Marc Morrone - Marc Morrones Ask the Dog Keeper

I dedicate this book to the memory of Paw PawMartha Stewarts Chow whom I had the pleasure of working with for ten years.

In his own good-natured and humble way, he achieved more canine milestones than any other dog I ever knewbe it as canine father, TV star, Westminster winner, or just household pet, he performed all his duties with a canine smile and a wagging tail.

Original Illustrations 2009 by Jason OMalley. Photographs 2009 by Mary Bloom, Tara Darling, and Isabelle Franais.

Copyright 2009 by I-5 Press

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Morrone, Marc, 1960

[Ask the dog keeper]

Marc Morrones ask the dog keeper / by Marc Morrone with Amy Fernandez.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-933958-29-3

eISBN 978-1-937049-92-8

1. DogsMiscellanea. 2. DogsHealthMiscellanea. 3. DogsBehaviorMiscellanea. I. Fernandez, Amy. II. Title. III. Title: Ask the dog keeper.

SF427.M77 2009

636.7dc22

200900982

I-5 Press
A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC
3 Burroughs

Irvine, California, 92618

Printed and bound in Singapore

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

BY MARTHA STEWART

I have owned dogs since 1969, when we bought a beautiful Keeshond female from a breeder in Litchfield, Connecticut.

Growing up in a family of eight in Nutley, New Jersey, I had one unfortunate experience with dog ownership that is still painful for me to remember. A Fox Terrier named Shiner was brought home by our father, but, untrained and unruly, he was quickly given back by our mother, who could not cope with six little children and a dog. I have never forgotten the little guys forlorn look at me when I went to visit him shortly after he was returned, and I vowed to get my own dog when I had my own house and promised to love it and train it and nurture it well.

Little Bear, the Keeshond, was a charming and very special dog. Bred as working dogs by the barge owners on the canals of Holland, these fluffy, pretty, smart, very trainable dogs are devoted to guarding quietly, rescuing those in trouble, and being benign and perfect companions for old and young alike. We adored Little Bear, bred her once, and raised her nine healthy pups, all of whom were named something Bear.

She lived with us until she died simply of old age at seventeen. While I still had Little Bear, I saw another dog that appealed to mea large, manly, fluffy-coated Chow Chow. I did a bit of research and, soon after the demise of Little Bear, located Harry the Chow in northwestern Connecticut at a very nice breeding kennel.

We loved the Chow Chow breed from day one. Quiet, regal, non-obsequious, intensely loyal and fun, this ancient Chinese breed fit our lifestyle and our home. We have had several more wonderful Chows since HarryBlue Maxmillian, Zuleika Dobson I and Zuleika Dobson II (Zuzu), Chin Chin, Empress Wu, and Paw Paw, our last Chow Chow. Each of these Chows was special and wonderful, and all lived good long lives (about fourteen years) as honored members of our family, except for Wu, who had a series of unsolvable problems. We have cherished these dogs, photographed them, and introduced them to our friends and colleagues in our books and magazines as well as on my television show. Everyone loved the Chows, and I am now waiting for a dog to take Paw Paws place as the king of my houses. Four years ago, as Paw Paw aged, I bought two very different dogs to keep him companytwo female French Bulldogs, Francesca and Sharkey.

These dogs took me completely by surprisethey demanded attention, wanted a wardrobe of coats and sweaters, and wanted comfy beds to lounge in during the day but a place in my bed, under the covers, at night. Unlike the Chows, these girls have extraordinary energy, run miles a day, ingratiate themselves into every situation, and even watch television. Like the Chows, they also love to pose for pictures and act on television, and they do not mind at all working ten hours a day.

I think the secret to good dog ownership is really choosing a compatible breed and taking time to nurture, train, feed, and care for the dog very well. Marc Morrone, I know, would agree and in this fascinating book makes the reader go from question to question with unflagging interest and curiosity.

Martha Stewart

March 2009

INTRODUCTION

The DogThe Eighth Wonder of the World!

One of my favorite movies of all time is the original 1933 version of King Kong, and one of the scenes that always stood out for me featured the late actor Robert Armstrong, eagerly gloating over the immobilized body of King Kong on Skull Island. He announces to his shipmates that Kongs name will be up in lights in New York City as the eighth wonder of the world! That same scene was attempted by the equally talented Jack Black in the contemporary King Kong remake, but I thought that it lacked the flavor of the originalnobody can utter that phrase like Robert Armstrong can!

One thing that always stuck in my head about that Eighth Wonder of the World title bestowed upon the doomed Kong was the fact that Kong was a naturally occurring freak of nature. It was obvious that he should not be grouped with the recognized Seven Wonders of the World, as those were all man-made creations of ancient cultures and civilizations.

You could just as easily say that a blue whale is the eighth wonder of the world, since Kong really was no greater a behemoth than a whale. However, the true eighth wonder of the world does not swim through the ocean or live in the jungles of Skull Island. Right now, the true eighth wonder of the world is soundly sleeping in the beds of millions of people all over the world, pooping on their clean floors, chewing their furniture, and knocking over their garbage pails. The true eighth wonder of the world is the dog!

You see, the dog is indeed a man-made creation brought about by the pet-keeping ancestors of my viewers and listeners (and now readers) many thousands of years ago. The amazing thing about it was that these ancient pet keepers had no idea that they were even creating the dog. Unlike the Pyramids of Giza or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the process involved no great design. The dog happened by accident.

No one disputes the fact that the dog began as a wolf. Through domestication, the wolf was habituated to humans, and the physical characteristics and behaviors that we did not like or need were bred out of it. However, there is some controversy about how the whole process started and how and why those early pet keepers decided that the wolf was a useful and enjoyable creature rather than another animal to be used for food or clothing. I am not going to tread these waters since it really isnt too important herewhat is important is how our pet keeping ancestors selectively bred the wolf traits out of the wolf without even knowing what they were doing.

For instance, suppose a wolf puppy born to a tame wolf had naturally floppy ears or a curled tail. This wolf pup would not have survived if born to wild wolf parents, as these physical traits are linked to the biochemical changes that ultimately resulted in domestication. The associated behavioral changes of decreased natural wariness, curiosity, and sociability would have compromised a wild animals chances of survival, but one of us humans liked the pups look and favored that animal over his siblings. As a result, that floppy-eared wolf had a chance to grow and breed and pass those traits to its offspring. Our ancestors had no idea this would happenthey just liked the animal with the floppy ears. Its equally floppy-eared puppies were just gravy!