Dogs. Portrait of three breeds

Dogs - PORTRAIT OF THREE BREEDS

DACHSHUND:

weight: 3-9kg; height: 20-25cm; colour: red, yellow, black, brown, grey and white.

There are three different types of dachshunds: dogs with short hair, with "wire" hair and with long hair. The dachshund is a very old breed, the Teutons*)3 called this dog "bibarhunt", and the first written mention of it was found in scripts of the 9th and 10th century.

The dachshund is a hound, but today owners all over the world have got these dogs because they don't have special needs and they are friendly.

SIBERIAN HUSKY:

weight: 15-27kg; height: 50-59cm; colour: white, grey, black.

When the Eskimos went from Siberia to Alaska and Greenland, they took their dogs, which they called "chuchis", with them. For the Eskimos their dogs were the most valuable possession they had got. They used the Siberian husky for protecting their property, for pulling their sleighs and for walking along with their children. The Siberian husky is very friendly and confiding. Up to now a lot of people take the husky for sleigh-races, because it needs very much exercise.

GERMAN SHEPHERD:

weight: 22-40kg; height: 55-65cm; colour: black, brown, grey, white.

In the year 1899 Max von Stephanitz bought a five-year-old dog, called "Horand von Grafrath", which is known as the first German shepherd, at a little dog show. Since then this dog has become very popular in Germany. In the 1st World War it was used as a "first-aid dog", which was looking for hurt soldiers. After the war, American and English soldiers took German shepherds with them. Until the 1970s these dogs were called "Alsatians" in Britain. Today this dog is used by the police, for protecting people and houses, for leading blind people and for looking for drugs and hurt people in the snow.

HANDOUT FOR REPORT "DOGS"

In the time between 9500 and 7500 BC, man started to catch and domesticate wolves, which are known as the ancestors of our dogs.

It's not really sure because of what reasons people had got dogs in that time, but probably some dogs were used for pulling sleighs, others were used for tending the cattle. Later there existed hounds and greyhounds, too.

The beginning of the breeding, some thousand years ago, was influenced by the aspect of practicality. As hounds quick, slim animals were needed, as fighting dogs big, very strong animals, as sheepdogs calm and agile dogs and finally as companions for the whole family small dogs were preferred. Nowadays there are more than 500 different breeds. Some of the first breeds still exist today, but the most kinds of dogs were brought into being in the second half of the 19th century. The different physical qualities and characters are laid down in the standard of the FCI, a world wide organisation, which was founded in 1911.

Today people have got a lot of reasons for having a dog. But in most cases it shall give its owner pleasure, and the best known dog is the German shepherd.

Now I want to tell you about the development of puppies in the first six months of their lives. First a dog's behaviour results from instinct most, but later on it learns a lot and the world around it influences its development.

The first three weeks: The puppy is born after 63 days of pregnancy. Its eyes and ears are still closed, but it can smell and feel warmth. After its birth the puppy starts learning by looking for and finally finding milk. The second thing, that new-born dogs learn, is that they have to lie together in a group so that it's warm. When a puppy is three weeks old, its eyes open and its ears start hearing.

4th - 8th week ("forming stage"): Now the dog starts to explore the world in which it lives. What it experiences in that time will stay in its brain for its whole life. The puppy gets to know its family and the human being. The latter is very important because the dog should think of man as belonging to the same species as the dogs so that its life together with people will be without big problems. If a young dog doesn't have any contact with people, it will never be as friendly and confiding as a dog which was formed. At this age the puppy also learns how other dogs react in different situations.

8th - 14th week ("rehabilitation stage"): At this age the dog has to integrate in a community. It shows a big docility now and shows a high play instinct. When the puppy is ten weeks old it should be together with its new owner already. For the owner it is significant that he/she spends a lot of time with the dog now because the more an owner is playing with the dog in that time, the better their relationship will be. But the puppy also has to be educated now and it should follow the same rules as an adult dog.

4th - 6th month: In the pack the ranking develops now. The young wolves know, that a pack is only able to survive if it has got a good leader. They don't mind submitting and they enjoy the security that a good leader gives them. When they are six months old, every wolf has got its own place in the pack. The dog also wants to know where its place in the family is and so it starts testing its owner to find out if he/she is able to lead the "pack". For the man it is important that he stays consequent by following his rules.

After the first six months little dogs are not puppies any more and they reach sexual maturity. But not until one year they are fully grown and even not until two years they can be called an adult.

If you decide to buy a dog, bear in mind that it's not an animal that you can simply put in a cage like a bird or a rabbit. You can't let it alone either, for the whole day, like a cat. A dog needs a lot of time and the costs for food and vet and all the other things you will need, may be high. You also have to decide if you are ready to take responsibility for more than 10 years. And not least you will have to educate your dog, which can be very difficult and time-consuming. Finally a dog will bring a lot of dirt into your flat. Should you still be sure that a dog is the right pet for you, after good consideration, the whole family has to agree. So never give any pet as a present. At least there should be said that not just pure bred dogs are friendly and beautiful, also crossbred animals and dogs from animal homes need someone who looks after them.

That the dog is called "the best friend of man" is even marked by the great number of famous dogs, e.g. like Rintintin, Lassie, Snoopy, Beethoven and Rex, which are heroes of comics, films and TV series.

But there are not just imaginary heroes. The best known St Bernard before the character of "Beethoven" was created, was "Barry", who saved the life of 40 people. The 41st thought, Barry was a wild animal and killed him. Barry's monument stands at the dog-cemetery of Paris and his body is in the natural history museum of Bern.

ancestors - Vorfahren

submit - unterordnen

sleighs - Schlitten

consideration - _berlegung

tend - hüten

pure bred - reinrassig

hounds - Jagdhunde

crossbred dogs - Mischlinge

greyhounds - Laufhunde

breeding - Zucht

sheepdogs - Hirtenhunde

explore - erkunden

get to know - kennenlernen

pack - Rudel

ranking - Rangordnung