Cuddlebug the Power Chewer

Cuddlebug has managed to chew through the faux wood on (kind of a crappy) filing cabinet of mine and I would her walking around proudly with the caster wheel in her mouth last night. The cabinet was not a big deal but I was surprised she would still do this. It is easy to forget that she is still 100% a puppy.

I asked for some advice from other puppy owners regarding whether to give them rawhide. Mouse's owner says yet but is careful about the shape so that there is less danger of splintering. She also gave me some advice about stugging a kong with peanut butter and freezing it. I will be forever grateful for that one - it went over huge. I had heard of it before but had not tried it because I was afraid of getting peanut butter all over my house. She assured me the pb would be gone before it could possible hit the floor - and she was absolutely right!

Ashley, the veterinarian, had this to say about rawhide:
My view on rawhide is that it is fine to give provided you follow common sense and a few guidelines:

1 - Keep the size of the rawhide and the size of the dog similar. You don't want to give a tiny dog a huge bone and let her eat all of it at once. Conversely you don't want to give a huge dog a small rawhide which he could potentially choke on.

2 - Always be with your dog when they are chewing on a rawhide, that way if they are eating too quickly or start choking you can do something about it.

3 - A holistic vet told me that most of the rawhide sold in Petsmart is made in China and has been found to have arsenic in it. True or not I find that off putting so I usually look for something made in this country, organic is good too.

Chewing on tennis balls is bad as it grinds down their teeth. Nylabones are OK (some reports that if they are too old then they break off in big chunks which can cause obstruction.) Kongs and Petstages toys are great.

I have a couple of Power Kongs for Cuddlebug. She is much more interested in ripping things apart. She is also not acting like she is used to having limits. We are teaching her that she does not always get what she wants by grabbing, barking, whining, lunging, jumping, etc and she is RATHER shocked by this!!!

We got a good look at her fear response yesterday when her potential adopters visited. I really liked them. But she went nuts - she wasn't as bad as Cheetah used to be, but her body language was very fearful and she barked a LOT. She is more vocal than Cheetah - which I never would have thought possible. But she did not lunge or nip and the adopters handled it very well and were very patient. Mr PM said later - he would've been outta there if a dog we were looking to adopt did that! I am not sure I would've been outta there but I certainly would be cautious. But they are willing to work with her and they are calm and gentle with no kids and I think will offer a great environment. I offered to start using a differnt name with her, as she does not seem to know her name (so I reverted to Cuddlebug or CB ("SEE-Bee") when talking to her), but they like Cuddlebug! So looks like she is getting her old name back. We do have one more adopter to meet, but I am relatively certain these are the people.

I had the webcam up and running the other night - I wish there was an automatic notification sytem when it is broadcasting and when it is not because it will be spotty. But I took video of CB and Cheetah playing and it is on the channel.

Article: Your Family Dog May Be Smarter Than Your Toddler

Fascinating stuff - I have to get this book!

Your family dog may be smarter than your toddler - CNN.com*

By Doug Gross
CNN

(CNN) -- Your dog may not actually be smarter than somebody's honor student -- popular bumper stickers aside. But your canine companion might well be smarter than their toddler, according to a growing body of research on how dogs think.

The smartest dog breeds are on par mentally with a 2 1/2-year-old, professor says.

1 of 2

Using adapted tests designed for human children, psychologists have learned that average dogs can count, reason and recognize words and gestures on par with a human 2 -year-old.

"They may not be Einsteins, but are sure closer to humans than we thought," said Stanley Coren, a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia and leading researcher on dog behavior.

Coren planned to present his research Saturday at the American Psychological Association's annual convention in Toronto, Canada.

He said the average dog can understand about 165 words, including signs, signals and gestures. They can also count to about 5, he said.

"I mean, we're not going to make them an accountant or something," Coren said in an interview with CNN Radio.

The smartest dogs, he calls them the "super breeds," are on par with a 2½-year-old, recognizing up to 250 words.

And, no, not all breeds are created equally.

Don't Miss

• American Psychological Association
• Dr. Coren's Web site

For his book "The Intelligence of Dogs," Coren asked more than 200 dog-obedience judges to rank 110 breeds based on their intelligence. Border collies, poodles, retrievers, German shepherds and Doberman pinschers were among the dogs at the head of the class.

The intellectual runts of the litter? The borzoi, chow chow, bulldog, basenji and -- finishing dead last -- the Afghan hound.

The dividing line, Coren said, tends to be the age of the breed. More recent breeds, like the collies and retrievers, have been bred for years to do what humans want them to do.

"We've been wiring into dogs the ability to communicate with us," said Coren, author of several books on dogs' thinking, most recently "The Modern Dog." "If you will, we've been manipulating their intelligence."

Meanwhile, breeds like hounds naturally did what humans wanted -- i.e. chase tasty animals -- and didn't need to be fine-tuned, he said.

"They did the work all by themselves," Coren said. "They didn't have to cooperate with the human being, and all the human had to do was get there before the dogs ate it all."

Included in the number of "words" dogs are believed to know are hand gestures, like pointing, and nonverbal sounds, like the whistles used to direct sheep dogs and retrievers.

Fact Box

Psychologist Stanley Coren asked dog-obedience judges to rank 110 dog breeds from most to least intelligent.

Top Five
1. Border collies
2. Poodles
3. German shepherds
4. Golden retrievers
5. Doberman pinchers

Bottom Five
106. Borzoi
107. Chow chow
108. Bulldog
109. Basenji
110. Afghan hound

Source: "The Intelligence of Dogs"

Counting ability is tested in drills such as one in which treats are dropped, one at a time, behind a screen. When the researcher either sneaks away one of the treats or stealthily adds an extra before raising the screen, the dog will wait longer -- appearing to puzzle over the bad math -- before eating the treats.

That's the same way toddlers respond when faced with a similar switch, said Coren.

Aubrey Fine, a psychologist and faculty member at California State Polytechnic University, said research like Coren's could help dog owners better relate to their animals.

"Too often, many people look at dogs as four-legged people," said Fine, who specializes in the use of dogs in treating patients with developmental disorders and other mental-health conditions. "We need to recognize what dogs cue in to. Once you understand better how to interact, it causes a better coexistence with your pet companion."

Coren said the findings on dog intelligence showed they have more sense than some scientists may have thought, but that some in the general public may be surprised for different reasons that span a wide range of thought.

"There are some people who think that dogs are just little human beings running around in fur coats and there are other people who sort of think that they're unfeeling biological mechanisms," he said. "The truth of the matter is really that dogs are neither extreme."

The Dangers of Bloat

A trainer friend of mine lost her GSD to bloat last night. Many people do not know the dangers or preventions for bloat - a very dangerous and often fatal condition. For example, did you know that you should NOT raise your dog's food bowl? This is news to me! Be sure to learn the facts. You have to act fast if your dog shows symptoms.

http://petmd.com/blogs/dailyvet/2009/July/16