Tail Docking and Ear Cropping in Dog Grooming

From breeding to dog grooming to everything in between, there are many pet parents and individuals in the pet industry who are all about what a dog looks like. If you’re attracted to a breed based on its physicality, there’s nothing wrong with you. Lots of pet parents are drawn to specific breeds because of physical and personality traits. However there’s a large debate regarding tail docking and ear cropping that you should know about.

 

http://arrowanimalhospitalsandimas.com/dog-ear-cropping.html

http://arrowanimalhospitalsandimas.com/dog-ear-cropping.html

Not Always Natural

Tail docking and ear cropping aren’t part of dog grooming, but they are part of maintaining a ‘breed standard look’. It’s kind of strange to consider something a breed standard when it’s not a natural trait. If you research dog breeds, you will find some that have naturally pointy ears and short tails and others who have naturally floppy ears and long tails. You will also find that their ‘breed best’ doesn’t match up with what’s natural, mainly: a pointy-eared, docked tailed dog isn’t born that way. Don’t judge all dogs by this however, as some are naturally born with these traits and while the practice may be cruel and painful to puppies, you should never treat an individual or dog as less of a person because you disagree. That’s just common manners.

 

The Pet Industry Is Putting Its Foot Down

While it will take a while for all pet parents and competitive pet owners to meet on the same level, some professionals in the pet industry are taking a stand. Dog grooming is never a place where you should find tail docking or ear cropping to be handled, however, vets are usually the ones that do this work. In recent news, the major pet hospital Banfield made headlines by stating they would no longer be performing these procedures in their facilities.

 

Why Is Docking and Cropping Even a Thing?

https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/FAQs/Pages/Frequently-asked-questions-about-canine-tail-docking.aspx

https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/FAQs/Pages/Frequently-asked-questions-about-canine-tail-docking.aspx

A long time ago, someone didn’t just decide they thought their dog would be cuter with a docked tail and cropped ears. It never had anything to do with dog grooming or the way a dog looked. Actually, once upon a time, those things actually had a purpose for working dogs. Schnauzers were popular for farm dogs while Boxers were commonly used for dogfighting. Both have naturally floppy ears and when put in these situations, it leaves them vulnerable to be punctured or damaged.

 

Likewise, many dogs who are now commonly known to have their tails docked had them docked for similar reasons. Rottweilers and Weimaraners were both farm or field working dogs and the shorter tail helped prevent trauma or infection when working with farming equipment or animals. There were no dog grooming or presentation reasons in mind.

 

So Why Is It Done Now?

More than anything, cropping and docking has become something of an expectation in competitive dog shows because it was so commonly done on the dogs when they were or still do work. Pet parents will also now look at these breeds and think, “That dog’s tail is too long,” or “Those ears look funny on that dog” and so even if they aren’t showing their dogs, they will do the crop and dock strictly for cosmetic reasons and serves little purpose other than for show and dog grooming standards unless the dog is a working dog.

In most of Europe, it’s actually outlawed and considered animal cruelty. Why is it still done here? Who really knows.

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Do Dogs Read Human Emotion?

Pet industry professionals and pet parents have commonly asked whether dogs can read or understand human emotion. It’s incredibly convincing when your dog drops his ears when you’re angry or comes to see you when you’re sad. Your dog also appears to know when you’re playful or happy. Why is that? Are dogs empathetic, can they read human emotion, or are we way off on both accounts?

 

dog servicesDogs Can Read Facial Expressions

In a big step for the pet Industry and understanding dogs, Current Biology posted a study where they presented dogs with photos of parts of human faces. They did not present voices with the images. “We think the dogs in our study could have solved the task only by applying their knowledge of emotional expression in humans to the unfamiliar pictures we presented,” said Corsin Müller from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna.

In another study, individuals presented dogs with two photos of the same person’s entire face. One was angry, one was happy. The scientists covered either the mouth or the eyes one at a time and the dog responded, recognizing the anger or the happiness at a much higher rate than what could be accomplished with random guessing.

 

The Extent Is Not Known at this Time

While studies have been done in the pet industry to further understand dogs’ understanding of human behavior, they have not become advanced yet. The university doing the studies is only recently moving forward with further testing where they will show dogs more pictures, but a larger variety of emotions. As far as this institute is concerned, they have not moved on to testing tonal expressions or a human emotion and dog’s empathy.

 

Final Comments from Müller

“We expect to gain important insights into the extraordinary bond between humans and one of their favorite pets, and into the emotional lives of animals in general.”

 

dog_park_ownersClosing Thoughts

While the pet industry has involved itself greatly in the studies of animal understanding and behavior, we still don’t know everything there is to know about what dogs feel, think, or why the human-dog connection is such a strong one. Even without lab testing, the bond between humans and dogs is obvious. There’s a clear, innate, and intimate connection between humans and dogs which is obvious from the companionship that comes to us naturally.

Further studies are being done in the pet industry to better understand dogs. The University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and its partners are working hard to better understand dogs, animal emotion, and the bond that we all share.

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Dog Idioms and Where They Came From

Dogs are part of our everyday life and society and they have been for so long, that they’ve even become part of our language. There are a handful of dog idioms that we all use on a day-to-day basis that can be applied to different situations from dog grooming to human problems. Here are some of the most common that we found:

dog groomingHair of the Dog that Bit You

Meaning: Using a remedy that contains a small amount of your ailment.

Nothing to do with dog grooming, this actually started out as a drinking idiom, where one would drink alcohol in order to cure their hangover. It can be dated back to a John Heywood text from 1546. It shifted in time as when people would cut themselves a piece of dog hair and place it over a dog-bite wound in belief that it would help prevent infection. Sometimes this hair would be cooked into an ointment and sometimes it was placed there by itself.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Meaning: Doing something or taking action in a satisfactory situation may case complexities or problems that wouldn’t normally happen.

This very old proverb is recorded as early as the 14th century France. It likely based off the premise that sleeping dogs (just like anyone else) can be startled if they aren’t alert when they are approached. Even the kindest, most friendly of dogs, when startled awake, can snap or bite at the perpetrator of the act. Let sleeping dogs lie is in reference to not disturbing a sleeping, happy dog, especially through surprise because their impulsive action could be unpredictably destructive, regardless of their normal disposition. Likewise, don’t mess with a dog new to dog grooming, ha.

The Tail Wagging the Dog

Meaning: An item of minor importance is dominating a larger situation.

You might find this happening to your dog after a good dog grooming. This expression is assumed to have originated from the United States. The earliest citation of this phrase being used is in a 1872 copy of The Daily Republican. It was used in a piece of fiction where a dim nobleman, twists the phrase around to report how he escaped the attention of a group of prostitutes.

Gone to the Dogs

dog grooming

Meaning: Anything decayed and worthless, not fit for humans. Particularly food.

This phrase can be dated back to a 1775 book known as the London Review of Literature which held the play Germanicus, A Tragedy where it was used in dialogue. Following that, in 18th or 19th century England, horse meat wasn’t considered suitable for humans to eat and would often be sent to the dogs instead. It is assumed that the phrase was preceded by ‘go to pot’, meaning toilet, and this kept the meaning of the phrase the exact same. Quite the opposite of gone to dog grooming.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Meaning: Making a false assumption or mistake in something you want to achieve.

This alludes to when a dog to something like chasing a squirrel up the tree and is so focused on barking at that tree, that he has not noticed the squirrel is not even in that tree anymore. It’s earliest printed record is in James Kirke Paulding’s Westward Ho! from 1832. Shortly after its publication, American citizens took to the phrase like water and populated the country with it. There’s often mud at the feet of those trees which means dog grooming. What happens when you figuratively bark up the wrong tree?

 

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K9 Heroes – More Than Just a House Pet

Dogs are more than just companions at home. They are and have always been working companions whether on the farm or battle field. They are happy to serve by our side and that is what earned them the title, “Man’s Best Friend”. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for their human companions with the appropriate dog training. Just as we take the time to thank the human soldiers for their contribution, let’s not forget what the canine soldiers have done for us.

 

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This isn’t the name of the fried potato you serve with your sandwiches, but of a Collie-German Shepherd-Siberian Husky mix who accompanied our soldiers during World War II. Imagine a major scene in a war movie and this dog lived it. With his dog training, he was able to assault an Italian machine gun nest and assisted in capturing ten Italian soldiers. He was later given the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, and Silver Star awards. However shortly after being given the awards, they were taken back as animals weren’t allowed such recognition at the time. He returned home to Pleasantville, NY in 1945, after the war and later died of old age.

 

Kaiser

This German Shepherd received dog training and served in Vietnam with his handler Marine Lance Cpl. Alfredo Salazar and was the first dog killed in action during the Vietnam war. Together, the two did more than 30 combat patrols and 12 major tactical operations. They later joined “D” Company for search-and-destroy missions where they ambushed enemy forces in 1966. He was not fortunate enough to make it home as he died after being hit in the initial barrage. He spent his final moments trying to lick Salazar’s hand.

 

Nemo

Nemo received dog training and was then partnered with Airman 2nd Class Bob Thornburg. They were assigned to patrol at the cemetery near the company’s airbase in Vietnam. While patrolling, they came under fire. Nemo took a shot to his eye and his partner, Thornburg, was shot in the shoulder. Nevertheless, Nemo continued to attack the enemy which gave Thornburg the time he needed to call for reinforcements.  Shortly thereafter, Thornburg fell unconscious and Nemo crawled up beside him, protecting him from harm until he was later forcefully removed from Thornburg’s side. He made it back from Vietnam and was given a permanent retirement kennel. He lived to be 11 years old, dying in December of 1972.

 

Smoky

Not all famous war dogs are big guys like German Shepherds and Husky mixes. Smoky was a tiny Yorkie who participated in World War II without the assistance of traditional dog training. After dog training, Smoky found an abandoned foxhole in the jungles of New Guinea in February of 1944. Smoky was also involved in twelve combat missions and survived through more than one hundred and fifty air raids. She had an extremely sharp sense of hearing and would also warn soldiers of incoming artillery shells. One of Smoky’s most infamous stories takes place on an airstrip of Luzon. She pulled a telegraph wire through a narrow 70-foot pipe which results in saved construction time and kept engineers out of enemy fire. Smoky also entertained troops, relieved stress among soldiers, and kept the spirit up. She died in 1957 at the age of 14 and later had a story written about her by her pet parent.

 

Stubbyjack_brutus

This American Pit Bull Terrier received the rank of sergeant with his dog training and is a true story of zero to hero. He was a stray found on the Yale campus back in 1917. During the First World War, his adoptive owner, Cpl. John Robert Conroy, smuggled him into France. From there, Stubby took part in 17 battles, four offensive strikes, and improved troop morale. With his incredible senses, he warned his unit of poison-gas attacks, incoming artillery fire, and helped locate down soldiers in the battlefield. He later died in his owner’s arms in 1926 after proving it doesn’t matter where you come from or how you start. Everyone has the potential to do something great. Anyone can become a hero.

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4 Untrue Things People Say About Dogs

With the pet industry, there are so many myths and rumors that are accepted as fact when they shouldn’t be. This can be damaging and troubling for pet parents as it leaves the door open for misunderstandings about dogs, disregards their health, and can put humans and dogs in danger. It can encourage pet parents to forgo regular vet visits, dog grooming, and even misconstrue attempts at dog communication. Here are some of those rumors explained:

 

german shepherd puppy sits on carpet in front of chair

Wet Nose = Healthy Dog

The rumor of a dry nose is a sick dog is almost as old as time. A dry nose, however, isn’t always an indication of sickness. The wet nose actually comes from your dog’s tear ducts; they empty out onto the nose which is what makes them wet on a typical day. Often, you may find a dog with a wet nose has overactive tear ducts, but don’t worry about that being a problem unless our vet says something or your dog ha constant tear stains. At the end of the day, check with pet industry professionals like vets if you’re afraid your dog is sick; your dog’s nose is not a good indicator of health.

 

There are Some 100% Hypoallergenic Dogs

If you thought you could throw out the Benadryl and get a 100% hypoallergenic dog, you might want to rethink one or both of the actions. While there are some dog breeds that can cause a lesser allergic reaction in some people, there are no dogs who are 100% hypoallergenic. From the fur, dander, and saliva, there are plenty of things for the allergic to respond to. You can talk to professionals in the pet industry to find those who are good with allergies, but before you adopt a dog, know that you will not find any you or your allergic acquaintance will not respond to. A pet adoption should be forever, so do your research ahead of time and save yourself, our family, and your dog the heartache of separation if the allergies are just too much.

 

Grass Creates an Upset Stomach

When you’re outside with your dog, you likely notice an unwanted (or unwarranted) addition to your dog’s diet: grass. Grass eating is common in dogs and the big argument you will hear from pet parents is that it causes upset stomachs. Dogs love grass, it’s a fact. However, grass is natural and eaten by many wild animals. Ask pet industry professionals and they are likely to tell you it’s not the grass that’s making your dog sick, but the pesticides and other chemicals on that make it dangerous for consumption.

 

dog safetyDog Breeders Are the Reason There Are So Many Homeless Pets

There is an estimate that 5 million dogs enter animal shelters every year and 3.5 million of those dogs are euthanized. Meanwhile it’s estimated that 23 million families are adding dogs to their families every year. With adoption rates like that, you’d think there should be no problem with dogs in shelters getting adopted. This deficit is often blamed on dog breeders, making dogs and tempting people to adopt from them instead of rescue missions. However the truth is that the pet industry is not disrupted by responsible dog breeders, and responsible breeders actually help the pet industry more than most people know. Some of the most common reasons for homeless dogs include: irresponsible pet parents who never had their dogs fixed or took their dogs into bad circumstances and they became pregnant, the owners could not afford the dogs, the owners decided they did not want the dogs, the dogs were dangerous, and puppy mills. What’s worse is there’s a nasty rumor in the pet industry that breeders are to blame.

While dog breeders do create dogs, they do not do so in excess or thoughtlessly. Not only that, but a majority of dog breeders spend a lot of time contributing to rescue missions and animal shelters by donating time and money to them, fostering, sheltering, and even placing dogs for them. No one should ever shame responsible dog breeders for keeping a breed alive responsibly just like no pet parent should ever be ridiculed for adopting from a dog breeder. Breeders always home their dogs, however irresponsible pet parents don’t.

 

Save dogs from euthanasia by having them fixed if you do not intend to breed responsibly. Help the pet industry. Help dogs.

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5 Pet Industry Myths You Should Stop Believing Right Now

There are many rumors and myths in the pet industry and pet parents more than trust their local dog grooming and pet store facilities to have all the answers. Sometimes they don’t. For those times, here are some common myths about dogs that you may have heard about and the truth behind the claims:

 

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Myth #1: Mixed Dog Breeds Are Healthier than Pure breeds

This is a myth perpetuated constantly in the pet industry, among dog grooming facilities, pet rescues, and sometimes even dog breeding circles. It was likely thought up by those who wish to encourage pet adoption from rescue missions vs. breeders, but really only proves to divide pet parents. When it comes down to pet health, it’s all on an individual basis. Just like humans, some dogs are healthier than others, whether they’re mixed or purebred. If these dogs with health problems breed, many health problems can be passed down. You could take a purebred Beagle with health problems and a lab mix, make puppies, and they have the chance to have the same health problems as their parents because that’s how genetics work. At the end of the day, a healthy dog is a healthy dog and health defects come in all shapes, sizes, and breeds.

 

Myth #2: All Pit Bulls Lock Their Jaws

Pit Bulls have a bad name in the pet industry for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons is their strong jaw and high level of energy. When Pit Bulls attack, it’s said that they lock their jaws and this is frightening for friends, family, and employees at dog grooming. When a jaw locks, there’s nothing you can to do release it. The truth about Pit Bulls is their jaws are no different than any other dog jaw on the planet. That said: they don’t lock.

 

Myth #3: Dogs Have Cleaner Mouths than Humans

In the pet industry, this is a common saying among pet parents. You may find pet parents at dog grooming talking about how they share food with their dogs or that it’s alright if their dog licks everything incessantly because their mouths are cleaner. This statement is false as all creatures, human, dog, or otherwise, have bacteria in their mouths to keep them healthy. Dogs’ mouths aren’t necessarily cleaner than humans, but they have a different ecosystem. Most people certainly won’t grow sick from doggie mouth, but that doesn’t mean doggie mouths are clean or that you should be germ sharing.

 

Myth #4: Dogs See the World Like an Old Television Set

In the pet industry and among pet parents, it’s often said that dogs are color blind and can only see in black and white. This is actually very untrue. Many vets and professionals at dog grooming can tell you that studies have been done recently that say while dogs don’t see in as full a color-spectrum as humans, they still see colors ranging from shades of blue and yellow. Though dogs have not been shown to see colors on the blue to green spectrum.

 

dog_cat_playingMyth #5: Dog Years Are 7:1 Human Year

There is truth in the statement that dog’s age faster than humans. However the way their years add up is calculated differently depending on the breed. You’ll notice that often smaller breeds live longer than larger breeds. Talk to individuals in the pet industry and you may hear that lifespan is very breed specific. Appropriate dog grooming can help lengthen a dog’s life, but not to some major extent like adding ten years onto a 16-year-old dog’s life.

 

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Dog Safety: Does Daylight Savings Affect Your Dog?

March 8th marks daylight savings for 2015 and with that comes regulating not only ourselves, but our pets to the time change. Many pet owners ask themselves, “Does daylight savings affect my dog?” It might seem silly to think that skipping an hour forward could really throw your dog out of sync that much, but does it? Should you prepare by changing pet food, bedtime, or walking schedule? Should you worry at all? If so, why? Part of dog safety as a pet parent is knowing the answer to these questions. The first thing to know is:

 

Daylight Savings Does Affect Your Dog

Dogs have circadian rhythms. That is–their body’s biological way of keeping time. This is how they regulate their daily activities and how their brains trigger when they need something like food, sleep, or exercise. Wild animals regulate their sense of time through natural daylight. In home settings, animals regulate their daily needs to the sound of your alarm, the lights you turn on in the morning, and when you start

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moving around. In a way, they base their timekeeping systems off of you. It’s up to you to keep track of their rhythm-match with you for better dog safety.

 

Pets Adjust to Time Change Just Like Us

Regardless of if we’re springing forward or falling back, getting used to that time change is weird. We often think about what time ‘it would normally be’ when a time change has recently occurred. Surprisingly enough, pets actually experience that same sense of weirdness. We can’t even communicate with them what’s going on, so how do we insure dog safety during this big change? Should we change their pet food habits ahead of time in anticipation for the big change?

 

Animals Are Creatures of Routine

You may notice every morning that your dogs or cats are eagerly at your feet come 7am, 5pm, or whatever times you normally feed them. The pet food schedule is a routine so ingrained in them that it can be hard to break whether you’re facing a time change or a new job with hours that force habits to change. You’ll notice your pets know when you normally go to bed and that they go to bed roughly around the same time you do. This is all part of dog safety and the way their minds work. When daylight savings happens, they think, “What is happening?! Why Am I being fed so late in the day?” We may even appear to be senile to them.

 

You DoDog Groomingn’t Need To Ease Them Into The Change for Dog Safety

While you might feel bad with those big eyes staring at you when you fall back, you do not need to make changes to when you feed them or walk them for dog safety reasons. They might have trouble adjusting with an earlier bedtime when you spring forward or later dinner when falling back, but they will adjust to a new routine in no time. However some dogs may suffer from anxiety and require a bit of extra help. If you feel like your dog has a harder time dealing with change, feel free to slowly move their feeding schedule starting a week prior to the change.

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How Smart is Your Dog Really?

Every pet parent has stories about the smart things their pets have done, such as sneaking treats when you aren’t looking or throwing toys into your basket at the pet store. But the question many ask is, how smart is your dog really? There are a few things you should take into consideration before you enter Jeopardy for pets at your local pet store.

 

The Basics

Scientists have done studies and determined that dogs are about as smart as a two year old, according to Livescience.  This means they can learn between 165 and 250 51ab762f28ecb9f3ece27ef9384bf3f8words, signals, and gestures just like two year olds. They have also found that dogs know basic math, just as a toddler would. The way they found this out was by putting one and then another treat behind a screen. When they lifted the screen there would be either one or three treats and the dogs would be surprised. This shows they have a basic understanding of math as well.

 

The Evolutionary Link

Evolutionary Anthropologist and founder of Duke University’s Canine Cognition Center, Brian Hare, claims that dogs and humans experienced a unique co-evolution. Due to evolving alongside them, dogs now have a genetic advantage to understand humans. He argues that this has led to dogs knowing more about humans than humans do of them. Dogs are intuitive, empathic and can even understand gestures.

Research published by Animal Cognition claims that dogs use light intensity when strategizing ways to steal food. The darker the room, the more likely the dog will attempt to steal food. This suggests that dogs understand what humans have the ability to see or not see. Further implications of this is that dogs can think in our point of view and take that into consideration when strategizing.

Yale University’s Canine Cognition Center evaluated memory, attention and counting skills and saw that the results were as individual as the dog themselves. Which makes sense. Not all human intelligence is equal, why would all dogs have equal intelligence?

 

Can We Make Dogs Smarter?

While there is no way to boost your dog’s intelligence significantly, there are ways that you can keep their brain working. For instance, head to your local pet store and pick up some intelligent toys for your dog. The main way this is done is with treat toys. This makes your dog solve a puzzle to get the treat. These often have varying levels of difficulty so you can increase the difficulty as your dog figures out how to solve the puzzle. Thankfully, each local pet store has a different variety of brain games for your pet.

 

Just as with people, dogs need to exercise their brains to keep their intelligence level high. So head to the pet store and pick up a few intelligent toys for your dog.

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