“It’s a dog’s life,” the saying goes, but you can make your little one’s life even richer. Here are some ideas:

1. Plan playtime. Make a date with your puppy each and every day to help socialize him. Race him to the park, or recite poetry. You choose. He wACill bask in your undivided attention no matter what you do.

2. Take a road trip. He’ll love riding shotgun to the ice cream store, the post office or to pick up bagels. Roll down the window so he gets a bit of a breeze on the way there.

3. Cuddle up. Even if your spouse hates tearjerkers, we’re sure your puppy will embrace them. He also won’t keep track of how many Kleenex you use.

4. Hit the water. Nearly every breed of dog loves H20, so prance through puddles, leap into lakes or race through a river.

5. Give him a bath. After all that wading in the stinky pond down the street, give him a nice bubble bath with specially formulated puppy shampoo.

6. Beat the heat. Exercise with your pup in the early morning hours and enjoy that sunrise you’ve missed the past few years.

7. Walk, walk, walk. To the grocery store. To your neighbor’s house. To the elementary school to pick up your kids. You’ll be surprised what a good time you’ll both have smelling life’s roses.

8. Do a dance. Your puppy loves your moves — no matter how lame they are. Crank up Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy,” clip a leash on him and pretend you are at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

9. Teach him a new trick. Start with fetch and move right on up to cleaning the garage and doing taxes.

10. Tell him about your boss. Or your boyfriend. And everything in between. You puppy will gladly listen to your dish — and he promises never to tell.

11. Snap his mug. You might not be William Wegman, but you’ll both have a ball doing a photo shoot.

12. Check out your local breed club. You’ll learn more about your puppy and meet new friends — for both of you.

13. Register with AKC or CKC. You’ve put in a lot of work teaching your pup to mind (and you’ve already practiced on the cat walk — see tip #8), so go ahead and make things official.

14. Learn to speak Puppy. He is, after all, learning to speak English at your behest. The least you can do is to take time to study his body language so that you know how he’s feeling.

15. Bring a blankie. Make your vacation easier on him by leaving him with a lovey when you kennel him.

16. Let him sniff. Your life isn’t so busy that you can’t let him take an extra-long whiff at the fire hydrant. Such olfactory communication is essential for puppies learning about the world.

17. Tag him. Millions of puppies are lost each year. Make sure yours isn’t one of them by updating his charms religiously.

18. Get him fixed. Animals who’ve had The Operation lead longer, healthier lives. Plus, you’ll be doing your part to curb overpopulation.

19. Let him chew. Yes, it can be a pain, but it is also developmentally appropriate for puppies. Quit complaining and purchase high-quality chews at pet specialty stores then let him have at it.

20. Enjoy your puppy. With all that goes into raising a pup, it is easy to forget to simply be with him. After all, in a few short months, you’ll be missing this phase — chewing and all.

October is Adopt-a-Dog month.  Have you been thinking about getting a dog, but have a certain breed in mind?  One of the biggest misconceptions is that there are no pure-bred dogs in adoption centers.  That is not true at all!

There are rescue organizations that rescue many different dogs.  Some focus solely on pulling dogs that are on ‘death row’.  Some may only take small dogs, others may take large dogs.  Some take seniors, others only puppies.  Some may take special needs dogs- dogs that need medications, blind dogs, deaf dogs.   Many adoption centers rely on contacting rescue groups to take in a certain dog they may have at the shelter.  We need all of these rescues- they play a valuable part in finding dogs new homes!

For just about every breed of dog, there is a rescue for that breed.  These rescues generally take in pure-breeds that have been left at the adoption center for various reasons.  Or perhaps they are contacted by the owner themselves.

One of the advantages in adopting a pure-breed dog through a rescue is that the people in those groups know the pros and cons of the breed.  Of course, we know the saying ‘There are no bad dogs, just bad owners’ but some breeds are just better suited for certain people than others.  For example, it’s probably not the best fit to have a Australian Shepherd live in an apartment with no plan for exercising.

However, a Bichon may work out just fine!  The resources and knowledge of the pure-breed rescue is invaluable.

Speaking of Bichon’s!  My good friend Bev was on the search for a new dog when her long time four-legged companion, Bailey the Bichon, passed away earlier this year.  She knew she would never be able to replace Bailey, but knew it was time to open her doors to a new dog.  Any dog that gets to call Bev’s house their home is one lucky dog.  Bev made the long journey to a Bichon Rescue in Phoenix when word got out that they had a little 3-4 month old male Bichon mix that needed a home.  2 words:  Spoiled.  Rotten.  As all dogs should be.  Read his rescue tale here

There are multiple places that you can find listings of pure-breed rescues in your area.  Call your local adoption center to see if they can recommend someone.  Also try your Veterinarian, dog trainer, groomer, pet sitter or boarding kennel.

For online help, the AKC has a large database of Pure Breed Rescues available at http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm.

There are three basic patterns of breeding animals: inbreeding, linebreeding and outcrossing. There are several interpretations on determining the point of difference between inbreeding and linebreeding.  Generally speaking inbreeding can be considered a breeding of son to mother, father to daughter, brother to sister, and half-brother to half-sister. Linebreeding is the mating of dogs that are closely related to the same ancestor but are generally not related at all through any other ancestor. When a dog is said to be “linebred” it usually means they are related through both the sire and the dam to one particular ancestor. An outcrossed pedigree would be one in which an individual has no common ancestors in the first three or four generations.

There are other factors that have to be considered besides just a paper pedigree before deciding a breeding.  By selecting by pedigree alone without considering the physical traits of the animals can lead to great disappointments! A complete evaluation of the individuals themselves is essential for any success to be expected. The foundation of a successful breeding program must begin with the physical characteristics of the animals themselves and not the pedigrees alone.

If you study pedigrees of successful breeders, you will see some definite patterns in most all pedigrees that are linebred.  Patterns most frequently seen are grandfather to granddaughter, grandfather to double granddaughter, son to granddaughter and son t double granddaughter, grandson to granddaughter, and grandson to double granddaughter.  Depending on the quality of the mother or father, there will also be evidence of inbreeding in pedigrees that is used to get to reach a desired trait.

When researching a pedigree for breeding purposes, you should look for an animal that is inbred or linebred on your ideal individual in your breed. Remember, if you linebreed or inbreed on a mediocre dog, you will only produce more mediocrity! Only those animals that are of “superior” quality should be selected for inbreeding or linebreeding. Careful consideration should be made for the selection of the breeding female. Think about it – where a male becomes the sire of hundreds the female becomes the mother of tens.   Since it is much easier to trace a distinctive type among the comparatively few descendants of one mother, it is possible to make valuable use of female influence.

It can be difficult to obtain a stellar bitch to start out with; most of us start with an “average” bitch.  The best breeding practice to take in this situation would be to mate her with a stud whose structure approaches the ideal, thus “breeding up” through him.

No two people will select for quite the same traits within a breed, it is an evolution.   People all have different focus areas, some can be on a head, others, fronts, still others, soundness, until a “look” for the breeder is established.  A well established breeder’s dogs can be easily picked out in the show ring.  They are stamped with their certain “look”.

Breeding to the top winner is not always the road to success, as a top winner is not always a consistent or even a good producer.

The third pattern found in pedigrees is the outcross. Usually a breeder of an established line will only outcross for a definite purpose.   The initial attempt of an outcross utilizing two “excellent” animals can exhibit many of the good points of both parents. When these puppies make their debut in the show ring and are successful, many breeders rush to make similar breedings. Unfortunately, without a clear cut purpose in mind, the resulting generations of this outcross will often show a great lack of uniformity – which will leave the less experienced breeders at a loss of what mating to make next. This only further helps to make the breed one of differing types in size and proportion.

It is imperative for the beginning breeder to obtain some knowledge of genetics and also a complete understanding of the breed standard of the breed to which he is committed. Not until these two steps are taken can one be considered serious in his protection and advancement of a breed instead of just wanting to play the “game” of winning in the show ring.

Big dogs need big nutrition.  This formula contains glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. . It’s formulated to support healthy joints.  23% protein and 13% fat, Eukanuba Pure Large Breed Adult contains our clinically proven DentaDefense© that reduces tartar buildup in 28 days.  Formulated free of fillers, corn, or artificial preservatives, we guarantee the Omega 6:3 ratio that is also proven to promote skin and coat health.  As with all the Eukanuba Pure formulas, this bag is resealable!

Ingredients Panel

Chicken, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken Meal (natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), Ground Whole Grain Barley, Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Potassium Chloride, Natural Flavor, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Fructooligosaccharides, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), DL-Methionine, Rosemary Extract

This formula is available in 15lb and 30lb bags.  It is only available in the US.

Feed your adult dog this formula with DentaDefense, that is clinically proven to reduce tarter build-up in 28 days.  Also formulated free of fillers, corn and artificial preservatives, this formula is 25% protein and 16% fat.  Containing natural FOS for healthy digestion and strong defenses, this formula will also promote skin and coat health with OmegaCoat© that guarantees the optimal fatty acid ratio that is clinically proven to promote skin and coat health.  As with all the Eukanuba Pure formulas, this bag is resealable!

Here are the ingredients:

Chicken, Chicken Meal, Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Beet Pulp, Dried Egg Product, Potassium Chloride, Natural Flavor, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Choline Chloride, Fructooligosaccharides, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Monosodium Phosphate, Rosemary Extract

This formula is available in 4.5lb, 15lb, and 30lb bags.  It is only available in the US.