Articles published in this Newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor. Nothing may be copied unless the Editor grants permission. 

Dates & News:

ZimDog News, can be accessed from: www.vanerp.net.

Zimbabwe Kennel Club:

The Zimbabwe Kennel Club office will now only be open on a Friday each week, 14.00-16.00 CAT.

Local Shows and Fairs

Bulawayo Combine Shows:

Have postponed till next year.

MLKA & HKC Shows:

They have booked their dates for 28 & 29 June 2008, with imported Judges. Put this in your diaries.

Mukuvisi Shows:

All sponsored by PEDIGREE and proceeds to help the S P C A in the wonderful work they do for all animals
25 Nov - Open Breed Show [Mike Rust judging] & SPCA Christmas Extravaganza Fun Show

People in Action

 

	No fuel available, fill up with dogs.

Scenting and Tracking?

Why would this be important, a Pet owner would be asking? This is only for trainers? This is really not the case, as anybody with a dog will have something to know about scent. The dog is from birth dependant on smells and scenting. So a pup, with the best ability to scent, will be the first one to find his way to the milk bar of its mother. Born in the wild this would be the way to survive. They also will recognise their own kind, not of any make of perfume that their owner would have sprayed on them, but they take scent from the faeces. The anal glands will give that individual scent on the outside of the faeces of a particular dog.

Another way you might encounter dogs noses could be at airports.

I recently flew from Harare to England and met up with a Spaniel just at the entrance of the plane door in Nairobi, never gave it a thought, as she was standing away from us, while we were going into the plane. But believe it or not she was again at Heathrow and we then had to walk past, in single file, and were told to hold out bags low down so she could take ‘scent’. I assume the dog flew back with us and then did her job at Heathrow. A good thing for all of us that ‘noses’ can be trained and we will be safer travelling!

At another training session I witnessed, while in S Africa, how three tubes were set up and in one of them was a small container with explosives. Finally the bal on a rope, was put with the explosive and the dog indicated by lying down where ball and explosive were placed. Reward was a tug and ball playing. Many other ways are being used with dogs and their fantastic scenting ability, i.e. finding people under collapsed buildings, being covered by a snow avalange to name but a few.

For competition, tracking has to be taught in as many different areas as possible, as the dog needs to learn at any given time to be able to work out where the track will go. There are grass farms, with lush green grass fields, which could be used in competition, ploughed lands which might be used or think of the dry and patchy areas we will encounter in Zimbabwe. I even had a track, which was laid in dry weather and before I came on, it started to rain. The dogs still have to be able to find that track in competition. So training for various conditions are the order of the day. Good luck and it’s awesome to watch the World competitions tracking. This weekend the Meistershaft is being held in Manheim, tracking, obedience and manwork. For results go to Google and type in: Meistershaft result in Manheim. The website of von Leerburg will give you the final marks. This is a show for all breed dogs. 

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