Inbreeding is the practice of mating animals closely related to each other, and it is used to preserve and intensify desirable characteristics. By mating two dogs from one bloodline, you increase the chance of their puppies having their characteristics. Take a look at the pedigree of most champion dogs – you will see the same ancestor mentioned several times.
However, although inbreeding certainly has advantages, it has its disadvantages also. Serious faults and blemishes are inherited twice as frequently as they would be if the dogs were bred to animals without these faults. Also, breeding between animals that are closely related can lead to physical weakness, bad temperament and less intelligence in the puppies. Use inbreeding with care.

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So, you have a beautiful dog and several people have commented that he or she should be shown. Although you don’t want to show your dog, you wouldn’t mind having a litter of puppies. After all, a dog this beautiful should reproduce, right? Actually, no matter how closely the dog resembles the breed standard, there is another important thing to consider. Breeding for a good disposition is the best way to keep a dog breed from developing a reputation for being high strung or downright nasty.

Make sure both your dog and the dog you breed him or her to have a good disposition. We have a Yorkshire Terrier that is a beautiful show quality dog, but I will never breed her because she is downright nasty to our other dogs and practically has a meltdown if her owner leaves the house. She acts exactly like her mother, but we bought her because her father had a wonderful disposition and she conforms so well to the breed standard.

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I used to worry that my dogs would drink all the water in the dog bowl and get thirsty while I was working or shopping, especially if it was a hot day and they were barking at the cats. (Their favorite activity. They don’t bark at all the cats, just the black and white one belonging to the neighbor and a stray all black cat.)

When I had the opportunity to test the Contech Water Dog Motion Activated Outdoor Pet Fountain, I decided to give it a try. Well, it works great, as long as you don’t constantly walk in front of it, which sets off the sensor. I had to spend a few days working on the way it was positioned to get it set up so I wasn’t constantly walking by and setting it off. However, I didn’t install it on a faucet attached to the house- it is set up on a faucet I had piped over to the dog run so they can just go out the doggy door and get a drink without running loose in the rest of the yard when I’m not there. If you’re installing the Water Dog on your house, it may not be as difficult to get it adjusted.

Two of the dogs figured out how to use the Water Dog right away, but one had a lot of trouble and he kind of waits for one of the other dogs to get it started and then gets a drink. Intelligence challenged dogs may need a bit of help.

My dogs are happy because they can run up and get a drink anytime they want and I’m happy because I don’t have to worry that they’ve run out of water in their dish. Even better, the water is really clean and fresh. The dogs and I give the Contech Water Dog Motion Activated Outdoor Pet Fountain four bones.

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