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  • in reply to: Got Zoe's Results Last Night #6958
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    amanda ferris
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    Jennifer, that would be interesting to find out re: American Village Dogs. I’m part of a Potcake FB group and it’s really fascinating to see the results of the DNA tests they use. One poster took a newer Embark test and the dog was basically totally mixed, with a bit of American Village Dog in the “supermutt” category and others, like my girl, were full village dog.

    I’d love to find out one day if Zoe, in her village dog-ness, simply shares an ancestor with the breeds listed or if she is, indeed a mix with those breeds. I lean towards the latter personally, but either way it would be neat to find out once and for all.

    in reply to: blog post about genetics and behavior and fear #5918
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    amanda ferris
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    I can’t speak for everyone else, but I’m 90% sure that Zoe’s fear issues are mostly due to genetics and early trauma. I recently performed an Embark Vet DNA test and discovered that she is an American Village Dog (AKA Potcake/satos/etc) with some Beagle, GSD, Collie and Siberian Husky in the gene pool. That was pretty surprising, since all North Shore Animal League told me was that she was a GSD mix.

    I wouldn’t be shocked if Zoe’s parents were fearful and if the shelter environment traumatized her. I did my best to socialize her when I adopted her at 12 weeks, but there’s only so much I can do, y’know? She’s leash reactive, noise phobic and fussy about dogs/people being in her personal space, but I’ve been working my butt off to countercondition her with the help of a good trainer and she’s on Prozac.

    I joined a Potcake forum on FB and a lot of other ‘cakes have similar issues to Zoe. Some of them are way worse actually. 🙁

    in reply to: Dog Trick Inspiration #5613
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    amanda ferris
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    Zoe: knows basic obedience (sit/stay/down/come/stand) and a few minor tricks–stand up (she stands up and puts her front paws on me), paws up (on an object), speak, spin, weave right/left, and crawl. We also play the “seek” game where I hide treats and she has to sniff them out.

    Esme knows basic obedience, and I’m teaching her the same tricks Zoe knows. She also knows “jump” and will jump over her make shift agility hurdle too.

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