HELLO EVERYONE!!! Thanks for stopping by our new blog-spot!! Since this is our first message out, we thought it would be proper to touch on what we think is one of the most important subjects for all dog owners: Full-filling the needs of your dogs’ breed.

Follow up:

We all want what’s best for our furry friends, and we all do the best we can to care for them,(hence you’ve acquired the help of Walk a Pup However a lot of us, even though we have the best intentions, forget that our cute and cuddly companions were bred for a distinct purpose and with reason. And for some, not meeting the instinctual needs of your dogs’ DNA, can be the underlying cause for misbehavior. So here’s a quick run down on the different breed groups, and some fun and easy ways to satisfy your dogs instincts.

SPORTING GROUP: This dog is bred to help the human on the hunt, but mainly for retrieving or finding, not for the actual kill. Retrievers, Pointers, Setters, Spaniels, Weimaraners all fit into the Sporting group. These are long winded dogs with high endurance that require a much exercise and mental stimulation. They are great dogs to rollerblade or bike with, because they can go for a long time and do not tire easily. The Sporting Group are generally excellent fetch and frisbee dogs as well. For mental stimulation they will love to play “find it” games as well; either hiding toys to retrieve or playing hide and seek with the family. Those type of games help stimulate the mind by making them use scent, sound, and sight to solve the problem. If you encourage these dogs to think and always control the game, you will enjoy a thoroughly happy animal.

THE HOUND GROUP: Another group that is bred to help humans on the hunt, but also for the actual catch. Scent hounds are the most scent driven dogs in all the breeds: Bassits, Bloods, Beagles, Coon, and Dachshunds make up some of the popular scent hounds. But this group also contains the Sight Hounds as well that have the most advanced vision in the canine world. These would include Basenjis, greyhounds, Salukis. Because of these strong instincts to follow scent, or run down prey, these dogs run away a lot. It is highly recommended to keep these hounds within a secured area if you are unsure they are trained enough on recall.
Help prevent the runaway Beagle by marking spots along your route with something smelly from your house, (a cut up dog toy or pieces of an old shirt that smells like someone in the family) reward your dog for finding them along the way. Soon this becomes his job, to track down the scent trail left for him by pack leader that leads him back home.
For the carpet and garden diggers, get the poor dog a sand box and bury his favorite toy in dirt. Digging is completely natural to these dogs and if they have a positive outlet for it, then they won’t be fixated on destroying yet another couch,(AKA negative outlet), or putting random wholes in your backyard!
Sight hounds will want to chase squirrels, cats, rabbits, rats, chipmunks, mice, and pretty much any other thing that moves quick is furry and low to the ground. Get a remote controlled car, tie a furry, fuzzy, squirrel looking thing to the top of it and get ready to laugh. Again, he doesn’t really mean to pull you over when he sees the neighbors cat try and lay in the driveway, his instincts to chase take over when there is not enough of a positively controlled outlet for them.

THE WORKING GROUP: In general, these dogs were bred to lend a helping paw to their human companions. Working dogs are meant to guard, rescue, pull, herd and hunt large game. Of course the German Shepherds, Rotties, Mastiffs, Grt. Danes, Dobermans, Boxers all fall in this group. Working dogs are strong, loyal, intelligent, and usually not for the first time dog owner. You can burn off some of that ‘I will charge my way through a large crowd of pedestrian’ energy with some rollerblades, a bike ride, or even some good old sled pulling if the space is available. Working dogs can also highly benefit from the use of a back pack worn on regular walks. The extra weight creates the sensation of pulling without the actual drag, but mainly it will create the essential sense of “work” and purpose, while providing exercise that is fun.
Working dogs love to play tug, search and rescue activities like “find it” and hide and seekgames, pulling games, and will usually excel in obedience training. With all breeds, but especially the big ones like you find in this group, it is highly beneficial to teach them how to bite and release on command. The more positive, proper opportunities your guard dog has to use it’s biting instincts, the less likely it will come out at the wrong time.

THE TERRIERS: Sometimes big, sometimes tiny, always fast and full of pep, the terriers were bred for their determination almost as much as their actual jobs like hunting small game like rats, mice, fox, and rabbit. We’ve got the Fox Terriers, Jack Russels, Westies, Yorkies, Scotties, Norfolk, and of course the widely known, some for good and some for bad, Pit Bull Terriers. Some terriers were bred to be companion dogs with little or no purpose for the hunt, and others still, as crude as it sounds in the times we live in, were bred for fighting in a ring as entertainment. These dogs thrive on direction and a whole lot of leg room to run. Being as loyal and intelligent as they are, they need a job in every day activities almost as much as the working breeds. Hiding toys in a sand box for the little carpet diggers, a long bike ride or rollerblading for expelling energy, lot’s of obedience training for mental stability of course, and the most insane game of tug you’ve ever played might all come up when you own a terrier.

TOY DOGS OR COMPANION BREEDS: These are the adorable little cuddly munchkins that entice you to throw away your afternoon and just lay in the sun with a cute creature on your lap. You know the ones. These are the Pugs, Maltese, Pomeranians, and of course everyones favorite the Chihuahuas. For the most part, all of the hunt has long been bred out of these little ones, but they still have the same instincts as the ancestors used to create them. Because they are so cute and cuddly they tend to get away with a lot of things that big dogs would not. So even though these mini breeds look so innocent, they still need boundaries and defined leadership to have a well balanced stress free dog life. Over coddling these little ones is usually the leading cause of any behavior issues. It can lead to possessiveness, insecurity, and separation anxiety. It’s always important to keep control of feeding times, (with every breed), to prevent obesity and also maintain a leadership role. Whoever is in charge of food is IN CHARGE. And for anyone who owns a little Mini-Pin or a Boston Terrier, I’m sure you can attest to the benefit of a good long routine walk. These dogs may be little, but the energy level is not small, and though they may love to lay on the couch, a regular romp around the outdoors is still much needed.

THE HERDING GROUP: These pups are some of the hardest working dogs you can get. Bred for, you guessed it, herding livestock, they are a high endurance, eager to please, wonderfully loving family dog that can be one of the most loyal companions you can find. The Australian Shepherds have recently claimed themselves to be the best in agility competitions. Border Collies are still to this day, one of the most popular breeds on the ranches of the world, still working diligently at the task they were bred for. Herders need to feel included in the family and thrive with work to do.
Regular long walks are a must. Training comes easy to most herders, but has to be consistent and firm. ‘Follow through’ in training is so important with these dogs because they are so intelligent, they will test the boundaries of what is allowed. Try out agility training for your Collie, or start practicing with the frisbee. Most herders will love a game of fetch, but they tend to drop the ball by your feet and then run 20 feet away and wait for further instructions. They are also notorious for ankle biting,( ya that’s you, you little Corgy) when they do not have enough of a positive outlet for their natural inclination to herd.

THE NORTHERN BREEDS: There really is nothing like walking beside an Alaskan Malamute and having his head up by your waist looking twice as wide as you with the fluff of their coats, or staring into the ice cold blue eyes of a Siberian Husky. These Northern breeds are strong, strong willed, hard working, have enormous amounts of endurance, and are usually quite independent. Either bred for the large game hunting or herding, but mostly for sled pulling in the snow, these dogs need and love to work. Another great candidate for a back pack or a bike ride, “find it” games, and of course any kind of pulling activity. These pups are physically adapted to the severe climates of their origin, and thus tend to have a harder time in the warmer parts of the year. Their second layer or undercoat, is dense and water resistant, making it much more difficult to cool off. Well known for their independence and nomadic tendencies, these breeds seldom give in to the “come command” and will most likely continue to roam, or pull a “Houdini” move even out of an enclosed area. Human....Keep an eye out!!!