By www.dianalogan.com
Happy New Year! Let's start it out with a fun little quiz to test your dog knowledge.
Good luck!
1. Dogs respond best to: a) visual cues; b) verbal cues; c) a firm voice.
2. “People food” is bad for our dogs: a) yes; b) no; c) it depends.
3. Dogs are pack animals a) yes; b) no.
4. In order to maintain our dominance, we should always go through doorways and eat before our dogs do: a) true; b) false.
5. Dogs sweat through their a) ears; b) paws; c) tail.
6. If a dog’s tail is wagging, he’s happy: a) true; b) false; c) maybe.
7. Which of these breeds has been selectively bred to produce dwarfism? a) Pug; b) French Bulldog; c) Scottish Terrier; d) Corgi; e) Dachshund; f) all of the above.
8. What is the biggest reason dogs of certain breeds have their tails docked in the US? a) safety; b) AKC breed standard; c) health of dog.
9. Dogs have “dichromatic vision” and can only see two colors. Which are they? a) red and yellow; b) yellow and blue; c) red and green
10. A puppy is born without the sense of (choose all that apply): a) smell; b) taste; c) hearing; d) sight.
11. In Maine, it’s illegal to sell, adopt, or give away a puppy under the age of: a) 7 weeks; b) 10 weeks; c) 3 months.
12. Boxers, King Charles Spaniels, Bulldogs and Shih Tzus are all examples of dogs who are a) originally from China; b) brachycephalic; c) stubborn; d) aggressive.
ANSWERS
1. a) dogs are not verbal animals by nature; they are more adept at reading visual cues than verbal ones.
2. c) no animal has exclusive rights to any particular type of food. In fact, our dogs greatly benefit from eating fresh, species-appropriate foods.
3. b) dogs are not considered to be pack animals (www.caninemind.co.uk/pack.html).
4. b) our leadership role isn’t determined by doorways and food but rather on the strategic granting or withholding of the things our dogs value at a given moment. For safety reasons, we need to teach our dogs to wait for permission to pass through certain doorways, but who goes first is irrelevant.
5. b) paws
6. c) maybe. A wagging tail alone is not indicative of a friendly dog. The rest of the dog’s body needs to be taken into consideration as well as the position of the tail and its movement. A very high, stiff, quick, side-to-side wag indicates a dog who is confident and aroused. The rest of the dog’s body is often stiff, too. A slow, swaying wag accompanied by a loose body may indicate a friendly, happy dog. The whole dog needs to be observed in order to determine its emotional state.
7. f) all of the above.
8. b) the AKC’s breed standards require or prefer tail docking for certain breeds.
9. b) yellow and blue
10. c) and d). Puppies are born deaf and blind.
11. a) in Maine, a puppy has to have completed his 7th week in order to be purchased, adopted or given away.
12. b) these breeds are all brachycephalic; in other words, they have been selectively bred to have flat faces and short muzzles. The skull shape is wide and short.
How did you do?
Happy Training!