Getting ready to receive a litter?
Remember that GenSol offers a discount everyday with our Bulk Sale!
For 5 + Tests, only pay $30 each test!
Test the whole litter and Save Big!
Dog Breeding
7 Things You Should NEVER Do to Your Dog
Don’t Ever Do These Things to Your Dog
By Carol Bryant
Dedicated dog parents are some of the most incredible people in the world. But even the most caring dog moms and dog dads sometimes do things that just aren’t in the best interests of their four-legged companions. Do you do any of these things? Read on and share in the comments which mistakes you have made and add your own cautionary advice.
Leave a Dog Alone in the Car
Even when the weather is relatively cool, a car can quickly become a greenhouse of sorts and cause your dog to become overheated and sick. If left alone for too long, a dog can even die. No matter the weather or season, a dog alone in a car is a target for thieves. Dogs should never be left alone in an unattended vehicle.
Make a Dog Live on a Chain
Yes, all dogs should have access to the outdoors. Yes, if you don’t have access to a fenced yard it is sometimes perfectly fine to tether a dog outside for a period of time as long as the weather is good and the dog is supervised. But dogs should never be forced to live their lives on a chain. Dogs need human interaction and stimulation, to be part of a family, and a measure of freedom. Being left out on a chain while the rest of your family is together indoors is simply cruel.
Neglect Your Dog’s Teeth
The American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) president, Dr. Ted Cohn, has stated that although daily tooth brushing is advised for dogs and cats, only 2 percent of dog owners follow through. In addition, 65 percent of dogs with stage one periodontal disease often go untreated. Always have a veterinarian check your dog’s teeth at least once a year and prior to starting any home-based dental regimen. Get into the habit of regular dental care. A child’s toothbrush is best for newcomers and dogs with smaller mouths. A fingertip toothbrush is also acceptable for starters. Never use human toothpaste on a dog. Why? They can’t spit, and there are ingredients in many human toothpastes that can make a dog sick.
Hit a Dog
Putting your hand(s) on a dog as a form of punishment is wrong. It will harm your relationship with your dog and prevent proper training.
In her book, It’s Me or the Dog, Victoria Stilwell, famed positive reinforcement trainer and star of her own dog behavior show on Animal Planet, writes, “When you hit a dog, you teach him to fear you, break his trust, and you weaken his confidence. Insecure dogs are the ones who are more likely to lash out in an aggressive display.”
Assume Your Dog Doesn’t Have Feelings
Dogs feel—they have emotions and they understand emotions. Recent scientific studies have shown that dogs experience love like humans and can read human emotions based on facial expressions. Dogs have the capacity to love, feel, become depressed, and get excited. Berating a dog or purposely upsetting him harms the dog and your relationship with him.
Skip Veterinary Visits
This may sound like a “no brainer” but there are some people who believe they can self-diagnose their dog’s health problems online and not seek veterinary care. There is a time and a place for online research or to look up additional medical information for a beloved pet. But if a dog acts out of the ordinary or there are any symptoms of poor health, seeking veterinary care is of utmost importance. Never take medical matters into your own hands.
Use a Crate for the Wrong Reasons
Unlike children, time outs don’t work for dogs. If a dog is misbehaving, putting him in a kennel is the wrong response. When you use the crate as a form of punishment, you are teaching your dog that the kennel is a bad place instead of a safe haven. You want being crated to be a positive experience for your dog, so never use it to scold or punish him.
http://www.petmd.com/dog/slideshows/7-things-you-should-never-do-your-dog?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=petMD_ThingsYouShouldNeverDoToYourDog_01032017&utm_medium=SocialMedia
Genes underlying dogs’ social ability revealed
The social ability of dogs is affected by genes that also seems to influence human behaviour, according to a new study from Linköping University in Sweden. The scientists have found a relationship between five different genes and the ability of dogs to interact with humans. Four of them also show similarities to certain conditions in humans.
“Our findings are the first to reveal genes that can have caused the extreme change in social behaviour, which has occurred in dogs since they were domesticated,” says Per Jensen, professor of ethology, who is the leader of the research group.
The dog is the oldest domesticated animal and during thousands of years it has adapted to a life among humans. During this period dogs have developed unique abilities to communicate and cooperate with humans. In this respect, they are widely superior to their wild ancestors, the wolves. Facing a difficult task, most dogs seek contact with a human, apparently to solicit help. In similar situations, wolves generally attempt to solve the problem themselves.
In the new study, published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports, the researchers wanted to study the behaviour of the dogs by presenting them with an unsolvable problem. The task was to open a tight lid to obtain a treat. Almost 500 beagles with similar earlier experiences of human interactions were part of the behavioural studies. The scientists used video recordings to quantify the willingness of the dogs to seek physical contact with a person in the room when the problem turned out to be too difficult.
For more than 200 of the dogs also the DNA was studied. By using a method called GWAS (genome-wide association study), the researchers examined a large number of genetic variants throughout the genome. GWAS can be used to find out if a particular genetic variant is more common among individuals with a particular trait, such as contact seeking behaviour in this case. It turned out that the contact seeking dogs more often carried certain genetic variants.
“We found a clear association with DNA-regions containing five different interesting genes,” says Mia Persson, PhD-student and main author of the paper.
“If the associations we have found can be confirmed in other dog breeds it is possible that dog behaviour also can help us to better understand social disorders in humans,” says Per Jensen.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Linköping University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
- Persson, M.E., Wright, D., Roth, L.S.V., Batakis, P. and Jensen, P. Genomic regions associated with interscpecies communication in dogs contain genes related to human social disorders. Scientific Reports, September 2016 DOI: 10.1038/srep33439
Cite This Page:
3 New Breeds to Join 2016 National Dog Show
Thanksgiving is for family, friends, food, football and our favorite tradition: dog shows. And when you tune into the National Dog Show on November 24, you’ll get to see three new and adorable canine faces: the American Hairless Terrier (Terrier Group), Sloughi (Hound Group) and Pumi (Herding Group).
These three dog breeds were fully recognized by the AKC in 2016, making them eligible to compete in dog shows and competitions. So while you eagerly await this year’s television broadcast on NBC, check out the photo gallery below to learn more about the new breeds — and get to know the seven breeds who were recognized by the AKC in 2015.
New Breeds at 2016 National Dog Show









More on Vetstreet:
- Can You Match the Tail to the Dog Breed?
- 4 Cool Cat Breeds We Bet You’ve Never Seen
- How Well Do You Know the “Bull” Dog Breeds?
- Quiz to Test Your Small Dog Breed Knowledge
- 11 Rare Breeds You’ve Never Heard Of, But Will Soon
Source: Vetstreet Dog News - GenSol Diagnostics Pet Health Blog - GenSol Diagnostics offers fast, accurate & affordable canine genetic testing. We encourage you to share our content.
New Tests Added – PRA-D & CURL
GenSol Diagnostics has added two new tests to our catalog.
Dominant PRA (PRA-D)
Dominant PRA (PRA-D) is an eye disorder that affects English Mastiffs and Bull Mastiffs. It is a form of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) that causes cells of the eye to deteriorate over time eventually leading to complete blindness. Typically, affected dogs show symptoms of the disease starting at approximately 2-3 years of age however, symptoms including night-blindness have been observed in puppies as young as 6 weeks. Progression of the disease is fairly quick with most affected dogs suffering complete blindness within 1-2 years from the onset of symptoms. This particular type of PRA seen in the Mastiff breeds is a dominant condition which means a dog only need inherit one copy of the mutation to be affected by the disease.
Name | SKU | Price | Qty | Action |
---|---|---|---|---|
Curly Coat Locus (CURL)
Hair curl is an incomplete dominant characteristic caused by a mutation in the KRT71 gene. Incomplete dominance refers to the fact that a dog can carry one copy of the gene which will result in a moderately curly (known as “wavy”) coat or two copies of the mutation which will result in a tightly curled coat. Dogs lacking the mutation will typically have straight hair. This particular mutation can be found prevalently in some breeds that typically display a curly coat. The hair curl mutation can also be accompanied by the other mutations such as coat length and furnishings that can also contribute to the overall look of a dog’s coat.
Name | SKU | Price | Qty | Action |
---|---|---|---|---|