The Canine Good Citizen

by Jack & Wendy Volhard

The canine good citizen or CGC is a certification program from the AKC (American Kennel Club) that rewards dogs that have good manners at home and in public.  It was started in 1989 and it is not only a step toward responsible pet ownership, but it lays out the foundation for other activities sponsored by the AKC such as obedience, agility, tracking and performance events. Also important, it is the only AKC activity that includes mixed breeds.

The Canine Good Citizen Test includes the following:

Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger

Test 2: Sitting politely for petting

Test 3: Appearance and grooming

Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)

Test 5: Walking through a crowd

Test 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place

Test 7: Coming when called

Test 8: Reaction to another dog

Test 9: Reaction to distraction

Test 10: Supervised separation

You can read the details for each test in the AKC site, by clicking this link.

The book is an easy read, and the authors stress that if you teach your dog anything at all, it should be first that you are pack leader and then at least the sit - stay , down - stay commands for its own safety and your peace of mind.  They help you undertake this training with their "Motivational Method" and training schedules that are easy to follow.

Worth mentioning is the information on the "Pack Leader's Bill of Rights" and  "How to Become a Pack Leader" by Kt Rourke of Cranbourne Dog Training School of London, England.   I have read several books with sections on becoming pack leader on your dog's eyes but even I must admit I was making a few mistakes.

Jack and Wendy Volhard have done important work in the dog training field, developing the Volhard Puppy Temperament Test – for evaluating puppies in terms of dominance and/or submission and the Volhard Puppy Aptitude Test, designed to identify puppies that have a chance to excel in obedience trials.

Show Off your Shih Tzu Dog

I was surfing the web today, finding some goodies for you (and for myself) and while doing a search for "grooming the shih tzu dog" I bumped into a VHS video that I own called "Show Off Your Dog GROOMING BASICS" by a wonderful lady called Ena Lane. Now this video has the ENTIRE grooming process for a Shih Tzu from daily brushing to pre-bath preparations to blowdrying, to Show top knot making to Maintenance top knots, to ironing the hair for that silky ball gown look.

The most amazing part of the entire thing is that the Shih Tzu Model, if you wish, stays completely still for the entire process.  Now I remember my Archie sitting still as well for the most part of the grooming, but this beautiful dog even lies to its side to allow its groomer to completely blow dry his hair. Now that is just a dream come true for every shih tzu owner, isn't it?

Now you might be asking yourself,  " What precisely is a maintenance top knot?".  Basically, once you have finished bathing and drying your Tzu, you will section off the top knot and whiskers, and wrap them into little pieces of paper and tie them with the rubber bands.  The moustache is sometimes wrapped with a bit of boric acid in powder form to eliminate the tear stains (Please careful with the eyes).

Pest Control - Ticks

Does your Shih Tzu spend a lot of time on the yard? Beware of Ticks and Fleas.

Who would have thought pest control to be a topic covered in the grooming section? All I can tell you is that, during some seasons I spend 95% of the time getting (or attempting to get) ticks off my dogs.
Here in the Republic of Panama, ticks are more of a concern than fleas, but I hear fleas are just as fierce as ticks and can pass on as severe a condition as any tick can so please beware. Some dogs are extremely sensitive to the bite of even one of these little pests. Ticks can cause several illnesses on dogs (called tick borne diseases), which can also be transmitted to humans (like Lyme Disease).

The worst part is, you might not even notice the symptoms, and most times the symptoms vary. Just don't allow that to let you assume these illnesses are OK. These are severe problems that can be fatal to your pet.
The first, being with ticks, acute blood loss, causing severe anemia, which can bring several other problems to the pet. A few tick borne diseases are ehrlichiosis, babesiosis & tularemia.

Make sure that as soon as you detect what could be an incoming tick/flea problem, you contact your vet for instructions on a pest control program to follow. These are killers and keep in mind you could be target too!

Links on Ticks

Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc - http://www.lyme.org/ticks/tick.html
Integrated Control of Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases - http://www.ruu.nl/tropical.ticks/