Getting Ready for the Trial

About turns are still not consistent, lots of running out of about turns and 270 turns but they don't seem to be making much of an impression. Left turns are still a little inconsistent but way better, she might get bonked once by not getting out of the way in time but no mistakes after the first one. Right turns are also just okay, I think her performance on both left and right turns are largely a function of how well *I* do the turn. We worked at the park blocks today and she sniffed the ground on her sit stay, something I haven't seen her do in a long time, so it's good to know that so we can work on it this week. Her elbows came up a little on her down stay but other than that did great. Didn't bump me on the slows today, if I recall correctly. We really need to work on her taking a good three seconds to resignedly settle into a down, she is not a fan of wet grass and needs to learn that it's not an excuse. I am thinking of trying the prong for the week before the show: I made that decision yesterday, and promptly forgot. Whoops. Hoping that writing it down will help me remember. Adding the hold to her retrieve is going good, we haven't worked on downs in two days which is no good since it's a bit of a contentious thing with her, but I'm focusing on polishing for the trial.

Snaggletooth, Fetch!

It's hard enough to find the time to train the dog everyday, much less write about it!

Writing because I have no one with whom to share the hilariousness of Kiko's resignation to the dumbbell. Other than my trainer, who stands with me waiting for her to accept that the way to get the dumbbell from being pressed against her lips is to take it. She sits there looking half asleep and snoring a little, as if hoping that she can take a nap and when she wakes up maybe the dumbbell will be gone. She is getting much better about taking it in a timely manner, though. Everything else is going really well, she finally started actually *running* in on recalls, and we got through an important confusion with doing a finish without the leash. I really don't think I was cuing her with the leash on the finish, except for the fact that the leash was physically present and serves as a cue by moving as I pass it behind my back. Off leash heeling is going REALLY well, I am really pleased, she's above and beyond doing way better than either Catfish or Chewy did at this point. I think Catfish did fairly well in the beginning, but poor Chewy was at a loss since the whole time he'd been training with a leash that was way too big for him, so it was a big shock to not have that weight there. And I'm finally learning not to make my commands sound like questions. "Kiko, heel?" isn't very convincing. I'd like to work around cats more, we haven't seen any in a week. Her recalls from an okay are what I feel is most important, and she's doing pretty well with them, so I'm happy.

Funny that what was wrong with both dog's heeling was my level of confidence, ha! And my tone of voice, go figure: high-pitched sing-song voice does not sound like praise as much as normal tone of voice.

Kiko continues to do good with heeling and sitting! Except for when she totally forgets that she's heeling and gets caught on an about turn, but it's infrequent, I am especially pleased with her sitting every time we stop before I can place her. I suppose that's to be expected when she's been placed upwards of a hundred times, but gosh I am still amazed every time at how effectively they learn it. Though she is a creature of comfort and those sits aren't quite as relaxed or long on the wet pavement as they are indoors, but who can blame her?

Chewy and I did out of sight sit stays and down stays for the first time today: pretty funny how after only a few moments he thinks: well, she's not here, I'm gonna go hang out on the couch. My house has a good set up for spying on him from around the corner through the reflection on the windows, he held his second stay both times after realizing that just because he can't see me doesn't mean he isn't obligated to hold his stay. He did a lot better on his straight sit in front on his recall, in the past being in the house he has felt more relaxed and has gone around in a finish or gone to sit next to one leg etc. Also recalling off the couch: good dog!

I had Chewy on a stay and I told him "Chewy, free!" and he cocked his head to one side (I'd never given him a free from a sit stay before) and I said it again and he cocked his head to the other side. My heart melted at his work ethic/commitment to the stay, Catfish took every time I said "Okay!" to mean that I was talking to HIM and came bounding over, which is why I changed the command to free, as I have a tendency to say "Okay" in the same tone of voice to people as I do to dogs.

Recently reading about some really awful instances of abuse of prong collars, I forget that most people calling themselves dog trainers don't understand how dogs learn and use prong collars instead of training the dog. It makes me so upset to think about the poor dogs not understanding what they did wrong, and the humans not understanding why the dog doesn't understand what's right and what's wrong. Education! If the trainers and owners knew that the dog wouldn't understand and that it wouldn't solve the problem, I doubt they'd use it. But instead both dog and human are left confused and frustrated at their inability to communicate, often to the severe detriment of the dog. I am reminded of Alex the African Grey, who learned an incredible amount of skills because humans had a greater understanding of how animals learn, and changed their teaching style. It was not that African Greys got smarter; it was that we began to communicate with them more effectively. It's our responsibility to care for our pets, which includes keeping them safe, which means basic manners and obedience for our dogs. They rely on us to teach them what our society expects from them. Kiko has no idea that it's wrong to kill cats. Even with the lunge work we've done, all she knows right now is that when she hard stares at a cat, I turn and walk away, so she's got to pay attention to what I'm doing and not the cat. Eventually I'll teach her that the hard stare is not acceptable. But she has no idea until I tell her in a way that she can understand.


This is what happens when you're sleep deprived, you start waxing poetic over dog training, wishing you were Vicki Hearne.

Chewy is doing great with the light line/off leash work, FINALLY not lagging anymore! I always feel silly and relieved to find a simple fix for something: Kali told me a few weeks ago to do this, and we actually did it at our lesson with Randall, and whaddya know, almost immediately he stopped lagging. Little guy just needed to know that running is not always a correction for lagging, sometimes it's just FUN! I want to get a video of him working sometime soon, as proof of how horrible and cruel Koehler training is, and how it breaks a dog's spirit: his ears perked up and prancing next to me, adorable little curly tail wagging when I praise him for a perfect recall, and most of all for his okay release, how he immediately jumps up in the air as soon as I say "Free!" Broken, ruined dog, that is. Hates working.

Kiko is doing GREAT with the heeling, I am really pleased. AKA, she's heeling as good as a normal day two dog! It'll be interesting to see how she does with the sit once it's a command rather than a placement, how quickly she grasps the concept. Sometime I'll post pictures of them, I have some good ones of Chewy leaping into the air to chase a toy, and Kiko cozied up beneath many blankets. It's hard to get out of bed in the morning when there is always a cute puppy face to kiss, both of them are such good snugglers.

Notes

Kiko is really interesting because she isn't used to communicating with humans, with listening to them, with thinking before she acts. Totally oblivious from her first 3(?) years having very little human contact, chained on a vacant lot. Which has also very much hardwired her to go after small creatures, since it was hit or miss whether or not she would be fed. This will be veeery interesting.

Day Six, Week Two

Realized yesterday that I'd been doing the sit placement wrong all week...whoops. "Chewy" as the right foot stops, "sit" as the left foot stops. Not "Chewy, sit" while we're stopped and I'm standing there looking at him like an idiot. If I was watching somebody else do it, it would've been obvious, so much easier to notice what's going on physically when you are the observer. He also wasn't making the connection between collar pressure and sitting down, probably due to my being heavy handed on the sit placements and putting more emphasis on my hand on his butt than my hand applying collar pressure. But, thank goodness, he got it pretty quickly once my trainer helped me out. It's very different training an adult dog rather than a puppy, especially a puppy that is possibly even more dog-oriented due to being the only pup in his litter and so is very ramped up about dogs/doesn't have an off switch with them. One right turn and run when Chewy goes wide to investigate Pagan, and he's no longer interested. Wow! Catfish took plenty of passes before calming down and committing himself to heeling. Also, Catfish was never one for lagging, whereas Chewy is lagging to one degree or another most of the time. I am so, so thankful to have the guidance and help of my two trainers! It'd be so much harder to learn how to do it right without them.

Week Two, Day Two

Doing very well except for the jack-in-the-box sits: standing up immediately after he sits, although I am mostly crediting it to the fact that the ground is soaked, and most of the time he sat for a few solid moments before standing again. It does my heart good to see a dog look at a distraction and then immediately look at the handler - you can see the wheels turning! Surprised at how on the ball he is on only day two of heeling, I suppose that's the method for you. Already was beating me to the sit, and stopping with his shoulder more or less by my left foot. Smarty pants or just not a distractable 9 month old puppy? Also, it's been four months since I did this exercise, I sure wish I had kept a journal when I had Catfish so I could compare, but too late now. I did inadvertently say "Catfish, Heel" at one point, Chewy didn't seem to mind. I am reminded of Tony with Sparky doing a heeling pattern, demonstrating that the context of the command means far more than the word itself: "Sparky, Banana! (heel) Apple! (sit)"

Chewy sleeps under the covers, I guess he gets just enough air from the gap my head sticking out from under the covers makes, because when I got out of bed this morning and left him sleeping, I came back to see him with just his nose sticking out from under the covers.

Day Four

Chewy seems to be mostly leash responsive with his dog aggression, we came out of the car and he approached Pagan and Sparky tail wagging in the unmistakable quick happy manner, sniffed them, was a little confused and disinterested since they were on sit stays. Just wants to tell other dogs what he thinks of them when he is pulling at the end of a leash. He did very well, at the end of the lesson was passing by his very tempting distracters (he made a bee line for them whenever they said "cute", he seems to know that's him, ha!) without a second glance. He was however immediately discontented by my friend with M.S., barking and stretching out as far as he could to sniff her in that cautious way. He's a good boy and doesn't bark much but we'll address it when he's on a leash rather than a lunge line. My housemates are quite fond of him, he's a huge change from the ever excitable Catfish. Catfish is really a dog lover's dog in his puppyhood of wanting all 50 pounds of him in your lap, a 20 lb lap warming terrier is more amenable to most. Sleeping next to me as I write this, he blends in with the sofa rather well. Good dog!

Day Two

I got what I wanted - a dog aggressive dog to train. Huzzah! Not sure to what extent, but today there was a LWD (Little White Dog) that he stood watching, and as soon as the LWD saw him it started pulling frantically to come see him, Chewy ran at him growling, hit the end of the line and then decided it was a better idea to walk with me. Didn't go after any other dogs (we saw several) but he did watch them pretty closely, and none of the other dogs noticed him/tried to approach him (thank God, there were two off leash dogs that luckily did not notice us)

He needs to be reminded not to barge through open doors, but remembers pretty quick, and it IS only day two. Good little dog, slept all through the night at my feet.

Day One

Chewy is a scruffy little cream colored terrier, head placed on the sofa, looking as loyal as possible at me and my bowl of steamed purple carrots, of which he has already been offered a sample and declined. Why do they continue to look at you pleadingly? Can they not smell that there is only more of the same in the bowl? Ah, well.

Point to point walking was mostly uneventful, minus the occasional tiny barely audible "erp!" as he hit the end of the line when bolting after a squirrel. He really likes squirrels and birds, and maybe dogs? We stood at one point while a pair of Italian Greyhounds passed, it seemed like they were going to pass safely until one of the dogs changed his mind and went back to approach Chewy (on a retractable lead) and Chewy went straight for him, but I caught the leash and moved off before he made contact. I prefer Catfish's puppy-minded openness about his intentions, plenty of body language and whining about wanting to greet a dog vs hard stare stiff posture and then rocketing towards them (to greet? I think not) I felt a little disappointed to be training a little dog (not to mention the very real pain in the ass of having to reach that far down for placing them) but it looks like he'll give me plenty to think about. A big change around the house, first day here and he is calmly curled up on the sofa with me vs Catfish constantly going from person to person asking for pets, whining, being a puppy, being a goofball. Though make no mistake, I love Catfish dearly and miss his enthusiasm for life, silly happy face, pride in his work. I feel almost awkward around Chewy, bringing him home and first thing giving him a bath: do we know each other well enough for me to take such liberties? I guess it's different because he is a mature adult dog, insecure in his new surroundings, whereas Catfish was just excited to explore a new place and play with new people. It's a completely different relationship to treat dogs as equals and with respect rather than patronize them, adds more depth.

BSL is a failure in the UK

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/man-convicted-over-weapon-dog-murder-of-teenager-1923509.html

This raises some really good questions. A dog bite that was severe enough to require hospitalization was reported to the police, and no action was taken. They're responding to calls about someone's neighbor owning a pit bull, seizing and destroying it, but a dog that actually bites someone gets no attention? Why was the gang member's other dog granted exemption? On a side note, I seriously doubt it was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier/Bull Mastiff cross, there is a size difference between those breeds of about 100 pounds. Otherwise a well written report that is unbiased and focuses on the owner's vicious behavior and mentions breed only because one of the dogs involved was an illegal breed. A perfect illustration of the enormous impact the owner has on the temperament of their dog. It's hard to blame it on the dog when the owner was yelling "Get' Em!", obviously in an incredibly aggressive state of mind, and stabbing someone to death. I think even Colleen Lynn might be able to agree that that upbringing and those conditions would cause even the "sweetest" Golden Retriever to attack.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-seize-more-than-1000-dangerous-dogs-1923520.html

"Jon Eachus, of the RSPCA, said: "The whole dangerous dogs situation, irresponsibility with dogs, has increased 10-fold in the last couple of years.

"It has just been blown all out of context. It is just too easy to acquire them, it has become the in thing to have these dogs. A couple of years ago we did not have this sort of problem."

Another really excellent article. Even with a breed ban in place, "It is just too easy to acquire them". It talks about the entire issue, "We are getting more children's play areas ripped apart and generally more antisocial behaviour.", not isolating it to breed of dog, but putting the proper emphasis on human behavior. Did bull breeds suddenly become incredibly aggressive in the past few years? No, even if aggression was genetically determined (which John Paul Scott has shown us through research that it is not) it is not possible to have such a drastically different animal in the time span of a single generation. Now if they can just the connect the banned status of the dog to the desirability for that breed by criminals.

http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/austin/stories/040109kvuepitbull-bkm.93ae5add.html

Perfect example of how it's the owner's negligence that causes dog bites. These dogs went after a moving object (as dogs are wont to do) and were INCREDIBLY easily redirected: all it took was their victim saying "go get your ball!" to cause them to let go. The photographs of her bite wounds show they are in no way serious, not to say that I wouldn't mind having them, but obviously the dogs were not motivated to injure her. It looks more like they bit once to stop her movement and released when she spoke to them. It sounds like all these dogs needs is basic obedience and a fence. I'm relieved that they didn't call them vicious dogs or talk about how "vicious" pit bulls are, there is some sanity...

Dog Aggression or Prey Drive?

Just a short "food for thought" comment:
I wonder how many dogs labeled as 'dog aggressive' are really just acting on their prey drive? With so many attacks from dogs 10x the size of their victim, I have to question if they recognize it as a dog. If I was a German Shepherd, I don't think I would recognize a 3 pound yorkie as a dog rather than some kind of varmint that it was my duty as a good dog to exterminate.

It reminds me of the section in Temple Grandin's "Animals Make Us Human" where she talks about 'killer dogs': people line breeding pit bulls with dogs naturally distrustful of strangers to create strong dogs more easily shaped towards indiscriminate aggression. She says there was a litter of these line bred 'killer dogs' that was adopted out by a rescue group and they were all eventually returned for killing cats. And this is supposed to be a strike against them? I know I would be furious if a dog killed my cat, but I would never blame it on the dog. That's what they DO: chase and kill smaller animals. It takes intentional socialization and training to keep this hundreds of thousands of years old trait under control. I have met MANY dog owners who have dogs that would kill a cat if they ever got a hold of one because their owners don't have cats so it's not an issue for them. And somehow pit bulls get the blame for this very natural dog behavior? As is often the case, certain breeds are talked about as if every dog trait that could possibly be construed as negative is unique to that breed labeled 'dangerous dogs' for acting on instincts that have worked for the last several hundred thousand years. Well, some of us weren't born yesterday and have touched more than the very tip of the iceberg on understanding the complexity of dog behavior, so don't expect us to buy it.

http://dogattacksyouneverhearabout.blogspot.com/2009/11/collie-attacks-3-and-spared-death.html

"This is a working breed and has a lot of energy and drive," Cline wrote. "It does them no good to be confined to an apartment with little to do. They get bored and frustrated, and with no outlet, this alone can lead to undesirable behavior."

...and that somehow doesn't apply to pit bulls? Never in a million years do I imagine I would see this in an article about a pit bull bite, not do I imagine a pit bull would have been given a second chance. Thank God the right people were able to save this dog whose only crime was not having her needs met.

My apologies for this sloppy post, much steam to blow off and little sleep :)

The Meaning of Oreo

Nathan Winograd wrote an article perfectly illustrating what all my beef is with Oreo's death. My main points being, why was she killed when she was offered a lifetime home by a qualified rescue group and was there anyone actually qualified to assess her temperament that said she was beyond rehabilitation? Another important issue that hadn't occurred to me until reading this was that the ASPCA is publicly funded and as such has a responsibility to listen when its financial providers are in outrage at its decisions. Ed Sayres was quoted as saying to USA Today "There is no room for No Kill as morally superior." Really, laziness at the cost of animal's lives is on the same level as being completely dedicated to doing all that you can to save an animal's life? Non profit doesn't mean non corrupt. Few things are ever as simple as they appear to be. Stories like this make me ever the more thankful and in awe of Austin Pets Alive's tireless and pure dedication to their mission, not a single thing they do is counter to their aims. Ellen Jefferson and Palmer Neuhaus are deities in my book. Anyhow, you can read Winograd's article at the link below.

http://www.examiner.com/x-16635-SF-Animal-Shelters-Examiner~y2009m11d16-The-meaning-of-Oreo

High Drive Could Save Your Life

The American Pit Bull Terrier is often criticized for its high drive. They quote how an ill cared for animal attacked another dog or occasionally a human and that it was incredibly difficult to remove the dog and/or it was hard to redirect their attention. NOT to be misconstrued as glamorizing dog fighting (I nearly passed out trying to sit through "Off The Chain") but it is the same dedication that keeps a fighting dog latched onto its opponent, that keeps the search and rescue dog on the track of a missing person despite bleeding paw pads and many miles already logged. Do you want the search and rescue dog looking for your children when they are lost or injured to be one that gives up halfway through because they're getting tired? Or would you prefer one that will go for the goal until they are physically incapable, for no reason other than that it is important to their handler? I can't reiterate enough how unfair it is to blame an owner's neglect to properly train a dog, when often those same qualities that make a dog dangerous can make a dog an incredible asset to the community when trained for search and rescue or police work. One of the Lassie dogs was turned over to Bill Koehler because she was "uncontrollable" and the Great Dane in Swiss Family Robinson was fond of biting people when he came to Koehler. In cases where a dog has not been outright abused or neglected, misbehavior is often due to assets that are channeled into undesirable actions because they aren't being utilized. A lot of high energy breeds are found in shelters because their owners didn't understand that a dog bred to be herding sheep all day can't be left in apartment for 8 hours without a good, exhausting workout in the morning and evening if their owners plan on keeping their worldly possessions intact. That's just one of the many behavioral problems that can arise in dogs who aren't able to expend their energy or use their mental faculties.

Now I'm rambling and I should be packing to leave for Florida tomorrow anyhow. The point I was trying to make is: there is a good and a bad side to everything. The greater the potential for a quality to cause great harm, the greater potential good it can create so let's not forget it. Happy Holidays!

Phrenology is Unrelated to Temperament

"I find it paradoxical that the consensus medical and genetic view is that even one single letter difference between two people’s DNA can result in dramatic differences in behavior, susceptibility to disease and risk of adverse drug reactions, but, when it comes to man’s best friend, the exact opposite argument is made. I think these attempts to “protect society” from dangerous dogs are flawed because the inherent assumption in these laws is that anatomical and morphological characteristics in dogs correlate with certain behaviors. The genetic program that results in a large thick skull, like that of a Labrador Retriever, is not the same genetic program that builds the brain. The former regulates genes that control the cellular differentiation and anatomical patterning of cartilage, muscle and bone. The latter regulates completely different processes including the highly ordered growth of millions of different neurons that migrate and interconnect to form neuronal circuits that communicate the biochemical language of the brain. The “science” of inferring cognitive and behavioral traits from physical properties of the head and skull (called phrenology) has been discredited in the last century (the 20th century). Why we would allow laws based on phrenology to be enacted in the 21st century is a question worth investigating."

I love the National Canine Research Council.

Fear Mongering in Journalism

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/8386023.stm

"A four-year-old boy has been mauled to death by a dog at a family home in Liverpool.

The child, who the BBC has learnt was called John Paul Massey, was attacked at the property in Ash Grove, Wavertree, just after midnight.

A 63-year-old woman was also injured and is being treated in hospital. It is believed she was hurt as she separated the dog from the child.

Merseyside Police said armed officers killed the animal in the front garden.

Dog handlers also attended the scene and an investigation has begun. Efforts are continuing to identify the dog's breed.

'Agitated state'

Ch Supt Steve Ashley said: "This is a tragic incident and a full and thorough investigation will be carried out into the circumstances surrounding this young boy's death.

"Officers are with the family and our sympathies are with them at this time."

He added: "Of utmost importance in such incidents is the safety of the public and of police officers. "When officers arrived at the address the dog was in an agitated state in the front garden of the property and was deemed to be a danger to the public.

"As a result we were left with no other option but to have the animal destroyed quickly and humanely."

On Monday morning, police tape surrounded the house and street where the boy was attacked.

Local parish priest Father Peter Morgan, of St Anne's Church in Edge Hill, emerged from the house on Monday afternoon after meeting the family.

He said: "There is an awful lot of pain inside... They are broken, it is so, so sad."

The BBC's North of England correspondent, Nick Ravenscroft, said the youngster's identity was confirmed by the head teacher of St Clare's Roman Catholic Primary School in Wavertree.

People spoke of their shock at the death but complained there had been a problem with so-called dangerous dogs in the area.

Gillian Watson, 46, who heard the gunshot that destroyed the dog, said: "It's such a terrible thing to happen to a family.

"There are lots of dangerous-type dogs around here. You always see young lads with pit bull dogs roaming around.

"I have a dog myself and when I take him for a walk sometimes it's quite terrifying because you think your dog is going to be attacked."

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said residents had complained to the local Housing Association about the problem.

He said: "You see them all the time, they're huge animals and it is very threatening."

The attack comes nearly three years after the death of Ellie Lawrenson, a five-year-old killed by her uncle's pit bull terrier on New Year's Day 2007, just a few miles away in St Helens.

Merseyside Police held a dangerous dogs amnesty after her death in which more than 80 illegally-held dogs were seized."

How are pit bulls in any way relevant to this case? They had the decency to admit that the dog's breed hadn't yet been identified (I dunno, chief, whaddya think he looks like?) That being said, how did they attempt to loosely string together the rationale that pit bulls were somehow magically responsible for this? I am so sick of seeing inane comments like "I take my dog for walks and I'm afraid he's going to be attacked." What does that have to do with pit bulls? Any dog off leash may be inclined to attack the dog you're walking. If you allow your dog to get close enough to an aggressive, leashed dog that it attacks then it's nobody's fault but your own. This possibility has absolutely nothing to do with any specific breed of dog. They mention neighbors being concerned with "so-called dangerous dogs" which as evidenced by the remainder of the article is purely a reference to pit bulls. Not to dogs actually displaying aggressive behavior like the one who killed this little boy. The circumstances of the attack are hardly mentioned in the article. The only descriptors of the dog are that it was in an "agitated state" and that it was in the front garden. We don't even know if it was a loose dog, for all we know it could have been that the boy entered someone else's fenced front yard and the dog killed him. In which case, how can we place responsibility on the dog over the caretaker of the child who allowed this to happen? Regardless, you can't make any judgment with information that is this vague. I will never understand how people are able to redirect their attention from the the issue at hand to the completely unrelated idea of "aggressive breeds" that were not even involved in the attack! You can start your unfounded mud-slinging when the dog is "identified" as a pit bull, and not a moment before. Also interesting to note that they failed to mention that the number of dog bites in Britain has tripled since they passed the Dangerous Dogs Act in 1991.

English Bulldogs

English Bulldogs are my personal poster child for how breeding for appearance rather than ability ruins dogs.

The below section in quotes is all taken directly from http://bandogmastiffs.blogspot.com/

"Three varieties of “ Alauntz ” are mentioned in The Mayster of Game, written in the fourteen century: “ The which men clepyn Alauntz gentil. Other there byn that men clepyn Alauntz ventreres. Other byn Alauntz of the bocherie.”

The first variety is so “gentil ” that Edmund de Langley, in giving a list of the animals which it would attack, mentions oxen, sheep and swine, “ or to men or to other hounds, for men have seen Alauntz sle her mayster.”

Evidently a nice pet to leave with the children. This variety was shaped like a “ greyhounde ” except the head, “ which shuld be greet and short.”

The second and third varieties were evidently more heavily built, and “ Thei holde fast of here nature.”

They were used for bull-baiting and boar-hunting in company with greyhounds.
Edmund de Langley alludes to mastiffs in addition, but it is fairly clear that they and bulldogs descend from the same parent strain.

In old pictures of bull- and bear-baiting the dogs shown are like small, active mastiffs. They were magnificent specimens physically and, necessarily, brave to a fault.



The shows did the dogs more harm than the bulls, bears of Bill Sikes. Lest I be accused of prejudice, I will quote the Natural History Museum : “ Other characteristics are the short, wide skull, the small loins and hind limbs and the strength of the forequarters. These features are exaggerated in the present breed, which is useless for fighting. The skull for instance (as shown by the specimen in the table case), is so broad and underhung as to be a monstrosity, while the outward bending of the legs is excessive.”

It may be noted that the specimen alluded to (a show champion whelped in 1901) is far less of a monstrosity than present-day champions.

The present-day bulldog is born old ; he is a wheezy amiable creature, useless for any purpose, but, usually still retains the indomitable courage of his ancestors.



Doubtless, if a club were formed to revive the old breed it could be done. It would only be necessary to pick out and breed from the least deformed puppies produced by parents themselves not too inbred.

The rapidity with which dogs will throw back to ancestral and natural type is proved by the Brancaster Basset hounds Q. V.




I have been accused by no less a person than the secretary of the London Bulldog Society: he said that I had tried to discredit the National Dog.

I replied that my regret was that the national dog is extinct, or almost so, and has been replaced by a useless, wheezing monstrosity. Underslinging of chassis may improve motor-cars, but it does not improve dogs."

Additionally: (all from bulldoginformation.com) Most English Bulldogs are delivered via cesarean section due to the bitch's small hips and birth canal as compared to the large heads of the pups. "Most Bulldogs cannot successfully consummate a mating without assistance[...] If natural breeding is chosen, the bulldog will need assistance and even the natural breeding will have to be planned, guided and supervised more carefully than with any other dog breed, for a variety of reasons. One of the problems with natural breeding is that the morphology of the bulldog does not allow the stud to easily mount the bitch." I don't think Mother Nature can speak much louder than that.

Vicious, Unpredictable Dogs...

Beautiful American Pit Bull Terrier bitch showing the amazing level of obedience that training can accomplish. I will always be astonished at how determined a dog can be in their bite work but the moment their handler gives the "off" command, they let go. I also really love videos of bite work showing the dog being friendly with the agitator after the fact. "Nothing personal, buddy, it's just you were yelling at me and you had the sleeve on..."