Looking Into Breeds of Terriers and Why They Are Not For Everyone

Breeds of terriers have come a long way from their origins in Great Britain and Ireland. From being bred as hunter dogs and pest controllers in the 18th century, they have now evolved and are currently developed as companion dogs and domestic pets. In the olden days, most terriers were stationed in farms to catch rabbits and rats that destroy farm crops. Fell and hunt terriers were used to hunt down and kill foxes. A number of them were also known for their swimming abilities and were used to catch otters even in deep waters. Then, terriers were divided into two types, the short-legged and the long legged varieties.

These days, breeds of terriers are classified by their function and size. Despite being primarily bred as household pets, there are still terriers used in hunting. They are now categorized as working terriers, also known as hunting types. They are utilized for quarry tracking and locating. These hardworking terriers go undergrounds, sometimes even to bolt quarries.

Terriers developed at a time when people were more dependent upon dogs to help them make a living on their land. They were the ones who were charged with keeping the land free of the unwanted animals that wreaked havoc on the farmer or rancher. They were the hunters who ensured the land would be pest free.

They were invaluable to the owners of land. They were bred to be untiring in the fight against pests who would devour feed for the owner’s other animals, or to consume the crop meant for the family or for income. They were vicious hunters that would never give up. Their job was unending, but that fact never discouraged them, for that was the fun in it! They are known as tenacious terriers for a reason; they never give up, and when you own land that can easily fall prey to pests, that trait is very important.

Although much of the killing instinct of each terrier breed has been bred out of the line, they still have the instinct to chase other animals. This is the reason why it is so important to socialize this particular group with other dogs and animals early on in its life. This way they begin to see other animals as friends, not as prey. It’s also important to know that they may not be reliable off leash, since they may not heed your calls in the heat of a chase.

This group of breeds can be very loving and faithful companions, but they have high energy needs and are probably not suited for the first time dog owner. They tend to get themselves into trouble if left alone for long periods of time and do best when obedience trained and given a job to do. If you are looking for a companion to lie on the couch with you all day, then a terrier is definitely not for you. But if you are looking for a highly energetic and challenging dog, you will not be let down if you decide to adopt a terrier.

Pug Dog Breed

The Pug is a small dog, considered by some to be a dwarf Mastiff. It is a solid, compact animal with the dogs measuring 12 to 14 inches and weighing up to 20 pounds. The bitches are generally two inches shorter and have a weight of 13 to 18 pounds. Pug’s coat color can be black, fawn (often with a darker facial mask), silver, or apricot. The Pug can live for up to 15 years.

It was mentioned in the writings of Confucius and was a favorite among the Chinese royalty and nobility. The Pug was also kept in Tibetan monasteries. It was the Dutch East India Company that brought the Pug to Europe in the 16th century. The Pug was almost instantly popular and is featured in a self portrait of the artist Hogarth.

Pug is perfect for indoor living, being equally comfortable in a house or apartment. It should have a daily walk to keep it healthy, but these should be skipped in hot weather. Because of the short face of the Pug, it must be protected from both heat and cold. It can suffer heat stroke very easily and should be kept cool during the summer. The Pug will want to be with its human family as much as possible.

Every dog needs training. So does a pug dog. The best time to train your pug is the 1st day you own it. Usually pugs are brought into homes when they were 8 weeks or older. Wouldn’t you want your pug to follow every of your commands from the very 1st day?

Then, establishing your authority and commanding attention are essential. These two rules are the core foundation of house breaking your pug. Communicate with your pug puppy. Talk to pug like how you would talk to your children, when they were toddlers. Pugs are able to sense and receive both your verbal and non-verbal communication.

Reward your pug for listening to your command. Give them the credit by padding her forehead or around her neck. Give your pug a variety of rewards. It could be her favourite food, toy or treat.

Never punish your pug! Teach your pug using positive and motivational methods. Proactively training your pug will yield greater results than reactive training. This means, when your pug is doing well and behaving properly, pro-actively reward your pug. On the other hand, do not sympathize with your pug’s bad behaviours.

Play with the pug! Pug loves playing. It is vital that whenever practising any obedience training and upon finishing, the owner should enjoy a play time with her pug. You can run or play tug-of-war with your pug during play time.

Ensuring a healthy diet for your Pug can be a challenge. Consider feeding your Pug a homemade diet of freshly prepared foods. There are some problems with the many commercial foods because every dog’s nutritional requirements are different; many of these foods don’t take into account your pugs unique nutritional requirements.

The Pug originated in Tibet; their diet only consisted of that which they could easily find or hunt. Mainly rodents, goat, boar, deer or even Yak’s. They probably also ate the barley, rye or mountain corn growing freely. Their diet originally had a high fat content and even today their diet needs quite a large portion of fat.

Experts disagree on what kinds of benefits Pugs experience from nutritional supplements. It is possible that vitamin supplements can cause kidney or liver damage so try to limit the supplement intake. If you have a high quality dog food then it should sufficiently cover the most important nutrients. You can give your Pug vitamin C supplements.

The Pugs fast eating can cause many problems for Pugs and their owners. The Pug is notorious for farting as a result of the swallowing of air. Feed your Pug twice a day to minimize this smelly problem!

Don’t give your Pug raw hide treats. Because they eat so quickly, they are more prone to choking on large pieces. There are many Pug owners who have learnt the hard way that pugs and raw hide treats don’t go together. Rather buy your Pug a treat that is softer and smaller. These bite sized treats are much safer for your Pug.

The Lovely Maltese Terrier

These little dogs have been found in the Mediterranean countries for centuries where the Maltese was a pampered lapdog. Riding around in carriages, sleeping on beds, and being fed the choicest morsels, they certainly led a charmed existence.

The Greek philosopher Theophrastus described the breed as belonging to the ‘Melita’ breed, an archaic name for Malta. It was developed in Italy with the addition of miniature spaniel and poodle blood. It is thought that they were first brought to England by Crusaders returning home from the Mediterranean. The breed became particularly popular with women, however, Publius, the Roman governor of Malta, prized his Maltese enough to commission a portrait of ‘Issa’. Today, the glamorous Maltese is an adored pet and sought-after show dog.

The Maltese is seen as a ball of hair. Glamorous, difficult and dainty. The Greeks put up tombs for their dogs and a model was found in Egypt as well. They’ve been an aristocrat for 28 centuries, with documentations of the breed as early as 40 A.D.

Maltese is a small Toy dog that stands no more than 10 inches at the shoulders. He weighs between 6 – 9 pounds and is covered in a long mantle of white, straight silky fur. Like most smart dogs they are good at learning things and indeed need to learn. A balanced attitude is needed to keep the Maltese eager to learn and yet disciplined to not learn the wrong things.

The lovely Maltese needs only moderate room for exercise. Since he is so small, he can get plenty of exercise in an apartment or a small yard. These dogs are spirited and playful, and they need lots of personal attention. They can be shy with strangers, but they are also very protective of their home and their family. They are better suited to live with adults rather than children, it’s only because they desire to be the child of the family.

This breed is susceptible to tear stain, a condition that causes the dog to have watery eyes that form goopy discharge at the corner of the eyes. It also causes the hair under the Maltese’s eye to turn a deep rusted red color. Keeping their hair out of their eyes, by tying it up on their head if it is long, and by wiping up the buildup, helps keep tear stain under control. The Maltese sheds little to no hair which is good for allergy sufferers. They do, however, enjoy a frolic outdoors and have a penchant for jumping in puddles, so be prepared for lots of baths!

This is generally a healthy breed but not without issues. Good routine preventative care is essential but there are issues that can arise even with that. “Reverse sneezing” is apt to happen when excited, eating or drinking or during exercises. Although relatively common in the breed it is not something that gathers serious concern.

However one thing that appears the same can be a collapsed trachea. This is a condition that seems to affect certain breeds of dogs leading some to believe it is genetic in origin. The dog may cough or ‘honk’ and if very light pressure is placed on the throat causes a reaction it can be a collapsed trachea. X-rays can confirm the condition as well as an endoscope. While doing x-rays it is worth taking chest shots to check for heart disease at the same time. There are treatments available but they don’t always work. Use extreme caution in corrective jerks during training to prevent damaging the trachea or lunging at the leash.

Liver shunts also affect the Maltese and should be considered especially if under a year old. Typical signs can be a puppy that doesn’t thrive despite good nutrition. Poor weight gain, weakness, depression and an apathetic attitude are indications of the disease early on. Other signs are weakness, seizures, excess salivation, vomiting, poor appetite, bladder stones, blindness and balance problems. Lab work including x-rays, ultrasound and radioisotopes can verify this genetic disorder which requires surgery.

Skin allergies, separation anxiety, car anxiety and retinal atrophy can all affect the Maltese also. These dogs also tend to shake. This could be because the dog has the chills or is experiencing a condition known as White Dog Shaker Syndrome.

Dental care is also important either with teeth cleaning by a vet or with natural methods of chewing toys and bones. Keeping the plaque and bacteria down helps eliminate not only dental issues but can lead to heart and kidney disease.

A crate is highly recommended for any puppy but especially small dogs like a Maltese. This allows a safe place to be should you travel and it’s also a place that he can retreat too during holidays and other times when the household is “too busy” for his comfort. Additionally if there should ever be emergency evacuation orders, a Maltese comfortable in his crate is much less stressed and much safer than a loose dog.

A happy, outgoing Maltese is a product of a commitment by the breeder and owner. The breeder selects the healthiest, best animals to increase the chances of quality animals rather than just producing puppies. The breeder cannot control things for life – when you purchase a puppy you pay for a companion and assume the responsibility for his training.

Expose them to as many things as possible and be consistent. Maltese are small and fluffy – the “cute” factor is in full motion and it’s important to be attentive to having discipline in place. Teaching boundaries and manners insures that your dog won’t be a training problem that results in so many dogs being dumped at shelters. Many breeders have a standing offer to always take the dog back should you not be able to keep them and it’s important to honor this agreement if it is in place.

Maltese usually live to be 15 years of age. In rare cases, they have even been known to live as long as 18 years.