Designer Dogs

KELOLAND TV - This former breeder raised pure-bred boxers for years, until one of her champions passed away last fall. “I loved him, loved a golden-doodle, a labradoodle, which is a cross between a yellow or black lab and a poodle or the very popular pug-beagle

Your Beagle’s Diet And His Brain Function

A 1996 study with dogs investigated a growing misconception among some trainers and veterinarians that low protein diets (16 to 20% protein) can improve the behavior of hyperactive or aggressive dogs. These were dogs that had formerly been fed what was erroneously called a high protein diet (28 to 32% protein) on a dry-matter basis. The results suggested that lowering protein in the diet is not generally useful in treating behavior problems involving territorial aggression, dominance aggression and hyperactivity.

Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, a study was not done that reduced the carbohydrates (the major component of most dog foods) while increasing protein. In a carefully controlled study, protein-starved animals were evaluated for the effects of protein depletion on various organs. Examination of the brain revealed only a 14% average protein loss, compared to gross depletion of 27-65% or more in other organs.

Researchers concluded that, because it directs hunting/food-seeking behavior, the brain may have naturally evolved to be less susceptible to protein starvation. Unfortunately, we must now cite rat studies for further data. Protein-starved experimental animals exhibited no serious learning deficits regarding responses to aversive (shock) stimuli or maze problems involving food rewards.

However, the animals did have lower thresholds for electro-convulsive shock, that is, they convulsed at lower voltages than normal animals. The researchers tentatively concluded that a protein depletion of up to 14% in the mammalian brain does not appreciably affect learning, but slightly reduces excitability thresholds. This study raises interesting questions about the effects of protein, carbohydrate and fat ratios on the general level of excitability in mammals, particularly in problem Beagles, many of which are excitable.

Studies on rats indicate that carbohydrate-rich diets can significantly increase levels of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) is an essential but still poorly understood chemical neurotransmitter found in greatest concentrations in the nuclei of the medulla oblongata, which has a role in determining the general levels of excitability. What is pertinent is that the ratios between carbohydrate, protein and fat intake may produce both immediate and long-term changes in the excitability of Beagles.

It now remains to relate this empirically to certain behavior problems.

Other Naughty Dog Essay Contest Stories

Hartford Courant - Well, someone put our young puppy, Buddy, out there for the night. He was just a pup and the turkey was up rather high. You Her name was Jaeger (”Hunter” in German) and, like another famous beagle, she had a big belly and slept on her doghouse roof. contunues

Bakersfield Californian - They settled on a beagle and found a breeder in Lancaster. They paid $350 for a tri-color female puppy. Grace was born on Dec. 13 and when she was brought into the couple’s Bakersfield home a few weeks later, they say she “turned our world upside down contunues

TriCities.com - Snarky puppy - world fusion jazz ensemble; Aug. 19, 8 p.m., singer/songwriter Steve Leslie in concert with Jim Ferguson and SALTVILLE BEAGLE CLUB: Tuesday nite jam, 6:30 p.m.; donations appreciated. WYTHEVILLE COMMUNITY CENTER: 250 S 4th St., Aug. 19 contunues

Dogs do the darndest things

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Life and Love With the World’s Worst dog,” has been on The New York Times Bestsellers list since January (21 weeks at No. 1 idling to pump, my 2-year-old twin boys were buckled in their car seats in the backseat and old Gunner, our 40-pound beagle

Slice of life: 24 hours of Greater Lansing
Lansing State Journal - For David Porter of north Lansing, it is a perfect time to walk his dog Junior, a beagle/cocker mix, along the asphalt trail. “I enjoy the fresh air,” he said. “And I like to come out and see what they’re doing on the Grand River Avenue bridge.” The

Disease making area dogs ill
Mesabi Daily News - Two dogs have died from the disease recently, said Kalinowski. Most have made it. The dogs affected by the virus have included beagle, Labrador, German short-hair and mixed breeds such as terrier crosses. Any dog can get it, said

The Negative Effects That Influence A Pregnant Beagle

puppy-mills or registered individual breeders who keep pregnant female Beagles in cramped or upsetting environments risk causing her to whelp offspring with significantly reduced brain capacities.

Studies showed that pregnant females deliberately disturbed by sounds and other sudden stimuli, and made “nervous” during pregnancy, whelped Beagle puppies with significantly decreased brain cell densities. The surviving puppies developed into what was described as “extremely nervous.” This is the latest canine research that was have found on the subject of emotional distress during pregnancy and its effects on offspring. A pregnant Beagle should enjoy the opportunity to move about and engage in normal canine and/or human social relationships.

Close confinement, social isolation, or excessive noise or activity can induce stress that may result in puppies with physiologic or behavioral abnormalities. In addition to the freedom to engage in normal social conditions, the female dog also needs the opportunity to retire to a quiet, undisturbed area as whelping approaches. A partially enclosed whelping box about 1 1/2 times as wide as the female dog’s length should be placed in a room always accessible to her. If this is done during the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy, it largely eliminates the risk of the her selecting an inappropriate area, such as a closet, for the whelp.

To increase the appeal of the whelping box, a den-like atmosphere can be provided by overturning a large cardboard carton on the box, with an entry cut large enough to allow her access without having to crouch to enter. This temporary setup is easily removed for cleaning, and discarded after birth of the puppies.

Some breed Physiology and Behaviorists believe that placing the female’s water bowl in the whelping room and feeding her there help curtail the prewhelping “searching” behavior displayed by some female Beagles. Many successful breeders report that the floor of the whelping box is best lined by carpet, such as a remnant obtained from a carpet store. However, it is important to ensure that the carpet and its backing contain no toxic chemicals. The carpet floor of the whelping box is comfortable and gives the puppies early experience with one of the materials the Beagles will encounter in their new homes.

Getting a Second Chance

Cumberland County Sentinel - Although Scherer recalls a beagle that was returned by its owner because “it wasn t a good match,” most of the time Taking a dog back is really a part of the breeder s responsibility,” she says, adding breeders call returned dogs, “getback read

Bangkok Post - A terrier/mongrel mix that is one year and 11 months old and a mixed beagle that’s 11 months old. The former, Jack, is huge Was he staying with his dam and littermates before you got him, or did the breeder separate them before they were six weeks read

Bakersfield Californian - They settled on a beagle and found a breeder in Lancaster. They paid $350 for a tri-color female puppy. Grace was born on Dec. 13 and when she was brought into the couple’s Bakersfield home a few weeks later, they say she “turned our world upside down read

Record Searchlight - We just got a new beagle puppy bitch. She is now 31/2 months old and I’d like to train her with our radio-controlled fencing Lisa Peterson, a longtime owner/breeder/handler of Norwegian elkhounds, is the American Kennel Club director of club read

KELOLAND TV - This former breeder raised pure-bred boxers for years, until one of her champions passed away last fall. “I loved him, loved a golden-doodle, a labradoodle, which is a cross between a yellow or black lab and a poodle or the very popular pug-beagle read