Paws Entertainment

Archive for March, 2011

It is common knowledge that puppies chew, but how many people realize that chewing is a completely natural behavior for dogs of all ages.

If you think you can train your dog to stop chewing completely, I have a bridge I would like to sell you.

It is a natural and normal behavior for dogs. Dogs are born with a desire to manipulate things with their mouths. Their paws were not made to tear things apart, but their mouths are. Some dogs, such are retrievers are even more prone to chew than other breeds. Even older dogs enjoy a good chew now and then; age really has no bearing on the need to chew.

Why do dogs chew? Chewing is like taking a tranquilizer to a dog. Chewing is calming; if your dog is nervous or anxious, chewing on something calms it down.

Dogs with separation anxiety will chew on anything and everything in order to help the feeling go away.

A bored dog will chew. Why? Simply because it provides some natural entertainment.

A super energetic dog will chew. Why? A dog with pent-up energy finds energetic chewing fun and relaxing.

How do you get your dog to stop chewing? Truly you never will, as the urge to chew is genetically installed in your dog’s natural being.

Can you control your dog’s chewing? Of course you can, with a little effort on your part and some understanding of why a dog chews.

First of all you have to understand a dog does not chew your stuff for spite. A dog does not even understand that word or very many other words in the English language. So forget that idea.

A dog does not know a good shoe from an old shoe, his acceptable bone from your new leather belt. They all look the same to your dog.

If your dog is chewing inappropriate items, I am so sorry to say this, but it is your fault, stand in the corner and take the blame.

If you know from previous days that your dog likes to chew your stuff, put it away or pen up your dog, when you are not home to supervise. That’s the first lesson, pick up your stuff.

Next lesson and this will take some of your time and patience, so be prepared. You need to train your dog to chew only appropriate items.

“Oh Sure,” I am hearing you say! Well, I did say it would take time and patience, did I not?

First step, when you are home, follow your dog around and when you see him/her starting to chew on something you do not want chewed up give him a chew toy to distract him/her.

Yelling “NO” or any other expletive will not accomplish a thing. Give your dog a chew toy and praise him/her when it turns its attention to it.

This will have to be done over and over again, until your dog understands that table legs and corners of sofas are not to be chewed.

You also have to understand that in your dog’s mind it cannot distinguish a table leg from the chew toy next to it. It is up to you to teach the difference.

Every time you see your dog start to chew something inappropriate give him/her a chew toy and lots of praise.

Teach your dog what you want him/her to do and not what you do not want him/her to do. Yelling “NO” or anything else, may interrupt the behavior, but it does not teach anything, handing your dog a chew toy when it is doing a misbehavior presents the idea of what is appropriate.

If, when you come home from work and you find something chewed up, bite your tongue, take a deep breath and relax. Do not yell at your dog, as it will not have any idea of why you are yelling and it will begin to associate your coming home with yelling, which can create more anxiety.

My next idea will probably not seem too agreeable to you, but a tired dog is a dog that will want to nap and not chew. If you can take your dog out for a long walk or a run before you leave for work, it is less likely to find the energy to chew the house up. This also is good for removing boredom from a long day at home alone.

Sometimes your dog may be eating a food that is giving him/her too much energy or it may be having a reaction to some of the additives in the food. Some behavior problems can be solved by diet, talk to your vet.

Giving your dog the run of the house without supervision can be a big mistake. Confining your dog to a room in the house or a certain area when you are not at home can be helpful. Be certain your dog has plenty of toys and water.

Training your dog takes time and patience. Do not expect miracles. Dogs do not have human brains or an understanding of our language. They learn by repetition and re-enforcing of good behavior. You would not expect a toddler to understand all the rules of a home, you take time to teach them.

Your dog is not as intelligent as a toddler, so be patient.

In the early days of cinema, creative directors spent a lot of effort trying to achieve special effects without the aid of computer rendering and digital action. They quickly discovered that perspective was a great resource, and that very small things could be made to look very large (or vice versa, of course). There was no such thing as high definition, but there were other ingenious advances in filmmaking. With clever use of close-ups and toy models, even a small spider could crush villages. Thus was born that genre of camp and classics, the giant animal flick.

There was another force at work, in these early films, that represented common feelings of the time: Science was a rapidly expanding field, but in many ways it was still not well understood, and there was a widespread uneasiness about its consequences. The satellites people worried about then were Sputnik, not satellite TV. In each of the following movies, it is man’s own actions and ambitions that bring the over-sized beasts into disastrous contact with humanity. Without further ado, the top 5 classic giant animal movies:

King Kong – No other enormous animal star is as iconic as King Kong. Appearing in 1933, this was really the first of the giant animal movies. This one is a little different from many that follow in that science wasn’t actually the culprit of Kong’s size or fury. Rather it was human greed and ambition that removed him from his natural habitat. For a high-budget HD update, Peter Jackson’s 2005 film makes an interesting comparison.

Them! – Along with Kong, this may also be considered a parent of the genre. It’s the story of giant ants terrorizing the population of a New Mexico town. It turns out atomic radiation is responsible for the truck sized ants, and it seems that nothing can stop them.

It Came From Beneath the Sea – The giant octopus that terrorizes San Francisco in this film is laughably unreal by modern audiences used to flashy high definition effects, but the movie is still admirable for facing the challenge of having a sea monster attack a city – the action is necessarily all at the water’s edge. Hydrogen bomb tests have made this huge cephalopod radioactive and driven it from its natural deep-sea home. Interesting to note is that the film only had budget to create 6 tentacles, so the beast is never fully shown!

Tarantula – In this film well-intentioned science has gone seriously awry. A scientist attempting to solve world hunger creates a nutrient formula for animals – but it causes them to grow huge, and hungrier than ever. This proves deadly when the tarantula gets free and starts devastating the town. Mad scientists, blossoming romance, and one enormous arachnid – what more could you ask from the genre than that?

Night of the Lepus – Made in 1972, this movie glorifies the camp of its predecessors. Once again, the best intentions of science wind up causing a test subject – a rabbit in this case – to grow to supernatural proportions. It also breeds like a, well, rabbit, and the researchers must stop the bunnies before the whole Southwest is destroyed beneath their fluffy paws and bloodthirsty jaws.

Even with modern technology the genre hasn’t really changed so much over time. Films like Jurassic Park show that the cautionary tales about meddling with science are still very much alive. New films might have computer-generated monsters and HD bragging rights, but the enormous animal is still the main attraction. Catch these classics on satellite TV and you won’t be disappointed.

We’ve all heard about organic food, which is basically food that is in grown or produced without any form of chemicals used. But do you know what is biodynamic food?

Biodynamic food is “organic food extreme”. We could also say “organic food with spirit”. There are many aspects of biodynamic food that resemble organic food, but these two types should not be used interchangeably. Made popular by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic farming combines organic methods, special manure preparation for the fields, with special plant, animal, mineral and herbal preparations and the rhythms of stellar bodies.

One organism

The fundamental concept of biodynamic agriculture is that the farm is a single organism, with its livestock, crops, farmer, soil as one. Biodynamics embraces a holistic and spiritual view of nature, which unlike organic farming, does not only involve the soil and plants, but also livestock, manure, insects and astronomy.

Preparing the fields

Horn manure, which is a basically a cow’s horn stuffed with cow manure, is buried below ground during autumn, left to decompose in the soil, and used the following spring. Medicinal herbs are used for the preparation of compost, or manure, which are buried at specific intervals in the farm soil at specific depths. These steps and more aid in creating “better” soil, and improves plant health and yield, plus reducing weeds and pests!

Astronomy / Astrology

Biodynamic farmers follow an astronomical planting calendar. The concepts are similar to a woman’s menstrual cycle being affected by the moon. Farmers may pick appropriate times of the day for specific pickings – like mornings for picking leafy vegetables and evenings for root vegetables. To further illustrate, take the moon, which ascends for two weeks and descends for two weeks within a month. During the ascending moon, plant sap rises strongly, and the upper plant is filled with vitality. This, in biodynamics, is a perfect time for harvesting fruits, grafting and gathering herbs.

Eat Fresh

Research has shown that biodynamic produce can stay fresh longer, has better flavour, lower nitrates, less allergic reactions and reduce stress levels. If you are not convinced by now, consider this. Even after washing your fruits, the residual pesticides are still able to cause high rates of miscarriage, reduce fertility, chronic fatigue and attention deficit disorders.

Going Global

Today, more than 40 countries are practicing biodynamics, with Australia leading the pack at 12 million hectares of land dedicated to organic and biodynamic farming. As the world becomes more health conscious and educated in food nutrition, demand for organic and biodynamic food is on the rise.

Biodynamic You

No doubt, biodynamic food is expensive and even more so than organic food. You may find it difficult to get biodynamic food all year round too, but give it time. Soon, more and more spas will be introducing biodynamic food into their cuisine. Jurlique has begun adopting biodynamics, integrating its health benefits into their spa and beauty products. They even have their own biodynamic farm in Australia. So the next time you visit a spa, consider the holistic spa concept, and consume spa cuisine that uses biodynamic ingredients. And when you gobble down that super healthy food, think about the spiritual connection between man, earth and food.