"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole"
Roger Caras
Welcome dog lovers! Find out everything you need to know about real dogs all in one place. Whether you have a dog, work with dogs or are thinking of getting a dog, this website has loads of useful information.
If you are thinking of buying a puppy there are many things to consider before making a decision. Take a look at our Buying a Puppy section and also Breed Information. If you haven't owned a dog before then it is a good idea to find a good dog training class to take your new puppy to. Training you puppy from an early age will give you better control of your dog once it is fully grown. It is also a great way to socialise your new puppy with other dogs and people. Spending just 20 minutes each day training your new dog or puppy will help you to form a close bond, and remember training should always be fun for you and your dog.
The most important thing to consider when getting a real dog is how much time you have to spend with your dog. It is as much about quality as quantity. Not all breeds will be happy to sit at your feet all evening while you watch Eastenders. There are lots of activities you can get involved in with your dog, so even if you don't have a big garden or live in the city, you can still ensure your dog is happy. Most dogs like to have a mixture of physical exercise and mental challenges. Something as simple as playing hide and seek with your dogs favourite toy will make your dogs day.
Fun activities for dogs include;
Obedience Training - Obedience competitions are fun for the dog and the handler. It involves a lot of work, but will build a fantastic bond between you are your dog.
Agility - Agility is great for all dogs over 18 months of age, whether you attend classes for fun or want to compete it is a good way to keep yourself fit. Dog enjoy agility as much for the mental stimulation as for the physical exercise.
Working Trials - Working trials and Schutzhund are perfect for dogs and owners that love the great outdoors. Most of the training for working trials and Schutzhund is done in open fields in all weathers. Working trials and Schutzhund really test a dogs natural abilities, strength and stamina and is incredibly rewarding.
Field Trials - Gundogs compete in field trials which test their ability to hunt, point and retrieve. Only breeds in the gundog group can compete in field trials.
Heelwork to Music - a fun alternative to obedience competitions, heelwork to music still requires a large amount of accuracy. This sport is great for owners with creative flair that enjoy trying new things with their dog. Heelwork to music or freestyle is increasing in popularity thanks to talented people like Mary Ray and Richard Curtis.
Flyball - This sport is often seen as 'manic' by people outside the sport. Flyball if taught correctly can be fun and safe.
Dog Food
This month I spoke to a number of dog food manufacturers to find out exactly want went in to their dog food. Sadly for the most part the answers I got made my stomach churn. If you aren't sure what is in the food you give you dog then why not give the manufacturer a call? 9 times out of 10 they will be happy to give you a run down of their ingredience and where it is sourced. [read more]
Dog Training
04.01.2009 by Esther Wakeman
In September last year I entered one of my dogs into an obedience competition. It was for the pre-beginner and beginner classes to have a go to see whether the training I was doing was paying off. I did not have high expectations and therefore was not disappointed. Belle is a 3 year old Belgium Shepherd cross German Shepherd rescue from Battersea Dogs Home with the attention span on a knat so my main objective was to finish a round without her disappearing out of the ring. She did her sit stays and her down stays without loosing marks. Her round was okish and she managed to do a few paces of decent heelwork before loosing interest. Never one to be put off by failure I started going to some competition training classes and looked on the Obedience UK website for information on any weekend workshops that would help me improve my training.
The course that stood out for me was Opening Communications with Rod Roberts. I had heard his name mentioned before from people doing Working Trials and the general opinion from all I spoke to was positive and that he had a fabulous relationship with his dogs. The workshop was about how to praise your dog in an effective way and how to read the dogs response to the praise you give. This sounded perfect for me as I needed to improve my timing with praise and I had no idea whether the praise I was giving my dog was effective or not.
The course was held in a village hall in Suffolk and when I arrived I was met with a warm welcome, a cup of tea and biscuits, so a good start. The hall was a nice size and there was only 8 people on the course so plenty of room. Rod gave a lot of information in the first part of the morning about the dogs mind and what state of mind the dog needed to be in for an effective training session. He is the sort of person you could listen to all day as he clearly knows what he is talking about, and is not just an academic, but has had great success working his own dogs. The course cost £140.00 and by the first tea break I felt I had already got my moneys worth. The rest of the weekend was very hands on and we split into groups so one handler had 3 people watching them at any one time. The feedback on simple things like verbal praise and playing with your dog was brilliant as everyone was there with an open mind and left you feeling very positive. The variety of exercises that we went through gave a real insight into how we communicate with our dogs and how we can improve this by watching the dogs reaction. My friend who came with me on the course didn't bring a dog with her and she still felt she got a huge amount out of the weekend just from watching other people and giving them feedback.
One of the most important things for me is to have confidence in the person who is giving the information as there are a lot of dog 'experts' out there who use questionable methods and often have a great academic understanding of dogs without knowing one end of a dog from another. Rod by comparison instantly gives confidence that he has both the academic understanding and the practical experience. Several times during the weekend he answered peoples questions by getting them to show him with their dog and he gave corrections on the spot which worked. To me that is what makes a great dog instructor... being able to give on the spot relevant information that makes a difference.
Since going on the course I have found that the training sessions I do with both my dogs (I also have a rescue German Shepherd bitch) is a lot more fruitful. The progress I am making is quicker and I can see that my dogs enjoy the training a lot more, which is brilliant. I have entered into some more obedience competitions this year and will start working trials training with my German Shepherd soon.
If you are interested in competing with your dog in any discipline and need to improve the way you communicate with your dog, then I would recommend this weekend course to you. You cannot fail to learn and it is a fun weekend with people who love their dogs. Rod is an excellent trainer and from the demonstrations with his own dogs, in my opinion, he is an outstanding handler.
Next course 18th & 19th July 2009 at Writtle Agricultural College. See www.rodroberts.co.uk for details.
Top 10 breeds of 2008
1. Labrador Retriever
2. Cocker Spaniel
3. English Springer Spaniel
4. German Shepherd Dog
5. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
6. Staffordshire Bull Terrier
7. Golden Retriever
8. Border Terrier
9. Boxer
10. West Highland White Terrier
[Source: The Kennel Club 2009]
The list above is based on the numbers of puppies of each breed registered with The Kennel Club in 2008.
The Kennel Club has also put together a list of traditional British dog breeds that are no longer popular. For various reasons these breeds are now vunerable with less than 300 registered each year in the UK.
Hound Group - Bloodhounds, Deerhounds, Greyhounds, Otterhounds
Gundog Group - Gordon Setters, Irish Red & White Setters, Curly Coated Retrievers, Clumber Spaniels, Field Spaniels, Irish Water Spaniels, Sussex Spaniels
Terrier Group - Dandie Dinmont Terriers, Smooth Fox Terriers, Glen of Imaal Terriers, Irish Terriers, Kerry Blue Terriers, Lakeland Terriers, Manchester Terriers, Norwich Terriers, Sealyham Terriers, Skye Terriers, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers, Welsh Terriers
Pastoral Group - Smooth Collies, Lancashire Heelers, Cardigan Welsh Corgis
Toy Group - English Toy Terriers (Black & Tan), King Charles Spaniels.
So if you are thinking of buying a puppy, why not take a look at one of these breeds to see if they would suit your lifestyle. To read about all the different breeds of pedigree dogs visit our Breed Information page.
Dog News and Events
British Dog Breeds in threat of extinction - While some dog breeds increase in popularity, there are a few which are under threat. The Kennel Club started to montior these breeds in 2003.
If you have an event or news story that you would like listed here, please contact us.
Dogs in the News
Dog owners are being warned that feeding their dogs tit-bits could shorten their lifespan. When dogs are overweight it increases the pressure on their joints and puts a strain on their heart [read more]
With the rising popularity of small dogs, rogue breeders are transporting dogs in appalling conditions to meet demands of people who do not want to pay the big price tags. Puppies are taken from their mothers before they are ready and transported to the UK [read more]
Dogs Trust have removed their support from Crufts and Discover Dogs which are both run by The Kennel Club. This follows the concerns for the health of pedigree dogs as highlighted by the recent BBC documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed [read more]
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