• About
  • Blog
  • Husky Glossary
    • Ishka
    • Frankie
    • Bolo
    • Czar
    • Additional team members
    • Husky puppies
    • Preparing dogs for a new baby
    • Introducing the baby to the dogs
    • Crate training
    • Walking with huskies and a pram
    • Winter camping with a baby 1
    • Winter camping with a baby 2
    • The truth about living with huskies
    • A home of our own... sort of.
    • Crates and Dog houses
    • A secure yard for Houdini Huskies
    • Matching a foster dog and a family
  • The Great Collar Debate
  • Our Wedding
    • Dog safety - huskies and small children.
    • Dog safety - what is prey drive?
    • Dog safety - Muzzles
    • Dog health - kennel cough
    • Dog health - dangers of chocolate
    • Dog health - ACL injuries and TPLO surgery
    • SHCV - why join a dog club?
    • Why do we need breeders?
    • How to find YOUR breeder
    • When is a husky not a husky?
    • A tale of three paperless puppies.
    • Does the world need more Spots?
    • Why should I become a registered breeder?
    • The Royal Melbourne Shows 2013
    • Dog Shows - how do judges do it?
    • What's all this dog show stuff about anyway?
    • Rescue dogs and furever homes.
    • Rescue dogs - why are they out there?
    • A tale of three paperless puppies.
    • Racing in Victoria
    • Obedience
    • Obedience Trials

16 Feet

  • About
  • Blog
  • Husky Glossary
  • Dog Profiles
    • Ishka
    • Frankie
    • Bolo
    • Czar
    • Additional team members
    • Husky puppies
  • 4 Huskies and a Baby
    • Preparing dogs for a new baby
    • Introducing the baby to the dogs
    • Crate training
    • Walking with huskies and a pram
    • Winter camping with a baby 1
    • Winter camping with a baby 2
  • Housing for Huskies
    • The truth about living with huskies
    • A home of our own... sort of.
    • Crates and Dog houses
    • A secure yard for Houdini Huskies
    • Matching a foster dog and a family
  • The Great Collar Debate
  • Our Wedding
  • Dog health & safety
    • Dog safety - huskies and small children.
    • Dog safety - what is prey drive?
    • Dog safety - Muzzles
    • Dog health - kennel cough
    • Dog health - dangers of chocolate
    • Dog health - ACL injuries and TPLO surgery
  • Finding a puppy breeder
    • SHCV - why join a dog club?
    • Why do we need breeders?
    • How to find YOUR breeder
    • When is a husky not a husky?
    • A tale of three paperless puppies.
  • Breeding dogs - ethically and responsibly
    • Does the world need more Spots?
    • Why should I become a registered breeder?
  • Dog shows
    • The Royal Melbourne Shows 2013
    • Dog Shows - how do judges do it?
    • What's all this dog show stuff about anyway?
  • Rescue Dogs
    • Rescue dogs and furever homes.
    • Rescue dogs - why are they out there?
    • A tale of three paperless puppies.
  • Sled racing
    • Racing in Victoria
  • Canine obedience
    • Obedience
    • Obedience Trials
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Dog lovers show

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On the weekend, J and I went in to Melbourne's beautiful Royal Exhibition Building to check out the Dog lovers show.
Billed as an exhibition aimed at dogs and dog people specifically, the lower level was packed full of every dog product imaginable. Toys, treats, flashy collars, leashes, beds, training programs, id tags, vet services, pet sitters, doggy day care and boarding kennels...


The arena was dominated by big name pet celebrities with collies and shepherds performing impressive tricks. Dr Katrina Warren from the tv show Harry's Practice and Kelly Gill's Wonderdogs demonstrated some cute crowd pleasing tricks like driving toy cars and playing leap frog. A wonderful reminder to the audience that dogs need and enjoy intellectual stimulation. This was followed with a traditional agility session, again dominated by herding dogs like Border Collies.

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Upstairs, there was free vet advice, where I tortured some final year vet students with questions about kennel cough, and the breed displays. Compared to the Melbourne Pet Expo that we attended earlier this year, the number of breed clubs in attendance was very disappointing, only occupying a quarter of the available space. Gossip around FB is that a number of clubs declined to attend due numerous impractical restrictions being put in place by the organisers. All of the clubs present had impressive set ups with great information on their breed and the support their club offers. All of the dogs upstairs looked happy and relaxed, with some quietly resting in crates at the back of areas, and others out amongst the crowd for petting and meet and greet. (There were a few dogs downstairs, but many of them looked stressed and overwhelmed with the dense crowds.)

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The Australian Anthrozoology Research Foundation had a series of talks about dog/human interactions. We attended one on dog intelligence and empathy, by Pauline Bennett, a researcher from LaTrobe Uni.

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First she set the context by talking about the intelligence of chimps - did you know that chimps don't understand pointing but dogs do? When you think about it, the idea to draw an imaginary line from the finger tip to the object is a pretty abstract one. Small children have to be taught this concept, but many dogs grasp it very quickly. Then she started to talk about communication - dogs who have mastered 1000 words - obviously they can't speak, but they can fetch the named object, and connect 2D images with the object in various ways.


Some of the LaTrobe research has asked questions about intelligence by setting up scenarios where dogs can see their owner or a bowl of food reflected in a mirror. These tests seem to demonstrate that most dogs don't understand that the real person or object is actually elsewhere and they are only looking at a reflection. In comparison, chimps, elephants and dolphins, can use a mirror to remove a sticker from their faces.


One of the key foci of the AARF is how pet ownership affects human health. They are researching how pets impact on rates of depression, obesity and other key health factors, but they need to understand more about how pets like dogs think and behave, to help them research the human factor. I'm hoping that we get to attend one of their Secret Life of Pets seminars in June!

Tagged with Dog lovers show.

May 7, 2013 by Anna.
  • May 7, 2013
  • Anna
  • Dog lovers show
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16 Feet

The pitter patter of 16 little feet... paws.

My online journal about living with J and our dogs - four Siberian Huskies - in Melbourne, Australia. 

  • About
  • Blog
  • Husky Glossary
    • Ishka
    • Frankie
    • Bolo
    • Czar
    • Additional team members
    • Husky puppies
    • Preparing dogs for a new baby
    • Introducing the baby to the dogs
    • Crate training
    • Walking with huskies and a pram
    • Winter camping with a baby 1
    • Winter camping with a baby 2
    • The truth about living with huskies
    • A home of our own... sort of.
    • Crates and Dog houses
    • A secure yard for Houdini Huskies
    • Matching a foster dog and a family
  • The Great Collar Debate
  • Our Wedding
    • Dog safety - huskies and small children.
    • Dog safety - what is prey drive?
    • Dog safety - Muzzles
    • Dog health - kennel cough
    • Dog health - dangers of chocolate
    • Dog health - ACL injuries and TPLO surgery
    • SHCV - why join a dog club?
    • Why do we need breeders?
    • How to find YOUR breeder
    • When is a husky not a husky?
    • A tale of three paperless puppies.
    • Does the world need more Spots?
    • Why should I become a registered breeder?
    • The Royal Melbourne Shows 2013
    • Dog Shows - how do judges do it?
    • What's all this dog show stuff about anyway?
    • Rescue dogs and furever homes.
    • Rescue dogs - why are they out there?
    • A tale of three paperless puppies.
    • Racing in Victoria
    • Obedience
    • Obedience Trials
 

Frankie 6.jpg
Bolo 1.jpg
Ishka pic 2.jpg
Czar face.jpg
  • 2 dog running
  • ACL
  • baby
  • bootcamp
  • breeders
  • Dinner Plain
  • dog shows
  • dogs
  • dogs and children
  • eyes
  • GSP
  • Iditarod
  • Knox obedience dog club
  • me&Frankie
  • mischa and lync
  • NVSDC
  • obedience
  • obedience trials
  • prey drive
  • puppies
  • puppy factory
  • racing
  • Rally
  • rescue dogs
  • SHCV
  • Siberian huskies
  • siberian huskies
  • sleeping dogs
  • Snofall Siberians
  • snow
  • training
  • walking dogs
  • Wedding
  • Wee Monster
  • You Yangs

My Favourite Blogs.

Dog Blogs

Ruffly Speaking
North Wapiti Kennels
Lisbet's Alaska
Three Huskies and a Mutt.
Cybersibes - Idita-walkers for the fourth year in a row!
Tails from the dark side

Other Blogs

Epbot - girly geekiness and fun!
11 Magnolia Lane - a great design blog, including living with pets.
accidentlykellystreet - a favourite craft blog to remind me to finish projects off!
Conquering Down Syndrome - a friend's inspiring story of having a child with Downs and a huge amount of hope.
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