Dog lovers know that their dogs have special ways to communicate with them, and other dogs. While they don’t use words, dogs do share a common language that we can understand. Barking, growling, chuffing and howling are all ways that dogs talk. I’ve seen videos on TV showing dogs who had learned to produce sounds like, “Mama,” or “I love you.” The cute dogs had no idea what they were ’saying,’ but they knew it got them a lot of attention, and treats.

Barking. It can drive humans crazy. Dogs have a huge variety of barks to ’speak’ to us. When my dog wants something, he’ll begin with a soft chuffing sound. If I ignore that he’ll try a yip, that will lead to a louder bark, until he gets my attention. When I hear a high pitched frantic bark, it means trouble. It can be a frightened dog, perhaps the start of a territory battle, or male dogs getting ready to do battle over a female in heat.

A dog will bark if they see, smell or hear something strange. They bark if they are bored, lonely or because there is a cat on the fence looking at him. They can and do bark happily for hours. I had a hound that used to sit on his rear outside when the moon was full and bright. He’d bay at it until I’d drag him into the house to shut him up. Working dogs bark to herd other animals, to signal their owner, or bark when working as rescue dogs. Dogs will bark while playing, or yap to the dog two miles down the road. They bark, we speak, it’s the same thing.

Growling is another form of communication. Who hasn’t been enchanted when puppies are pulling on a rope, and growling. Adult dogs do the same. If I am in the house, and my dog gives a low rumbling growl, I don’t ignore it. He hears something outside that in his mind may be a threat or something is intruding on his territory. Most dogs will growl before they bite. Growling that escalates, getting louder then breaking into barking is a dog who is afraid and intimidated, and will fight if need be.

I have a friend who raises Husky’s. They seldom bark. They howl. All of them together. It only takes one to start, the others join in. If they hear a coyote or wolf wailing, it will set them off. In town, if my small dog hears a siren, it triggers him to sing. He can point his nose in the air and Awrooo, with the best of them. There is a lonely dog three blocks from my home. He sings off and on all day. My dog likes to add his vocal powers to the poor dog who is howling, wanting company.

I adopted a large dog from a pound. She dragged me out to the car, threw herself in, we drove away and all the way home she scared me silly. Her jaws kept snapping, open and shut. I could see how big her teeth were. She chuffed, snapped, growled and barked the entire 80 miles it took to get home. It didn’t take me long to figure out that it was her high spirited way of “saying” she was happy.

No matter how your dog chooses to speak to you, barking, growling, chuffing, snapping, singing, or howling they are talking to you. If we listen, we can hear what they are saying, and sometimes for fun, howl along with them, bay at the moon if the mood hits you, or bark. If nothing else its just sheer fun!

I admit that I’m not an American Idol afficionado, but I have a hard time picturing Simon Cowell cuddling with his Poodles. LOL Still, seems his family must have ticked him off royally for him to claim he’s leaving his money to his dogs instead of them.

From PR-Inside.com

COWELL VOWS TO LEAVE FORTUNE TO DOGS

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
2007-12-30 13:31:33 -

AMERICAN IDOL judge SIMON COWELL is threatening to leave his multi-million dollar fortune to his pet dogs.

The animal-loving music mogul, 48, has a large family as well as a long-term partner, Terri Seymour. But he is reluctant to pass his estimated $200 million (£100 million) on to any human loved ones. He says, “I’ll probably leave the lot to the animals. There’ll be some very rich poodles in Beverly Hills.” Cowell - who fought back from bankruptcy in the 1980s to become one of Britain’s wealthiest men - adds, “If I had made money when I was 21, I’d probably be dead by now. I wouldn’t have made 22. I would have gone crazy.”

From the Barre Montpelier Times Argus, a paper which doesn’t seem to believe in paragraphing. The English teacher in me wants to take a pen to this and start editing, but this is the way it was printed.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
By Mark Albury
December 31, 2007
Have you ever noticed how, at the grocery store, there are “impulse items” set out at the cash register hoping to take advantage of shoppers with very little will power? Like the sirens in Greek mythology crying out for the attention of hapless sailors, these products demand that we take notice and eventually throw them into our cart as a last-minute purchase. I am usually so very repulsed by this cheap marketing ploy that I make a concerted effort to put on blinders when checking out, ignoring the gum, candy, and magazines showing photos of celebrity cellulite. However, the other day while out buying a few necessities, my eyes fell upon a particular book for sale on a rack at the register. WHAT DO DOGS DREAM ABOUT? the title inquired. Who cares? I asked myself. What sort of idiot would shell out their hard earned cash for this type of book? And then a little voice in the back of my head answered: an idiot who needs a column idea. A few minutes later I left the store with a gallon of milk, a pound of ground beef, and a book I would like to share with you. WHAT DO DOGS DREAM ABOUT?, written by Tom Kuncl, bills itself as “a fascinating look into the mind of mankind’s best friend.” In this age of economic uncertainty, unrest in the Middle East, poverty, and world-wide famine, it is a breath of fresh air to have someone like Mr. Kuncl take the time to answer the types of questions that truly consume our thoughts throughout the day, such as, “Do dogs smile?” Dogs smile when they are happy, and frown when they are sad, explains the author, who, I suspect, was doing a great deal of smiling himself as he took the cash other suckers such as myself spent on his book and went to the bank. Mr. Kuncl suggests that dogs smile either because they are happy or because, through the domestication process, they are copying human behavior. I would like to think that if dogs have the ability to mimic their owners, we’d observe more obvious signs. For example, we might catch Fido occasionally declaring questionable tax deductions, or see him do the Sunday crossword in pen, or hear him repeat a particular phrase popular with his owner, such as, “What a chucklehead,” when he’s disgusted with certain people. Page 65 of the book offers us yet another earth-shattering observation. In response to the question, “Do dogs ever get embarrassed?” Kuncl, who considers himself one of the world’s foremost authorities on dog behavior, says absolutely. “I am convinced that my dog feels guilt when he wets the rug,” Kuncl states. “He behaves the same way I would if my mother caught me doing the same thing.” Whether or not you agree with the author’s conclusion, I would recommend that you keep your shoes on when walking on the carpets in the Kuncl household, and keep an eye on Mr. Kuncl if he visits you and, for some mysterious reason, decides to walk behind the sofa. All kidding aside, I believe that dogs do get embarrassed. Especially if they get a bad haircut, or strike out in a big game with other dogs in scoring position. In the hopes of getting to the bottom of what makes a dog tick, Mr. Kuncl, leaves no garbage can unturned. When responding to the title question Kuncl gives, in my opinion, a very lame answer. Dogs do dream he relates, and when they do they probably just review things that happened during the day, or relive some exciting experience. For the price of this book I was hoping Mr. Kuncl would contemplate some more specific things that might go through a dog’s mind during REM. For instance, I’ll bet that, while deep in slumber, our canine friends dream about such things as toilets without lids, cars without windshields, and refrigerators without doors. In addition, they probably fantasize about indoor compost piles, an All Lassie cable channel, and unlimited dead critters to roll on. I also believe that, ultimately, every dog dreams about ruling the world. As I neared the end of the book I found a question that really piqued my curiosity concerning whether dogs have a sense of humor. I decided to do a little investigative work on my own to determine if this was true. I got a copy of one of my past columns, sat my dog down in the living-room, and started reading the hilariously funny story. He looked very bored right from the beginning, and halfway through the reading actually got up to leave. As if this wasn’t bad enough, I swear, as he walked out of the room, I heard him mutter, “What a chucklehead!”

Nice essay in the Times Online from London today about blaming the deed, not the breed. This follows a Rottweiler’s recent deadly attack upon a child in Britain.

Don’t blame breed, all dogs can be aggressive
Inga MacKellar: Analysis

The rottweiler has earned a fearsome reputation as extremely loyal and as a menacing guard dog. This image was even demonised in the horror film The Omen, where a rottweiler served as protector of the devil incarnate.

Originally bred to drive cattle, the breed takes its name from the town of Rottweil in Germany and it is naturally protective and territorial.

While it can make an excellent pet, as with all dogs, responsible ownership is essential.

It is important that the dog is kept in an appropriate environment and that its exercise and behavioural needs are adequately met.

Dog attacks on children are particularly distressing. However, in order to understand why these have occurred, it is important to consider for what reason the breed was obtained and if the dog was adequately socialised and trained.

Because of the guarding instincts of the rottweiler, some are obtained specifically as guard dogs and they are often used across Europe in police and security work.

Some may be obtained for reasons of “machismo” because the breed is powerful and muscular. However, many rottweilers in the UK are kept as family pets and, contrary to popular belief and portrayal, are responsive, playful and affectionate dogs. The breed, the eleventh in the top 20 Kennel Club breed register, with 6,575 puppies registered in 2006, is strong and active and requires a high level of exercise.

It is important to remember that all dogs are potentially aggressive. Aggression may occur for a variety of reasons, and the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors’ annual review of behaviour cases indicates that a lack of adequate socialisation is the most common cause.

Aggression may also occur for a number of other reasons, such as a person entering the dog’s perceived territory, status-related issues, pain and, sometimes, predation.

In addition, medical causes also need to be considered because these may result in behaviour changes. Obtaining a dog from a reputable breeder is essential. Rottweilers can suffer from a number of conditions such as hip and elbow dysplasia, as well as hypothyroidism, which can cause aggression. Cancers, which are not uncommon in the rottweiler, such as brain tumours, can also cause a sudden and explosive change in behaviour.

Therefore, when any dog attack occurs, an informed assessment of the situation needs to be made as to the potential underlying causes of the incident.

Keeping a sense of proportion in these tragic attacks is essential and the breed should not be ostracised as a result.

- Inga MacKellar is a certified clinical animal behaviourist and a member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors

These folks need to get in touch with the Scottish police department that’s breeding their own police dogs!

I know I keep repeating myself, but this is one of the reasons why dogs are carefully bred for a job and a purpose. Shelter dogs can make great pets, but for some jobs you need dogs with the right instincts and abilities. It takes generations for breeders to produce these dogs. Restrictive legislation against breeders can end these vital breeding programs.

From the BBC

European search for police dogs

An East Midlands police force has been forced to look abroad to recruit police dogs because of a shortage.

Derbyshire Police have brought in dogs from Germany because of a national shortage of the animals.

The dogs have been trained in Germany and have to spend six months waiting for a passport before they can become operational in England.

The animals, which perform a wide variety of front line duties, are seen by officers as an asset to policing.

Dog trainer Pc Adie Deegan said: “Just getting hold of the right type of dog is a real problem.

“We looked at in excess of 100 dogs and out of that we sourced probably two that would make the grade and one of those failed.”