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Dog Breeds And Dog Behavior Training
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Man's best friend,
this is the epithet that dogs are known by. Being
faithful and loyal to a master comes naturally to a
dog. And in this task, its sensory organs aid a dog
to a great extent. In fact, dogs can be trained to
perform specific functions and due to this quality
many dogs are bred for specific purposes like
guarding, guiding physically impaired persons,
saving and protecting lives and many other similar
functions.
Working dogs come in
all sizes, from medium to large, as suits the
purpose they are required for. The common
characteristics that dogs of all breeds bred for
specific purposes are strength, loyalty, alertness
and intelligence. Specific breeds have been found
suitable for specific purposes. |
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For
example, for the purpose of guarding people and property
the dog breeds generally used are giant Schnauzer, Mastiff,
Akita, Bullmastiff, Doberman pinscher, Boxer, Great Dane
and Rottweiler. Whereas if the purpose is
guarding livestock like sheep and cattle, then the breeds
pressed into service are Great Pyrenees, Komondor and
Kuvasz.
The
Burmese mountain dog, the Alaskan Malamute and Siberian
husky, the Samoyed, the Portuguese water dog, the
Newfoundland and the St. Bernard are bred to pull,
haul and rescue.
Dogs that are bred for purposes
of herding are quick and agile. They also possess the
ability to work on any terrain. Another essential quality
that they possess is being capable of short bursts of high
speed. This capability stems from their having a muscular
built. Possessing the quality to be very alert too, these
dogs can be trained
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Intelligent dog
breeds can
be trained to perform specific functions at home |
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to respond to
even slight hand signals and whistles. Among the functions
performed by them are herding the flock in particular
directions, chasing back strays to the flock and guarding
the flock from attacks by other animals. The way they
perform these functions is very interesting: they may
either circle the flock, bark, nip at the heels of the
livestock or like an enraged teacher just force the flock
into submission by giving them a silent, long, hard steely
stare! Herding dogs are also used by the police and the
military, thanks to their excellent performance as guard dogs.
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Dogs that
are trained to help people, respond to hand signals as well
as verbal signals. Hearing dogs are trained to alert
people to specific household sounds, which are needed for
everyday living. Having a dog for such functions enables a
physically impaired person to live an independent yet safe
life. These dogs are also trained thoroughly in obedience
as it is of utmost importance that they obey their master
in order to be useful to them.
Dogs can
also be provided training for aiding in certain special needs of individuals
suffering from trauma, stroke, chronic illnesses and
certain other debilitating diseases. Recent studies have
shown that it is highly possible that dogs can sense an
epileptic seizure before it happens and alert the person.
This would enable the patient to remove himself from any
possibly dangerous location or job wherein he may be hurt
during a seizure. Sometimes the warning enables a patient
to take preventive medication. What ability the dog uses
to sense a seizure is still under debate. A possibility is
the detection of electrical cues from the body or even
subtle physical changes that the human cannot detect.
The dog
is thus much more than a man's best friend; with basic dog
training he
graduates to being his savior too. |
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