About dogs april june 2014

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on the coveron the coveron the cover

Draws of dogs by Jean Louis de Buffon

(18.th Century)

"Dear friends near and far," said a well-known Ita-

lian television presenter, we are here with you to ce-lebrate the more than 8000 views of the first issue of

About dogs. A great result. Thank you for having enjoyed our i-

tems and our desire to make information.

We are here with the new number, new articles. We talk about the history of the leash, that of the Jack

Russell Terrier, the wolf of the grand paradiso and

much more. As for the magazine Cinofili Stanchi we always try

to bring news and information science. We hope all this will be acceptable.

Good reading.

T H E S T A F F O F A B O U T D O G S

2

Editorial 2 The Wolf of the Grand Paradiso 4

The origin of social behavior - Part two 8 The history of the Jack Russell Terrier 10 Do you use a bid ora a collar? 12

Are we that different from dogs? 16 A look into your eyes 19

Twenty years of puppies 21 Protohistory and history of the leash 24 Malva 27

Dogs in Poetry: I started Early - Took my dog 30 Canine Jokes 33

INDEXINDEX

3

by Angelo Romanò - Moist

air, that at down invades

your still warm lungs, not

yet accostomed to breathing

it, temperatures still low for

the season, fresh particles

of water suspended in the

air that you can feel on the

skin, it is hard to start, to

focus my vision in the nar-

row muddy and rocky

paths, slippery to the point

that two legs are not enough

to support myself, legs are

already tired from the previ-

ous climbing with slopes

and trails on the edge of

balance, slippery paths be-

cause of their southern posi-

tion and the heavy rain

from the previous day, the

heartbeat and shortness of

breath rumble in the ears,

and overpower most of the

senses, the wind coming

from the valley carries the

echo of the river, infinite

woods, trees, foliage and

landscapes that after a while

all look the same to the un-

experienced eye, but tso di-

versified to those who know

them very well, animal and

human sweats scents car-

ried by the wind, leave a

nearly indelible trace be-

hind, the sound of footsteps

in the distance amplified by

the load you carry, a load

not suitable for an environ-

ment like this, your short-

ness of breath, your uncoor-

dinated movements, signs

of fatigue, are heard clearly

its ears and an exact point

in space for his views. Yes,

because he is there, aware,

still, observing you from

afar on top of the mountain,

calm, quiete and perfectly

camouflaged in the vegeta-

tion.

He listens to your sounds

and movements. His pres-

ence makes you realize that

this is his home, his land,

his environment, where he

leaves marks on the path

that only a keen eye with an

exceptional sense of smell

may be able to spot. The

clear howling in the dis-

tance confirms his undis-

puted presence, warning all

the creatures around.

September 5-8, heading for

the Park Gran Paradiso, 750

kilometres of protected bio-

diversity that we think it’s

hosting a pack of wolves.

Then out to the field where

we will be able to observe

the ancestor of the dog or-

ganized by the Canislupus

Italy association ( http://

www.canuslupus.it ), a cen-

ter for the study and docu-

mentation on the wolf. The

participation is very high

and packed with excep-

tional human beings, capa-

ble of forming a cohesive

group amongo strangers

willing to share their ex-

perience and knowledge.

It is thought that migration

and new settlements of the

wolf in Val Soana started

from the Apennines cross-

ing the Alps to the north in

Piemonte and Valle d' Aosta

up to the end of Gran Para-

diso Park. Here on the

mountains the presence of

ungulates (chamois, boar),

foxes and other small ani-

mals make up the diet of the

wolf, a primary resource .

Many are the unknown fac-

tors that separate planning

from reality. The weather

conditions, the constant re-

locations to find the obser-

vation points, instruments

(verifications and settings)

and much more. Everything

has been ready for some-

time now, and many people

like me are waiting for this

moment. Different people

with different jobs, different

experiences and but with

the same strong motiva-

tion .

The beginning of the camp

has a great start, having

joined a ranger for an in-

spection at a breeder who

has suffered the loss of a

lamb by an alleged preda-

tion (however this case had

nothing to do with wolves),

we hear in the distance the

howl of the wolves. At first

the strong wind covered the

sound, but after a while it

became clearer and clearer.

From the tone they seemed

several young wolves. From

that moment on, do not we

did not heard anything else.

The placement of the photo-

traps in strategic, places

where it was assumed we

would see the wolves, were

The activity is then contin-

ued, hiking on high gradi-

ents from which we could

observe a good presence of

alpine fauna: chamois, deer,

marmots, hawks, kestrels,

eagles and some few foxes

at night.

The end of the camp

brought us together. Gath-

ered to watch the footage

captured by the photo-traps,

we had a great surprise: a

young wolf with his pups

stops for a brief moment

that gave us the the actual

confirmation of a small

pack. I leave it to you any

comments on the movie.

( http://m.youtube.com/

c h a n n e l / U C X 1 Y P i -

kpNS4msMwks-E6jg # /

watch? v = ZEVdaus -

qo0 )

These moments allow you

to stop, analize, compare

and think about how we re-

late to our pets, to their

needs and special skills.

Biodiversity requires re-

spect, the difference be-

tween our bahaviors and

those of our animal com-

panions are sometimes

many and we have to take

note of this . Striving to de-

vote more time to under-

stand their needs by setting

aside our own, is the only

way to relate to them.

Angelo Romanò - http://

www.cuccioliprodigio.it

This sett lement was

founded by the wolf’s need

to survive covering large

areas in search of a place

that will allow proper diet,

here they become sedentary,

reproduce and the young

elements migrate to popu-

late new areas.

This is the first camp that

takes place in the territory

of the Gran Paradiso and

has been organized in close

collaboration with represen-

tatives of the National Park

of Gran Paradiso. The con-

tribution of PNGP was cru-

cial, both for having ac-

cepted the proposal and for

the great competence and

knwoledge of the territory.

The same applies to the or-

ganization of Canislupus

Italy and the presence of its

president, one of the great-

est experts of the wolf in

Italy. Knowing the places

where a settlement of

wolves has been established

is very important especially

for the impact it has on the

local population and for the

protection of livestock. Co-

existence is possible, to

date there are proven tools

that allow prevention

against damage caused by

predation .

Concrete results are not al-

ways possible when on a

journey and a short stay.

by Giovanni Padrone - Paleontologist Xiaomin

Wang, curator of the Mu-

seum of Natural History in

Los Angeles, has done ex-

tensive studies on the

canids’ cousins: the

Borofagins. These car-

nivorous mammals ap-

peared for the first time 30

million years ago and to-

gether with the Leptocyon

Vulpinus, who was the

first true canine, both

branched off from the Hes-

perocyonidae, that lived

about 4/6 million years be-

fore them, and the canids

did not evolve from

Borofagins as it was be-

lieved before.

Wang’s studies led to this

conclusion: Even though

definitive evidence was

not found, just strong

leads, about 16 million

years ago the Borofagins

grew in dimension and

changed their craniumden-

tal morfology, probably

because they specialized in

hunting bigger prays

(whereas before species

belonging to this group

tended to be hypercarnivo-

rous, durophagous (shell-

animal eaters) and more

likely scavengers.

Considering that both the

large sized canids (wolves,

licaons and dholes, but

also the the smaller

Speothos Venaticus from

South America), and the

bigger Hyenas (crocuta cro-

cuta) hunt within a pack, it is

easy to assume that by com-

parison, that also the large

Borofagi-nae appeared 16

million years ago, actively

hunted in packs.

As stated by the scientist “…

Even though the difference

in the morphology of the

brain is interesting , it’s not

sufficient to exclude a social

interaction among the

Borofagins. The functional

relation between of morfol-

ogy of the external brain and

a complex behaviour like so-

cialization is not well de-

fined. On the other hand, the

association with pack hunt-

ing and the strong and pow-

erful bone-crushing teeth and

jaw typical of Hypercarniv-

ours, a reduced flexibility of

the frontal legs and a body

mass of 42lb, takes into con-

sideration both the energy

and the function.

Concerning the extinct spe-

cies of the living canids, we

have Canis arnensis and C.

Falconeri whose body mass

suggests they hunted in

pack: in fact the first is es-

teemated to weigh between

42 lb and 36lb, the second

over 50lb. Further more, the

dental apparatus seems to

suggest animals very active

in hunting. In his study Plio-

Pleistocene large carnivores

from the Italian Peninsula:

functional morphology and

macroecology -2007, Carlo

Meloro (Universita’ degli

Studi di Napoli) writes: “…

Canis etruscus (Pict. 1) is

usually considered to be a

pack hunter, however there is

no proven evidence o pa-

leological riconstruction of

such a behavior. It’s worth to

mention that C. etruscus is

one of the most popular in

the canids family in Italy

(Raia et al. 2006b) and

maybe in Europe…” and also

that “…among the canids,

both specimen of Canis

etruscus are classified as

large prey eaters. This means

that this “dog”, in the Italian

peninsula, was already a

pack hunter and its morpho-

logical resemblance with the

wolf is surely surprising…”

Considering that C. etruscus

( in particular the underspe-

cies of Canis e. mosbachen-

sis) is considered to be the

direct ancestor to the Gray

Wolf (Canis Lupus), it is

easy to undestand where the

Canis lupus pack hunting

originated from. However

this social behavior is just

one of the many that the wolf

aquired from its ancestors

and that the dog inherited, at

least partially, handing down

8 A B O U T D O G S ( N O S I L L I E S T T H I N G S )

Pict. 1 - Canis etruscus

some of them to its symbiotic

companion, human beings.

Since, in fact, behaviors set to

reinforce the social bond

among the wolves are numer-

ous and varied, as are for the

other species of highly sociable

Canids. Dogs manifest similar

behaviors that they use among

them and towards humans or

any other kind of companions/

pets living in the same home.

Granted that these last ones are

able to communicate with the

dogs.

There is a strong knowledge

that these different extinct spe-

cies shared a close interaction

among the packs that could be

small or big, probabily even

before the Gray wolf, some of

them experienced a unity

within their family. Besides the

wolves, one example of would

be the Canis dirus (Pict. 2), a

large canid very similar to the

wolf, that appeared in North

America about a million and

half year ago and that disap-

peared at the end of the last

glaciation. This large carnivore

cohexisted in North America

together with other large

predators, like the Smilodon

fatalis ( that similar to the lion,

shared a strong social bond to-

wards its own kind) and the

Arctodus simus, a bear as tall

as 3,5 meters and as heavy as a

tonne, more likely a solitary

predator. In this case too, pale-

ontologists have based their

theories on the many fossils of

the C. dirus found around

preys, in Rancho la Brea, Cali-

fornia, an ancient cediment of

natural asphalt near Los Ange-

les that for thousand of years

has trapped many of the ani-

mals that lived nearby during

the Plestocene period. When a

bison or a horse ended up

trapped in the fatal grip of the

asphalt, the predators would

take advantage of what they

considered to be an easy meal,

when in reality they would all

perish. Among these predators

were the Canis dirus (of which

about 2000 skeletons were re-

covered), which explains such

an assumption.

When the Gray wolf moved

from Euroasia to America

about 100.000 years ago, it

surely had to compete for food

with his distant cousin. How-

ever as the Gray wolf was able

to survive the last glaciation,

the Canis dirus became extinct;

more likely because it was un-

able to adapt to the fast climate

changes that the glaciation

caused. We know that they

shared the same fate as dino-

saurs. A large meteorite

crashed on the earth and

caused the sudden melting of

the ice cap, north of the Equa-

tor. This is how many species

disappeared, swallen by water

or mud while others were able

to survive the big flood.

Among these the wolf, the dog

that had favored a life apart

from the wild and its compan-

ions: the humans.

GIOVANNI PADRONE

Dog/human trainer

Author of the books

‘Whisper to your dog’

‘...And the dog chose to

meet Humans’

(in italian language) Facebook profile:

https://www.facebook.com/

giovanni.padrone?

hc_location=stream

9

Pict. 2 - Canis dirus

https://www.facebook.com/giovanni.padrone?hc_location=stream



By Roberto Mannu - In the

year of the Lord 1795 in

Dart, at the mouth of the

River Dart in Devonshire,

England, JOHN RUSSEL was

born; he studied at Oxford

where he graduated and then

became pastor of the Angli-

can Church and vicar of

Swimbridge. Besides his

faith that led him to become

a religious man and a rever-

end, JOHN RUSSEL always

cultivated a passion for hunt-

ing, in particular fox hunt-

ing, thus all his life his pur-

pose was to get dogs suited

to hunting in a den.

This passion also led him to

become one of the largest

breeders of Fox Terrier in the

West County.

His first dog was a female

Terrier between the years

1815-1819 and, according to


hystory, the dog, a type of

fox terrier, measuring 35

cm., had a rough coat, pre-

dominantly of white color

with two black spots on her

eyes and one at the base of

the tail, and it was as big as

an adult fox. It was the leg-

endary Trump, whose por-

trait was purchased by the

Prince of Wales, the future

Edward VII, and that today

one can admire it in the ar-

mory of Sandrigham. To im-

prove the dog’s hunting

characteristics, he bred his

beloved Trump (great

hunter) with the Fox Terriers

(were subsequently included

in the bloodlines Bulldogs,

later Beagles, Border Terrier,

and Lakeland Terrier) and

British Terrier.

What the reverend cared

about was the dog’s charac-

ter traits: brain, fiber, cour-

age, energy and endurance;

to him, the creation of a race

which had only homogene-

ous appearance wasn’t im-

portant ... as said, he did not

care much about the look,

but it was the ability to do

the job he cared about.

At that time hunters traveled

long distances to get from

one place to another and

moved on horseback, there

were no trucks to transport

the packs of hounds, and

John Russel wanted to create

a dog smaller than the usual

Fox Hounds and / or Fox

Terriers usually used for fox

hunting, a dog that could be

carried in the saddlebag on

the horse, tough and tena-

cious and able to follow

John Emms (19.th century): a chestnut

hunter with a collie and jack russell

Reverend John ‘Jack’ Russell

Bangalore (India) - 1910

A Hunter with his Jack Russell Terrier

11

hunters on foot when cover-

ing vast territories rich in

burrows where foxes, badg-

ers and other game would

hide, and able to get them

out of their den.

Therefore two kinds pre-

vailed, very similar except

for some differences in their

proportions (height and

length): the highest and

shortest type in the trunk is

known today as the Parson

Jack Russell Terrier (which

means Anglican Shepherd)

suited to run behind horses

in hunting, the shorter one

and a more elongated in the

trunk (called a short leg)

Jack Russell Terrier bears

the diminutive of John.

The Reverend John Russell

alias "Jack" died in 1883,

but his work of selection has

come down to us retaining

the physical characteristics

and traits that have earned

him so much fame in his

country.

The J.R.T. was officially

recognized only in 2000

thanks to the Australians and

dog trainers and today they

are officially standard hold-

ers of the breed, whereas in

1990 the Parson J.R.T. was

declared as a distinct breed,

so today we have two sepa-

rate and distinct breeds

separated by two standard.

The fact that the J.R.T. has

been recognized only re-

cently, makes it difficult to

be formally recognized by a

non expert. Only with time

and thanks to the selection

of expert breeders and/or

fans that the J.R.T.’s charac-

teristics will become more

homogeneous.

The JRT is strictly white (so

as not to be confused with

the fox) with brown spots

(dark and/or fair) and/or

black spots that usually oc-

cur more on the head than

on other parts of the body.

The J.R.T. the three colors

(tricolor) is considered by

many as the most valuable;

measure at the withers be-

tween 10 and 12 inches (25-

30 cm.) as the Official F.C.I.

Standard (Federation Ci-

nologique International) No.

345/08.06.2001

Some European countries

still tend to breed a taller

J.R.T., hence the numerous

diversity and lack of homo-

geneity in the various dogs

in the blood lines and in the

geographical origin and/or

breeding kennels of differ-

ent J.R.T.

Roberto Mannu – Albascura

Breeding Kennel, E.N.C.I. -

F.C.I. recognized

A modern Jack Russell Terrier:

Tabarrino Indicatore Brooksby

from Albascura Breeding Kennel

The last Golden Globe Dog Actor:

Uggie from ‘The Artist’ (2012)

12

By Marcello Messina - In

the 90s, when I began spe-

cializing in education and

training, the question asked

most frequently among col-

leagues was how to obtain

compeptitive results during

official trials. Today among

colleagues, the most fre-

quesnt question we have is,

if we use a collar or harness,

to understand if you are

“gentilista” (if you have a

kind approach to training) or

coercive.

This week I had the honor,

luck to meet by chance or

deliberately some new col-

leagues. I promised a friend

to keep quiet, because tired

of arguing and speaking up

my mind, then yesterday

while waiting for the ring of

honor at a race, one of the

jurors, and says that " there

are many trainers who only

do damage and come pu with

nonsensical statements. "

Ugh: you are so right!

Now the problem with many

educators is that they they

have nothing to learn from

dogs as they assume they al-

ready know them very well. I

took me years to understand

the ethogram surly must ap-

pear more stupid than these

individuals that in the course

of a few hours (looking at a

few slides on communica-

tion) pretend to understand

the dog’s behavior, or think

that can judge you whether

you use a bib or not. When

educators ask me if I use a

collar or a harness, I always

answer : "It makes no differ-

ence to me, it depends on the

dog and the owner ." Follow-

ing this answer, I receive a

suspicious look, they are

probabily assuming I don’t

understand anything about

dogs.

And so they all feel entitled

to provide you with their

NON SCIENTIFICALLY

PROVED fairy tale SOLD

BY PSEUDO RESEARCH

ABOUT HARNESS (one

word is enough for the wise)

that the collar causes physi-

cal damage and does not let

you communicate properly

with the dog. However the

harness can cause its dam-

ages too (see the grey-

hounds) and does not let you

communicate well with the

dog either, because it’s im-

portant for the dog to be free

when in training: every time

I say this, I receive bad

looks. Then I add to my an-

swer "I work with the dog

off the leash, as soon as the

dog is responsive, I use ei-

ther a collar or a bib, de-

pending on the dog’s re-

sponse “. The answer to this

is usually a snort and a non-

sense kind of expression.

The problem is that some

educators must understand

that the question is not

whether using a harness or a

collar, but weather choosing

ignorance or competence,

since a lot of educators turly

believe they know more than

they actually do. Last week I

had a chance to meet:

1st . EPISODE - ETHO-

GRAM AND KEEPING

THE DOG ON A LEASH

(LESS IMPORTANT THAN

CHOOSING EITHER A

COLLAR OR A HAR-

NESS).

A girl in my class, presented

herself as a second level dog

instructor (it is hard to estab-

lish how these levels are de-

termined, they would appear

to me be like a robbery) ,

while I was practicing my

behaviour training, I ex-

plained to my student that

the girl may be a 2nd level

instructor but to me she can-

not understand either her

own dog or other people’s

dog (as she risked her dog to

be biten a couple of time)

and cannot handle her on a

leash. Yes 90% OF TRAIN-

ERS DOES NOT KNOW

HOW TO PUT A COLLAR

ON A DOG AND DOES

NOT KNOW HOW TO

HANDLE A DOG ON A

LEASH .

HOW CAN YOU CALL

13

YOURSELF AN IN-

STRUCTOR IF YOU DO

NOT EVEN KNOW THE

BASICS? They probabily

think that holding a dog on a

leash is not that difficult,

and that all you have to do is

putting a harness or a collar

and you’re done. Unfortu-

nately it is not that simple,

so be aware of those who

define themselves trainers

and ask more than 50.00

Euro per lesson.)

Episode 2 ( I'M BETTER ...

IN TALKING STUPID)

I was at a friends’ house and

I find myself speaking to the

best trainer ever (she did not

know about my profession),

she started braggin to me

about how, in just 6 lessons,

she had been able to solve a

problem of severe aggres-

sion, that no one else could

have figured out. I became

very curious and asked her

how she did it, and she men-

tioned through SOCIALI-

SATION CLASSES .

I work with real aggressive

dogs and as she explained

the case, my understanding

was that she had to deal with

a grumpy dog. During our

conversation she revealed to

me that the dog was 6

months old, used to growl to

his peers but he never bit

anybody off the leash. By

experience I know that an

aggressive dog that bites the

family members and every-

one else in sight cannot be

trained in 6 lessons. SO THIS

WAS NOT THE CASE OF A SE-

VERE AGGRESSIVE DOG.

3rd . EPISODE (ALL

DOGS ARE THE SAME :

BASING A DOG’S TEM-

PER ON THE BREED IS

“OLD SCHOOL”)

A couple requested my help

for their 3 year-old bull ter-

rier that does not get along

with other males. He is de-

scribed as hyperactive and

an educator had suggested

castration. But before mak-

ing such an intervention

they wanted another opin-

ion. So I invited them in my

school and when I met the

do I saw A TYPICAL

BULL TERRIER.

In the end I conclude that

the dog is perfectly normal,

well-balanced, that he is not

supposed to get along with

everyone (as is the case with

other dogs). I recommend

them to do physical activity

with the dog and to let go of

mental activation, since it

was not doing enough to dis-

charge his energy. After 3

days I get a text message

that says that I had done a

miracle to whish I answered:

" no miracle , I just asked

you to lead a healthy and

normal routine suiting a bull

terrier and not a Pekinese ."

4th . EPISODE AND LAST

ONE FOR THE WEEK

( THE DOG QUALITIES

OF CHARACTER, TEM-

PERAMENT BY NOW

OUT OF FASHION, ARE

NOT PART THE COURSE

STUDY ANYMORE).

I still remember the 90s and

how important it was to

know the temperament of a

specific breed to train a dog

properly. Days ago I was

talking about GERMAN

SHEPHERDs, with an edu-

cator and breeder who loved

this breed.

Looking at her dog, accord-

ing to her aggressive, I told

her that he was acting as a

typical working German

Shepherd, and that if I were

her I would further develop

those kind of qualities. As I

was mentioning utility and

defense, she objected that

shw was not looking for a

dangerous dog. UTILITIES

AND DEFENSE DOGS

ARE NOT DANGEROUS.

CONCLUSION :

We have now MORE

TEACHERS THAN DOGS,

whose level of ignorance is

beyond words. I ask all my

colleagues and dog lovers to

do something about this be-

fore it gets worst.

MARCELLO MESSINA Dog trainer, expert in

behavioral problems

and social skills

www.marcellomessina.com


BOXER AND CANE CORSO

breeder

MOB. 348-8029763

By Debora Segna - Anyone, who has an em-

pathic approach to living with dogs, knows

that these animals have feelings, a rich emo-

tional life and a complex communication sys-

tem, different from ours. Unfortunately not

everyone seems to be aware of this.

Although very often we, human beings, have

the arrogance to think that kindness, patience,

tolerance, understanding and common sense,

are characteristics that belong only to are kind,

the reality seems to be a little different.

We describe human beings as more sentient and evolved animal than any other living thing

on our planet, but I often wonder, compared to what are we more evolved?

Surely we can build skyscrapers, talk, and develop mathematical formulas but we are cer-

tainly not able to tear meat with our teeth, fly, breathe underwater or run as fast as a chee-

tah, and most of the time our patience and tolerance has limits by far lower than that of a

non-human or animal. We can have some furious arguments even for trivial things, we can

fight or even worse kill each other for a misunderstanding . How many times have you wit-

nessed an animal fight or kill over trivial things? Most of the time an animal before you en-

gaging into a fight (more or less) violent uses a wide range of signals (calming signals) to

show his restrain.

Until a few years ago many scientists were quite skeptical about the fact that animals were

able to feel emotions, but thanks to the studies of many famous ethologists, including pro-

fessor Mark Bekoff, and also thanks to the interest shown by scholars from other disciplines

(biology, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, theology), there has been a revolution in

thinking about this topic, that eventually lead to the akcnowledgement that animals may

have a very significant and profound emotional life. The strongest evidence is that all mam-

mals share the same brain structure, called the limbic system that controls emotions.

Charles Darwin (1872/1998) supported the idea of evolutionary continuity, and affirmed

that differences between species are to be found in the degree of differences rather than in

the kind.

Marc Bekoff describes non-human creatures as individuals with a rich personality, with a

mind generating to emotions, sentient beings with complex emotional lives, able of living

empathic relationships.


17

In the dog world will there are still so many misunderstandings based on wrong assump-

tions about the communication and emotions in animals. Every day, unaware dog owners

reinforce bad behavior in animals, with their wrong attitudes.

But how important is it to know the language

dogs? How does our four-legged friend communi-

cate? First of all that we need to understand that

dogs do not know our language, dogs are visual

animals, which communicate through body sig-

nals, and our every gesture for him corresponds to

a very specific message. Dogs learn by associat-

ing our words and our gestures and so we must

not feel frustrated if sometimes their behavior

does not meet our expectations, a gesture that has

a specific meaning to us may not have the same

meaning for our dogs.

Before assuming that our dog is doing something

wrong our animals should have the humility to

identify ourselves with our companion and con-

sider things from his point of view too.

When I am out with my dog, I sometimes see people who have wrong attitudes towards

their dogs. For example, there are owners who, when they encounter an other dog, drag

him/her away by pulling on the leash, sometimes almost hanging their dog, or even picking

up the dog in their arms, despite the fact that their animal is showing very explicitly a pro-

pensity to wanting to play or just relate with the other dog. Other times I have even seen a

puppy being punished (whipped with the leash) just because "according to the owner" he

was being too impetuous during play. In a situation like this a dog may wrongly learn the

other dog may be a threat. This may cause fear or aggression towards others and fear to-

wards his master. Also pay great attention to the leash, do not tug, or communicate tension

through the leash, you will tell the dog that there may be an imminent danger.

To find out if your dog shows a predisposition to the game or peaceful interaction you will

see the following body postures, such as well erect ears, very soft tail wagging, relaxed

body, bows, jumps and so on. In some cases high peach bark invitations to play. Obviously

the desire to relate must be met by the other dog too. Learning to recognize our dogs’ inten-

tions is very important in order to prevent unpleasant situations or behavioral problems.

On the other hand dog owners should never push shy dogs for play or interaction, when

signs of fear such such as rigid posture of the body, ears back, tail down, or when calming

signals like yawn, lick on the nose, front paw raised, turned head etc are present. What dog

owners want does not necessarely correspond to the dog’s intentions and forcing interac-

tions and play may be counterproductive. Our attitudes greatly influence the emotional life


of our dogs because we are the onse who handle them. Observing their communication and

learning to respect their space, may help us prevent many unpleasant situations. Dogs like

humans have their personal space and their comfort zone, which separate them and protect

them from the rest of the world. These may vary according to their emotional state, who and

what dog they are interacting with and the environment in which they are. The study of ges-

tures, behaviors, space and distance within a verbal and non-verbal communication, is

called proxemics and it is so important in animals as it is for humans.

When you hold your dog on a leash observe the behav-

ior carefully and try to grasp the messages he/she sends

when you are approaching an other dog. If you can fig-

ure out what the dog is communicating and do not

force (as it often happens) encounters with other dogs

(or people), he/she will learn to trust you and you will

experience moments of calm. Remember that our hu-

man rules are not their rules, bending their will to ours

will not results into any positive outcome. Finally, try

to underst and and controle your emotions, because our

dogs are like sponges and learn many behaviors by os-

mosis, the both negative and the positive ones. Main-

taining a calm attitude will truly help your pet to relate

in the proper manner. In the management of a dog, as

indeed in many other situations in life, the ability, to

look at things from a different perspective, is really crucial.

Proxemics (by Fabrizio Gianmatteo)

19

by Giovanni Padrone - Many novice dog lovers

often find themselves in

trouble because their dogs

do not look at them in the

eyes. This is an action that

is required in some canine

activities and sports such

as obedience or utilities

and defense. But eye con-

tact can be useful in every-

day life. Indeed, in this

case it is desirable. So ,

how can we enable this be-

havior in our dog? There

are essentially two ways:

conditioning and working

on relations.

CONDITIONING. Setting

aside that part of the condi-

tioning that constitutes cru-

elty to the dog ( unfortu-

nately, this behavior can

also be obtained by using

the ' positive punishment

positive ' and ' negative re-

inforcement ' ), we can

definitely work on the '

positive reinforcement re-

warding the dog (and not

only with the help of food )

every time we make eye

contact. Basically, even the

game of hiding a treat in

your hand by placing the

hand between your eyes

and then looking at the dog

is part of conditioning.

Pros : the dog, in exchange

for a reward, learns after

just two or three times that,

watching you in the eyes,

is a required behavior.

Cons: the case of condi-

tioning is a mechanical

learning process and it is

not directly connected with

what I consider essential in

a relationship between dog

and owner: their emotional

bond. It is , therefore, a

method that can establish a

“cold” relationship be-

tween dog and owner.

Moreover, from my per-

spective there this kind of

training lacks of team

work, however it is better

than the use of coercive

methods .

BOND. A dog is capable of

making eye contact during

his puppyhood if you com-

mit to an equal bond, as

any action that ensures the

animal as ocial bond, is

seen as gratifying. Affec-

tion is therefore the best

gift to give to your dog as a

way to build social ties .

Consider that a dog willing

to make eye contact with

you, is also a dog that has

trust in you. . Whether you

define yourself “leader“ or

“partner”, it does not mat-

ter. Maybe for him/her you

are his “big brother” or his

“big sister” to play with

whenever possible.

Moreover, if we look at the

social behavior of the wild

cousins of the dog, like

wolves, wild dogs and

dholes, members of the

same pack often look at

each other during social in-

teraction. The Indian

dholes, for example, when

they are not hunting, spend

most of their time playing

by making eye contact.

Same thing can be said

about wolves and wild

dogs. Even though these

two species use different


behaviors to reinforce so-

cial ties, like for example

when sharing a meal. If we

look at feral dogs or stray

animals, we can see that the

members of a family or a

pack often use the gaze as a

behavior that serves to

strengthen their relation-

ship .

And if we look at pets, they

do not share different hab-

its, and the first sign of a

social contact is to make

eye contact. So why not do-

ing the same with our pets?

It will be the first step to es-

tablish good grounds for

bonding during daily ac-

tions or during a work

situation (such as preparing

your own canine compan-

ion to face obedience com-

petition) and to eliminate

any artificial or complicated

implementation. My dogs

and I are constantly making

eye contact weather they

are searching for approval,

if we are cuddling, walking

or “working”. The pros:

working in this fashion will

strengthen the relationship

itself. Cons: none, or perhaps

it is an approach that re-

quires a little more time if

you choose to adopt an adult

dog.

In conclusion, what I always

say is, have faith in your

dog’s mental and social abil-

ity: he/she will always meet

your expectations.

Giovanni Padrone

Dog/human trainer

Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/

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21

by Gianluca Gherghi - A-

mong the “things” that I do,

the one I love the most are

the “Puppy Classes”, from

three to five months old. I

think that when dealing with

puppies, one has a big re-

sponsibility, as during that

time the temper of a puppy

can be shaped and directed

at best. The worst scenario

is not being able to recog-

nize those personality traits

typical of the puppy and

standardize the training. My

first puppy classes, that go

back to twenty years ago,

were limited to the training

of the basic commands like

sitting and laying down and

walking on a leash. That

was it! The expectations

were a minimum of per-

formance on the dog part,

and the constant repetition

of the practice. In retrospect

they were really boring!

During the years ahaead I

worked extensively with

veterinarians in an education

process aimed at anticipat-

ing the age in which a

puppy can be trained, which

is as soon as he/she sets paw

in the new house.

Thanks to Gwen Bailey’s

first stage in Italy, the first

Puppy classes of ten years

ago were totally different

from the ones of the previ-

ous decade. Her training

classes provided us with an

approach puppy-trainer that

was not based on perform-

ance anymore but on rela-

tion. Instead of focusing on

how well the puppy would

obbey the commands, her

training favored how well

the puppy, during that stage,

interacted with the sur-

rounding environment:

dogs, people and objects.

This approach inspired me

to create a dog park as a

training field within a train-

ing center. Puppies were al-

lowed to roam around freely

and to interact with other

puppies, adult dogs of dif-

ferent breed and size and

people. This situation gave

the owner a chance to ob-

serve and to learn how to

supervise the dog off a

leash. The training was ob-

viously supervised by an ex-

pert for the duration of the

interaction.

This dual experience was

more harmonious for both

the dog and the owner. Sub-

jects of discussion were fo-

cused not on how well dogs

executed commands but on

what kind of experience

dogs and owner were shar-

ing. The dog was part of the

subjective experiences of

the owner now.

In the last five years further

developments have broad-

ened the field of training by

allowing in owners who do

not have a dog yet but who

are planning on getting one.

This participation reduces to

50% potential problems that

owners may encounter in

the first six, seven months

of the dog’s life.

Presently the puppy training

classes sum up this twenty

year of experience, in which

socialization and interaction

with outer environment has

to change this kind of men-

tality).

As the years went by, up to

our days, dog breeds have

increased in number to in-

clude the most common:

from Border collies, retriev-

ers to hounds like bretons

and pointers used as com-

panions; a broad range of

colors, sizes and tempera-

ments. We also witnessed a

spike among muts and cock-

tail dogs. One beautiful

thing that I would like to

mention here is that in the

presence of puppies that

share the same breed, at first

they will mingle with all

dogs but then will gather up

with the same breed.

One last consideration is on

the evolution of the puppies

and their relation to their

breed. If in the past a spe-

cific breed was glorified for

its peculiar characteristics

(guarding qualities, sense of

smell, caution or playful-

ness), puppy nowdays are

valued more as companions.

PS: how to choose an effec-

tive course? If the trainer in

charge says “let’s try to put

them together…” Run

Away!!!!!

In order for a trainer to put

different breeds together, he/

she must be very skilled

other wise it could turn into

a potential dangerous situa-

tion; vets know about it!

If the trainer allows puppies

to play around training

tools…RUN!!!! He/she is

not aware of the problems

created by such a choice.

If the course favors only the

practical side and requires

the use of a leash. RUN!!!!!

GIANLUCA GHERGHI

Consultant for improvement

in the dog performance

Friends with tail Center

OSIMO -AN- Italy

been implemented with the

traditional training. Further-

more due to the owners’ de-

mand classes on theory are

offered to those interested in

learning dogs’ behaviour.

So far I talked about the evo-

lution of the “Puppy Class”

and increased interest of

owner to understand and

manage their dogs’ behav-

iour, however puppies also

have had a change during

these years.

Twenty years ago the most

common breeds were chal-

lenging and limited to

Schnauzer, Doberman, Rott-

weiler, German Shepards,

Dogue de Bordeaux, Boxers

and Maremmano. I remem-

ber the first time a Labrador

arrived at the dog park, he

was badly harrassed by other

dogs who confused his play-

ful energy for submission.

The same breeds could be

found in the “Puppy Class”

where their owners expected

strict obedience. During so-

cialization if their puppies

growled showing domi-

nance, they felt very proud

and took it as a sign of mas-

culinity ( I had to fight hard


23


by Giovanni Padrone - The

leash is the oldest tool used

by men to control the dog.

Already in the ancient rock

art of Bhimbethka (13.000

y.a.) and of Akakus (Libia,

12.000 y.a.) we can see dogs

kept on a leash and a collar

by their human companions.

More recently we discovered

art from 6000 years ago by

the ancient Egypt depicting

greyhounds wearing a collar

and a leash; furthermore

leather collars decorated with

fine depictions were found in

Egyptian tombs. About a

thousand years later, the As-

syrians depicted large size

dogs (probably molossoids)

wearing metal or a kind of

rigid material collars. Greek

and Roman art and sculptures

show dogs with collars; in

ancient Rome collars with

studs and outer spikes to pro-

tect the dog’s neck and throat

during a battle were found.

“Armed collars” were also

used in the Middle Age to

protect the dogs guarding

herds and flocks, whereas the

aristocracy decorated the col-

lars with jewels and precious

metals. In Europe with the

rise of the middle class,

leather collars became popu-

lar because cheaper. During

the Sixteenth century the col-

lar with padlock is intro-

duced. Since then to present,

very little has changed, be-

sides the choice of sinthetic

fabrics and plastic materials.

Also choke collars or choke

chain, the first patent for the

slip collar go back to 1890

(Ae. F. Nuttall, US patent

n.426137, 22 April 1890, that

had already patented the in-

vention in England on May 9

1889), even though it was al-

ready being used by English

breeders already by the half

of the 19th century. Gradually

different versions, among

others one with inner spikes,

but also one created in 1995

with the intent to prevent any

dogs from harm, especially

large size dogs (Christopher

E. Beauchamp, US patent n.

5.546.213, October 10, 1995:

slip collar

Also known as CHOKE COL-

LAR (collar strangle) or

Choke chain (choke chain)

the patent of the first SLIP

COLLAR (COLLAR SHIFT)

dates back to 1890 (Ae. F.

Nuttall, U.S. patent no.

426137 of April 22, 1890,

who had already patented the

invention in England May 9,

1889), even though it had al-

ready been used by some

English breeders since the

mid-ninenteen century. Sub-

sequently several versions

were introduced, including

one with inner spikes, but

also in 1995 with the clear

intent to not create in any

way physical damage to the

d og ( Ch r i s t op h er E .

Beauchamp, U.S. patent no.

5,456,213 of October 10

1995: semi-slip or semi-

choke collar ). The original

intent was to keep better con-

trol over the dog, especially

large breeds. However, incor-

rect use of these collars could

cause serious damage to the

dog like asphyxiation. To

avoid such danger that the

first bib was patented by

George Huff in 1924 (U.S.

patent 1508601 of September

16, 1924) and later on per-

fected by George W. Phil-

BHIMBETHKA (INDIA)

13.000 years B.P.

AKAKUS (LIBIA)

12.000 years B.P.

brick (U.S. patent no.

1,685,435 of September 25,

1928).

In 1984 (U.S. patent no.

4,483,275 of November 20,

1984), the patent of the first

halter for dogs was created

with the clear intention to

teach the dog to walk on a

leash-conduct ("... So THAT

the trainer, rather than Merely

polling against the mass of

the animal, can turn ITS head

in the direction he wishes to

Which the animal to move ...

"or" ... so that the trainer,

rather than just stand in front

of the mass of the animal, can

turn its head in the direction

in which he wishes the ani-

mal to move ... ").

THE DEBATE ON INJURY

To be fair it must be said that

any restriction tools used im-

properly can cause severe

damage to the dog, whether it

be a regular collar, a slip col-

lar, a halter or even a bib. Of

course some of these may

more easily lead to an injury,

but also a jerk to a normal

fixed collar or a harness how-

ever may cause, if not the

same, serious damage. I have

witnessed a child use a har-

ness like a yo-yo on a small

dog. I promptly reported the

incidents to the police, as the

parents of this child, appeared

to be amused watching the

abuse. Complaint was never

more appropriate given the

physical damage the poor lit-

tle dog had to endure.

As stated above, being aware

of my physical strength, I

personally have never used a

sliding collar or halter on one

of my dogs (or even on those

of my clients) being always

cautious not to cause any

harm inadvertently due to a

sudden movement. I train

dogs off leash first and then I

will introduce a regular collar

band together with the leash.

I do not tipically use a har-

ness, unless I run into a diffi-

cult dog, only then I may

temporarily use a bib as a re-

habilitative tool. (among the

many hundreds of dogs I

have worked with, only once

I had to opt out for this solu-

tion).

The bad reputation slip col-

lars have, comes from the in-

appropriate use that trainers

do of such collars. Some

trainers lack the basic respect

for the physical and psycho-

logical integrity of the dog;

every now and then I find

myself rehabilitating victims

of these “circus trainers” who

will also use electric collars

(the most unethical and un-

civilized training tools). At

the same time I must

akcnowledge professionals

who use the same criterion

for years, they never abused

their dogs and have always

treated them with the utmost

respect. So it all comes down

to common sense. Of course,

the variety of different

schoosl of thoughts in the

dog world, in Italy, doesn’t

help clarify what the best tool

or training options are. Nor

do educational TV programs,

more interested in the “show”

rather than reality (and often

blatantly lie about reality).

I hope that the spirit of col-

laboration born between

some of us trainers who work

as professionals, will help to

properly educate the public

and train dogs. In fact al-

though our approaches may

differ, we are all in agree-

ment that the welfare of the

dog comes first. My wish is

that we can all make an im-

pact and give a major boost

to the clarity of dog training

and let time take care of all

those who, for business or for

arrogance, take advantage of

the ignorance of people in the

subject matter misinforming

the public and causing seri-

ous damage to people's dogs.

GIOVANNI PADRONE

Dog/human trainer Facebook profile:


giovanni.padrone?

25

Egipttian Hunter with

sloughi - 2.300 B.C.



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Mob. 328-5972631

by Cristina Pederzani VMD - I was not sure. I

wanted you in my life

when my brother asked

me to handpick you from

a litter. I had in my head

the idea of an English

Setter and he was pro-

posing a Golden Re-

triever puppy .

"Will see ", he said.

So, I drove for a couple

of hours to a remote

farmhouse, entirely sur-

rounded by fields, in the

countryside of Cremona.

I felt the need of having

a dog because I had just

moved into a new house,

leaving our dear Roy to

my parents, an old Setter.

Farmers were mowing

hay, and May was ex-

ploding in all its Spring

fervor, with its bright

green in contrast with a

clear and dazzling tur-

quoise sky. I enhale

deeply the air of rebirth

as the winter had finally

collapsed behind me.

"This is the right time for

a puppy " - I thought -

"we will have the whole

summer to enjoy our-

selves together."

As I was waiting in an

elegant garden for the ar-

rival of the puppies, I felt

immersed in this over-

whelming triumph of

visual and olfactory sen-

sations. Everything be-

came clear to me when I

saw the door of a garage

tumbling out at super-

sonic speed a group of

animated yellow corn

small creatures that were

scattering in every direc-

tion like crazy bullets.

They were so full of en-

ergy that everything else

became muffled around

me: insects are froze and

the birds fell silent for a

moment. When the litter

of Golden made his de-

but in the garden, it was

as if the rest of the world

was looking. So it was

for me too. I, who al-

ways express any kind of

emotion I feel, became

speechless.

Their fledgling beauty,

covered with a blond

woolly hair similar to

ripe wheat, the podgy

and still insecure paws, a

sweet gaze that seemed

to read my heart, and

their fervent curiosity to

discover, to know, to try.

Of course I became al-

most immediately the

target of this mad rush,

because I represented "

what else was in the gar-

den". As I bent down on

my knees, even those

puppies who had taken

another direction tempo-

rarily turned running to-

wards me, or rather,

rolled towards me. I so

craved the phsycal con-

tact with them and do

what my soul was crying

from the bottom of mu

heart to touch them , em-

brace them and kiss

them. It was pure joy.

My body spoke, since

my voice was stuck in

my throat. Emotions

were overwhelming and

I was speechles.

And those little rascals

jumped and played on

my legs, licking my face

and scratching me with

their brand new claws.

They were indistinguish-

able from one another. I

was in a state of ecstasy,

a kind of nirvana where

27

there is no need for

meditation; and that’s the

kind of effect that dogs

have on me.

"There is no experience

more beautiful, I wish I

could have them all, I

knew it was going to be a

really difficult choice "

Well it turned out instead

it was not. Because when

I got up, the little rascals

dressed in yellow rushed

back towards their

mother who in the mean-

time had come out, over-

whelming her with all

the strength of their

young spirit. All of them,

except one . Ther was a

puppy still at my feet,

wagging his tail compul-

sively. The pup got up on

its legs to be picked up. I

accepted the request. We

looked at each other for a

long, ecstatic moment .

" What is this pup’s

name? - I asked Anna ,

owner of the parents and

the litter.

" They do not have the

name yet, the one you

are holding, would ap-

pear to be one of the fe-

males. She has the redest

hair. " -

" A true rascal " -

I checked the sex and it

was a female, a beautiful,

soft dark blond girl, with

eyes as bright as smart

and wise. I held her

closer to me. I felt my

soul melting: I kissed

and smelled this puppy

in the spring breeze and

something inside had

opened a door of the un-

conscious and had told

me that SHE WAS THE

ONE.

" It 's her " - I said.

" Would you like to give

a better look at the oth-

ers? –

But "others " no longer

existed. My heart, at that

moment, was totally in-

extricably hers. I kept on

holding her in my arms. I

felt like a hard core that

enhances inside, sud-

denly becoming incon-

sistent, and leaving open

a passage that begins to

exude emotions that

chase each other in an

increasingly whirling, to

create a single, gigantic

overfolw. A medicine for

the soul.

" It 's her, I have no

doubt" -

" Well, how would you

like to call her? " -

I did not answer, because

I noticed that the names

that I had come up with

up to that moment did not

not suit her. His eyes

sparkled once again into

mine.

" I have not decided yet "

–

I looked around. My gaze

fell on a small bush of li-

lac flowers with delicate

and intense purple

streaks, that was near the

fence of the garden. They

had made their appear-

ance just after that harsh

winter. At that time I was

studying Homeopathy and

Phytotherapy and I was

quite prepared on the na-

ture of what I was watch-

ing .

" MALVA SYLVES-

TRIS . " -

" I beg your pardon? " -

"That flower is ..... Malva.

They are delicate flowers,

a fragile gift of Spring.

But beneath this frailty, it

hides a strong heart and

many virtues. Malva was

called " the remedy for all

illness " in the language

of flowers it symbolizes a

mother's love and peace.

28

Its flavor is sweet, and

it’s decoction is used as a

soother and a moisturizer

for the body and the

spirit. A soother for the

soul. " -

We named her Malva.

Because you were a deli-

cate flower. A fragile

flower. And holding you

aiganst me gave me calm

and serenity. When I in-

formed my partner in life

that I had chosen the

name for her, we were in

complete agreement be-

cause he, a wine enthusi-

ast and expert sommelier

found good in her name.

Malva, is the diminutive

of Malvasia!!!

Now, after seven years, I

am fully convinced that

it was a sign of fate I had

met you. You are a won-

derful spring flower, a

sweet and strong soul at

the same time. You have

gifted me with uncondi-

tional security and tran-

quillity in all these years,

loving me like no human

being could have done.

When I had nothing

around me, you were

there. You were there and

never left me, wiped the

tears away before they

gushed from my eyes,

you stayed by my side in

sickness, becoming your-

self sick rather than

abandon me. Because no

one could separate you

from me. You welcomed

me with joy when I was

angry, tired, listless, and

you have welcomed me

without asking anything

in return.

And even now, as I allow

myself these creativing

moments, you are sleep-

ing at my feet; every

now and then you look at

me, we look at each

other, we say to each

other that we need one

another, that you are

complete when I am by

your side. And you

know, you can feel that

it's the same for me. This

part of the journey, we

lived it in fullness and

joy, and when we experi-

enced unhappiness we

have overcome it to-

gether once again . I will

return to you all the love

that, sometimes without

thinking, I denied you.

I will repay all the sweet-

ness you will need, when

your life, in old age, will

take a more difficult turn.

You taught me to face

everything with simplic-

ity but with intensity. I'll

be by your side when

you will ask me for help.

Malva, I think that was

your name from the start,

since before your very

were born, when you

were still a little star in

the sky.

Someone had decided it

before us.

Someone gave us a clue

through nature. I think

sometimes the flash of a

moment is able to com-

municate, by instinct, a

great truth: that flower,

in that place , at that

time, was the mirror of

your soul.

Sweet, beautiful Malva.

CRISTINA PEDERZANI

Veterinary doctor homeo-

path

Teacher of alternative me-

dicine

in instructors courses

And SIUA Dog trainer

29

I started Early -- Took my Dog

by Emily Dickinson

32

33

Our staff (educators, trainers, and

professional dog breeders) are present in

Ovada (AL), Sermide (MN), Castellazzo

Novara (NO), Parma, Ravenna, Ancona,

Velletri and San Marco in Lamis (FG).

Piemonte: OVADA -AL- cell. 347-5760185

Castellazzo Nov.se -NO- cell. 339-7397499

Lombardia cell. 348-8029763

Emilia Romagna PARMA 346-6964342

RAVENNA cell. 338-1841201

Marche: cell. 338-3787447

Lazio: cell. 338-6523430

Puglia: cell. 328-5972631

Email: [email protected]

About dogs, is the brainchild of four cynolo-

gists (Marcello Messina, Roberto Mannu,

Gianluca Gherghi and Giovanni Padrone),

they have combined their minds and expe-

riences to create a point of reference for an-

yone who lives with his dog and requires cor-

rect informations to improve their living ar-

rangements. 'About dogs (no silliest things)', because we

are tired of the total disinformation, tired of

anyone does marketing on the ignorance of

the people, tired of the urban legends.

THE FOUNDERS

An information magazine created by

C I N O F I L I S T A N C H I

We are our dogs...

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Try to be a good person as your dog think you are. For this and many other reasons do not mistreat or abandon your best friend. Anyone who abuses or abandons a dog

is not a good person.

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About dogs april june 2014