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Linus van Pelt: Every Easter the Easter Beagle comes dancing along with his basket full of eggs, which he hands out to all the good little children.
Sally Brown: That sounds faintly familiar. I remember sitting out in a stupid pumpkin patch all night waiting for The Great Pumpkin to come. That was the worst night of my life.
Linus van Pelt: But this is different. That was Halloween. This is Easter.
-It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown
The Siberian Husky was developed by the Chukchi people of northeastern Asia as an endurance sled dog, this breed has been shown via recent DNA research that it is one of the oldest breed of dogs.
In 1909, the first large numbers of these Chukchi dogs were brought to Alaska to compete in the long-distance All-Alaska Sweepstakes races, and the Alaskan dog drivers quickly recognized the ability of these huskies from Siberia.- Siberian Husky Club of America, Inc
Many people have heard of the story of a Siberian Husky named Balto who in 1925 led the sled dog team of Gunnar Kassen. Balto and his team were the last leg of a 674 mile journey to deliver diphtheria anti-toxin to Inuit children in Nome, Alaska. This journey is part of the now famous Iditarod Trail, or National Historic Trail.
This week actually marks the running of the “Last Great Race On Earth”, the Iditarod. They started in Anchorage Alaska on 6 March 2010 and have been making their way on the 1,161mile trail. Many of the sled dog teams still use Siberian Huskies.
The Siberian Husky is a working dog that loves to run! They need exercise and don’t really care what the weather is like!
They have a strong predatory instinct and they have the endurance to chase things down. On the whole they are extremely affectionate, alert and adaptable. They do however have a stubborn streak caused by their intelligence and their independent spirit. Training is highly recommended to help create an environment to keep them learning and tired!
There have been lots of movies that star Siberian Huskies: Iron Will, Snow Dogs, Eight Below and Balto are a few. One of my favorites is Eight Below. It was the first dog movie I watched really with a dog trainers “eye” and it was beautiful to see those dogs in action!
The Siberian Husky isn’t a breed for everyone. They are amazing dogs that need a job and they were bred originally for sled dog work. If you own a Husky be prepared to have a heavy duty exercise and training regime. Ultimately they can do any job, like any dog, but they are happiest being active.
All the pictures in this post are of Follow Me Dog Training LLC client Ni’cko.
This is Boomer, he is a Bloodhound and a current client of Follow Me Dog Training LLC. Boomer has been spending the day with me for a little bit of extra training and fun. We’ve been to the park and to the shopping center and walking him around is kind a lot of fun. Many people know what a Bloodhound is by sight, but it really seems as though it is hard to meet one in person. So I thought I would share a little information about the Bloodhound.
Those big old flews on a Bloodhound make them the perfect scent hound. So much so that when they put their head down, the ears and the skin folds cover their eyes and nose, they become completely focused pulling scent through their flews and into their nose. Even better though is all the drool and saliva trapped there. It is said a Bloodhound can fling their drool at least 20 feet…I totally believe that, I currently have some on my ceiling!
Bloodhounds were originally used in Europe and the Mediterranean to hunt game such as deer and boar. There is literature that has them Mantrailing as early as the 1300’s. Nowadays they are used mostly in America for Mantrailing. They can follow a cold scent that is several days old over miles of terrain. They are solitary trackers (aren’t used in a pack like some of the other hounds) and are usually silent while following a trail and then let loose with their baying and howling when they have successfully found the end of their trail. Bloodhounds are successfully deployed to find missing persons and escaped prisoners on a regular basis.
Bloodhounds are for a unique owner. One who doesn’t mind the drool, that is willing to keep them exercised and challenged, that will socialize them and have fun with them. They are perfect for working in Search and Rescue and as Police K9’s…”Established in America for over a century, it proved early on to be a tireless worker for law enforcement, being so accurate that evidence trailed by a Bloodhound has been accepted in a court of law” (http://www.akc.org/breeds/bloodhound/index.cfm)
There are alot of famous Bloodhounds in our cultural history: Ol’ Red from country singer Blake Shelton’s song, Bruno from Disney’s Cinderella, Trusty from Disney’s Lady and the Tramp, Duke was Jed’s Bloodhound in the Beverly Hillbillies, Hubert from the movie Best in Show, Copper from Disney’s The Fox and the Hound, the Bumpeses had a bloodhound in A Christmas Story, McGruff the Crime Dog, Ladybird from the tv series King of the Hill, and many many more. Author Virginia Lanier has a whole mystery series that features Bloodhounds as well… these books are good reading!
Like any other dog, a tired Bloodhound is a good Bloodhound! Training and exercise are key to having a happy and healthy dog. Make sure a Bloodhound is right for your lifestyle before you bring one into your home and look to training the dog right from the get go. We can’t train them not to drool…
Contact Follow Me Dog Training LLC for a free evaluation with your dog today. We train all over the Richmond Virginia area.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment and talk about the #1 movie in the country right now. Mostly because it is a dog movie. Walt Disney has graced us with Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Not only is it the #1 movie but this is for the second week in a row. Follow Me Dog Training LLC has not been to see the movie yet, but I have to admit I want to.
Two Chihuahuas, a German Shepherd Dog, and Doberman Pinscher make up the main dog cast. According to the official website though, there were over 200 different dogs in the cast. That is pretty impressive. All sizes and all breeds. some were shelter dogs, some seasoned pros to the acting world.
Training dogs for any kind of theatre, movie or tv work can be challenging. Preperaction includes alot of distraction work, trick training, obedience, focus, fun and hard work. Has anyone out there tried to take a good picture of their dog, the dogs need to sit still or you’ll take a picture of grass…ok I did that this morning when I was trying to take a picture of Leinie and Ginger playing.
Follow Me Dog Training LLC has a friend that works with animal actors. Dawn Wolfe has had a few of her personal dogs in some big movies and helps cast and train for tv and movies. She is fun to talk to and her dogs are even cooler. Chances are you have seen some of the things she has worked on.
On a more serious note though we have to mention that the dogs in the movie may not be anything like what you get in real life. For one, real dogs can’t talk out loud in English with Placido Domingo’s accent…although your dog may have a sense of humor like Cheech Marin. Also the dogs in the movie are well trained actors and sometimes more then one dog is used for the same role (as with the German Shepherd Dog in this one). That is because not all dogs can do every trick or command the same, or even has the physical ability to perform. So don’t everyone in America go out and buy Chihuahua’s because you saw how wonderful the one in this movie is. A Chihuahua may not be the right dog for your family or lifestyle…same goes for any of the other 200 breeds that make up the cast.
Adopt or purchase (from a reputable breeder) the right dog for you, not because you saw a certain breed in a movie! And when you bring that dog home and find that your dog is a Diva or he “acts” like a bully, contact Follow Me Dog Training LLC for a FREE evaluation and demonstration. We can help your dog with the “role” of their life….your dog.
Go see Walt Disney’s Beverly Hills Chihuahua and let us know what you think!
Tonight I sat with the three dogs (Leinie, Pepper and the Bouvier Reilly) and watched a classic movie from 1984.. Gremlins. At this point you may be asking why? Well, because it is a classic and it has a great dog in the cast! Also, Follow Me Dog Training LLC is training a Springer Spaniel named Gizmo and I’ve been thinking of the movie since we started working together.
Barney is an integral member of the Peltzer family. The family dog, the best buddy of Billy, and ok the neighbor wants to take him to the pound for destroying some Christmas decorations but still, he is a great dog! Then one day Billy’s father brings home Gizmo and the Peltzer family’s world changes, they realize they should have just stuck with the dog….life would have been easier.
“They might even replace the dog as the family pet.” This was said by Billy’s father when he sees that Gizmo has multiplied.
No way…never going to happen! Why…because Barney doesn’t turn evil when he eats after midnight, nor does he multiply when touched with water. Not to mention that Barney is a real dog in a movie filled mostly with puppets.
Barney’s real name is Mushroom. “Dante on the DVD commentary for “Gremlins” praises Mushroom as one of the best actors in the cast!” He was only in two films, Gremlins and the horror film Pumpkinhead as Gypsy.
This is what made him stand out in the movie for me:
Barney went “on vacation” through a good portion of the movie so that Ruby Deagle would leave him alone after saying: “I’ll catch the beast myself. He’ll get what he deserves, a slow painful death. Maybe I’ll put him in my spin-drier on high heat. ” Never a good thing to do to any dog!!! Don’t worry the Gremlins didn’t like her much either and in true horror movie fashion took care of Barney’s nemesis. When he returned, he took back his rightful place as the family pet.
So Mr. Peltzer learned to not bring home any new pets…especially ones named after the devil. Billy learned to appreciate his loyal companion, Barney. Barney wasn’t eaten by Stripe (the head Gremlin). Billy got the girl in the end and everyone had a good Christmas!
I got to see some fine acting done by Mushroom, have a few laughs at the Gremlins watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the dogs slept through it all on their “places”.
You hopefully learned to keep an eye on any animal actors that might be in random movies that you watch. It takes alot of talent and skill to be a movie dog. The training needs to be fun and 100% distraction proof. There are alot of wonderful animal movies and dog actors out there….I might have to review another sometime.
Follow Me Dog Training LLC sets down rules of leadership for your interactions with your dog. Luckily none of those include keeping out of sunlight, not feeding after water and don’t give them any water. Your dog can be as well mannered as Barney, the character, and as talented as Mushroom, the dog,with good training and clear communication.
Contact Follow Me Dog Training LLC for a free evaluation with your dog! We’ll help your dog bring out their inner movie star!
