The Collie dog makes an excellent sporting dog and can be trained to do the work of the Pointer and the Setter, as well as that of the Water Spaniel and the Retriever. He can be trained to carry out the work of other breeds as well. It is smart at hunting, having an excellent nose, is a first-rate vermin-killer, and a most faithful guard dog and buddy.

Little is known with confidence of the source of the Collie, but his cunning and his outward looks would appear to indicate a relationship with the wild dog. Buffon was of point of view that he was the true dog of nature, the standard and model for the whole canine species.

He thought the Sheepdog superior in instinct and intelligence to all other breeds, and that, with a character which other breeds do not share. It is the only animal that is born completely trained for the assistance of man.

At the shows this kind of dog is almost always at the top of the class. He is thought to be the most tractable, and is certainly one of the most agile. The second most popular breed of this type is the smooth-coated variety, which is a hard-working, useful dog, well adapted for hill work and usually really fleet of foot.

He is not so amiable in temper as the black and white, and is slow to make friends. There is not a more graceful and physically beautiful dog to be seen than the show Collie of the current period. Bred from the old working dog, he is now almost a distinct breed.

The skull should be flat, moderately wide between the ears, and gradually tapering towards the eyes. There should just be a small depression at the bottom. The width of skull inevitably depends upon the combined length of skull and muzzle; and the whole must be measured in relationship with the size of the dog. The cheeks should not be full or outstanding.

The muzzle ought to be of a decent length, tapering to the nose, and must not show weakness. Whatever the colour of the dog, the nose must be black. The teeth should be of a decent size, sound and level; very slight unevenness is allowed.

The jaws should be clean-cut and powerful. The eyes are a very important feature, giving expression to the dog; they should be of medium size, set a little obliquely, of almond shape and brown colour except in the case of merles, when the eyes are often (one or both) blue and white or china; expressing high intelligence, with a bright, alert look when they are listening.

The ears should be and moderately wide at the base, located not too close together but on the top of the skull and not on the side of the head. When in repose they should be carried thrown back, but when on the alert brought forward and carried semi-erect, with tips somewhat drooping in the attitude of listening.

The neck should be muscular, powerful, of fair length, and somewhat arched. The body should be burly, with well sprung ribs, deep chest, fairly broad behind the shoulders, which should be sloped, loins very powerful..

The front legs must be straight and muscular, leaning neither in nor out at the elbows, with a fair amount of bone; the forearm somewhat plump, the pasterns showing flexibility without frailty. The hind-legs should be muscular at the thighs, clean and sinewy below the hocks, with well-bent stifles. The feet should be elliptical in shape, soles well padded, and the toes vaulted and close together.

Its general character is to be a lissom, active dog, his deep chest showing lung power, his neck strength, his sloping shoulders and well bent hocks representing speed, and his expression of high intelligence. He should be a fair length in the leg, giving him more of a racy than a plodding appearance.

In a few words, a Collie should show endurance, activity, and intelligence, with free and deliberate actions. In height dogs should be 22 ins. to 24 ins. at the shoulders, bitches 20 ins. to 22 ins. The weight for dogs is 45 to 65 lbs., bitches 40 to 55 lbs. The smooth collie only differs from the rough in its coat, which ought to be hard, thick and very smooth.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of subjects, but is now involved with the canine distemper vaccination. If you want to know more, please visit our website at Distemper Vaccines

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Every dog likes to be given a tasty tidbit as a treat and every dog-owner likes to give them. But do you know whether the dog treats that you are giving are healthy or dangerous for your pet, because there are both sorts on the market. In fact, there are hundreds of types of dog treats of all sizes, shapes and colours.

No matter what you feed your dog, it is worth checking whether he has eaten it all and if not why not. There could be a number of reasons, but each dog owner ought to know how much their dog normally eats and what he particularly likes. Not eating normally is often a sign that your dog is ill or about to be ill. Some foodstuffs can cause this sign though as well.

Treats that are manufactured to scrub your dog’s teeth frequently come in the shape of a bone, not that that is relevant to the dog, He knows it is not a bone sure enough. But most dogs do like them. A difficult can occur if your dog has powerful jaws and tries to eat big chunks in one go.

These large, slightly soggy pieces can get wedged in the throat or intestines causing blockages. Often these blockages will dissolve away over a few hours, but if they are resulting in breathing worries or discomfort, you may have to take your dog to a vet.

Rawhide chews also come into this category although they come with concerns of their own too. Rawhide chews are useful for scraping plaque and tartar off your dog’s teeth that would otherwise lead to bacteria, bad teeth and bad breath, but they can also get lodged in the animal’s throat or intestines, so strive to buy treats that your dog cannot swallow but has to chew on.

Rawhide is an animal by-product, so it has to be preserved to prevent it going off. Attempt to find out what that preservative is and find out whether it is perilous or not. It has been reported that some countries have been using arsenic to conserve their chews, this is of course not a good idea and is one of the most dangerous dog treats.

Chocolate is lethal to dogs. Not many adults and very few children are aware of this, because you often see people giving their dog a square of chocolate. The reason these dogs do not die a terrible death is that most of the chocolate that we can buy these days does not contain much chocolate. It is chocolate-flavoured paste. Look on the list of ingredients on the wrapper of your next bar of chocolate to see what I am saying.

However, different countries have different laws concerning what can be known as chocolate. The European Union is fairly good, America not so good and Thailand is appalling. Usually, bakers’ chocolate is the most powerful, which makes a chocolate covered chocolate cake the most perilous for dogs – just the sort of thing they can take from the picnic blanket.

Sickness, uneven heartbeat, ‘craziness’, hyperactivity, a visit to the vets for a stomach pump or death are usually the result.

Dogs love bones and they are good for them too (which makes you wonder why so many dog chews are purchased). However, not all bones are healthy for dogs. Cats grind everything up small, which is why they can be safely given fish, chicken and turkey bones. But dogs tend to wolf items down, so never give these bones to your dog.

Fish bones are fine and sharp and can stick in the throat or gut as with humans needing surgery, but chicken and turkey bones splinter into these fine slithers too when crunched. Do not give them to a dog as a treat.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a variety of topics, but is currently involved with the canine distemper vaccination. If you want to kcurrently more, please visit our website at Distemper Vaccines

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One of the most common ailments in dogs is worm infestations. Worms are parasites that live inside the animal and cause different problems, depending on the type of worm your pet has. Generally, there are five major types of worms, roundworm, tapeworm, hookworm, whipworm and the dreaded heartworm. All of these can cause light to serious complications and should never be left untreated. First, let’s look at the different types of parasite and what they do.

The roundworm is the most common infestation. This parasite will pass to pups from their mothers either before birth or while she is nursing. Roundworms can be passed to humans. In dogs, this worm causes a potbellied appearance and weight loss. These worms multiply at a very fast rate if left untreated. An adult female roundworm can lay up to 200,000 eggs daily for a year. This may cause an obstruction in the dog’s intestinal tract and lead to death. You should treat your pets with a regular schedule of de-wormer beginning when pups are weaned. Commercial as well as natural treatments are available.

The hookworms are like round worms in that they are an intestinal parasite. The hookworm however is smaller and feeds on blood from the intestinal wall. Since their diet is blood, the hookworm can cause anemia and occasionally death in dogs. There are few symptoms of hookworm and they will not be visible in stool or vomit. To determine an infestation, you must see your vet who will do a stool analysis. Although this is another parasite that can be passed to humans it will not cause the same problems in humans as in canines. In humans, the worm cannot penetrate much deeper than just under the skin, this causes an itchy rash with a worm like appearance.

The tapeworm is so named because of its appearance; it is long and flat looking much like a piece of tape. This type of worm is spread in dogs by the ingestion of an infected flea. For example, the flea feeds off an infected animal picking up the tapeworm egg, and then your pet eats the flea while grooming himself. Symptoms of tapeworm infestation are nervousness, abdominal pain, itching especially around the anus, vomiting and weight loss. If you see any of these symptoms, you may want to seek medical attention.

Whipworms live in your pooch’s colon and cannot be seen by the naked eye. They feed off of your dog’s intestinal wall and cause many ailments. dog worms symptoms of the whipworm include diarrhea which contains blood or mucous, flatulence, weight loss and anemia. The whipworm is the hardest worm to get rid of but both pharmaceutical and natural treatments are available. Our dog, Lucy, not only had parvovirus but was infected with whipworms, too. An oral medication was given to her.

The most serious of dog worms is the heartworm. It is passed from one animal to another through mosquitoes. If you want your dog to be free of heartworms, you must seek prevention. People need to be concerned who live in warm, damp climates and are prone to heavy mosquito activity. Once your dog is infected, you have a few treatment options available. Most of them amount to giving the dog limited amounts of arsenic. This alone can kill the dog. The heartworm will take up residence in the heart and its arteries causing it to enlarge and eventually fail. dog worms symptoms of the heart worm include weight loss, coughing as well as a potbellied appearance. No matter what kind of parasite you may be dealing with seek either natural advice or that of a veterinarian. Be proactive for better canine health. Your dog will give you a big lick in thanks!

Dog worms are an ever present problem for your dog. Dog worms symptoms depend upon the type of dog worms that are present in your dog. Heartworm is the most deadly of dog worm types, but all types of canine worms can make your dog sick. Find out how to prevent symptoms of dog worms by preventing the worms.

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