‘Old lady’ yearns for bicycle fun once again

Evansville Courier-Press - Back when I rode my bike every day, I was chased by two neighborhood dogs - a boxer and a German shepherd. They lived together Their owners never - not once - tried to keep the dogs from chasing us, and I grew up scared to death of any dog bigger than Continued

Coming Soon! - tyranny, one name is likely to elicit the same reaction from anyone outside of Uganda, that being Idi Amin, a former boxer and Ghost dog is a very internal character. Even though he’s an assassin, a hit man, but this character’s not like that. When I Continued

PET CONNECTION PRIMETIME - AUGUST SPECIAL 

These were the pets featured in Pet Connection Primetime - August 2006. Remember, Pet Connection will help pay all the adoption fees. He operates out of the Emergency Clinic on Rt. 2 in Latham from 8am-5pm, Monday thru Friday. Read More…

RUPERT - The Minidoka County Animal Control Facility Board may change its quarantine policy. Consideration of the changes was sparked by complaints a female boxer was mistreated while she was quarantined at the county’s animal shelter in Paul. Read More…

President Bush names Andrew Natsios, former administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as a presidential special envoy to lead U.S. efforts to bring peace to the Darfur region in Sudan. In his speech at the opening of the 61st U.N. General Assembly, the president focuses on Darfur, addressing his remarks directly to the people of the region. “You have suffered Read More…

Quotes from Liakhovich-Briggs press conference Boxing News boxing results video clips, fans busy chat forum boxing news website mma mixed martial arts Read More…

Toy takes top prize at dog show 

IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE to count the number of yelps and howls at Mennen Arena in Morris Township at the annual Schooley’s Mountain Kennel Club dog show on Labor Day. No, we’re not talking about the pedigreed pooches who exhibited model decorum, waiting to strut their stuff in the rings. Continued…

HIS highly acclaimed climate-change documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, has opened in UK cinemas, putting America’s former vice-president back in the limelight. But will Britain get the message Continued…

Are you ready to add a dog to you family Looking for a dog that’s happy, playful, curious and energetic. A dog that is highly intelligent, eager and quick to learn An active dog that bonds very closely with the family Continued…

Want To Make A Lot Of Money As Boxer Breeder? Consider This Worst-Case Scenario

Breeding Boxer dogs is a costly business, if done right. It is even more costly - to your reputation - if done poorly. Few make money in breeding, and none become rich. Most breeders are content to break even. Those who do make money usually sink their profits right back into the business. The following scenario happens more often than not, so be prepared for this possible downside if you decide to take the work of a breeder:

Your female Boxer dog whelps a normal healthy litter of five, and you see the dollar signs walking on their toddling legs. You sell the first pup, which pays for the lovely whelping box you built, the vet exam, and the first shots. The next sale goes for the food bill and advertising. The third pup covers the registration of the litter, pedigree forms, worming the pups, and the next shot.

You buy more food and more shots (seven for each pup in the first six months) while advertising for the last two prospective owners, wherever they may be. Finally, one more sells, which means you can reimburse your parents for the stud fee they loaned you. You cut the price to sell the last one (who by this point is out of his cute stage), and pocket the profit. That is, unless you have tail docking, dewclaw removal, ear cropping, or shipping expenses. Wait - Did you forget to deduct the expense of purchasing the dam? You’re in the hole.

Ah, but next time, you think. The females price was covered by the last enlightening experience. You’ll breed to a local stud and advertising won’t be necessary because the last group of buyers will refer their friends and relatives. So the pups come. Or rather pup, because it’s a litter of one. That one goes as the pick pup to the stud owner, since you worked such a clever deal. But you must still pay the food bill, give shots, register, repaint the whelping box, etc. etc.

Well, this can’t happen twice in a row, you think, so you breed the female dog on the next season. The vet said it’d be okay, since she only had one pup. You go back to the first stud, thinking it was likely the second stud’s fault your dog only had one pup. So you pay the fee, paint the box, buy food, and take reservations on the litter. The pups are born, everyone suddenly changes his mind, and the pups hang around for six months. You buy a ton of food, give thirty-five shots, buy a large pen for the pups, and advertise, advertise, advertise. Then you must buy another pen to separate them because the girls are starting to come into season.

You finally manage to give the last two Boxer puppies away, take a breather for a year and breed the dam again, figuring something good has to come of all this. After all, your female dog has three champions in her six-generation pedigree! She whelps eight pups. You have reservations for six of them at one hundred fifty dollars each. At last, you relax. However, they contract a virus for which there is no vaccine when they’re six weeks old, before they can go to their new homes, and you lose all but three. Of course, you’ve already sunk a fortune into food, shots, and so on. You have to keep the surviving three for another month since they might be contagious to other dogs, and it’s cost you eighty-five dollars per pup for intravenous feeding to keep them alive. The six people cancel their reservations because (1) the pups aren’t as cute at three months as they were at two, (2) they don’t want a Boxer puppy that’s been sick, and (3) they already found one from their neighbor. That’s it, your wiped out! Are you prepared for this to possibly happen? Do you have the money?

FROM PAGE 9E 

Do you love your pet? To feature your pet in Neighbors, send a photo and a short description to: Neighbors, Readers’ Pets, The Herald, P.O. Box 921, Bradenton, FL 34206.
Source: www.bradenton.com

Understanding A Boxer Dog’s Sense Of Pain & It’s Connection To Events

Pain thresholds appear to vary between Boxer dogs and often depend on the emotional state of the dog as well as the context in which pain is experienced. For instance, most dogs, even active aggressive and flight types, inhibit overt defensive reflexes while undergoing veterinary examination, inoculations and treatment. The clinical context and its routine are generally established early in life, as are the dog’s inhibited behavioral responses. The same holds true for grooming procedures, nail clipping, and painful coat stripping.

On the other hand, owners who inflict pain on the pet are not so lucky. Their home context and relationship with the dog are mainly affectionate and sensually pleasant. So, when a family member creates pain by accident or design, the dog’s unconditioned defense reflexes may be expressed because it has not “learned” to inhibit them. Therefore, it is always advisable to pet owners to leave any pain-producing treatments to veterinarians and groomers and to create an upbeat, happy atmosphere for the dog during treatment. We also recommend avoiding painful physical punishment, as such punishment can lead to frustration, anxiety, and problems that often seem totally unrelated to the punishment.

For example, even though a Boxer puppy may submit to being spanked or hit on the snout the first time its owner comes home to find a fecal mess or a chewed-up item, the trauma is associated with the owner’s homecoming. In addition to inducing defensive responses to the owner, as the next homecoming approaches, the pup may become anxious because of what is called the “Jekyll and Hyde syndrome.” That is, which owner is going to walk in: the affectionate Dr. Jekyll or the nasty Mr. Hyde? This conflict in perceptions and the resultant anxiety can produce further anxiety-relieving behavior, such as more destructive chewing. Involuntary elimination may also be stimulated, producing off-schedule defecation and/or urination, the very reason the puppy may have been punished previously. Submissive urination can occur as the puppy is approached. Instead of applying aversion conditioning, the owner’s punishment is actually reinforcing the unwanted behavior by inducing more anxiety. This cycle of events is also is seen in adult dogs.

Problems also arise because dogs tend to associate internal pain with an object or person occupying their attention at the moment, or shortly before, it occurs. Many cases involving hip dysplasia, neck and spinal injuries and aggression toward owners have erupted when the owners were handling the dog or telling it to move, and the dog growled or bit at them. This has also been noted when dogs with painful arthritis have moved spontaneously while their attention was fixed on an owner or visitor. Many of these boxers have been obedient, even markedly submissive, to their owners. In most cases, veterinary-dispensed pain relievers and upbeat, encouraging behavior by the owners, timed to start as the dogs started to move, has produced remarkable successes.

Understanding & Respecting Your Boxer Dog’s Natural Instincts

One thing that all Boxer dogs have in common is a desire to please their owners. Unfortunately, an interspecies language barrier makes it difficult to get the point across. Training lets you overcome this barrier. It establishes a means of communication between you and your dog that’s bound to brighten your relationship. After all, training shows your dog how to earn exactly what it craves - your approval.

Before you start actively training your Boxer, you might want to invest a little time learning a touch of the dog’s language. We don’t just mean barking. Body language is an extremely important communication tool between dogs and other creatures. If you spend just a few moments watching your dog, you may come away with the ability to understand, even “connect” with your dog, much to its delight.

For instance, dogs often show they want to romp by making a “play bow.” You’ll recognize a play bow when your dog stretches out his forelegs before him and directs his rear end straight up in the air. dogs instantly understand what this posture means, whether it is performed by another dog or a human being. Try imitating the play bow in front of your Boxer dog when it seems to be in the mood for fun. Chances are, your pet will reward you with an intriguing and exuberant response.

Other forms of canine body language worth understanding are signs of submission and aggression. dogs who are submissive will often crouch down when you approach them, tuck their tail between their legs or roll over to expose the belly. They may urinate on the floor. This is a dog who doesn’t want to assert itself. This dog may need a lot of reassurance. Training may help the submissive dog “find itself.”

An aggressive dog, besides showing teeth or letting out a low growl, may indicate aggression by raising the hair on the back, putting the ears forward and holding the tail high. You can usually catch a glimpse of the dog’s mood by the ugly look in its eyes. In fact, reading the expression in a dog’s eyes is a powerful way to gauge its feelings, both good and bad. Most dogs do not like to maintain eye contact with a human being or more dominant dog for long; they will shift their gaze sideways before looking back again. In the wild, animals often interpret direct staring as a challenge. Once you build a trusting relationship with a dog, however, you will probably find your dog sending long, loving looks your way without fear of reprisal.

Another thing to remember is that your Boxer puppy naturally begins to learn the moment it sets foot in your house, even if you do not know it. dogs are creatures of habit. They soon establish routines and expectations based on what patterns are set by their owners. Consider the dog who perks up every time it hears a can opener pierce a can lid. Or the one who whines when it sees its owner pick up car keys, because it has learned that soon enough it will be alone for the day. And surely you’ve seen many a dog surge into action by the sight or sound of a leash being picked up.

To the rescue of man’s best friend 

Rhett Butler and Scarlet O’Hara - the bulldog versions - were strutting around Barth Pond on Sept. 24 in Patriot Park. With “Who Let the dogs Out” blasting in the background, Rhett and Scarlet joined hundreds of dog lovers and their best friends at the 13th annual Barkapalooza in Downers Grove. Read More…

Padraig Harrington never thought he would be much more than a journeyman golfer on the European Tour. He never assumed he would be good enough to play in a Ryder Cup. And he never pictured his face appearing on billboards all over Ireland, welcoming visitors to the largest sporting event in his country’s history. Read More…

There was no rioting in the street. Civilization did not come to a grinding halt. Jeff Probst was not forced as punishment to prepare shrimp toast and pupu platters on the Martha Stewart show…Actually, scratch that last one, but Survivor: Cook Islands finally premiered last night, and I’m pretty sure those two other things did not happen. Read More…

Meet Your Best Friend at the Zoo: Hundreds of pets available for adoption by several animal welfare groups, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 23-24, Detroit Zoo, Royal Oak. Admission and parking are free. www.michiganhumane.org. Read More…

Day that changed Dettori’s life 

A decade after he made history, the chirpy jockey admits that his seventh heaven came with a little hell as well.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Abraham on Miranda’s bite 
Sauerland s boxer Arthur Abraham and Marco Huck do not have much time for enjoying the sunny late summer days at the moment. Instead of this both have to sweat at punching bags, at the power training gym und while sparring.
Source: www.boxinginsider.com