The Queensland Blue Heeler was the original name of the Australian Cattle Dog. In 1813 in Australia, when the crossing of the Great Dividing Range had been accomplished and the vast ranges of Queensland were settled, thousands of small ranchers had a great need for a cattle drover that could withstand the punishing temperatures extremes of weather. Without fencing it was vital to have a dog that could keep the cattle rounded up. Writings are sketchy but it appears that the Blue Heeler was developed from crosses of the Smooth Collie, the kelpie and the wild dingos with a bit of dalmatian thrown into the mix also.

The result was a dog with great agility at the turn bred to bite at the heels of the cattle to move them, a dog that was quiet as a ghost and could contain the herd without “spooking” it. This original dog was the animal that had these necessary traits. A man by the name of Robert Kaleski developed this original strain and in 1902 drew up the first breed standard. The Kennel club of New South Wales accepted the standard in 1903, when it was officially named the Australian Cattle dog. The term “Blue Heeler” is still often used to denote this breed.

The Cattle dog is a non compromising dog that sets its mind to the task. It is wary of strangers but is absolutely loyal to its master. This is a highly intelligent dog with easy trainability and a strong desire to please. The dog was purposely bred to have a heavy mouth and punishing jaws, for the purpose of biting and nipping at the heels of the cattle when moving the herds. Any display of bad temperament was discouraged early on in the breeding of these dogs and it is essential that this remain a practice of the responsible breeders, since this dog has great power and strength in his bite.

The Australian Cattle Dog is a hardy and tough dog with few genetic problems. Few cases of hip dysplasia have been reported. It is not a large dog, standing 18-20 inches at the withers. The skull is broad to accommodate the bite, with a deep muzzle and no sign of looseness of flews. The body is balanced and sturdy, the coat being of moderate length with weather resistant harsh outer guard hairs which lie flat. All the puppies are born white and the coat later develops into the “coat of many colors” that typifies the breed. The Cattle Dog is a merle dog with blue mottles or speckles or red with red mottling. Usually there is a lighter “brush” of white on the tail. Cattle drivers have a preference for the darker coloring since the dog is less easily seen at night by the cattle and can move among them without “spooking” the herd.

The Blue Heeler is a friendly and lovable dog and they are gaining popularity as pets and companion dogs. However they can be strong willed and should be trained early. They make good watch dogs and guard dogs. Anyone who has a cattle dog as a pet needs to understand that this is a dog bred to work and it will always need plenty of exercise. They make a great joggers companion!

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Dogs

Thanks to Disney’s Motion Picture ‘Finding Nemo,’ almost everybody is familiar with clownfish.

Clownfish, or Anemonefishes, from the family Pomacentridae, are one of the easiest tropical marine aquarium fish to breed. Clownfish regularly lay eggs in aquariums. They have quite large eggs and larvae, and since the larvae easily eat cultured live foods, raising them is somewhat simpler than it is with many other marine species.

You need to get a pair if you want to breed clownfish, and that’s quite interesting - believe it or not, clownfish are all born as males! When they are adults, the largest and the most dominant fish of the group will undergo a sex change and become a female. The second largest usually becomes the breeding male, while all the other fish remain juveniles and gender-neutral. If the breeding female disappears, the breeding male will change to a female, and so on. Buying an established pair may be a reasonable way to go, but it is often better to have a group of juveniles growing up together. If you choose to buy a pair you should look for a pair that goes around together. Sometimes you can be lucky enough to get a pair already spawning. Anyhow, establishing an adult pair can be a little tricky; and you need to keep your eyes on them to make sure that the female doesn’t kill the male.

The next thing is to set up the tank. The tank should be large enough, approximately 200 liters for the breeding pair. It is better to keep a pair alone in an aquarium when trying to spawn clownfish.

The aquarium should be furnished with a nice anemone, a few live rocks and other rocky substances with a vertical surface, a layer of coral sand on the bottom, bright lighting, good filtration, and a protein skimmer. Your clownfish should be stress free, which means no aggressive tank mates and good water quality. As for feeding, clownfish need a mixed diet of fresh raw seafood and vegetables. A good diet includes prawns, mussels, and squid. It is best to feed small bits at regular intervals.

Spanning can begin 1 to 12 months after the fish have settled into their new home. When the fish are ready to spawn, they become very aggressive. The male clownfish will dance up and down in front of the female (also known as “clownfish waggle”). They will also start to clean their selected rock by robustly biting it. The spawning itself usually occurs in the afternoon or early evening. Once the spawning is complete (within several hours) the male takes on responsibility for attending the eggs, whereas the female acts as protector of the eggs and supervisor of her male.

Spawning is likely to occur again at intervals of 12 to 18 days. The eggs should be left in the care of the parents and not removed, unless the parents are known to be egg eaters. At first the eggs are a bright orange colour, but after several days this diminishes and the eyes appear. Hatching usually takes from 6 to 15 days, depending on temperature.

The most critical stage of the fry is the first 10 days of their larvae span. If you can get your fry to survive this period the rest of their raising should be easier.

About The Author

Article by William Berg writer for Aquatic Community with more then 20 years of aquarium experience. Find more of Williams articles about Piranhas or maybe something completely different like a Clown loach

Article may be reproduce as long as it is not edited and this resource box is included “as is with live links” on the bottom of the page.(Java links and PHP links are not allowed, I.e. SE friendly links only)

They may seem to be bold explorers - sniffing at and mouthing just about anything - but all dogs have an instinctive fear of anything unfamiliar to them. Fear causes stress on the body, which affects long-term health. To help your dog avoid the negative health effects of stress, it is important to socialize her. Socialization is the process of exposing your dog to a wide variety of places, situations, objects and people. A well-socialized dog is a confident, healthy dog that you can take anywhere.

An unsocial dog will attack other dogs, children, vets, and even you.

The things that startle dogs often surprise their owners. Hats, balloons, garden statues, and other mundane things that seem to pose no threat. To your dog, however, it is an unknown. If you are a subdued person, your dog might show fear around a bubbly extrovert. Basically, any situation or object your dog is not accustomed to can create fear and stress in her.

Cornell University College of Vet Medicine suggests that the socialization period lasts up to about 12 weeks (3 months) of age.

So it is best if the socialization process begins when the dog is a puppy. This is a key learning time for dogs, so they become socialized more quickly. However, even older dogs that were not socialized as puppies can reach that confident, relaxed state. Socializing a dog that is more than one year old may take a little longer, but the results are rewarding.

Socializing a dog is a very simple process: take the dog to as many different places as you can. Your dog will pick up on your body language and follow your lead, so it is important for you to act confident and relaxed, especially when your dog hesitates. While you are walking about, stop every so often to pet your dog and talk to her in a happy voice. Naturally, feeding her a treat or two will give her a positive association with the environment.

Here are some quick ideas to try to give your puppy confidence.

• Invite friends to meet her. This will help her get used to unfamiliar people.
• Take her to the shopping mall, into the park, school play areas to experience new environments.
• Introduce the puppy to anything you expect her to use daily - the yard, her leash, stairs.

Since your goal is to give your dog confidence, not traumatize her, never force your dog to accept a person or situation. Respect her feelings, and try again later.

While you are out and about, remember that you are your dog’s guardian. Keep an eye out for excited children running towards your dog. A good way to handle this kind of situation is to stop the kids verbally about 10 feet from your dog. Explain to them that your dog is just getting used to new places and new people. Ask them to approach quietly and one at a time so that your dog learns that children are nothing to be afraid of. Letting the children feed your dog a treat is sure to help her learn to accept these high-energy, enthusiastic strangers.

Properly socializing your puppy will ensure the best traits come out in your new pet and you and your pet enjoy your life together.

Best Pet Health Information is a resource which will help you find infomation, hints and tips to keeping your dog happy and healthy. http://www.best-pet-health.info

Copyright © 2005 Best-Pet-Health.info. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.

Digital cameras make it easy and fun for amateurs to capture endearing images of their pets. Tiny dogs, big dogs, beautiful dogs, scruffy or ugly dogs; they all have an innate grace about them. The lift and tilt of their head, the quizzical look when you address them, the body-posture of anticipation; we love them and we want great photos. If you want memory-maker photos, try these easy tips:

Choose Bright Light and a Familiar Location: Plan to shoot outside, if possible. The light outside is brighter, and brighter light is best. Pick a familiar outdoor spot, probably your backyard. Think about what kind of shot you want: Do you want a playful, vigorous and alert shot of Max or do you want to see his gentle, sweet and mellow-side? The sun must be to the side of your pet, not behind him. Put Max in the spot where you want to photograph him. Get down eye-to-eye with him and check the background. Is there good contrast between his fur and the background? Are there shadows falling from a roof-line or garage? Is the background messy with children’s toys, a trash can or lawn furniture that you don’t want in the shot? If so, something has to go — either the unwanted props or Max. Let Max be the star.

Take Time to Practice: Practice setting up the shot you want. If your dog,(we’ll call him “Max”) is trained to sit, then you have a great shot right in front of you, if not, then it’s a bit like teaching him a new trick. Most dogs do not like to pose but you’ll encourage him through repetition. Kneel or lie down close, with the camera positioned at just below his eye-level. Zoom-in and fill the frame with Max. He’ll certainly be curious and move in and out of the shot. While Max is getting familiar with you “down there,” you can see the lighting and composition of the photo in the LED. Use his favorite toy to distract him or wait-him-out…just relax in position. He’ll tire of you, eventually, and suss out the birds or squirrels. Lure him back to the photo spot with a favorite biscuit or snack. He will quickly learn that a treat is in store when he is in the photo spot, and that will mean a good camera shot for you.

Persistence and Repetition: Repeat the practice steps for a week or so, taking photos each day, with and without the flash, and always using the Sport Mode shutter speed. Let Max get to know and expect the flash. After the session is over, you’ll make an educated decision about using the flash or not. Delete the practice photos, if you want, and start again tomorrow. The drill is to get Max familiar with the camera in your hand, the flash and the same location every day.

For bold and beautiful still shots: Use the vertical camera position and get
close-up to capture his facial features, expressions and the texture of his fur. Start shooting the moment he settles down, and keep shooting. Don’t stop to checkout the shot-quality. The best shots will be when he isn’t looking directly at you. His eyes are the most compelling feature but it’s also important that his ears are up and his nose is moist. Pull back for a medium or full-length shot, using the horizontal camera position.

For vibrant and high-spirited action shots: You know Max well, so you know where he scampers, ferrets and has the most fun. Does he like to roll in the grass, nudge a ball with his nose, or crouch for a low-flying bird? With the digital setting on Sport Mode, snap away. Most digital shutter speeds are not fast enough to capture a moving image at just the right moment, but lots and lots of pics, shot in quick succession, will yield some very good photos of your pet’s shenanigans.

Flash Tips: In natural light (outdoors), your flash is probably limited to a range of 10 to 12 feet. Try both flash and no flash to determine what works best. Most digital cameras have a “fill-in” or “force flash” setting. With this option on, you’ll get a flash every time you press the shutter button, which should bring out unique details such as the color and texture of fur and luminous eyes. The “fill-in” flash may
over-expose and the auto-flash may not activate because it isn’t dark enough. Practice, practice, practice and be familiar with your camera to maximize its options.

Indoor tips: Lighting indoors is a special challenge. Use simple lighting and then judge what you need to add or take away. Pay close attention to backgrounds: make sure your pet has a contrasting background and avoid busy patterned fabrics or upholstery.

Tips for dogs and kids: Children can get their pets to do amazing things. Can the kids get Max to wear a hat for a still shot? Great “chase” shots are taken with a child in the lead. Get a shot of your dog “kissing” a child, grandma or gramps, by putting a spot of butter or honey where you want the kiss to be.

General Tips: Have your dog brushed and clean. Consider removing his collar as light can reflect off of it. Keep the atmosphere fun. If you are tense, irritable and impatient your pet will be too. Take lots and lots of shots and you’ll get more than a few very good ones.

Copyright © 2006, Ian White

Author Ian White specializes in helping people who are interested in finding a live-in pet sitter (house sitter) in their town. House sitters provide free pet minding, gardening and home security in exchange for accomodation. To find out about these services, visit http://www.housecarers.com.au This is a free service for homeowners. Free registration for confidential matching with house sitters in your area.

The AKC standard for the English Bulldog is medium size, around
40-50 pounds. English Bulldog’s have a smooth coat, a large
short-face head, low swung body with wide shoulders. Today,
Bulldogs are bred as a friendly dog that interacts well with
both humans and other dogs. English
Bulldog puppies and adult dogs can be cheerful, playful,
frisky, suborn and protective. Bulldogs are know for their
unique personalities.

The English Bulldog’s flat face has been know to cause breathing
problems for them. Due to this they can develop heat stroke
easier than other dogs when the weather is hot. Their short legs
make it difficult for them to swim, so they need to be monitored
when around water. Some of their other health problems may
include cataracts, hip problems, allergies, and cherry eye. Due
to their large heads in relation to their medium sized bodies,
many infant bulldogs are delivered by way of c-section to
prevent their head from being stuck in the birth canal.

Originally, Bulldogs were bred for bullbaiting. This is a
popular betting sport during 17^th century England.
The Bulldogs were trained to jump at the bull, clamp onto its
snout and try to suffocate the bull. This sport was banned in
England in 1885. After bullbaiting was banned, Bulldog clubs
began to form in Britain to help enhance the breed. Bulldogs
gained more prominence with the increasing popularity of dog
shows in Great Britain. Bulldogs quickly rose to the top of the
show dog ring and became a symbol of Great Britain. Many
universities, military institutions, and organizations
throughout the world have used the Bulldog as their mascot.
English Bulldogs have also been used in the artistic world with
countless characters and references in paintings, books, films,
performing arts, and music. Today, English Bulldogs continue to
be widely accepted as one of the most prestigious, expensive,
and sought after dogs.