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Pet Pic of the Day: Maddie and Stormy

PetSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:00:03 -0700

Maddie looks totally pooped out from trying to keep up with Stormy's boundless energy! Stormy wants to keep playing, but for Maddie, it seems it's waaaaay past nap time.

Congrats to Stormy, Maddie, and kiwitwist for being chosen as our Pet Pic of the Day! Have you submitted your photos to our Pet Pics group yet? You should – your pet could be a star on the pages of PetSugar!

What Do You Know About the Border Collie?

PetSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:00:07 -0700

I was sad to see the high energy (and noisy) Leroy leave Greatest American Dog last week. This Border Collie was super sharp – some consider the breed to be the most intelligent of all pups – but how smart are you in your knowledge about them? Test yourself in this quiz.

Photo courtesy of CBS

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Pet Pic of the Day: Luke Loves the Lake

PetSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:00:28 -0700

Baby Luke is loving the water after his first trip to the lake – doesn't he look happy? If his ruffled, wet fur is any indication, I'm thinking Michelin will be taking many trips back before Summer ends just to keep this little guy satisfied.

Congrats to Luke and Michelin for being chosen as our Pet Pic of the Day! Be sure to submit your photos to our Pet Pics group and you might see your four legged pal on the pages of PetSugar!

Anna Paquin Takes Her Pups For a Stroll

PetSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 06:00:27 -0700

When she's not frolicking around with dolphins and seals, Anna Paquin knows that a good walk is essential to a dog's health. The True Blood star was spotted yesterday taking a stroll through the streets of Santa Monica with her two best furry friends. Although I can see that one of her four-legged pals is a Border Collie, I'm having quite the time trying to place the breed of the brown companion. Besides keeping the dogs in good shape with long walks, Anna practices good owner behavior by keeping poop bags handy with a black Bon Ton dispenser.

Keeping up with her dogs isn't the only thing going on in Anna's life - she just recently announced her engagement to fellow animal lover and costar Stephen Moyer, who comes with a family of his own. But if either of them need any advice on how to introduce new family members into the mix, they know where to come!

To see more of Anna and her pups, just read more.

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Zak George Says He Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

PetSugar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:00:44 -0700

It's never been easier to parlay a great blog into a movie deal, or in the case of Zak George, flip a YouTube hit into a pet-tastic TV show. At this year's TCAs (a massive television conference happening right now in LA), Animal Planet introduced us to their new show called SuperFetch, which is hosted by extreme dog trainer Zak George. Apparently, Zak can teach your dog any trick and is taking his show on the road to prove it.

But Zak isn't just another dog lover - he and his border collie Venus took the top spot in five extreme dog-trick competitions in their first year of competing, all thanks to Zak's unique way of training. His show debuts this October as he travels around the country teaching normal dogs to do amazing tricks. Want to hear about some of the tricks he can teach your old (or young) dog to perform? Learn more about the show when you read more.

Zak's show promises to show us breathtaking stunts, some of which I can't wait to see unfold during the season:

In SuperFetch, Zak will show pet parents step by step how to teach their animals new and unbelievable tricks. From finding the TV remote to picking up the dinner dishes to learning how to bowl, there is nothing that Zak isn't willing to take on and teach a pet to do.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Will you be watching SuperFetch?

What Do You Know About Pointers?

PetSugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:30:49 -0700

If you watched Greatest American Dog you're probably familiar with runner up J.D and his daredevil English Pointer and Border Collie mix, Galaxy (sometimes called “G-Money”). Galaxy is known for being athletic and adventurous, and like many Pointers has great power and agile grace. I have already tested you on Border Collies, but what do you know about Pointers? Take my quiz and find out!
Photo courtesy of CBS

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Who Do You Want to Win Greatest American Dog?

PetSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 03:00:27 -0700

Check out the last three pups standing for the title of Greatest American Dog! The show's finale is tonight and I know I'm tuning in to watch Galaxy (J.D.'s Border Collie/Pointer mix), Presley (Travis' Boxer), and Andrew (Laurie's Maltese) battle it out for a cool $250,000. No doubt there'll be more crazy competitions – before seeing who performs the best, who'd get your vote now?

CBS.com

Greatest American Dog Recap: My Chat With Teresa!

PetSugar — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:30:53 -0700

With just one (!) more episode of Greatest American Dog, I got the chance to chat with Teresa, who was eliminated last week with her Border Collie, Leroy. We talked about her water-loving pup, and I got her side of the story on those controversial snarl bands. Learn all about Leroy's barking, his new BFF, and much more in the interview below.

PetSugar: How's Leroy doing with the barking?
Teresa: He only barks in a high-energy performance setting. He's sitting right by me now . . . no barking. Practice time . . . no barking. Performance time . . . barking. He just loves to do it and it's part of his style. It's getting slightly better but it's going to take some time to get it to be perfect. I need to figure out how to keep his brain more stimulated (if I do the same things over and over he gets bored). It may make things harder for me but, if it makes it easier on him and curbs some of the barking, then that's what we'll have to do.

PetSugar: What was your dog's favorite part of this experience?
Teresa: I think it's pretty obvious that he loved the pool and to be able to let loose and not be under tight wraps all the time. He's loved water since he was a puppy. Normally I try to get him to at least look at me because there are times when I don't want a sopping wet dog, but for the most part he did listen and it is a good impulse control exercise for him. I tried to let him swim as much as I could – he probably swam at least 45 minutes every day – and we don't ever get to do that at home.

PetSugar: Did Leroy have any special friends on the show?
Teresa: Laura and I clicked immediately and we've become the best of friends since then. In such a short period of time I feel like I've known her since like kindergarten. We just had little tags made that say "Be" and "Fri" on one side for Preston, and Leroy wears on his tag "st" and "end," so when it comes together it says "Best Friend." Preston looks like a little, white toy breed, but he doesn't behave like that – he's a giant dog wrapped up in a little Pomeranian body. Leroy normally doesn't like other dogs as much as he likes Preston. He has his circle of friends, and Preston really broke through that circle and has become Leroy's friend, East Coast or West Coast.

PetSugar: And favorite toys?
Teresa: Anything that you can throw! If you throw the top of a Tupperware container, he's going to think it's a frisbee. You throw something round, like throw an apple, he's gonna fetch it and think it's a ball. He also really likes any kind of toy with things hanging from it like a Wubba – he'll shake it and shake it and hit himself over the head . . . I think that's what it's for?

Finally, hear her side of the "angry" challenge when you read more.

PetSugar: How do you feel about the use of the word "angry"?
Teresa: Angry was by far the hardest word. I don't necessarily think it was an appropriate word, but we just assumed that everything had been approved. Leroy does bite a lot at things that are out of control, like water or hoses or air, and I thought that we could do it. We used spray bottle and the hose to try to get him to show his teeth, which he did. You don't see that I'm clicking and rewarding and doing all of that as well; they cut that positive part of it out, and I can understand how it looks controversial. But he does bite by the pool, you see him bite at all the water [in last week's episode]. I thought I could teach the snarl first without using anything.

PetSugar: So then you went to the snarl bands . . .
Teresa: Laura had mentioned the snarl bands and that it would help with the stress of having to learn this in such a short time. He didn't love it but little puppies don't love collars, other dogs don't like harnesses or gentle leaders. I took one of the two avenues and I don't feel that it was inhumane; we were just trying to get the snarl and reward as best as we could. We got the shot really quickly and left the photo shoot early . . . he got to play a whole lot in the studio so he didn't leave there with any kind of bad taste in his mouth.

Source

The Scoop: City Dogs Get Back to Their Roots

PetSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:00:42 -0700

I think I watched City Slickers – a movie about a bunch of city folk out in the country herding cattle – about a hundred times, not only for the animals that were a big part of the film (Norman!) but also because I thought it would be awesome to head out on the trail, herd some cattle, and get away from the city for a few weeks. It's still something I need to check off of my "to do" list!

If you were a fan of the film too, then you'll totally see why specialized herding camps for dogs are becoming more popular, and are just as cool. On a ranch just outside of Los Angeles, owner Janna Duncan has started a trend, taking city dogs and working them into great herding dogs:

“It really, really seems to center the dog and give the dog a sense of confidence and fulfillment, a good assertiveness, a good energy.”

Thankfully, I did some pretty heavy research regarding dog breeds so, even before I picked him out, I knew that North would make a sweet city slicker himself. Boston Terriers can do well in apartments and cities, and make great companions. But some pet owners don't know that different breeds come with different temperaments, and aren't always made for city life. To find out more about the breeds and camps, just read more.

Unfortunately, some dogs like Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, and even Rottweilers were bred to herd, and when stuffed into small city apartments, they can get restless. But thankfully, Janna recognized a need for an outlet and opened her ranch for daily training sessions to turn your city pup into a full blown herder. And she's open to all breeds, not just the naturals – one of her past clients included a four-pound Yorkie! Now that's impressive. Since camps are popping up across the states, would you send your pooch to a herding program if it opened near you?

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