What Kind of Dog is That?

This picture was in a post from the Animal Farm Foundation. The puppies and their full-bred parents were the idea for this topic and post.  

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These dogs were part of a study from from 1965. The conversation about visual breed identification started then.

The dad is a purebred Basenji and the mom a purebred Cocker Spaniel

A dog has about 20,000 genes.  Variations in only about 50 genes determine the physical look of the dog.  That's .25%. On a 100-yard football field, that is less than 1 foot, only 9 inches.  The Animal Farm Foundation created this fabulous graphic about the genetic uniqueness of every dog.

Infographic: All Dogs are Individuals
by Animal Farm Foundation

_{Click to see the full image}

This topic was my subject for the Talking Animals Radio Show on 19 October 2016. My guest was Kristen Auerbach, Deputy Chief Animal Services Officer of Austin Animal Center. You can search for the broadcast date, 2016-10-19, and listen by clicking here.

Over time, I have invited people to send me pictures of their dog and the Wisdom Panel report from the DNA test. Below, you will see some dogs and their report, and others, just the dog. For those, what kind of dog do you think it is? We want to hear your guesses in the comments below!   

 

 

Meet Toffee

Toffee is 1/4 Australian Shepard, 1/4 Chinook, 1/4 Beagle and 1/4 mixed (which must be where the ears came from!)

 

 

Meet Hattie

What kind of dog is Hattie?  Make your guesses in the comments.

 

 

Meet Micki

Micki is 1/4 English Setter, 1/4 Labrador Retriever, 1/4 Rottweiler and 1/4 Russell Terrier

 

 

Meet Niko

What kind of dog is Niko?  Make your guesses in the comments.

 

 

Meet Ella Blue and Roxy

What kind of dog is Roxy? Make your guesses in the comments.

What kind of dog is Ella Blue?  Make your guesses in the comments.

 

 

Meet Paddington

Paddington is quite the mix. The report identified five breeds!  What do you think they are? Make your guesses in the comments. 

Sometimes You Just Have to Try It

Buddy is the tan dog in this video. If a Dog Companion was walking a dog while Buddy was in his run, he would bark wildly and jump at the gate (something I wish I had also videoed!).

One morning I decided to find out if it was aggression or fence frustration (barrier reactivity). This is Buddy and Ariel.  They were both adopted a few days after this video was shot.

  

10 Minutes of non-stop high energy play

Teaching puppies how to play

Apollo is a 7-month old terrier mix that was surrendered to the Humane Society.  Pearl is nearly 2 year old mix and is a fabulous player.  I used Pearl to teach Apollo good play manners.

Buddy Play

We allow certain dog companions to conduct Buddy Play, where they take two dogs that I selectively pair into the play yard.  This is a good example of Buddy Play.  Brody is the white dog and Asia is the tan dog.  Notice that there is no interaction from the humans in the yard.  This is all about the dogs.  What I love about Brody and Asia is that they go back and forth with the advantage--one moment on top and the next on their back.

Timing

Emma is a short, female American Staffordshire Terrier mix and Buddy is a tall, male mix of who-knows-what.  They have a great time playing together.  When I watched this video the first time, I wasn't sure if I saw what I though I saw.  I watched it again and yes, Emma ran under Buddy!


Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Diversity

I love a diverse pack of dogs.  We have a mix of Great Dane, Bloodhound/Coonhound, Boxer, American Staffordshire Terrier and Mutt.

     

You can click here to see the video.

Just another fun day of play with dogs that just met.


You can also click here to view the video.

Xena and Domino having a great time

Love watching these two crazy dogs play!

You can also click here to watch the video

Last week they had a home. Each returned, different reason. First time playing together @HumaneTampaBay #shelterdogs pic.twitter.com/ZDghq0bY3z
— GlenHatchell (@HomeBuddiesTPNE) December 30, 2014

Olaf and Rigo play in the rain

Olaf is the white 9-month old hound mix and Rigo is the dark 8-month old terrier mix.  Olaf might be the most playful dog I have had in playgroups.  This was part of their 20-minute routine during a rainy morning.

Click here to view the video.

Welcome to playgroups, Dexter!

Watch Dexter as he greets other dogs and begins to play.   He was returned to the Humane Society for being too active. This is his first time in playgroups. This video shows how his play increased the longer he was out. The video was probably over a 20 minute period.

Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

On TV talking about dog training

Nash McCutchen from HSTB and I visited the set of Daytime TV to talk about dog training. In this clip, I have Nola, a 5-month old hound mix that was returned to HSTB because she was too big. She had been adopted when she was 2-months old. I immediately put her into playgroups to watch her interactions with other dogs. I fell in love.

You can click here to watch the video

Give and Take

One characteristic of a dog who plays good with other dogs is that they take turns on which one has the advantage. In this video, Max lets Dean have most of the advantage.

You can click here to view the video.

Bambi the Skillful One

Bambi shows off her talents.

View the video here.

Almost every playgroup session has a calm period

If there is another enrichment program that is more valuable than playgroups, please let me know what it is. This video captures what most playgroup sessions are like. There is a first-timer, a puppy, an unsure older dog and a mix of others. When we let them be dogs, Zen-like moments happen. 

You can click here to watch video

Rarely do I allow toys during playgroups, but there are exceptions!

Talking on the radio about Shelter Dog Playgroups

Talking Animals is a radio program broadcast weekly on WMNF 88.5fm in Tampa, FL.  On June 18, 2014, I hosted the program and the subject was PLAY in animal welfare. I talked about Shelter Dog Playgroups at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and I interviewed Aimee Sadler, Director of Training and Behavior at the Southhampton Animal Shelter Foundation about her Dogs Playing for Life program. To listen to the program on the Archives, click here and select the 06/18/2014 program.

Using Shelter Dog Playgroups to assess behavior concerns

I was told that Pluto had been reacting to other dogs in a crazy manner, so I spent a little time with him.  It seemed obvious to me that playing with other dogs in Shelter Dog Playgroups would be highly beneficial for Pluto.    

Summer fun