OUR GUEST - AIREDALE TERRIER

Origin:

The Airedale had its beginnings in 1853 when some working men in Yorkshire, England, mated an Otterhound with a rough-coated Black and Tan Terrier. Otters abounded in the nearby Aire and Wharfe rivers and rats were an everyday problem. Ideally, a sporting dog such as the Otterhound would be used to take on the otters, while a couple of terriers would tend to the rats. Rather than keep and feed a kennel of dogs, the originators of the Airedale elected to combine the two types to come up with one dog that could handle all tasks. Continued crosses over the next dozen years resulted in the Waterside Terrier, which later became known as the Airedale. As the breeders envisioned, the Airedale became a most versatile dog, used to hunt, retrieve, dispatch vermin, herd and guard.

Temperament:

Dubbed "King of the Terriers," the Airedale maintains a steady disposition as befits nobility. It is alert and makes an excellent watchdog. A multi-talented dog, the Airedale can do well in obedience work.

Activity Level:

Moderate. Though its terrier heritage is evident in its demeanour, it is neither hyper nor yappy. However, a daily walk or other regular activity is definitely recommended.

Height/Weight:

The average height for a dog is 23 in (58 cm) at the shoulder. Weight should be in proportion for a sturdy, well-muscled dog.

Coat:

The dense coat is composed of a harsh, wiry outer coat and softer undercoat. It may be crinkled or slightly wavy.

Color:

The coat is tan with a black or dark grizzle 'saddle' marking.

Grooming:

For show purposes, the coat is groomed by plucking the hairs, using your fingers and a special knife. However, for pets, clipping is the easy way to keep the coat looking smart.

20 Mineral Elements for Your Doggie

As well as the rest of other mammals, the dog requires of some 20 mineral elements in his diet. Most of them are necessary in very small quantities, forming part of catalysts like hormones and enzymes that regulates all the corporal process. In the minerals named "vestigial elements" we include: cobalt, copper, magnesium, selenium, zinc and probably chromium, molybdenum and vanadium. The magnesium is also a component of the bone. Any mix diet formed by foods of animal and vegetable origin provides these elements in enough quantities. They need sulfur only because it is an intrinsic component of the corporal protein and automatically contributes by a suitable protein diet. The important minerals are calcium and phosphorus (combine like calcium phosphate as well as sodium, and potassium (in a chloride form), and iron, and iodine. The sodium chloride and the combine iodizes will appear in many foods,although if there is some doubt, you can add a 0.5% of iodide salt. The potassium is present in all life cells as well as all the meats, cereals and vegetables. The substance in iron is adapted if the diet contains a logical amount of meat or spoils. The calcium phosphate can be given in form of whole bones since is the main mineral component, or in a mineral phosphate form if you have one. The proportion between the calcium and phosphorus is important and it will oscillate between 0,7 – 2,0 in calcium parts per 1,0 in phosphorus part. The phosphate carries out other functions in the metabolism and in the corporal tissues, they also appear in many foods. It is important that in the practice you include an approximate 3% of calcium phosphate or bone flour sterilized for the benefit of the dogs growth, gestation and nursing.

FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION VISIT THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO YOUR DOG NUTRITION

Our Guest - Afghan Hound

Today we take a close look at Afghan Hound

Origin:

An ancient member of the greyhound family, the Afghan was believed to have been brought from Arabia and Persia to Afghanistan where the breed's long coat developed in response to the harsh climate. It was there on the border between Afghanistan and India that the breed attracted the attention of British soldiers in the latter part of the 19th century. As a result, some were brought back to Britain and were first exhibited in a show in 1907 as "Oriental Greyhounds."

Temperament:

As befitting its aristocratic appearance, the Afghan is aloof and dignified but is also good-humoured.

Activity Level:

Bred to course game such as the swift gazelle, the Afghan is an athlete that requires lots of outdoor exercise.

Height/Weight:

Dogs stand about 27 in (69 cm) at the shoulder and carry around 60 lb (27 kg) on their lean, active frames.

Coat:

The fine, silky, long and flowing coat is the Afghan's crowning glory. It is topped with a natural, short-coated saddle running from in front of the shoulders down the length of the back. The head is crowned by an impressive topknot that frames the smooth-coated face. The picture is completed by a lightly feathered tail carried in a ring at the end.

Color:

All colours are permissible but white markings are considered undesirable.

Grooming:

Ouch! That glamorous coat won't stay beautiful on its own. It requires frequent bathing, and brushing on a regular basis, to maintain its pristine condition.

Dog Water Intake

The water represents two thirds of the dogs' weight. To maintain a healthy life it is essential an adequate consuming of water in which could be partially or fully provided through the meals. We must take in consideration that the body's main necessity is drinking water. It is impossible to determine an exact quantity of water needed by a dog since dogs vary in their diet, exercise and weather situation.

Dog's energy: We all know the all animals obtain their energy through food, which helps them to grow, to maintain a corporal processes, to reproduce and to move. Mammals are animals with hot blood and they need energy to maintain a constant corporal temperature. How much energy an animal may need depends on its weight and size. The smaller the animal the bigger his corporal surface when measuring his weight proportion, as per consequences, the dog will experiment a big lost of heat needing more energy per unit by his weight to maintain his corporal temperature. The lost of energy can also be related to an activity and increases with exercise and work. Age, individual nature, gestation, nursing and other conditions control the quantity of food as part of the energy. The food provides energy by means of the digestion of proteins, fatty and carbohydrates. The carbohydrates and proteins, if they digested correctly, they can provide some 4.1 kcal per gram, while the fats can offer 9.3 kcal per gram. This metabolize energy is obtained by this procedure.

FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION VISIT THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO YOUR DOG NUTRITION

Dog Protein and Fat in Diet

Dog Protein

The protein is the main element of a healthy dog, representing an approximate 18% of its weight. The protein is not an inert substance since it is part of the organism. The protein creates each individual organ such as the muscle, skin, liver, blood and others. It is essential the presence of the protein in a dog's life since its organs are continually renovated. Young animals required of protein to help them in their development. The real necessities of protein in a dog, varies depending on their size, age and stage of reproduction. Dogs need about 15% of mixed protein, if is a dry substance and about 20% suggested to balance stress and other factors in the dog's life. On the other hand, puppies and reproductive dogs need more protein than what they get in. their food. Exercise and work does not increase the protein necessities only the energy (calories) in which they are contributed by fats and carbohydrates.

Fat in Diet

Fat is important in the dogs diet since it has several functions but only one is fundamental. The corporal fat is an accumulated energy that it is part of a cellular structure and a means of transportation. The only indispensable function of the fat is a source of fatty acids, sometimes called "polyunsaturated." You may find these substances in the majority of the fats and oils, being mainly in some vegetable oils. The precise quantity is very small- an approximate 1% of the diet – although without that the dogs hair will be rough and the skin will crack. The diets that contain a 10% of total fat normally come from mixed sources that contain enough fatty acids.

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Your Beloved Dog Diet Basics

The diet of domesticated dog, (Canis familiaris) it is classified as mammal included in the order carnivore constituted by wolves, foxes, pandas, weasels, otters, and hyenas and more with a total of some 250 species. All animals have teeth modified to tear or to cut meat and apparatuses digestive to digest large and irregular foods of strong foods. The dog it is tame, maybe for his long relationship with man, one of the less carnivorous types in his metabolic capacity. The same to other mammals, included the human beings, we all need water, an energy, protein, fat, mineral and rich of fiber material, its nutritious necessities are but similar to those of the man.
The dog's digestive apparatus is similar to the human and those of the endowed mammals. Let’s understand how this works. The dog processes his meals so fast that it is horrible the way digestion is process in his mouth. In reality, the dog's saliva lacks of the digestive enzymes that is why the digestion of protein is process in the stomach. The massive plastic of food penetrates in several portions inside the thin intestine through a muscular valve contractile. It is here where the fat, protein, and the carbohydrates break down in small molecules passing through the intestinal wall and directly to the blood. The responsible juices for this decomposition take place in the pancreas and by its own intestine. The pancreas produces insulin that regulates the level of glucose in the blood after a meal. The bile that comes from the gall bladder, allows the fat to blend forming tinny drops to facilitate the digestion. Next, the liquid from the intestine goes to the thick intestine where big quantities of water are reabsorbed helping the materials to maintain the equilibrium of the fluids. Then, the semisolid consistency passes to the rectum for its excretion. This process takes about twenty hours in dogs depending the type of diet.

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