How To Choose A Dog Breeds?

For centuries, dogs have been employed as living alarms and guards. Their protective nature made them ideal to alert a family that something strange was amiss. Along with being a companion, dogs can and do still perform watch dog roles.
Watch dogs are not the same as guard dogs. A watch dog alerts their owners when strangers approach, but they do not usually attack. A good watch dog doesn't have to be big or aggressive; he or she just has to possess a strong bark that lets the family know someone is approaching the house.

Often, just hearing the bark deters would-be intruders. A guard dog can do the same, but is also large enough to intimidate and, if necessary, attack an intruder.
Almost any dog that barks when something unusual happens can serve as a watch dog, but some breeds are better known for their natural watch dog abilities. These include:
American Eskimo. Descended from the German "Spitz" line of dogs, the American Eskimo was bred from ancient times to watch over people and property. The Eskimo is a small- to medium-sized dog that bonds closely with family, and tends to distrust strangers.
Boston terrier. Small, muscular and compact, the Boston terrier is one of the few truly American breeds. They are gentle, friendly dogs that are protective of family and home. Most have a good bark to alert people when strangers approach.
Chihuahua. The Chihuahua is a small dog with a big bark. He or she will bark vigorously, as if they are trying to make up for being just 6 to 9 inches tall and weighing under 5 pounds. They make sure you know when someone's approaching the house.

French bulldog. The French bulldog is not into barking, but will certainly alert the family to strange noises or approaching people. A natural guardian, the Frenchie is a devoted companion.
Miniature pinscher. Contrary to the belief of some, the miniature pinscher is not bred down from the Doberman pinscher. In fact, the breed is the older of the two and is something of a cross between the greyhound and a terrier. Always curious, the min pin will alert his owner whenever someone new is nearby.
Pekingese. The Pekingese is a bold, regal toy dog that has an enthusiastic bark rivaling the Chihuahua's. This dog loves to be pampered but will do his best to alert his family when strangers are around.
Irish setter. An Irish setter is a beautiful, friendly, energetic dog. The setter will bark to let you know someone is at the house, but don't expect more than that, in spite of the dog's size. The setter is friendly enough to show a stranger around.
Schipperke. Pronounced "skipper-kee," the Skips (as they are nicknamed) were originally bred as watch dogs, hunters of vermin and as companions. They excel at all three.
Standard and miniature schnauzer. Both make excellent watch dogs. The schnauzers hail from Germany, and all are intelligent, reliable and protective.
Norwegian elkhound. This dog is descended from canines that served with the Vikings. Brave enough to track bear and moose, the elkhound makes an excellent watchdog. The breed is bold, courageous and athletic.
Airedale. As the largest member of the terrier group, the Airedale can be intimidating. Though they may seem aloof to strangers, the breed is very loving towards his family, especially towards children.

Simple Know The American Avocet

The American avocet, with its curved bill and graceful body, is an unmistakable wading shorebird. The tallest avocet in the world, this species is also the only avocet with distinctly different breeding and winter plumages.

Habitat and Migration:
American avocets prefer open water and marshy summer habitats such as lakes and ponds throughout the central plains of the United States, including the Rocky Mountain region and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. During the winter, these birds migrate to saltwater or brackish areas of the central and southern California coast, Baja California and the southeastern Atlantic coast as well as throughout Mexico and the Caribbean. Year round populations can be found along the Texas coast and the southern California coast.
Vocalizations:
American avocets have a high, piercing “keeek-keeek-keeek” alarm call that is repeated for several syllables. A similar but less urgent, slower call is used in flight.

Behavior:
These birds forage while wading in shallow water by sweeping their curved bills back and forth along the surface of the water, or they can use their bills to probe into mud for insects or crustaceans. They may feed in flocks, and may dabble for food in deeper water. When threatened, American avocets can be aggressive and will coordinate aerial mobbing attacks of intruders, particularly near nesting areas.
Reproduction:
American avocets are monogamous birds that find mates through elaborate courtship behaviorincluding preening and splashing displays. After copulation, the pair will twine their necks together. A mated pair will raise one brood of 3-4 eggs during the nesting season, and both parents will take turns incubating the eggs for 23-29 days. The precocial young can leave the nest quickly after hatching, but both parents will tend the chicks for 28-35 days until they are ready for their first flight.

Attracting American Avocets:
These are not backyard birds but birders can help attract them to the appropriate regional habitat by raising awareness about the birds’ needs. Invasive plants must be controlled around marshes, lakes and ponds, and pollution levels, especially selenium, should be monitored so they do not become hazardous. Spraying for insects should be avoided since it would remove a vital source of food for American avocets.

Cloud Rats Are Gentle And Lovely

Cloud rats are gentle and lovely rodents found only in the Philippine. Six species of cloud rats in habitat the Philippine. These are the Northern Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat (Phloeomys pallidus), Southern Luzon slender-tailed cloud rat (Phloeomys cumingi), giant bushy-tailed cloud rat (Crateromys schadenbergi), Ilin Island cloud rat (Crateromys paulus), Dinagat Island cloud rat (Crateromys australis) and Panay Island bushy-tailed cloud rat (Crateromys heaneyi). The Panay bushy-tailed cloud rat and the Ilin-hairy tailed cloud rat are extremely endangered while the Ilin hairy-tailed cloud rat found only in the Ilin Island south of Mindoro is on the verge of extinction. Others claim it is already extinct. The smallest is the Crateromys paulus.

The Phloeomys cumingi and Phloeomys pallidus are still off the endangered list because there is still a healthy population of these species in the wild. Unlike their parasite and disease carrying cousin rats in urban places, cloud rats are forest dwellers. They are slow moving creatures but are excellent tree climbers. Cloud rats are nocturnal creatures spending most of the day sleeping in the hole of large trees. Their diet is simple consisting mostly of tender young leaves, bananas, guavas, and young corns (Novak, 1999). Survival of cloud rats is threatened by hunting and wide scale deforestation. Cloud rats are usually hunted for their meat, which is a favorite finger food or pulutan during drinking session in rural areas. Others keep them as pets. Cloud rats are among the wildlife species protected by the Haribon Foundation for the Conservation of Natural Resources a member of the World Conservation Union with linkages with a number of conservation groups nationally and internationally.

Basic studies on the biology and health aspects of cloud rats should be encouraged to complement variouson-going conservation measures. In the Philippines, Maala and Arreola (1996) described the hair cuticles of the cloud rat from those of flying lemur and Philippine monkey by means of scanning electron microscopy. Based on the result of their study the three species could be differentiated from each other through the cuticular patterns of their hair. A study on the anatomy of the cloud rat is presently undertaken at the Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Banos.

Introducing Your Puppy To His Crate

Your puppy will most likely not have spent much time in a crate before he comes to live with you (except perhaps during travel, or if his breeder started him on housebreaking) so crate training will be new to him.

The main reason why crate training a puppy is so effective is that it taps into your pup's natural desire to keep his 'den' clean.
In the wild, puppies would toddle out of their den to eliminate - even if it's only two tiny puppy-sized steps outside! This is instinctive behavior and is hard-wired into their little brains.
Now, your little guy has never seen a real 'den', but being in his crate will trigger that deep-seated instinct and he'll naturally do his very best not to pee or poop until you let him out.
Although crate training a puppy will help make housebreaking much easier for you both, your puppy is a baby and has other natural instincts to deal with too. One of them is that he instinctively wants to be right next to his pack - and that pack is now YOU.
He feels anxious and worried if he's away from you (because in the wild a puppy who gets separated is vulnerable and in great danger). This is why he will cry and complain and fuss and whine at first.... not because he hates his crate!
Of course, he's perfectly safe... he just doesn't know it yet. And as he's a domesticated dog and not a lone wolf, he needs to get used to being separated from you from short periods, so it's okay to ignore the fussingclick here for more on this
When you're crate training a puppy, it makes the whole process a bit easier if you let him get used to his new crate, and feel comfortable around it, before he has to spend much time actually inside it.
Something worth mentioning here is that you should never use the crate as punishment. Fido needs to think of his crate as a safe, happy place where he gets the chance to chew on his very favorite toys! Putting him in his crate as a punishment or when you're angry with him will undo all the hard work you invested in the first place.
Here are some basic rules of crate training and a few ideas for ways in which you can help Fido get accustomed to his new crate and learn that it's a fun place to spend time -
Open access
When you begin crate training a puppy, leave the crate door open and throw some really tasty treats inside, all the way to the back. Puppy curiosity will get the better of your little fur ball sooner or later and he'll venture inside to claim them.
Feed him inside
Give Fido his meals inside the crate (with the door open). This way he learns to associate one of his favorite things (food!) with his crate. If he seems scared at first try feeding him right outside the crate door a couple of times then try it inside again.
Play Hide & Seek
Make crate training a puppy fun by playing this game. Put a tasty treat or special toy inside his crate and then encourage Fido to 'find' it. Using a happy, friendly voice say something along the lines of"where's your goodie? Let's find it?".
Follow the search with praise, such as "Oh, there it is. It's in your crate (or bed, house whatever you want to call it). What a good boy, you found it!"