Pauline started her talk with some statistics that were just terrible - one was that 32 children are injured every week in New Zealand from dog attacks.
Pauline has been called lots of things but the one that appeals most is 'that dog lady''.Pauline has owned and trained dogs for 40 years and has trained hundreds of dogs plus dog trainers.
One issue that really troubles her is the number of children who rush up to a dog to give it a hug. There are ways to approach a dog and this is not one of them. Always ask the owner if it is alright to approach and pat the dog. Never pat it on the head, let it small the back of your hand before giving it a 'scratch' under it chin.
There are 552,000 registered dogs in NZ and it is estimated that there is half this number unregistered. (the BE reckons that most of these will be Bull Terriers and Staffies or crosses of these breeds.) A dogs environment does influence its aggressive potential.
Dogs range from 700 grams miniature Chinchilla to a 70kg St Bernard. (she has not clearly had to deal with a 94kg Newfoundland - so speakith the BE).
An interesting fact is that dogs are 80% the same gene make up as humans and they suffer from a lot of the same diseases as us.
There are many dogs that have dispositions that suit them to assisting us do our jobs and in fact live our lives.
German Shepherds for the Police
Labs for hunting/duck shooting etc etc
.
The 5 most intelligent dogs are
1 Boarder Collies
2 Poodles (very good swimmers as well)
3 German Shepherds
4 Golden Retrievers
5 Doberman Pinschers
Dogs have 2.25 million smell receptors compared with humans 5 to 6 million. (a rabbit has 100 million).
Pauline gave us a list of the ways dogs are used to assist us in our lives, such as Blind dogs, Hearing dogs, Trauma dogs and the detection dogs we see on TV.
Safety tips; Dogs don't like to be cuddled, Avoid eye contact, try not to show your teeth (what does teeth say to a dog), don't pat on the head. Never hesitate to say NO to those wanting to pat your dog. Dogs do not like to share food so keep children away while dogs are feeding.
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