The great British pet: the new trend gripping the nation 

A slimy, six-inch hermaphrodite with a taste for raw meat and an unmatched capacity to breed sounds like the stuff of science fiction. But the Giant African Land Snail is one of a growing breed of alternative animals threatening to topple the humble cat and dog as Britain’s most wanted pets. Go…

CHANCE is a six-month-old puppy who, up until a week ago, didnt know how to play, run or climb stairs and is so used to being cooped up in a kennel that he cant go to the bathroom anywhere else. Go…

How To Banish Your Bichon Frise’s Destructive Scratching

Destructive scratching is related to escape chewing, digging and jumping out of windows. This is a behavior that the Bichon Frise normally undertakes when he has been confined and wants to escape.

To discover the causes of this destructive behavior, you must determine when and where the scratching takes place. Obvious causes of this behavior is when the female dog next door is in heat, or confinement because the dog is a social problem or is being punished, which are the usual causes relate to confinement alone.

One exception is the Bichon that scratches on the seats or cushions of furniture or through bedding or mattresses. These excavators are usually digging a hole for themselves to curl up in or are scratching in frustration at their owner’s anal and/or genital scents. When pillows and clothing are the target, the dog may be attempting to masturbate with them.

Scratching in order to escape can occur in dominant or overdependent dogs. In either case, correction involves the same methods as for destructive chewing. The owner must teach at least the Come, Sit, and Stay commands without the use of force. These commands should be used whenever the Bichon Frise nudges for attention. The dog should be praised for desirable responses. If punishment has been used, this must be stopped immediately, as this is usually counterproductive.

To minimize the contrast between the owner’s presence and absence, all unsolicited attention, such as talking to the dog, petting him or playing with him in response to the dog’s attention seeking, should be stopped. Examples of these activities include tug-o’-war, wrestling, chasing the dog, and playing fetch when the owner must force the dog to give up the ball or stick.

In other words, interactions must involve the dog’s responding to the owner, rather than vice versa. Coming and going rituals must be avoided. It is also helpful to leave a radio turned on at a normal volume at all times to stabilize the acoustic environment and keep the dog company.

If the cause of destructive scratching is known, that cause should be eliminated, if possible. If a confined male Bichon Frise is scratching because a neighborhood female dog is in heat, the use of some medication for the female dog in heat has proved to be successful, providing her owners are willing. If not, and if the problem is recurrent with a male that is not to be bred, castration has proven helpful if combined with the other steps outlined here. If the Bichon Frise is unruly or shut away as punishment for some other behavior, the basic behavior problem should be corrected.

Take a Chance 

CHANCE is a six-month-old puppy who, up until a week ago, didnt know how to play, run or climb stairs and is so used to being cooped up in a kennel that he cant go to the bathroom anywhere else.
Source: www.herald.ns.ca

How To Administer Medication To Your Bichon Frise

Below are 3 ways in which you can administer your Bichon Frise medication. As with anything your pet would rather avoid, be patient, gentle, and firm - and follow with praise. If you’re having trouble medicating your dog, talk to your veterinarian about alternatives.

1. Liquid medication: Ask your veterinarian for some large syringes, with the needles removed. These are marked on the sides to make measuring easy, and they’re easier, too, at getting liquid medicine in the right place. Raise your Bichon’s muzzle and lift her lip on one side. Ease the tip of the syringe to the back of the throat and then release the liquid in a slow, steady stream.

2. Ear medication: Lay a large towel across your lap and coax your Bichon Frise to put her head on top of it with gentle massage and encouragement. Apply ear drops, massaging the base of the ear gently.

3. Eye medication: Have your pet sit between your legs and hold her muzzle up from behind. Gently apply a line of medication from the tube across the length of the eye, being careful not to touch the surface. Try to hit drops squarely in the center. Close the lid for a couple of seconds to let the medication distribute evenly.

Readers share adoption tales 

The Olympian asked readers to share their experiences with pet adoptions. Here’s a sampling of the responses. My husband and I adopted Sam, a Chihuahua mix, eight months ago from a local non-profit organization called Animals in Need. Sam was rescued from Puerto Rico where he was a stray.
Source: www.theolympian.com

Helping dog comes with price 
Tracie Johnson drove about 200 miles to Iowa State University in Ames for her foster charge to have open-heart surgery. It was a life-or-death situation, the Apple Valley mom figured, so she scheduled the surgery first and planned to figure out how to pay the bill afterward. Now, two weeks later, the patient is on the mend, and Johnson is relieved.
Source: www.twincities.com

The great British pet: the new trend gripping the nation 
A slimy, six-inch hermaphrodite with a taste for raw meat and an unmatched capacity to breed sounds like the stuff of science fiction. But the Giant African Land Snail is one of a growing breed of alternative animals threatening to topple the humble cat and dog as Britain’s most wanted pets.
Source: news.independent.co.uk

How Sociable Is Your Bichon Frise Puppy?

Do you want to find out how sociable and outgoing your Bichon Frise puppy is? Then try this little experiment:

Put a few toys down in the room. Quickly walk away from your puppy and then observe his reaction:

*A favorable response would be the puppy running happily after you, regardless of what else might be occurring. This shows that the puppy highly desires the company of people, a trait that is advantageous. This Bichon Frise puppy should be easy to train and should learn to focus well on you instead of distractions.

*An unfavorable response would have the puppy ignoring you and investigating something else, perhaps a toy on the floor or a sound coming from another room. This puppy may not value interaction with humans over his own desire to investigate his surroundings.

He may not be as easy to train as the puppy that values human interaction above all else. A Bichon Frise that ignores you in this way may have an unfocused or independent mindset that could be a prelude to dominant behavior.

W-B man holding out for better offer from Geisinger 

WILKES-BARRE There was once a house on one side of Ron McConlogues South Wilkes-Barre home and an old ice cream shop on the other side.
Source: www.timesleader.com

Just do it VOTE 
There are some days when it’s just like this:
Source: www.battlecreekenquirer.com

Take a Chance 
CHANCE is a six-month-old puppy who, up until a week ago, didnt know how to play, run or climb stairs and is so used to being cooped up in a kennel that he cant go to the bathroom anywhere else.
Source: www.herald.ns.ca

Heaven and hell 
Deany Judd talks to Barbara Taylor Bradford.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Are You A Bichon Frise Breeder? Here Are Tips For Dealing With Prospective Buyers

When people call for a Bichon Frise puppy, the first question to be asked by you (the breeder) is, ” Are you looking for pet or show quality?” Many newcomers to the realm of the better-bred dog are under the misconception that show dogs are not pets. They have no idea that the family dog that loves to eat ice cream cones and table scraps (on occasion) can also be a fine show dog.

People need to know that champions are, after all, still dogs - and family members first. A show career encompasses but a brief span of time in the lives show dogs share with their families. These people also need to know that show dogs may be eligible for a breeding program only if they are able to reproduce either their own quality (what every breeder strives for), or better quality (closer to the breed’s Standard) in each successive generation.

It is important to make it perfectly clear to a prospective client that the price of a puppy is never predicated on the animal’s sex. You, as the breeder, should fully explain the differences between the show prospects and pet-only puppies in the litter. Even more important, and it must be made clear, that any puppy sold not to be shown is not to be bred. Be a strong advocate of neutering these puppies by spaying (ovarian hysterectomy) or castration. Take the time to explain fully and in a positive manner that withdrawal from a breeding program does not affect a dog’s personality. Nor does neutering cause a Bichon Frise (male or female) to become fat and sluggish with the proper nutritional requirements and exercise levels.

One benefit derived from neutering is that castrated males will almost never chase after neighborhood females in season; nor will a spayed female attract destructive neighborhood males. Another benefit is that many neutered animals live longer and healthier lives than their non-neutered counterparts, thereby giving their owners additional years in the pleasure of their company. Finally, some states offer a price reduction in their licensing programs to owners of neutered animals.

Offer your puppy purchasers additional information about the types of neutering available. Vasectomies and tubal ligations can be performed at a very early age. These males and females retain their respective physical characteristics but are incapable of reproduction. It is generally suggested that males be castrated after reaching a physical maturity in order to develop traditional physical characteristics. Early spaying (before the first season) prevents a female dog from fully developing her female hormones and traditional physical characteristics. Very often and as a result, these females develop male characteristics, but not male character traits.

Prospective clients are often willing to neuter a pet Bichon Frise puppy in return for a price reduction, or the possible difference in price between a show prospect and pet-only puppy. These people can be proud of their puppy selection and the breeding behind it. They have the added bonus of feeling good about the fact that their new family addition has come from a dedicated breeder, a person who so evidently cares strongly about the breed’s welfare in general.

Are Drugs Helping Or Hurting Our Troubled Bichon Frise?

Sometimes a Bichon Frise will have a problem is so “obvious” that it is tempting to call it purely a “behavior” problem. However, unless the dog has had a really thorough veterinary examination, the diagnosis is premature. As veterinarians become more involved in pet behavior, the search for physiological causatives through differential diagnoses is rapidly gaining popularity. At the same time, unfortunately, the lure of psycho-active drugs for quick-fix treatments, is also gaining appeal with a some veterinarians and even more Bichon Frise owners.

Several veterinarians have reported clients who actually drop into the practice to request a Prozac prescription for their dogs! Most of these clients are surprised when they learn of the dangers of drug harmful side-effects, the need for a careful differential diagnosis, and complete medical screenings. It seems the popular press and other media have convinced many people that the “magic pill” has indeed been discovered!

Since scant scientific research has been conducted with these drugs and dogs, and because most of them are not approved by the PDA for use in animals, most veterinarians choose aggressively to diagnose problems rather than merely prescribe stimulants or depressants. They know drugs can mask important behavioral and physical causatives.

The effects of health problems on a dog’s behavior range from dramatic to subtle. For example:

1. Hypothyroidism can create both subtle and gross mood-swings, fearful or aggressive behavior.

2. Sudden pain from a slightly dislocated cervical vertebra or arthritis when a child hugs the family dog’s neck can stimulate a vicious bite because the dog associates the pain with the child’s action, etc.

Until all possible physical causes of unwanted behavior are investigated, and treated, behavioral therapy on its own will have little chance for success. At the same time, behavioral aspects of the problem dog deserve equal attention with the physical, because social and structural elements in a dog’s life can induce chronic stress and create health problems.

The way clients interact physically with their Bichon Frise, using their hands to express affection through petting, versus dis-affection through punishment, can have profound effects on an animal’s visceral condition, i.e., health, while producing or relieving emotional stress. Sadly, the importance of the mind/body health link receives precious little attention from animal behavior researchers. Even so, as the next century nears, diagnostic techniques will be developed which may well astound most of us. In the meantime, we must struggle with rather elementary approaches.