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Canine Forteana (Dogs' Weirdness & Wonders)

I don't think breeders are purposely breeding dogs to be smarter. My experience is that they don't care about the same things that breeders did 50 years ago. The breed I know best has gone down hill in alot of ways in the last 50 years. Standard Poodles used to be the smartest of all dogs, they could be trained to do any job, though they did need a job and that was hard on people who just wanted a dog that lay around and looked good on a leash when they were taken for a walk. It was hard on the dog, who was smart enough to create it's own job if one wasn't given to it. They are hunting dogs and you can see a big difference between the U.S. standard poodles and the german standard poodles, because they are much stricter with their breeding practices.
I'm sure that when I was really young (I'm 65 now), maybe 4 or 5 years old, my dad took me to a circus and one of the acts was poodles that did tricks.
 
Good doggies!

Barking dogs alerted their owners to a fire that destroyed a house in the middle of the night.

Crews from five stations were called to the detached house in Dunmow Road, Takeley, Essex, at about 02:45 BST. Station manager Terry Maher said the fire started in an outbuilding before spreading to the roof of the house. He said the firefighters "worked incredibly hard" with a limited water supply and also managed to save horses in a nearby stable.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-65663297
 
Our old dog would tap your foot with his nose when he wanted to go outside, but the one now just goes to the back door and stares at it.
It's only when someone eventually asks ''where's the dog'' that we know that she's probably there waiting.
 
We were at a country fair at a local college on Sunday and watching some demos in a gigantic covered arena which is used to train and exercise horses. One demo was a pack of hounds being led by a couple of riders on horses. In the past there was always one hound which misbehaved and caused chaos. This time I spotted a huge hound who was not following the pack, a real trouble maker. Sure enough it decided to jump over the 4 foot high wall separating the area from the spectator stands, bolt up the stairs to the top row where we were sitting and tried to hide behind my legs. It was so fast that staff struggled to catch it and every time it was put back in the arena it jumped over the wall and ran around the stands. What on earth it was thinking I don't know, but it was clearly not scared of man nor beast, just a bit of a hoodlum.
 
That vent well!

Puppy gets head stuck in wall in Carlisle​


Teale the puppy with her head stuck in a wall
IMAGE SOURCE, CARLISLE EAST FIRE STATION Image caption, When a fire crew arrived they found Teale feeling "very sorry for herself"

An adventurous puppy had to be rescued after she got her head stuck through a hole in a wall.

Teale, a four-month-old Labrador, became trapped in an extractor vent for a tumble dryer at home in Longtown, Carlisle, on Tuesday.
Rescuers from Carlisle East fire station arrived to find Teale "feeling very sorry for herself".

They managed to free her "with minimal fuss" using small tools and she was said to be "no worse for wear".

"She was very appreciative, and rewarded the crew with lots of cuddles and licks," a spokesperson said.

Crew manager Stuart Forrester, one of the first on scene, told BBC Radio Cumbria it was one of the more "out of the ordinary" calls his team had attended.

He said the puppy had been playing in the garden and tried to get back into the house, but the only entrance she could find was the hole.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-66039212
 
I seem to have had a spate of animal interactions over the past few weeks. Yesterday teetering on top of a ten foot ladder to clean the gutters, I felt the ladder vibrating strangely. Now fortunately the foot of the ladder is jammed firmly against the dwarf double brick wall at the right angle. Looking down there was a black Labrador trying to climb the ladder. What it was thinking I've no idea, but fortunately it's owner came running down the street and grabbed the dog which had slipped its lead. Apologising profusely, she explained that her canine had a strange attraction to ladders and would try to climb any that it saw. Funny behaviour really.
 
Last week, the dog took me for my walk and we tried to do a route that we have done hundreds of times over the last eight years.

We walk up the main road for a short distance until we are opposite a turning into a cul de sac. Usually she pulls me to get over to the other side and I have to run to keep up. Once we are over we have a choice of paths to take.

As I left the house, I thought to myself that for a change, I will stay on the main road for a bit longer and get on the canal further up instead.
When we got to our usual crossing point, I had changed my mind and decided to do the same route we always do after all.

As I was about to cross over the main road, she rooted her bum to the floor.
I asked her what was wrong and she looked up the main road in the direction I had originally intended to go and would not budge until I set off that way.

Similar incidences like this have happened before.
Very strange.
 
Last week, the dog took me for my walk and we tried to do a route that we have done hundreds of times over the last eight years.

We walk up the main road for a short distance until we are opposite a turning into a cul de sac. Usually she pulls me to get over to the other side and I have to run to keep up. Once we are over we have a choice of paths to take.

As I left the house, I thought to myself that for a change, I will stay on the main road for a bit longer and get on the canal further up instead.
When we got to our usual crossing point, I had changed my mind and decided to do the same route we always do after all.

As I was about to cross over the main road, she rooted her bum to the floor.
I asked her what was wrong and she looked up the main road in the direction I had originally intended to go and would not budge until I set off that way.

Similar incidences like this have happened before.
Very strange.
Son's dog will do this sitting down and not budging in the middle of the road type thing. He has to pick her up and carry her across the road. (And boy is she big and heavy- there's no way I could pick her up.) Presumably they suddenly decide on a particular occasion that they want to go another route. Strangely she will not do this when daughter in law (very very petite) takes her for a walk.
 
Son's dog will do this sitting down and not budging in the middle of the road type thing. He has to pick her up and carry her across the road. (And boy is she big and heavy- there's no way I could pick her up.) Presumably they suddenly decide on a particular occasion that they want to go another route. Strangely she will not do this when daughter in law (very very petite) takes her for a walk.
Yes, ours does it sometimes, but that's usually when we've done the same walk for a few times and then I want to slightly change it.
In this case though, we had never done the one that I had decided to do as I left the house so it was so strange that she'd 'read my mind' as it were.
 
Last week, the dog took me for my walk and we tried to do a route that we have done hundreds of times over the last eight years.

We walk up the main road for a short distance until we are opposite a turning into a cul de sac. Usually she pulls me to get over to the other side and I have to run to keep up. Once we are over we have a choice of paths to take.

As I left the house, I thought to myself that for a change, I will stay on the main road for a bit longer and get on the canal further up instead.
When we got to our usual crossing point, I had changed my mind and decided to do the same route we always do after all.

As I was about to cross over the main road, she rooted her bum to the floor.
I asked her what was wrong and she looked up the main road in the direction I had originally intended to go and would not budge until I set off that way.

Similar incidences like this have happened before.
Very strange.
They do tend to like their routines especially as they get older, I gather it's less hassle for them sniffing out a new environment
 
Ewe would easily mistake them for sheep.

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Maremma sheep dog

Image caption, The Maremma sheep dogs' white coat means farmers can easily distinguish them from predators such as wolves

Specially-trained guardian dogs from the Alps could be used to help protect new born lambs from sea eagles.

Highland falconers are training two Maremma sheep dogs to look out for the large birds of prey in the sky. The breed - which have white coats and are easily distinguishable from animals like wolves - typically live with herds driving away predators.

Farmers believe white-tailed sea eagles have killed hundreds of lambs over the last decade. It is Scotland's largest bird of prey and was reintroduced on the west coast almost 50 years ago.

For years, Italian shepherds have used Maremma sheep dogs to scare off wolves - but falconers hope to train the dogs to look out for predators from above.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-66270061
 
Ewe would easily mistake them for sheep.

Share
Maremma sheep dog

Image caption, The Maremma sheep dogs' white coat means farmers can easily distinguish them from predators such as wolves

Specially-trained guardian dogs from the Alps could be used to help protect new born lambs from sea eagles.

Highland falconers are training two Maremma sheep dogs to look out for the large birds of prey in the sky. The breed - which have white coats and are easily distinguishable from animals like wolves - typically live with herds driving away predators.

Farmers believe white-tailed sea eagles have killed hundreds of lambs over the last decade. It is Scotland's largest bird of prey and was reintroduced on the west coast almost 50 years ago.

For years, Italian shepherds have used Maremma sheep dogs to scare off wolves - but falconers hope to train the dogs to look out for predators from above.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-66270061

- As famously used to protect the Little Penguins from foxes in Australia:

http://www.warrnamboolpenguins.com.au/maremma-dogs

maximus otter
 
Commander continues his war against the Secret Service.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ‘s dog Commander bit or otherwise attacked Secret Service personnel at least 10 times between October 2022 and January, including one incident that required a hospital visit by the injured law enforcement officer, according to records from the Department of Homeland Security.

The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch on Tuesday released nearly 200 pages of Secret Service records that it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The group said it filed suit after the agency, a division of DHS, “failed to respond adequately” to its request last December for records about biting incidents involving the purebred German shepherd. The group said it filed the request after receiving a tip about Commander’s behavior.

Commander is the second dog of Biden’s to behave aggressively, including biting Secret Service personnel and White House staff. They eventually sent the dog, a German shepherd named Major, to live with friends in Delaware after those incidents.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-dog-secret-service-commander-bite-89448214f0832edabd28940f7a2c8d4c
 
Ewe would easily mistake them for sheep.

Share
Maremma sheep dog

Image caption, The Maremma sheep dogs' white coat means farmers can easily distinguish them from predators such as wolves

Specially-trained guardian dogs from the Alps could be used to help protect new born lambs from sea eagles.

Highland falconers are training two Maremma sheep dogs to look out for the large birds of prey in the sky. The breed - which have white coats and are easily distinguishable from animals like wolves - typically live with herds driving away predators.

Farmers believe white-tailed sea eagles have killed hundreds of lambs over the last decade. It is Scotland's largest bird of prey and was reintroduced on the west coast almost 50 years ago.

For years, Italian shepherds have used Maremma sheep dogs to scare off wolves - but falconers hope to train the dogs to look out for predators from above.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-66270061
When I saw a Maremma I thought it was a Golden retriever.

(How many goldies are platinum blondes these days?)
 
Resilient French bulldog wolfs down 11 rubber ducks

A dog owner in China was left in disbelief after doctors discovered that her beloved French bulldog had swallowed a staggering 11 rubber ducks — and had to be rushed to an emergency operation as a result.

She was in for a shock when doctors took an x-ray of the dog’s stomach, locating a least five of the toy from the image.

NYPICHPDPICT000026865120.jpg


Liu’s dog was then rushed into emergency surgery, where vets managed to pull out an addition six ducks — counting 11 consumed in all.

Doctors told Liu her dog was lucky to be alive after the ordeal — but it looks like the Frenchie is already past it. On the Chinese social media platform Douyin, Liu posted a video of herself scolding the dog, who appeared to ignore her while taking a nap at her human’s feet.

https://nypost.com/2023/08/27/resilient-french-bulldog-wolfs-down-11-rubber-ducks/

maximus otter
 
They do tend to like their routines especially as they get older, I gather it's less hassle for them sniffing out a new environment
Yes, but that's not what happened here.
She didn't want to do the usual route, but the new route that I had only just decided on as we left the house.
 
Archaeo Dogs used on ancient excavation sites

Last week, the elite canine team was called to help archaeologist Birgit Anzenberg at a dig site in Neufahrn bei Freising, some 25 kilometres north of Munich in Bavaria.

The researcher explained that the area was inhabited during the Iron Age and early Celtic period. On top of a settlement from those times, there is also an ancient Roman road running through the site.

The dogs under the guidance of their owners, were let free to sniff through the site, looking for the scent of bone remains signifying potential burial sites.
‘We meet at an excavation site and then the first dog searches over this limited area as it wants to search. It can go left, right, how it thinks it has to search, where it gets its scent from. And this search gives us certain insights,’ said Dietmar Kroepel, founder of Archaeo Dogs.

Afterwards a different dog is told to start searching, with the owner not being told about the previous dog’s findings.

Two years of training is needed for a dog to become an Archaeo Dog, according to Mr Kroepel.

He added that the dogs hit a ratio of over 90 percent and being able to smell bones as deep as 14 metres (45 feet).
1693480954450.png
 
I bet they also like Wagner. Vid at link.

Dogs perform Mozart with orchestra in Denmark​


A classical music festival in Copenhagen, Denmark, has opened with some canine additions to the orchestra.

Footage of the rehearsal shows three dogs participating in the performance of the Hunting Symphony, a little-known piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's father, Leopold.

Chief conductor Adam Fischer - who auditioned dozens of dogs for the role - said he was honouring the composer's wish that a part of the symphony should be accompanied by baying hounds.

Cookie, Sophus and Sica were chosen for their barking skills, and went through three months of training: not only to bark on command, but to remain quiet for the rest of the performance.


https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-66705222
 
Commander continues his war against the Secret Service.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ‘s dog Commander bit or otherwise attacked Secret Service personnel at least 10 times between October 2022 and January, including one incident that required a hospital visit by the injured law enforcement officer, according to records from the Department of Homeland Security.

The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch on Tuesday released nearly 200 pages of Secret Service records that it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The group said it filed suit after the agency, a division of DHS, “failed to respond adequately” to its request last December for records about biting incidents involving the purebred German shepherd. The group said it filed the request after receiving a tip about Commander’s behavior.

Commander is the second dog of Biden’s to behave aggressively, including biting Secret Service personnel and White House staff. They eventually sent the dog, a German shepherd named Major, to live with friends in Delaware after those incidents.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-dog-secret-service-commander-bite-89448214f0832edabd28940f7a2c8d4c

Another agent bitten.

One of President Joe Biden’s dogs bit its 11th victim, a U.S. Secret Service agent, on Monday evening at the White House, a spokesperson for the agency told HuffPost on Tuesday.

“The officer was treated by medical personnel on complex” after the incident, the Secret Service chief of communications, Anthony Guglielmi, told HuffPost.

Commander is a 2-year-old pure-bred German shepherd that replaced Major, the Bidens’ German shepherd rescue who also had several instances of biting people at the White House.

The numerous examples of Commander — and Major — injuring people has forced the White House to respond and has prompted conversations about how the dogs may have made the complex an unsafe workplace.

“As we’ve noted before, the White House can be a stressful environment for family pets, and the First Family continues to work on ways to help Commander handle the often unpredictable nature of the White House grounds,” Elizabeth Alexander, a spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden, told NBC News in a statement Tuesday.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bide...cret-service-agent_n_65139295e4b0fa72d69d40ef
 
Makes a difference from chasing cars.

Police in Slovakia have fined a car owner whose dog was behind the wheel.

A speed camera photo, posted on Facebook, appears to show a smiling canine in the driving seat of a Skoda.

The car owner insisted that his pet - a brown hunting dog - had suddenly leapt into his lap.

But officers in the village of Sterusy, north-east of the capital, Bratislava, said footage showed this was not the case as there was no sudden movement in the car.

It's not clear if the fine - issued to the owner, rather than the dog - was for speeding, or for failing to secure the pet in a moving vehicle.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66969843
 
Another agent bitten.

One of President Joe Biden’s dogs bit its 11th victim, a U.S. Secret Service agent, on Monday evening at the White House, a spokesperson for the agency told HuffPost on Tuesday.

“The officer was treated by medical personnel on complex” after the incident, the Secret Service chief of communications, Anthony Guglielmi, told HuffPost.

Commander is a 2-year-old pure-bred German shepherd that replaced Major, the Bidens’ German shepherd rescue who also had several instances of biting people at the White House.

The numerous examples of Commander — and Major — injuring people has forced the White House to respond and has prompted conversations about how the dogs may have made the complex an unsafe workplace.

“As we’ve noted before, the White House can be a stressful environment for family pets, and the First Family continues to work on ways to help Commander handle the often unpredictable nature of the White House grounds,” Elizabeth Alexander, a spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden, told NBC News in a statement Tuesday.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bide...cret-service-agent_n_65139295e4b0fa72d69d40ef

Woof justice for Commander,

The Biden family's dog, Commander, has been moved out of the White House after a series of biting incidents.

It is still being decided what will happen to the two-year-old German Shepherd, a spokeswoman for First Lady Jill Biden said. Just last week, Commander bit a Secret Service agent who required medical treatment at the scene. It was the 11th time the dog has bitten a guard at the White House complex or at the family home in Delaware.

"The President and First Lady care deeply about the safety of those who work at the White House and those who protect them every day," the spokeswoman, Elizabeth Alexander, said in a statement on Wednesday. "They remain grateful for the patience and support of the US Secret Service and all involved, as they continue to work through solutions. Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated."

She did not say where the dog was currently living or if it would eventually return to the White House.

The statement was released shortly after CNN reported that Commander had been involved in more than the 11 biting incidents acknowledged by the Secret Service.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67015811
 
I love German shepherds, my best dog ever was one, but it's ridiculous (and unfair to the dog, IMHO) to have a guarding breed in a place that has so many people coming and going :(

German shepherd people can be particularly fixated on their breed and refuse to have anything else, even if it's clear it's not the right breed for their situation, I've come across it a few times before.
 
Another agent bitten.

One of President Joe Biden’s dogs bit its 11th victim, a U.S. Secret Service agent, on Monday evening at the White House, a spokesperson for the agency told HuffPost on Tuesday.

“The officer was treated by medical personnel on complex” after the incident, the Secret Service chief of communications, Anthony Guglielmi, told HuffPost.

Commander is a 2-year-old pure-bred German shepherd that replaced Major, the Bidens’ German shepherd rescue who also had several instances of biting people at the White House.

The numerous examples of Commander — and Major — injuring people has forced the White House to respond and has prompted conversations about how the dogs may have made the complex an unsafe workplace.

“As we’ve noted before, the White House can be a stressful environment for family pets, and the First Family continues to work on ways to help Commander handle the often unpredictable nature of the White House grounds,” Elizabeth Alexander, a spokesperson for first lady Jill Biden, told NBC News in a statement Tuesday.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bide...cret-service-agent_n_65139295e4b0fa72d69d40ef
Sounds like the dog has good taste. Biting spies is an excellent idea, even if they are your own spies.
 
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