It is also the month for the first Golden Collar awards for Best Dog in a Theatrical Film, which follows on of course from the Palm Dog which happens at the Cannes Film Festival each year, and this week Film4 are showcasing films directed by people they see as the top in their industry.

In film making it seems that you can have a fantastic cast, great screen play & huge budget, but if you don’t get the right director on board, you can kiss goodbye to box office success and any chance of walking away with a golden statue.

It’s much the same in the world of dogs, and dog training, because if we relate the above to a more familiar topic to most of us, responsible dog ownership, then without the right owner, you can kiss goodbye to a well socialised, dog and human friendly canine companion, and any chance of coming away with red ribbons or a good citizen dog award.

As Caroline Kisko from The Kennel Club states – “Any dog can behave aggressively if not trained or socialised correctly or responsibly, just as any dog can be a wonderfully calm and loving pet if trained and socialised in the proper way”

Next month the Canine world has it’s Academy Awards in the form of Crufts which takes place from the 8th  – 11th March 2012 at the NEC, Birmingham

If you feel like brushing up on your directional skills why not swing by, and see dogs compete in areas such as confirmation shows, agility, obedience, flyball, heelwork to music, and The Kennel Clubs good citizen dog award.

Then call on over to the Discover Dogs section, where you can come face to face with over 200 breeds, and find out all the breed specific information you could possibly want to know from some of the top people in their breeds in the UK and further afield.

Feel free to don the tuxedo or evening gown, but my advice, wear comfortable shoes, purchase your tickets in advance , and then with your Free Crufts showguide Digital Edition, plan your day well in advance

Who knows, maybe after this years visit, next year it might even be you stepping out on the green carpet !

A regular question used by job interviewers is,”Where do you see yourself in 10 years time” and maybe this is a question that people who breed dogs should add to the List of questions they ask potential puppy owners, and one that the potential puppy owner should have asked and answered themselves before contacting you.

As the recession that is biting hard right across Europe, tightens it’s grip, more dogs or “household pets” are being offered for sale or surrendered to the pounds due to a change in the families income / circumstances.

People are having to walk away from family homes and move into rented accommodation, a lot of which do not take dogs or animals, or don’t have a suitable garden etc.

It seems that if you are looking for a rented property and the owner of a dog you are looked upon as a social pariah, and landlords that are willing to accept dogs or pets are rarer than hens teeth.

For us humans a character reference from a previous landlord or employer will normally suffice in alleviating any doubts the prospective landlord may have about you, but it’s not that easy for our dogs. Some people suggest that producing evidence that you and your dog have attended dog training classes or your dog has passed the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme or The Puppy Foundation Award may stand in your favour, and that owners of unfurnished houses are more open to letting to a dog owner than others.

Small dogs are also looked upon more favourably than large dogs, don’t ask me why, as both are as capable of staining an expensive carpet or tearing up a comfortable sofa,  which can also be achieved by renting to careless teenagers or drunken adults.

Some insurance polices can cover / protect you against any damage that may be caused by your dog whilst renting, and this may or may not be a good thing to point out to a landlord when searching for a property for you and your dog.

So the message is, the house where you are planning to bring your little fur bundle home to may not always be the place where you both reside, and based on the above, you both could end up living in the dog house if you haven’t planned ahead for both your futures.

We launched the site on the 29-01-10 and are still here to tell the tale (Tail)

I’d like to thank every single one of you for dropping by, but it would be our third birthday before I’d get that finished

Special thanks to the regular visitors (you know who you are)

Stay tuned for some site improvements in the next month or two, and remember if you have any interesting articles relating to your dog / breed or details regarding the breed club you may be a member of, we would be delighted to receive same.

The reason I mention this is that yesterday I came across a product called “Smell of Books” which is an aerosol e-book enhancer.

Technology is advancing everyday, and more an more people are switching over to reading their books on electronic devices, such as the Kindle / iPad or smartphone. As you know when we come across a good dog book here at pedigreedogs.ie we feel compelled to share our experience with our dog loving community. All of these have been devoured in the old fashioned way

One of the gripes that people have with this new medium is, that although these devices save on paper, are lighter to carry, and you can carry your library around on your person, there is nothing like the smell of a book. Whether it is a new book smell or musty smell, these new devices at present just can’t cut it. Hence the development of “Smell of Books” an aerosol e-book enhancer. (It’s not a joke..Go on..Google it.)

Now I am quite happy with the way our four dogs smell at the moment, but along with all the real reasons for breeding a litter of pups ,there is nothing that compares to the smell of young puppies, and dare I say it puppy breath.

Maybe there is a market out there for “Smells of Pups” an aerosol enhancer that can be sprayed in your house or as a deodorant for your dog, that helps you transport yourself back to when you first laid eyes on your four legged friend for life.

“Smells of Pups” ® A sub division of Pedigreedogs.ie is currently taking bookings for Crufts and Celtic Winners 2013 !

“we, dog owners, decide on the dogs that are popular and we do it for a whole range of different reasons”

It was in response to the Kennel Club (London) trying to highlight the plight of certain British pedigree dogs in regards to dwindling registrations in these breeds, to the point where if nothing is done about it, soon these breeds will be no longer.

The author of the above statement thinks that it should be up to Joe Public to decide on what breeds survive and which ones don’t. S/he thinks that these endangered breeds are in this predicament due to their own fault – basically they are not appealing enough to today’s potential dog owner.

If Joe Public is to decide on what breeds of dogs survive and which ones don’t then I hope that they have been in receipt of a standard education, and can write by hand, in plain English / their first language, and maybe even spell the breeds of dogs they are interested in.

You see, if we left it to the people that go for so called designer breeds to decide on the fate of the Dandie Dinmont Terrier or Otterhound, these breeds wouldn’t have a chance. These same people would have no problem shelling out over 1000 euro or sterling for a dog of mixed parentage, not having a clue as to the real requirements of both breeds, or where the pup came from, temperament of both parents or the conditions it was raised in. All this just because a Hollywood star or A list celebrity was spotted with one peeking it’s head out of a designer handbag, and is now splashed across some glossy magazine cover.

People that make a breed choice based on the above surely should have no input into the future of the breeds the Kennel Club are trying to highlight, or any breed for that matter, as the lack of proper education that they clearly show by making these designer breeds popular should send alarm bells to anybody with half a brain, and that maybe the Kennel Club are worth listening to. They were after all founded in 1873, so you’d think they would have a bit more to go on when it comes to dogs than the majority of Joe Public !

There are 12 Chinese year-based horoscopes, starting with the Rat and continuing through the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and finally the Pig

Now I was born in the year of the Dog, and according to one Chinese astrologer, the Dragon always means a rough year for the Dog.

However with his nose to the ground, the Dog can get a lot out of 2012. This same astrologer also predicts the Dog will discover who his real friends are, and he recommends that the Dog stand up to challenges in his career. Although the Dog may suffer anxiety this year, he will make it through with meditation and thrift,

I wonder what this astrologer would predict for the thousands of dogs in Ireland, that through no fault of their own are going to be dumped, surrendered, or just generally mistreated, as the recession that has taken a grip of this country gets worse, with the family dog usually the first to suffer.

Let’s hope that if they too keep their noses to the ground they can get a lot out of this year, and discover who their real friends are, and even if the year started out with anxiety in their lives that they not only make it through this year, but have plenty more happy years in the future, Dragon or no Dragon !

Like me, my brother was brought up around dogs all his life, and can tell the difference between a dog that just wants to interact, and one that wants to cause harm. In the case of the latter, he refuses to deliver the post, and leaves it at a designated collection point.

Based on the lack or reminder letters that he has to deliver to the residents regarding dogs license renewal, the majority of houses he calls to with dogs, don’t actually have licences.

Wouldn’t you think that An Post who issue dog licences in Ireland, would ask their staff that are delivering post to all the private residents in Ireland, to conduct a census on their route as to the households that have dogs, and then cross reference this against their database ?

Anyway in the UK the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are currently looking into a loophole in the 1991 Dangerous Dogs Act

They are planning to amend dangerous dog legislation to make it an offence for pet owners who fail to control their animals within their house or garden.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) estimates that over 5500 of it’s members are attacked each year, and current laws leave their members vulnerable when visiting houses where so called dangerous dogs are kept.

Under the amendment Local councils will be able to issue a kind of ‘DOGBO’ on a Dog – an animal version of an ASBO. This could result in the offending owner having to muzzle the dog when it is not in the house, including the garden.

Tackling the problem of irresponsible dog ownership is high on DEFRA’s list.

Just as well, as we all know that it’s very seldom the dogs fault when it comes to biting / attacking us humans, but the irresponsible dog owner that has either trained the dog to react in this way, or through lack of socialisation and training turned the dog into a dangerous menace that can impede on the vital services that ambulance / police personnel provide, and stop then from gaining entry to a premises.

Today marks the first anniversary of Ir Ch Doppelganger Joe Day

We blogged about Dempsey the following day after his premature departure from this life

When us humans experience or hear something that shocks us, like the untimely death of a person close to us etc, we always say that we will learn from it and change our ways and start to really live our lives, as life really is too short, but we all end back in our rut three or four weeks after the event, and continue as if nothing happened.

Dempsey was only 8 years old, which is far too young for a dog of his breed, and I have Dempsey to thank for opening my eyes to an awful lot of what really goes into keeping a fit and healthy dog.

We have posted blogs on the site since, dealing with new and not so new information on over vaccinating our dogs, and choosing the right diets, to ensure that we meet our dogs requirements 100%

Our dogs should mean so much to us, as they offer unconditional love and many other things, in return for very little, and when we take on a new puppy we are taking on a life long commitment to this pup, to ensure that we cater for this very little all the time.

My advice ? Spoil them a little as like all of our loved one’s you never know when they are going to be taken from you.

‘Dogs — A Healthy Future’, focuses on the main issues that affect dog health and welfare, including hereditary diseases, issues created by breeding dogs for the way that they look and the problem of cruel puppy farms that breed dogs for profit without regard for their health and welfare.

The film explores the steps that have already been taken to address these issues and the need for united action in order to ensure that the progress continues in 2012.

There are 3 Friday the 13s in 2012… The next two fall on April and July 13—exactly 13 weeks apart…oooohhhhh!!!!

It’s amazing the amount of us that are superstitious, that wont walk under a ladder for instance or cracks in the pavement, and hate it when we see a lone magpie

Some dog show people rank well up there when it comes to believing in superstitions. Some people wear the same “lucky” clothes all the time when showing their dogs in the show ring, or still use old leads that were once used when they had a super dog in the ring, but still apportion some of the success to the said “lucky” lead.

You’d think that as we evolve as a race people’s belief in these old superstitions would lessen, but there is something about the dark / mysterious side of life, that just manages to hold a slight grip on our imagination, and keep us on our toes on days such as this.

Anyway, here’s a few dog related superstitions to be adding to the list, which I was going to keep going until we reached 13, but didn’t want to tempt fate….

1 – If you have your new-born baby licked by a dog, your baby will be a quick healer

2 – Howling dogs mean the wind god has summoned death, and the spirits of the dead will be taken

3 – In Scotland, a strange dog coming to the house means a new friendship

4 – In England, to meet a spotted or black and white dog on your way to a business appointment is lucky.

5 – Three white dogs seen together are considered lucky in some areas

6 – Fishermen traditionally regard dogs as unlucky and will not take one out in a boat, or mention the word ‘dog’ whilst at sea.  (But yet an experienced mariner / sailor is called a Sea Dog !)

7 – Greeks thought dogs could foresee evil.

8 – A dog eating grass – rain

9 – When a dog is staring intently, at nothing, for no apparent reason, look between the dog’s ears and you’ll see a ghost.

10 – Some black dogs are said to be unquiet ghosts of wicked souls

11 – In native american Indian folklore people if sick would lay with a dog and the sickness would transfer from them into the dog.

12 -Take a large black dog and paint an extra set of eyes on his forehead with white paint- this alienates vampires.

Keep safe,