German Shepherd is a kind of breed that caused different oppinion among different peple. While some see it fierce and threatening, some others, especially who had a German Shepherd look at it much more tenderedly.

The German Shepherd is often aloof – they don’t often walk right up to a stranger but size them up, as if silently figuring whether you are worth their time. Some dogs take longer than others to warm up and create a bond, but once that bond is made is a dog that will face any threat imaginable to protect their family.

It is this loyalty and sense of duty that has made the German Shepherd a dog that willingly guided the blind, works as law enforcement, herds livestock, competes not only in shows but in dog sports, is a friend to the military and performs countless duties in homes throughout the world.

In the late 1800s cavaly officer Capt. Max Von Stephanitz sought to perfect a dog for farm work. As with many animals bred for function, what was needed locally was different than the dogs available. The breed today takes the look of a defined breed but not all are the same. A dog developed as a show dog might look very different from one developed for police work, which may have a different body type from one working on the farm.

American soldiers brought the breed to the US after being introduced to the breed in the military. The breed is still today used to assist soldiers throughout the world.

By the standard, the male should be 24-26 inches at the shoulder with females 22-24. They should be longer than they are tall, with an image of power and grace. Disqualifications from show include: cropped or dropped ears, nose not mostly black, undershot jaw, docked tail and all white dogs. There are many many dogs that are larger than the standard, or all white dogs, as well as all black dogs, that are still fully German Shepherd. For those interested in details of show conformation requirements they can be found at http://www.akc.org/breeds/german_shepherd_dog/

In early development it was felt the GSD should be above everything utility and intelligence. The breed is still today a working machine…functional in the ability to cover ground easily whether after a loose cow or an escaped criminal. They are distinctive in appearance and although known by different names are the same breed throughout the world.

The GSD is one of the breeds some pet food companies have developed special formulas for. They are also many people who feed a raw meat and bones diet. An important factor in feeding German Shepherds is food selection. Do not feed for fast growth – it does not necessarily mean a bigger adult but can mean a weaker adult. High energy food that boosts fast growth should be avoided especially in the rapid growth time of 3-8 months of age. This reduces the chances of displasia later. While selection of breeding dogs and testing hips and elbows before breeding is certainly a factor, equally is diet.

Many things vary within this breed. One GSD charges fearlessly into a conflict that includes gunfire while another trembles in a thunderstorm. Some have been guilty of biting while others would never except under extreme threat threaten a human. Some are bold in any circumstance, some are borderline fearful. Handling and breeding can make an immense difference in this breed. Additionally the breeding and genetic markers for disease can affect an otherwise suitable working dog. Genetic issues affecting the eyes, skin, heart, neurological system, digestive and skeletal systems are all possible within the breed – and most are found by testing before breeding.

It is this testing and the maintaining of healthy, tested clean lines that makes a good GSD an investment. A few health issues to watch for besides the hip and elbow displasia include thyroid disorders, skin allergies, Addisons, vonWillebrand’s disease, heart murmurs, cardiomyopathy, epilepsy, wobbler syndrome and spinal bifida can all affect the breed. Many problems show up at under 2 years old. A condition called EPI, Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, is another issue that can be overlooked.

A more complete list of the health issues that can affect the breed is at http://www.awsaclub.com/healthgenetics/caninegen.htm – and remember that although it can look like they are prone to every disease known to canines, many of these can be eliminated by genetics.

Although not genetic, owners of GSD should be familiar with the danger of bloat. Like many deep chested dogs, GSD is susceptible to this critical emergency that needs immediate medical attention. This condition is fast-striking and fatal.

Do not be deterred by the list of health issues in the breed – instead, use that to choose your dog wisely. Understand that without testing you have the risk of losing a dog you’ve become attached to – and it may well be worth $ 700-800 for a dog that has a healthy genetic family rather than getting one of unknown background for $ 150 then spending thousands treating problems that are lurking unseen. For a tested, working and show type dog bred for temperament, trainability and soundness do not be shocked by prices $ 1,500 or $ 2,000 and up. Many of these come with health and soundness guarantees.

Dogs of 12-15 years are not uncommon. With a reported average litter size of eight, it’s important to choose mates wisely.

The trainability of the German Shepherd is well documented. The movie “K-9” and it’s sequels revolved around a German Shepherd, as did the infamous Rin Tin Tin. The first seeing-eye dog in 1928 was a German Shepherd. The GSD is one of the most intelligent dogs in the canine world, in one test just behind the border collie and poodle. John Kennedy, Roy Rogers and Franklin D. Roosevelt kept GSD.

Schutzhund, a competition not for the faint of heart, is but one thing the GSD excells at. This competition tests the dog’s intelligence, soundness, tracking abilities, willingness to work, courage and trainability. While photos from these competitions show dogs scaling obstacles and making spectacular leaps to latch bites onto the arm of a “suspect” it’s important to remember these dogs are highly trained. They are not vicious…they are trained to get to a suspect, restrain them and ideally get them on the ground for the safety of their handlers.

No dog, German Shepherd or otherwise, should be teased or mistreated to induce aggression. The difference between an aggressive dog and a trained K-9 is extreme. A K-9’s training is based on play – an aggressive dog is based on survival, and this difference is critical to understand. It drives an aggressive dog to unspeakable acts and reflects poorly on the many great dogs of the breed that are highly trainable.

A good dog with obedience training doesn’t need special training for protection. These operate from a position of defense of the home – and the bark of a GSD is often enough to change the minds of someone who thinks they want to do harm. The natural protection instincts of a good GSD is normally sufficient to deal with a threat.

It is no surprise that there are many heroes in this breed. Ceasar, a K-9 handled by Corporal Mark Sarna of the Shaker Heights Ohio Police Department, had a resume that included drug detection, tracking suspects as well as being a certified therapy dog and friendly with children. Griff, a K-9 with the Summit County Sheriff’s Department, and his handler Deputy Kathy Wilmot is another awarded dog and a great illustration as to the unknown these dogs and their handlers can face. Called to a domestic disturbance where the suspect was threatening to burn down the house of a girlfriend with her and her kids in it, Griff tracked the suspect through freezing rain. While he wanted to continue, the humans insisted on returning to the command unit and before long a second call came in. The suspect returned to the home and was becoming violent. A very dangerous situation evolved with the suspect assaulting the dog and handlers, attempting to kill the dog hands on despite being tazered. Griff not only never gave up but never shifted position – he put himself between the suspect and his handler, willing to lay down his life if need be. After the incident was over it was learned the suspect had commited an armed robbery just hours before, was out on bond and had a previous stint of 13 years in prison.

In the dangerous work of police and military work many German Shepherds have paid the ultimate price for their instincts and training. They serve faithfully and have confronted the worst of humanity, not only on a daily basis but also in events such as the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City bombing.

Because these are bold, intelligent and trainable dogs they must have a home that will TRAIN them. Select a good, healthy dog and put the time into training them. This doesn’t take 6-8 hours per day…it’s teaching things in small ways on a day to day basis. Left to their own devices they will be unhappy and find their own means to entertain themselves, and you probably won’t like it. A bored, untrained dog can destroy vehicles, homes and lives. Once trained then you can sit back and enjoy your beautiful, functional, intelligent and well mannered dog.

For the right home the German Shepherd is a wonderful companion and security that doesn’t fail with power outages. If yours is the right home, do your homework and find the best dog for you. They’re a wonderful breed with a big heart.

Do you have a new puppy or dog that you want to make sure is well behaved and obedient? I’d like to recommend that you get started the right away by following one of the excellent on-line video dog obedience training courses. If you like to learn best from watching and listening to an expert teach you, rather than trying to learn something new from a book, you will really benefit from getting yourself a copy of an on-line video program.

By starting to train your dog with the expert advice you can get through a great dog obedience training program, you will be getting started the right way-that way you can avoid the mistakes nearly everyone makes, which make it much more difficult to train their dogs themselves. Avoiding the mistakes of bad training techniques is almost as important as teaching the exercises themselves as far as getting quick and long lasting results. By watching an expert training a dog on a good dog training video you can really get a good feel for the training, and how you should go about training your dog.

By listening to the expert’s voice on the video, you will find that the tones of voice you use, as well as your body language, are important tools in your training effort. You will learn that you must use an upbeat and cheerful voice and lots of praise to get the great results that positive conditioning creates. On the other hand, if your dog isn’t behaving properly, you will learn what tones of voice to use to correct your dog-and why raising your voice to yell at your dog is a big mistake that will set back the training. In a book you are told what tone of voice to use, but with a dog training video you can actually hear the right vocal tones.

Dog training videos are great for those of us who seem to learn better by watching and listening than merely by reading or through just a vocal explanation. I know that I learn best when I can actually see how something is done, as well as listen to an explanation, so dog training videos really appeal to me.

I like to watch the dog videos on the Internet for good ideas and also for the entertainment. If you have watched some of these you can see everyone seems to have their own way of going about it. I have noticed that all the best trained pups and dogs were trained with positive training techniques.

However, I wouldn’t recommend trying to learn everything you need to know about obedience training and raising your dog from watching homemade Internet dog training videos. Anyone who wants to learn to train their dog using dog training videos as a guide really needs a complete program of step by step dog training videos that take you on a logical course from puppyhood basic training steps, and then through all the more advanced tricks as the puppy matures enough to absorb further training.

As part of its commitment to help first responders save lives and property, Mission Manager, Inc. is pleased to announce a collaboration with the American Humane Association aimed at enhancing the associations Red Star teams nationwide animal rescue efforts. Mission Manager, one of the most widely used cloud-based emergency management tools, has supported approximately 5,000 missions over the past three years.

Under the arrangement, Mission Manager will donate its software and a portion of its revenues to the American Humane Association.

Mission Manager provides a turnkey solution for mission planning and real-time situational awareness. Based on three core principals preparation, readiness and execution the software provides a team-based operational environment for day-to-day tasks and serves as an online command center during incidents. Mission Manager features automated reporting tools, multiple communications vehicles and extensive mapping capabilities.

American Humane Associations Red Star volunteer responders are trained to help animals during or after a disaster, or as a result of animal cruelty bringing vital skills in animal handling as well as necessary supplies and resources to set-up and operate temporary shelters and/or conduct field rescue missions.

Were excited to use Mission Manager, which will automate our Red Star Teams administrative tasks and significantly enhance the volunteers rescue efforts. Until now, weve had to organize our team of nearly 200 nationwide volunteers by pen and paper, said Paul Raybould, American Humane Association Chief Innovation Officer. With Mission Managers support, were able to do a better job than ever before in meeting the needs of animals during times of crisis.

Our reason for being is to help first responders save lives and property whether their callout involves a missing person, an animal rescue effort or catastrophic event, said Michael Berthelot, President and CEO of Mission Manager. Thats why our collaboration with American Humane Association is such a fit. Were proud to partner in the pursuit of saving animal lives.

A PROUD SPONSOR OF THE AMERICAN HUMANE ASSOCIATIONS HERO DOG AWARDS

Mission Manager is also sponsoring the Search and Rescue (SAR) category in the 2014 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards gala on Sept. 27. The finalist in that category Bretagne (pronounced Brittany) who lives in Cypress, Texas has made significant contributions to the SAR community over her long career.

As seen on a special broadcast of The TODAY Show on Sept. 11, she is one of only two surviving search and rescue dogs who worked at Ground Zero following the 2001 terror attacks. Bretagne was also deployed during the Olympic Winter Games in 2001 and Hurricane Rita in 2005.

Since retiring in 2008, she spends her time working as an ambassador to the SAR community and visiting schools. Bretagne is among eight amazing dogs that will be honored at a star-studded awards gala on Sept. 27 in Beverly Hills, where the top American Hero Dog for 2014 will be chosen based on more than one million votes by the American public. People can read her remarkable story athttp://www.herodogawards.org or watch video at http://on.today.com/1yrzFhZ.

ABOUT THE RED STAR TEAM

American Humane Association is the countrys first national humane organization and the only one devoted to protecting both children and animals. The organizations Red Star rescue work began in 1916 when they were asked by War Department to help save hundreds of thousands of horses that were wounded on the battlefields of World War I in Europe.

Since then, Red Star has been involved in virtually every major relief effort, from Pearl Harbor to 9/11, the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, and Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. During the past 10 years, Red Star has rescued, helped and sheltered more than 10,000 animals hurt in catastrophes and cruelty cases. To help, please visit http://www.americanhumane.org.

ABOUT MISSION MANAGER

Mission Manager provides cloud-based software designed to help save lives and property by enabling first responders to operate more efficiently and effectively. Mission Managers team member and asset management capabilities, combined with its calendar and communication functions, allows users to enhance team readiness through optimized training and seamlessly integrate mission-specific operations during real-time events.

Over the past three years, Mission Manager has been used in nearly 5,000 missions ranging from single-person rescues to large public events and full-scale natural disaster response. Mission Manager is currently used in all 50 U.S. states, and on every continent except Antarctica. Truly a global tool, Mission Manager is available in 80 languages. To learn more, visit http://www.MissionManager.com.

Colorado State University-Global Campus (CSUGlobal.edu) is proud to announce it has donated $ 10,000 to non-profit organizations in the communities of its dedicated employees as part of its Community Relations Grant program.

In addition to the incredible contributions our staff members make to our university and its students, they are actively involved in a wide variety of activities that make a big difference to their families, neighbors, and communities at large, stated CSU-Global President, Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker. We created the Community Relations Grant program to give them the opportunity to accomplish even more, and truly recognize their hard work and efforts.

CSU-Global staff memberslocated in Colorado and across the U.S.nominated local charity events and organizations for the grants, and the universitys Community Relations Committee selected 12 deserving non-profits to receive funds in support of their causes. This years recipients were:

The Gathering Place – a daytime drop-in center for women, children, and transgender individuals who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. First Tee of Denver – provides the opportunity to children to have a fun, engaging sport alternative. Sprout City Farms – works with communities to create sustainable farms that meet the food access and educational needs of surrounding residents. Larry Silver Memorial Golf Tournament – raises money to support children and families dealing with cancer. Commanders Youth Sports – provides athletic opportunities to kids that promote sportsmanship, leadership, community, team effort, and life skills. Literacy Coalition of Colorado – promotes and fosters adult literacy in Colorado through professional development, volunteer training and referrals, and other projects. Westernaires – encourages self-respect, responsibility, and leadership in children through horsemanship and family participation. Judis House – helps children and families who are grieving the death of a loved one find hope and healing. Big Brother Big Sister Colorado – provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring one-to-one relationships that will change their lives for the better. Colorado Pug Rescue – works to improve the welfare and quality of life of homeless pug dogs. Elevation Blueprint – provides affordable English, financial education, computer literacy, and technology advancement classes to people in need. Life is Better Rescue – creates a better life for animals facing euthanasia.

As a state university dedicated to making a positive impact, we look forward to continuing to expand our involvement in the communities and lives of our students, faculty, and staff in Colorado and beyond, continued Dr. Takeda-Tinker. Congratulations to all of this years grant recipients.

Email Outreach(at)CSUGlobal(dot)edu for more information about this years Community Relations Grant program or recipient organizations. More information about Colorado State University-Global Campus 100 percent online bachelors degree and masters degree programs is available at CSUGlobal.edu, or by calling 800-920-6723. Class start every four weeks.

About Colorado State University-Global Campus Colorado State University-Global Campus (CSU-Global) was created by the Colorado State University System Board of Governors in 2007 as the first 100 percent online state university in the United States. CSU-Global is focused on facilitating adult success in a global marketplace through career-relevant education including bachelors degree completion and masters degree programs. Embracing the land grant heritage as part of the Colorado State University System, CSU-Global sets the standard for quality and innovation in higher education through its expert faculty trained in working with adults in an online learning environment, and through its dedication to student retention, graduation and workplace success. Visit CSUGlobal.edu or call 1-800-920-6723 for more information.

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What if you come across some fraud cases within the pharmaceutical company you are working with? You might have come across some unlawful marketing practices of medicines which may be against the public interest. Have you tried to stop them but to no avail?

In order to stop those illegal activities, you can file legal action against those persons who are involved in such fraud cases. This act of whistle blowing will not highlight your boldness but will also help society to eliminate corruptions and undesirable practices.

Generally, pharmaceutical fraud cases may appear in the form of off-label marketing and pharmaceutical kickbacks. Off-label marketing is the practice of marketing of medicines for medical reasons that have not been approved by FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Whereas, pharmaceutical kickbacks refers to the practice of pressuring physicians for prescribing those medicines which pharmaceutical companies offer rather than recommending different drugs which can be more effective for their treatment.

If you are thinking to expose the on-going fraud practices within your organization, you can contact qui tam lawyers who deal with pharmaceutical fraud cases. Experienced medicare fraud lawyers have adequate knowledge about the rules and regulations required in developing successful healthcare fraud cases. Most of the legal firms in Chicago have team of medicaid fraud attorneys, who are skilled in conducting successful investigation of cases on behalf of the whistleblowers.
 
Whistle blowing against your company may lead you to face many security problems. Therefore, it is necessary to choose those whistle blower lawyers, who are well-versed with the False Claim Act. According to this law, protection are  provided to those people who take bold steps to report against fraud cases occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company.

Besides protection, choosing right qui tam lawyers may help you receive reward for your act of whistle blowing. If you are willing to reap benefits out of your whistle blowing act, then you can contact attorneys who are experienced in dealing with wide range of qui tam cases involving government contract fraud, medicare and medicaid fraud.

For easy searching of qui tam lawyers, you can take the help of Internet to verify their existence and take updated contact numbers to make a call. If you are in Chicago and are looking for qui tam lawyers, then you can get connected with Chicago-based legal firms having award-winning attorneys.

You can ensure about the privacy policy maintained within the legal firm before providing secret information about your company. This will help your qui tam cases solved in a secured manner. So, take a bold step without any hesitation and try making your organization free from unlawful activities.

A Dog Training Lesson

Are you looking for some dog training tips?  Perhaps you have some dog problems that you just can’t figure out how to handle.  Maybe you’re in the middle of training a puppy.  Training dogs can be frustrating and a lot of hard work, but it is so worthwhile.

I’m by no means an expert in dog training.  But through my many years on this earth I have always had dogs in my life.  Most of them have been rescue dogs.  I would suggest rescue dogs for anyone interested in getting a new dog.  It’s a wonderful feeling and you will never regret it.

Now, on to the purpose of this article and this short dog training course. Over the years I’ve tried many different dog  training techniques to deal with dog problems that I’ve encountered.  Many times with rescue dogs, especially older rescue dogs, they might have some bad habits that their previous owner just didn’t want to deal with.  Those are the dogs I love to take because they end up being so lovable and sweet once you deal with the dog problem.

One dog training technique that has been very successful for me has been something so simple and yet so effective.

What I do is take a small tin can and put a few pennies in it.  Sometimes I will have a few cans around the house so they are handy when I need them.

When your dog exhibits a behavior that is not welcomed, just give the can a shake and at the same time say “No!”  This catches the dog’s attention and startles them.  They don’t like the sound of the pennies in the can, and after doing this a few times, you’ll see  that the unwanted behavior stops.  So what you are doing is conditioning the dog  to know that when they do the unwanted behavior, they will hear this noise that they don’t like, and therefore after a few times they will stop the behavior.  After a few times, you won’t even have to use the can but only say “No!” and they will stop the unwanted behavior.

This is why I have a few cans around the house because you want them handy so you can shake the can immediately when the dog is doing the unwanted behavior. 

I’ve used this technique on a number of dog problems that I’ve had through the years.  It’s been especially helpful in stopping dogs from barking too much.  One of my dogs was a very yappy dog until I tried this technique.  After a few shakes of the can, he now does not bark all the time and is much more pleasant to be around.

Another dog problem I’ve handled with this technique is a disgusting behavior of eating their own feces.  I know, so disgusting.  Two of my dogs now have done this in the past and I was so happy when this technique worked for them.  I would have to watch them while they were outside for a few days and keep a window open.  Then when they started going toward their own feces with an eye to eating it, I would shake the can from the window and that was enough to stop them.  It only took a few times.

I hope you will try this technique and let me know if it works for you.  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Also, I have found another great dog training book that has some great simple ideas to help with dog problems that you might want to try.  The title is Secrets to Dog Training, formerly known as SitStayFetch.  It’s a great resource, PLUS you get six bonus books with it.

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