Good With Children?

Not well suited but may be ok with older children as long as they have been socialized with her when she is young.

Good With Other Pets?

Yes.

Temperament

The Brussels Griffon is a lively, cheerful dog full of life and curiosity. She makes a good companion dog but loves to be spoiled. She should be kept in the house with the family but have access to frequent walks for air and exercise.

Trainability

Can be difficult to train. She can be stubborn.

Approximate Adult Size

The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the Brussels Griffon is 7 to 8 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and 6 to 12 pounds.

Special Health Considerations

Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the Brussels Griffon is no exception. They can have respiratory problems, eye problems (prominent eyes prone to damage), difficulty giving birth, subluxated patella, and her teeth can require care. This disease list is an informative guideline only. Other diseases may also be significant threats, please contact your veterinarian for a complete list.

She should visit the veterinarian several times in the first year for shots, boosters and check up. Then, as an adult, she should visit the veterinarian yearly for shots and check up. As she gets older, six years and on, she should visit the veterinarian twice a year for check ups and shots. Remember; avoid feeding your dog sweets.

Grooming

The Brussels Griffon has two coat varieties, one being harsh with dense, wiry hair and the other being smooth coated, glossy and short. She should be brushed regularly. Brushing will help her maintain a clean and healthy coat, avoid mats and help you keep a closer eye on her health and strengthen your emotional bond with her.

Her teeth should be brushed at least twice a week with toothpaste and toothbrush designed for dogs. Brushing removes the accumulation of plaque and tartar which can cause cavities (rarely) and periodontal disease. Dog periodontal disease can lead to pain, loss of teeth, bad breath and other serious disease.

Her toenails may need to be examined for growth and clipped regularly. The toenails of the rear feet grow slower than the toenails of the front feet. Generally a guillotine type trimmer is the best for this chore and competent instructions to accomplish this can be found on the net.

Life Span

The Brussels Griffon can live between 8 and 10 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.

History

The Brussels Griffon comes from Belgium. They were developed from the Affenpinscher, Ruby English Toy Spaniel and the Dutch Pug. They cam to America in mid 1880. They were first registered by the American Kennel Association in 1910.

Some Registries

American Brussels Griffon Association.
UKC United Kennel Club
NKC National Kennel Club
CKC Continental Kennel Club
APRI Americas Pet Registry Inc.
AKC American Kennel Club
FCI Federation Cynologique Internationale
NZKC New Zealand Kennel Club
KCGB Kennel Club of Great Britain
ANKC Australian National Kennel Club
ACR American Canine Registry

Litter Size

1 to 3 Brussels Griffon puppies

Category

Toy

Terms To Describe

Independent, active, intelligent, stubborn, bluffer

SPECIAL GOOD POINTS

Intelligent.
Good watch dog.
Loves to be part of the family.
They are so human like that they are sometimes called monkey face.

SPECIAL BAD POINTS

Can be stubborn.
May have problems being obedient.
Not a guard dog.
Does not like cold weather.
May be difficult to housebreak,
They can tend to be barkers.

Other Names Known By

Briffon Belge, Griffon Bruxellois, Belgian Griffon, Griff, Brussels, monkey face

Every dog is an individual so not everything in this information may be correct for your dog. This information is meant as a good faith guideline only.

About the Author

Mitch Endick is a short article writer, editor and website developer for the popular pet site

If you truly see your pet as a part of the family, you should show it by dedicating almost the same amount of time to his training the way you do with your own children’s education.

Always make dog training as fun as possible for both you and your dog. If either of you aren’t having any fun, there’s little chance for the lesson to be firmly imprinted on your pet’s mind.

Stick to one lesson at a time. Dogs are intelligent creatures, yes, but they aren’t able to multi-task the way people do. Repeat your training session with your dog as often as possible until the behavioral problem he has is completely squashed out of his system.

When he has successfully learned his lesson, reward him with a special treat and time to relax both his body and mind. Give him enough time to enjoy vacation from training school before moving on to the next lesson.

On correcting behavioral problems through commands, make sure that you use one-word-orders as much as possible. Never have two or more commands for just one action unless you can speak dog lingo! If you want him to sit, stick with the command “sit” rather than using “sit down” or “down” alternately.

Lastly, do understand that giving a firm command is entirely different from a loud command. Loudness is equivalent to anger in a dog’s mind, and you don’t want your dog to think you’re angry at him, do you?

There are more things for you and your pet to learn about each other, and just as long as both of you enjoy a beautiful relationship, your dog won’t mind so much if you try to polish his manners once in a while.

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What should you do? Keep her? Take her back to the shelter?

The first question many people ask is What did I do wrong? Sometimes the answer is Nothing! You will, of course, hear blame. What many people do not realize is that a puppy can be imprinted early on. Most shelters do not adopt puppies out until they are 8 weeks old (if they do it earlier run…don’t walk, far away from that shelter). They wait this long for behavior reasons. One thing a shelter cannot control is the history of the puppy or the parents of the puppy. There may have been aggression in the genetics.

What? I thought aggression was just in breeds like pitbulls and german shepherds? Nope, any breed can have aggression in its history. Not just poorly bred dogs, but accidental litters between two dogs who may have aggression issues. Even working dogs bred for a specific task can have aggressive tendencies. The breeder may not care about aggression if aggression does not interfere with the task they are bred to do. This can even be true in hunting and sled dogs.

You may have made mistakes with your dog. Some of those mistakes may have brought out aggression. Now you need solutions for those mistakes, not blame. Before you look for solutions ask yourself Are you ready to do what it takes to care for a dog with aggression?

This is a valid question. Owning a dog with aggressive tendencies is a huge responsibility. Everything becomes harder when the dog has aggression, and there is no room for a mistake. You will not be able to take your dog places the average dog owner goes. Dog parks will be out for sure. Dog daycares do not allow aggressive dogs, most kennels will not take aggressive dogs, your dog sitter will have to be ultra responsible, and you might not find one willing to take the risk. You will have to sit down and seriously consider if you are willing to change your life for the dog. Make this choice before something happens. Before your dog gets into a fight, before your dog bites.

You will get flack if you choose to get rid of your dog. Opposing viewpoints will tell you that you created this dog aggression so you will be morally required to live with it. I’m here to tell you the only moral obligation you have, is to choose. You either choose to take on the responsibility or you don’t. Yes, taking on a dog is a commitment and hopefully a life long commitment, but under what circumstances? Unless you are a canine behavior expert and enjoy spending your life dog training, owning a dog with aggression is not fun. And it is not fun for the dog to live like that either. More often than not an aggressive dogs slips further and further into isolation because they cannot be trusted to go anywhere.

This is not to say do not try solving your aggressive dog issue, but solving aggressive issues is a serious commitment . Some aggression can be modified, but you will never completely modify dog aggression. You may even end up always having a muzzle on your dog in public. Are you willing to do this?

Yes, if you take your dog back to the shelter you will be talking euthanasia. I do not take this choice lightly, but no one does. If you (or the shelter) come to the choice of euthanizing your dog because of aggression, know that many people consider this choice responsible. People who have had dogs attacked or killed by aggressive dogs. People who have had children bitten by aggressive dogs. And shelter workers who euthanize healthy, non-aggressive, family friendly dogs everyday.

Kirsten Frisch has worked with sled dogs for over 8 years. She has handled dogs in Alaska for mid and long distance races such as the Copper Basin 300 and Yukon Quest 1000 mile race. Her background also includes Veterinary Technician, sled dog rescue and foster, artist, and traveller. You can learn more about Kirsten and sled dogs at alaskan-husky-behavior.com alaskan-husky-behavior.com

There are many misconceptions about rats. People think that rats are unclean and carry disease. In fact, rats are quite clean and groom themselves several times a day. These aren’t sewer rats we’re talking about. These pet rats, or fancy rats as they’re called, have been domesticated and bred in captivity for at least 150 years. Pet rats are quite tame after living with humans for so many generations and you’ll find that they are nothing like their stereotypes.

Rats are very intelligent animals. Some consider rats to have intelligence close or equal to that of dogs. Rats are capable of learning to come when their names are called. They can even be litter trained just as easily as training a cat.

If you have any experience with other rodents such as hamsters, mice or gerbils you may be afraid of biting. Although biting is common with other rodents, it is almost unheard of with domesticated rats. Unlike their rodent cousins, rats are generally docile creatures. Most of the time rats just like to lay around, especially males. Rats can easily be trained to be good lap or shoulder pets.

In the wild, rats live together in colonies and have a complex social structure. These social instincts carry over to pet rats. Pet rats tend to develop strong bonds with humans and with their cage mates. So much so that it is common for rats to become very depressed when a cage mate passes away.

There are many apartments that won’t allow dogs or cats, and it may simply not be practical to have larger pets in some houses. In those situations a pet rat is the perfect solution. Cages for pet rats usually don’t consume much room at all, usually just a two foot by two foot space, which makes pet rats great for small apartments.

Rats are friendly and intelligent animals and make great first pets for children. Being clean and easy to care for makes them great companions for the elderly. Go out and get your pet rat today!

Scott McHenry and his wife have had a large number of pets of many different species. They have several years experience with rats and together run ratanswers.com ratanswers.com a rat informational web site.

First, you need to decide how in-depth a training process you’re looking to undertake. Are you simply looking to potty train and get your dog to sit on command or are you looking to teach your dog advanced security commands and techniques. Also, are there any severe behavioral issues that need to be dealt with outside of normal things like excessive barking or whining.

If your dog’s training needs are advanced, it’s time to hire a professional trainer. Be sure to get references and ask questions before hiring just anyone to train your dog as I can assure you that not all dog trainers are created equal. You will also want to ask what their training methods are. Some trainers still use techniques that some people find cruel or inhumane. They work, but they are not necessary as there are many great trainers who utilize humane methods and have the same success rate.

If you are simply looking to teach your dog some basic tricks and provide behavioral structure, it can be extremely rewarding to do it yourself. Oh yeah, it also can save you a ton of money as dog trainers aren’t cheap. There are several great books on dog training but a very popular one that seems to come up in every web search on the subject is Sit Stay Fetch by Daniel Stevens. We were asked about this book over and over again by our customers. We were able to provide our thumbs up on this book as it was one we had read and learned a ton from. We successfully used many of the techniques we learned on Riley as well as some of the dogs at the daycare who were never properly trained in the basics. The author provides well thought out information in an easy to understand way.

If you are considering training your dog, we definitely recommend you buy Sit Stay Fetch to maximize your efforts. But remember, if the dog has serious behavioral issues, it’s time to seek professional help.

Bryan Gillis is the former owner, with his wife, of a successful doggie daycare facility and current owner of BestProductReviews.com BestProductReviews.com, a site dedicated to reviewing the web’s best resources for training your dog or puppy.

The show standard Siamese has a very narrow or “wedge” shaped head. This can create problems for the cats while eating. The Siamese may be eating dry food and find that it goes right past the front canine teeth and back to the molars. They grind it a bit and swallow the kibble nearly whole. Some food manufacturers have found they do better with a kibble that is shaped like a donut. The donut catches on their teeth and the cats crunch through kibble surrounding the tooth and grind it down further before swallowing.

The problem of not fully chewing their dry food means that the dental advantage most cats get from their dry kibble is lost on the Siamese. Their teeth don’t get the work out that the teeth of other breeds get. Thus the Siamese is known for its problems with gingivitis.

Gingivitis is a disease that affects both humans and animals. The gums get very red and can get inflamed. This is caused by plaque that builds up. As bacteria mix in with the plaque, tartar can build up at the gum line causing gingivitis. The mouth and teeth can get sore and the cat may refuse to eat.

Gingivitis is commonly picked up at routine exams on the Siamese. At other times, the owner may notice the cat is refusing to eat. If gingivitis is untreated, the cat may start to loose teeth. The build up of bacteria and plaque in the mouth can exacerbate other illness and weaken the immune system.

Treatment for gingivitis is an ultrasonic scale and polish, which will put a halt to the gingivitis. It’s important for Siamese to be checked regularly for this disease. As it progresses in severity, cats can loose teeth to the disease. Most of the time, the teeth are pulled by the veterinarian at the time of the scale and polish.

A professional dental cleaning on a cat must be done under general anesthetic. Often the veterinarian looking in the cat’s mouth may see that there are oral problems but not be able to determine the extent until the cat is under anesthetic.

Some Siamese will allow the owner to brush their teeth and there are special products available for this process. Often the veterinarian will recommend certain types of food that have plaque reducing properties. Some Siamese refuse this food because they don’t like the crunching. Also, if they are inhaling crunchy food because of the shape of their mouth, this is minimally effective in the front, though it can help in the back.

Understanding the anatomy of the Siamese and the special needs of these cats is important. Frequent oral exams by the veterinarian and brushing the cat’s teeth can go a long way towards keeping the cat’s mouth free of gingivitis. Some owners have consulted with holistic veterinarians and find that their cats get good results with alternative treatments.

A Siamese is a wonderful cat. In general they are healthy, long lived cats. A little extra dental care is a small price to pay for a long happy life with a Siamese.

Bonnie Koenig lives with her Siamese cats. Together they maintain mysiamese.com mysiamese.com

The happiest cat owners are those that work in concert with their pet’s genetic predispositions. Bringing a new kitten home and expecting it to restrain its natural, God-given urges is a recipe for frustration for both pet and owner alike.

Cat Trees are often made of wood and range in size from 2 to 8 eight feet. The ‘tree limbs’ are typically covered with bark, sisal or carpet. Although they come in many designs from Rustic to Modern, from single piece to modular, they all have the goal of providing ‘Fluffy’ a safe place to romp and play. There is typically a scratch post or posts built in. Some have tunnels which allow the cat to hide. Most have perches so that a cat can watch and observe from on-high. Some of the large units have cat beds for sleeping.

Many owners, frustrated with the expensive cost of their cat clawing the furniture often purchase expensive Cat Tree apparatuses out of desperation. However, they many times find that their cat does not like the Cat Tree, at least not at first (at least not for scratching). Cats that are used to clawing the furniture often resist changing their old habits. There is an element of transition that needs to be planned for to assist ‘Fluffy’ in making the change.

How do you wean a kitty from scratching your furniture to using the cat tree? One suggestion is to do something to start the scratching instinct – pay close attention to their scratching habits during the first few days. Attract your cat’s attention to the cat tree by running a string with a small toy on it up and down the lower part of the cat tree – enough to get their attention. Praise your cat lavishly if he catches on quickly and grabs for the toy, then starts to scratch. Another option is scratch with your own fingernails thereby demonstrating the desired action. Most important, be patient – you cat will get the hang of it.

In summary, Cat Trees are a great tool and if used correctly, will help to bring peace and harmony to your home for you and your kitty. It is my advice to shop around and try to buy an apparatus that will fit in your home and also provide enough variety for your furry pet.

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The Chin Dog in Japan was written in the early 1960s by Mr. Koichi Uoi, Dr. Hideo Wakui and Dr. Seikoh Yoshida. In this book they added a disclaimer about the name, which states: “The Chin is heretofore called “Japanese Spaniel’ in Europe and America, but the term must be a mistranslation, because the Chin is neither of Spanish line, nor a house. Taking the opportunity of publishing this book, we propose you call it ‘Chin’.” Still yet another writer feels there has been a further mis-translation and that “Spanish line” should read “spaniel.”

The Japanese Chin makes contact with the West by way of trade between England and Japan which started in 1549. At that time it was customary for gifts to be exchanged. Japanese Chin historians believe it is very likely that the ‘Japanese’ race of dogs was part of this trade and gifts.

In 1613 Captain Saris returned from Japan with dogs for the King as a present from the Emperor. It is felt these dogs were probably the Japanese Spaniel.

The historian Kaempfer visited Japan in 1691 for the Dutch East India Company. He tells us since the reigning Emperor (Kin-Sen, 1687) came to the throne, there were more dogs bred in Japan than anywhere else. The Japanese have long had a special love for breeding dogs.

The Chief Factor for Japan of the East India Company from 1615 to 1623 was a man called Richard Cocks. Mr. Cocks kept a diary of events during this his time period as the Chief Factor. He complained about the enormous number of presents required to help keep commerce relationships smooth between the Japanese and the British. Dogs were presented as imperial gifts very often. The custom of presenting dogs as Imperial gifts persisted to the mid-19th century.

By the 19th century Japan was perceived as a country of real importance to the USA. Japan’s harbors and coal deposits lay on the main route from San Francisco to Shanghai.

Contact with the English-speaking world ended in 1623. In 1852 a new American expedition visited Japan under the command of Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry. When Perry arrived at the coast of Japan on July 8th 1853 he brought with him several gifts that were delivered to the Japanese with a great ceremony. Among the gifts were:

• One quarter-size miniature steam engine, track, tender and car

• One Francis’ copper lifeboat

• One surf boat of copper

• Audubon’s Birds, in nine vols.

• Natural History of the State of New York, sixteen vols.

• Silver-topped dressing case

• Quarter-cask of Madeira

• Barrel of whisky

• Telescope and stand in box

• Flowered silk embroidered dress

• Six dozen assorted perfumery.

The Japanese were delighted by the generosity of the Americans. However, the Americans were not so impressed by the gifts from the Japanese.

The Japanese gifts were seven Japanese Chins (and because the Japanese so adored their dogs, these were probably thought to be very special and extra treasured gifts). Four Japanese Chins were given to the Commodore as a gift for the President. William Speiden, the fleet purser’s son was also given a Chin. Two other Japanese Chin were taken back to America aboard a separate ship. All total was five Japanese Chins taken on board Perry’s own vessel. Three of these adorable creatures were reported to have died en route. Two were later transferred to the British Admiral Stirling’s ship and eventually presented to Queen Victoria. Two Japanese Chins reached New York safely and were given to Mrs. Augusta Belmont, Perry’s daughter.

The Commodore later learned that there are three articles which in Japan, as he understood it, always formed part of an Imperial present. These were:

• Rice

• Dried Fish

• And dogs.

Some also said Charcoal was included. Surely all these items served some kind of symbol to the Japanese people, of which, he did not learn of. The charcoal was part of the gifts given at this time. And four small dogs of a rare breed were sent to the President as part of the Japanese Emperor’s gift to the U.S. Also public prints tell us two were put on board Admiral Stirling’s ship for Her Majesty of England.

Dogs were always part of a Royal Japanese Present. And it was always the kind you never see running on the streets. They were carried in beautiful straw baskets when they were taken outdoors. It was understood that the Royal Japanese Presents of “dogs” and specifically the Japanese Chin were “rare and costly.”

By contrast, those things considered “special” to the Americans was a telescope standing in a box, a barrel of whiskey, New York History books, books about birds………Apparently the Japanese thought the Americans were very generous people, and the Americans felt the little dogs, rice, dried fish and charcoal was a poor display not worth over a thousand dollars some said.

I rather have the little dogs myself! I would have been delighted and overjoyed to have received one of those little Japanese Chins as opposed to a barrel of whiskey and books about birds or the history of New York City!

I think all of us today who love the Japanese Chin realize just the same as the Japanese people realized that they are a great treasure to receive and to own. To some of us, they are still “Royal” Japanese Presents.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.

Author: Connie Limon, Toy Dog Fancier. Visit us at abouttoydogs.com abouttoydogs.com and sign up for our FREE newsletters to receive helpful pet tips and special offers. About Toy Dogs is a dog information portal for the consumer and the advertiser. We feature a toy dog breeder and article directory designed to help you make an intelligent choice when purchasing your toy dog companion or show prospect. We offer you dog books and other dog accessories. Purchase a full page ad with 3 pictures, a 12 picture video, and advertising in our newsletters and “unique” article marketing promotion.

Enter the Internet, Dove Cresswell and Dog Training Online. Dove Cresswell, who also boasts professional Hollywood North dog training credentials, delivers a 7 lesson online dog training course.

While nothing can replace taking your pup on a morning out to a dog training school along with other dogs and their owners, dog training online is quite a novel idea. Like so many other video courses available online, convenience is the point here and if like a lot of people you do not have the time available or there is not a dog training school close by, then Cresswell’s course may be worth taking a look at.

Getting past the initial humorous idea of hundreds of people standing in front of their home computers shouting out commands to a puppy in the corner of the room which no doubt will be staring back at them thinking it would rather be back at the pet shop, may be the first obstacle to overcome.

On a more serious note however, if you can ensure the discipline of taking in the lessons and training techniques and applying them step by step on a consistent basis then the dog training online course is worth its weight in gold for the time, money and effort it could save you.
.
The course includes proven training techniques in the following areas:

Puppy House & Potty Training
Dog Obedience Training
Crate Training - Keep your puppy safe and your household belongings safer
Walking Politely on a Leash - Avoid those unpleasant walks / dog dragging episodes
The Recall - Getting your dog to come when called
Good Puppy & Dog Manners and;
Special Dog Tricks - Because dogs should have fun too

Dog training online won’t be for everyone but Cresswell has provided a free lesson so you can find out for yourself. She also claims it works for all breeds and sizes of dogs.

Although, in our opinion, this is by far the best dog training course available online the onus remains with the owner to be the obedient trainer. The ideal solution would be to make use of a dog training online course such as the one Dove Cresswell offers and still get your puppy to a dog training school.

One thing clearly evident from Cresswell’s dog training online course is her passion, dedication and love for dogs. Your dog needs attention, love, consistent and regular dog training and this will require discipline on your part to ensure the perfect canine friendship.

Get your free theobedientdogtrainer.com theobedientdogtrainer.com Dog Training Online lesson as well as other dog training ideas and supplies at The Obedient Dog Trainer

Downloading an ebook is actually quite easy. After you have found the book on dog training that you want, you will be directed to a download page. To save the book to your hard drive simply click on the right mouse button over the download link. And then click on either “Save Target As” in Explorer or “Save Link As” in Netscape. A download screen will come up asking you where you want to save the file on your computer. Find the folder in which you want to save the ebook file and then click on “Save.” Be sure to remember where you have saved the ebook. Later, when offline, you can go to the folder in which you saved the downloaded ebook and double click on it to open it and read it. Also, once the ebook is opened, you can print it.

Most ebooks are saved as “pdf” files. To open, read, and print these ebooks, you need Acrobat Reader. Fortunately, you can download a free copy of Acrobat Reader by going to www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.

Some ebooks are saved as a Microsoft Word(tm) “doc” file and you need Microsoft Word(tm) to open and read them.

As a side note, I have found that with most ebooks, I can open them right from the internet. Instead of clicking to save to disk, I click to open the ebook. Once open, I make sure that I have the whole ebook, then I click on “save a copy” and save it to a file folder. This way, I know right away that I have the whole ebook or if there is a problem with the download.

Now that you know how to download a book on dog training, here are the titles of some dog training books that are available on the internet:

“Sit Stay Fetch: Dog Training To Stop Your Dog’s Behavior Problems!”

“How To Potty Train Your Puppy In 7 Days”

“Dog Training Secrets”

“Dog Training Mastery - An Owner’s Manual”

“How I Trained My Dog In One Evening”

“D.I.Y. Dog Training At Home”

“Hands Off Dog Training Formula”

“Puppy N’ Dog Training Secrets”

“The Complete Open Obedience Course “

“The Ultimate Show Dog Training Guide”

As with all ebooks, all of these books on dog training are available all of the time. The internet never closes. You can download these books on dog training at any time, even at 2:00 AM in the morning if that is what you want.

For links to the above howtoobediencetraindog.com books on dog training and free articles Click Here. You may reprint this article, but you must leave all links active. Copyright 2007 HowToObedienceTrainDog.com HowToObedienceTrainDog.com