Chiwawa dog

A Look at Chihuahua Mixes - A Great Companion Dog

Chihuahuas are a very popular breed of dog despite their annoying yipping! They're extremely tiny (the smallest in the world, actually) and cute (some would say) as well as having an amusing personality in which they don't seems to realize how much smaller they are than... everything else. Their attempt to intimidate and impose their will on others is amusing, adding to the likability of this animal. It's for these reasons that Chihuahuas are one of the top 10 most popular dog breeds in America. Another popular idea in modern times are Chihuahua mixes-dogs created by breeding pure-bred Chihuahuas with pure-breds of another breed. These new animals can vary in size and colour depending on what the other parent breed is, and often combine the traits of the two animals both in physical appearances, as well as personality traits.

Some of the breeds that are popularly bred with Chihuahuas to make desirable mixes are Terriers, Pomeranians, and Poodles. Each of these combine the parent breeds in unique ways from one another.

Pomeranian Chihuahua mixes almost perfectly combine the appearances of Chihuahuas, and Pomeranians. They tend to have a Pomeranian's long and fine hair, a body that seems like a natural combination of a Pomeranian and Chihuahua, while maintaining the Chihuahua's unique facial structure.. Interestingly enough, they have personality traits, which are uncharacteristic of each parent breed, making them their own unique animal. They should be well groomed on a regular basis to maintain their look, as their hair is quite long and easily matted.

After the advent of the Taco Bell dog in the mid-90's, Taco Terriers became popular in the United States. They're a combination of a Chihuahua and a Toy Fox Terrier, and are just one of many Chihuahua-Terrier cross breeds.

Poodles are also often bred with Chihuahuas to create an interesting animal which combines various traits in a unique (although not very attractive) way. While they're bred often, they are not altogether popular and can often be found as strays on the streets or in rescue shelters.

Another common combination, although more for financial gain than of the breeder than the choice of the buyer, is a cross between a Chihuahua and a Miniature Pinsher. This results in a dog that looks like a pure-bred Chihuahua when it is very young, but as it gets older it quickly becomes evident that it's not as it gets much larger than a Chihuahua and with slightly different facial features.

Darren here, I run the Rare Dog Breeds web site. It carries information on many types of dog, including lots of information on the various types of Chiwawa Mix.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darren_R_Sturridge

Dog rescue

Dog Rescue - Do You Have What It Takes?

Volunteers are the unsung heroes of dog rescue. They put thousands of miles on their cars and vans transporting dogs, spend a lot of money that they are sometimes reimbursed for, but more likely are not, lose their hearts on a regular basis to abused, sick or injured dogs, senior dogs, puppies, three-legged, blind and deaf dogs; dogs that, were it not for these human guardian angels, would be euthanized unnecessarily or simply thrown away like garbage.

Every single one of these volunteers chooses rescue. Some volunteers make a deliberate choice to get involved. Still others adopt a dog from a rescue group and before they realize what's happened, they are spearheading the adoption activity in their community.

That's what happened to me 20 years ago when my family adopted our first ex-racing greyhound. Back then, the fact that ex-racers existed was little known outside of the dog racing industry. Less than a month after bringing our male, ex-racing greyhound, Comanche home, my husband and I were volunteering to transport dogs.

Five months after that, I had taken on a leadership role in coordinating all of the adoption activity between the race track in New Hampshire and the central and western areas of New York state. I held the title of Volunteer Director for 7 years.

You could say I have an insider's understanding of what it's like to be a volunteer for dog rescue organizations. Here are a few reasons why you might want to think about volunteering. Just to hold nothing back, I'll include one very important reason why you shouldn't volunteer.

If you've never had a dog, volunteering can be a rewarding way to learn about lots of different dogs or about one specific breed. Think you might want to learn about German Shepherds? Look for a German Shepherd rescue group in your area.

What about Dobermans, Pitt Bull Terriers, Jack Russells, or Boxers? For these and every breed of dog, there are breed specific rescue groups. Any one of them would welcome an extra pair of hands.

Before you contact any dog rescue groups, think about how much of your time you want to commit. If you've got a couple of hours over the weekend and like to drive, helping out with a transport might be a perfect use of your time. Regardless of when during the week you have time, be careful to set boundaries around your availability so that you don't end up living rescue 24 hours a day.

Are you dog-knowledgeable and is your yard fenced? You might want to think about providing foster care for a dog in need. This is a big time commitment. More importantly, it's an emotional commitment that will test your ability to love a dog on a short-term basis. This is also the biggest hole in any rescue group: the majority of groups can never have enough foster homes.

Are you dog-knowledgeable and unable to have a dog of your own? Find out if any of the dog rescue groups include obedience classes for their dogs waiting to be adopted. Maybe you can commit to taking one of their dogs to obedience.

There are other ways to volunteer if you don't want to have direct contact with the dogs. If you're a computer geek, offer to assist an organization with their web site or online promotional materials. What about offering to help set up and tear down for a public event where this group will be showcasing their dogs?

What about being a guardian angel for a dog that needs surgery before it can be adopted? Make a monetary donation that is within your budget and be supportive in a way that not everybody stops to think about.

That said, what about helping out with a fund raiser? Lack of funds is always a challenge for rescue groups and they are always looking out for ways to raise money.

You can see by this list, that there are lots of ways for you to become actively involved in dog rescue. If this is true, why would I caution you away from this type of volunteer work?

Quite simply, if you are one of those people afraid to have your heart broken not once, but more times than you'll be able to count, you may find this kind of volunteer work more than you bargained for. Dog rescue is not for the faint hearted. And, it will change you in ways you never imagined.

So, if you think that you're fine just the way you are and you never want to risk falling in love with God's creatures, stay away. Stay far away.

Kathy H Porter blogs about rescue dogs and how they transform our lives. Visit: http://www.healingrescuedogs.com to claim your free report for tips on how to change your behavior by what your dog can teach you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_H_Porter

Kinds of dogs

The Kinds of Dog Training Collars

Dog training collars come in a variety of types and sizes. When you want to train your dog, you'll want a strong collar that goes well with a sturdy leash, so you can keep your pet under control without hurting him too much. Therefore, it must also be one that fits around your dog's neck comfortably. Taking down the measurements of your dog, especially the area of his neck and head, with a measuring tape before going off to buy, would be wise.

Traditional dog training collars, or choke collars, are now classified by how they are fitted around the dog's neck. There are three popular kinds of choke collars: the limited choke collar, the choke chain, and the snap-around. All of these serve unique purposes, and some are only advisable to use for dogs who require special training.

The limited choke collar, for example, is used to train sled dogs and service dogs. The limited choke collar only fits snugly around the dog's neck. When you pull on it with a leash, it doesn't get any smaller than the size of the dog's head, so there's no pain involved for the dog, but it affords the user a great deal of force when used.

The choke chain collar is not at all very popular these days. It's made of an adjustable chain of heavy steel links, which contracts when pulled on with a leash. It used to be a popular training collar for large guard dogs. This is sort of a shock collar in that it chokes the dog severely if he tries to make a sharp, sudden movement; the more the dog struggles, the more the chain tightens. The chain only falls back into place once the dog relaxes.

The snap around choke collar is considered the healthiest overall, as it doesn't contract like the choke chain, and rides high on the dog's neck so it won't push against the windpipe even if the leash is pulled. You only need a minimum of force to guide the dog using this collar, and it keeps the dog's neck from snapping backward even in case of an accidentally strong pull.

The more high-tech dog training collars are remote-controlled, but you won't always need those if you're mostly after restraint. The difference between traditional and high-tech training collars is that with the latter, you can inflict corrective measures upon your dog at the push of a button - as with shock collars, tone collars and vibration collars. Shock collars are not recommended for use by a truly caring dog owner - these are considered inhumane and unhealthy for the dog's training progress.

Puppy-train.com provides you with information on dog barking, dog training collars, dog training schools, dog grooming supplies and homemade dog treats. Go to http://www.puppy-train.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_Mulholland