox here in the past, but none showed today.

We rested in the shade of a natural canopy of grapes and checked out the way that the giant dunes were slowly swallowing the forest below us.

At one point a racoon, popped up over a rise and froze, staring at us. He seemed just as surprised as we were. He wandered off down the dune, but Gordon wanted desperately to follow. I had to give him a reminder tug on the dragged line that time to get him to come.


Gordon did well today, and we repeated the process later on in the afternoon. He should sleep well tonight - actually, I will too.

Trying out a New Dog

Since we gave up the patterdale terrier, Murphy, this winter, I've been missing my little terrier dog. If you weren't with us then, we were having dog aggression from Murphy and she was tearing up our miniature schnauzer.

I've been keeping an eye out on different sites, looking for the perfect dog. It needs to have that terrier spunk, without the aggression, and it needs to be small enough to go to earth in a groundhog hole. I must be a wire coated dog, so it doesn't shed, and it needs to get along with other dogs.

Well I found a suitable candidate and emailed the foster home where he was staying. I was impressed. He seemed to have all the positives without any of the negatives that can come with terriers.

Granted, he is a mix breed, but he is full grown, so I know how big he'll get. He is calm, but has the terrier inquisitiveness. No dog aggression and none of the random barking. I have only heard him bark once in two days. I do hope he barks on quarry, we'll have to see how that goes.


On the downside - he comes with a name already attached - Gordon. Cute name, but doesn't fit with my idea of dog names. It is okay, we will adapt.

We drove the three hours to go see him on Wednesday. We decided to bring him home. He's been with us for two nights as we judge to see if he fits in with our family.

We cleaned him up a bit, stripping his coat. He was in need of some serious grooming. We've been walking him, and introducing him to all the dogs in our extended family (we're puppy sitting right now.)

So far, I couldn't ask for a better little dog. After some bonding (he seems shy of men - and he may have been kicked in his former life), we're going to have to see if this dog will hunt. He wants squirrels when he sees them, and from our walks, his nose seems good.

We'll have to see how it goes.

Digging

I traveled up to Maryland yesterday to go digging for groundhogs with Patrick (Terrierman). It was a perfect day - though maybe a bit warm. Gracie, the mini schnauzer, went along to see what she could do.



Gracie is a great little dog. She minds well, she likes to sit with you on the couch, and rarely wanders out of the yard. you can go anywhere with her off lead, and she won't go too far. But Gracie has very little prey drive, and she is too big to fit in a groundhog hole. I will give her an A for effort though.


I met up with Patrick at a little mom and pop store and we headed off to a nearby farm field. i'd been here before and there is usually plenty of game on the land. The dogs seemed to get along fine, though Patrick's dog, pearl, stayed home for this one. Mountain and Gracie started exploring the creek which meandered through the bottom land. It wasn't long before Mountian found in a hole near the edge of the creek. It was actually two holes, one went into the bank along the edge of the creek, and the other wormed its way up into the ancient root system of an old tree.


Mountian went from one hole to the next baying it up in both places. We heard the groundhog whistling in the root ball, and saw the groundhog in the other hole, but Mountian couldn't get to either one. We dug a bunch of holes and worked up a sweat, but Mountian just couldn't get them.

We ended up closing the holes and moving on. Gracie started to get into it, but she still wasn't sure what it was all about. Then Mountian found a Whistlepig above ground. He nabbed it and Gracie got a chance to see what it was she'd been smelling.


We moved up into the plowed field and came across another nice hole. Mountian popped in, and this time Gracie wiggled her way in and started to dig. Go Gracie!


We had to dig a bunch of holes, it looked like a mine field when we were done, but Gracie got in there and tried to pull some fur. We ended up pulling two hogs from this set of holes, and I can truly say Gracie enjoyed herself.



We moved spots and walked some fields. Mountian bolted a fox from one set, But we didn't get the occasion to dig again. We ended the day around one as I had to drive back home that night.

Will Gracie ever be a great Groundhog hunter? No, probably not. We had fun though and hopefully we'll do it again.


Thanks for the ice cream Patrick. Next time, I buy the Subs & Pizza.

Gracie Goes to Ground - sort of.

One of the great things about spending time up in upstate New York is that we get to spend a bunch of time outdoors with the dogs. So far, we've been able to get the dogs outside multiple times a day, wandering through the woods.


The little dogs love it, and they hang with the big dogs. The schnauzer doesn't swim, but will hang out when my parents' labs. Apollo (the yorkie), is learning his commands, come, stay close, etc.


We don't get to walk in the woods this much at home. The tics there are bad. I realize that sounds wimpy, but they are really bad. It is hard to take a walk when you know that you will spend a half an hour picking them off of you when you are done. So the only time we hike is in the winter.

My kids love it too. They can hike, and throw big rocks into the water. I'm not sure why the big rocks are still a thrill, but they love to do it.

Today, we came across four white tail deer that let my son and I stalk in fairly close. I couldn't get a good shot, as they were hiding in the thick brush. We counted their numbers as they bound away, white tails flashing.

We've been encountering a bunch of groundhog holes since we've been here. Gracie wriggled her way most of the way into the first, but couldn't get past the first bend in the pipe.


I knew a groundhog was at home, as I saw it disappear into the whole as we approached, but Gracie is just too big in the chest to make it further in than the doorstep.

I did have to pull her by the legs to get her out.

Since that first hole, she's been checking other groundhog holes we come across.


It makes me smile, and sad at the same time. Hopefully, I'll get up to Patrick's after the break to get my fix. I wonder if I should bring Gracie? If nothing else, she can stake out one whole to keep the groundhog from bolting. I'll talk to him. The hole below was dug out under a pile of slate, refuse and plastic buckets. I would have hated to break into this pipe

In the meantime, if you know of an adult terrier/ dachshund mix, with a wire coat, that likes kids and other dogs, and has a spannable chest - give me a holler.

Patrick was right

As usual.

If you don't read his blog - He's the Terrierman.

If you haven't heard, we gave up Murphy, my patterdale terrier to a nice couple who seem to be loving her to death. We've seen them out and about and both dog and owners seem thrilled with each other.

But now I'm feeling a void. I would like to get a dog to work under my hawks. I'm in no hurry, and I'm researching what is out there. On the other hand, I did get my little terrier out doing some groundhog work with Patrick, and I had a blast. So I have specific requirements for a dog.

Most importantly, it needs to get along with other dogs, and kids, and strangers. It needs to have some prey drive. The wife insists that it not shed. And I would like to continue to have a dog that will go to ground after the occasional groundhog.

I'm leaning towards dachshund, but the misses doesn't like them. I'm still working on her.
Anyway, I'm perusing my options.

We spent the weekend in Charlotte doing kid tournament stuff. The weather was gorgeous, and he had some time to check out the surroundings on Saturday afternoon.

We ended up at the home of a Cairne terrier breeder. What a great little dog. The kids were instantly enamored of them, and I have to admit, the puppies were awfully cute. the coats were rough and nonshedding, and they were gamey.


The breeder guessed that the parents were around 12 pounds and thought that they should go to ground just fine.

It was believable, seeing the puppies. So I asked to see the parents.

Good looking little dogs. They were friendly and frisky. They loved to be petted. But there was no way those dogs would fit in a groundhog hole.

I tried to span them, but my fingers were a good two inches from touching. The dogs had to weigh close to twenty pounds. I don't think the breeder, who assured me of their AKC registry, realized why they wouldn't work.

So what is it that Patrick says?

The Cairn Terrier, on the other hand, seems to have the basic physical requirements needed for work. Sure, some dogs are big in the chest, but some smaller dogs seem right sized. The coat is generally fine, if a little long for serious brush and mud.

So is there some other defect? Is there a weakness of noise or voice? Is there a timidity of character that becomes pronounced when the dog faces something larger than a rat?

Perhaps. In truth, however, the real problem is as likely to reside up the leash as down.

The most important requirement of a working terrier is not found in a Kennel Club conformation standard; it is having an owner that will take it out in the field and give it the opportunity to work. This, above all, appears to be the missing part of a Cairn Terrier.

She was a nice lady, who loved her dogs, but her dogs just won't work.



I'll keep looking.

Saying goodbye

The people came today.

They were an energetic young couple. One recently back from Iraq, the other bubbling over with excitement. They had come by yesterday to meet our dog, my dog, Murphy.

She performed perfectly. Murphy was bubbly, outgoing, and mannerly. I had a wrenching, twisted feeling in the pit of my stomach. The couple and Murphy were a good match.

We packed up her things; her crate and leash, bones and toys. And the people came. He smiled, she laughed. I walked the three of them to their car. First they wanted to get her a new collar, then they wanted to take her to the beach.

I'm sure Murphy is doing better than I. They really were a good match.

So I went out to see the other animals. Gracie went with me. Graci is our schnauzer, the one that Murphy would take down.



She is a good dog with very little hunting instinct in her at all. She wouldn't hunt, that's why I got Murphy in the first place.

We visited the pigeons.


She checked on the chickens.



Saw to the bunnies.


The cat watched all of this with his normal air of indifference.


Then she went and sniffed around the base of a tree a little way off. I looked at her askance. What was she doing? Then I heard the barking. Up a ways on the trunk was a squirrel, voicing his displeasure.

Hmmmm.

WWDD - what would Darwin do?

As usual, Patrick has got it going on over at Terrierman. His quest is to spread the word about the problems with the kennel club and their history of breeding dogs for problems. Get the kennel clubs to see the light by spreading the word yourself and buy a shirt, or a bag.

Murphy Needs a Home.

I hate to say it, but I need to find a better place for Murphy. She is a great dog; house trained, crate trained, great with kids, fantastic personality, and full of high energy, terrier spunk. She's a rough coated fell terrier, that doesn't shed.

She loves to hunt, loves the outdoors. She'll go to ground, though she is on the big side for a hole dog. Would be a great barn dog. She will climb a tree after a squirrel. She is almost too smart for her own good.


I need to find her a new home because she can be dog aggressive. We keep our dogs in the house, and all together. Right now we have three, and Murphy tends to beat the crap out of our older dog.

Never in the field, only in the house.
Murphy needs a home where she is the only dog, or she can be separated from the other dogs. We can't provide her with that. Ideally, we could find her a home somewhere fairly close. I hate to have to ship her, but I would prefer someone who could work her.

I'll probably get another dog to work under my birds, even though this one hasn't worked out for me. I need one that is more suited to the way I keep my animals. maybe a dachshund.

Anyway, if you are looking for a way cool terrier, you could hardly beat Murphy.


I'm all bent up.