A few weeks ago, I got chastised for not trimming Callie’s whiskers.  Not being a groomer or an expert on doggie physiology, I thought I would do a little research project about dog’s whiskers.  Here’s what I learned.

A dog’s whiskers — which are both on the side of its muzzle and above its eyebrows — serve several purposes.  When a dog is outdoors, its whiskers tell it which direction the wind is blowing — which tells it which directions ever-important smells will be coming from.  Also, if there are large objects nearby, that deflect the wind direction, a dog can detect the object with its whiskers.  Finally, if a dog chases an animal into an enclosure — or if it tries to retrieve an object from an enclosure — its whiskers help it to know how large the enclosure is and whether there is room for its muzzle, or even its head.

So removing — or substantially trimming — a dogs whiskers is almost the same as removing a portion of its sense of smell.  It deprives the dog of one of its natural ways of getting around in the world.  Just because we humans don’t have such a developed sense of smell or whiskers to tell us when we’re climbing into too small a hole, is not a reason to assume that dogs don’t need their whiskers.

So, my friends, thanks for the advice, but Callie’s keeping her whiskers.  They are an important part of being a dog.

By the way, if you’ve already trimmed your dogs whiskers, they will grow back, but, in the meantime, don’t toss your dog’s toys into a confined space.  Just kidding; he or she will probably find the toy, but it won’t have the help of it’s whiskers.

Here’s a good article on petplace.com.

This post on terrificpets.com leans toward not trimming a dog’s whiskers, but it also gives the other side of the story.

This closeup photo of Callie shows her whiskers, if you look closely.  Don’t know about you, but I’m for preserving a dog’s “dogginess” or dog nature.

Kathy Sdao, animal trainer and faculty member for “Clicker Expo,” has a different and interesting perspective on dog bonding.  Check out this paragraph from her paper titled, “Forget About Being Alpha in Your Pack.”

“One perfect example of a “sticky” story is the ever-popular notion that dogs are essentially domesticated wolves who view their human companions as members of their hierarchical pack. This story is simple (pack structure is presumably a clear-cut ranking of alpha, beta and omega animals), unexpected (imagine having the descendent of a wild wolf right in our living rooms!), and concrete (who hasn’t seen TV footage of a wolf pack chasing down a moose or elk?). So sticky is this canine urban myth, in fact, that it refuses to die, despite the series of inaccuracies at its core.

Unfortunately, both dogs and their owners suffer the consequences of this fable, for it is from this story that we get the popular but unfounded training decree that humans must be “alpha” in their mixed-species pack.

Allow me to set the record straight. Here are just a few of the inaccuracies embedded in the “dog as domesticated wolf” story.”

See the rest of Kathy’s article here.

Hear Kathy’s interesting perspectives, as expressed on the “My Doggie Says…” radio talk show.  Click on the podcast button below.

Kathy’s interview was cut short by the President’s State of the Union address, and the republican response.  She will reappear on the “My Doggie Says…” show on April 7, to tell “the rest of the story.”

Remember, these podcasts are also available on iTunes, so you can download them to your iPod.

Darlene Arden, author of “The Irrepressible Toy Dog” and many other books and articles about dogs, is the guest on the “My Doggie Says…” Radio Talk Show.  Darlene, an expert on “Toy Dogs,” shares her experience with the the petite end of the doggie spectrum.  Learn about the dog nature of these friendly little pals.

The “My Doggie Says…” show helps listeners gain a deeper appreciation for “Man’s Best Friend.” The show is broadcast live from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday nights, on KFNX 1100, Phoenix. It is streamed live on www.1100kfnx.com. Host Fred Haney interviews dog whisperers, dog trainers, authors of dog books, and experts on all aspects of dogs and dog behavior and dog nature. The show is also available as a podcast on iTunes. Go to the iTunes store, click on “Podcast,” and search for “My Doggie Says…”

Check out the dog-relationship books written by all of the authors who have appeared on the “My Doggie Says…” show.

Also, remember to tak our on-line poll: “How does your dog show affection for you?”

Tom Sullivan, author of “If You Could See What I Hear” and a new book, “Together,” talks, on the “My Doggie Says…” show, about his four guide dogs.  Lots of fun stories; enjoy Tom’s great love of life and sense of humor!

The “My Doggie Says…” show helps listeners gain a deeper appreciation for “Man’s Best Friend.” The show is broadcast live from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday nights, on KFNX 1100, Phoenix. It is streamed live on www.1100kfnx.com. Host Fred Haney interviews dog whisperers, dog trainers, authors of dog books, and experts on all aspects of dogs and dog behavior and dog nature. Listen to past interviews at www.mydoggiesays.com/blog/. The show is also available as a podcast on iTunes. Go to the iTunes store, click on “Podcast,” and search for “My Doggie Says…”

Tonight on the My Doggie Says show:  Tom Sullivan, author of “If You Could See What I Hear,” talks about his four guide dogs.  Visit Tom’s site by clicking on this link.

The “My Doggie Says…” show helps listeners gain a deeper appreciation for “Man’s Best Friend.” The show is broadcast live from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday nights, on KFNX 1100, Phoenix. It is streamed live on www.1100kfnx.com. Host Fred Haney interviews dog whisperers, dog trainers, authors of dog books, and experts on all aspects of dogs and dog behavior and dog nature. Listen to past interviews at www.mydoggiesays.com/blog/. The show is also available as a podcast on iTunes. Go to the iTunes store, click on “Podcast,” and search for “My Doggie Says…”

Callie, like lots of dogs, has a “security object.”  It’s like her “puppy pacifier,” even though, at 28 months, she’s hardly a puppy any more.  Since she was about 8 weeks old, Callie’s security object has been “Stinky,” the remaining front half of a stuffed puppy, sans ears.  The back half and the ears were casualties of over-aggressive chewing.  But Callie is pretty gentle with Stinky, so with the help of a local seamstress, we’ve been able to keep Stinky more or less intact.

Callie could destroy Stinky in a nanosecond, but she doesn’t.  She just lies near Stinky, or she “gums” Stinky to relax in the evening.  Sometimes, Callie trots the length of our house to retrieve Stinky (named after our granddaughter’s security blanket) and bring him (or is Stinky a her?) to where we are.

But now enter “Ducky Wucky.”  A few weeks ago, while Barbara and I were travelling, Callie spent a few days with our daughter’s Golden Retriever puppy, Magnolia (Maggie).  Callie took a liking to Ducky Wucky, and our daughter, Karen, gave Ducky Wucky to Callie as a going away present.

Over the past few weeks, Callie, has begun to pay more attention to Ducky Wucky.  She still hangs out with Stinky, but she has started to use Ducky Wucky in the same way that she uses Stinky — like a pacifier.

Here is a photo of Stinky Winky and Ducky Wucky together.  Which one would you choose, if it were your choice?

I am continually amazed at dogs’ thought processes.  The wheels are going around.  Dog intelligence is different from people intelligence, but it’s real.

Does your dog have a “security object?”  What is it?  How do you know it’s a security object?  What does your dog do with it?  Are there special times when it uses it?  Share your experience; post a comment

Check this out.  You’ve been hearing about Callie’s soccer skills and how she invites me to play soccer every day.  Soccer has become an integral pert of Callie’s dog personality.  She’s graduated from trapping the ball under her tummy to doing “nosers.” “Nosers” are what you do if you are a Golden Retriever and your nose gets in the way of doing a “header.”

What does your dog do for fun?  Make a comment or send a video link, and we’ll share it with our readers.

Play like this can bring you a lot closer to your pet.  In Callie’s case, soccer was her idea, so I’m nurturing her dog nature by going along with her whenever I can.  Plus, it’s fun for me, too!

What’s your dog’s favorite sport?  Is there a game you can play with your dog?  Got video?  Post a comment; share a link.