Dogs and Dawgs

17/03/2017

In view of our zeal and commitment to upgrading the standard of the Boerboels in Nigeria, the Boerboel Alliance registry has taken it upon itself to get more Boerboel dogs micro chipped and DNA Samples taken in preparedness for the upcoming Boerboel Alliance appraisal coming up soon.
I am glad to announce that officials will be carrying out the above exercise at Ketu tomorrow 18th March 2017.
Please pchat for more details and directions.
Or call these numbers
+2348161164568
+2348122217807.

22/01/2017

Hugo and Shasha

16/11/2016

Surely man's best friend!

31/03/2015

CANE CORSO (Italian Mastiff)

The Cane Corso is a large Italian Molosser, which is closely related to the Neapolitan Mastiff. In name and form the Cane Corso predates its cousin the Neapolitan Mastiff. It is well muscled and less bulky than most other Mastiff breeds. The breed is known as a true and quite possibly the last of the coursing Mastiffs. The ideal cane corso dogs stand 58–70 cm (23–28 in) at the withers, with females in the lower range (58–66 cm (23–26 in)) and males in the higher (62–70 cm (24–28 in)). Weight should be in keeping with the size and stature of these dogs, ranging from 45 to 50 kg for males and from 40 to 45.4 kg for females. The overall impression should be of power, balanced with athleticism. A Corso should be moderately tight skinned; however, some dewlap on the neck is normal, and the bottom of the jawline should be defined by the hanging lip.

The head of the Cane Corso is arguably its most important feature. It is large and imposing. The forehead should be flat and convergent to the muzzle. The muzzle is flat, rectangular (when viewed from above), and generally as wide as it is long; approximately 33% the total length of the skull (a ratio of 2:1). The eyes are almond in shape, set straight and when viewed from the front, set slightly above the line of the muzzle. Darker eyes are preferred, however, the color of the eyes tends to emulate the shade of brindling in the coat. Traditionally the ears are cropped short in equilateral triangles that stand erect, however, as cropping is no longer legal in many jurisdictions, Cane Corso with ears are becoming more common, and should hang smoothly against the head, coming to at or slightly below the level of the eyes.
The tail of the Corso is traditionally docked (dog) fairly long, at the 4th vertebra. Again, with trends in cosmetic surgeries for dogs changing, many Corsos now have full tails, which should be carried erect, but never curled over the back. Cane Corso appear in two basic coat colours: black and fawn. White markings are common on the chest, tips of toes, the chin, and the bridge of the nose. The average life expectancy is 10 to 12 years.

The Cane Corso is not recommended for novice dog owners. As a puppy, it requires strong leadership and consistent training and it is highly encouraged to begin socialization as soon as possible. Ideally the Cane Corso should be indifferent when approached and should only react in a protective manner when a real threat is present. They will very rarely fight unless provoked and are typically very docile and sweet.

14/03/2015

BOERBOEL

The Boerboel is a large dog, with a strong bone structure and well developed muscles. The head appears blocky, but not overdone. It should look impressive, carrying himself with confidence and powerful movement, which should be buoyant, and unencumbered, despite its size. It should be symmetrical and balanced, following the desired proportions for the breed. Males should be markedly bigger than females.

The Boerboel is an average shedder and easy to groom. The occasional brushing and a monthly bath and nail trim is all that is needed. The breed has an outer coat that is normally coarse and straight, and an undercoat that is soft and dense. Its coat is short, dense, smooth, soft, and shiny. Their coat color can be various shades of red, brown, or fawn. Many dogs have a black mask around their mouth that sometimes extends to their eyes and ears. The Breed Standard colors for the Boerboel is Fawn, Light Fawn, Red all colors of red and Brindle

Boerboels are an intelligent and energetic breed. They are loyal, great with kids and tend to be protective of their family and territory. They are quite charming when not being lazy, and will not hesitate to defend their loved ones to the death. The Boerboel also requires training and firm handling from an early age. Boerboels are generally known for their good health. However, Boerboels can suffer from hip or elbow dysplasia, vaginal hyperplasia, ectropion, and entropion. Recently, juvenile epilepsy (with attacks brought on by metabolic changes or stress) has appeared in the boerboel breed. The average life expectancy is ten years.

Prospective owners must recognize that owning a boerboel requires a significant commitment in time and energy as they need to be trained and properly socialized in order to be happy, well-adjusted family members.

These dogs thrive under positive reinforcement training techniques and require human companionship and structure. If left isolated, Boerboels will digress and may become destructive. Owners should be wary of trying to forcefully control the dog as it is detrimental to their psychological health and could cause potential behavioral backlash in the future. These dogs benefit from an owner who respects their size and strength but is not fearful of it.
If you are considering adding a boerboel to your family or already own a boerboel and are thinking of moving (to a smaller home), remember this – bored boerboels are destructive boerboels and at about 68 kg, can do a lot of damage. Although more suitable for large yards, Boerboels are adaptable and can live in small environments as long as they receive regular exercise and a lot of attention. Whatever the amount of space available, they need to have plenty of physical and mental exercise. The Boerboel can be exercised in a large, securely enclosed yard, but at a minimum this type of dog needs to be taken on a long walk every day.

22/02/2015

FEEDING

Right up there next to a dog's migration instinct and the importance of you leading the way on the walk, rather than the dog leading you, is the feeding ritual. This is another key aspect to communicating to your dog in its language. In the wild, a canine animal gets up in the morning and goes off with its pack to hunt. The pack hunts together as a group. When the pack brings down an animal, the leader of the pack eats first, consuming the tastiest parts of the kill. The other members of the pack wait until the alpha member is finished and then proceed to eat their share.

It is best to walk your dog before a meal; this simulates him working for his food. It is not natural for a dog to be given everything for free. Canine animals have a drive to earn their keep in the pack. Always let your dog cool off and wind down before feeding him in order to prevent conditions such as bloat.

When it is feeding time your dog should wait patiently for you to prepare the food. The dog should not be begging or excited. A dog that lays or sits down without intensely staring is being respectful. When a dog turns its back or walks away while its food is being prepared, it is giving the ultimate respect. It is giving you space because it sees it as your turn to "eat."
When the dog is calm, place the bowl on the ground, tell him to wait, practicing good discipline and then give the command to go and get it.

If your dog is anxious, whining, jumping, spinning, pacing, being pushy, begging, intensely staring or otherwise not calm while you are preparing the food, do not put the food bowl down. Tell your dog you disagree with his behavior. Correct him while remaining calm and feeling confident. You may have to put the food dish on the counter and wait. Eventually the dog will calm down and if you are consistent he will learn that you only put the food down when he is calm and respectful.

There should be no self-feeding, where the food is available all of the time. The pack leader decides when it is time to eat, so you do not want to let your dog decide when to go and get a nibble. Food available all of the time sends mixed signals. There should be a scheduled feeding time. Your dog needs to see that you are deciding when it is time to eat.

You should be able to reach down and touch your dog's food without the dog getting upset in any way. If you try this and your dog growls, snaps, bites or tries to push you away from their food, then your dog is seeing himself as above you in the order. He is telling you that he is alpha and to leave him alone while eating. It is not safe for you to allow your dog to believe he is alpha, since an alpha dog will resort to biting in order to communicate his displeasure with your actions.

Its advisable to start teaching your dog early

D&D

20/12/2014

Man's best friend

13/12/2014

Bluebell Kennels Tibetan Mastiff

13/12/2014

06/11/2014

Luv Dogs

16/09/2014

PACK LEADER/BEING DOMINANT/ALPHA DOG

You hear time and again that you must be a pack leader or dominant over your dog. What does that mean, anyway? A lot of people mistake that as meaning you must be bossy, pushy, harsh and even go so far as getting angry when the dog does something wrong. This is a very incorrect assumption.
Being dominant over your dog does not mean you should be mean to your dog. It means you must communicate to the dog who the leader is going to be. Pack leaders are not aggressive, angry or bossy. Lower members of the pack are not fearful of the pack leader, but rather respectful. The pack leader is the stronger minded being, calm but very firm. Pack leaders set rules and they expect them to be followed; they set boundaries and they expect them not to be crossed; they place limits on what the others are allowed and not allowed to do and they expect everyone to stay within the limits. Pack leaders are not dominant-aggressive, they are calm-assertive.
Dogs need a dominant, alpha leader; a being who is calm and very strong-minded. Dogs instinctually crave this leadership and guidance. Size means nothing. It is all about energy, all about how the being is feeling inside. Unstable humans make unstable dogs. A human who lacks confidence will not have a dog who listens to their commands.
If you find yourself correcting your dog with anger, you are not being a good pack leader. Your dog should never fear you. You are looking for respect from your dog, not fear. When a dog respects you it will happily want to follow you. One cannot accomplish this respect using fear and aggression.
In order to be alpha over a dog you must make the dog understand what it is you are communicating to it. This means you have to stop thinking human and start thinking dog. How would one dog tell another dog what it wanted? Do they start yelling and screaming at one another? No, dogs do not talk, yell or scream, so this logically would not be the answer. Being a dog is a very instinctual, natural thing. When a dog is treated like a human or a little toy the dog can either lose, or often never learn, their real sense of being. This can cause catastrophic damage to them mentally and emotionally. So many people corrupt their dogs in this way that we humans start seeing the resulting abnormal behaviours as dog traits, when really they are disturbed or unstable dogs.
There are the dogs that were born to good breeders with stable canine mothers. These pups are off to a good start until they get home with their new families who, with all good intentions, treat them like little babies. They do not teach the pup the rules or give them boundaries and limitations; everything the pup does is "cute" and laughed at. They are not taught to properly walk on a lead while they are young. They are not taken for daily walks. They are not taught to follow. They are not properly communicated with. They are treated so much like a human that they begin to lose parts of their natural instinct. These instincts are not lost forever, just unable to be used because the resources around them are all wrong for the animal, so the dog becomes unstable. However the owners still do not recognize that the dog is unstable; the dog is assumed to have these quirky traits, when really the dog is going crazy inside. Dogs were not meant to be little humans. They are little canines.
Our job as dog owners is to give the dogs back their natural instincts. Treat them like dogs, not like little humans, so they can be the mentally-stable animal they were born to be.
Do not push your dog around, be your dog’s calm, but firm and confident leader so it can look to you for guidance, and respect will follow. Bullying does not work. Anger does not work. Being pushy does not work. Learn a dog's body language and what it means. Learn what they are telling you with their body language. Learn how to tell things back to them in a way they naturally understand. Satisfy their natural instincts. Give them what they need to be balanced animals. Your dog is telling you a lot, are you listening?

24/08/2014

NEAPOLITAN MASTIFF

The Neapolitan Mastiff is fearless and extremely protective of its home and family. They prefer to be with their family by staying around the home outside at all times guarding, which is their natural instinct. The Neapolitan Mastiff rarely barks unless under provocation, renowned for sneaking up on intruders as opposed to first alerting them of its presence.
Neapolitan Mastiffs, as a breed, are extremely intelligent dogs with a tendency to be independent thinkers. They learn quickly, which is both good and bad, since this guardian breed needs extensive proper socialization to learn to accept strangers, especially within the home; without proper early socialization and training, these dogs are likely to become aggressive towards strangers and unfamiliar dogs. Like with other breeds, forceful training methods, "alpha roles", and a general "dominance" mentality will not work with these dogs, especially since it is difficult to try to physically dominate a dog that is nearly as large as an adult human; if one wants a well mannered dog, one should prevent problems before they happen by using positive training methods, beginning socializing early, and continuing socialization throughout life. Male Neapolitan Mastiffs weigh between 60-70 kg, while females weigh 50–60 kg.
The Neapolitan Mastiff is not a breed for most people, and certainly not a dog for beginners. Neapolitans must be well socialized with people, especially children, as Neos are large, powerful dogs and do not always know their own strength. Additionally, young children have young friends, and even with extensive socialization and training, Neapolitans will be wary of strangers and protective of their family, which can be disastrous for small children. Most of the time, they will protect their owners with their lives.
Additional protection training is unnecessary because they are natural guard dogs and always have been. As with every breed, obedience training is very important. They are renowned for drooling especially after drinking or if they get excited.
When it comes to exercise, Neapolitans are not a very active breed as their energy tends to be short lived and their weight causes stress to their joints when excessive. However, they can and will have short, extremely powerful bursts of energy.

D&D