Honey & Sugar Great For Your First Aid Kit

For many years people have used honey and sugar to treat wounds. Both are great items to add to your cabinet, if you don't already have them. You might even put a small plastic bottle of honey, in your first aid kit for hunting.

Honey and Sugar have many benefits for treating wounds.

1. Applying a generous amount of sugar or honey can keep the injured cells from dying and actually aid in regenerating new cells.
2. Honey or Sugar applied to a wound can draw out inflammation. 
3. And last, they both can fight against infection. They are both very clean and act as an antibacterial.  Bacteria do not like sugar or honey and will avoid it. 

Sugar and Honey will work the same, but because honey is so thick, it covers the wound a little better. After applied, wound should be covered or wrapped. Using sugar or honey is a great way to treat a wound until you can reach a hospital or doctor. And the best thing is, it works for humans and animals.

Did You Know ? Interesting Dog Facts -#2

Did You Know?

Obesity is the #1 health problem in dogs.
Humans have kept dogs as pets for over 12,000 years.
Dogs judge objects first by their movement, then by their brightness, and lastly by their shape.
All dogs are direct descendants of wolves.
Boxers are so named because of their manner of playing with their front paws.
The oldest living dog was a Queensland Heeler named "Bluey. He lived 29 years and 5 months. Average lifespan is about 15 years.
More than 5,000,000 puppies are born in the U.S. every year.
More than 1 in 3 American families have a dog.
Dogs are natural pack animals and they are naturally submissive to any creature with higher pack status -  human or canine. That's why owner leadership is so important.
Dogs instinctively require the pack leaders approval.
Dogs who have little contact with humans in the first three months, typically don't make good pets. Handling is extremely important for socialization.

Have a Great Day everyone! And don't forget to hug your dog!

Did You Know That? Facts About Dogs #1

Did You Know?...................


Dogs are NOT color blind. They just don't see the saturation of the colors as we do.

This is how I imagine the difference.

Dogs only have sweat glands in one place  -  between their paw pads.

This is a picture of a Lundehune. Lundehune's are born with 6 toes and can close their ears! (how convenient for the males!)

The average dog's mouth exerts 150 - 200 pounds of pressure per square inch.....with some dogs exerting up to 450 pounds per inch.

Greyhounds are the fastest dogs on earth, with speeds of up to 45 miles per hour.

A dog's nose prints are as unique as a human's finger prints and can be used to accurately identify them. (bad news for the chicken thieves)

A dog's smell is more than 100,000 times stronger than that of a human.

The longer a dogs nose, the more effective it's internal cooling system.


An African wolf dog known as the basenji is the only dog in the world that cannot bark.

 

African Wolf dog - Besenji

Dogs don't have a sense of "time". ( I have to second guess this one)

Hope you've found these little tidbits to be of interest.  Pop Quiz on Friday. (giggle)

How Our Dogs Learn From Our Human Behavior

Ever feel like you're being watched? Well, you are! Your dog watches everything you do when you and your dog are together. If you don't believe me, just try eating a sandwich when you think he isn't looking.

Most likely, he will be begging, or staring you down for a bite of that sandwich in no time. The longer your dog has known you, the better he knows you and your habits.
Dogs are like children in the sense that they learn from repetition and reward. Unlike children, it only takes twice, maybe three times to be habit for the dog especially if food is involved.  Food is a great motivator in training.

Your dog will know when you go to the kitchen to make food. He will recognize when you are leaving for the day, or a trip. He will know if you are energetic, or even sad. He knows when to beg for food or a treat, to get a response.

He knows what the can opener is for!

Our dogs learn all this by watching our cues. The movement of our arms, the tone of our voices, and our actions, all tell our dogs what is going on in their world. They watch. They learn. They remember. And they respond. What bird hunter, can't say, that he could put on his hunting vest and boots, then pick up his gun and hat and walk out of the house without his bird dog knowing? I know for a fact it can't be done in my house.

There was an interesting study done on how the canine learns and thinks, when it comes to interacting with humans. Science Daily published an article on the subject and you can read that at:

Canine Connection: Study Explores How Dogs Think and Learn About Human Behavior

You Can't Sneak Up On Your Dog

Did you know that your dog is capable of learning the sound of your vehicle? No matter what you drive, your pooch will eventually learn the sound of it and know when you return home. They will hear you coming before you pull into the drive. Not only that, they will memorize the sound and rhythm of your foot steps approaching the door. They know the difference between you and your neighbors. You just can't sneak up on your dog!

So much for that surprise party!!

Oh Well.

Linking to Verde Farms, Farm Friend Friday

The Amazing Dog and Odor Layering

If you're an experienced bird dog man or woman, you probably already know what odor layering is. But if you don't I will explain it now.

When we make a pot of vegetable beef soup, we add the individual ingredients all together in a pot and simmer it up until it smells like "soup". You may sell the bay leaf, or the beef,  but in general, you smell the odor of the combined ingredients. If your dog is in the house he's smelling that same pot of soup, only he can smell the individual ingredients. The carrots, the potatoes, the meat, the spices, all individually. This is odor layering.

Odor sort of hoovers like fine baby powder then settles to the ground. Many things can interfere with a dogs ability to find  odor. Ultraviolet rays and wind can break down an odor.

So doesn't it seem almost impossible for a dog to pick up on an odor that is days, or weeks old? Does to me, but they do.  And some blood Hounds have actually been known to track the odor of a human down the road and down the interstate for miles and miles. I saw a test they did on "Dog Genius" on Nat Geo Wild, myself. It's hard to believe but true.

Amazing Dogs with amazing noses!

Are Dogs Picking Up Our Human Behavior?

Have you ever thought, "This dog thinks he's human?" I know I have. And it was usually because of something smart my dog surprised me with.  Like manipulate me into getting up from my comfortable couch to get them a treat, cookie, or chew bone. And sometimes, it can just be a look. A certain, eye to eye contact, that is not staring, but mutual.  A meeting of the minds.

The Max Planck Institute, in Leipzig, Germany is studying just how much human behavior our dogs are capable of learning and understanding. For instance, do dogs understand it when we extend our arm and fore finger and point? Studies show they do, approximately 90% of the time. Hidden food was the reward in the test. 

Studies were also done to test how dogs perceive  our eye movements. Could a person use their eyes to "direct" a dog to where the food is hidden, with no other clues?  Once again, studies show they can.

The eyes are very important when it comes to communication. Here is an interesting test they did, to find out how important it is for your dog to see your face and eyes when communicating.

They put 3 people in a room and set them each in a chair. Person #1 had no obstruction of the face or eyes. Person #2 had a blind fold covering the eyes only. Person #3 had a red bucket completely covering their head and eyes. A dog was brought in and instructed to beg from the human. In every test, the dog would choose Person #1 whose head and eyes could be seen. Seeing your face and eyes are an important part of communication.

Another example of this was a test they done with 2 humans and a dog. One human laid a treat down and instructed the dog to leave it alone. Then the human just sat there with their eyes open, looking straight ahead. The dog was a little temped, but didn't touch the treat.  Next they placed a person in a room who laid down the treat and again instructed the dog to leave it alone. But this time, the person sat with their head straight ahead, eyes closed. Guess what? The dog walked around the treat once or twice, then ate it! This shows that dogs are aware of what we can see when our eyes are open.  They apparently won't touch the treat if we've got an eye on them, but if we fall asleep, the dog has no conscious at all!

"Mapping" is a technique, that was once thought of as a human behavior, not something that canines were capable of. Studies have proved this theory to be wrong. "Mapping" is this: Lets say your dog has 10 toys and he knows the names of each one. You buy a new toy, name it "red toy" and put it in the mix, and then ask your dog to fetch the "red toy". The dog knows the name of all his toys and by the process of elimination, he figures out which one is the "red toy".  We teach this to first graders as well. The child has a picture of a pig, a cow, and a crow.  The child is asked to circle the crow. The child already knows what a pig and a cow are, so the other one must be the crow. Again, it's the process of elimination. It's amazing that some dogs are capable of this kind of "thinking and reasoning".

I think this stuff is amazing. I've always believed that dogs are smarter than some humans we give them credit for. I'm so glad to see studies being done. I think human lives are improved ten fold with animals, but especially dogs. We are only beginning to know how helpful they can be in our society and just how much they are capable of.

Do you think you could hide food some place in a room and direct your dog to it, with only a point, or eye movement, and no other clues? Most bird dogs are taught to pay attention to cues and whistles  from their master, as well as most working breeds.  But how about the eyes? Can you direct you dog with just eye contact? Go ahead. Try it.


For the paper on the study, Click this: Human-Like Social Skills in Dogs?  You should find it online in PDF form.

Oxytocin - The Love Hormone

Oxytocin is a mammalian hormone that plays a major part in female reproduction.  Often called the "Love hormone", it makes us feel all soft and fuzzy inside and the next thing you know, we've fallen in love!

 

 

In dogs, the hormone is released in the mother during birth and nursing. This hormone tells the mother that she is doing what she is suppose to be doing, nursing her puppies.

Oxytocin helps the Momma dog to feel relaxed and calm. 

 Oxytocin aids puppies in bonding with the mother and humans as well. 

 It plays a part in what makes us adults crumble into a pile over a litter of cute cuddly puppies. The "Awwwww" factor. 

I guess I should have posted this for ♥Valentines Day, but heck,  Love is great anytime, right?!

For more info on the hormone Oxytocin, please click here :Wikipedia

National Pet Owners Survey Stats

Just in case Inquiring minds want to know, the following information came from the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey.

There are approx. 77.5 million owned dogs in the U.S.

Thirty-nine percent of U.S. households own at least one dog.

Most owners own one dog. About 67%.

Twenty-four percent of owners, own two dogs.

Nine percent of owners, own three or more dogs. We would be in the "or more" category!

The proportion of male to female dogs is even.

Nineteen percent of owned dogs, were adopted from an animal shelter. YEP-PEE!!

Seventy-five percent of owned dogs are spayed or neutered.
Even Better!

I was happy that 19% were adopted. Even though we breed Gordon Setters, there are a lot of dogs who need homes and I love hearing successful adoption stories!

I know some of you have adopted dogs.  And Thank You for that!

So There you have it.
The dog gone dog facts of the day!

How Many Taste Buds Do Your Pets Have?

How many taste buds does your dog have in his mouth? Would you believe 1700? Sound like a lot? Not really. A human has 9000.

 Pigs and goats have 15,000 and a calf has 25,000!

Pigs and goats eat everything and calves only eat grass. So why do they need so many taste buds? hummm

 And you know how finicky cats are, right? They  only have 473.





Well that just goes to show ya,  there's just no explaining taste!