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<strong>PDTE</strong> AGM MEETING In Poland 26 – 27 September 2009<br />
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sniffing around in the woods, playing with<br />
other dogs, and being social. They enjoy<br />
touching other dogs, and being close to<br />
and having physical contact with humans<br />
— just like any dog. They love soft,<br />
comfortable beds and sofas, sleeping and<br />
resting and generally being peaceful. They<br />
love exploring and investigating the world<br />
around them, and they can be great with<br />
children, which is often the case. They can<br />
share a bone quite happily.<br />
One thing you do have to watch is their<br />
fun-loving boisterousness when they are<br />
young. When they are adolescents they<br />
have a powerful, energetic body full of hormones<br />
but not a lot of sense to go with it.<br />
They don’t understand their own strength<br />
so they do have a tendency to run at you,<br />
through you, over you and even under<br />
you given half a chance. And they do the<br />
same to furniture! That means one should<br />
be a little more careful with small dogs and<br />
children and elderly or frail people. As they<br />
grow older they learn to be more careful,<br />
as any dog would.<br />
It may come as a surprise to some that<br />
dogs with short coats need to wear a coat<br />
in winter — even the fighting breeds. At<br />
least in Finland the winters can be very<br />
cold, and the kidneys being close to the<br />
back are vulnerable to cold.<br />
ENRICHMENT<br />
As with any other breed, fighting breeds<br />
need plenty of enrichment. Every breed<br />
has certain things they like to do more<br />
than others. For example, fighting breeds<br />
do enjoy testing their strength. One good<br />
way to satisfy this need is to allow them<br />
to pull something, like a child in a sled.<br />
As long as the harness is well fitting and<br />
they are allowed to build up to it without<br />
pulling too hard, these dogs will enjoy it<br />
immensely. They can also engage in a little<br />
tug of war with another dog, but they do<br />
have to trust each other. Playing with dogs<br />
of a similar type is something they take a<br />
lot of pleasure in. You may have noticed<br />
this with other types of dogs; each type<br />
— sight hounds, for example — have their<br />
own favourite kind of play. With the fighting<br />
breeds it is roughhousing, and as with<br />
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These couch potatoes have no more desire to fight than any other family pet.<br />
Adolescents can be a bit boisterous<br />
until the brain catches up with the body.<br />
everything else this requires supervision. It<br />
is best to ensure that the play sessions are<br />
short and under control.<br />
Tracking is great for fighting breeds as<br />
with any dog, especially if they can play<br />
with the “prey” at the end of the track. This<br />
can be hung on a tree or hidden in a hole,<br />
or tied to a tree trunk so the dog really has<br />
to pull and tear at it. This mimics killing,<br />
dragging and tearing the prey, and they<br />
thoroughly enjoy it.<br />
And what can be more fun than tearing up<br />
a cardboard box full of goodies! Especially<br />
the terrier-bulldog mixes have a terrier<br />
aspect that loves ripping things apart.<br />
Dealing with boxes is a problem-solving<br />
exercise that smart dogs enjoy.<br />
A MEDIA-FED MYTH<br />
At least in Europe, the media have been<br />
having a field day in recent years in regard<br />
to “dangerous dogs”. We’ve all seen the<br />
headlines: “Vicious Pit Bull Mauls Tiny<br />
Child,” or something similar. This is feeding<br />
the myth that such dogs should not be<br />
allowed, and unfortunately the American<br />
Pit Bull has received the brunt of it.<br />
<strong>PDTE</strong> NEWS
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