Well Doberman friends, warmer weather is here, and that means spending time outside with our four legged friends. Whether we are just walking, or whether you are playing hard , running or working them hard it is important to remember hydration. I take a bowl and a gallon of water every time I take the dogs. If I am hiking I take their collapsible bowl and a bottle of water. It is also very convenient to teach them to drink from a bottle of water, spigot etc, because you never know what you will have available for your dogs. It is normal for a dog to pant in hot weather, and when they are hydrated you will see water drip off their tongue as they pant. It helps them cool down. If there is not water coming off the tongue, they are dehydrated and overheated. You also can take a pinch of skin on the scruff of the neck, if it snaps back quickly, that’s great if it goes down slowly the dog is in need of immediate fluids. If it stays up, you need emergency care right away. The other important thing to monitor during hot weather is heart rate and blood pressure. A Dogs pulse should be strong and noticeable in any of the veins, not weak and thread. If a dog is panting hard and has a weakened pulse, you may be entering heat stroke and need emergency care. We do our strenuous running and training in the early morning or late evening when it has colled off. You need to know your dogs limitations and condition them for activity in the sun. Rest often when hiking etc midday for you and the dog!

Also we have a special announcement… Since we retired Apollo our fawn stud we have still had a lot of call for colored dogs. We did find a red male to add to our breeding program that is a champion of three countries. We will be getting his schutzhund title here in the states this year. He is amazing to say the least, and we are grateful to our friend Slobodan for helping us find him. He is a double grandson of Baron Nike Renewal, and did you guy’s know that besides Baron Nike winning everything there is to win, he is still healthy and strong at age 11! This will also allow us to breed back Coco’s and Farika’s pups that turned out to be just as amazing as we told you they would be. Go to our website to check him out!

http://www.familydobes.com/graf_gras.htm

Lastly a message from some friends of mine in Florida, all of us as owners of purebred dogs have a responsibility to help with the less fortunate animals out there as well through our local rescues, clubs, etc. Here is a really easy way to help as well:

Hi, all you animal lovers. This is pretty simple. Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals.

It takes less than 15 seconds to go to their site and click on the purple box "fund food for animals" for free. This doesn't cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.

Here's the web site! Pass it along to people you know.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=3

AGAIN, PLEASE TELL 10 FRIENDS!!!

http://www.familydobes.com