What Good Dog Breeders Do

I’ll return to my ‘regular’ blog subjects next week, but I see from my stats that many people come to this blog from what I’ve blogged about dogs. Those blogs get shared a lot. I have about 200 regular subscribers, but many of the posts have been shared hundreds of times.

I started blogging because I loved dogs enough to learn about them, but a guy (Dan London, out of business for years, & who thinks integrity is a character flaw—like Trump) tried to make my life hell because I refused to work for him—& give him credibility he didn’t deserve. Beware of dog businesses where they address how much their employees ‘love dogs‘ but have never trained a dog to off-leash reliability, have never brushed their own dog, and think ‘breeds’ don’t matter.

There is some confusion among alleged pet lovers: this is the 21st century. there are no ‘accidental’ breedings—just irresponsible pet owners who refuse to manage their pets’ fertility…& they seem to think that the rest of us who are responsible should bail them out. Sort of like people who feel children are a gift from God, but can’t take care of them, so we must morally take care of those kids.

That said, “I’m not a breeder, my dog just had puppies,” is not an excuse or explanation for NOT taking responsibility. If you can’t manage your pet’s fertility, your should be neutered. Yet, the ADOPT DON’T SHOP crowd blames breeders NOT causing the problem of surplus pets—-& tries to guilt the rest of us into solving a problem we haven’t caused. How is that working?

This is what breeders who love their dogs do:

First, when planning the breeding, they do all known genetic and health testing of the breeding dogs. Even when doing this, sometimes dogs are born with genetic defects. I have friends who breed Golden Retrievers, and they have at least 3 generations of dogs that are OFA (CERF) (that means the dogs have had their hips xrayed, fair, normal, or excellent), yet still, when their offspring pups are xrayed at 2 years of age, some have a form of hip dysplasia, It happens. Same with deafness (BAER tests) and Juvenile Cataracts (dogs developing cataracts before age 3). If you love dogs, you want to avoid breeding dogs that will be disabled.

Once the pups are born, they are raised in a normal ‘noisy’ environment, where they get to hear sounds of regular life. After all are accounted for, the breeder checks for cleft palates and missing toes. These problems are more common in toy breed dogs (including designer mixes) and bracheocephalics, and usually humanely euthanized.

Those breeders trying to guilt you into taking a puppy with a cleft palate (which would need surgery) are unethical.

Breeders who love their dogs and puppies will have the litter on an absorbent, nonslip surface. Many use washable pads to avoid paper waste. They will also have what may be described as ‘crib toys’: items hanging down for puppies to interact with. Good breeders want their puppies curious and stimulated.

When the weaning process starts, breeders start cutting toenails and ‘stacking’ puppies individually on a table. Breeders do this not just to get the dogs used to being picked up and handled, but to get the dog used to being groomed. We call this ‘training’ BEHAVIOR SHAPING. Also, if they breed bracheocephalic dogs—especially the coated ones (Shih Tzu, Affenpinschers, Brussels Griffons), they get the pup used to having their muzzle held while combing under the eyes. This is so important. If this isn’t done every day until the pup gets used to the grooming motions (the genetic reaction would be to flinch and move away, but this must be overcome), the groomers will not be able to do this without risking injury to the eyes, and the dog will have to be sedated for grooming.

Once the weaning process is underway or completed, breeders put collars on the puppies, and may have them drag a leash, or the breeder may take individual puppies around and coax them.

Once the pups have had their first shots (and wormed, if necessary), the pups can go to new homes, usually between the ages of 8 to 12 weeks. It’s important for puppies to learn to play and fight with their siblings. It’s a known fact that ‘singletons’ and dogs taken too young (under 8 weeks of age) often become unnaturally aggressive towards other dogs.

The breeder should ask you if you own or rent your home, and ask for proof. Animal shelters know one major reason they get dogs back is, “Landlord won’t allow.” Chicago Animal Care & Control—our open admissions CITY DOG POUND —-asks to see a signed lease and they call the landlord as well. I’m shocked at how many pet buyers never consider any of this. Many breeders will ask how long the puppy will be alone during the day, or what arrangements you’ve made for a dog walker. Some will suggest dog daycare. I discourage daycare for a puppy under 8 months old, Why? Most dog daycares are not run by people with ‘dog experience’ : that is—by people who’ve worked in kennels as well as trained dogs, & recognize dog behavior. Loving dogs is not enough. I’ve worked for several businesses that put young puppies with mature toy dogs, ‘because they’re all small’. What happens is that the older dogs bully the puppies. This also makes aggressive dogs.

The breeder will also suggest a crate and why crate training is so important (if your dog is sick or injured, it will be in a crate at the animal hospital—& the dog is always safer in the car in a crate)

If the breeder is selling coated dogs (shedders and nonshedders), she will show you how to brush the dog, and explain what grooming tools you will need and where to get them. I worked for an Afghan Hound breeder, the late Fredric Mark Alderman. He didn’t sell you a puppy if you had never had an Afghan until you spent an afternoon grooming dogs with him. He didn’t want to hear that you had no idea how long it took, or how often it needed to be done, or that you needed a grooming table and a stand dryer.

A breeder who loves their dogs will give you written feeding, grooming, and housebreaking instructions, as well as a pedigree. They will have you sign a contract that says that if you can’t keep the dog, you will return it to them. Keep in mind, everyone wants a puppy. As they mature, they go down in value, not up…unless your dog matures to be a show dog.

A responsible shelter or rescue would also give you care instructions.

This is the 21st century. It’s easy enough to get pet care information. However, it’s a free country. You don’t have to control your impulses or pocketbook. However, if you really are concerned about dogs ending up in shelters, don’t buy or take a puppy from a dog owner who tells you the litter was an accident. that’s not your problem.

Dubai, 2024

In my new book of contemporary fiction, The Pleasure Seeker” my main character, Dayal Singh, has married a woman from Dubai. Through the narrative of the book, he and his wife return at least once a year to visit her family, who are emigres from India. Near the end of the book, I have Dayal saying that he never liked Dubai because it’s a land out of science fiction: You never see people on the street. Not like Arusha (Tanzania), where people are always walking around and you have a good chance of greeting someone you know.

I got my initial impression of Dubai about eight years ago when I was there overnight. I had chosen Emirates Air from Chicago to Zambia, because their fare was comparative to United, and I have issues with United & their Starfleet Alliance. The nice thing about Emirates: since there are no direct flights to Lusaka from Chicago, they put me up over night, dinner and breakfast included, in Dubai.

8 years ago, the drive from the airport, at dusk, revealed only sand, sand for miles. I was able to take a tour of the town. It wasn’t a great tour, just an hour or so with another traveler like myself, but we went from the hotel to the Burj Khalifa (not in, but to the driveway) and back. They were just working on the monorail then, and it had 2 stops: the beginning and the end. There was no greenery.

Dubai has exploded in these past eight years. The sand for miles from the Airport? Now mostly warehouses and car dealerships, with other industrial related businesses. The Metro has several routes now, and beautiful stations. The central business district has quadrupled in size. You want to see architecturally significant tall buildings? They are in Dubai. The Dubai Mall,

When I got in to Dubai, it was overcast, but it was around 5 in the afternoon. In the morning, it was raining, It never rains in Dubai, and I had taken my umbrella out of my suitcase. Our guide, Faheem Abbas, was excellent. He explained that rain is so rare, they aren’t prepared for pools in the roadway & people get stuck. So, Radio & TV announce that people should work at home & schools are also closed.

But we had a big tour bus. Our 1st stop was the Dubai Mall so we could get to the top of the Burj Khalifa. The mall is huge, and filled with chain stores from the USA as well as boutiques with souvenirs. It’s almost overwhelming. There is also the skating rink , the ski slope, and an aquarium. In Chicago , we have the Hancock Center & the Willis (sears) tower ‘skydecks’, so I’ve been to the tops of tall buildings, Still, the view is impressive. I wish someone had given us a tour or explanation of the mall, and that we had a bit more time to spend, but we had to get to the skydeck, and thousands of people (I am not exaggerating) go up the every day. It’s not a huge deck, but you aren’t crowded in, either. When we got back, there was a break in the tour, and we reconvened for ‘orientation’ & to meet each other, Tho all were ‘American (at least green card holders), there were 2 Indian couples, an Indian woman & her friend (who came to Dubai from Indian), a Filipino couple, 2 Chinese couples, a Viet Namese family, a woman from the country of Georgia who had been in the USA 40 year, 2 black American couples, and me. Interesting mix.

Day 2, we went to Abu Dhabi to see the ‘grand mosque’. You travel past the water desalinization plant & the power plant. Yes, they use oil for fuel now, but are building a big solar field for the future. A rich Muslim guy built this gorgeous mosque, but it is a ‘demonstration’ mosque: a large marble plaza, and the marble building is inlaid with precious stone flowers like the Taj Majal. There are several large chandeliers with Swarowski crystals, and the larges prayer rug ever made. But…. it is no longer for prayers.

Under the mosque (actually, the parking lot…) is a huge shopping mall with a McDonald’s, a Tim Horton’s, and many candy and souvenir shops. You have to be dressed appropriately to enter the mosque, which you do from the underground mall. I thought I was ok, but the guards objected to the sheer sleeves of my blouse, so Faheem bought me fake sleeves. In any case, the building is beautiful and impressive. On the return, we stopped at what was supposed to be a ‘traditional’ village, but it was really a poorly marked museum of weaponry and coins. All the small buildings we tourist oriented & overpriced. We went into Dubai for lunch, which was ok. Then, we went to the Louvre Abu DAbi. We were given about 45 minutes, which is just about enough time if you race through it. I would have taken the ‘traditional village off the tour to spend more time at the Louvre.

Day 3 We drove to Al Sharjah, another emirate. Faheem explained that the Crown Prince of the town was very conservative & no alcohol or tobacco were available. We went past the mosque and we were supposed to drive through the American University campus, but for some reason we couldn’t go in, so we returned. Since the drive is long, Faheem explained that in a city of 10 million people, only 2 million are Emirati. The rest, including him, are ‘guest workers’. Years ago, most construction workers were from Bangla Desh. They are now recruited for the hospitality industry mostly from Malaysia, Philippines, & Eastern Europe. You must speak English, You are provided with housing, cramped tho it may be, and if you lose your job, you’re sent back. Balli Kaur Jaswal wrote a story involving Malaysian guest workers in Singapore called, “Now You See Us,” involving a character accused of murder. At the end, she has an essay on how these women are treated. In any case, you can not become an Emirati by marrying in. However, this is a capitalist country. You can buy property. It is freehold (meaning not on a 99 year lease).

Day 4 We drove to the metro to take it to Palms Jumeirah (see photo above). I wish I could have gotten a Metro map and gotten on to explore where it goes, but no time, We took the metro to the end of Palms. Palms was an idea eight years ago. It is totally sold out now. Mostly single family homes (starting at $5 million dollars) and some townhouses & the Atlantis Hotel. Pure opulence. From there , we visited 2 small museums, but all the gift shops sell the same tourist stuff made in China and India. Then, we went to the old Souk. On 1 side, it is ‘gold’ and all jewelry, the other side is spices. I guess if you come from a small town, all this would seem exotic, but I live 2 miles from an Indian/Middle Eastern shopping district. We can get all the fresh spices in Chicago. & gold? I don’t think so. I wanted to buy a bar of camel milk soap. The vendor stall owners wanted an equivalent of $8 a bar. They would not accept $4, so I didn’t buy soap. I later went to a local grocery store and found very extoic tumeric and ayervedic soap for under $1 a bar.No joke. In the evening, we took Toyota trucks with experienced drivers & drove in the dunes near Al Sharjah. Not real dunes. The desert is pretty flat with rolling hills. It was fun, but then we went the the Bedouin BarB Q—but it wasn’t a BarBQ. I was expecting meeting actual Bedouin families with kids—and maybe Salukis. It was not. The dinner wasn’t typical. It was ok: chicken in pita, salad, hummos, baklava that kind of thing, set up on a buffet, and they gave out coffee, soda, and water. They had a little entertainment: a guy twirling around like a dervish, and another juggling things with fire. They had women doing henna, so I got my hand hennaed. For $90 extra, I felt it was overpriced.

Day 5 Before I came to Dubai, I googled “Dubai Salukis” and found the BarkPark link, and arranged to meet Jan, the owner. A very interesting Scottish woman, she was recruited to work in Dubai, and liked the lifestyle. She married an emerati, had a son, divorced, went back to Scotland because her mother was dying, Her mother didn’t die, so Jan returned, and via her ex-husband’s connections, was able to lease the land to have her boarding and dog daycare business. We were on the same page on most things. She had a 16-year-old white Saluki from Hamad Alghanem ) known as ‘Mr.Saluki’). & I swear, the dog could step into any show ring in America and contend. She also had 2 rescues. She told me there were no more Bedouins in the area. and the Salukis we used for hunting by Muslims.

This was my last day. half our group had left for home. Back with Gate 1, we took the smaller bus to the Al Shadaya museum. We were only there about 1/2 hour, & many of us felt that 90 minutes would have been more appropriate, It was so interesting. They had 1 room devoted to how various perfumes are made, and a lovely multimedia show on the history of Dubai. We were taken from the to another shopping center , designed like an old souk, very pretty, but all touristy stuff. Then, Faheem brought us to the beach. He left us for 90 minutes, way too long. It’s very touristy, and I didn’t want to spend $$$$ on snacks.

We all thought the time would have been better spent at Al Shadaya.

I got to visit 3 emirates: AbuDhabi, Dubhai, and Al Sharjah. I got to meet a fellow Saluki lover, and maybe a day or 2 more would have been fun. I wish Gate 1 had given us maps of the city. As it was, this trip cost me under $1500, so if you can afford it, do it.

This is what a country looks like when the leaders are sophisticated & employ the best civil engineers and architects. It is a monarchy, not a democracy. There is no trash, no grafitti, no beggars, very little crime. You are a guest. You aren’t employed? You have to leave.

I Love Dolly Parton. However…..

I was going to do a book review, but last night I watched Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala on CBS, and, having worked with dogs (for almost 60 years…Yikes!), it was the train wreck I could not ignore, I guess I could go online & find out which idiots were responsible for producing this, but it doesn’t really matter. They weren’t dog lovers, that’s for sure!
Dolly—& the entertainers who performed—- were marvelous. I liked the vignette she did on dogs trained to help the physically disabled (they were from Canine Companions for Independence, a well known nonprofit which supplies trained dogs for free to those who need them),

This show could have been so much better without the dog fashion show. You know, capitalism doesn’t exist to meet needs—-it creates ‘wants’. you see it, you want it.

I have owned sighthounds for over 40 years, and unless we have a measurable windchill, my Salukis and Whippets (& now, a lurcher who looks sorta like a Greyhound) go out without coats. They have never shivered. A sweater is a fashion statement, If they need coats (we fanciers tend to call them ‘blankets’—like racing dogs wear). we buy garments to protect them from the chill.

It was sad to see so many obviously stressed out dogs dressed up in glorified doll clothes. Clothes made of satin and lace, with embellishment doodads. All these ‘garments’ would need professional dry-cleaning—using poisonous chemicals….but who thinks of that? I know, I’m a curmudgeon. Chemicals? Seriously? Yes.

You could see by their expressions and body language that these were not ‘happy’ dogs that had confidence. Even the dogs ‘cuddled’ in the audience were overwhelmed. You could tell that (for the most part) these were not ‘show dogs’.

Why do I even mention showdogs? Because dogs that are used to being ‘shown’ are used to strange situations, smells, and noises. If you’ve never been to a dog show, go! The noise you’ll hear will be from blow dryers (I kid you not) being used by obsessive people grooming at the show. You won’t, for the most part, hear barking. It’s funny going to an obedience or other performance trial, seeing the rows of crates & dogs lining up to go into the ring…no noise.

I saw a Pumi (the ears gave the breed away), a Saluki (wearing a ridiculous outfit), what I thought was a Barbet (not wearing clothes, but brushed out, big, black, and wide, that I’m sure was being mistaken for a Doodle of some sort). I saw Asian Fusion trims on Maltese & Yorkies. None of these dogs looked like they were having a good time, In 1 segment when someone was reading, and all the dogs were on mats ( down/stays—in obedience talk), the Afghan got up and walked off the stage. The other dogs held their stays, but I’m sure the Afghan had had enough.

I’m sure most people thought all these dogs were cute, and might have learned something. They were entertained by humans, but it could have been so much better. A trainer could have done a bit on teaching off leash walking, or directing a dog to go away to a target. They could have shown barn hunt, water eetrieving, explained dock diving and scentwork. They could have done something on agility, and lure coursing, They could have given a grooming demonstration showing all the different brushes, combs, and what works on different types of coats! Sure, they can do it again—but will they insist on the dog fashion show?

I know, I’m not their market. Older teenagers and college girls are the ones buying dog dresses. I’m sure their are no college loans. They won’t be going out drinking instead of saving money for a home. Thinking about that is merely irritating. Thinking these women thought the dogs were having fun because their owners are into fashion or pseudo fashion? This is how things fall apart.

I’m Not a Breeder—My (pet) Just Had Babies: It’s a Miracle (of Greed)

Lies Dog Breeders Tell

The irony of this: notice all the ‘ads’ for puppies! Just exactly what this post warns about….

419 Online Sellers/ Scammers (particularly of puppies & kittens)

This is a photo of a Maltese I groomed, and it’s been stolen & recopied by scammers.

Ok, I’m not sure how this happened—-obviously a algorithm thing, but I started getting posts from a FB feed: Bad Breeder and Scammers List, and I am appalled that people can’t find ethical fanciers/hobby breeders by a Google search. At least I think I figured out why, and why buyers are getting scammed..

Before I get into how scammers scam and get away with it, are you old enough to remember Nigerian Princes and estranged wives of African leaders whose millions were tied up and couldn’t be released except to an American bank account? Have you ever used a dating site? Well, this is a succinct description of how it works: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/419eater.com This page goes into detail (just 1 well designed page) .

It started with the bank thing, moved on to dating sites (all a guy has to say is that he’s a Christian, and lonely, rich, vulnerable women fall for the most inane bs), but hasn’t seemed to gotten to Amazon—maybe because they ask for bona fide banking info before allowing you to misrepresent what you sell. The scammers moved on to selling pets. Well—actually, in many cases, not delivering anything. They say they will send you a puppy. Just send them money via Zelle or a gift card. Some rich naive trusting souls have been scammed more than once. Baffling that people could be so stupid.

They post a lot on Facebook : Labrador Retrievers for Adoption and Rehoming ( put your breed and puppies into the FB search & see what comers up). Many designer dogs breeders, but also slapped together FB pages of sellers who’ve stolen photos (the photos of dogs that many fanciers own), and in some cases spoofed whole web pages, merely changing the name & email.

During COVID, when I was at home, i checked out 1 such scammer who posted on Craigslist. He listed his website. Never mind that pet sales are not allowed on Craigslist. Craigslist is run by libertarians who expect the community to ‘flag’ fraudulent & illegal posts. If you read their posting rules & list of prohibited items, they’re pretty clear about what isn’t allowed. However, it’s just to cover the company ass; you can’t sue Craigslist if you fell for a scam. If you had read the rules, you would have been warned.

In any case, this guy selling English Bulldogs set up a classy website. Nothing about why he was breeding dogs. All were photos of the parent dogs & their puppies. Some of the parent dogs had AKC names, so I Googled those names and found the dogs to be owned by others. In any case, although there was a contact email (gmail) in the website, & what credit cards the scammer took, no physical address. Not even a town or closest airport. I can understand not putting an address in…but how about the city or town where you’re located? i contacted the web host & told them why I thought the site was a scam, and they took it down. But I know he was a drop in the bucket. He probably put up another website. Like playing whack-a-mole.

It is a huge industry in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Russia, China to flimflam Americans—& we’re so easy to flim flam. They steal photos of hunky guys & post on dating sites and have really good backs stories. They post on Facebook, Craigslist, anywhere you can post for free. They steal photos and whole web pages, just changing the contact info. They pay for SEO search terms. Thus, if you’re looking for a particular kind of dogs, the places where they sell come up first on Google search engines.

So, a buyer is looking for, say, a Labrador Retriever. Her ‘key word search’ is ‘Labrador Retriever Puppies’. This is what came up for me:https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=labrador+Retriever+puppies+

I was happy to see “AKC Marketplace” in top, but if you open the page, you will find many commercial breeders, not necessarily ”Breeders of Merit”. The AKC only cares about registration, not genetic soundness. A site called “Puppies.com” and commercial kennels also come up. The parent club contact is embedded in the AKC Marketplace page, but from experience, I know that the link may lead to nothing, Why doesn’t the Labrador Retriever Club of America 
Home – The Labrador Retriever Club, Inc.thelabradorclub.com website come up on the 1st Google page? The club doesn’t pay for key words. Maybe they don’t think it’s a problem.

I next Googled “Yorkshire Terrier Puppies”. Again, AKC marketplace comes up. Yes, they are AKC registered, but you see that most of the parent dogs are not AKC champions. A link to the parent club, again, is embedded. keep scrolling, and many many links come up to commercial breeders, but you wouldn’t know the parent club: http://www.theyorkshireterrierclubofamerica.org/ exists.

I’m sure that if you buy a dog off AKC marketplace, you will get a puppy. Will it be free of liver shunt, juvenile cataracts, & luxated patellas? These issues are not mentioned. The site is so breeders can sell puppies.

i googled “Afghan Hound Puppies,” & again the AKC marketplace is #1. Very good, AKC, & I see most of the breeders are ‘Breeders of Merit,” & the parent club comes up on the first page!

But again, I suggest you Google your breed.

Now, since the AKC marketplace comes up 1st or near 1st, why are people still getting bamboozled? Facebook marketplace & Craigslist.

I know that we can’t protect people from their own naivete or laziness, but if you are a dog fancier, and you care about your breed, do a little research & make sure people looking for your breed can find actual; fanciers who love your breed enough to follow the breed standard & do all the genetic CERF tests.

The Fate of Dog Shows & ‘The Fancy’

I assume most people don’t know how a dog show comes together & how we pull it off. It’s sort of like planning a wedding, except we try to make money on the event.

These days, clubs make money by charging a parking fee, charging for a place to set-up grooming (about half the size of a parking space), booth space for vendors (usually selling grooming supplies, dog beds, and suits for women)and FASTCAT (dogs have to run 100 yards—-I don’t think it proves anything, but the dogs enjoy it and we make money).

We lose money on paying for judges: their meals & hotels, paying the superintendent (who provides the show catalogue, the rings, tables, 1st aid kits, ribbons (imprinting is not cheap), paying for the venue, insurance, and just holding the show.

Judges aren’t allowed to judge more than 175 dogs per day, but these days, unless people of a particular breed find the judge very knowledgeable, there is no danger of the judge drawing the limit. So, we don’t make money on conformation (the ‘beauty contest part) unless we also have a sweepstakes—& then we make money if people don’t show up: the money goes back to the club treasury.

When you come right down to it, Dog shows are not a money maker, However, we who do performance are the ugly stepchildren. People come to dog shows want to see dogs do something other than run around a ring. We all started with obedience or performance (rally, agility, nosework, etc) but for some reason, the Professional Handlers hold sway. We make room for them because they represent multiple owners. However, most s dogs are shown by their owners (or breeders). Does it really make sense to pander to the pros when regular folks are keeping the sport afloat? I don’t think so.

In any case, for those who smirk and think this is a ‘first world problem’ and we should all be rescuing dogs….many of us are involved in rescue—but you’re asking those of us who haven’t cause the problem of surplus pets to solve a problem others are causing—& off the hook for.

You’re al;so asking us to take any random dog, whether we can’t handle the size or grooming , or temperament should be of no consequence. they aren’t all 4 legs & a tail. We choose our breeds because we find them easy to live with. I just want those involved in our sport to think twice when they eliminate performance. You are killing the fancy.

Venus: Eulogizing a Dog

I’ve worked in the pet industry virtually all my working career. I’ve worked for several imbeciles who’ve told me how many dogs they’ve owned, as if quantity proves you’re a dog lover.

We recently euthanized Venus, Yes, it was sad, but as I told friends, the real sadness was knowing that the end was near.

I turn 70 in a few months. ‘My’ 1st dog (that I was responsible for) was Khyber, a black Afghan. What a pedigree…but he was proof that you don’t breed pedigrees…you breed dogs. He was very loyal. He was the first dog I seriously trained. he was good, but i didn’t have the confidence to compete with him: i didn’t know how he’d be off-leash. in fact, when we started training, i was 13, and so many people tried to discourage me, nobody trained an Afghan! That’s what i was told. But my father and I couldn’t imagine why not. this was the late 1960’s.

Unfortunately, he died at age 9: he had a heart attack, so I had him euthanized, and I had an autopsy done, as he had always vomited bile. Turned out he had undiagnosed pancreatitis. 50 years ago, it was almost impossible to diagnose without a biopsy, and even then, there wasn’t really a treatment. However, it is still somewhat common in Afghans,

I got Aswan from Wally Pede when I moved out of my parents home. Another dog with a spectacular pedigree, but who didn’t mature to my tastes. She was to be my foundation, but I chose her (or rather, Wally chose her for me) too young, and she never developed a brisket, had an east-west front, and a very plain head…& no coat pattern. I ended up having her spayed. Still, I put a CD on her (novice obedience title), trained her for Open (jumps & retrieves), but she could never be counted on to do everything on one command. I couldn’t afford the entry fees if she was going to ham it up for applause. She became an ASFA field champion, and was a joy to watch run. She had a gorgeous silky strawberry blond coat. She was a very good dog once I trained her & lived to be almost 15. She became blind, deaf, incontinent the last couple of months of her life, and I knew the end was near, so I euthanized her. This was about 1987.

My husband didn’t want another Afghan after Khyber died, so I got Bari. Another dog with an exciting pedigree, but who also didn’t mature; no brisket, and flying ears. I put a C.D. and Field Championship on him. He was a very sweet dog, but Aswan was a roughneck with him. When I went into Peace Corps (after being divorced and finishing grad school…), several friends wanted him because he was very well behaved. He live to see me return, but his last few months, I could tell he was uncomfortable. When he started vomiting and couldn’t keep food down, I euthanized him at age 14.

During this time, I was involved in Afghan rescue, and ultimately left the Afghan Hound Club of Greater Chicago. This was the mid 1970’s, and no breeders supported rescue. The only club member who was a breeder who supported rescue was Fredric Alderman, and that was because he did an extremely good job of screening potential buyers. The rest of the club members who were breeding mocked me. I got Bali from Chicago Animal Care & Control, from the old facility, which was horrible,. I had been alerted by an employee there. She was in awful shape, down to 28 pounds when I got her. She vomited tinfoil and bottle caps for a few days, and I had to shave her—even her ears. I placed her, but she kept escaping, and finally the person I placed her with asked me to keep her. I have no idea how old she was: over 6—younger than 10. She looked very Belden (bloodlines) She had hookworm disease, and when she started hemorhaging, I euthanized her, but she was so loyal while I had her.

I wanted to consider a larger sighthound, after Bari died, and I called Jayne Harpling (Al Talat), who I knew from lure-coursing, She was no longer breeding dogs, & she referred me to Bill & Cindy Brown, They remembered me from ASFA field trials. I told them that I didn’t want a puppy, and they called me back a few days later telling me they had too many male dogs, and would give me ‘Bari’ whose name I changed to Sadiq. They told me he had never been in the house alone, and my 4 years with him were fraught. He was never fully housebroken: no crate could contain him He loved me & my then roommate, but was very nervous, would steal anything he could reach (fruit from a hanging fruit basket), hated obedience training. and ultimately died of lymphoma (after I spent over $2000 trying to treat it).

I learned about Saluki Rescue Central, which was sort of an ad hoc group formed by the Huron Valley Saluki Club, and there were no Salukis in rescue, but I was referred to a breeder who had kept 2 young males, both over a year old. I drove with my roommate, Melvin, to Fennville Michigan and Nancy (den Hollander) Badra gave me Dazzle.

Nancy didn’t think Dazzle was show quality, but after seeing other Salukis around me, when he was mature, I felt he was, so she said go show him. He finished quickly, We had trouble finding majors, but he got them when he was shown (usually Best of Winners over bitches—where the majors were). I didn’t spend $500 showing him to his title. We tried lure-coursing, but he got disqualified for ‘playful interference’, endearing me (as you can imagine) to all the other people running Salukis. So that was the end of that. He also didn’t like being in a class with common dogs, so we didn’t do obedience, but he was so naturally well-behaved. An anomaly! He was with me 14 years and seemed fine until one day he couldn’t stand. I knew it was the end, even though he showed no other signs of illness or pain. When I had had Dazzle about a year, Whippet Rescue (this was a forerunner to WRAP) called and asked if I’d take a young male. I had been on the waiting list for 4 years! His owner had died, and the person fostering would keep him, but the dog & her bitch played too hard & the bitch wasn’t healing from an injury. I said I’d take him if he got along with Dazzle. We called him BeBop. As soon as he walked in, he walked under Dazzle, a sign of dominance, but they got along fine. Bop was a calming influence on Dazzle, who was also a bit nervous.

Bop lived to be 14, and this was a sad time for me because by this time, Kunihiro was living with me, and he had never lived with dogs. Bop slept with him, and he didn’t want me to euthanize Bop. Bop fell down the stairs one night, and although he seemed ok, he wasn’t. The next day, I returned home from work and found him collapsed in the kitchen laying in a pool of urine. I said it had to be done. By this time, we had been lucky to find Dash.

I put the word out that I was looking for another Whippet.

Dash, who we got from Sarah Shakespeare & Linda Larsen, was returned to them for chasing the cat! Although he and Bop didn’t play a lot, they did play. I managed to put Beginner Novice, CGC, and Rally Excellent title on Dash. We started lure coursing, but he broke his leg in a freak accident (he stepped on a deflector), and that was the end of that. Linda referred me to an excellent veterinarian, and Kunihiro paid at least half the bill—which was very high. Just before COVID, Dash seemed to be dying. We knew he had a heart murmur, but nothing else was showing up. After a few weeks of back & forth with the Vet, and COVID complicating everything, we brought him to be euthanized. Again, Kunihiro asked the vet if nothing could be done. After he died, about a quart of liquid spilled from his lungs.

We had gotten Venus a few months after Bebop died. She was originally named Tosca. She was returned to her breeder, Sally Long, at age 7 due to a crisis her owner faced. Just by networking with other Whippet fanciers, I learned about her, and picked her up at the American Whippet Club Specialty outside Milwaukee in 2008.

Venus adjusted quickly, but aside from being housebroken and walking on a leash, she needed training, She was a nipper, and vocal when she got excited, but she bonded with Kunihiro quickly. I started training her in Rally, and within 3 years she had CGC and Rally Excellent titles. We were going for an RAE, which required 10 groups of 2 qualifying scores in 2 different classes at each trial. We got 3 groups of 2, but she started ‘NQing’ Rally Excellent, usually jumps. However, I had paid the entry fees and did the Advanced exercises. She had so many qualifying scores in Advanced that she was nationally ranked! We did a little WRA straight racing, but by this time she was a senior.

Both Venus and Dash were great hunters. Venus caught a rabbit 1 evening in the yard and ate it. The next day, her stool was filled with hundreds of wiggly black worms. Scary. I brought her next stool sample to the vet I worked for: nothing. Shed them all. Once I saw Dash grab a squirrel right off a tree. I have a friend who has trained dogs and thinks she knows animal behavior, and thinks it’s horrible that I ‘let’ them kill animals. It happens so fast. I was working at a very poorly run kennel that was in an old warehouse, and they both caught mice there all the time.

By this time, I agreed to foster a dog for WRAP. I had taken 1 dog, who initially seemed fine, but after a few days, he started bullying Dash, so I returned him and agreed to take Delilah.

The story I got, which was 3rd hand, was that she came from a hoarding situation.; maybe, but all the dogs they took (at least a dozen adult dogs) (& at least 2 litter of puppies) could walk on leashes and were housebroken. More: Delilah had been obedience trained. I realized this when I started taking her to classes (I am a member of Northshore Dog Training Club, so we’re always going to classes. $50 for a 6 week session for members). Also, it was clear, at least the 1st month we had her, she was looking for someone when I walked her around the neighborhood. She didn’t go willingly from whomever had her.

WRAP found a home for her, but Delilah just freaked out. She got into the car to leave me, but when they got her to the new home, she bolted. They chased her, she bit someone, but they got her back into the car, and they brought her back to me. Not what I had planned, but that’s how it was. She is extremely nervous, but she loved both Dash & Venus, it was clear. She continued to try to sleep next to Venus, but Venus wasn’t having it, By this time, Venus was old, and couldn’t take a rambunctious dog. We have no idea how old Delilah is. I’ve had her 5 years, so 6? 7? She won’t let me do her teeth, and I can’t pick her up without muzzling her.
Sally Long, Venus’s breeder, asked what happened with Venus, and the short answer is: she wore out. As old dogs do, she lost muscle mass. She didn’t have cataracts, buy opacies. Not unusual. Her hearing went. She was rickety, but I knew she still enjoyed her life, What she started doing on walks was sniffing a lot more. I usually don’t let my dogs sniff on walks, because it’s too easy to ingest ‘something’ Khyber got giardia from ingesting.

How do you know when it’s time? By knowing your dog, I tell my grooming clients that they’ll know: the dog will sleep a lot more, not want to go for walks, start pacing in the house—possibly end up stuck in a corner (a sure sign of dementia), but that wasn’t Venus, In the end, she stopped eating, and due to neuropathy in her legs, couldn’t stand.

Kunihiro, her buddy, was very broken up, Just three days before he bought latex boots and some nonslip rugs, He carried her up and down the stairs, but he knew.

My vet is ‘fear free’—so my dogs always liked going because they got cheese and that Henry Shein soft-moist fudgy fake meat. Venus had a peaceful death with us with her at the very end.

Have I really owned that many dogs? I don’t think so. It’s been important to me to have a personal relationship with my dogs. At 1 time, I wanted to own a kennel, but those days are gone. Perhaps if I had married well, things might have been different, but I learned from my dogs and from having a wonderful roommate (over 20 years with Kunihiro), it’s better to have reliable than drama and disrespect.

I have loved teaching my dogs and competing with my dogs. I’ve met some really wonderful people from dog training and performance (which off set the imbeciles who wanted to be in the dog business but never bothered to learn anything about dogs, and disrespected me to the point of sabotaging the success of their businesses).

Now. I’m retired. No more drama. We will begin searching for another dog to keep Delilah company in a few weeks.

Why Was I Driving During a Snowstorm?

When Kevin called the meeting about 3 weeks ago, there was always the possibility of a snowstorm. I had not attended the last club meeting, out in the western suburbs, because for some reason, they chose the time during rush hour, and the only way I could have gotten to the meeting, theoretically an hour away, would have been to leave at least 2 hours early. Then, the weather was windy and rainy.The problem is that our club members are scattered in about a 100 mile radius (I know, weird), and really, Zoom would be the practical way to do this—but some members believe people aren’t attentive on Zoom: they do other things.

So? You should be at any of our meetings. there’s always side conversation.

This meeting was particularly important.

As backstory to why I even care…. without ethical hobby breeders breeding dogs and doing the research to make sure they aren’t breeding crippled dogs, even mixed breed dogs would be having issues. In America, mixed breeds aren’t pariah dogs—they are mixes of purebreds. In fact, the irony is, most mixes and what we call ‘designer dogs’ are less healthy (in the 21st century) than purebreds….because pet owners don’t think they are breeders when they let their dogs breed.

I am a member of 4 dog clubs; kennel clubs. I AM NOT SHOWING A DOG. I became a member of Northshore Dog Training Club, a club over 70 years old, because it is a nonprofit club, and once you’re a member ($20 a year) you can do 6 week training sessions for $50 per session. You may or may not get a good trainer if you sign up with a business, like a pet store or dog daycare that offers training, but if you really want to get your dog under control, you’re not going to do it in 6 weeks. You have to keep training, More—in a club, you will be mentored by other trainers who take dog training seriously, and help you. You may be confusing your dog and not know it. With other dog trainers observing you, you, it helps. The last dog I titled I acquired as a 7-year-old adult who had been returned to her breeder. She was housebroken and could walk on a leash without pulling, sit for a cookie, and that was it. Since I had trained other dogs, I did not start her in basic obedience, I started her in Rally. Rally is a different type of training from obedience, and not many businesses offer rally training. In two years, I put 3 titles on this dog, and she and I learned to communicate.

I am a member of the Greater Chicago Whippet Club, but my dogs are either too large or too old to race. For those who believe racing is cruel—-you can’t make a dog run. Many people have gotten retired racing Greyhounds. The breeders have always given these dogs away, but the do-gooders who have no idea what they’re talking about think non running dogs are killed. They aren’t if they’re healthy. Greyhounds are delightful dogs….but I am digressing. My dogs are Whippets, and our racing is non-paramutuel—no betting allowed. We just race for points and prizes. None of our members are currently showing a dog in conformation or performance (obedience, rally. agility, barn hunt) and we have no breeders in our club. The breeders seem to believe we are a racing club only. Yet, because we are an AKC club, and we all love Whippets and support the breed, we ‘support’ the entry at certain shows by offering prizes.

At most dog shows, you only win an acetate ribbon in the classes. There are only big prizes, including cash awards, if your dog isn’t eliminated and goes on to group competition. So, we offer class prizes to support an entry. The whippet breeders in our area know all this, but they don’t join because they don’t want to attend 2 meeting a year. We also sponsor race practice, have run AKC FASTCAT (not even a competition, a certificate program) and refer people looking for whippets to those breeders and to WRAP: Whippet Rescue and Placement.

I am a member of the American Whippet Club—the ‘parent’ club. I’m a member to support the breed, get the newsletter, and get notices of shows….even though I am not showing a dog.

And—I am a member of Skokie Valley Kennel Club-–an all-breed club. I joined to be a member of an all breed club to support dog shows and because, when I joined, we offered ‘performance’ at our shows…but due to having to change our venue (long story, but renting a space for a day or 2 for $10,000 plus insurance….and not making money on parking—which is what a lot of clubs do—-), we had to come up with a different plan.

When you plan an AKC dog show (I’m sure this must be true for UKC as well), you have to have your dates, location,and judges panel approved by the AKC. We used to partner with another kennel club, and circumstances changed. We are looking for another club or clubs to partner with. Venues and insurance have gotten outrageously expensive. An added complication is that we can’t have a show on the same day as another club if they are within 200 miles of us (for performance, within 100 miles of our event).

I won’t digress about how the new International Kennel Club (not a club, but a business) did at their first show, but not being able to charge for parking, they decided to charge $25 to the public to get into the show. I was shocked, but they got a ‘gate’ of 12,000 by doing great publicity. They got feature coverage on both Fox News and CBS. Thus they grossed on spectators alone $300,000!

Knowing that a dog show in our (Chicago) area costs about $20,000 to ‘execute’ (we rent equipment from a dog show superintendent, pay for a dye for ribbons, buy other prizes for group and best-in-show, pay judges & for their hotels, and food, ads in publications and Facebook), and we have to give deposits before we make money, unless we charge vendors for space, and charge for reserved grooming spots (oh, yes— people with multiple entries want & insist on enough space to do grooming), usually we just break even. We are desperate to get specialty (breed) clubs to support our shows, but since our dates have moved (either the price of the venue went up or some other interest took out date for the venue), we are recalculating. We were all shocked that International KC did that well at the gate, but no matter. Some people can afford to take their kids to a dog show. What does a baseball, basketball, or football game cost for a family? We have to compare ourselves to that. Even though I would consider watching conformation BORING…what are we watching? Dogs standing around, then running around a ring…All breed dog shows are an opportunity to meet hobby breeders and fanciers and learn about our breeds. We even have a ‘Meet the Breeds’ area, where people sit with their dogs and the public can ask about our dogs without bumping into everyone.

And why dog shows? What’s amazing is that so many fanciers of various breeds could agree on standards of excellence for their breeds, sponsor competitions so independent judges can judge (& at specialties, even offer critiques), so when we buy a Whippet…it doesn’t look like a Pit bull or bull terrier. The fancy is dying. Our children are not interested in breeding dogs. We are amazed that people are able to sell Doodles and Pitskies and Schnoodles and Maltipoos—-and really the buyers have no idea what they are getting. The benefit of purebreds is, for the most part, predictability. Rarely does a purebred BRED BY HOBBY BREEDER WITH INTEGRITY, mature to be grossly over or undersize, or have an aberrant coat or temperament. Hobby breeders with integrity also do testing to make sure they dogs they breed don’t have genetic defects.

So, we needed a quorum to discus a change of show dates, a change in our by-laws, and a few other ‘bread-and-butter’ issues. For example, we pay $300 a month for a storage unit filled with junk, some of which we have to keep, and some we can get rid of. We need a judge selection committee, we need an event committee to deal with logistics, that kind of thing.

Because the club vice-president had to talk to the superintendent & officers of another club that was holding what we call a cluster of dogs shows at the Lake County (Illinois) fairgrounds, about three miles away, he chose a s restaurant for the meeting. The restaurant was ‘Mission BBQ’ (a chain, and the food was very good) which is in Gurnee Mills, not far from Great America ammusment park (closed in the winter, so in theory, traffic wasn’t a problem), & this venue is at Rt. 132 and Hunt Club Rd.

I am telling you this because I am going to tell you my route.

It started snowing early in the morning this Saturday. Our meeting was called for 5:00p,m, and our VP wanted us to meet at this dog show at about 3:00 after Best in Show (though I was told the show was still going on at 4:30). I didn’t go to the show because I’ve been to enough dog shows, and I didn’t want to pay for parking.

What I did was first, go to see my sister in Lake Forest. I took Sheridan Rd (start at Sheridan and Touhy if you’re looking at a map), took Sheridan to Tower, Tower over to Green Bay, Green Bay Rd north to Lake Cook (Highland Park), got on Rt. 41 north to Rt.60, west almost to US94 (Tristate Tollway: my sister lives in Conway Farms subdivision). I left around 1:30 and didn’t get to her house until just before 3. NONE OF THE ROADS WERE PLOWED AND IT WAS STILL SNOWING.

I discussed the best route to take to the restaurant with my brother-in-law, because I wasn’t sure where I could get Hunt Club Rd. If you go to Antioch, Hunt Club is just a mile from US94 but 10 miles (?) south, it is further west. BIL thought I would be ok taking St.Mary’s up to 137, go west to Rt. 21, northish to 132 and west to Hunt Club, then north, but the roads were so awful—none had been plowed: you couldn’t see the lanes and I made progress at about 25 mph. In good weather, this route would have taken maybe half an hour. It took me over an hour. I missed the left turn at 120 because it was snowing so badly, I couldn’t see the sign & get into the left turn lane, so went up to 132 and west, only a couple of miles, but again, you could not see the lanes. Everyone was driving very slowly. I could not get traction, and lights kept coming on in the dashboard indicating that I was skidding. Very scary.

I got to the restaurant at 4:45, and our group wasn’t there. I messaged Kevin to tell him that if I didn’t see anyone by 5:15, I was leaving, but at about 5:05, our treasurer arrived. In fact, the restaurant manager told me they had gotten a phone call in the morning that a group was coming, but whomever called didn’t leave their name or the size of the group.

People trickled in until about 5:30, and we ordered dinner. For ‘fast food’—it was really good. Most people chose bar-b-q, I had salmon that was incredible, The club pays for dinner.

We had 9 people—so I guess we had a quorum, and Kevin started the meeting. We discussed all of the above, and I mentioned changing the by-laws to allow people to give proxies…and adjourned at 8:00p.m and it was still snowing….and the roads had still not been cleared.

My route back was 132 to Rt.41…and I planned to get off 41 at Lake-Cook, but it took over an hour to get those 15 or so miles from 132 to Lake-Cook.

Rt.41 is a major highway. Thankfully, there was very little traffic, but the snow was at least 2 inches deep and there was ice under that. I pondered whether to put my hazard signal on, but when I saw a car in front of me poking along at 20mph, I did that, & others did along the way. It was stressful & scary. When I got down to Rt.60, I was thinking of going to my sister’s and spending the night, but I was halfway home, and only about 5 miles from Lake Cook.

I took Lake Cook to Green Bay, STILL not plowed, and at Park, went east to Sheridan. Park was plowed, and Sheridan was all the way back to my house, about 10 more miles. I got home just a few minutes before 10:00p.m.

Now, looking at all I wrote, I wonder why I was driving in a snowstorm. In about 20 years, the earth’s environment will be so devastated, most breeds won’t have a gene pool.

How Did the Dog Get so Matted?

I am retired now, but as life goes on. I find more and more about dog ownership (I mean how other people are with their dogs) that irks me: 1. People using harnesses. Harnesses are designed for your dog to pull you. Even the no-pull harnesses don’t get the message to the dog that pulling isn’t right. For centuries, we’ve used collars, and dogs managed to not choke themselves. As modern dog trainers say, ‘The collar (harness) doesn’t train the dog, YOU train the dog.’ Harnesses on ‘non-shed’ dogs are particularly bad because they cause static which causes matting.

2. Worse? Flexis—retractable leashes. You have virtually no control of your dog on a Flexi. & why would you put a pinch collar on the dog if you plan to use a Flexi? It doesn’t make sense!

3. People who can’t go for a walk without their phones. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DO!!!! Your dog might eat something, or take a dislike to another dog, or—-some other oblivious person with a ‘friendly’ dog may be approaching you!

3. People who buy ‘non-shed’ dogs and believe they don’t have to brush their dogs.

A few years ago, a dog groomer published an article in a dog groomers’ magazine about teaching dog-owning clients—-particularly owners of dogs that the owners want to keep long haired— how to take care of their dogs at home between professional groomings.   We all know that whoever sold them the dog should have shown the new owner the right tools and techniques to care for their new pet.  We just have to assume, however, that there are so few ethical hobby breeders left, that it falls to us groomers to help our clients be move nurturing pet parents.

I hate dematting dogs…. hate hate hate it!.  It’s one thing to dematt a dog changing coats, who has been taught to lie down and relax, so you are not pulling on the skin, just the hair.  It’s quite another to pander to the clueless dog owners who are in denial about the type of coat care their dog needs to be the length and condition they want to maintain.

Do we all understand why the coat gets matted?  It is the dynamic of the ‘dryness’ of the coat, with moisture, dirt, and static electricity.  Briefly, the coat is untouched, but the dog lives on earth. Earth is dirty.  Stuff floats in the air (let alone what’s on the ground, where the dog mostly is).  Just plain old environmental particulate matter. Then, relative humidity…even dew on the grass. Finally, static. Not necessarily enough to give you a shock, but enough to rub against the cuticle of the hair, opening it up, and all those hairs with opened up cuticles float and stick to each other, the cuticle closes, voila!  Matts.

The only excuse for not informing the dog owner about why this happens, and that the interval between groomings is too long, is not having a relationship with the customer.  I know many won’t care, but most love their dogs and want to do the right thing.  They either have to brush the dog at home, with the proper brush and technique, or pay you to do it, at the right interval.

In the late 1990s and the early part of this century, I had over 100 regular clients with Bearded Collies, Soft-coated Wheaten Terriers (in way too long coat), Afghan Hounds, and Pulik.  I now have 4. What happened?  All my clients did what needed to be done, but as those dogs died of old age, the owners were honest about their finances and personal limitations, and those who got another dog, got: Frenchies, Pit Bulls, Boxers, short-haired mixes, and one former Afghan Hound owner got a smooth Saluki.  What kind of dog owners continue to acquire non-shed dogs which are always matted?  The ones with whom you are not honest.

I worked for a business that catered to elites, and they are having to address this because we are dematting way too many dogs that end up with skin problems. It is taking us too long and costing us too much money.  I won’t go into how this culture developed, but you can guess if you, too, spend too much time dematting the same dogs over and over.

How did they get so matted besides the interval between professional groomings being too long?

The ear fringes:  This happens because you are responding to the owner wanting the ears shorter.  We get the ‘Buster Brown’ blunt cut.  What happens is that the short hair at the tips of the ear leather weaves into the longer hairs, as it grows. Solution?  Try a  C or E attachment on the whole ear, so all the hair grows at the same time…and/or trim the entire ear to the leather (like a Portie).  This is also why you get a matted ‘false skirt’:  the short hair you cut off weaved into the skirt fringe.  A better solution is to make the whole skirt shorter (as an aside…why does a pet dog that is never brushed and  walking  through stuff need more hair than a show dog?)

Around shoulders/neck/armpits:  The dog wears a harness.  The harness causes friction as the dog walks. Solution:  Martingale collar.  It will not choke the dog and only tightens as the dog pulls.  Otherwise, it is loose. The owner has more control of the dog, too.

Matted at the skin, but looks fine:  Everyone’s favorite.  The dog is not brushed often enough, the owner uses the wrong brush or wrong technique. Solution:  offer to show the owner what tools you use, and suggest a system: I start at the rear leg and work my way up and to the front of the dog on 1 side, then do the other side.  & the owner may need more than a brush. They may need a rake, and anti-static.  Sometimes it is too dry in the home, or the dog is on carpet.

Topline:  Dog walks under furniture.  Or, people are scratching/petting the dog.

Only the rear end of the dog (usually at least 2 dogs in the household).  No delicate way to put this. One dog is humping the other.  It could be love, could be stress.  This is why I suggest obedience training, The dog may never actually get trained, but the interaction the owner has with the dog often helps alleviate stress, and it really helps if there is more than 1 dog and the whole family gets involved.

Finally, because people want pets, they don’t understand that the dog bred to be a pet may have a less than perfect coat texture, and certainly, you never know what kind of coat you are getting with a designer dog.  Nobody’s at fault here, except the breeders breeding for the market.  This is one of the reasons many of us buy dogs from hobby breeders.

Why Are So Many Dogs in Harnesses?

About 10 years ago, I wrote about people using prong collars inappropriately. Prong collars have pins—blunt wedged, but no matter, they are designed to poke into your dog’s neck. If the dog walks normally, the pins just rest on the skin. If the dog pulls, they pinch into the dog’s neck. So many people who weren’t training their dog used them & claimed these things slowed their dogs down & they walked better. Yes, they did—until the collar was removed. The prong or pinch collar didn’t work on all dogs. They barely made a dent on dogs with thick hair—a ‘mane’—around their necks. Some dogs pulled harder to get away from the pain, and some dogs became inured to the pain.

My question was, why would you want to cause pain to your dog? That is not training.

I now have a dog who seems to be inured to pain. She knows basic commands: sit, stay, down, and come when called. When it comes to walking on a leash, in the 2 years I’ve had her, she’s been in a hurry to get….somewhere. I only use a martingale collar, and I will ‘string her up’ if she pulls, but unless I have a treat in my hand, she’ in a hurry.

More and more, I am seeing people walking dogs that are in harnesses. I’m sure the reason is that they don’t want to hurt the dog’s neck if the dog pulls. I’m also sure that some idiot at the pet shop steered the owners into a harness because they played on the owner’s emotions. The people selling these things have clearly never trained a dog and don’t really care. They sell what their bosses tell them to sell.

Here’s the thing about harnesses: they are designed for your dog to pull you unencumbered. This is why sled dogs and guide dogs wear harnesses—-to not be restrained. They won’t ‘hurt’ your dog’s neck, but can do a real job chafing armpits and shoulders. Also, if you have a soft coated, non-shed dog, they will either wear away hair or cause static electricity and matt it up. If a dog is being walked in a harness, it is supposed to be removed when you take the leash off. Most owners do not do this, and the dog is in the harness 24/’7. Why anyone would think any of these results are positive is beyond me.

People have been using buckle collars and martingales for centuries. They work. Don’t trust the guy at the pet shop. Use a buckle collar or martingale and teach your dog to walk on a leash without pulling, You can find many videos online that demonstrate this if you aren’t ready for a dog training class.