Author archives: Brian Lynn

Canines of all ages are notorious for eating the oddest things. From leftovers in the garbage to rocks in the yard, some dogs will consume anything. While their self-induced supplementary diets can make for interesting story sharing, the actual act can pose a risk (life-threatening sometimes) and can cost you a lot of money in emergency vet fees.

Sometimes the weird things dogs eat can be avoided. Sometimes they can’t. I’ll be honest, my dogs have eaten some things that aren’t so good for them, and sometimes that was my fault and others times it just happened.

Hoss, my English bulldog, once ate a pair of my shoes. That was my fault, as I left them on the floor where they would become the subject of his inquisitive puppy nature. The corner of the wall he ate, however, was (I’m convinced) simply because it was in front of him when he woke up. The television remote was left on the couch where he could find it. Likewise, he was left alone in the car with the Labrador’s frozen training ducks. These are just a couple of examples of things one of my dogs has eaten.

If you noticed a pattern ...

In recognition of the AKC’s Responsible Dog Ownership Days, I thought I’d reflect on what it means to be a responsible dog owner, as it’s a very subjective topic.

Some people believe simply providing food, water and shelter is the only responsibility of owning a dog. I’d say that’s the bottom line, lowest common denominator of responsible dog ownership. Below are some thoughts on what it means to responsibly care for, train and breed dogs. Which do you think are most important?

The Basics: As said, providing your dog with quality diet, water and shelter from heat/cold/precipitation are the bare minimums of responsibility. I’d add sufficient exercise and interaction to that list as well.

Socialization: Raising a puppy that has had proper socialization during the first 12 weeks of age will make a difference in its character and psychological stability for the rest of its life. Safely introducing your puppy and allowing it to meet and interact with other dogs teaches it how to behave around other dogs, and what the proper protocols and canine rituals are. Failure to socialize your dog can handicap it; creating a fearful or aggressive dog that will have difficulty interacting with other ...

The American Staffordshire terrier (or Amstaff) has an interesting history that relates closely to the bulldog – in fact, the Amstaff more closely resembles the original bulldog than does today’s version of that breed.

In the 1800s the bulldog was taller and more athletic than today’s squat, smash-faced companion breed. It was used for bear and bull-baiting, where the dog would fight those animals prior to their being slaughtered for market. As the sport of baiting fell out of favor in the 1880s, the bulldog nearly went extinct. Aficionados of the breed revived it, breeding for the extremes of character and appearance in the breed that we see today.

The Amstaff split from the bulldog before the fall of the baiting practice and the selective breeding process for extremes was undertaken. At some point, probably in the early to mid-1800s, the bulldog was crossed with a terrier of some sort, which added even more tenacity to the willful bulldog. The Amstaff began to appear in the United States as early as the 1870s, and was used in both America and England, where it originated, to fight in pits with rats, as well as other dogs. In England the bulldog/terrier ...

The Cavalier King Charles spaniel, a toy breed best suited as a companion pet, has a very interesting history that perfectly – one that exemplifies how humans have manipulated canine genes through selective breeding.

The ancestry of toy spaniels, from which the Cavalier and closely related King Charles spaniel descend, can be traced to the Far East (likely Japan, which suggests a common ancestry with the Pekingese). It’s believed that these toy spaniels were given to European royalty as gifts.

History shows that the earliest recorded appearance of a toy spaniel in England was in a painting of Queen Mary I and King Philip in the early 1500s. However, it was during the reign of King Charles II (1649-1685) that the small spaniel breeds exploded in popularity – and from when they were first identified with the monarchy by name. So enamored with them was Charles, that the dogs reported had complete freedom within Whitehall Palace – and that Charles had a tendency to pay more mind to the dogs than visitors and state business.

The toy spaniels of Charles’ day were said to possess a flatter skull and short noses, which is the biggest distinction between the two breeds ...

Recently the Paw Print Genetics team attended the AKC Canine Health Foundation’s 2013 National Parent Club Canine Health Conference in St. Louis. The conference was held at the Hyatt Regency and consisted of three days of presentations, studies and the future of canine health across many topics.

Presentations and speakers included: “Inherited Cardiomyopathies” by Kathryn Meurs, DVM, PhD of North Carolina State University; “Regenerative Medicine for Soft Tissue Injuries in the Canine” by Sherman O. Canapp Jr., DVM, MS, CCRT of Veterinary Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Group; “Application of Physical Therapy Techniques to Our Canine Patients: The Current Science and Research Opportunities” by Janet B. Van Dyke, DVM, DACVSMR of the Canine Rehabilitation Institute; as well as breakout sessions covering cancer, nutrition/GI/bloat and, of course, genetic testing.

This is a chance for AKC Canine Health Foundation grantees to show how the monies from the organization are being used, to update parent breed clubs on their findings and what they still need to investigate, as well as to receive feedback from the clubs themselves.

While taking a quick break, I ran into Susan LaCroix Hamil, who is on the Board of Directors for both the AKC Canine Health Foundation ...

When someone refers to a "collie," many people think of the iconic image of Lassie – the dog made popular by Eric Knight’s novel and the MGM television production. However, the term collie more broadly refers to a collective of dogs with similar traits – including the border collie, Australian collie, bearded collie and Shetland sheepdog.

The image of Lassie-type collie is actually what’s known as a "rough" collie or long-haired collie. They were originally bred for herding and driving livestock during the 1700s in Scotland and Wales. The dogs from the two areas had distinctly different characteristics – the Scottish version was large, strong and aggressive in order to herd highland sheep, while the Welsh variety was smaller, more nimble and was used to herd goats. The two were crossed and then likely mixed with Borzoi (which resulted in the long tapered head) to produce the foundation of today’s breed.

While a working dog in ancestry, the shift toward the conformation ring and companion pet exploded after Queen Victoria acquired one in the 1800s. The continued breeding for these purposes has reduced the herding instinct in many lines; the result being that today the instinct is very hit or miss ...

Perhaps no other breed epitomizes a show dog as much as a poodle in a Continental or Scandinavian clip, but lumping the poodle into a single venue would be to ignore more than 500 years of breeding and working history.

The poodle originated in Germany (where it was known as the pudelhund) and was popular throughout Europe – it’s even the national dog of France.  It became popular as a pet during the 18th Century, but has a storied history of service. From the battlefield to the duck marsh, the poodle has worked closely with man for hundreds of years – which is probably a reason why it often ranks as one of the most intelligent breeds.

Poodles were originally used for retrieving downed waterfowl for hunters. Their dense, tightly curled and water resistant coat helped keep them buoyant and insulated in the cold water. There are kennels throughout the country that are working to continue the hunting heritage of the poodle by training and testing them in hunting venues. Poodles have also been used since the 17th Century as war dogs, including during World War II as guard dogs. They also compete in obedience, agility, tracking and even ...

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, said Benjamin Franklin. While the founding father might have been talking about most things in human life, his advice also applies to canines.

During these hot summer days, commonsense prevention can help keep your dog safe. Dogs don’t do well in the heat; even seemingly mild days in the 70s and low 80s can take their toll quickly. Humidity compounds the heat and makes it harder for your dog to cool down. If your dog is out of shape, exercising in heat takes an even greater toll.

If you’re training your dog for competition – whether that’s field trials or hunt tests, obedience, agility or flyball – it’s best to practice early in the morning when the ground and air temps are at the coolest. Other commonsense precautions to take include: ample breaks in the action, plenty of cool water to drink and swim in between drills, as well as resting in the shade.

If you take the time and provide your dog with the chance to cool down, you should be fine. However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when watching your dog ...

It’s August and the heat index is soaring throughout the country. While modern conveniences can keep us cool, our canine companions suffer through these “dog days of summer” in much less comfort.

When the heat first hit earlier this summer, I was having a conversation with an officer from the local humane shelter. While we talked, call after call came across her radio of reports about dogs being left in cars. The outside temperature was pushing 100 degrees.

“When the warm weather starts, that’s what most of our calls are for – responding to dogs left in parked cars,” she said.

It’s astounding to me that someone would leave their dog in a car – even for “just a minute” – when the temperature is pushing 100 degrees, but apparently way too many people do. This tragic story out of North Carolina illustrates just how horrible death by heat stroke is, and that even people knowledgeable about dogs can make bad decisions. It’s also a perfect example of just how sensitive dogs are when it comes to heat – temperatures that day were in the mid- to high-70s with thunderstorms in the area.

Sadly, just eight days prior to ...

As entertaining, happy and hard-working dogs, golden retrievers have become one of the most popular breeds in the world. They consistently rank among the most-registered breeds in the U.S., U.K. and Australia, and serve many roles with an unrivaled eagerness to please.

Developed in Scotland in the 1800s as a water dog used to retrieve shot fowl, golden retrievers descend from a non-descript “yellow-colored” retriever, two extinct breeds (the St. Johns water dog and the Tweed water spaniel), Irish setters, the bloodhound and wavy-coated black retrievers. This combination of dogs set the stage for the modern golden’s characteristics: love of water, superb scenting ability, trainability, biddable disposition, desire to retrieve, soft mouth and intelligence. A well-balanced dog, golden retrievers possess soundness of body, character and intelligence (author Stanley Coren ranks them as the fourth most-intelligent dog).

While they were originally bred to retrieve waterfowl for hunters, and they still perform this duty today, golden retrievers have successfully crossed into all roles of canine athlete and assistance dog. Owners of golden retrievers compete in field trial and hunt tests, agility, flyball, obedience trials and the conformation ring. They are also used extensively in search and rescue, detection (from ...