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Mixed breeds for dummies
Fields-Babineau, Miriam.
Adult Nonfiction SF426 .F54 2007
Fields-Babineau, Miriam.
Adult Nonfiction SF426 .F54 2007
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| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| About This Book | p. 1 |
| Conventions Used in This Book | p. 2 |
| What You're Not to Read | p. 2 |
| Foolish Assumptions | p. 2 |
| How This Book Is Organized | p. 3 |
| Part I - Just the Facts Ma'am | p. 3 |
| Part II - Living with Your Mixed-Breed Dog | p. 4 |
| Part III - Training 101 | p. 4 |
| Part IV - Keeping Your Dog Healthy | p. 4 |
| Part V - Having Fun with Your Dog | p. 5 |
| Part VI - The Part of Tens | p. 5 |
| Icons Used in This Book | p. 6 |
| Where to Go from Here | p. 6 |
| Part I - Just the Facts, Ma'am | p. 7 |
| Chapter 1 - Mixing it Up: Introducing the Mixed Breed | p. 9 |
| A Mutt by Any Other Name: Defining Mixed Breeds | p. 10 |
| A Tale of Two Dogs: How Mixed-Breed Dogs Come to Be | p. 11 |
| Even Toy Dogs Aren't Toys | p. 12 |
| They Don't Call 'Em Man's Best Friend for Nothin' | p. 13 |
| Chapter 2 - Designer Dogs: Not Your Mother's Mutt | p. 15 |
| The Pros and Cons of Designer Dogs | p. 16 |
| The pros | p. 16 |
| The cons | p. 16 |
| The Major "Labels" in the Designer-Dog World | p. 17 |
| Oodles of Poodles | p. 17 |
| A basket of Toys | p. 22 |
| Intelligent perceptions: Border Collie hybrids | p. 27 |
| Chapter 3 - A Little of This, a Little of That: Deciding Which Mixed Breed Is Right for You | p. 29 |
| Asking Yourself the Right Questions | p. 29 |
| Do you have enough time for a dog? | p. 29 |
| Do you have enough money for a dog? | p. 30 |
| Are you ready to give your heart to a dog? | p. 30 |
| Looking at the Different Breeds | p. 31 |
| On the hunt: The Sporting Group | p. 31 |
| Ain't nothin' but a hound dog: The Hound Group | p. 32 |
| Workin' like a dog: The Working Group | p. 33 |
| Tenacious terriers: The Terrier Group | p. 34 |
| Big personalities in small packages: The Toy Group | p. 36 |
| All shapes and sizes: The Non-Sporting Group | p. 37 |
| Round 'em up: The Herding Group | p. 38 |
| Considering Age: Puppy or Adult? | p. 39 |
| Gender Bender: Male or Female? | p. 41 |
| Adding It Up: The Right Dog for You | p. 41 |
| Chapter 4 - Choosing Your New Best Friend | p. 43 |
| Finding Your Very Own Mixed-Breed Dog | p. 43 |
| Breeders | p. 43 |
| Shelters | p. 45 |
| Rescue groups | p. 45 |
| Knowing Which Questions to Ask | p. 46 |
| Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match: Temperament Testing | p. 47 |
| Be gentle: Testing for touch sensitivity | p. 47 |
| What's that? Testing for movement and object sensitivity | p. 49 |
| Who's the boss? Testing for dominance and submission | p. 50 |
| I'll get that! Testing for possessiveness and retrieval ability | p. 54 |
| Follow the leader: Testing for social skills | p. 55 |
| Part II - Living with Your Mixed-Breed Dog | p. 57 |
| Chapter 5 - Getting Ready for Your Dog's Arrival | p. 59 |
| Dog-Proofing Your House | p. 59 |
| Removing chewing hazards | p. 60 |
| Protecting your furniture | p. 61 |
| Pushing up daisies: Giving your dog a place to dig | p. 62 |
| Born to run: Making sure your dog can't escape | p. 63 |
| Your Mixed-Breed Dog's Bedroom | p. 64 |
| Crate or pen? Your dog's first place to sleep | p. 64 |
| Thinking outside the box: Letting your dog sleep outside a crate or pen | p. 65 |
| Bedding | p. 65 |
| Giving Your Dog a Place to Eat | p. 66 |
| Stocking Up on Supplies | p. 66 |
| Collars and leashes | p. 66 |
| Dishes and bowls | p. 67 |
| Toys | p. 67 |
| Chapter 6 - Bringing Home Your Mixed Breed | p. 69 |
| Giving Your Dog the Guided Tour | p. 69 |
| Walking her in and showing her around | p. 70 |
| Greeting the family | p. 70 |
| Meeting other pets | p. 71 |
| Taking her out to do her business | p. 74 |
| Showing the dog her sleeping area | p. 75 |
| Fighting Those First-Night Blues | p. 76 |
| Scheduling Time for Your New Dog | p. 77 |
| Exercise and playtime | p. 77 |
| Feeding time | p. 78 |
| Potty time | p. 79 |
| Chapter 7 - Chasing the Chuckwagon: The Basics of Feeding | p. 81 |
| The Basics of Nutrition | p. 82 |
| Types of Dog Food | p. 83 |
| Commercial dog food: Canned or dry | p. 83 |
| Homemade food | p. 85 |
| Raw diet | p. 86 |
| Don't touch! Foods and plants that are poisonous to dogs | p. 87 |
| How Much to Feed | p. 88 |
| Feeding according to your dog's age | p. 89 |
| Feeding according to your dog's size | p. 90 |
| Special Dietary Needs | p. 90 |
| It's My Treat: Giving Your Dog a Little Something Extra | p. 91 |
| Chapter 8 - Grooming Your Mixed Breed | p. 93 |
| Why Grooming Matters: Inside and Out | p. 93 |
| Brushing Your Dog | p. 94 |
| Cleaning Your Dog's Ears | p. 95 |
| Look, Ma - No Cavities! Brushing Your Canine's Choppers | p. 97 |
| The Eyes Have It: Caring for Your Mixed Breed's Eyes | p. 98 |
| Mani/Pedi Time: Clipping Your Dog's Nails | p. 99 |
| Bathing Your Dog | p. 100 |
| Checking for Parasites | p. 101 |
| Preventing parasites | p. 102 |
| Curing parasites | p. 103 |
| The Daily Once-Over: Checking Your Dog for Problems | p. 103 |
| Chapter 9 - Exercising Your Dog | p. 105 |
| Knowing How Much Exercise Your Dog Needs | p. 105 |
| Puppies | p. 106 |
| Adult dogs | p. 107 |
| Older dogs | p. 109 |
| Finding an Activity Your Dog Enjoys | p. 109 |
| Walking | p. 110 |
| Jogging and running | p. 110 |
| Biking | p. 110 |
| Fetch | p. 111 |
| Hiking | p. 112 |
| Swimming | p. 113 |
| Horse and hound | p. 114 |
| Part III - Training 101 | p. 115 |
| Chapter 10 - Housetraining | p. 117 |
| When You Gotta Go: Looking for Your Dog's Warning Signs | p. 118 |
| Scheduling Potty Breaks | p. 119 |
| If you work away from home all day | p. 120 |
| If you work out of your house | p. 121 |
| If your schedule changes frequently | p. 121 |
| Crate-Training to Prevent Accidents | p. 122 |
| How the crate works | p. 122 |
| Introducing your dog to the crate | p. 123 |
| Teaching your dog to go in a specific area | p. 125 |
| Teaching your dog to get it done faster | p. 126 |
| Other Training Methods | p. 127 |
| Paper training | p. 127 |
| Using a litter pan | p. 128 |
| Watching for Success | p. 128 |
| Observing your dog | p. 129 |
| Giving freedom only when she earns it | p. 129 |
| Working on Some Advanced Housetraining Techniques | p. 130 |
| Training your dog to potty on command | p. 130 |
| You rang? Getting your dog to ring a bell when she has to go | p. 131 |
| Chapter 11 - Hup, Two, Three, Four: Good Manners and Basic Training | p. 133 |
| Preparing for Training | p. 133 |
| Targeting: The first step in training | p. 133 |
| Using a marker: The second step in training | p. 134 |
| Buying the right training tools | p. 135 |
| Making your voice and body work for you | p. 136 |
| Heel | p. 138 |
| Getting started: The basics of Heel | p. 138 |
| Trying the Heel off-leash | p. 141 |
| Sit | p. 142 |
| Down | p. 143 |
| Stay | p. 145 |
| Time | p. 145 |
| Movement | p. 147 |
| Distance | p. 148 |
| Come | p. 149 |
| The basics | p. 149 |
| Taking it up a notch: A game of Round Robin | p. 150 |
| Getting your dog to come from a Stay | p. 151 |
| Dealing with Distractions | p. 154 |
| Looking at the different levels of distraction | p. 154 |
| Introducing distractions to your dog | p. 155 |
| Helping your dog be reliable off-leash | p. 156 |
| Finding a Trainer | p. 157 |
| Chapter 12 - Tackling Mixed-Breed Training Challenges | p. 159 |
| Unpacking the Mental Baggage: Helping a Dog Who's Been Abused or Neglected | p. 160 |
| Alone and Frightened: Separation Anxiety | p. 160 |
| Recognizing the symptoms | p. 161 |
| Knowing what to do about it | p. 163 |
| Severe anxiety: When to seek outside help | p. 168 |
| No More Mr. Nice Guy: The Aggressive Dog | p. 170 |
| Recognizing the types of aggression | p. 170 |
| Knowing what to do about it | p. 172 |
| Jumping for Joy | p. 173 |
| Knowing why dogs jump | p. 173 |
| Keeping your dog's feet on the ground | p. 174 |
| Curing the insistent jumper | p. 175 |
| Chewing Your Dog Out for Chewing | p. 176 |
| Understanding why dogs chew | p. 176 |
| Solving the problem | p. 177 |
| From Beggar to Chooser: Getting Your Dog to Stop Begging at the Table | p. 180 |
| Nipping and Mouthing | p. 181 |
| Understanding why dogs nip and mouth | p. 182 |
| Preventing the problem | p. 182 |
| Curing the problem | p. 182 |
| Digging to the Center of the Earth | p. 183 |
| Knowing why dogs dig | p. 184 |
| Giving your dog a place to dig | p. 184 |
| Part IV - Keeping Your Dog Healthy | p. 187 |
| Chapter 13 - Finding and Working with a Vet | p. 189 |
| Choosing a Veterinarian | p. 189 |
| Spaying or Neutering Your Pet | p. 192 |
| Microchipping or Tattooing: Keeping Your Dog Safe | p. 193 |
| Keeping Up with Regular Healthcare | p. 194 |
| Regular checkups and yearly vaccinations | p. 194 |
| Baseline tests | p. 196 |
| Controlling parasites | p. 196 |
| Addressing Special Health Problems | p. 197 |
| Skin allergies | p. 197 |
| Food allergies | p. 197 |
| Appetite issues | p. 198 |
| Skeletal disorders | p. 198 |
| Chapter 14 - First Aid: Dealing with Emergencies | p. 199 |
| Gathering Emergency Contact Information | p. 199 |
| Assembling Your Canine First-Aid Kit | p. 201 |
| First-Aid Basics | p. 202 |
| Allergies | p. 202 |
| Bloat | p. 203 |
| Broken bones or dislocations | p. 203 |
| Burns | p. 204 |
| Choking | p. 204 |
| Cuts | p. 204 |
| Diarrhea | p. 204 |
| Heat stroke | p. 205 |
| Hypothermia | p. 205 |
| Insect bites | p. 206 |
| Poisoning | p. 206 |
| Puncture wounds | p. 207 |
| Run-ins with wild animals | p. 207 |
| Seizures | p. 207 |
| Shallow wounds | p. 208 |
| Shock | p. 208 |
| Snake bites | p. 208 |
| Vomiting | p. 209 |
| If You Lose Your Dog | p. 209 |
| Before your dog is lost: Getting proper identification | p. 209 |
| What to do when your dog is lost | p. 210 |
| Chapter 15 - The Special Needs of Senior Dogs | p. 211 |
| How Old Is Old: Knowing When Your Dog Has Earned Senior Status | p. 211 |
| The Early-Bird Special: Feeding Your Senior Dog | p. 213 |
| Use It or Lose It: Exercising Your Senior Dog | p. 214 |
| Social time with other dogs | p. 214 |
| Walks with you | p. 214 |
| Identifying Health Problems Common to Seniors | p. 215 |
| Hearing loss | p. 215 |
| Blindness | p. 216 |
| Arthritis | p. 216 |
| Digestive disorders | p. 216 |
| Cancer | p. 217 |
| Dementia | p. 217 |
| Depression | p. 218 |
| Recognizing Behavior Problems That Sometimes Come with Age | p. 219 |
| Saying Goodbye | p. 220 |
| Part V - Having Fun With Your Dog | p. 223 |
| Chapter 16 - Not Just for Purebreds: Showing Off with Your Mixed Breed | p. 225 |
| Participating in a Mixed-Breed Dog Club | p. 225 |
| Competing in obedience matches and dog shows | p. 226 |
| Competing in agility | p. 228 |
| Competing in Rally-O | p. 229 |
| Media Hound: Getting Your Dog on Camera | p. 230 |
| Knowing what animal agents look for | p. 230 |
| Preparing for work | p. 231 |
| What to expect when your dog performs in front of the camera | p. 232 |
| Chapter 17 - Traveling with Charley | p. 233 |
| Deciding Whether to Bring Your Dog with You | p. 233 |
| Finding Pet-Friendly Places to Stay | p. 234 |
| Packing for Your Trip | p. 235 |
| Traveling by Car | p. 236 |
| Flying with Your Dog | p. 237 |
| What to do before you leave | p. 238 |
| Caring for your dog before and after the flight | p. 239 |
| Leaving Your Dog Behind | p. 240 |
| Finding an in-home sitter | p. 240 |
| Knowing what to look for in a kennel | p. 241 |
| Part VI - The Part of Tens | p. 243 |
| Chapter 18 - Ten Reasons to Spay or Neuter Your Dog | p. 245 |
| It Doesn't Cost Much - and It May Be Free! | p. 246 |
| Breeding Is Time-Consuming and Expensive | p. 246 |
| You Reduce Your Dog's Risk of Cancer | p. 247 |
| You Help Control the Number of Unwanted Dogs in the World | p. 248 |
| Your Dog Won't Be as Likely to Stray from Home | p. 248 |
| Your Dog Will Be on Her Best Behavior | p. 249 |
| Your Dog Will Be Easier to Housetrain | p. 249 |
| Reproduction Can Be Risky | p. 249 |
| Your Dog Will Be a Better Watchdog | p. 250 |
| Your Dog Isn't You | p. 250 |
| Chapter 19 - Ten Fun Activities You and Your Mixed Breed Can Enjoy Together | p. 251 |
| Competing with Your Dog at the Classic K-9 Show | p. 252 |
| Participating in United Kennel Club Events | p. 252 |
| Having Fun at Mixed Breed Dog Clubs of America Events | p. 253 |
| Training Your Dog to Dive | p. 253 |
| Joining the Fun at the Australian Shepherd Club of America | p. 254 |
| Camping and Hiking: Finding Fun Outdoor Activities | p. 254 |
| Helping Your Dog Become a Good Citizen | p. 254 |
| Help Your Dog Help Other People | p. 255 |
| Dancing with Your Mixed Breed | p. 256 |
| Flying High with Flyball | p. 256 |
| Index | p. 257 |
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