You are here: Home » Articles

Dog Articles

Here are some articles that I have created to provide information and entertainment to my site's visitors. You will find all of the market analysis articles are 100% original and are often based on Google raw data.

If you read something that is related to your pets health and you have further questions, please consult a vet to confirm any information.

Enjoy,

Bruce Dwyer

The smartest (most intelligent) dogs on Earth list, by Working Group | Ancient Dog Breed Age

Dog Intelligence Breakthrough RESEARCH

Everyone wants to think that their dog is smart, particularly if they love their dog. It is true that just like with humans you are going to get the full range of smartness in dogs, but did you know which breeds are regularly smarter than others, and how that intelligence is measured?

I have found an interesting recent article where a lot of breeds were judged against one another and their intelligence ranking provided for comparison with many other popular breeds.

Jack Russell X shows his dog toy retrieving skills. VIDEO

Chops is a jack russell X that I pro dog walk in Newport, Australia. Previous to this video we have footage of him doing the jack russell hop - caused most likely due to a knee issue. This video on this page really shows you what he loves doing best, retrieving.

Being a rescue dog and not socialised a great deal previous to his off lead walks, Chops was a very anxious little dog. With one walk per week, he still carries a lot of that anxiety with him, though he has learned to trust the dogs in our pack, which is a huge step up for him.

Professional Dog Walking Inner West Melbourne. VIDEO

Its hard to say what I should say for my first Promo video for Dog Walkers Melbourne, except that this is just a small sample of some of the great fun we have on our off lead walks.

Yes this is a particularly mellow part of the walk, but the vast majority of the time, this is what it is like, and this simple pack walk act is what is required to transform dogs into social dogs, by being around other social (balanced) dogs !

A tribute to Frodo the king charles cavalier, RIP Oct 2014. VIDEO

Frodo has been a member of our off lead dog pack at DogWalkersMelbourne for a few years now. Unfortunately a few months ago he succumbed to a heart condition only aged about 9.

Anyone who met Frodo at the local inner west dog parks will know how much of a gentle soul he had.

The most curious thing about him was that while he was the consummate lounge dog .. when on walks he did not show any particular timidness.

A doberman & lurcher (greyhound deer hound) puppies playing hard, Australia. VIDEO

It is true that Dobermen dogs and lurcher (greyhound and deerhound) typically need a more specialised trainer and dedicated owner than those that own regular (more typical companion dogs) or smaller dogs. It is not just the size of the dogs, but the purpose for which they were bred that needs consistent training techniques, to ensure safe play.

That is why it is always refreshing to see owners of such dogs regularly taking them out to maintain their level of social play. I confirmed this with a quick conversation with them on the day of filming.

Archie Spoodle/ cockapoo meets a Pony up close, Australia. VIDEO

If you work on a farm, or your dog lives with horses or pony's you might not find this clip very amazing. The reason it is amazing to me, is that my spoodle goes into hyper excitement mode every time we drive past a paddock that has horses or live stock in it.

In this case, a vendor brought some pony's for children's rides to a market that I sell my Healthy Dog treat range (also available on this site). Normally Archie is able to roam a little at these local Saturday markets, but with the addition of two ponies this became impossible.

Jack Russell Cross shows the jack russell hop & skip walk. VIDEO

This is Chops a jack russell cross that I professionally dog walk in Newport, Australia.

Previous to working full time in the dog services industry, I had never known or seen such an interesting little hop or skip in a dog's step, but many of the jack russell breed in particular seem to have this anomaly in their walk. So what causes it?

Altona Dog Obedience Club, Fly ball training 2014. VIDEO

Altona Dog Obedience Club is a great dog club in inner west Melbourne based on volunteer efforts to help anybody learn to train their dogs.

I was lucky enough to be invited to their last trial and presentation day in 2014, where I got to see a lot of dogs and owners strut their stuff.

Amy the Bernese Mountain Dog in Full fun flight. VIDEO

Amy is almost impossible not to love. She is one of the largest dogs you will find in many dog parks, but she is almost only motivated by having fun.

Her owners ensure that she has always had at least one good long walk each day of her life (and currently I walk her five mornings a week for them), which is what has led to her great nature.

When you take video's of dogs you often have objective in mind. To show their soft side, their cute side whatever. For this video I wanted to show people Amy's secret playful side.

Kelpie - Very shy, socialisation issues VIDEO

I called this video "anxious" for very obvious reasons.

This is a dog that I sometimes get to pet sit. In the early days I would get him to run into the house, then go get him from one of the bedrooms and bring him into the lounge room with me.

He would then lick me continuously (subservience) but greatly enjoy being patted and be extremely friendly.

Lurcher seemingly running on water evading the dog pack VIDEO

The lurcher is usually defined as a UK/ Ireland dog - a cross between a sight hound (often a greyhound in Australia) and any other non-sight hound breed (which can be a terrier but is often a deer or wolf hound it seems).

These guys often have great prey drives, and non social or unrestrained lurchers, because of their size, speed and endurance can cause havoc in many off lead parks. But that said all the ones I have met so far have been very independent but fun rather than aggressive.

Blitz ridgeback X climbing into my SUV for dog walks VIDEO

From Dog Walkers Melbourne's facebook page, it should be no secret that Blitz has well and truly established himself as one of the major players in the pack.

While he is usually one of the largest dogs that get into my car, he is also one of the oldest and greatest socialisation success stories that I have had.

German Pointer Olly swims out to boxer to get his tennis ball back VIDEO

None of the dogs in the video are part of my pack, however I do know the black hound fairly well - a regular fellow walkers dog.

The reason I took this video was the interesting facet I found in how Olly the hound dealt with his tennis ball being taken away from him. Because he is regularly walked off lead and is so social, he had enough manners to not try and rush in and grab the ball of the rogue boxer that was keeping the ball.

Clarence a very cute very big mastiff plays for the camera VIDEO

Clarence lives with the two other dogs shown in the video.

This is the first mastiff that I have looked after. Researching the breed you will see that there are quite a few different version of this breed, mostly to do with country of origin.

This guy was not overly relaxed when I brought my own dog into his yard, but as you can see he allows the other dogs he lives with to jump all over him.

Chutney, one of the last dogs allowed visitors in Spotswood quarantine VIDEO

Chutney holds a special place in Melbourne Aqis Spotswood (Australian) quarantine history.

He was one of the last dogs under the 30 day holding rule, a rule that I still believe in.

And due to the change in holding periods from 30 to 10 days, the rule of allowing visitors also changed from twice per week to NO visits at all.

Dog Parasite preventative Medicines Dog Walkers Melbourne requires Client dogs to have

There are four very basic things everyone can do to keep their dog healthy. This article refers to point three on the list below. This is the application of monthly preventative medication to stop parasites living on your dog in Melbourne.

The full list is: Daily dog walks; Good food (including meat and meat based dog treats); MONTHLY flea and all worm medication, Pet insurance (if you can afford it).

A little relentless puppy making all the dogs play

This video shows one of the most fearless relentless playing dogs I have walked called Louie.

Play is a vital part of every dog's life. While wolves stop playing when they enter adulthood, dogs can play like puppies for their entire life, if they learn to be social and have a preference for 'fun'.

This form of play is all about sorting out pack order. The winner is higher in the pack. Some dogs however will continue to play and dominate another dog even though they are clearly physically superior to a dog.

Dogs need off lead space to stay social & Friendly, save our dog parks!

A few months ago while out on a dog walk, a group of us me the Mayor of the Hobson Bay region, who was part of a delegation inspecting the park. We had a good long chat. Nice lady and someone who knows about dogs, and knows about vigilante cyclists .. (but that is for another time).

I was mostly advocating the value of off lead parks, and how in particular many of the dogs I was walking would not be out getting to learn being social if it wasn't for such parks.

Why even small dogs need dog walks OFF LEAD

You will see from my facebook page, that my pack is regularly made up of small dogs. It is not that they necessarily need any more walks than big walks, just that their owners seem to get more about the benefits their dogs receive on every walk and afterwards.

I have written several articles before on the benefits of dog walks for dogs, but I thought it was time to highlight some of the amazing things it can do for your dog whether I walk it or you walk it.

Finn Golden Retriever | Holly the husky playing hard and social in the park VIDEO

I am a little biased in showing you this clip. This is one of the dogs that I was walking on a morning off lead dog walk during a short pet sit engagement in Melbourne.

The dog in question is Finn the social golden retriever. The owners had left me very good instructions on Finn's diet, behaviour and play preferences. I had also seen how he played with my social dog Archie and this video was taken about half way through the dog pet sit segment.

Henry, The most anxious dog I have ever met at Spotswood quarantine - VIDEO

This article is about two quite unique mixed breed dogs I recently minded at quarantine.

A lot of dogs have 'issues' or behaviours that owners try and modify. What happens when those dogs have high socialisation issues, and are then sent to quarantine when their owners move country?

This is the video and story about two such dogs.

Archie dog training, bridge crossing on wooden slats - VIDEO

My dog has exceptional socialisation and basic recall, but it is useful for me to remember the value of new tasks for my dog too.

Providing new challenges that are a little difficult but achievable will give a dog sense of pride just as it does the owner. Handled correctly it can strengthen the owner dog trust bond.

I took two takes on this video to see how he would go a second time.

Lucy an ancient 18 year old dog walking happily over grass fields VIDEO

This is Lucy, a little jack Russel cross that I have dog minded many times over the last 2 years. The reason I videoed her (as included in this article) is to show the amazing health that she has for an 18 year old dog.

This health comes from regular walks, and good diet (that includes raw beef and chicken) as well as conventional manufactured dog food.

Max the Golden Retriever: FUN, happy dog at spotswood quarantine. VIDEO

I am a dog walker, and there are many golden retrievers in the community, but strangely I have only walked a few. Of the ones I have met, I have found that they are very alert, affectionate and often goofy.

Max was all of these things.

The video is a montage of him being very loveable, rolling around on the grass and enjoying his short quarantine freedom (one hour players in the exercise yards).

Comparison waterproof video cameras - BEST dog harness/ collar camera HD 1080P 2014

The best dog video camera has many specs on its wish list. I have researched this purchase issue thoroughly from a dog walker point of view and from a camera quality/ technical direction (using my engineering background).

Be happy in the knowledge that in 2014 you can buy a good very compact video camera for fitting to your dog's harness to film their adventures for less than $100 in Australia (delivered)! This is for a well made, 1080P (HD) waterproof miniature Video camera!

Archie exploring a recently opened power station yard - VIDEO

This is an afternoon in the park for Archie. Not all dogs are lucky enough to get treated to two off lead walks per day. But fitness wise, mental stimulation and socialisation wise there are massive benefits.

In the wild dogs are hunters in packs for food. Besides play to work out their position in the pack, and sleep, the major activity a dog will do is hunt for food. As Archie's breed is based on two retrievers, he has a keen sense of smell and loves tracking. In our local area, one of the main vermin he can track are rabbits.

Lovely Lola the Prague ratter dog retrieving a massive tennis ball in Spotswood quarantine VIDEO

lola prague ratter retrieving Ok, the tennis ball may not be massive, but compared to Lola the Prague ratter dog, it is.

Lola was extremely timid and anxious when I first met her in quarantine. This retrieving video was taken over several sessions. In fact she was so distracted that I could only get her to retrieve a few times in a row, so in the video you will really see the cream of the cream of her retrieving.

Archie dog & his frenzy/ obsessive excited barking at the Postman's motorbike - VIDEO

archie postman standoff Disclaimer: I am not a dog trainer or a dog whisper.

Disclaimer, NO postman features in this actual Video. So what is the video about? It's about the mad scramble, whining and jumping and barking my dog does around 12 and 1 pm each working week when the postman rides down our side lane.

Scrat dog jumping in his Spotswood quarantine aqis pen VIDEO

Scrat dog high jump The start of this video shows the outside of the dog pens at aqis. It is not very different from general private kennel pens. They are a mass of cement and steel wire fencing made for ease of cleaning and security.

What you will notice very quickly is the pen that I am approaching has the most hyperactive dog in detention. What you will notice as the clips moves on, is that this is one of the highest jumping dogs you have ever seen, and the unique shots at the top of his jump show some great extreme close-ups of his head.

Jazz & Kizzy ridgebacks in Spotswood quarantine Aqis Melbourne VIDEO

jazz & kizzy ridgeback dogs This article might read like a cheap romance novel for those who have not met Jazz or Kizzy, but in the beginning it was quite different. This is the article of the video of these ridgeback dog's story!

Its funny what quarantine will do for dogs. Its sometimes a real test of their character or socialisation skills, some get it immediately some take a while to revert to their true behaviour, but in Jazz and Kizzy's case it seemed that aqis was almost destiny.

Dog Obsessions and my Dog Archie's Tram Obsession VIDEO

Archie Dog tram obsessed This is the tale of my dog Archie and his tram obsession.

You will find that many dogs have at least one grand obsession in life, my dog has quite a few, and fortunately they are usually quite manageable. When the thing that causes the obsession is regularly in your dog's life, you may need to consult a dog behaviourist to get your dog free of the obsession. This is because not only is it going to cause them a lot of unwarranted stress, it could also cause them harm if they are blindly attracted to it.

I just thought that this was one of the more unusual obsessions you may find and it was worth filming and discussing. Enjoy the video!

Georgie dog pointer cross, running on water to get to birds. VIDEO

georgie dog Georgie is a rescue dog pointer cross.

Out of all the dogs that I have walked near water, I have never seen a need greater than hers to be in it.

Sure the birds are a big attraction, but many dogs are hunters or retrievers.

In this video you will see her friend the border collie go out to greet her, but even the border collie doesn't have the motivation or pace to keep up.

Archie's Law - Dog Sanctuaries replacing dog parks - keeping dogs safe. V1.0

social dogs Archies law1 You may wonder what has prompted me to write Archie's law - Dog Sanctuaries.

And what exactly is a dog sanctuary, and why should all the dog parks in Australia be included in such a law? Well as a professional dog walker who uses off lead dog parks twice every day, recently I have had several irrational threats of violence against me and my dogs at dog parks (off lead areas).

The pack of dogs I have are social, but non dog people using this shared facility just have become so disconnected with nature they do not know what is normal dog behaviour. This means that they feel threatened by very natural non-threatening things and are trying to wipe out the few dog areas that exist. A dog sanctuary is essentially a super dog park, that is created for dogs and dog owners. It will promote the healthy activity of walking your dog, and discourage conflict with non dog people.

The decline of Dog ownership in Australia Continues 2013

Dog Ownership Trends If you are in the Australian community, you may not have noticed the decline of dogs, because for many years, there have been very few people walking their dogs in public.

Lack of off lead parks and other things to do with people's time and money are some of the reasons, but I would like you to consider two other major forces. The cost of living/ mortgages, and the use of computers.

Legislation possibility for Large Powerful breed dogs

It is understandable that in America, a place that values freedom and individual rights above all else would allow anyone to own any type of dog breed you want, including wolf hybrids.

This article is not about current Australian Proposed BSL. It is about how legislaton might be enacted to ensure large powerful breed dogs are socialialised. It is about ensuring that large powerful breeds are owned by responsible owners who walk and socialise their dogs.

This discussion is about large powerful large dogs, because small unsocial dogs (while not ideal) are unlikely to cause human or dog deaths as much as large powerful dogs (accoding to CDC statistics) see ref.

Archie Dog & Jackson, playing & testing each other's limits

archie jackson patting This is the journey of a boy wanting to pat his dog. You will read many texts about how careful you need to be between these two. And indeed it took a long time before we figured that Jackson had any understanding of what he was doing. This video in parts is the opposite of what some groups would suggest you allow interactions to be like.

Archie loves to lick Jackson, and Jackson loves to pat Archie but a little too rough at times. This video chronicles their adventures of Jackson between about 9 months and one year old.

Tess the bearded collie/border collie retrieves with pin point precision

tess dog retrieving This video is all about happiness and a ten year old bearded collie cross showing you all her moves retrieving.

For a lot of people she looks like an aussie border or a border collie but that is maybe her main cross breeds.

These dogs are known to be very intelligent and bouncy and of course from its breeding and related dogs very good at herding. You will see how a bearded colllie cross retrieves tirelessly, with style!

The most popular dog names in Australia & America 2013

Most popular dog names Australia 2013 What's in a name? While the names that people give children are an endless source of amusement, it seems that there is a marked difference between the names depending on gender and countries of Australia and America.

Names tend to be traditional spelling, though America tends to hark back to the 1950's especially for male dog names. Is your dog on the most popular dog name list?

Archie dogs shows how to redirect energy, pray and generally act cute in play

archie spoodle dog on back playing This is the relaxed side of my dog Archie. The fun side after he has done all his large runs and tracking walks. If you see any traits that you recognise from a cocker spaniel or a poodle, that would be because both dogs are in his ancestry.

But this video is much more than that. In a few simple minutes you can see some strategies that he has worked out to maximise his pleasure, and extract maximum treats.

Why dog walking is vital to your dog's health & the value of a dog walker

Happy dog pack on the way to a walk Firstly I want to say that I understand that the community is often deeply divided about Cesar Millan's dog rehabilitation techniques. That aside, this article reviews his beliefs on the vital role of dog walking not his training techniques.

We look at the benefits that he ascribes to a daily dog walk, and what you can achieve with the help of a professional dog walker, if you are unable to achieve daily dog walks.

Love or hate Cesar, the principles that he bases his views on are based on many dog behaviour texts that he refers to, plus his high rehabilitation rate of client dogs.

Archie dog finds the rabbit gap in the fence VIDEO

archie dog and the rabbit fence I have two different dogs, well maybe four all rolled into one. There are the two breeds he is made from the poodle and the cocker spaniel. But there is also his walking behaviour when there are no scents to smell, and when there is. This video is showing a very active Archie, type number four.

The payoff in the video is as he hones in on the fence gap where all the rabbits escape through. You will not actually see any rabbits in this video, but you will understand that he knows that they are there by the end of it.

Testimonials

DUKE

Once again we were extremely happy with your services and would definitely be using you and Archie again and would have already recommended your services to others.

OLLIE

" Just wanted to say a big thank you for your services over the last few months. Ollie has thoroughly enjoyed every walk, and I've always enjoyed coming home to an incredibly tired pup! You...

OTTO

Since Bruce started taking Otto out on walks with his pack he has turned from a timid dog into one that relishes the company of other dogs and puppies - he's always been a very happy and playful dog...

AMY

"Bruce has walked Amy since she was a puppy. As a puppy, Amy used to suffer from anxiety when she was alone at home, didn't enjoy going for walks and she was afraid to socialise with other dogs. With ...

Archie cat

When I went overseas for 2 weeks, I needed someone reliable to look after my cat Archie. Bruce went above and beyond my expectations, really spending time to play with Archie and emailing me photos an...

BEN

We have seen a remarkable difference in our dog's behaviour since using the services of Dog Walker's Melbourne.We particularly enjoy the progress updates & photos emailed to us after every walk..V...

BISCUIT

We have now used Bruce to look after our energetic Jack Russell 'Biscuit' on two occasions while we were away. He came and walked Biscuit, played with him in our back yard, fed/watered him and collect...

BLITZ

Blitz has been in the capable hands of Bruce for 2 years now enjoying regular walks and even a swim now and then. Two years ago blitz suffered anxiety and would not settle if I left him for long perio...

CHICA

" I can highly recommend Dog Walkers Melbourne. We felt like our dog was in good hands. Great communication'"Sherry P,. Newport (CHICA)

CHOPS

Bruce has been walking our Jack Russell for a few months now. Our dog had anxiety and socialisation problems. Bruce knows his stuff, and has helped tremendously with our dog's confidence levels and an...

COCO

With my leg in Plaster I needed to find a dog walking service for my much loved dog Coco. Through recommendations I contacted Bruce and after meeting with him and his lovely dog Archie made arran...

Cookie & Bentley

“Wanted to say thanks to Bruce for looking after our 2 older dogs while we went away for a long weekend. Normally we take them with us but on this trip it was not an option. Having recently moved to M...

Our Pet Sits – Information and Fees