Euro Puppy BLOG

Did you know that apart from the tail, your dog's nose also indicates their health? Lots of people intuitively feel that if their nose is hot and dry all the time, then it indicates a problem.

Though this has never been proven, I have a secret bias towards this theory myself. That apart, if your dog's nose has changed color, or is flaky, you might want to look more closely for early signs of sickness.



Image Credit: MikeBrowne

The scene of a dog lifting up his leg and peeing on a fire hydrant is iconic. It has come to be a symbol of disregard, and marking territory. However, by smelling another dogs pee, your dog can know not just the territory, but the size, and the health of the pee-er!

Apparently, the height from which the pee has fallen, gives an idea to your pooch whether to stay away, or step in with confidence. Nobody knows why they raise a let to do it though! Observations show that it's not really necessary!

Did you ever believe that dogs can surf? Almost 2000 spectators gathered at Imperial Beach in San Diego on the 29th of June to watch 60 dogs battle it out at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition.

To cap it all, the dogs were complete with accessories like Sun Glasses, and life vest! The competition was won by the Jack Russel Terrier Zoey.

For those Rhodesian Ridgeback fans, who have wondered why a Ridgeback is indeed called a Ridgeback, one has to look at the cause of the ridge on their backs to get the real answers.

Taking the inititative to map the hair ridge trait in Rhodesian ridgebacks, scientists identified a segment of DNA that was found in Ridgebacks and the analysis revealed the precise genetic cause of ridges in this awesome African dog. A certain region contained three genes which were abnormally duplicated. These three genes are present in excess copies. When the genes are present in single copies, no ridge occurs - as in "normal dogs".

The same underlying genes are responsible for two traits: the rare white coat color in boxers and the inverted ridge of hair growth in the 3 Ridgeback breeds: the Rhodesian Ridgebacks, the Thai Ridgeback, and the rare Phu Quoc Dog of Vietnam, which is somewhat smaller than the Thai Ridgeback. Based on genetic-based hypothesis, both the Thai Ridgeback Dog and Phu Quoc Dog are likely to be descended from a so-called Funan Ridgeback Dog which originated over 1,000 years ago in Funan Era of the region. The Hottentot Dog or Ari Dog (as called by the tribe), a known African ridgeback ancestor of the Rhodesian Ridgeback, is now extinct. The possible genetic connection among the three remaining breeds is being investigated through DNA studies. So far, the only thing they have in common is the ridge on their backs.

In addition to showing a simple pattern of inheritance- suggesting that one gene or genomic region is responsible - the coat color and ridgeback traits are easily observed in dogs as well!

Euro Puppy is proud to have Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies for sale.

Ask the average person to tell you whether a dog is happy or not, and they will advise you to look at its tail -- if the dog is happy, the tail is wagging. Yes. But this is only partly true. Some tail wags have totally different meanings. This can be especailly important in understanding canine body language.

- A rapid tail wag, where the tail swings from side-to-side in a not very large, but constant way, is actually a sign of excitement rather than pleasure.

- A moderately fast, broad tail wag: the dog is trying to say either "I’m pleased" or "I like you."

- A slight tail wag with the tail held at its normal height, for example, usually appears when greeting someone. It can be interpreted as "Hello there," but can mean "I see you looking at me. You like me, don’t you?"

-A slow tail wag with the tail held lower than its usual height is a sign of insecurity. It often shows up when a dog is working on a problem -- trying to understand what is going on. During dog training, this can be interpreted as "I’m trying to understand you. I want to know what you mean, but I can’t quite figure it out (yet)."

- Once the dog finally solves the problem, the speed and size of the tail wags will usually increase until it becomes the broad wag that we interpret as happiness!

It is never easy to lose a loved-one. Dogs are family members. They either grow up with us, or join our circle of trust the moment they enter our family. Nature works in mysterious ways. Small dogs live for a long time. Large dogs live for a short time. A Havanese can live up to 19 years if properly cared for, while a Bernese Mountain Dog lives for about 8 years only. This is an important factor to take into consideration, when buying a certain breed. 8 years is not a long time. How can one say goodbye, when the time comes? Ok, so this is not a happy topic, but it is just as important as when one deals with dog training or canine nutrition. It is inevitable. Why avoid discussing it?

As far back as Ancient Egypt, royalty mummified their favorite cats and dogs to ensure that in the after-life they would stand proudly next to them as well. In many countries, today – especially in the US and Australia- pet cremation services are highly respected. Others choose taxidermy, to force immortality into the body of their pet dog. This is more common in Europe. In Eastern Europe for instance, taxidermy is still more common. The topic of pet cremations can be found in pet forums, but its popularity is not felt yet.



However, loss is loss. And if one treats a dog as a family member, then he or she deserves that final respect as well. Some may choose a burial. There are many companies these days that offer pet cremation services as well as grief counseling services. This can be especially important for children, so that they can accept and understand, what it means for a dog to pass away. Writing poetry or creating a pet memorial blog are also means by which one can digest grief. It is thus not surprising that most dog poems are about those dogs that have gone to doggy heaven.

In a span of 21 years, I have said goodbye to 3 Dobermans, 3 Rottweilers, 1 Rhodesian Ridgeback, 1 Staffordshire Bull Terrier, 1 Great Dane, 1 German Shepherd, 3 Pavement Specials (please note the capital letters, out of respect) and 3 birds. The cause: a Gypsy lifestyle, African snake bites, old age and dog fights. There were no cremation services...and taxidermy was not an option. Burial ...and poetry were. (Hmmmm...maybe we should've had a Havanese?) However you choose to say goodbye to your beloved pet is your own choice and own right. Either way is painful. Although the saying: - “It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all”- is true, the final moments are still the hardest to live with...

Any discussion of dogs' sense of smell ultimately leads to the greatest, most imponderable question about dogs ....this question has nagged kids and adults of many ages and one may even ask this question while sleepily stirring coffee in the morning and looking at Fido eat his crunchies...why do they have wet noses?

Scientists have many answers for this. One is that evaporation or moisture from the nose helps cool the dog. It is thus understandable, that dogs that have shorter muzzles, like the Pug or Pekingese may find it harder to breathe, and thus get hotter far quicker in summer. Another theory states that added moisture in the nose makes the dog more sensitive to odors.The most boring answer is that many dogs simply lick their noses with their tongues, thus wetting them. Ruling the last one out...how about going back to Biblical times and using a folk "tail" to explain it?

When God flooded the world- the story goes- all life on the planet was inside of Noah’s ark. The two dogs Noah had chosen constantly patrolled the ark, checking on the other animals, and generally just poking around as dogs do. One day, the dogs were taking their daily stroll when they noticed a coin-sized leak, through which water was rushing in at a rapid rate. One dog quickly ran for help, while the other dog gallantly stuck his nose in the hole to plug it. By the time Noah and his sons arrives to repair the hole, the poor dog was in great pain and gasping for breath, but a major disaster had been averted. According to this tale, dogs’ cold, wet noses are simply a badge of honor, conferred upon them by God in memory of that heroic act.

Say what you will, but I like this theory the best! *grin*

If you don't already think animals are far more spiritually advanced than we humans, think again.

Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon tethered sled dogs in the wilds of Canada's Hudson Bay...definitely makes you re-evaluate your feelings...

The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the polar bear wandered in. He held his breath as the animals encountered each other for the first time....but...to his suprise...








....the polar bear returned every night that week to play with the dogs. Now tell me what you know!

Every so often, one hears of some canine miracle. At Euro Puppy, we are always happy to be able to give a small place for those dogs that one can really respect..look up to...and even admire.

Meet Max. He is an eight-year-old springer spaniel. Max is a retired police sniffer dog, and after he became crippled with hip, back and leg problems, he was let down from active duty.

After Max retired, his former colleagues organized a special 'chariot' to help him fight his disabilities. The device consists of two wheels attached to a frame strapped across his back to provide balance and support. With this, he can move, and even run...enjoying his retirement that much more. Although it is not an easy life, Max seems to be making the best out of an otherwise hopeless situation.

There cannot be too many airlines in the world which dabble in dog breeding. Well, the Russian Aeroflot Airlines has its very own dog breeding centre, and a new dog breed has been developed by them for the sole purpose of having a drug and bomb-sniffing hound at the Moscow Airport.

So what is this new breed like? They are a unique breed - a cross between a Siberian Husky and a Turkmen Jackal. Before you lift your eyebrows in shock, it is worth mentioning that this rather unique combination took 27 years to perfect and the result is amazing! The Russian Aeroflot claims it has managed to produce the world's greatest sniffer dog, by combining the genes of a Husky with a Jackal. Their breeders claim that they are much more effective than the Labradors or German Shepherds that are more commonly used in the West.

At first sight, they look much like a normal Husky, although they are a bit smaller and have a Jackal's thick black whiskers. The Husky and Turkmen Jackal were picked for the breeding project because of their extremely keen noses. The former has evolved to sniff out the faintest odors in Arctic conditions when the deep cold suppresses smells, while the jackal has a nose more sensitive than its cousin, the domestic dog. Siberian Huskies are known for their obedience, while pure Jackals make poor working dogs. They are too afraid of people and are hard to train and domesticate. They hail from the warmer climates of central Asia and suffer in the Russian winter.



According to Aeroflot’s chief dog breeder, Klim Sulimov: “The best thing about these dogs is their sense of smell. They can sniff out certain explosives which ordinary machines can't trace. And they're much cheaper. My dogs combine the qualities of Arctic reindeer herding dogs, which can work in temperatures as low as -70C, and Jackals which enjoy the heat up to +40C. They're perfect for our country”.

Aeroflot says breeding super sniffer dogs has become a necessity. The rise of terrorism made all airlines look more tightly at security issues. Aeroflot, however, believes the dogs will eventually pay their way and is even planning to market them worldwide. There is already a great interest from other airlines for this new breed. Each of the dogs is worth about $5,000. So far, 40 of the dogs have been bred. Thirty are working at Moscow's Sheremetyevo-2 international airport. A name for the new breed has yet to be chosen, although Huscal and Jacky have, apparently, been ruled out.

It may be unusual for an airline to breed its own sniffer dogs, but with Russia fearing attacks from Chechen militants and al-Qaeda, anything which helps passengers feel safer in the air must be worth the expense.