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- Maneka Gandhi
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The headline in this week’s newspaper reads Fish lovers beware! Unscrupulous fish wholesalers are using formalin, a toxic and carcinogenic chemical commonly used to preserve dead bodies in mortuaries, to prevent fish from deteriorating during transportation. Apparently the fisheries department of Punjab picked up samples of hundreds of fish in the fresh fish markets and found they had a large dose of formalin in them. The fish came from Delhi but the Health Minister who is a doctor himself uttered the usual nonsensical political babble, “We will definitely enquire about it and once it is authentically established, we will take whatever action is required under food safety laws,” The fish lobby headed by Riyasat Ali swung into action to prevent any samples from being taken from the Ghazipur Fish Market. Every day, 20- 50 tonnes of fish arrives at this market, from places as far away as Orissa, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. The contaminated fish was a type of Vietnamese catfish which is now farmed in Andhra Pradesh. Locally known as ‘Basa’, it has become popular in India, since it is a virtually boneless freshwater fish. It is, in fact, one of the most extensively farmed fishes in Asia. Trade sources said preserving fish in formalin is not just a common practice in Andhra Pradesh but across India. Formalin treatment increases the shelf life of the fish which takes about a week to reach Punjab from Andhra Pradesh. Trade sources said formalin is available over the counter and is cheap, hence it is often used to illegally preserve perishable food items like fish.
Punjab fish growers said they had been advised by their wholesale buyers to also use formalin as fish meat spoils easily and its transportation and storage involves a lot of effort. Between September and March, Punjab consumes nearly 250 tonnes of Basa fish every day. Formaldehyde has been added as a preservative after the fish were caught, during transportation or storage. The Punjab farmers have woken up just now. I thought everybody knew that most fish brought inland is doused in formalin. Not just here but across Asia. In Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety has regularly found formaldehyde (170-570 ppm) in noodlefish. (In Hong Kong the use of formaldehyde in food is liable to a fine of HK$50,000 and imprisonment for 6 months.) If you look at the net, Sri Lanka fish buyers are aware that fish is dipped in formalin and food colouring before being transported from the fish ports to the inland markets. In Malaysia information from the government say that imported fish e.g. cod/salmon/fin/tuna have formalin in them. A number of studies done by the Bangladesh government that show that a significant percentage of fish which is imported from neighbouring countries (e.g., about 80,000 kg of fish products enter Bangladeshi markets everyday through the Teknaf border from Burma) are contaminated with formalin. In a study published in Journal of Medical Sciences done on Formaldehyde Content in Rui fish (Labeo rohita) in Bangladesh in 2008. Results showed that formaldehyde levels were high in imported rui fish coming from India and Myanmar .In another study printed in the 2009 Journal of Fisheries International, a three month study on Intensity of Formalin Use in Fish Preservation in Dhaka City showed that formalin was in 44% of Rohu (Labeo rohita) imported from India. Other fish were Catla (Catla catla)(22%) , Mrigel (6%), small shrimp, kachki(Corica soborna), bele (Glossogobius guris)and others were found 6, 6, 2 and 4%, respectively .In Bangladesh for the first time formalin treated fishes were identified in 2006 during an operation against impure food by a mobile court led by a Metropolitan Magistrate . So widespread is this practice that a Formalin Testing Centre has been set up to train administrators. Bangladesh’s Institute of Food Science and Technology has invented a Formalin Test kit and has a Formalin Test Center (FTC) situated at Kawran Bazar fish market .Formaldehyde is a colourless, flammable gas with a pungent, distinct odour .
It is used in industry for the manufacture of plastic resins that can be used in wood, paper and textile industry At home, formaldehyde is produced by cigarettes and other tobacco products, gas cookers, and open fireplaces. Formaldehyde is immediately dangerous to life and health at 20 ppm. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that formaldehyde is carcinogenic. Formalin is a name of a chemical substance consisting of 37% formaldehyde, methanol and water. It is widely used as a preservative of dead bodies. In Asia formalin is illegally added in food for its preservative effects. The common incriminated food items are meat and meat derivates, chicken paws, crustaceans and fish. Acute toxicity after eating a amount can cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting, coma, renal injury and possible death. Formaldehyde causes inflammation of the linings of the mouth, throat and gastrointestinal tract and eventual ulceration and necrosis of the mucous lining of the gastrointestinal tract. The main health concern of formaldehyde is its cancer causing potential. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) says there was sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity in humans. If you frequently eat foods that are preserved with formalin, it would over time, can cause irritation to the stomach causing diarrhoea mixed with blood, urine or blood. The most common result of chronic poisoning caused by formalin is damaged kidneys and cancer. Formalin has been linked to nasal and lung cancer, with possible links to brain cancer and leukaemia. It is foolish to tell you to buy only “fresh” fish as the purpose of formalin is to fool you into thinking the fish is fresh. The fish will have an odd smell, but people are now confused into believing that this smell is normal. The fish will be stiff – but who knows what the difference is? The traders may dip the whole fish or inject formalin in the fish body cavity or spread formalin mixed water on the fish surface while the fish are displayed for purchase. Formalin in fish is like syphilis: every country’s local name for the disease means “coming from foreigners"! The truth is that every fish trader is involved in this practice and you are the victim. Happy eating!
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Punjab fish growers said they had been advised by their wholesale buyers to also use formalin as fish meat spoils easily and its transportation and storage involves a lot of effort. Between September and March, Punjab consumes nearly 250 tonnes of Basa fish every day. Formaldehyde has been added as a preservative after the fish were caught, during transportation or storage. The Punjab farmers have woken up just now. I thought everybody knew that most fish brought inland is doused in formalin. Not just here but across Asia. In Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety has regularly found formaldehyde (170-570 ppm) in noodlefish. (In Hong Kong the use of formaldehyde in food is liable to a fine of HK$50,000 and imprisonment for 6 months.) If you look at the net, Sri Lanka fish buyers are aware that fish is dipped in formalin and food colouring before being transported from the fish ports to the inland markets. In Malaysia information from the government say that imported fish e.g. cod/salmon/fin/tuna have formalin in them. A number of studies done by the Bangladesh government that show that a significant percentage of fish which is imported from neighbouring countries (e.g., about 80,000 kg of fish products enter Bangladeshi markets everyday through the Teknaf border from Burma) are contaminated with formalin. In a study published in Journal of Medical Sciences done on Formaldehyde Content in Rui fish (Labeo rohita) in Bangladesh in 2008. Results showed that formaldehyde levels were high in imported rui fish coming from India and Myanmar .In another study printed in the 2009 Journal of Fisheries International, a three month study on Intensity of Formalin Use in Fish Preservation in Dhaka City showed that formalin was in 44% of Rohu (Labeo rohita) imported from India. Other fish were Catla (Catla catla)(22%) , Mrigel (6%), small shrimp, kachki(Corica soborna), bele (Glossogobius guris)and others were found 6, 6, 2 and 4%, respectively .In Bangladesh for the first time formalin treated fishes were identified in 2006 during an operation against impure food by a mobile court led by a Metropolitan Magistrate . So widespread is this practice that a Formalin Testing Centre has been set up to train administrators. Bangladesh’s Institute of Food Science and Technology has invented a Formalin Test kit and has a Formalin Test Center (FTC) situated at Kawran Bazar fish market .Formaldehyde is a colourless, flammable gas with a pungent, distinct odour .
It is used in industry for the manufacture of plastic resins that can be used in wood, paper and textile industry At home, formaldehyde is produced by cigarettes and other tobacco products, gas cookers, and open fireplaces. Formaldehyde is immediately dangerous to life and health at 20 ppm. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that formaldehyde is carcinogenic. Formalin is a name of a chemical substance consisting of 37% formaldehyde, methanol and water. It is widely used as a preservative of dead bodies. In Asia formalin is illegally added in food for its preservative effects. The common incriminated food items are meat and meat derivates, chicken paws, crustaceans and fish. Acute toxicity after eating a amount can cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting, coma, renal injury and possible death. Formaldehyde causes inflammation of the linings of the mouth, throat and gastrointestinal tract and eventual ulceration and necrosis of the mucous lining of the gastrointestinal tract. The main health concern of formaldehyde is its cancer causing potential. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) says there was sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity in humans. If you frequently eat foods that are preserved with formalin, it would over time, can cause irritation to the stomach causing diarrhoea mixed with blood, urine or blood. The most common result of chronic poisoning caused by formalin is damaged kidneys and cancer. Formalin has been linked to nasal and lung cancer, with possible links to brain cancer and leukaemia. It is foolish to tell you to buy only “fresh” fish as the purpose of formalin is to fool you into thinking the fish is fresh. The fish will have an odd smell, but people are now confused into believing that this smell is normal. The fish will be stiff – but who knows what the difference is? The traders may dip the whole fish or inject formalin in the fish body cavity or spread formalin mixed water on the fish surface while the fish are displayed for purchase. Formalin in fish is like syphilis: every country’s local name for the disease means “coming from foreigners"! The truth is that every fish trader is involved in this practice and you are the victim. Happy eating!
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Last week I wrote about detection dogs being used by the police. Dogs can detect individual scents even when the scents are combined or masked by other odours and they can do this even when the scent is only one part per million.
While most of us have seen or heard about dogs that sniff out bombs and drugs, have you heard about the Bed Bug Detection dogs? These are specially trained to identify the scent of bedbugs (Pissoo / oris/ khatmal).
With the increase in global travel and shared living accommodations, bed bugs have become a nuisance. America has gone on a war alert against bedbugs. In June a Joint Bed Bug Task Force was created in Washington and the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (like our Environment and Forest Ministry) held a bed bug summit in April 2009 to address the problem of bed bugs and how to eradicate them.
Hundreds of pest management companies have been traditionally killing bedbugs in homes and hotels with pesticides which are equally dangerous to humans. But with the increased focus on green pest management, the latest warriors’ tools to be employed are dogs. Dogs are a safer alternative to general pesticide use. If they can find out exactly where bed bugs are located, they can minimize the area that needs to be sprayed. Dogs detect bed bugs through all life cycle phases from eggs to nymphs to adults. These dogs are so sensitive they can smell a single egg or a single bug.
Bed bug detection dogs are new. A 2008 report by the University of Kentucky Department of Entomology endorsed bed bug detection dogs by stating that the “reliability of the dogs has been impressive provided they are properly trained.” Bedbugs impact the housing, hospitality, furniture rental, health care, assisted living industries. Bed bugs are turning up in fancy hotels, hospitals, dorm rooms, private houses, and crowded apartment buildings. And they're not restricted to the bedroom, although that's where they commonly reside. They can live in furniture, under loosened wallpaper, and a variety of other places. Bed bug detection is complicated by the fact that the insects can hide almost anywhere, figuring out the bed bugs is not easy. They hide in dark crevices during the day and usually come out at night. Bedbugs are extremely mobile; they can travel through apartment walls, pipes and wiring. It can take hours to inspect a home because bed bugs are so tiny and elusive. Bedbug detection dogs solve this problem because they are small and agile, finding bugs in places humans cannot, such as wall voids, crevices and furniture gaps. In New York city alone, Bedbug complaints doubled between 2006 and 2008, to just over 11,000 in 2011. People buying or renting apartments in New York look for bedbugs first. News reports about retail stores and movie theatres battling the tiny, blood-sucking insects have caused some New Yorkers to panic. New York ’s Mayor has a Bedbug Advisory Board.
The International Forensic Detection Canine Association based in the US, estimates over 200 dogs in the field and estimates that the need for bed bug dogs far outweighs the supply. Bill Whitstine was the first trainer to train and certify bed bug detection dogs in the United States and has an estimated 150 dogs internationally. Now agencies like the Florida-based J&K Canine Academy have sprung up. This one has trained 60 dogs to detect bed bugs over the past three years and currently has a waiting list. Bedbug Finders in Connecticut just has two, a terrier and a Basenji and both are booked for months ahead. New York’s The Bedbug Inspectors started six months ago has one dog, a small mixed breed rescued from a pound. Action Pest Control in New Jersey has doubled its revenues since creating a bed bug unit in 2007. The company owns three dogs, all mixed species (or what we call Indian or stray dogs). Advanced K9 Detectives has beagles. The National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association sprang up in 2006 to give accreditation to properly trained dogs. The latest member of the Milwaukee Housing Authority's environmental services department is Gracie, a small Jack Russell terrier. Her job is to sniff out bed bugs in the city's public housing units. Dogs like Gracie are increasingly being used in private homes, hotels, and other businesses because they take minutes to find what would normally take a human days.
The dogs are not trained against fleas, just bedbugs. They are mild mannered and well behaved and when they smell a bedbug - on a pipe near the ceiling, or in a book on a shelf, suitcases and even telephone books and bedside Bibles- they don’t lap it up; they simply sit down and wait for a doggy treat. They go to schools too, and have picked up the scent in gym bags and children’s books.
The dogs are trained to sniff for bedbugs the way other dogs are trained to sniff for bombs, drugs or missing people. Their owners typically work as subcontractors to pest-control companies or directly for landlords and homeowners. They do the detection. Other people do the treatment. Training takes about 4 months and a trained dog sells for up to $ 10,000.
The world is full of opportunity. Any Indian dog can be trained far faster than a pedigreed one. Why not try your hand at it.
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
While most of us have seen or heard about dogs that sniff out bombs and drugs, have you heard about the Bed Bug Detection dogs? These are specially trained to identify the scent of bedbugs (Pissoo / oris/ khatmal).
With the increase in global travel and shared living accommodations, bed bugs have become a nuisance. America has gone on a war alert against bedbugs. In June a Joint Bed Bug Task Force was created in Washington and the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (like our Environment and Forest Ministry) held a bed bug summit in April 2009 to address the problem of bed bugs and how to eradicate them.
Hundreds of pest management companies have been traditionally killing bedbugs in homes and hotels with pesticides which are equally dangerous to humans. But with the increased focus on green pest management, the latest warriors’ tools to be employed are dogs. Dogs are a safer alternative to general pesticide use. If they can find out exactly where bed bugs are located, they can minimize the area that needs to be sprayed. Dogs detect bed bugs through all life cycle phases from eggs to nymphs to adults. These dogs are so sensitive they can smell a single egg or a single bug.
Bed bug detection dogs are new. A 2008 report by the University of Kentucky Department of Entomology endorsed bed bug detection dogs by stating that the “reliability of the dogs has been impressive provided they are properly trained.” Bedbugs impact the housing, hospitality, furniture rental, health care, assisted living industries. Bed bugs are turning up in fancy hotels, hospitals, dorm rooms, private houses, and crowded apartment buildings. And they're not restricted to the bedroom, although that's where they commonly reside. They can live in furniture, under loosened wallpaper, and a variety of other places. Bed bug detection is complicated by the fact that the insects can hide almost anywhere, figuring out the bed bugs is not easy. They hide in dark crevices during the day and usually come out at night. Bedbugs are extremely mobile; they can travel through apartment walls, pipes and wiring. It can take hours to inspect a home because bed bugs are so tiny and elusive. Bedbug detection dogs solve this problem because they are small and agile, finding bugs in places humans cannot, such as wall voids, crevices and furniture gaps. In New York city alone, Bedbug complaints doubled between 2006 and 2008, to just over 11,000 in 2011. People buying or renting apartments in New York look for bedbugs first. News reports about retail stores and movie theatres battling the tiny, blood-sucking insects have caused some New Yorkers to panic. New York ’s Mayor has a Bedbug Advisory Board.
The International Forensic Detection Canine Association based in the US, estimates over 200 dogs in the field and estimates that the need for bed bug dogs far outweighs the supply. Bill Whitstine was the first trainer to train and certify bed bug detection dogs in the United States and has an estimated 150 dogs internationally. Now agencies like the Florida-based J&K Canine Academy have sprung up. This one has trained 60 dogs to detect bed bugs over the past three years and currently has a waiting list. Bedbug Finders in Connecticut just has two, a terrier and a Basenji and both are booked for months ahead. New York’s The Bedbug Inspectors started six months ago has one dog, a small mixed breed rescued from a pound. Action Pest Control in New Jersey has doubled its revenues since creating a bed bug unit in 2007. The company owns three dogs, all mixed species (or what we call Indian or stray dogs). Advanced K9 Detectives has beagles. The National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association sprang up in 2006 to give accreditation to properly trained dogs. The latest member of the Milwaukee Housing Authority's environmental services department is Gracie, a small Jack Russell terrier. Her job is to sniff out bed bugs in the city's public housing units. Dogs like Gracie are increasingly being used in private homes, hotels, and other businesses because they take minutes to find what would normally take a human days.
The dogs are not trained against fleas, just bedbugs. They are mild mannered and well behaved and when they smell a bedbug - on a pipe near the ceiling, or in a book on a shelf, suitcases and even telephone books and bedside Bibles- they don’t lap it up; they simply sit down and wait for a doggy treat. They go to schools too, and have picked up the scent in gym bags and children’s books.
The dogs are trained to sniff for bedbugs the way other dogs are trained to sniff for bombs, drugs or missing people. Their owners typically work as subcontractors to pest-control companies or directly for landlords and homeowners. They do the detection. Other people do the treatment. Training takes about 4 months and a trained dog sells for up to $ 10,000.
The world is full of opportunity. Any Indian dog can be trained far faster than a pedigreed one. Why not try your hand at it.
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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- Maneka Gandhi
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When it rains, most of the 23 dogs I have, crowd inside my house. That’s the time when I think longingly of a dogless planet. The problem lies in two dogs. Both of them are rescued from the shelter after being thrown out of several homes. Both are small. One is a brown Apso mix and one is a black and white terrier mix. They are both so awful in temperament that I am not surprised that they have been abandoned.
They are aggressive, noisy, will not leave my side for a minute, and fight with any dog that comes near me and snarl at every human. They have scared my blind and deaf Great Dane into not coming near anyone because they lunge at her throat and nip her heels when she comes near me. They veer between a state of barking and snarling to cloying and tedious affection. The black one scratches me with her nails when she wants attention which is usually when I am asleep. She gasps like an asthmatic in excitement the whole day. They will not have leashes put on them by anyone except me. They get along with no other dog except each other, raising their hackles, growling and barking, sometimes lunging and nipping others in the neck. If they are tied, they howl. Sometimes I think they are overcompensating for having been abandoned. That they are so scared (or grateful or insecure) that they cannot bear to let me out of their sight. But this is not so.
This is the classic Napoleon complex — short-statured men compensate for their size by being overly aggressive. It's named for French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who had big ambitions but was not very tall. Height is in inverse proportion to bad behaviour.
Every dog owner knows that small dogs have personality. They're spunky and they let you know just what they're thinking — especially when they want a treat or walk. So it's no surprise that small dog owners also need to keep an eye open for symptoms of the Napoleon complex. That is when courage turns to spite and nastiness.
My mother was once bitten savagely by two apsos whose owner declared herself helpless in correcting their behaviour. They are so sociable that they always bite guests while they are leaving, she said lamely. Someone I know threw out her dachshunds for the same reason – they bit and snarled all the time. There's a big distinction between a spunky small dog and a damn nuisance. Symptoms of the syndrome include not following instructions, becoming territorial over areas of the house, toys, food or people, and even biting.
A small dog with spunk is ready to play when your child crawls into your lap alongside him. One with a Napoleonic syndrome will probably growl and may even try to bite. The problem lies with owners who take their small dogs less seriously than they would large ones. A pug that sinks his teeth into you will be laughed at and dismissed. A Doberman who does the same will be put down. You need to take your small dog as seriously as you would a larger breed. This is a battle for dominance. Take charge.
Two of the most important goals of raising a healthy, happy dog of any size are bite inhibition and socialization. There is a narrow window in puppy development to teach a dog that it's unacceptable to bite or growl. Dog trainers and veterinarians generally agree that the window closes at about 20 weeks of age. If a dog is not taught to abandon its urge to behave badly, it will always see snarling and biting as an option. Behaviour such as leash aggression, dominance, possessiveness of objects and people should be addressed early as they may persist throughout adulthood. No dog can be reformed by picking him up and cuddling him if he behaves badly. The Napolean in him is out to conquer you and the household and this is achieved step by step in pushing the boundaries of bad behaviour.
Think of him as a small Alsatian and treat him accordingly. Is it possible to prevent a small dog from yapping, jumping, peeing in the house, snapping at people etc. Yes, but understand yourself first. What would you do if your German Shepherd growled when your neighbour comes over? You would correct him, put him away, call a trainer and become very worried. This is a dominant guarding behaviour that you would do something about. What would you do if your cute little miniature Pomeranian growled at the same neighbour? You would probably ignore him, pick him up, or make excuses for him: He’s just scared, he thinks he’s a big dog, don’t worry he’s all bark no bite.
Ignoring him teaches that the behaviour is acceptable, picking him up also shows that you approve and puts him in a more dominant position, and making excuses just convinces you that nothing can be done. Jumping is one way that dogs dominate humans. Generally the higher a dog is on a human’s body, the more dominant they feel. What would you do if your Rottweiler consistently jumps on you? Knee him away? Correct with your hand? Call a trainer? You would do something. What do you do if your pug consistently jumps on you? Pet him each time? Tell everyone “this is how he says hello”? Ignore him? Any of those choices runs the risk that the dog is becoming more dominant with every passing day.
How important would you rate leash training your dog? Owners of large dogs say that leash training is very important to them. Owners of small breeds usually don’t even own leashes. Most small dogs are not taken on exercise and even if they pull on a leash they’re so small that its OK. But the leash is a time for the human to establish control. When a pack of dogs travel, the leader is in front. Teaching a dog to “heel” is the process of teaching him to follow you.
If your dog is following you mentally and physically on a walk, he is less likely to bark or lunge at new people or animals. If your dog is leading you in an excited dominant state, he is much more likely to bark and lunge at new things. A dog that’s walked in a submissive state will come home feeling submissive. A dog who spends an hour pulling his owner will return home still feeling dominant. Small dogs don’t know that they’re small. They have the same instincts as large dogs.
The small dog with territorial aggression will not hesitate to ignore any commands or suggestions you give him or take ownership of property. Owners are often surprised when they go to sit down on the couch and are greeted by a growl from their Chihuahua. Move into discipline mode now. Why am I lecturing you? I don’t know what to do with the two that are making me miserable. If anyone is ready to adopt them, I will pay for them to go!
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
They are aggressive, noisy, will not leave my side for a minute, and fight with any dog that comes near me and snarl at every human. They have scared my blind and deaf Great Dane into not coming near anyone because they lunge at her throat and nip her heels when she comes near me. They veer between a state of barking and snarling to cloying and tedious affection. The black one scratches me with her nails when she wants attention which is usually when I am asleep. She gasps like an asthmatic in excitement the whole day. They will not have leashes put on them by anyone except me. They get along with no other dog except each other, raising their hackles, growling and barking, sometimes lunging and nipping others in the neck. If they are tied, they howl. Sometimes I think they are overcompensating for having been abandoned. That they are so scared (or grateful or insecure) that they cannot bear to let me out of their sight. But this is not so.
This is the classic Napoleon complex — short-statured men compensate for their size by being overly aggressive. It's named for French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who had big ambitions but was not very tall. Height is in inverse proportion to bad behaviour.
Every dog owner knows that small dogs have personality. They're spunky and they let you know just what they're thinking — especially when they want a treat or walk. So it's no surprise that small dog owners also need to keep an eye open for symptoms of the Napoleon complex. That is when courage turns to spite and nastiness.
My mother was once bitten savagely by two apsos whose owner declared herself helpless in correcting their behaviour. They are so sociable that they always bite guests while they are leaving, she said lamely. Someone I know threw out her dachshunds for the same reason – they bit and snarled all the time. There's a big distinction between a spunky small dog and a damn nuisance. Symptoms of the syndrome include not following instructions, becoming territorial over areas of the house, toys, food or people, and even biting.
A small dog with spunk is ready to play when your child crawls into your lap alongside him. One with a Napoleonic syndrome will probably growl and may even try to bite. The problem lies with owners who take their small dogs less seriously than they would large ones. A pug that sinks his teeth into you will be laughed at and dismissed. A Doberman who does the same will be put down. You need to take your small dog as seriously as you would a larger breed. This is a battle for dominance. Take charge.
Two of the most important goals of raising a healthy, happy dog of any size are bite inhibition and socialization. There is a narrow window in puppy development to teach a dog that it's unacceptable to bite or growl. Dog trainers and veterinarians generally agree that the window closes at about 20 weeks of age. If a dog is not taught to abandon its urge to behave badly, it will always see snarling and biting as an option. Behaviour such as leash aggression, dominance, possessiveness of objects and people should be addressed early as they may persist throughout adulthood. No dog can be reformed by picking him up and cuddling him if he behaves badly. The Napolean in him is out to conquer you and the household and this is achieved step by step in pushing the boundaries of bad behaviour.
Think of him as a small Alsatian and treat him accordingly. Is it possible to prevent a small dog from yapping, jumping, peeing in the house, snapping at people etc. Yes, but understand yourself first. What would you do if your German Shepherd growled when your neighbour comes over? You would correct him, put him away, call a trainer and become very worried. This is a dominant guarding behaviour that you would do something about. What would you do if your cute little miniature Pomeranian growled at the same neighbour? You would probably ignore him, pick him up, or make excuses for him: He’s just scared, he thinks he’s a big dog, don’t worry he’s all bark no bite.
Ignoring him teaches that the behaviour is acceptable, picking him up also shows that you approve and puts him in a more dominant position, and making excuses just convinces you that nothing can be done. Jumping is one way that dogs dominate humans. Generally the higher a dog is on a human’s body, the more dominant they feel. What would you do if your Rottweiler consistently jumps on you? Knee him away? Correct with your hand? Call a trainer? You would do something. What do you do if your pug consistently jumps on you? Pet him each time? Tell everyone “this is how he says hello”? Ignore him? Any of those choices runs the risk that the dog is becoming more dominant with every passing day.
How important would you rate leash training your dog? Owners of large dogs say that leash training is very important to them. Owners of small breeds usually don’t even own leashes. Most small dogs are not taken on exercise and even if they pull on a leash they’re so small that its OK. But the leash is a time for the human to establish control. When a pack of dogs travel, the leader is in front. Teaching a dog to “heel” is the process of teaching him to follow you.
If your dog is following you mentally and physically on a walk, he is less likely to bark or lunge at new people or animals. If your dog is leading you in an excited dominant state, he is much more likely to bark and lunge at new things. A dog that’s walked in a submissive state will come home feeling submissive. A dog who spends an hour pulling his owner will return home still feeling dominant. Small dogs don’t know that they’re small. They have the same instincts as large dogs.
The small dog with territorial aggression will not hesitate to ignore any commands or suggestions you give him or take ownership of property. Owners are often surprised when they go to sit down on the couch and are greeted by a growl from their Chihuahua. Move into discipline mode now. Why am I lecturing you? I don’t know what to do with the two that are making me miserable. If anyone is ready to adopt them, I will pay for them to go!
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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- Maneka Gandhi
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I see a lot of police dogs in Parliament, at some airports, at places where politicians are expected. These are detection dogs and they are Alsatians, Belgian Malinois, Golden Retrievers and Labradors. Every now and then my shelter is given an old police dog and we have to find a home for an animal that has saved thousands of people and then been thrown out when he is old.
The British were the first to employ the talents of detection canines in WWI to find land mines. Now they are used all over the world. A detection or sniffer dog is trained to uses its senses to detect substances ranging from explosives, illegal drugs, blood, human cadavers, missing humans to fruit, mussels and honeybees ! Some prisons have dogs trained to detect illicit cell phones in prison cells. I forgot to mention: plants and food (by customs officials), cancer, mines, DVDs, currency, diabetes, bedbugs, guns, mold and termites. When a dog sniffs deeply and odour-carrying molecules flow into its nasal cavity, the shape of the cavity changes so that the molecules are focused onto a yellow, rippled, mucus-covered membrane, called the sensory mucosa, toward the back of the snout. So convoluted is the canine mucosa that if it were smoothed flat it would be several times larger than the dog’s head. Because it has so much surface area, the mucosa can carry a vast number of odour-sensitive, hair-like cilia.
Dogs have roughly 200 million scent receptor cells in their noses. That's about 40 times as many as humans. This makes them incredibly sensitive to smells. They can detect odour concentrations as small as one to two parts per billion or even when a target odour is mixed with lots of other smelly stuff. A dog can detect dynamite through dirty diapers, or cocaine through smelly socks. In an Australian prison, a detection dog foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs that had been hidden in a woman's bra and smeared with coffee, pepper and Vicks Vaporub. A sniffer dog can detect blood even if it has been scrubbed off surfaces. In one case, a sniffer dog sniffed a drop of blood on a wall although an attempt had been made to scrub it off. It was so small that it couldn't be seen without a microscope.
Why do police choose these breeds? A small dog will do as well – except it won’t look as intimidating. The key attributes of a successful police dog are intelligence, strength, and sense of smell. Abroad, police dogs handlers are very carefully chosen. The police dog and his handler together make up a K-9 unit. The men chosen for the dog units must have exemplary records and an outgoing, energetic personality, and strong physical conditioning. All police dogs are first given obedience training. They must obey the commands of their handler without hesitation. They must be comfortable in public places, with people and used to distractions like traffic. They must have endurance and agility training, be able to jump over walls and climb stairs.
How is a dog trained for bombs or drugs? People often wonder if dogs sniff out hidden drugs because they want to eat them, or because they're addicted themselves. In fact, the dogs have absolutely no interest in drugs or explosives or even fruit. What they're actually looking for is their favourite toy. Their training leads them to associate that toy with the smell of drugs. The toy used most often is a white towel. Police dogs play a game of tug-of-war with their favourite towel. To begin the training, the handler simply plays with the dog and the towel, which has been carefully washed so that it has no scent of its own. Later, a drug is rolled up inside the towel. Soon the dog starts to recognize the smell of the drug as the smell of his favourite toy. The handler then hides the towel, with the drugs, in various places. Whenever the dog sniffs out the drugs, he digs and scratches, trying to get at his toy. He soon comes to learn that if he sniffs out the drugs, as soon as he finds them he'll be rewarded with a game of tug-of-war or chew toys.
As training progresses, different drugs are placed in the towel, until the dog is able to sniff out a host of illegal substances. The same method is used for bomb-detection dogs, except chemicals used to manufacture explosives are placed in the towel or ball. When a police dog finds what he's sniffing for, he lets his handler know it's there by giving the alert signal. They dig and paw at the spot where they smell the drugs, trying to get at the toy they think is waiting there. A bomb dog would get everyone into trouble if he pawed it so they are trained to sit down as soon as they discover the explosive.
About ten years ago a new way of teaching was been invented which changed the training from a craft to a science: teaching dogs to sniff out corpses or drugs or bombs with synthetic substances. Scents that captured the smell of death and human corpses were bottled and made into ampoules that are given to dogs to sniff and find. Dogs are a vital part of today's security forces, government or private. For military patrols throughout the world, a bomb sniffing dog can mean the difference between life and death. These "dogs of war" have saved countless lives. The soldiers trust these dogs more than metal detectors and mine sweepers.
The first police dog appeared in the Northwest Frontier Provinces (now Pakistan) in 1941. Madras raised a kennel in 1951, then Bihar in 1955. I am told there is a standing advisory committee that coordinates the breeding, supply and training of police dogs in India but I have no idea where it is. In India, the facilities for police dogs are pathetic. In Chhatisgarh, two dogs, Seema and Liza who have smelt out explosives and narcotics, have had babies suddenly. The dog’s trainers have been suspended but they say that the blame lies with a lack of proper kennels at Chhattisgarh Armed Police's VIIth battalion. The Indian police departments have no scheme of retirement and dogs are made to work until they are too ill or old to work.
All over the world dogs are retired at 8 years and given pensions so that they find adopters. I would like the police and army to take Indian street dogs and train them instead of importing expensive dogs. This way, we will prove what I have been saying for years, that Indian dogs are much smarter than foreign breeds.
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The British were the first to employ the talents of detection canines in WWI to find land mines. Now they are used all over the world. A detection or sniffer dog is trained to uses its senses to detect substances ranging from explosives, illegal drugs, blood, human cadavers, missing humans to fruit, mussels and honeybees ! Some prisons have dogs trained to detect illicit cell phones in prison cells. I forgot to mention: plants and food (by customs officials), cancer, mines, DVDs, currency, diabetes, bedbugs, guns, mold and termites. When a dog sniffs deeply and odour-carrying molecules flow into its nasal cavity, the shape of the cavity changes so that the molecules are focused onto a yellow, rippled, mucus-covered membrane, called the sensory mucosa, toward the back of the snout. So convoluted is the canine mucosa that if it were smoothed flat it would be several times larger than the dog’s head. Because it has so much surface area, the mucosa can carry a vast number of odour-sensitive, hair-like cilia.
Dogs have roughly 200 million scent receptor cells in their noses. That's about 40 times as many as humans. This makes them incredibly sensitive to smells. They can detect odour concentrations as small as one to two parts per billion or even when a target odour is mixed with lots of other smelly stuff. A dog can detect dynamite through dirty diapers, or cocaine through smelly socks. In an Australian prison, a detection dog foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs that had been hidden in a woman's bra and smeared with coffee, pepper and Vicks Vaporub. A sniffer dog can detect blood even if it has been scrubbed off surfaces. In one case, a sniffer dog sniffed a drop of blood on a wall although an attempt had been made to scrub it off. It was so small that it couldn't be seen without a microscope.
Why do police choose these breeds? A small dog will do as well – except it won’t look as intimidating. The key attributes of a successful police dog are intelligence, strength, and sense of smell. Abroad, police dogs handlers are very carefully chosen. The police dog and his handler together make up a K-9 unit. The men chosen for the dog units must have exemplary records and an outgoing, energetic personality, and strong physical conditioning. All police dogs are first given obedience training. They must obey the commands of their handler without hesitation. They must be comfortable in public places, with people and used to distractions like traffic. They must have endurance and agility training, be able to jump over walls and climb stairs.
How is a dog trained for bombs or drugs? People often wonder if dogs sniff out hidden drugs because they want to eat them, or because they're addicted themselves. In fact, the dogs have absolutely no interest in drugs or explosives or even fruit. What they're actually looking for is their favourite toy. Their training leads them to associate that toy with the smell of drugs. The toy used most often is a white towel. Police dogs play a game of tug-of-war with their favourite towel. To begin the training, the handler simply plays with the dog and the towel, which has been carefully washed so that it has no scent of its own. Later, a drug is rolled up inside the towel. Soon the dog starts to recognize the smell of the drug as the smell of his favourite toy. The handler then hides the towel, with the drugs, in various places. Whenever the dog sniffs out the drugs, he digs and scratches, trying to get at his toy. He soon comes to learn that if he sniffs out the drugs, as soon as he finds them he'll be rewarded with a game of tug-of-war or chew toys.
As training progresses, different drugs are placed in the towel, until the dog is able to sniff out a host of illegal substances. The same method is used for bomb-detection dogs, except chemicals used to manufacture explosives are placed in the towel or ball. When a police dog finds what he's sniffing for, he lets his handler know it's there by giving the alert signal. They dig and paw at the spot where they smell the drugs, trying to get at the toy they think is waiting there. A bomb dog would get everyone into trouble if he pawed it so they are trained to sit down as soon as they discover the explosive.
About ten years ago a new way of teaching was been invented which changed the training from a craft to a science: teaching dogs to sniff out corpses or drugs or bombs with synthetic substances. Scents that captured the smell of death and human corpses were bottled and made into ampoules that are given to dogs to sniff and find. Dogs are a vital part of today's security forces, government or private. For military patrols throughout the world, a bomb sniffing dog can mean the difference between life and death. These "dogs of war" have saved countless lives. The soldiers trust these dogs more than metal detectors and mine sweepers.
The first police dog appeared in the Northwest Frontier Provinces (now Pakistan) in 1941. Madras raised a kennel in 1951, then Bihar in 1955. I am told there is a standing advisory committee that coordinates the breeding, supply and training of police dogs in India but I have no idea where it is. In India, the facilities for police dogs are pathetic. In Chhatisgarh, two dogs, Seema and Liza who have smelt out explosives and narcotics, have had babies suddenly. The dog’s trainers have been suspended but they say that the blame lies with a lack of proper kennels at Chhattisgarh Armed Police's VIIth battalion. The Indian police departments have no scheme of retirement and dogs are made to work until they are too ill or old to work.
All over the world dogs are retired at 8 years and given pensions so that they find adopters. I would like the police and army to take Indian street dogs and train them instead of importing expensive dogs. This way, we will prove what I have been saying for years, that Indian dogs are much smarter than foreign breeds.
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Last week I saw a programme on TV called Band Baja Bride in which a would-be bride is groomed, prettified and clothed for her wedding. In this episode the girl was given several injections of collagen on her chin to fill it out and make it look less weak. I contacted a few companies that do this and found out that thousands of people now go for collagen fillers. There are so many actresses whose lips get thicker with every film. So many ageing socialites whose wrinkles have disappeared and whose cheek bones are as high as when they were eighteen years old. That they look really silly has not occurred to them. Trying to look young has now become a passion for older people and an equal craze for young people who want their features changed. One of the ways that have been adopted is to inject collagen into the skin. From the Greek kola for glue, the word collagen means "glue producer" and refers to the early process of boiling the skin and sinews of horses and other animals to obtain glue. Collagen is a naturally occurring fibrous protein in the tissue of humans and animals. Collagen gives structural support to bones, skin, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels. It is responsible for skin strength and elasticity, and its degradation leads to the wrinkles that accompany ageing. As humans grow older they start losing the collagen which gives their skin elasticity. So, the new craze is to inject it into the skin so as to make it look firmer. But if you are going to use it, then you should know where it comes from: Three main sources of collagen are bovine (cows), porcine (pigs) and marine fish.
• Bovine collagen is extracted from cow skin. Cosmetic bovine collagen is a mixture of Type-I collagen which comes from the tendons and bone and Type III collagen which is taken from the skin, lungs, intestinal walls, and the walls of blood vessels of the cow. It's then sterilized, purified and rendered into a liquid form for cosmetic use. This form of collagen is primarily used as a skin filler and scar remover .
• Porcine collagen, rendered from the skin tissue of pigs, is generally used for collagen replacement therapy to smooth wrinkles.
• Marine collagen is derived from cold sea fish . Sea Collagen is made from the skins of yellow fin tuna and blue shark skin. Unlike other types of collagen, marine collagen isn't injected, but is instead taken as a supplement or as a topical cream. Cosmetic companies such as Olay, Loreal and Eleris manufacture creams and capsules that include marine collagen. This means that you are injecting cow meat, pig meat or fish meat into your face. Bovine collagen, like all collagen, breaks up within your body and becomes part of it. The effects of the collagen usually last for only six months to a year (The risks associated with bovine collagen use are allergic reactions and possible connective tissue disorders such as arthritis and lupus.) Cows and pigs are kept in herds by the cosmetic collagen companies. Zyderm and Zyplast which are the biggest cosmetic collagen manufacturers have their own cow and pig herds. These animals are kept in sterile conditions and fed artificial food in closed sheds. They never see the daylight, they do not move. They are given hormone injections and their blood is tested regularly to see that they have no unwanted bacteria. At the age of six months , the calves are killed and their fat melted. Companies like Koken from Japan proclaim that they only use calves aged six months or younger bred in Australia . They throw away the bodies and use only small parts of each baby animal’s skin. The calves live in absolute misery as laboratory animals and thousands and thousands of them are killed yearly as the demand from the cosmetic industry grows. Do you want a cow or pig treated like this? Do you want your skin to be made of cow or pig?
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Bovine collagen is extracted from cow skin. Cosmetic bovine collagen is a mixture of Type-I collagen which comes from the tendons and bone and Type III collagen which is taken from the skin, lungs, intestinal walls, and the walls of blood vessels of the cow. It's then sterilized, purified and rendered into a liquid form for cosmetic use. This form of collagen is primarily used as a skin filler and scar remover .
• Porcine collagen, rendered from the skin tissue of pigs, is generally used for collagen replacement therapy to smooth wrinkles.
• Marine collagen is derived from cold sea fish . Sea Collagen is made from the skins of yellow fin tuna and blue shark skin. Unlike other types of collagen, marine collagen isn't injected, but is instead taken as a supplement or as a topical cream. Cosmetic companies such as Olay, Loreal and Eleris manufacture creams and capsules that include marine collagen. This means that you are injecting cow meat, pig meat or fish meat into your face. Bovine collagen, like all collagen, breaks up within your body and becomes part of it. The effects of the collagen usually last for only six months to a year (The risks associated with bovine collagen use are allergic reactions and possible connective tissue disorders such as arthritis and lupus.) Cows and pigs are kept in herds by the cosmetic collagen companies. Zyderm and Zyplast which are the biggest cosmetic collagen manufacturers have their own cow and pig herds. These animals are kept in sterile conditions and fed artificial food in closed sheds. They never see the daylight, they do not move. They are given hormone injections and their blood is tested regularly to see that they have no unwanted bacteria. At the age of six months , the calves are killed and their fat melted. Companies like Koken from Japan proclaim that they only use calves aged six months or younger bred in Australia . They throw away the bodies and use only small parts of each baby animal’s skin. The calves live in absolute misery as laboratory animals and thousands and thousands of them are killed yearly as the demand from the cosmetic industry grows. Do you want a cow or pig treated like this? Do you want your skin to be made of cow or pig?
Maneka Gandhi
To join the animal welfare movement contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.