Malaysian Siberian Husky Club Birthday Party

A PACK of Siberian Huskies at a park under the hot sun is a sight that you don’t see every day.

And at a special occasion, the Malaysian Siberian Husky Club celebrated the birthdays of four of their members’ dogs at the 1 Utama Central Park in Bandar Utama recently.

Joining the furry kids were 10 other Siberian Huskies and their owners who brought food and drinks to liven up the atmosphere.

Circle of dog lovers: Members of the Malaysian Siberian Husky Club and their pooches socialising at the get-together.

The event was initiated by club president Deby Chor to celebrate the birthdays of her dogs Fawkes and Chaos as well as two other members’ Huskies called Sir Naughty and Dame Queenie.

Chor said she saw the opportunity to hold the get-together at the1 Utama Central Park as the place was dog-friendly and had hosted many large dog gatherings before.

“I am glad that so many Siberian Husky owners turned up at such short notice. Since we only meet once every quarter of the year, this is a wonderful oppurtunity,” she said.

The club, she said, was set up in 2006 to educate first-time owners on the Northern breed.

So far, 226 members have signed up, including those from afar like Britain, the Philippines and Thailand.

Birthday girls: Two-year-old Siberian Huskies Princess Chaos and Dame Queenie at the birthday party

Chor said the Siberian Husky club was also active in advocating responsible dog ownership.

“We encourage the public to do plenty of research before they get a Siberian Husky as a pet. First-time dog owners will find that it’s not easy to care for this breed because they need plenty of attention and must be exercised daily.”

She said apart from a standard breed guideline on the club’s Internet domain, its members had also contributed their knowledge on the Siberian Husky.

For more information on the club visit www.mypethuskyclub.com.

Cheers!
Dorothy Loong
www.dogmillion.com

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR DOG'S IQ

How smart is your dog? A lot depends on you. How well a dog learns to do what’s expected of it — one common way of defining “intelligence” — is actually as much a function of time, patience, practice and environment as it is of canine IQ, said Debra Horwitz, a veterinarian and board-certified animal behaviorist from Creve Coeur.

Horwitz firmly believes every dog has the ability to become more intelligent with proper training and positive reinforcement.

Dogs are like humans, Horwitz said. Some will never gain their highest potential of intelligence, just like humans. “You don’t” need “a purebred to have a smart dog,” she said. Plenty of mutts have plenty of smarts.

Of course, some dogs have been bred over centuries for their talents in specific areas. For example, the border collie is the ideal breed for herding livestock. But because of its excitability and need for a job to do, the border collie wouldn’t be considered “intelligent” in a home environment that didn’t offer plenty of running-around time.

Instead of thinking of your dog as “smart” or “dumb,” try to understand what your dog likes to do and why it might not understand the lessons you’re trying to teach. Try teaching tricks during quiet, calm times. If your dog can’t do the task when it’s relaxed and calm, it surely can’t do it when it’s stressed out and distracted.

Altering your training technique might yield amazing benefits. For dogs that like to jump up and down, for example, try teaching them to “dance.” This channels their energy in a more appropriate way.

Keep in mind that some tasks, although not exclusive to one breed, are more prevalent in certain breeds. Any dog can be taught to follow a scent, but it’s easier to teach that skill to a scent hound or a hunting dog, Horwitz said.

Personality and temperament also have a huge effect on how well a dog adapts to training. A shy dog might find strong physical techniques overwhelming and be intimidated. A quick, energetic dog might find too much repetition boring and lose interest. Training techniques that focus on positive reinforcement as well as different ways to teach the same task will usually bring out the best in any dog, Horwitz said. Punitive training methods are less effective and produce frightened, unhappy — and unpredictable — animals.

When you are clear in the response you want, you are more likely to get it from your pet, she said.

By: McClatchy Newspapers

Cheers!
Dorothy
www.DogMillion.com