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  • in reply to: Genes that influence dog behavior. #7605
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    dawn miller
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    that is why I liked this podcast episode. they seemed to hit the sweet spot between too geeky and too dumbed down.

    in reply to: Genes that influence dog behavior. #7561
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    dawn miller
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    here is another resource. In fact after listening to this it reminded me to come back here and see if there were any more updates in reseach

    look for the Drinking from the Toilet podcast #93. Not over your head and gives a good idea of where this type of research is going.

    in reply to: Scam #7313
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    dawn miller
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    I sent in my kits way back near the beginning of this project. It took a long time but we eventually got our results. No surprises since both of my dogs are purebreds. I took part to add to the pool of knowledge that might help our dogs have longer healthier lives. For quicker results I bought two kits from Embark. And shared their findings here with the Darwin staff.

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    dawn miller
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    I’m not too sure about labs. being more of a fan of German Shepherds. The white German Shepherd is seldom used for anything other than a family pet. They have a reputation for being a “soft temperament” dog. Perhaps it is the same concept as the “crazy” chocolate labs.

    in reply to: biting #6669
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    dawn miller
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    there are many free dog training videos on Leerburg.com as well. Basically pups bite quite a bit when they are little, between teething, exploring and playing. Using a toy to play with the pup helps. Don’t just give the toy to the pup, though. That is boring. You have to play together for a little while. Biting slows down with maturity.

    in reply to: Keepsakes & Mementos #6050
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    dawn miller
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    I kept a couple of German Shepherd baby teeth in my purse for awhile. I try not to get sentimental over things but for some reason I just felt I should hang onto them for awhile.

    in reply to: Interaction Behavior Question #6032
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    dawn miller
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    If your poodle avoided mom, perhaps the mother’s body language showed protectiveness toward her child and your dog responded to that.

    in reply to: those pesky unwanted mutations #6030
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    dawn miller
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    thank you Jennifer, this is fascinating.

    in reply to: those pesky unwanted mutations #6028
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    dawn miller
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    I noticed in the photograph that all the dogs were squinting. That may not mean anything in itself but I do know that light pigmentation in human eyes correlates with higher light sensitivity.

    I had never read that high-white piebald has a higher risk of deafness. That is interesting. I do know that White German Shepherds were regarded as inferior. I wonder if possible deafness has anything to do with that. I do know that darker eyes are desirable, again possibly for having a higher tolerance of bright light.

    in reply to: Nature vs Nurture #5833
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    dawn miller
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    I suspect the question of dog bites is more training than genetic. Much of our society has moved away from farming and animal husbandry. We don’t understand animals like we used to. Too often the idea of having an animal in our homes is lead by a romantic notion of affection and loyalty. We lack the once common wisdom of how to teach our dogs and cats to behave in a human world, be it a lap dog or a working dog, a window sill cat or a barn cat.

    in reply to: VHL- for Dog DNA #5949
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    dawn miller
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    nifty, I hadn’t even checked back on my dogs status. It has been quite awhile since we sent the swabs and I just figure that eventually they’ll share something if they’ve learned something. Now I am curious as to what the criteria for the VHL was since one of my dogs was chosen and not the other. 

    in reply to: Interesting Behaviors #5468
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    dawn miller
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    pick pocket, that is cute (and sometimes annoying, too, I suspect). I watched a video of a trainer who encouraged his dogs to “sneak” the reward snack out of his pocket. These were dogs training in obedience competition and he wanted them to feel confident and even a bit cocky, enjoying their training.

    in reply to: Cancer in relation to breeds #5920
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    dawn miller
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    I have read that retrievers are prone to cancers. Not only do we look to breeds, but there are studies looking at spay/neuter connections.

    http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0102241

    in reply to: mutts vs pure breeds #5577
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    dawn miller
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    There are some studies that suggest that delaying neutering can be healthier for large dogs. That being said, if an animal is intact for what ever reason, the human is responsible to control the animal’s opportunities to breed. Our boy is intact and our female went through two heats before getting spay. No pups in our house. We controlled their access to each other.
    Yes, breeding should be done by people who understand as best we can, how to improve the breed, not just crank out popular breeds to make money. Breeders need to make a profit but that cannot be their only goal.

    Sorry to hear about your big white companion. I grew up with a lab/ german shepherd mix and she developed a huge tumor on her side. There is no stopping our dogs from passing away, but we can try to give them longer better lives.

    in reply to: Interesting Behaviors #5465
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    dawn miller
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    I bet that is a sight to see Scott, when Lucy comes with her horde. My big boy grabs something to hold when he greets us. He always wanted to grab an arm and holding a toy or shoe or leaf, helps him deal with the urge and leaves our arms tooth free.
    I had a little mix that loved one toy in particular. She always knew where it was and always had it in her mouth to greet us when we came home. 

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 61 total)