Many Pets Harbor Hidden Painful Periodontitis

Or, How an Italian Greyhound Ends up Needing 17 Teeth Extracted...

Periodontal Disease refers to problems with the bone, gums, tough little fantastic periodontal ligaments inside the sulcus (tooth socket), basically everything around the tooth itself.

Doc Truli fills us in,”A careful exam of each tooth and 6 points of the gingiva around each tooth, and dental radiographs (x-rays) reveal hidden periodontal disease. There is no other way to find out what is wrong with your pet’s teeth. This examination requires general anesthesia, every time, every pet.”

Hidden Disease Doc Truli Finds Daily With X-Rays:

The root on your right sits in a pocket of pus, called an abscess.

In the picture to your left, the root on the left sits in the white bone. The darker grey line in the center of the bone represents the marrow cavity. The bone is thinner, because marrow, nerves, and blood vessels live there. The root on the right is not resting in white bone, but rather, fuzzy, messy grey-black stuff. Pus and debris have eaten away the bone and the root sits in nothing good!

This x-ray was taken during a “routine dental” cleaning. The dog had no symptoms and the tooth looked fine from the outside. It did not wiggle in the jaw, because the left root held firm. Careful probing and an x-ray showed the massive problem.

If this dog had undergone non-anesthesia cleaning, this problem would persist. NO way would the person scaling the teeth have found this disease. The tooth was removed, and the dog gained a pound because she ate better after the surgery. This tooth was also a candidate for a tooth-sparing procedure in which the tooth could be cut in half, the good root could have a root canal, and a crown made to replace the diseased front half. In this case, the pet’s parent elected not to undergo the added expense and requested the disease simply be removed from the mouth.

Before tooth scaling, the back molar sits in a huge abscess pocket.

The little molar in the far left has an abscessed root and a large pocket. The technician scaled and polished the teeth after the full mouth radiographs were obtained. When she scaled the back molar, it was so loose and fragile, it fell out, leaving a hole in the jawbone. This tooth is categorized Grade 4/4 Periodontal Disease, and would’ve been extracted if it hadn’t fallen out on its own.

This hole was filled with a material to encourage new bone growth and the gingiva was delicately sutured in place to cover the sensitive hole. Antibiotics appropriate for the mouth and painkillers helped the dog through the healing process. Typically, Doc Truli recommends soft food for a time after the surgery (some veterinary dentists recommend 14 days of soft food).

Why is the tooth sticking up out of the bone that way?

This dog had a loose abscessed back molar, too (Opposite side, so pocket is on your right.) Note how this molar sticks up out of the white bone. The black space under the top crown on the tooth in the furcation between the two roots should be filled with white bone just like in the tooth x-ray above. But it is not. This is called horizontal bone loss. It extends 25-30% down the root of the tooth. When it reaches 50%, that is Grade 4 out of 4 Periodontal disease, and the tooth will have to be extracted; it cannot be salvaged.

In this case, the tooth was a Grade 3 out of 4 Periodontal disease. Nothing will make the bone grow back in the furcation, but careful root planing to clean out any pus, calculus, and build-up can be performed, then the root can be treated to discourage further bone loss and disease. If the tooth was already loose, it would downgrade to a Grade 4/4, and surgical extraction would be the treatment option left to the pet.

It’s been a hectic year for us (2009), and for Coco as well. She has done well in the racing in the summer and autumn, and the best result was 5th place in European Championships in Germany, racing event.
Thank you for the Year for everyone who has been racing with our dogs and for everyone for support as well.

After the racing season was over, Coco was mated with Eledi Grace Garo Gabriel.
Excitement was in the air and in the end, a female puppy was born 16th of December.
This little was was only 160 g when she was born. However this Little one has now turned into 500 g already and is growing fast.

More information about Garo.

I had my third year anniversary with Petco as a Dog Trainer this past October. I am the only Dog Trainer at our Petco facility and I can honestly say I get to go to work and play with dogs and meet all kinds of new people!

In March, the California Department of Vocational Rehabilitation authorized retraining and education for me to attend the Animal Behavior College to become a Professional Dog Trainer (technically that is what I am at Petco). This will in the future open doors of opportunity for having either potential growth via Petco or branch out on my own a bit more. I finished the online and book learning in August

I began my externship with a Dog Training Mentor, Cari Bowe, in September. I finished phase one of three before the rains and the weather permitted anymore. I hope to finish the last two phases early spring.

I also hope to begin my volunteer requirements with the Shasta County Animal Control after the first of the year.

When my externship and volunteer phases are completed, I will then take my final exam.

I hope to continue with my dog training education in working with Shelter dogs and rehabilitating problem behavior dogs and dogs whom have aggression issues.

During the Spring/Summer of this past year I taught Agility classes for the Nor Cal Dog Training Club and had a great time. Also with the Nor Cal Dog Club and through my own dog training business, a few friends and I did some demonstrations at some local elementary schools in April and June. We did Obedience, Agility, Flyball and Tracking demos. It was lots of fun for the dogs, the kids and us!

I have also been busy doing demos or having informational booths at various “animal/dog” events in and around my community.

In April, I had an info booth and offered the AKC Canine Good Citizenship (CGC) testing for the annual “Love Your Pet Expo” a benefit for local animal rescue groups. My Shetland Sheepdog, Dani Joy, did some Agility and Flyball demos at this event and had a great time.

In May, I participated in the Haven Humane Society’s Dog-a-thon.

In August, I did some demos with 2 other dog trainers in the area, Lyn of River Dog Agility and Chere McMillan of the Capable Canine, at the Open House for the Wild Horse Sanctuary in Manton (near Shingletown east of Redding). Unfortunately, Dani Joy ended up with a foxtail embedded in her chest wall and had to have surgery as it was headed to the heart/lung cavity. Thankfully, she is doing great now.

Also in August, I had an informational booth with Petco at a fundraising event called “Woofstock” a benefit for a local animal rescue group.

In September, I coordinated a demo event for the Nor Cal Dog Training Club at the annual Honey Bee Festival in Palo Cedro where we did Agility, Rally Obedience, and Flyball demonstrations. My two Shelties, Patrick Ryan and Dani Joy, showed off their stuff in Flyball and Dani Joy got her picture in the Palo Cedro newspaper. My Italian Greyhound Skippy did some beginning Agility at the demo as well.

Also in September, I went to the 2^nd Annual Chico Canine Carnival, a benefit for Animal rescues in Butte County. I offered the AKC CGC testing and my dogs did Flyball demos.

I was supposed to do some Flyball demos and some more AKC CGC testing for the Siskiyou Paws for Walk fundraising event that same month, but ended up coming down sick.

In October, I coordinated a dog-sport community event (sponsored by Nor Cal Dog Training Club) in Anderson called “Pawsibilities Unleashed” where we had numerous dog trainers, dog sporting activities and animal rescue groups putting on demonstrations, offering information and encouraging responsible dog ownership.

After that event ended, I resigned from the Nor Cal Dog Club. I am now also an inactive member with my flyball team the Gold Coast Flyers.

Still on the subject of dogs… over Memorial Day Weekend I traveled down to my dad’s home in El Dorado, CA and went to the “Hangtown Kennel Club’s Dog Show”. I had Patrick Ryan entered for 3 days in competition Rally Obedience (Rally “O” for short). He came home with 2 qualifying scores. He needed 3 to get a Rally Novice Title. Unfortunately, his owner (me) messed up – always “handler error” – and it was his best performance of the weekend. My dad and step-mom, Marti were there to cheer me on and take pictures.

In the second week of June, I went to a four day dog show in Gridley, CA and entered both Dani Joy and Patrick Ryan in Rally “O”. Dani Joy got her title in Rally Novice on the fourth day. Patrick Ryan got his Rally Novice on the first day and 2 qualifying scores on the 2nd and 3rd day, in Rally Advance. However, like the last show, Patrick did a “star” performance but once again – handler error! So we need another show to get his Title in Rally Advanced. I was still so very proud of them!

Patrick just turned 10 years old this past week. He is showing more of his age and he is losing a bit of his hearing. But he is still as smart as a whip. He is now learning new tricks and I am thinking of taking up the sport of Canine Freestyle (a.k.a. doggie dancing).

Dani Joy will be 7 years old in January and is still the jumping live wire as ever. Although she has mellowed just a touch, enough to focus more on commands and do her Rally “O” and a few tricks too!

Skippy got his AKC Canine Good Citizenship while we were at the Chico Canine Carnival in September, which is his first step in any kind of event. I hope next year to enter him into Rally “O”. By the way, he is finally potty-trained! Skippy will be 4 years old in March. He still has some behavioral issues to work through what other dog trainers like to call “resource guarding” he thinks EVERYTHING belongs to him, the living room, Dee, the cats, the toys, the yard, etc.

My private dog training business has been primarily focused on private lessons with one-on-one training with the dog and the dog owner. It has been challenging and very rewarding.

This year I created a new website and as you know this blog – just for my dog training business and all things dog… check out my website at:  www.k9keltsdogtraining.com

Other than Mea trying to get rid of her hiccups, it just seemed like another day in class.  We were in Mrs. Schnoot’s Agility 101 class and she was trying to explain the physics of leaping over hurdles on the blackboard but my mind wandered.  That was when the door swung open and a mammoth dog walked into the room.

“Sorry for the interruption but I have an exchange student that is joining the school,” Vice Principal Bluehorn said as he propped the door open for the St. Bernard.  “I know you’ll make him feel at home. Please welcome Gianluca from Switzerland.”

“Oh my, well please find a seat for now,” Mrs. Schnoot said hurriedly.  “Class is almost over but we’ll get you a permanent seat next time we meet.”

While any disruption to class is welcome and breaks the monotony, this St. Bernard was interesting because he was just so… different.  Gianluca had more fur on one leg than I had on my whole body!  Since there were a couple of empty desks near me, he lumbered over and slumped into a desk.  It’s important to show machismo when making an entrance.

“Psst, hey,” Gregio whispered, trying to be the first to talk to him. “Do you guys really take brandy to people?”

“Ha! What a myth!,” Gianluca haughtily snorted. “I wish we were seen more like Beethoven.  That movie rocked!”

It wasn’t too long before the bell rang and we were hustling to get out the door.  Before we left, I went over to Gianluca to inquire about a subject.

“Hey buddy, welcome to Milk Bone Pickens High,” I began after introducing myself. “I’m a big movie buff myself.  Hands down, The Dark Knight was a work of art. I can’t watch it enough.”

“Yeah that was the best,” Gianluca gruffed.  “Wait a minute.  You’re that Italian Greyhound Louie guy with that club, the Beefy Snack or something or other.  I’ve heard about you.”

“That’s cool,” I replied, a bit startled. “How did you hear about it so quickly?”

“Someone mentioned you guys were looking for the origin of canine consciousness,” Gianluca answered while we walked down the hall.  “Is that true? That’s pretty cool.”

“Are you saying you know?,” I said incredulously.  “You know where it all came from and how we can live these types of lives? We thought it might have come from a magic water dish.”

“I know something that will point you in the right direction,” Gianluca said.  “Have you ever noticed that dog is an anadrome and is different when spelled backwards?”

This stopped me in my tracks.  I started to put the letters together.

“G-o-d, it spells god,” I said excitedly.  “That means since we do the things that we do that we’re… gods?”

Gianluca stopped and looked at me quixotically.  His whole body began to shake with laughter.

“You crack me up, Louie,” he began to laugh.  “No, you’re not a god.  For a little dog, you sure do have a big ego.  What I’m trying to say is that we’ve been given these special abilities from A god.  A canine god.  Look into it.”

I had many more questions but he had ducked into his next class.  If this is true then we were onto something very big indeed. This was more intimidating than a big wind storm. I was standing in the hall, mulling the possibilities when Karma came up and playfully nipped me on the neck.  I was late for my next class!

I have often wondered if my two dogs have detected that I’m pregnant. Their sense of smell is much better than ours…. surely they could sense the different hormones. I found this link that says dogs can become particularly affectionate and protective or go the other way and start acting aloof and/or relieving themselves indoors.

One of my dogs is an Italian Greyhound and is always fairly clingy so I haven’t noticed any changes there. However, a few weeks ago she DID pee all over my pillow on my bed – I had to throw it out! Normally if she’s trapped indoors she’ll pee right at the back door on the wooden floorboards. Little bugger.

The little fluff ball above (Pomeranian) is such a lovely, well-behaved dog. He does, however, have Little Man Syndrome and will willingly take chunks of hair out of a much larger dog’s chest while out on a beach walk. He also has an intense dislike of children. I got him from an RSPCA dog shelter and he’s about eight years old now. My guess is that he belonged to a family with small children that didn’t treat him very well. We hope he adjusts to a new baby quickly…. we would never re-home him but I would hate to send him outside away from the baby where he’d miss out on family time.

Sist jag var med i stallet filmade jag min älskling massor – blev två små filmer tillslut. Kanske inte jättekul för alla er att se, men desto roligare för Bessies uppfödare och alla som faktiskt känner oss i verkligheten - man ser verkligen att hon är mer än en liten söt minivovve
Och jodå, det är en overall hon har på sig – när man knappt har nån päls och inget fett alls på kroppen och det ösregnar så är det skönt att slippa frysa tycker fröken Noblesse, så vi slipper gärna onödiga kommentarer om vilken hemsk matte jag är som klär på henne kläder.

The following is an editorial …
… and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of management.

Picture by: a totally awesome person Caption by: DanRobinson via Loldog Builder

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Antonio was a 17-year-old grey and white epileptic Italian Greyhound.  He walked into my office with the right half of his face so swollen, he looked like he tried to swallow a sausage and it got stuck lengthwise in his mouth!  His big brown eyes looked miserable.

“I know what it is,” announced his mom, “I know I should have had his teeth looked at years ago, but I was afraid because he’s so old and he’s on 2 kinds of medicine for epilepsy.”

Indeed, Antonio needed emergency dental surgery.  The infection from at least one tooth root abscess had caused the side of his face just below his left eye to swell painfully.  He could barely eat; he did not want to drink any water.  In fact, Antonio had started to generate a fever.  He was on his way to becoming septic and possibly dying from the tooth abscess!

As his doctor, I know that with proper pre-anesthesia laboratory testing, monitoring heart rate, blood pressure, carbon dioxide, electrocardiogram, temperature, pulses, and Antonio’s general status under anesthesia, he was likely to do just fine and make a full recovery.  An elderly patient like Antonio has several increased risks of anesthesia compared to younger, healthier pets.  For one, he was very skinny; he was an Italian Greyhound, after all!  The lack of body fat made him prone the hypothermia, or a low body temperature under anesthesia.  He also took phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide to control epileptic seizures, which he still had about twice a year.  While his liver bile acids showed good hepatic function a few months before at a routine check-up, a healthy liver is essential to a good anesthetic outcome.  These issues can be dealt with by proper pre-anesthesia checking and proper monitoring.

The other, by far the hugest, anesthetic risk, was the deep periodontal dental disease itself!  By waiting 3 years since his last dental cleaning under anesthesia, his mom had allowed harmful bacteria to establish huge colonies in his gums and around his tooth roots.  This chronic disease process causes untold pain, immunosuppression, and subtle, often immeasurable damage to the  whole body.

Antonio’s pre-anesthesia work-up looked perfect.  Anesthetics were chosen in combination with each other to minimize pain, smooth his anesthetic experience, and be as gentle as possible on his liver and kidneys.  Antonio’s vital signs were perfect throughout his dental surgery…which turned out to be 3 hours!

First, the technician obtained a full-mouth set of digital dental radiographs (X-rays), then cleaned the teeth with an ultrasonic scaler and subgingival hand tools.  Then I examined the radiographs and Antonio’s oral cavity.  He had 17 teeth that were loose and infected!  17!!!  I called his mom to let her know the work that needed to be done.  Luckily, I have developed my dental medical practice over the years to the point where I can take care of nearly anything without waking the pet up and having them go to the dental specialist.  Antonio needed exodontia (full teeth extractions) for the 17 teeth, treatment of the alveolar sockets left behind, and careful gingival surgery to prevent “dry socket” and to help Antonio heal quickly.

“Antonio’s mom?  Well, the good news is, I can fix him.  The bad news is, Antonio needs to loose 17 teeth.”

“How will he eat?” (Everybody’s first question.)

“Fine.  Much better than he’s eating now, that’s for sure!”

“How many teeth will he have left?”  (Everybody’s second question, sort of irrelevant to Antonio, but humans like these sorts of numbers.)

“8.”

“Oh my G*d!”  (At this point, most people forget to ask how much it will cost, and if I would chicken out and not bring it up, they would have mini-parental heart attacks when they collect their pet to go home.  Just imagine, three hours of advanced surgery!)

“It is ____ dollars worth of work.”

“Well, if we have to, we have to; he needs it.” (The third thing everybody says.)

Antonio did well.  He woke up just great.  His eyes looked bright and happy right away.  He went home a few hours later.

Three days later he came for his post-op recheck.  His face looked perfect!  His mom reported, “He’s eating more than he has in years!”

A healthy mouth makes for a happy pet at any age!

Hurray for Skippy!  On Sunday, September 20th, at the Chico Canine Carnival, Debbie Eaglebarger a CGC Evaluator from Second Chance Animal Rescue from Corning, tested and evaluated Skippy for his AKC Canine Good Citizenship Test. Skippy passed all 10 test items and is now officially a Canine Good Citizen!

I am so very proud of Skip… who knows what will be next that he will accomplish! He has certainly grown (not physically) in leaps and bounds as he is learning Agility equipment, Obedience commands, Rally Obedience and a little bit of Lure Coursing. We shall see where this Rescue Dog of mine will go!

Today Dave called me to tell me Ike had run away. Our apartment people had been installing and painting new doors. They’ve been doing it since last week and Ike’s been cool with it. Just chills in the apartment while they work.

Today not so much apparently. The maintenance guy called Dave to say that Ike had run out the back door and they couldn’t catch him.

I picked up Dave and we headed home. I dropped Dave off and drove the route Ike and I normally walked. I was thinking that I was sure he’d end up hack home. He’s a smart dog and he hates the rain. But I started to regret that we’d never put a personalized tag on him. He’s microchipped but what if no one checked? And he’s apparently a purebred Iggy, so you could buy TONS of crack from selling him. If I had to drive to Austin this weekend not knowing what happened to him, I’d cry the whole way.

I get a phone call from Dave. Ike was under our covers. He did run away but apparently changed his mind while the maintenance guys were combing the neighborhood and he came back and got under the covers where it was warm and dry.

Just like always.

I’m forseeing a problem this winter. Banafsh, my IG puppy, seems to have forgotten what a gray day is. As such he’s become really clingy when the sun isn’t out.

I live in Portland. We get a lot of gray rainy days.

ergh.

I’m firing a kiln this afternoon. We just got the kiln repaired, so its a bit of a gamble to see if the repair worked. However, as I want to join in on the Mudteam’s “For the Sake of Sake” challenge, I need to fire. Here’s crossing my fingers.

I’m planning on taking a trip to the beach for more photo’s of my work, and then to the mountains to get shots of my new line up. By mountains I mean volcano, namely Mt. St. Helen’s.

The cover dog for the September/October Bark magazine is an Irish Wolfhound, which I was surprised to learn is a relative of the whippet! 

I’m awful at recognizing dog breeds, as I admitted in the article, “What Kind of Dog is That?” but figure I should at least attempt to learn our whippets’ sighthound relatives. My study sheet:

Greyhound, Whippet and IG (photo from Bring Fido)

First up, for us the no-brainers:

• Whippet!
• Greyhound (looks like a larger whippet)
• Italian Greyhound (looks like a smaller whippet)

Then, there are what I think of as the “Greyhounds with Hair:” 

• 

  Saluki, like a greyhound with fringe

  Afghan (We had one of these when I was growing up. Oh my, what a handful! I can still picture my mom trying to drive with the Afghan sitting on her lap.)

• Borzoi
• Saluki  Not as fast as a greyhound, but has more endurance (and a lot more ear hair)

Introducing Olive! A Scottish Deerhound puppy owned by C.Square

At the top of the food chain, as their names suggest, are the sighthounds with genuine, top of the line, built-in fur coats, such that Bob refers to one living across the street from us as “Chewbacca:“

• Irish Wolfhound
• Scottish Deerhound 

There are also foreign greyhounds, ostensibly their own breeds, but not recognized by the American Kennel Club:

• Polish Greyhound (Chart Polski) – I had never heard of this until looking at Wikipedia today
• 

  Mari, the Galgo of Chilly Dogs (photo by Suzanne Bird of Urban Dog Photog)

  Spanish Greyhound (Galgo) – I know this one because the owner of Chilly Dogs coat company in Canada has a Galgo! 

Wikipedia lists four sighthounds I’ve never heard of, probably because nobody can pronounce them: Azawakh, Hortaya, Magyar Agar, Slughi. Two hounds I have heard of they don’t list as sighthounds but are in the AKC, so we’ll take them into the family tree:

• 

  Pharaoh Hound: If I saw this, I'd probably think "Doberman." I really do need to spend some time in the dog house!

   Ibizan Hound

   

   

• Pharaoh Hound

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Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic dogs, which are all of the subspecies Canis lupus familiaris, having characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans, bred from a known foundation stock.

The term dog breed may also be used to refer to natural breeds or landraces, which arose through time in response to a particular environment which included humans, with little or no selective breeding by humans. Such breeds are undocumented, and are identified by their appearance and often by a style of working. Ancient dog breeds are some of the modern (documented) descendants of such natural breeds.

Dog breeds are not scientifically defined biological classifications, but rather are groupings defined by clubs of hobbyists called breed clubs.

A dog breed is represented by a sufficient number of individuals to stably transfer its specific characteristics over generations. Dogs of same breed have similar characteristics of appearance and behavior, primarily because they come from a select set of ancestors who had the same characteristics. Dogs of a specific breed breed true, producing young closely similar to the parents. An individual dog is identified as a member of a breed through proof of ancestry, using genetic analysis or written records of ancestry. Without such proof , identification of a specific breed is not reliable. Such records, called stud books, may be maintained by individuals, clubs, or other organizations.

Classification

In biology, subspecies, race and breed are equivalent terms. Breed is usually applied to domestic animals; species and subspecies, to wild animals and to plants; and race, to humans. Colloquial use of the term Dog breed, however, does not conform to scientific standards of taxonomic classification. Breeds do not meet the criteria for subspecies since they are all considered a subspecies of the gray wolf, an interbreeding group of individuals who pass on characteristic traits and would likely merge back into a single homogeneous group if external barriers were removed. The recognition of distinct dog breeds is not maintained by a scientific organization; they are maintained by a number of independent kennel clubs that need not apply to scientific standards and are often inconsistent. For instance, the Belgian Shepherd Dog is separated into four distinct breeds by some clubs, but not in others. Further, some groups of dogs which clearly share a persistent set of characteristics and documented descent from a known foundation stock may still not be recognized by some clubs as breeds. For instance, the feist is a hunting dog raised in the Southern United States for hunting small game. Feists have a consistent set of characteristics that reliably differentiate them from other dog type and breeds. However, the United Kennel Club recognizes one breed of feist, the Treeing Feist, but the American Kennel Club, does not recognize any feist breed.

A dog is said to be purebred if its parents were purebred and it meets the standards of the breed. Purebred dog breeders of today “have inherited a breeding paradigm that is, at the very least, a bit anachronistic in light of modern genetic knowledge, and that first arose out of a pretty blatant misinterpretation of Darwin and an enthusiasm for social theories that have long been discredited as scientifically insupportable and morally questionable.” Morally questionable policies regarding purity of breed include obligatory surgical procedures to spay or neuter animals in numerous contexts. The American Kennel Club, for instance, allows mixed-breed dogs to be shown but requires these animals to be altered. It does not make such requirements for purebred dogs. California Assembly Act AB 1634 was a bill introduced in 2007 that would require all non-working dogs of mixed breed over the age of 6 months to be neutered or spayed. The bill was morally controversial, leading the American Kennel Club to fight the bill.

The clear genetic distinction between breeds of dog has made dogs of specific breeds good subjects for genetic and human medical research. “Using the dog as a discovery tool” in studying how cancer affects specific breeds may lead to identifying “susceptibility genes that have proved intractable in human families and populations.”

History of Dog Breeds

Pariah dogs originally established themselves near human populations^[10], developing and maintaining themselves without further selection. They do not carry any specialized working dog functions. Working, hunting and other functional breeds most likely appeared when there was a demand for certain traits and humans were able to devote time and resources to perfect those traits.

Initial dog selections centered on helpful behavior such as barking at unfamiliar creatures and people, guarding livestock, or hunting game. Some dog breeds, such as Saluki or New Guinea Singing Dogs , have been bred for thousands of years. Some working dog breeds such as German Shepherd or Labrador Retriever were established in the last few hundred years. More recently, dogs have been selected for attractiveness and distinctive features, resulting in a vast variety of different breeds. Similar dog breeds are classified by dog registries in Dog Breed Groups.

Groups of individuals that have dogs of the same breed often unite into national breed clubs, describing their dogs in specific language by writing a breed standard. Breed standards prescribe the most desirable specimen attributes and working abilities for purebred dogs of that breed as well as undesirable traits. National breed clubs promote their breeds via the local breed registry and international organizations. Dogs recognized by the main breed registries are said to be “purebred”.

Development of dog breeds

For the history and development of the dog, see Origin of the domestic dog, Ancient dog breeds, and Dog type.

There is much speculation but little evidence about why canids came to live with or near humans, possibly as long as 100,000 years ago. With the beginnings of agriculture around 12,000 years ago, humans began making use of dogs in various ways, resulting in physical differences between dogs and their wolf ancestors. In earlier times, little was written about dogs, although there were known dog types or landrace dogs, which developed over time with minimal human intervention, to fit in with the environment (including human culture) in which the dogs lived or live. Dog breeds in the modern sense date only to the accurate documenting of pedigrees with the establishment of the English Kennel Club in 1873, in imitation of other stud book registries for cattle and horses.

Many dog breeds today have names of original landrace types, such as the Border Collie. Other landrace types, such as retrievers, have been made more uniform in appearance through selective breeding, and developed into a variety of distinctive breeds. Varieties of purebred dogs kept for working purposes can vary in appearance from purebred dogs of the same breed kept as showdogs and pets.

New dog breeds are being continually created. They are either accidentally or purposely crossbred from existing breeds, developed for a specific style of work, or created just for marketing purposes. Recently discovered semi-feral and landrace types such as the New Guinea Singing Dog have been documented and registered as breeds for purposes of preservation. The Canadian department of agriculture has strict standards for the documenting of what it calls “emerging breeds”. Many registries which require minimal documentation are available for registering new and existing breeds of dog. In general, a dog can only be guaranteed to be of a specific breed if it is documented in the stud book of a major dog registry or breed registry.

Genetics

Dog breeds can now be analyzed through genetics. Genetic markers (microsatellite markers and single-nucleotide polymorphisms) have been analyzed and a representative sample of 85 breeds were placed into four clusters, each cluster having shared ancestors. Cluster 1 is thought to be the oldest, including African and Asian dogs. Cluster 2 is mastiff type dogs; cluster 3 is herding dogs, and cluster 4 modern hunting type dogs (mostly developed in Europe in the 1800s.)

• Note: Relationships uncovered through genetics may not match “official” breed histories. The following breed lists are based on genetic research, not traditional beliefs about dog breeds.

• Cluster 1 (Thought to be older lineages): Afghan Hound, Akita Inu, Alaskan Malamute, Basenji, Chow Chow, Irish Wolfhound, Lhasa Apso, Pekingese, Saluki, Samoyed, Shar Pei, Shiba Inu, Shih Tzu, Siberian Husky, Tibetan Terrier.

• Cluster 2 (Mastiff-type): Bernese Mountain Dog, Boxer, Bulldog, Bullmastiff, French Bulldog, German Shepherd Dog, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Labrador Retriever, Mastiff, Miniature Bull Terrier, Newfoundland, Pomeranian, Presa Canario, Rottweiler.

• Cluster 3 (Herding): Belgian Sheepdog, Belgian Tervuren, Borzoi, Collie, Greyhound, Pug, St. Bernard, Shetland Sheepdog.

• Cluster 4 (Modern/hunting dogs): Airedale Terrier, American Cocker Spaniel, American Hairless Terrier, American Water Spaniel, Australian Shepherd, Australian Terrier, Basset Hound, Beagle, Bedlington Terrier, Bichon Frise, Bloodhound, Border Collie, Cairn Terrier, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Chihuahua, Clumber Spaniel, Dachshund, Doberman Pinscher, English Cocker Spaniel, Flat Coated Retriever, German Shorthaired Pointer, Giant Schnauzer, Golden Retriever, Great Dane, Ibizan Hound, Irish Setter, Irish Terrier, Italian Greyhound, Keeshond, Kerry Blue Terrier, Komondor, Kuvasz, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Norwegian Elkhound, Old English Sheepdog, Pharaoh Hound, Pointer, Portuguese Water Dog, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Schipperke, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Standard Poodle, Standard Schnauzer, Welsh Springer Spaniel, West Highland White Terrier, Whippet.

Dog Breed documentation

Stud Books

Dog breeds are documented in lists of antecedents called a stud book.

Dog breeds that have been documented may be accepted into one or more of the major registries (kennel clubs) of dog breeds, including the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (covering 84 countries), The Kennel Club (UK), the Canadian Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club, the Australian National Kennel Council and the New Zealand Kennel Club, and other national registries. The registry places the breed into the appropriate category, called a Group. Some Groups may be further subdivided by some registries. When the breed is fully accepted, the stud book is closed and only dogs bred from dogs in the stud book will be accepted for registration. These dogs are referred to as purebred.

Dog breed clubs, especially of dogs bred for a particular kind of work, may maintain an open stud book and so may not be included in major registries. The dogs are still considered a breed. An example of this would be the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America.

Some dog breeds fit the definition of breed, especially breeds that develop naturally on islands or in isolated areas, but are few in number or have not been sufficiently documented to be registered with one of the major registries. An example of this would be the Kintamani Dog and other rare or independent breeds.

Breeds of dogs can be deliberately created in a relatively short period of time. When they breed true and have been sufficiently documented, they can be accepted by major registries. An example of this is the Cesky Terrier.

Breed Standards

Each dog breed has a written Breed Standard, a list of attributes that standardises the appearance of the breed, written by the breed’s founder or breed club. Dog are judged in Conformation Dog Shows on the basis of how closely the individual dog conforms to the breed standard. As the breed standard only covers external aspects of the dog’s appearance, breeding working dogs for show competition may cause appearance to be emphasised to the detriment of working ability.

Groups of dogs mistaken for breeds

Groups of dogs that may be mistaken for breeds include working dogs that are categorized by working style rather than appearance, although they may be of various ancestry and may not breed true. The difference between a named group of working dogs and a breed of dogs can be unclear. Examples would be the huntaway and other livestock dogs of New Zealand, the feist dogs of the southern United States, and the Patagonian sheepdogs of Argentina, which are collies mixed with other working dogs.

Landrace dogs are another grouping that often have been named but are not considered breeds. “Landrace” is a term used for early types domesticated animals, including dogs, where isolated populations of dogs are selected according to human goals; developing over time rather than through modern breeding techniques. An example of a landrace dog would be the dog described as ‘Basset’ as early as 1585. The landrace Basset was developed into the modern breeds of Dachshund and Basset Hound, as well as modern day terrier breeds.

Another group of dogs that may be mistaken for breeds are first-generation crossbreds, bred for hybrid vigor (heterosis) from two purebred dogs. An example of this would be the Labradoodle.

Mixed breed dogs may be offered a form of registration to allow them to participate in organized dog events. Often given the name All-American or AMBOR dog, the name does not signify that dogs so registered are a breed. Dogs must be spayed or neutered to be registered.

Individual dogs or small groups of dogs may use an existing breed name or be given an invented breed name and listed with little or no documentation for a fee with “registry” companies with minimal verification requirements. The dogs are then bred and marketed as a “registered” breed, sometimes as a “rare” or new breed of dogs.

(source wikipedia.org)

So when we decided to get this dog, we had a lot of things in mind, most importantly we didn’t want a dog sleeping in the bed with us. He wasn’t allowed to get on the furniture, even. If he wanted to snuggle with us, we could get on the floor (at our own discretion) and otherwise he could stay in his crate where his bed was during the day. And whining will get you nowhere, mister!  Because this is OUR HOUSE and we’re in charge, not you!

So Ike has been sleeping in the bed with us for about a month. I was fed. up. with his whining every morning. He wasn’t hungry, he didn’t have to go to the bathroom, he just likes to snuggle. And then I read about Italian Greyhounds online and they’re just snuggle dogs. There’s no way around it. For us to get upset about it would be like us getting upset that we got a brown dog when we wanted black.

So we tried it. Ike’s a burrower and he just goes down to our feet and curls up in a ball and that’s it. Doesn’t need to be between us, on us, anything. Doesn’t mind being moved aside. Doesn’t bat an eyelash when we, er, have Jen & Dave time. Just likes to be in the same bed. And I had to come to terms with the fact that I’m not as upset about him sleeping with us as I was about the idea of being a person WHOSE DOG SLEPT WITH HER, OF ALL THE THINGS.

So yeah. He’s a good trainer but I’m sure he’s not done with us yet.

UPDATE: So I neglected to mention how much more sleep we’re getting and how much Ike sleeping with us has affected our quality of life. YES. EXPONENTIALLY. I’m not as tired and don’t blame my bad day on Ike. He doesn’t get up at night as much anymore. So yeah. Stupid dog.

8.8.2009 Hyvinkää, SRM 09 &  SVKLRM 09
Temperature: 28 degrees, sunny

And what a Championship race it was!! Tough one I might say. There were 13 italian greyhounds racing, 6 in the normal sized race racing for Finnish Racing Championship title and 7 for over sized racing for the new title being the Finnish Sighthound Associations Championship title. That was great, never seen so many italian greyhounds on a track on a same day. However, the number 13 did not bring any luck to us, and excitement was on the air until the end of the day.

Round 1

The over sized were running their first time heats as starts number 1 and 2. Great first runs for all and good times as well. Veeti winning the first run, Toukka winning the second one.

1. Pikkuneidin Tarzan 27,14
2. Apple Garden’s  Scrooge MC Duck 28.26
3. Apple Garden’s Magica De Spell 28.77
4. Eledi Grace Gabriel 28,83
5. Soltar’s Aida 29,01
6. Ylladian Our Son 29,25
7. Abolla Lady von Lampola 32,45 / 30, 37

The normal sized were running their first lap at start number 25. All 6 dogs were running in the same heat. Coco got the 2nd box, Sima got the 6th box at the start. Kulta was in the 1st box. The start was tight, I think Coco and Helmi were the ones taking the peek positions. Helmi finished up 1st, Coco finished 2nd and  Sima was 6th, having a  good run with Kulta all the way. Kulta finished up as 5th.

1. Soltar’s Fler De Lis 29,29
2. Mirondan Casilda 30,92
3. Bell Canto 31,45
4. Tarumetsän Sydänyön Ritari  31,79
5. Elegantin Katinkulta 32,59
6. Mirondan Carissima 33,58

2nd run

The oversized ran first, 6 dogs in the same heat, Iida dropping out after 1st run + one extra time run which did not help her to improve the time. That was a surprise for me, I was excepting to see Iida in the finals since she has been doing so well in the past. Tarzan took the peek position in the 3nd run as well, leading all the way, Karppa finished up second.

1.st Pikkuneidin Tarzan 26,95 RE/ TR
2. Eledi Grace Gabriel
3. Ylladian Our Son
4. Apple Garden’s Scrooge Mc Duck
5. Apple Garden’s Magica De Spell
6.  Soltar’s Aida

Normal sized had some misfortune on the final run. In the last corner one dog was teasing an other and the end on the run was a joke, all dogs coming to the finish line at the same time, except Helmi who got out of the way and finished up first. Judges decided that there will be a rerun for the positions 2-6.

3rd run

Coco, Nälkä, Kulta were the ones taking part to the last run. I did not put Sima back on the track, since she had already ran twice, and would have positioned last anyway. Some training is needed still that she could manage 3 runs on a day better.  Helmi did not have to do the rerun, and Vallu was left out because of the disc. Coco got the 1st box if I remember right, and got an excellent start. She was leading her 3rd run all the way and finished first improving her time from the 1st run. I was amazed how well she did on the 3rd run, thinking about how hot it was and the pause between the 2nd and 3rd run was only about 40 minutes long. Her time improved on the 3rd run being 30.79 in the end.

Good day for us I might say, Coco giving in the best time of the season, finishing up as 2nd 2 (3?) times on the row. I also have to be happy about the starts going so well with 6 dogs on the track. Sima was running smoothly the first run, however she still needs more training if I look at her time on the first run. Must be fake pregnancy doing tricks on her.

1. Soltar’s Fler De Lis 28,95
2. Mirondan Casilda 30,79
3. Tarumetsän Sydänyön Ritari
4. Elegantin Katinkulta

Congratulations for everyone and for every dog on the track yesterday, good times! Our congratulations to the winners Helmi and Veeti too!

Check out the video made by Qvickstep:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJj5DGWKtPQ

Images:

Giada was given a second chance recently, as she was supposed to be euthanized after breaking her poor little leg. She is going to have to go through leg repair and rehab before she can be released to a home, which they estimate will take about 12 weeks. She’s a happy, playful girl and deserves a good home after having some tough luck. Giada is with the Italian Greyhound Club of America Rescue. To find out more about Giada, visit Petfinder.

It is safe to say that when returning home from my visit and speech to Porterhouse University, that I had hoped for some time to catch up. Maybe a little R & R. Kick up my paws and finish some odds and ends around the house. But sometimes, events happen unexpectedly and catch you flat pawed. This morning happened to be one of them.

“This is the White House calling for Louie,” a strange and unidentifiable female voice said on the other end. “I have First Dog Bo here to speak with Louie. Is he available?”

“Omigosh, why yes, let me get him for you,” Deja said excitedly. Because I was elected dog catcher, she asked to be the office manager and transferred the call to my adjourning office. “Louie, it’s First Dog Bo on line one.”

“This is Louie,” I said, answering the phone while easing into my chair. Why in the world would the dog of the President of the United States be calling me? “How may I help you?”

“Louie, this is Bo. How is everything in Arizona?” he said in his Portuguese Water Dog accent. “Something has come up and I need you to fill a role for us. There is an opening to be the canine ambassador to Italy and I am pleased to offer you the position. We need an Italian Greyhound, so are you interested?”

Wow, what an honor! I was beaming with ethnic pride, but then a thought occurred to me. What does a canine ambassador do and why would I be given the opportunity? I asked Bo for his reasons.

“You were selected because of your Italian heritage and because you can express the goodwill nature that this administration wants to promote Italy,” he explained, adding that a canine ambassador would  provide diplomatic communications and relations among the four-pawed population of each country. “I know you’ll do a fine job. Can the President and I count on your support?”

I quickly accepted and explained that I would be bringing an entourage, including Deja, Abby, Gregio, and the rest of the girls. Bo said I would be receiving briefing papers via a courier and that I should be ready to leave soon. We said our goodbyes and I looked through the doorway at Deja. She and the others would become emissaries.

Here we go again! Our adventures are about to go global!

I went to the race meets this weekend and had a great time.  SORCA (Southern Oregon Racing and Coursing Association) is a small club trying to get established and everyone is so nice.  I took pictures both days and enjoyed visiting with people I haven’t seen in awhile.  It was a little sad that Paisley couldn’t participate – she loves to run - but it isn’t safe for her to race after her accident. 

I love seeing the hounds run!

As you can see they certainly enjoy it.  These beautiful dogs are Salukis and came all the way from Redding, CA.

The dogs ranged in size from these little Italian Greyhounds…

all the way up to these guys. 

They thundered down the field.  It was very impressive watching them – they are Scottish Deerhounds.

This little girl is a Rhodesian Ridgeback and it was her first time running in competition.  She was a little confused and was looking for her mommy. 

She had it figured out by the second day.

This group of Whippets was a lot of fun to watch – they were very evenly matched and really pushed themselves.

The Silken Windhounds were my favorite to watch.  They are about the size of a whippet and were created using the whippet, borzoi, and sheltie!  Quite the combination. 

You can really see the sheltie influence in this little girl’s face.

The weather was beautiful and fun was had by all – not a bad weekend!

You can visit my photo website to see all of the pictures from the weekend.

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