The beagle is an oxymoronic dog. They rank fifth on the 2007 AKC list of breeds - and yet have fallen off the top ten list in many cities, remaining third in Providence, R.I. There are good reasons - this isn't a breed for everyone. More importantly, it's a breed that needs understanding.

The origin of the Beagle, like many hounds, can be blurred. Packs of hounds have long been used in England, dating to Roman times. Both sight and scent hounds were used and it's not uncommon to have hunted in packs. In the 1800s in the US small hounds called Beagles were used in the southern part of the country. They appeared more like a Dachshund or weak headed Basset, and were high endurance dogs without type. In the 1860s the English hounds were combined with these small dogs. In 1888 the Beagle club was formed and began holding trials. Two types - one under 13 inches and one that was 13-15 inches.

From a show dog standpoint they are competitive but have not been changed as much as some other breeds. Perhaps it's the "hound stubborn" of the beagle that refuses to change.

These dogs need understanding on several fronts. Their size is a small dog but their nature is a hound through and through. The "Beagle bawl" is unlike any other small dog - their function as a hunting dog has instilled a unique bay that carries. This is, perhaps, a reason they have fallen in favor in cities - their willingness to 'give voice' is not encouraged in urban areas! Furthermore, there has been an increase in the "Puggle" - a crossbred of the Beagle and Pug - in many of these city areas.

This tendency can be tempered in hounds but not truly erased. They are what they are. They have flaws - but for those who are willing to make an effort, have the patience for training and are looking for an awesome small dog…give the Beagle another look!

These are incredible small dogs. They are very intelligent, although like many hounds, should not be trusted off leash as their nose overrides human commands and can get them in trouble. This is true even of part Beagles! They are some of the kindest, biggest hearted dogs of their size that you can find.

The Beagle loves to please. If you find a way to use their natural tendencies you will have a friend for life. As they are hunted in packs they are incredibly social, happy dogs. A single Beagle penned up alone without company is almost surely to bawl, howl, whine and bark his displeasure. Heavy handling or a dominant dog will make them miserable and can create a very unhappy dog. They are not fighters.

The Beagle is still very widely used for hunting, with field trials and especially rabbits their specialty. But there are other uses for those instincts!

The hound nose and willingness to work until the job is done combined with intelligence and trainability - what better description of a dog to protect our country. While not chasing down bad guys they have a job they've done so well there is a name for it. Some dogs can learn nearly 50 different odors, and their small size makes them ideal for a special job with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspections.

The Beagle Brigade often uses dogs that have been taken from shelters. This very special group of dogs once trained inspect incoming baggage of international passengers at airports. When the dog sits by a package then the package is checked by hand more thoroughly. The Beagle's keen sense of smell can get through packages much faster than humans can search it and more accurately than even high-tech machines. Their small size means they can get on top of luggage and inspect it as it moves on the conveyors without damaging anything and each bag, box and case is checked.

It takes 8-12 weeks of training to ready a Beagle for work, and another week with a trainer at their duty station. They wear distinctive vests which identify them as "Agriculture's Beagle Brigade." With on-the-job training and within a year on the job these incredible little dogs are identifying prohibited materiald correctly about 80% of the time - and this increases in time! They can work for several years at their job, with teams handling a half dozen flights per day.

The Border Beagle Brigade is an extension that works searching for prohibited ag products on the US borders. Other detector dogs have been trained to find termites, gas pipeline leaks, gypsy moth eggs and other items.

Beagles have also made major contributions as research labratory animals - and because of this more is known about problems that affect the breed than perhaps any other breed. Some lines were noted as being excessively aggressive, which is *not* a typical Beagle trait. Cancer, thyroid problems, deafness, vestibular disease, diseases of the lympatic systems, hemophilia, heart problems, immune system issues, skin and liver diseases, pancreatic issues, epilepsy and other neurological diseases, eye disorders, urinary and skeletal problems can be found in the breed. Researchers and veterinarians have learned much to help other dogs because of these dogs.

Beagles could easily sport signs that say "will work for food" - their chow-hound habits mean all food must be kept away from them. They need to be watched carefully so they don't get too fat. Low blood sugar can also be an issue - and quick treatment with Karo syrup or honey is needed if this is the case. The dog will appear disorientated, wobbly, sometimes almost appearing to have a seizure but with more focus of the eyes.

While this sounds like an extensive list remember these are things that *can* affect the breed - it doesn't mean all *do*. However, it bears notice not only in Beagles but in the crosses of them, for pet owners to be aware of the things that can afflict their dog.

One of the most noted and beloved of icons, Snoopy, was a beagle. Beagles have lived in the White House during Lyndon B Johnson's time in office. In June 2006 a Beagle was hailed a hero as a man's service dog when she bit his cell phone to call 911 after he collapsed in a seizure.

They are very smart dogs but often don't do well in obedience trials as they are easily bored with the repetition. Their gentle nature makes them great candidates for pet therapy programs. Their appearance in films like Underdog, Cats and Dogs and Shiloh in starring roles show they enjoy the challenge of acting. Beagles have also appeared on the stage and several television shows. Barry Manilow, a famous Beagle owner, used one of his dogs on album covers.

This is a breed that can life to mid to late teens. Like most small breeds, litters are smaller sized of 3-5.

The Beagle is a wonderful small dog for a home that has the time and attention for him. They aren't the perfect dog for every home - but they might be the perfect one for yours.

David Beart
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/beagle-breed-profile-732186.html

Websites that don't work can often be explained by examining the five categories of website performance presented here. But first my little story about a "dog" website.

Did you ever hear that idea of doing a website about something you just really like? Well, I'm crazy about Dachshunds, so I made a big elaborate site. Took me a long time.

As it turned out wiener dog words are cheap, so I flooded the site with a ten dollar a day budget and a few articles.

I had a signup rate of about 15%. The list really took off!

Let me tell you that a wiener dog site is easy to do! Wonderful pictures! I was optimistic.

I had it all, I thought. I had affiliate offers, CPA offers, adsense and ONLY adsense paid. The adsense made 3 or 4 bucks a day and I was spending ten dollars on PPC.

People came to the site and liked it, but wouldn't buy. I didn't get it.

I declared the whole thing to be a great learning experience and shut it sown. Maybe I stopped too early and I could have prevailed…but I had all five of the criteria below going pretty well and it didn't work.

I also had better ideas. Call me impatient but I bagged it.

Here are the five things I think can make or break a site.

Low Traffic - When your salespage has no traffic you are done right there!

Your website has to have visitors driven to the site! My preferred traffic generation method is Article Marketing.

The best ways to drive traffic to your offer (site) are PPC, Article Marketing, and Web 2.0 Social Networking.

I'm still old school. I don't know social marketing yet.

PPC is not my first choice for driving traffic. Article marketing works all the time, but you have to get into it quite a ways before it kicks in.

I use articles to send people to my blog where I have several offers on webpages linked from the blog. It works but it's certainly not spectacular yet.

Bad Site Design - If you have traffic to your site, the next thing to look at is how visitors perceive your site.

If it looks unprofessional, if it's tough to navigate or is a little ugly… it's unlikely that visitors will trust you. They just won't give you their money.

Bloggers can look good through nicely designed Wordpress themes and templates. There are many templates for websites, too.

But, I have to tell you, being able to build or at least modify your own HTML websites is an absolutely invaluable skill. Learn about it a little. It's actually easy after you expose yourself to it for a while.

Bad Traffic = Untargeted Traffic - For example, if you have a Dachshund site, using "dogs" is a bad idea as a keyword in Adwords. You'll pay for tons of traffic and very little of it will be interested in Dachshunds.

Targeted traffic is what you want, not "general' traffic.

When selling specific items, send your traffic directly to the specific item's page on your site that gives them what they are looking for.

Copy Problems - If you send traffic to a beautiful page that promotes a specific product and it isn't working, you may want to consider your copy!

Is the copy full of grammatical errors and bad spelling? The kiss of death!

That's how a lot of people judge you, or the image of you…by the words you use and the way you write. This includes spelling and grammer. You have to get it right.

Rewrite your copy to the best of your ability and then find someone to proofread it.

Copywriting, when it's bad will kill sales, and when it's good it will make sales happen. Tell the prospect how a product will improve their life by selling the benefits.

No E Mail Follow-Up marketing? What if you did it all right? When your traffic leaves without buying…it's OK…If their name and email has been captured by your autoresponder. And if you follow up with an autoresponder series.

There is an accepted idea in email marketing that it takes, on average, seven contacts before a customer buys.

The lesson is this…If you want above average results, attempt to sell AT LEAST SEVEN times! Otherwise…accept low returns.

And, you can use your autoresponder for this!

So, EACH of the items listed above is critical to your online business success.

Here's the nugget. Get the website, salespage, web page…whatever you want to call it… really looking good. Now, send it a lot of targeted traffic. Articles are my favorite. PPC is my next choice. And it's faster.

Pay attention, bank the money and then…PAY ATTENTION AGAIN! You will learn and prosper!

Oh, by the way, reconsider your offering (product)…when it's not good, all of the points above will still not produce sales! .

So, now you have it! Do all the above AND make sure it's a killer converting product! That ought to work!

Now…go forth and prosper…and pay attention…you'll get it!

Riley West
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/when-your-website-doesnt-work-look-at-these-five-points-688059.html

I'm not talking about something that requires batteries. No, I'm referring to the twenty-two breeds recognized by the AKC as being toy dog breeds - from Affenpinscher to Yorkshire Terrier. They make great human companions, adapt well to smaller spaces, they are generally good-natured and they're cute.

With so many people "down sizing" their homes and living in more compact areas, toy dogs and other small dogs may offer the perfect choice in a canine companion. But first, you need to assess your environment to determine if a toy dog (or any pet) is compatible with your life style.

While toy dogs in general can make good companions in small apartments, some breeds adapt more easily to these conditions than others. Toy Poodles, for example, adapt well to small spaces, and they are "non shedding" which is important if you have allergies.

Will you be leaving the dog alone while you work? While no one wants to leave their pet alone all day, sometimes it is unavoidable. There are many opinions as to whether you should leave a dog at home for eight or nine hours per day. Some feel it is not fair to the dog, while others do it successfully, and have happy, well-adjusted pets. Develop a morning and evening routine with your dog in which you feed them, walk them, and play with them so they know what to expect. Some experts say that dogs have no sense of time, so they can't tell if you've been gone eight minutes or eight hours.

Obviously, ensure the dog has plenty of water and that the dog's barking will not disturb others.

If you have small children, you may want to delay getting a toy dog or get a larger breed. Toy dogs can be quite fragile, and small children may indeed think the dog is a toy. When the child is old enough, a dog is a great way to teach responsibility by feeding and caring for the dog.

Do you have other animals in the house? Some toy breeds do not tolerate children, other animals or strangers very well. Others, such as the Bichon Frise (BEE-shon FREE-zay) are very sociable, and get along well with other dogs.

As a group toy dogs are more difficult to train than larger dogs. So you will need to be patient while house training your toy dog. Again, some breeds have a reputation for being easier to train than others.

In many ways, toy dogs are less expensive and more convenient to live with. Obviously, they eat less, their beds, mats, and crates are smaller and they require less fenced area if you let them out. With many more travel facilities being "pet friendly," your toy dog can be a great traveling companion. Many breeds can be "carry on luggage." While I don't recommend it, I've known people who have taken their toy dogs along on their motorcycle trips!

Toy dogs can be good home protectors, too. Breeds such as the Chihuahua and Pekingese are naturally wary of strangers and bark readily at unusual noises.

Finally, we can make some generalizations about the characteristics of various breeds, but keep in mind that dogs - like people - are individuals, and they may or may not possess the characteristics of their breed. For that reason, you may want to consider an older dog rather than a puppy so that you can observe the dog's behavior.

OK, if you're determined to get a toy dog, and have done your research to determine which breeds best fit your lifestyle, what should you do to ensure you get a healthy, happy, well behaved pet? Should you consider a pure breed or a mixed breed?

While many people will only consider a pure bred toy dog, understand that pure bred dogs (of any size) will have more genetic-related health problems than mixed breed dogs. The reason is that pure breeds started with a very small population of dogs, and it is kept that way to ensure consistency in the breed. Thus genetic problems are carried on from one generation to the next. If you're willing to accept these risks and the inevitable veterinarian bills, then go for a pure bred toy dog.

It's now possible to have a pure bred dog's DNA tested to see if it carries, has, or is free of specific genetic diseases. The problem is that DNA testing can only be performed for a few certain diseases specific to a given breed.

Mixed breed dogs, on the other hand, come from a much larger gene pool, so the chances of chronic genetic disease are much lower. "Mixed breed" can be a misnomer because some "mixed breeds" may have no pure bred dogs anywhere in their linage. Therefore, mixed breeds don't develop any of the, well, "deformities" that are the hallmarks of pure breeds, like the Dachshund (back problems) or Bulldog (breathing and many other problems). Mixed breeds have evolved to the right size and shape of what a dog should be. And, since many pure breeds are bred for certain behavioral traits, mixed breed dogs are more even tempered.

Another reality is that pure bred toy dogs have become fashion accessories for the rich and famous, and the price of toy puppies has risen accordingly. It's not uncommon for pure bred puppies of certain breeds to bring several thousand dollars. A better alternative is to check out pet adoptions and rescue centers. Not only will you be giving a dog a home, but you'll be helping to prevent over breeding.

The Internet has many, many good sites to help you learn more than you ever wanted to know about toy dogs - or any dog - for that matter. With a little research, you can find an ideal companion you'll enjoy living with for many years.

Janet Winter
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/is-a-toy-dog-right-for-you-172975.html

Mark Mayfield uses his son's miniature dachshund, Marley, to introduce one of his published columns about wiener dogs.

Duration : 2 min 17 sec

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Is normal for a 6 month old doxie to sleep a lot?

let her sleep all day if she can. she's just a puppy so it's fine