How to feed dogs? That is the question!

      How to feed dogs? This is a big question which has no final answer. To be more exact there are a lot of answers. Some masters insist on natural products - meat, riсe, vegetables. Others prefer commercially prepared frozen, dry or canned food. Ones consider that it's better for a dog to eat the same food permanently, others support the idea of a great variety of meals. A lot of publications and internet materials can be found on this dramatic topic (see, for example, http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-care/dog-nutrition/Dishing-Up-Variety).  

     But the trick is the issue of feeding becomes problematic mostly for advanced dog masters. A great number of ordinary people who have dogs do not think deeply about this matter and feed their pets with what they consider suitable. Very often masters share with their beloved four-legged creatures ice-cream, sweets, sweet cookies, even beer, and many other products that are far from being useful for animals. It's too difficult to refuse to give our dogs what we eat ourselves. Our pets are excellent actors and looked into our eyes as they are starving. It seems as an optimum way out to share with them fruits: apples, peaches, persimmmons, even water melons. However, the individual tastes of our pets shoud be taken into account :-))

To be a decoy in mondioring.

      To work as a decoy in mondioring requires to pass a special test (attestation) and to get a certificate. This test includes various exercises which are used in mondioring championship. There are three levels of competition in mondioring. The third one is the most complicated. Only experienced and most skillfull sportmen with their dogs participate in the third level. It is the dog of the third level which is used in the attestation. 

Mondioring - will it be widely popular?

       Mondioring is an exciting sport which requires well trained participants and their dogs (mostly malinois), as well as decoys or helpers of high professional skills: deep knowledge of dog’s behavior, intensive physical training, reaction and – a good sense of humor.

         Mondioring is a young sport. However, it takes its start in late XIX century when soldiers showed – for getting money -  defense skills of their dogs. Step by step some rules were developed and first competitions were organized.  In different countries – mostly in France, Belgium, Germany – very similar trainings were performed. To harmonize the principles and rules of these trainings, to increase their popularity European mondioring  clubs held a meeting. The new term – mondioring (world ring) – and unified rules emerged as a result of this conference. 

        Today the FCI publicized official rules of mondioring and every year two grand championships and a lot of minor competitions are held. A helper, or decoy (homme assistant – in French) should pass special tests (attestation) for working in mondioring. 

         Mondioring is a rather expensive and time-consuming sport. Will it be widely popular or it will be supported by a limited number of clubs?

What the great art would look without dogs?

       In yesterday's post I wrote about Constant Troyon, a French master of great talent. He worked a lot in the Pays-Bas and picked up the rare skill of Dutch painters to draw animals in movement and express their emotions. The idea to write a few words about Troyon was induced by our recent visit to the Moscow Gallery of the European and American art of the XIX and XX centuries. Actually there is  only one canvas of this painter - "The running dogs". 

       However, it made me remember a lot of pictures where we can find figures of dogs. Why artists refer so often to dogs, while there a lot of other animals who live with us, cats, for example? We can find dogs in a great variety of painted scenes. In the Royal palace as on the Velazquez's canvas, or with children who are dragging a heavy cask of water (Perov). A dog quitely lies with a sleeping girl (Deriy), supports silently boy's tricks (Makovskiy), or follows an old warrior till his final hour (Durer). Images of dogs can strengthen the main idea or atmosphere of the picture: loneliness, quietness, despair or  easiness. Quite often a dog is painted as the only true friend - as for young sons of Edward IV, imprisoned in the Tower (Delaroch). 

       Indeed, dogs are always with us, even in most dramatic moments of our life. May be it would be fair to always  remember about it. 

Dogs & Landscapes

Visiting art galleries and exhibitions do you pay any attention to images of dogs on pictures? Figures of dogs can be found on various kinds of canvases: devoted to ancient myths, battles, on family portraits, landscapes,  etc. Artists painted dogs to express a peaceful and quiet atmosphere or dynamic movement and vivid emotions. Constant Troyon, a painter of great talent, was one of those who knew animals, dogs in particular, and had a rare skill of drawing them.

How to develop contacts and mutual understanding with your dog.

      Coming home after a hard working day or after a long trip we are looking forward how your four-legged friend will meet us, full of joy and energy. It's a well known adage that if one has no dog he comes to a house, with a dog one comes home. Our dog is happy to see us - that means for him or her playing, walking, training. For most of us walking with a dog is rather relaxing. 

       A walk can be an excellent opportunity to develop mutual understanding with a dog. The key point is always to keep in mind that your are a leader. So, offer your dog games and exercises, play with your dog, train him/her, always trying to focus your dog's attention on yourself. Such a walk is enjoyably for both - a dog and a master!  

Does your dog warn you about the rain is coming?

        We have two male dogs - a six year old Hanaan dog and a year old malinois. They are as a barometer for us, particularly the elder one. Sometime ago we noticed the a day before coming of a rainy weather he becomes more quiet and sleeps more, while normally he is very active. At first, when we spotted these changes we worried as thought that he was getting ill. However, watching these changes for some time we saw that they are related to weather. Now, right in the morning we can say - practically without a mistake, whether it will be rainy in the evening or next morning.  

       However, we thought that it is a rare thing with dogs and had no idea that it's quite normal unless we read an article by  Ralph Greco, Jr. “Dog Alerts Owner to Bad Weather” on Cesar Millan"s website. Here is an extract from this article:

"It’s less a canine “sixth sense” though, than it is a case of simple science. .A dog is more sensitive to the drop in barometric pressure and the shift in the static electric field that comes prior to climate changes. With severe weather imminent, like the often quick turn-about a tornado brings, or the severe conditions in the wake of an approaching hurricane, a dog will not only feel those acute changes in electricity and air pressure — all that much more acute in severe weather — but beyond warning their households, they have been known to seek shelter themselves." http://www.cesarsway.com

Roller Skating with a dog.

      There are a lot of variants how to enjoy your everyday walking with your four-legged friend. Recently we experimented with roller skates. If a skijoring exists, why roller-skatesjoring can not be tried? So, we tried it with my elder dog. It is very enjoyable! However, it'd be better to practice roller-skatesjoring, as we called it, with an adult well trained dog, who is well balanced and attentive to his master.
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Faust - one more dog who can be executed for being a dog...

Lennox was recently executed only because of the exterior. Now Faust can be killed on the decision of the mayor, it seems because Faust looks like a dog. It's true that a lot of dogs and other animals are killed every minute all over th

e world. However, these two cases are quite another thing. The death of these two innocent creatures are approved officially - by justice. Is it justice of today humane society? 

Let's prevent being like on the third picture.

There is still time to be humane for Faust. There are already 2380 signs! http:// www.petitionpublique.fr/PeticaoVer.aspx?pi=P2012N22006

Let's save a very beautiful dog! Or it'll be one more Lennox story!

Merci de sauver ce beau chien de la mort décidée par un maire pour des raisons obscures : copinage...voisinage...méchanc

eté humaine...déjà 2380 signatures !
http://
www.petitionpublique.fr/PeticaoVer.aspx?pi=P2012N22006

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A visit to wolf dogs

     

      Wolf dogs (or wolfshund) is one of the most rare and mysterious breeds of dogs. It’s rather hard to call them “pets”. However, a wolf dog can be the most reliable, clever, brave and tender four-legged friend.

      We were invited  by a breeder of wolf dogs (Chekhoslovatskiy volchak) , whose farm is situated not far from Moscow. Breeding of these dogs is under particular control. The blood of puppies of each litter is to be  tested on the proportion of wolf and dog blood, as wolf genes are very strong.

     Even very young wolf dogs are extremely dynamic and are able to jump over a two meter high fence easily. They need at least two walks, three hours each.

About the title "Gelios Dogs"

A few words about the title “Gelios Dogs” .

For quite a long time my daughter  encouraged me to open a blog about dogs. “You know dogs, you spend a lot of time walking them, training them, communicating with them. Why not make a blog about them?”-  she moved on her undisputable arguments. It was my daughter who suggested the title “Gelios Dogs”. Perhaps, it sounds nice. However, why use such an unexpected link between an ancient Greek god and our pets?  

I believe that nothing happens just by chance. And my daughter’s strange idea for the title emerged not by chancre. It seems the reason for it can be found deep in our minds. Gelios – the god of the sun, which gives energy. What main role do dogs play in our lives? Do we hunt with them? Not many of us. Do they defense our sheeps or cows. I doubt it. We need our dogs because they love us, they support us, they fully give us their hearts. And it gives us a lot of living energy.

Such an understanding of the title can be treated with a good humor. However, if one thinks… may be there is a sense in it.

Practical use of defense skills of your dog.

      Today a lot of people take puppies of German shepherd, malinois, Herder, etc. without any intention to develop their defense talents. I met dog masters who bought malinois only because they liked their exterior.If it is a  working  dog it is highly desirable to give him/her opportunity to develop the defense talent on the training ground. However, in real life there are a lot of situations when you can sharpen your dogs' skills. For example, you are in the street late in the evening. .. 

        This video shows how - while going with my dog to a bank and back home late in the evening - several elements of obedience and mondioring were applied.

Teaching your dog to behave in the street

It is highly important to teach your dog to make a stop, better to sit down, even for a few seconds before crossing a tram line or a road. It might be a situation when this simple habit save your dog's life.

Why Training our Dogs?

       When we take a puppy or a young dog we, being responsible dog owners, start thinking about educating or training them. The first step in this long and enjoyable (maybe more, maybe less) process is obedience. However, what is the goal of teaching obedience? Let’s think it over. For most dog owners the key sense of obedience is to make your life with the pet more comfortable and pleasant. There is no doubt that it is very convenient to walk in a park with a dog who quickly fulfils your command “come” or sits patiently while you talk to your friend. Of course, obedience disciplinises your dog. However, does it develop your dog? It is a big question.

There can be another attitude to obedience, and here again I’d like to refer to Mr.Kipling’s “We be of one blood, thou and I”, and put aside our anthropocentric attitude towards dogs (and animals as a whole). Every dog is a personality and has a lot of talents that we even do not see. Today it is a mainstream topic of a lot of publications. Alexandra Horowitz’s “Inside of a dog. What Dogs See, Smell, and Know” is one of them.

So, it seems better to treat obedience as only the first step for further education of your pet as well as a necessary element in helping your him/her in adaptation, for example, in an urban environment. Taking this as a starting point one will treat lessons on a training ground only as a basic minimum, developing various elements in practice, in real situations. For example, in a city it is very important to teach your dog how to cross streets. Do not doubt that a dog will understand very well the practical importance of commands “foot” and “sit”. 

  

Dogs & Philosophy

Dogs make us reassess our life and look into its depth

Malinois. On the training ground

Summer training of young malinois.

Summer is the best period to combine training with the instructor on the training ground (classes) and games in the open air, to develop defense skills as well as ability to be equal to any practical situation.

Dogs at World War II

During the World War Two 68 thousands well trained dogs struggled side by side with soldiers in the Russian Army. The four-legged soldiers rescued 700 thousands wounded men, found 4 millions mines, participated in demining of 300 big cities - Russian as well as European, delivered 200 thousand messages, layed 8 thousand km of cables, blew up 300  tanks.