Dog Figurines

Description

The Shetland Sheepdog is a strong, nimble, lightly built, beautiful dog, with a long, wedge-shaped head. Its coat is rough with a soft undercoat. Some say they are almost a perfect miniature copy in of the long-haired collie. The top plane of the muzzle should be parallel to that of the skull. The glorious long double coat sports a lion-like mane and frill around the neck, and comes in blue merle, sable and black with various amounts of white and/or tan. The outer coat is lined with a dense, woolly undercoat. The legs and long tail are feathered, and the hair on the face and feet is smooth. The tail should reach to the hock. The almond-shaped eyes are generally dark, except in blue merle dogs where they may be blue or merle color. The dog should have a watchful, gentle, questioning and intelligent expression. The nose should be black. The teeth should meet in a scissors bite. The ears are small, flexible and expressive, with dropping tips. The Sheltie is an agile, swift dog and a good jumper. Dogs should appear masculine and bitches, feminine

Temperament

The Shetland Sheepdog is an outstanding companion dog with a delightful temperament. Gentle, sensitive, loyal and dainty. Very lively, intelligent and trainable. The Shetland Sheepdog is one of the smartest breeds, very willing to please and obey. Loving, loyal and affectionate with its family. Socialize extensively as a puppy. It is a good guard and watchdog. This breed needs people and must be raised in a home where the humans are his confident, consistent, pack leader. They like to be kept busy. The Sheltie is above all an intelligent herder, capable both of commanding large cattle and holding small sheep in check. The herding instinct is still very strong in many of them. They love to chase things. Teach this dog not to chase cars. A Sheltie should not be allowed to run free near a road as it may decide to chase a car or something else it sees across the road, running a high risk of getting hit by a car. Because of its beauty and kindness, the Sheltie has become a popular companion dog. Do not allow this dog to believe he needs to run your home, or many behavior problems will start to develop. They can become suspicious with strangers, especially with children. They may not allow themselves to be touched by strangers and will display noisy persistent barking, as they tell the humans to leave it alone. This can lead to guarding, snapping and even biting. They may hide behind something, barking persistently when company arrives. The dog needs to be told this is not an acceptable behavior. These negative traits are not Sheltie traits, but rather, Small Dog Syndrome, human induced behaviors, where the dog believes he is pack leader to humans. Varying degrees of negative behaviors result when a dog feels he is the leader of a human pack and must keep HIS humans in line. These negative traits will subside as soon as the humans around the dog start to display the proper leadership, along with daily pack walks to relieve mental and physical energy.

Origin

The Shetland Sheepdog is probably descended from Scottish Rough Collies brought to the Scottish island of Shetland and crossed with the Icelandic Yakkin, a small island dog (now no longer recognized) brought over in the boats of fishermen. By 1700, the breed was completely developed. For centuries these little dogs were used to herd and guard the sheep flocks of the Shetlands, those rugged islands off the Scottish coast where many of the animals are rather small in stature. Refinement of the breed took place mainly in the twentieth century after the export of Shelties to mainland Scotland and beyond. These small shepherds were very gentle when herding the miniature stock. One of the top obedience competition breeds, the Sheltie is an extremely smart and willing worker. The Shetland Sheepdog was first recognized in England in 1909, and first registered in the United Stated in 1911. Because of his kindly disposition, the Sheltie has become one of todays most popular companion dogs. Some of the Shelties talents include: tracking, herding, watchdog, guarding, agility, competitive obedience, and performing tricks.

 Everyday Ray would visit the home of Cuddly Duddly, a life-size yellow stuffed dog that was designed and voiced by Roy Brown, based on a promotional doll the Chicago Tribune had offered in the mid sixties to sell subscriptions. WGN-TV program manager Sheldon Cooper approached Brown with the idea of turning the doll into a puppet character and having Brown operate and voice the character on the Rayner show. If the interaction between Ray and Cuddly seemed off the cuff, it was. Most of the time it was 99% ad-lib.

It’s amazing how the slightest trigger can tap into memories and sensations the brain has long-since filed away and forgotten. I mean, it’s all there. I’m really starting to believe that with the right prompt it should be possible to call-up nearly anything you’ve experienced and registered. What better way to bring back these memories then with a dog figurine that resembles are dogs of years past .

Ever since I was a young child, my family had golden retrievers. For me, this breed was synonymous with the word “dog.” When I visited friends’ houses, I was almost shocked to discover that the tiny, yapping annoyances they harbored could be called dogs as well. They didn’t resemble our faithful retrievers in the least; they wouldn’t dream of fetching a tennis ball.

Today I live in a small apartment in the city, and I long for those days on the beach when I could relax and play fetch with my dogs. For the moment, I’m content with the series of golden retriever figurines lined up on my mantel. If I ever buy a house of my own, I’ll be adding a golden retriever puppy to the household before I even outfit the place with furniture. These noble dogs truly embody the tag of man’s best friend.

The Maltese is a hardy little companion dog with a luxurious silky white coat hanging straight to the ground on each side of a center part line. The coat is single, with no undercoat, and should not be wavy, curly or kinky. It should be made of shiny, thick, heavy hair which is about 8½ inches (22cm.) long. The color is pure white, although light ivory is acceptable. The long pendant ears and tail are thickly covered with hair and the tail drapes over the back. The eyes are dark, round, large and deep with dark rims. The muzzle tapers slightly and should be one-third the length of the total head. It should have  a black nose with open nostrils and a distinct stop. The body is slightly longer than tall with a level topline. The Maltese is fine-boned, but sturdy. A properly built Maltese seems to float along the ground under his cloud of white hair.

Temperament

The Maltese is spirited, lively and playful. Gentle, loving, trusting and devoted to its master. Highly intelligent. Good at learning tricks. Bold and quick to sound the alarm in case of suspicious noises. It is a classical companion dog; graceful and lovable. They do well with other animals. Maltese love to play outdoors but have a penchant for jumping in puddles. A bath must follow! May be difficult to housebreak. If you feed them table scraps, they can become picky eaters. Include small biscuits and dry dog food in this breed’s regular diet to help the teeth stay strong and healthy. Do not allow these dogs to develop Small Dog Syndrome, human induced behaviors, where the dog believes he is pack leader to humans. This causes a varying degree of behavior problems. If the dog believes he is boss, he can be snappish with children and even adults. Do not over-pamper or overprotect these little dogs, for they will become unstable, and some may become jealous of visitors. Maltese who are allowed to take over the house, being boss of the humans can also develop separation anxiety, guarding, and obsessive barking. These are not Maltese traits, but rather behaviors brought on by the way the dog is treated by the people around them. These behaviors will go away when the dog is surrounded by stable pack leaders.

Origin

This ancient dog was described by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus as belonging to the “Melita” breed, an archaic name for Malta. It was developed in Italy with the addition of miniature spaniel and poodle blood. It was thought that these lively little dogs were first brought to England by Crusaders returning home from the Mediterranean. The breed became particularly popular with women, who often carried them in their sleeves and even to their beds. The dog was not only popular with women though. Publius, the Roman governor of Malta, prized his Maltese enough to commission a portrait of “Issa” and even have poetry written about her. Today, the glamorous Maltese is an adored pet and sought-after show dog.   Is it not wonderful that we can remember are dogs with dog figurines.