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April 18 What is the True Briard1. What is the true Berger De Brie (Briard)
Click here for a great Definition of the Original Working Standard of the Berger De Brie (Briard).
The briard is the ultimate continental sheep dog as opposed to the island breeds originating from England, where no predators threatened the flock and hedges and fences were used. In France and later all of continental Europe the Briard was the fence, circling the flock independently in a wide open free range, and protecting it against a variety of predators (Wolves, bears, bocats and mountain lions etc.) Nowadays we find too often the Berger de Brie being depicted as a complex, high maintenance breed, requiring a ton of knowledge and an experienced dog owner, willing to invest a ton of time into grooming, training etc. - - -
Nothing could be further from the truth !!! The original old style Briard is, proper upbringing (see articles further down) assumed, a low maintenance, strong, robust, compact, long living and natural animal, able to perform work in a variety of arenas. it is to have a medium length, highly weather resistent, coarse and layered (wavy) coat of either black or tawny color. (See below a perfect example) It give the impression of waves, when the Briard runs.
 A breed with an uncanny sense of hearing, yet upright and visually oriented, which is why we always recommend to use a rubber band to keep his hair from obstructing his view from the earliest stage on.
According to the ancient character standard it is to be smart & highly intelligent, curious, courageous, investigative, perceptive, outgoing, independent, even tempered, exremely social, friendly, gentle, kind and balanced.  Curious, always investigative and visually oriented.
Due to its physical and psychological profile, the Berger de Brie manifests an enormous versatitlity with abilities and talents of several other breeds combined. It comes therefore not as a surprise, that this ancient sheep guard and herder has been used by the French Army as a sentry, messenger (courage)and for search & resuce for wounded soldiers. Nowadays the Briard is successfully used as blind people companion, in Agility, Military, Police, Patrol, Farming, Ranching, Herding and Flock protection and above all, has the reputation of being one of the best family and small children companions. The Berger de Brie is a dog thriving in any climate from hot to cold, does in spite of a long coat not shed hair, hence is easy on your home and people with allergies, and amazingly does not require extensive work outs, but rather wants to be with his family. If you, experinced or not, are wiling to learn about this breed and have a healthy level of self-esteem and confidence yourself, it is a piece of cake.
I am saying that, because the Briard is in many ways like a child you raise. Extremely intelligent and perceptive, this dog of around 90pounds, bred and designed to making many independent decisions, does require the same boundaries and discipline, as children do, who will take advantage of "weakness" of the parents, and push the envelope further and further.
So, if you are able to raise children into well mannered, yet healthy beings, you certainly will not have any problems, raising a Briard Pup into a balanced, well behaved dog. Even the 'conditioning" is the same, as this extremely sensible and intelligent breed does not require yelling or beating, but a simple scolding will suffice. The occasional slap on the bottom does not hurt neither child nor dog. (Ups - I said something politically incorrect...) Since this dog is so similar to a child in so many ways, training is easy. It will learn eagerly and fast. Once a trick is learned, just re-affirm on a regular basis (e.g. before you open a door, he is to sit down and let you through first) If you make such part of the daily routine, you barely realize that you actually train your dog. Of course, it will also very fast learn bad habits.... so, for instance, don't even start giving him food off the table .... once only suffices and he will expect that forever.
As a child, the briard wants to look up to his master, wants to respect him/her.
That respect is based not upon yelling or beating or disciplining, but on your personality, which is why I will mention the one caveat at this point: People who have mental defects, people with phobias, extreme low self-esteem, who have a hard time interacting with others, are either arrogant or extremely shy, people who already have a hard time with their families or professionally, should not have a Briard. They should get a cat or a therapist. The Briard will, once matured, always reflect the precise personality of his master. it is like a copy of your behaviour, character and mental stability. It is based upon this uncanny perception. Like with children, I am sorry to say, defective parents will have defective children.... As cute those teddies are initially, it will become a powerful dog which shall and can not be used as therapy itself (this applies to any large breed). Disfunctional families and masters will have in brutal consequence, disfunctional dogs. We will not risk the occasional exception to the rule, hence carefully interview our future owners.
Having said that, healthy, normal, average people, applying the same considerations to their children as to their puppy, can easily and without deep experience, learn to raise a Briard Pup into a phenomenal companion, later even develop its skills to a variety of arenas, from agility to herding, from ranching to police work, all the while having the most loving and tender family dog, there possibly is.
There is no deep secret to it, or special dowg owner skills are required. Just take your pup everywhere you go, let him experience new things and places and sounds and people, as children learn by experience - that's it. Teach him basic obedience, as you teach your child to eat with fork and knife, and occasionally scold him, when he makes a mistake. That's all there is to it. For more detailed info about raising your pup, see the articles further down.
On top of all that, every new owner can call us 24/7, will get a ton of info, can bring his dog for puppy training and vacations - heck, even correction, if needed. You'll never be abandoned by our Family, should there be any questions or assistance needed. 2. Breeding
Breeding is defined as maintaining and cultivating the standardized qualities of any given breed by carefully selecting individual animals, manifesting exactly those attributes, for procreation, while preventing "abnormal" dogs from inserting their genes into the pool.
In the world of animal breeding, to "breed true" means that specimens of an animal breed will breed true-to-type when mated like-to like; that is, that the progeny of any two individuals in the same breed will show consistent, replicable and predictable characteristics. A puppy from two purebred dogs of the same breed, for example, will exhibit the traits of its parents, and not the traits of all breeds in the subject breed's ancestry. In light of above definition, we are concerned about some recent trends in America as well as in Europe, geared to apply selected and not true breeding approaches, in order to slowly "modify" the Berger De Brie, based upon emphasis on dog shows and entertainment, the hysteria regarding dog attacks (even though these are predominantly happening with fighting dog breeds (Pitt Bulls etc.) and political pragmatism and macchiavellism, leading some associations and standards organizations to jump on fashion - and trend bandwagons.
Click here for an example of what I consider as Old Style European Briard in sheer perfection.
More and more breeders seem to prioritize mainly on dog shows, as they are the premium platform for advertising their dogs. Since pupps are sold for up to $5000, a champion bitch, producing only a few litters with up to a dozen pupps, is serious business. Can you blame any breeder, trying to accomodate the demand, as formulated and opinion made by dog show judges? Since so many one-dimensional Briards (animals which do well in the show ring, but have underdeveloped instincts, character and socialization) are used to breed, an everwidening gap between show dogs and the original breed seems to appear.
Too many show dogs I encountered, are unable to interact well mannered with other animals and people, are shy, fearful, easily spooked, have broken and/or defective personalities, lacking any natural, healthy drive. In addition to that, "Best of Breeds" nowadays seem to have these ridiculously long, soft coats as opposed to the classic, medium -length, coarse and layered coat requiring only a bit of weekly maintenance.
Such dogs wouldn't survive by themselves for more than a week, let alone in a rainy climate. But that was precisely, a Briard in France was bred for. To independently, in a rainy climate, for weeks at a time in free range and nature, not only survive but survive comfortably. These Briards were weather resistent, robust and low maintenance - yet nowadays, they are described as complex, difficult to have and high maintenance.... What is wrong with this picture? Weren't dog shows originally meant to present the very best attributes of the respective breed, so owners and breeders had role models? Read some of the great bios of the champions of old - after the show, they would immediately go back on the field and work... Nowadays a pure breed owner can oftentimes with some breeds no longer recognize his dog's breed anymore, watching on TV these caricatures of his breed being handled across the show ring. Doesn't that strike any passionate dog lover as a travesty? Does anyone really think that a dog with such a long coat, that it steps on his own hair, hence needs to be carried around like a piece of jewelry, is happy? Let's take for instance the wonderful breed of the Golden Retriever.
Due to becoming a fashion dog, over 300,000 retrievers are being licensed in America every single year. Not surprising, to satisfying that level of demand, overextensive (backyard) breeding was the consequence, utterly neglecting health, standards and character. You will nowadays have a hard time to find a Golden, who makes it past his 7th year, due to the resulting degeneration of the breed. The point I am trying to make is, If we do not pay attention now, before the Briard is exposed to a larger audience, the very same form of degeneration can happen to the Briard. The main culprits here are Judges and Breeders, who are called upon to reverse these trends and award dogs manifesting the classic defined traits of each respective breed. The character test, given after a good year of age, is a set of situations/scenarios the dogs are being exposed to, meant to have an objective independent person (judge) observe the dogs behavior during a variety of every day situations - not extreme, excessive stimuli. One wants to see how for instance the dog reacts to an unusual or loud sound, how he interacts with people individually and in masses, how he behaves being crowded like on a busy farmer's market or city street, how the dog behaves with children up to being harassed, as a normal small child may do it, his obedience level and behaviour and other every day type of situations a dog may encounter.
A true briard is to be curious, courageous, will never be spooked, does never panic, yet is never aggressive or even threatening - simply should in any situation of our everyday life show balance, calm, confidence and a gentle, outgoing attitude. Since Briards are so immensly intelligent, it is of course easy for any owner to "condition" the dog to behave in a certain manner during a specific situation.
To give you an example: Any owner could condition his dog to stand still like a statue, while a gun is being discharged. So, if the owner knows in advance, that his dog will be evaluated in a scenario with a gun shot, he can easily train his dog to behave like Buddha, when a gun is fired. Since the dog may have been just trained to handle gun shots with calm, , it may however still react with a full-fledged panic, if a car door is slammed, during fireworks, or when a police car with a siren drives by, to name other examples of startling loud noises. Not knowing, what kind of sound the dog will encounter during the audio stimulation scenario, owners are forced to expose their dogs during his learning phase (as they should) to a variety of strange, loud, startling sounds - noises, the dog could encounter during a normal day out. A Briard, trained this way, will later during his test never panic, no matter what sound the evlauator will utilize to examine the dog's behaviour. Aforementioned in mind, you will certainly appreciate, that the sets of scenarios the dog will have to navigate during his character test, should not be publicised prior to the actual test, otherwise the test defeats its purpose, as it is, as mentioned before, easy to "cheat", by conditioning the dog to just those published, specific situations. Hence, with the current modus operandi, many dogs pass the test, even, if they in reality may not have the desired comprehensive balance and stability acquired (yet).
In the good old times, it was understood, that the dogs came "unprepared" in terms of the specific set of situations. The breeders and owners, whishing to pass the character tests for confirmation and future breeding, were thus forced to invest the time to give the animal the full and comprehensive education, meaning exposing the animal to all possible every day events, from the gun range to fire works, from small children playing to hectic city life and the dog parc.
If a Briard owner has properly socialized his dog, has exposed the dog to many forms of visual and/or audio stimulation, has taken the dog to public places with many people on or off leish, in a nutshell, raised his dog according to the needs of this breed, any Briard should by design pass the character evaluation with flying colors - without any special preparation or training. That's the idea and that's the way to do it, as it was practised in the past. It makes sense and is effective. The test is rightfully meant to exclude the occasional exception to the rule and eliminate any potentially dangerous animal from the breeding line. As I however still have to hear about a dog attack involving a Briard, such exceptions will be extremely rare and all owners/breeders should, if they did raise their dog properly, never be afraid of such an "unprepared" test. Albeit, due to political pressure and hysteria, we hear about tendencies in Europe, to on one hand tighten the criteria, meaning exposing the dogs to unnatural, if not extreme situations, which they would never encounter - on the other hand, these test situations are made public ahead of time, so the owners could condition their dogs to just these exact test criteria.
Can anyone blame us for interpreting this as hippocritical?
First the standards organizations make the tests more and more severe (accomodating the political environment of hysteria), up to exposing the dogs to almost extreme situations, on the other hand they make sure that the owners can condition their dogs to easily pass (of course something the public is not aware of) In conclusion, In America as well as Europe, potentially dangerous efforts are at work, geared towards modifying the Berger De Brie as a breed. No way - Jose !!!
5. How we see things @ Ojai Briards - La Briardiere d'Ojai
For aforementioned reasons, Ojai Briards promotes the original character evaluation, based upon normal, standard, every day life situations, while continuously changing the sets of situations and not publish those in advance. Also the owners should have an opportunity to correct and retake the test one more time after 6 months. That would be, what we call a fair evaluation. Below find the Ojai-Briards Character Eval Form. (Click on the image to open in seperate window)
**** We call on all judges to evaluate those dogs according to their true and original standards, which are proven and appreciated for many centuries - and not fashion trends or "politics" and thus motivate all breeders to safeguard and promote the original Berger de Brie - not to change it into something, the Briard simply was never meant to be. My dogs were carefully selected to promote that very philosophy. My male, Fluff manifests the best qualities of the American Briard, whereas our bitch, Bisoux could have lived 400 years ago. Together, I hope, they will generate litters of exceptional quality. Dogs always kind to and tender with small animals and children.....
Something we achieve by allowing our dogs early interaction with and exposure to children and small animals, so our pupps will later never display anything but kindness and tenderness, when encountering them.
May 27 Dog PhilosophySome of the best, true quotes about dogs:
** The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.
** If there are no dogs in heaven, then, when I die, I want to go where they went. ** There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face ** A dog is the only being on earth that loves you more than himself ** The average dog is a nicer person than the average person ** We give our dogs as much time, space and love we can spare - in return, they give us their all - it is the best deal man has ever made. ** If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise. ** If you bring home a starving dog and feed him, he will not bite you - the principal difference between man and dog. ** Dogs are not our whole life, but they sure make ouor lives whole. ** If you think a Briard can not count - try putting 3 biscuits into your pocket and only give him two of them... My personal motto: It is my goal in life to be as good of a person, as Fluff and Bisoux already think I am. May 15 Shipping a Pup overseasA few notes about shipping a puppy overseas
When we shipped Bisoux from Switzerland to Los Angeles, I really learned a lot myself in the course of the process.
A long overseas trip in a comparably small shipping crate with times in there of up to 23 hours certainly is stressful for a young dog. I may share a few tips and tricks with you, which can definitely make the trip less strenuous.
1. Accustom your pup to its travel crate at least 2 weeks in advance. Put the favorite toy in there and let the baby spend some time inside well ahead of the trip.
2. Putting baby diapers underneath a towel really was Christiane Comby's of "Briards de Pierrailles" idea of the century. Thus my pup did not have to lay in her own wetness for 20 hours.
3. Flying dehydrates anyone, and the pups need a lot of water. The usual containers coming with a crate spill easily, and there is a danger that the pup runs out of water, the most critical thing. Hence, another grea idea was to accustom the pup early on to drink out of a sucking bottle ( like in a birdcage attached upside down on the side). This bottle holds at least one liter of water and can never spill, as the pup must push its tongue against the muzzle.
4. Put the pups favorite toy and a rawhide bone in there to keep the pup as stimulated as humanly possible. Food really does not work, as the kibbles will spill, hence feed the pup well before the trip, as a day of fasting will not be harmful.
5. Select a great shipper. Most airlines provide for the service and I can full-heartedly recommend SWISS Cargo. These guys went all out and beyond the call of duty to have Bisoux have a pleasant trip. They actually had some time until the plane left and let the pup out in their offices to play and run a bit before the trip. Afterwards they inquired with me and even checked out my webcams to see, if she was alright. I call that "taking ownership".
Needless to say, that they sent us all information, tons of e-mails and made sure we were at all times informed. Thanks very much indeed again, Swiss Cargo team. You are my heroes, as I have rarely encountered such an excellent customer service for the standard price of any airline shipper.!!!
6. I truly recommend to ship the pup as late as possible and as early as needed. Having said that, I mean that that the pup must be less than 12 weeks old to enter the US without bureaucracy and wait in quarantine, but should be as strong as possibgle.
Hence we shipped it in its eleventh week. The flight will need to be booked well in advance. (1 month earlier) 7. Rabies Shots. Most European countries are considered as Rabies - free. Hence, US customs do not require the rabies shot, if the pup is less than 12 weeks old. Check any individual limitations and regulations on below mentioned website:
8. Health certificate. The airline will require a health certificate, issued by Your Veterinary. However, you must make sure that the cert is issued in English ( or has English on it). Find language in this form for California:
9. After the pup arrived, I found that it will appreciate the crate as its initial home away from home and hideout. I left the crate cleaned with a fresh towel around for a few days, so the pup had an initial point of reference.
10. Food: no matter what you usually feed your dogs, allow the pup to adapt to a new diet slowly and first feed it the same diet as the breeder did and only after a few days start to flow in your diet.
11. Jet lagg. Even a pup suffers from it. Do not be surprised or alerted, if the pup is a bit lethargic during the first 2 days and sleeps a lot. ( and plays in the middle of the night).
12. Registration of a pure breed dog with the American Kennel Club (AKC). Find the form here:
Any questions or feedback - feel free to contact me.
April 24 Dog Training - The always big Kahuna for OwnersDog Training- books have been written about it -
Dog Training is not Nuclear Physics and does not take much work, if one knows how to do it efficiently and observes only a few basic rules 1. The family is a pack with the dog as the last member on the totempole. Teach your pup from the get go to obey to even your children.
2. Disciplining a Briard is wrong. Correcting is right. Strong hand in a soft glove approach.
3. Training and re-enforcement never stops. Make it part of your daily routine, and you'll forget it's there.
4. Your attitude, character and personality transfers over to the dog.
5. Sozializing and introduction to external stimuli is key (see 10.)
6. In 99% of the cases it is the owner who needs training. If there is a problem, the cause most likely is your fault. Do not be too proud to call your breeder early on for advice.
7. Clicker training and remote shock collars is modern conditioning made easy. We'll be happy to teach you the techniques.
8. The earlier you start the easier it gets. A Briard pup can be trained from the very first day on you have it.
9. If you have children, just apply the same rules to raising and training your pup. Give boundaries, be consistent, firm, consequent and follow through. Do not allow something one day and forbid it the next. No mixed signals. 10. Expose your Briard to anything, any place, any sound there is. Just take your pup anywhere you go and you'll end up with a balanced, well behaved dog. 11. Don't be over protective (while he is a pup). He'll not be eaten on the dog park, but gets important lessons in terms of play, socializing, pecking order and boundaries in interaction with other dogs. Introduce your briard from the earliest stage on to other animals, small or large, and allow him to learn, even if he gets the occasional tackle by a larger dog or a slap by a cat. 12. If you do not have small children yourself, allow him to meet many on children's parks or invite children to your home. They will love you for the possibility to pet this little teddybear, and the pup loves it at least as much. Being handled by children (in their clumsy manner) is great and will avoid any future misunderstandings, when a child comes to visit. A briard which as pup played with children, will forever see them as most precious friends. Do not worry - your pup is indestructible, but step in, when they want to lift it up too often. 1. Dominance.
Outstanding articles can be found with this keyword on the web.
In a nutshell, you must avoid that the dog becomes the head of the pack. What you say is the law. Dogs are like children, the smarter the more they will try to push the envelope. Allowing one kind of bad behaviour or even rewarding such will lead to a bad habit. If you raise your voice all the time, it will become the normal state and you will not be taken seriously. Putting a dog in a closed area for a time out is much more severe than hitting the animal. If he is not allowed on the couch, then you must be consistent and not allow it even once. Find more under dominance issues with canines on the web.
2. Disciplining a dog (better call it Correcting")
Next to dolphins and Chimps these dogs are probably the most intelligent animals. A strong voice and/or grip on the snout up to putting the animal on his back is much more effective than any beating. Especially Briards should only as rare exception be physically disciplined.
They are too intelligent and sensitive, hence could be traumatized by a beating. I myself purchased a Horse whip early on ( provides for a nice sting but no severe injury or such) and stung him a couple of times, when he was small and really, really misbehaved and I was able to immediately see and address the issue. Since then, all I do is to point at the whip with a strong voice and he knows immediately that he's gone too far. The problem with hitting the dog is, that they can not associate more than 2 steps backwards in time. In other words, by the time he comes to you for punishment, and you hit him, he will not understand, what he is punished for. He hence gets a mixed signal he will not be able to decode.
if indeed you see him doing something (puping on the carpet for instance) and you can grab ( always the same tool e.g. a rolled newspaper or better a colored item which he from then on can associate later with "correcting") and immediately can show him, that it is not okay to pup on the carpet, then that is fine. But never let your emotions get the better of you and it turns out to an outright beating. One or two stings on the bottom is just okay, but never on the head. As dogs love you and want to please ( for food or love) th shock is more than sufficient to teach him a lesson.
Later, all you need to do is raise your voice. Since dogs have enormous hearing, you never need to yell, when issuing a comnmand and only ned to raise your voice a bit when correcting bad behaviour.
Never never use your dog as an outlet for your bad day or frustrations. Rather take him for a walk and you find yourself through your activity releasing tension.
As with children - try not to fight in front of a dog. It ripps them apart, as they can sense the tension between you and your spouse, and, loving both of you will not understand. Like with your children.
3. Training and re-affirmation
Most people think it is a time consuming effort. It is not. Yes, for every obedience command, it takes 20 minutes to via clicker conditioning the dog once to recognice the command and act accordingly. From there on (start immediately, when you get the pup) it is only about consistently re-enforcing.
Find a ton of great articles on the web on Clicker Training.
Once the dog understands a certain command, all you need to do is to use existing chores to re-enforce the training. E. G. You need to take the trash out or get the mail. Use that little walk to leish your dog on and train "heel" walking.
You need to feed the dog. Why not make him work a bit first and only give him his food, when he performed a few obedience actions first? (Sit, Paw, Down, Up, turn, etc.)
In other words, you can build these little re-enforcement sessions consistently into your own daily routine. So no special time out in your busy schedule is needed. If you live in a family environment, and the dog must learn that he is the last on the pecking order, let your wife, your child give him the food every once so often, but always must perform a few obedience tasks first.
Lastly - I would recommend, that you always accompany your verbal commands with a hand signal. So with one effort you actually train your dog to understand the verbal command as well as signage which comes in handy in areas where he can't hear you and furthermore impresses people quite a bit.
Since training is always done with a clicker and a treat, get from a pet store soft biscuits which you can break easily down into small pieces and get good ones, as during the first year he will eat a lot of them after all. Every once so often and especially later, make him perform without treat but as always with an enthusiastic "GOOD DOG" and some love units.
I do recommend puppy classes for new or inexperienced owners, as it is more the owner who needs training than the dog.
They teach you to use the clicker, a 3$ plastic tool which enables you to easily condition your dog.
Parents only need to apply the same basic principles as with their children.
Training is an ongoing effort. Dogs will get rusty, as we do, hence continuous re-enforcement is key. On ce only rewarded begging will always result in repeated begging. If you give your dog a treat, make him work for it and never, never, never feed off the table.4. Dogs can indeed sense uncertainty, fear.
Watch on Animal Planet " the dog whisperer". This guy really understands the concept of transference of your emotions to your animal.
In a nuthsell : If you are well balanced, secure and calm, your dog will adapt this attitude. Especially the briard becomes a mirror image to you in terms of character and personality. Insecure owners will have insecure dogs. Aggressive owners have aggressive dogs. If you do not want the dog to behave in a certain way, don't behave that way yourself.
Ever paid attention of the fact that owners and dogs seem to look and behave alike? The above is the reason. Your dog becomes a copy of you in many ways. So, if you are in a situation of turmoil of any kind, I recommend strongly not to get a dog. Get a cat or a therapist.
5. Socializing
As with us humans it is the one time consuming effort in the beginning mostly and mainly for large breeds. Dogs must absolutely be socialized from early stage on. Children's parks, Gun ranges, Ocean, Creeks, Cars, Masses of human beings, dog parks with many other dogs, noises, cats, male humans, traffic.
As a child, the dog must learn and understand that neither of the above is threatening or dangerous. The earlier you can introduce these things to your pet, the better, and you will never have a fearful biter or an aggressive dog.
If indeed your pup gets spooked or has a traumatic experience with either one of the above, you must again and again confront the thing he is spooked of, until the animal becomes indifferent to the stimulus. And I do not mean the occasional rough housing by a larger dog on the park or a bruise or scratch. I mean fireworks or cars, as lateron, once the dog panicks, he will stampeed off for miles and you may loose him to an accident in the process.
I allowed Fluff to play at his own liking from 8 weeks on with dogs on the park from large to small and hell, did he get tackled at times. Don't worry. They know when it is enough and find shelter between the legs of another owner or yelp for help.
They are not fragile at all. I ve seen little chihuahuas play with German Sheperds and get stamped on at times only to go back for more. They can fend for themselves and only our fear and insecurity can lead to problems. The only fights I have encountred came about, when one of the owners got too scared for his little dog and transferred these emotions right into the pack. Again, insecure or over-prtective owners result in insecure dogs. Such dogs can become aggressive for sheer fear.
The one thing perhaps I may advise here is that pupps never know when they had enough.(Like Children). So, observe your pup and in the beginning end the play, after 30 minutes or an hour, so it does not over exercise itself. I look forward to the comments and feedback.
Bone or not Bone - that is the questionI have found a variety of interesting articles about feeding your dog bones - cooked or raw.
Here again, I can only make a recomendation based upon my own knowledge and experience:
What kind of bone is good for the dog?
Should a bone be cooked or be fed with bloody pieces of meat?
Should artificial bones be given ( Rawhides)?
In general I believe that bones a great source for calcium and good too to clean teeth. They also provide for hours of interesting stimulating activity. Bones should not easily splinter and a bit of cartilage is always appreciated. The larger the breed the bigger the bone of course.
Also - the question whether to cook a bone first depends on the drive and breed of the dog. Would I feed a bloody bone to a pitbull living in close proximity to other animals and or children?
Most definitely not. Even the most socialized dog is after all still a predator and that instinct can be awakened quickly, whenever food - especially with blood on it - is concerned.
It is why I always recommend strongly to from early stage on with any dog, small or large to periodically take the food away or even have for instance a child touch the bone. To train the dog, that any human is always allowed to approach, when the dog is eating and even remove the favorite bone for a moment.
We must condition even the most gentle dog to never get aggressive, when somebody approaches, when it is feeding.
A dog with low drive can thus be given a fresh bone (Oxtail, Beef Shoulder or hip, Lamb). Mine likes those with nice juicy marrow he must find a way to get to.
For more driven breeds I would always recommend to cook the raw meat/blood off first, as instinct can always override conditioning.
As far as Rawhides are concerned, just the fun alone is worth the occasional toy, even though I personally do not see more in them than just that - a toy which can never replace the "real deal".
LAst thing: Always give a dog a bone rather too big than too small, as we do not want them to swallow too big of a piece.
I may state the obvious : NEVER Chicken bones - as they splinter.
I give Fluff a bone once or twice per week. Usualoly in the evening while I work or watch TV so I cangive it a bit of supervision.
Nutrition for K9Some ideas about Nutrition
As in psychology there seems to be a holy war between the holistic oriented dog people and the scientifically poled ones.
The scientific people rightfully point out the great developments in nutritional science over the last 30 years with ( the more expensive)kibbles to be perfectly balanced with the right vitamins and nutrients for each breed and size. Down to the exact measurement per pound/kg of the dog, one can easily adjust the portions, so especially the larger breeds never get overweight - the single most grave danger for large breeds, as it promotes hip displasia and other significant ailments reducing the lifespan of an animal which so often becomes much more than just a "pet".
I certainly can appreciate the argument, furthermore kibbles are overall certainly less expensive and feeding a dog is done within 5 minutes. Also, when on the road or a trip, it is certainly much easier to bring a bag of kibbles than a portable kitchen. Kibbles can also address the nowadays so common allergies etc., sonce so many breeds are by now subject to such modern ailments, asmany breeds have been run down by backyard breeding and not crossing lines. (Offer and demand - e. g. the Golden Retriever, of which we see over 300,000 dogs registered per year in the USA alone. A wonderful breed with a kind and gentle attitude which rarely exceeds 7 years of age nowadays because of inbreeding and mass production.) The BARF people (RAW Food Diet) swear on the advantages of naturally absorbed vitamins and nutrients, accomodating dog stomachs which are designed to digest "real" protein (MEAT) and finally the much better and more interesting food for dogs, as one can prepare a full fledged diet plan. Most German Breeders ( still a leading powerhouse, when it comes to dog development and nutrition) are fanatic followers of the BARF diet and I have indeed found clinical studies supporting the idea that dogs grow up slower, yet more balanced, are more resistent to illnesses and parasites and develop better coats. BARF people do not see a problem with the regular glass of organic milk ( Calcium and Vitamins) something the scientific school strongly disagrees with.
I will not take sides here, as I can see advantages for both schools.
What I have done - Fluff so far has rewarded this with a very promising development - is to apply both.
In the evening Fluff and Bisoux will get a combination of 70% Meat, such as Beef, Chicken (boneless), Cooked Pork, Lamb, Fish and Calve liver combined with
Veggies such as Rice, Carrots, Tomatoes, Greens, Avocado
Fruit: Apple, Banana,
Fiber: Nutty granola, Barley, rolled oats
Once per week an Oxtail raw or a nice juicy large beef bone to allow him to clean teeth naturally.
Supplements: Cottage Cheese (great source for calcium),
Cod Liver Oil and a spoon full of high protein working dog supplement, Garlic
Always try to avoid any food which can lead to bloating. ( Onions, beans, bread, pasta, potatoe et al.) Bloating can lead to a twist of the stomach in large breeds which can be deadly, if not surgically treated within hours.
In the morning I feed them Kibbles mixed with Cottage cheese and sometiomes some real ( not too spicy) hard cheese.
Sometimes, when in a hurry just kibbles. I recommend :
Science Diet, Royal Canine, as most breeders go with either one or the other. As the price difference is rather minimal, I recommend you to read the small print carefully and make sure that your kibbles are AKC approved. Standard store brands usually have a mix of fat and left overs - kind of McDonalds for Pets and we all know how healthy that is.
I do not have a problem giving them a nice bowl of real milk in the evenings, as I do believe in the clinical studies supporting it.
This kind of nutrition allows me to have the best of both worlds, yet offer them still an interesting changing diet, far from "Fast Food".
When on the road I have a bag of kibbles with me, as they are not "spoiled" and will eat that as eagerly as a nice Tri Tip breakfast.
So far - both dogs have not had any intolerance or diarrhea and their coats are wonderful - without any use of shampoo and only with little grooming.
They also seem to be highly resistant to fleas and ticks or other parasites and - nice side effect - they do never smell bad, neither their breath nor their body.
Bisoux especially loves to snack in the evening on an apple or a carrot, which quite actually results in a very nice breath. As most dogs have initially no intention to eat carrots or apples, I purchased a nice food processor which cuts the stuff into tiny pieces easy to mix with the larger pieces. April 19 The Dog SpotThe Dog Think Tank
This could be the spot for dog owners and Briard People to interact and exchange. How about gathering great ideas here backed by personal experiences? I get it started with my key finding:
Hot springs ( Sulfur based)
I caught, what the doctor here called a dermatosis, called " Jaccuzzi rash". Nothing, not even steroids would provide me with long lasting relief and I found myself scratching in the middle of the night until I drew blood. My father was a doctor and 30 years ago he would prescribe a sulfur bath to my aunt who was suffering from grave Proriasis. So in my desperation I tried to find the Ojai sulfur hot springs to try this.
You can not imagine my amazement , when I found that the very first time I sat for an hour in these wonderful warm water holes ( I took some pics which you can find in the slide show "The Fluffmeister") the symptoms almost immediately disappeared.
After 3 sittings, they were gone for good and since then I have not had a single itch.
I then did some internet research about it to find a sulfur bath I could find here in the USA so I could use it in my jaccuzzi. The good news was that I found many European Doctors recommending it not only for psoriasis but treatment of rashes, hot spots, allergical skin symptoms, all kinds of dermatosises and itching. The bad news was that in the USA no one sells such a trivial bath supplement. ( I assume it has to do with the costly FDA approval process which is too expensive and long for a 5$ medication over the counter )
So now, I have to ship the stuff via my Swiss family or go to the hotsprings.
While sitting in these springs, I found my 4 month old pup loving it himself and immediately checking it out, overcoming his fear of deep water. He would sit with me ( halfway on me) for more than 40 minutes without a move, soaking with evident enjoyment. The sulfur seems to eliminate any kind of itching, ticks, flees and the coat afterwards is like silk. Up to the time of this entry, I have not one single time treated Fluff for ticks or fleas. (Quite astounding, if you consider his long coat and my geographic location). His coat becomes not only clean and smells, when dried not in the least like rotten eggs, but sheer clean, but also is silky soft, yet not dried out like after a dog shampoo. Furthermore, one can go as often as one likes, whereas no owner should use a dog shampoo more than once per 2 months.
So, if you have such a spring accessible to ya, I sure recommend it, as so many dogs nowadays have allergies, hotspots and , if they have such long coats like mine, assemble the whole world in the fur.
If you do not have a natural hot spring accessible to you, you can either get the active ingredient from a chemical supply store online or find a pharmacy in Europe ( mainly Germany or Switzerland) which does take mail orders. I found several.
I recommend to get it from a drugstore in Europe, as the supplement is premixed for one bath tub filling and you can not "overdose".
Both of you, the dog as well as human can use it and you will thank me for this advice, if you like a soft and healthy skin for yourself.
Most dogs seem to like a warm ( not hot) bath and my advice is to drop any shampoo alltogether. I would love to hear from you and any success story I may have been able to instigate. Thanks for visiting!
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Our objective is to (re-) introduce a line of true original Briards, according to 400 years old French standards, counteracting trends in some breeder communities to "modify" this versatile breed into tall, soft coated, low drive & high maintenance fashion dogs with often neglected Character Development. We appreciate the Berger de Brie as one the most ancient, versatile and accomplished breeds in history, whose great attributes must be maintained in its original form,
hence Ojai Briards' focus is first and foremost on true breeding, balance and character. Keeping our pupps for at least 4 months results in a solid foundation in all aspects of the ancient standard - visually as well as in character.
Ojai Briards is non-profit, does not sell pupps, but carefully screened families, sharing our vision will be given these dogs, as finding the perfect home/family is much more important to us, than turning a profit.
While our dogs originate from the best lines out of Europe and America, we also insist on a mandatory Character Evaluation after one year (sadly not mandated by the American Kennel and Briard Club).
Apart from conformation, we only allow for showing our dogs on dog shows as an exception.
Wish to know more? Read on, or email us to contact@ojai-briards.com.
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