PetSugar

The Scoop: All Dog Coat Types Come From Just Three Genes

PetSugar — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:30:06 -0700

Doggie coats range from sleek and straight to coarse and wiry with a lil bit of everything in between. However, a recent study reveals that nearly all types of dog coats come from just three genes!

Combinations and variations of RSPO2, FGF5, and KRT71 create the different types and some breeds, like Bo, the Portuguese water dog, have alterations of all three. I'll leave the more sciencey facts to the experts, but here's some noteworthy trivia tidbits:

Short-haired dogs (like Beagles) have only the ancestral forms of the genes, no variations.
Wire-haired dogs (like the German Wirehaired Pointer) come from a variation of RSPO2.
Regular long-haired dogs (like Golden Retrievers) come from a change in the FGF5 gene while long-haired dogs with beards (like Bearded Collies) have variations of the RSPO2 gene as well.
Curly-haired dogs (like this Irish Water Spaniel) come from a combination of both the FGF5 and KRT71 genes.

What kind of coat does your pooch have?

Have You Ever Been Attacked By a Bird?

PopSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:00:31 -0700

Look out below! This mockingbird is on the attack at the University of Florida and, according to a recent study, she remembers the person in the pic as someone who came too close to her nest a few days before. The study, which had test subjects touching and getting up-close-and-personal to the mockingbird nest, proved that the birds can recall faces since they only attacked the people who actually touched the nest and ignored other passersby! Who knew birds had such good memories!?

I usually have a daily run-in with a pigeon (or two) that come a little too close to my noggin (and one blackbird continues to make news), but I've never been directly attacked by a bird like the poor girl in this pic. Well, unless you count the time I was pooped on by a seagull, but I doubt that was intentional.

What Do You Know About Catnip?

PetSugar — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 06:00:53 -0700

Whether your kitty loves it, likes it or would leave it in a heartbeat, catnip is synonymous with many cat toys. They come stuffed or sprayed with the essence of this fragrant plant but do you know anything about it . . . and its effects on felines? Test yourself in this quiz! Source

Take the quiz

Spot the Differences Between Leopards, Jaguars, and Cheetahs

PetSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:00:21 -0700

A jaguar by any other name would still look as sweet . . . but it wouldn't technically be a jaguar. You see, even though some people call out these species interchangeably, I've zoomed into the photos from yesterday's Big Cats quiz to illustrate the spotty difference between the three.

Leopard (Scientific name: Panthera pardus): These cats have a pattern that looks flower like - called rosettes - in large numbers with a slightly different color inside.

Jaguar (Scientific name: Panthera onca): Jaguars' markings also include rosetted dots but they sometimes have spots in the center as well as a darker, thicker outline. Typically, there are larger rosettes in smaller numbers on this species.

Cheetah (Scientific name: Acinonyx jubatus): No rosettes here, the Cheetahs have solid, evenly-distributed spots.

Go forth, kitty expert, there you have it!

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World's Meanest Dog May Not Be the Breed You Think It Is!

PetSugar — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:00:03 -0700

When we think about stereotypically "mean dogs," I'm pretty sure we can all name those most maligned. But statistically, the world's meanest breed isn't a Pit Bull, Bulldog, or even a Doberman - it's an English Cocker Spaniel!

A recent study by the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Barcelona shows more reported cases of aggression by the English Cocker Spaniel than any other breed, followed by Rottweilers, Boxers, Yorkshire Terriers, and German Shepherds. Yes, the Yorkie is tiny, but can apparently pack quite a punch! With over 1,040 acts of aggression studied, the report shows that the Cocker Spaniel is more likely than other breeds to show aggression towards their owners and unfamiliar people.

But not all is lost for the breed. With proper training and discipline, the Cocker Spaniel (and any other breed for that matter) can be well behaved and friendly to other dogs and people. I'm a firm believer that there are no "bad breeds," so here's to hoping that owners can take the time to train their pups to be civil four-legged members of society! Check out some of my favorite training tips and tricks when you read more.

Training classes aren't just for puppies - you can always enroll your pup in an obedience class, no matter how old they are!
Have your pup's next playtime include strangers to get used to unfamiliar faces, er, scents!
Pick up a training book for 24/7 advice. Here are some of your favorites!
Know the difference between training methods, then pick the one that is right for you and your pet.
Help your pooch learn proper dog park etiquette as early as possible.
Take an online class led by Cesar Milan, and learn at your (and your dog's) own pace.
Use the hand touch to get your pup under control.

Source

Ask PetSugar: Why Do My Pet's Eyes Look Awful in Photos?

PetSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:20:16 -0700

Admittedly, I sometimes use editing software to touch up North's pupils but, when a pal asked about the phenomenon of red, yellow, blue, or green eyes in animal photos, I found myself rambling on like a quasiscientist. Just call me Dr. PetSugar . . .

When taking a picture, eye discoloration often occurs if a flash goes off with someone (or something) looking straight at the camera. I know I'm not the only one bending down to capture my pooch's cute antics and look at these baby blues! North's pupils aren't really that color, but learn why they look that way and read more.

You know how many creatures can see better at night? Well, that actually occurs because of the tapetum, a special reflective layer in the back of the eye. To get a touch technical, light passes through an animal's retina from the outside of the eye and is then reflected back through the retina a second time from the reflective tapetal layer beneath the retina. Not only does passing through this layer help species see better in low light, the color of the tapetal layer is actually different for different pets.

Most puppies and kittens have a blue tapetal reflection until the backs of the eyes fully mature and change based on coat color. Dark colored dogs often have a green reflection, light pets will often show a yellow tapetal reflection and other species (like Siberian Huskies and Siamese) may have no pigment and flash back red just like us!

Now there's nothing you can do about the science of animals' eyes, but Snapfish has a new way to battle this problem – Pet Eye can help rid pets of the unwanted glow from your precious piccys without using another editing software before ordering your prints. What color do your animals' eyes most often appear when snapping?

The Scoop: Hamsters Generate Electricity by Running a Wheel

PetSugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 04:15:16 -0700

While some hamsters show no interest in their wheels in the first place, others use a love of running to fuel something totally cool. Scientists at Georgia Tech harnessed hamster power by outfitting the small mammals with yellow jackets with electricity-generating threads sewn in. The size of these zinc oxide nanowire threads? One-fiftieth (yes, 5-0) of the width of a human hair!
According to Zhong Lin 'ZL' Wang, the co-author of the paper describing this research:

This can totally be scaled up. This is just the first step. The idea is that we would harvest energy from any body movement, from walking, breathing, from any kind of vibration.

Turns out that a thousand hamsters equipped with the current jacket could charge a cell phone but, eventually, they want to make this technology on a human scale. Imagine running to fuel your own iPod – that's some exercise even I could get behind!

Source

The Scoop: How Dogs (and Wolves) Pick Potty Places

PetSugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:15:44 -0800

If you've got a male dog, I'm betting you notice his gravitation to certain spots to do his business – North has his favorite hydrant and lamp posts in our neighborhood. I knew about the reasoning behind marking, but a new study takes that one step further. It explains that dogs aren't just choosing the same spots, they pick prominent urban landscape features that "maximize visual impact and odor distribution."Not to get too graphic here, but this study is the first to examine the poop side, looking at fecal marking of wild wolves to see how choices can tell others about territory control, mating status, and more. If you're not to queasy from poop talk, read more.

Of the 101 "droppings" examined, 74.8 percent were in conspicuous spots showing that wolves chose places and plants of a certain height, diameter, and type, frequenting popular locations and multidirectional crossroads. Lisa Peterson, director of communications for the AKC weighed into Discovery News, adding:

That's probably why when little dogs urinate, they often lift their back leg up as high as possible – sometimes looking as though they're nearly falling over – because they're trying to pee as high as they possibly can.

So here's your homework: Next time you're out, pay attention to see if your pooches prefer to do no. 2 in the same spots on your daily walks and if they use a super-high leg lift for no.1!

Source

Which Way Does Your Dog's Tail Wag? (It Means Something.)

PetSugar — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 04:15:39 -0800

Most people associate wagging tails with happy dogs, but I'm betting not many pay attention to which direction that tail moves. Now, obviously while wagging, it goes back and forth but according to this study, the "striking asymmetries in the control of tail movements" can tell how the right and left halves of the brain control different emotions.

Next time you see this, check which direction the bias is – the wagging should be more pronounced in one direction like bouncing an eraser-topped pencil on a table. Tails wag to the right when dogs are happy and see something they want to approach, and to the left when they are frightened and confronted with something they want to run away from.

Go forth and find waggy tails and lemme hear all about your findings in the comments below.

Source

Do Beloved Dogs Raise Oxytocin As Much As Loved People?

PetSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:15:51 -0800

Could playing with the dog make you as happy as spending time with a baby or loved one? It seems possible according to a new study of 55 dog owners and their pets. The test examined oxytocin (aka, the "love drug"), the chemical found to lessen stress and depression in humans when related to babies and romantic partners, to see if social contact between two different species could boost levels as well.
For this lab session, the pairs of pet-plus-person were divided into three groups: Long gaze – locked eyes with pets for an average of 2.5 minutes during the session; short gaze – locked eyes with pets for less than 45 seconds on average, and a control group – avoiding the gaze of pets altogether. Measuring oxytocin before and after found that, lo and behold, levels rose by more than 20 percent during the long-gaze play session. Get the rest of the story when you read more.

Since eye contact is a good proxy for the bond between owner and dog, biologist Takefumi Kikusui, of Azuba University in Japan found this flood of oxytocin could explain why looking at and playing with dogs can lift moods and improve mild symptoms of anxiety or depression. In fact, those who re-create this unknowingly in their own homes tend to rate relationships with pets as more satisfying than short-gaze owners . . . and to think I thought I only liked to stare at North 'cause he's just so adoro!

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