choclab4evr-blog

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Canis lupus familiaris Canidae Chocolate Labrador Captain Color: Liver/Chocolate Size: 22.5 inches and 81 lbs Eyes: Brown Coat: Short, light shedding, water repellent Build: Stocky, webbed feet, hair is not feathered but dense to the touch. Snout is long and thin. Ears flop forward and slightly to the side. Light shedding. Diet: Iams Lamb and Rice Mix

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Characteristics of common ancestor

Grey Wolf

Canis lupus

Family

Canidae

Lifespan

Wild: 8 to 16 years

Captivity: Up to 20 years

Size

Length: 4 to 5 ½ feet

Weight: 40 to 170 pounds

Habitat

Widely varied including forests, deserts, mountains, tundra, and grasslands

Lifestyle

Social, living in packs of 5 to 15 members

Historical Range

Throughout North America, Asia, and Europe

Diet

Wild: Elk, deer, bison, sheep, small mammals.

The pack works together to take down the larger prey.

Wolves also will eat fish and carrion

Zoo: Ground beef with vitamins mixed in, dog kibble, and knucklebones to help keep their teeth healthy

Reproduction

Sexual maturity occurs at 2 years of age.

Mating season takes place January through March, usually between the alpha male and the alpha female who normally mate for life.

Both attempt to keep others in the pack from mating.

After a gestation period of about 9 weeks, a litter of 3 to 9 deaf and blind pups are born.

Virtually all pack members contribute to raising pups, often bringing food to the mother while she is nursing.

Unique Characteristics

Strict domestic hierarchies govern the pack based on relationships with the alpha male.

Dens are found in the ground or in rocky crevices and are often used year after year.

Special Adaptations

The wolf’s body is built for stamina and endurance.

It has powerful jaws and excellent senses of smell, sight, and hearing.

The teeth are equipped to strip flesh right off bones.

Conservation Status

The Grey wolf, also called the Timber wolf, was once the most widespread mammal apart from humans.

Because of extermination programs based on unreasonable fear and unrestricted hunting, wolves were near extinction throughout the country by the early 1900’s.

Due to federal intervention and placing the wolf on the endangered list, wolf populations slowly began to rise.

In early 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife changed the status of the Grey wolf from "Endangered" to "Threatened" in most of the lower 48 states.

Information from: http://www.saginawzoo.com/index.php/animals/111?task=view

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He eats everything!

Since it's the weekend and Captain has been very into chewing shoes (and trash) again, I thought I'd try using a few tips from friends to fix this. First, it was recommended by fellow pet owners (discussion with colleagues) that I try using a type of deterrent on him to discourage his behavior. Dogs are much like humans in the fact that they have taste buds for salty, sweet, sour and bitter; although they have an extreme dislike for bitter. With this in mind, I chose a cherry flavored deterrent and sprayed it on furniture, shoes, the bases of wooden tables and chairs (replication and making observations) but it didn't work! After realizing he didn't seem to mind the cherry flavor, I looked up other kinds. The first thing I came up to was using a spicy-hot deterrent designed for more extreme cases. The directions read, "apply a small amount to a piece of tissue or cotton wool. Gently place it directly into your dog’s mouth. Allow him to taste it and then spit it out." The ASPCA website  stated that signs of disliking the deterrent would be " he might shake his head, drool or retch. He might sniff the piece of tissue or wool, but he probably won’t pick it up again."(http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/using-taste-deterrents) The directions from the bottle also stated that since it was a hot-spicy deterrent I should remove water ( or all available liquids) for one hour and no longer. Removal of the water is just to make sure he understands he can't easily get rid of the taste and sensation. Ideally, he would make sure to stay away from those items.

Results: When I first tested the cherry deterrent, I quickly realized that Captain liked it because none of the signs (shaking of head, drooling, retching) were shown. He just went back to his behavior. I put his muzzle on him while researching and talking to other pet owners for different ideas.To test the deterrent, I put one drop of Habanero flavored Tobasco hot sauce on a Q-Tip and rubbed it on his tounge.  After I tried the hot-spicy deterrent, he automatically started for his water bowl. When he realized his water dish was not available, he jumped on the couch and began rubbing his mouth and face into the cushions and pillows. I'd say it worked!

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Wolf Domesticaion and Evolution to Labrador Retriever

Today I thought I'd take a look at who Captains ancestors are and how he came to be himself. Whether you have a mutt or a mastiff, a pooch or a poodle, all dogs share a virtually identical DNA. But where does that come from? People have speculated for years about the origins of dogs, with the prime candidates being foxes, wolves and hyenas. "Charles Vila has conducted the most extensive study to date, demonstrating that there is no legitimate evidence to show that any other form of canine was responsible for the modern dog except that of the wolf." (http://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/42199.aspx) It was finally confirmed that all dogs are descendents of wolves in the Middle East. Researchers looked at the genetic code from more than 900 dogs from 85 breeds, and compared that with the DNA of 200 wild gray wolves, including wolves from North America, Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. In total, they analyzed more than 48,000 genetic markers. (http://dogblog.8pawsup.com/2010/04/dogs-descended-from-wolves.html) What the DNA tests confirmed was that dogs share a high degree of genetic similarity with Middle Eastern gray wolves. In contrast, no DNA evidence was found of coyotes or jackals in the dog family tree. Wolves are considered a wild dog, therefore they are part of the family Canidae. Among this family are also jackals, domestic dogs, foxes, and coyotes. Even though these species belong to the same family, foxes belong to a different genus (Vulpes) than dogs, coyotes and jackals. This means that dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals can interbreed but it's not physically possible for a fox to breed with any of those species.

So how did wild wolves wind up as the tame dog that curls up at your feet when you watch TV?  Researchers speculate that early humans domesticated wild wolves because they found that they made useful companions and work animals.

"Evidence shows that primitive humans and wolves lived near each other, and they doubtless benefited from this relationship – the wolf packs would have got some of their food from carcasses left behind by the human hunters, and over time would have become natural watchdogs, alerting humans to the presence of larger predators." (http://dogblog.8pawsup.com/2010/04/dogs-descended-from-wolves.html)

It is also possible that early humans could have raided wolf dens, captured wolf pups, and raised some themselves. Once they started feeding the young animals, they would have been likely to stay with the humans. Another modern way to create the desired breed would be selective breeding. A great example of this is our artificial breeding lab that we did during the semester. We were to create 3 different puppies based on desired traits from two hunting dogs.

Dogs are often called man’s best friend – at some basic level we like dogs and they like us – and now there’s evidence. Whether with wild wolves or domesticated dogs, this relationship has been going strong for over 13,000 years. (http://dogblog.8pawsup.com/2010/04/dogs-descended-from-wolves.html)

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8 Training Tips on Walking Your Dog- Results

     Today I tried walking captain using most of the tips from the artical I posted yesterday. It went fairly well! I did not purchase a prong collar yet because I'm still somewhat apprehensive about using it on my dog, and the face mask that he wears during walks and sometimes around the house seems to help him mind his manners. The second tip was entitled Always Walk Side by Side With Your Dog; "Never allow your pup to lead the way, as this is a sign of dominance to the dog. The leader is always in charge as long as you are not enjoying the view; your dog will remain in charge and pull you down the street to assert their authority. Use a treat in hand or just wear a treat bag along your walk to keep all the attention focused on you and where you want the pup to be during the walk." The article suggested to use a regular leash over a retractable leash because large breed dogs are known to snap them but I think it works much better than a normal leash. My hand doesn't get squished and I feel that I have more control over Captains pulling and the length of his leash.(8 Training Tips on Walking Your Dog) I tried both of these tips, keeping Captain by my side or slightly behind me and keeping treats in my sweatshirt pocket, and both worked! He instantly fell into step by my side, and rarely tried to pull in any direction.. There were times that he would realize I had a treat in my hand and jump in front of me or try to pull close enough into the bushes to sniff around but I would stand my ground until he fell back into his place next to me. We walked for approximately 1.5 miles, down my road and back. The first half of the walk went smoothly, he only had to sit once for a passing vehicle and received a treat. The second half was a little rough, there were large dump trucks with equipment and many other vehicles passing. It was definitely a test of his attention span. It took about three times of him sitting at any point for a treat and after that he was completely conditioned. On the last quarter of the walk all I had to do was hold up my fist and say "sit."

     The next rule of thumb was to never shorten or lengthen the leash, a dog needs to know exactly how far to stay from it's alpha. I did try this with Captain and it worked! he was always just close enough that his fur might brush my leg every stride or two but never pulled or got in my way. Also, we have two dogs at the opposite end of our street that are always outside. Every time I walk Captain, they bark and whine because it's another dog. Usually, Captain will stop and stare at them with his ears perked but this time I kept getting his attention with a treat, praising him and showing him to ignore the other dogs. He only stared at them twice and stopped once, which is a great improvement. Most of the time I have to literally drag him away.

     I definitely think there is some margin for error, like not using the prong collar or regular leash. I just don't think that going to an extreme for a collar is necessary for Captain, especially since he proved to be very flexible with his learning. I am starting the book The Other End Of The Leash by Patricia McConnell and come up with some more ideas for my project.

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I realize that I haven't posted in a while, I've been very busy with school and work! But since the semester has about 3 weeks left I figured I'd get my butt in gear. The article that I've attached has 8 tips on the proper way to walk your dog and also has little essential reminders about proper puppy etiquette while walking and when to give your dog a treat on a walk. I have been trying for over a year to get my dog to walk "properly" (with no dominance and by my side.) This article has made me realize how much of a difference it can make with just a few simple commands! I usually have captain wearing a Gentle Lead on his face, which is a harness that goes around his head and snout. The leash attaches at the base on a hook so that whenever he pulls, it makes his head turn to face me. It doesn't hurt him, but it helps keep him under control. Also, I would let him have lots of lead on his retractable leash (both the lead and leash are no-nos) because he is always so curious. I am hoping to practice the tips used from this fellow blogger and give everyone an update on Wednesday. First things first, buy a prong collar!

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Today, I read an article online called "How Smart Is Your Dog?" fromWebMD by Julie Edgar. The article contains a list of the worlds smartest dogs, based on the assessments of 110 breeds by more than 200+ professional dog obedience judges who scored breeds based on working/obedience tests. The top breeds absorbed commands in less than five repitions and obeyed them 95% of the time or better. The top 10 were: Border Collie, Poodle, German Shepard, Golden Retriever, Doberman Pinscher, Shetland Sheepdog, Labrador Retriever, Papillon, Rottweiler, and Australian Cattle Dog. So, Captain ranks as the 7th dog breed in the world which isn't too bad! Since these dogs were "graded" on being able to complete a new command in 5 repititions, I decided to give it a try. I used a simple balancing technique with a treat, holding it above his head so that he would eventually balance on his hind legs. It took about 7 tries, more than I was hoping for but eventually he got it!

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Even though I think that my dog is a genius, he's not quite the smartest in the shed!

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First I thought I'd start with a little introduction about Captain and I. It basically began with me begging my mom for a puppy as a graduation gift, so in March of 2011 she took me to a breeders house where I picked him out just days after he was born. I added a few pictures that are extremely special to me and show our unbreakable bond that is full of love, laughter, illness, adventures, long swims in our pond, and of course LOTS of punishment. Haha. Although he is by far my best friend and was easily trainable as a puppy (he is trained in voice command and hand commands)... he still has some work that needs to be done. This work includes changing habits like eating socks, dish rags, underwear, shoes, getting into the bathroom trashcan, running around insanely to irritate the cat, and jumping on people when they enter our home or property. I created this blog to see how well Captain can be trained over the course of an entire college semester, while adding some humor. Hope you all enjoy our adventures through this together!