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Disclaimer
Be it known, that I, John A. Koerner II (aka: California Jack, aka: Vise-Grip Kennels), do not claim to
be a veterinarian, and I certainly dont claim to be able to give veterinary advice, nor will I dispense any
medications for you. I am not attempting to practice veterinary medicine here. Nor do I claim that the
information I provide herein will guarantee that any dog will be benefitted in any way. All I claim is that
I will provide the best possible information I know of ... however, you, the reader and/or the purchaser
of my book, hereby agree that any information I provide is given by me solely as an alternative for those
people to consider, who either cannot afford veterinary care for their dog(s), or professional consultation,
and/or who do not have access to veterinary facilities at the time. By reading or utilizing any information
I provide ... you, the reader and/or the purchaser of my book, The Pit Bull Bible, understand that I
am not acting as a veterinarian and therefore you, the reader and/or the purchaser of my book, will be
utilizing any information I provide AT YOUR OWN RISK TO YOUR OWN ANIMAL(S).
Further, you, the reader and/or the purchaser of this book, agree to waive any and all rights, claims,
causes of action, and/or any other allegations of injury, property damage, and/or emotional distress
against California Jack, Vise-Grip Kennels, John A. Koerner II (hereinafter referred to as California
Jack, etc.), and/or its owner, affiliated entities, associates, partners, printers, publishers, etc. Further,
you, the reader/user of any provided information contained herein agree to defend, indemnify, and hold
harmless California Jack, etc., against any and all such rights, claims, causes of action, and/or any other
allegations of injury, property damage, and/or emotional distress against California Jack, etc. You, the
reader/utilizer of any provided information in this book, agree to use said information AT YOUR OWN
RISK TO YOUR OWN PUP(S) / DOG(S), with the full and total understanding that no guarantee
or warrantee is being made here, nor that whatever information that is being provided will work. By
reading, and/or using the information provided by California Jack, etc., you, the purchaser, reader, and/or
user of this provided information fully understand the above and again agree to utilize this information
AT YOUR OWN RISK TO YOUR OWN ANIMAL(S).
Moreover, the information contained in this book is not intended in any way to endorse or encourage any
business, group, or individual to conduct any illegal activities with any animal. This book was written
to educate folks as to how to best raise their dogs, and how to maximize any dogs physical condition,
as well as how to treat any dog that becomes sick or wounded. Said information has merely been created
in this book for the benefit of dogs who become sick, and/or who suffer severe trauma, for whatever
LEGAL reason, as a means of assistance to LIFE and HEALTH, where a party does not have access
to veterinary care. Again, I expressly make no claim to be a veterinarian, and the information I provide is
nothing but a laymans guide, and the conditioning information I provide is being provided solely as a
laymans general guide to prepare for any LEGAL event, where optimal condition is required.
Finally, while illegal activities are in fact discussed and analyzed in some sections of this text, the overall
thrust of the written material being herein offered for sale is NOT intended to promote, encourage, or
endorse any illegal activity(ies) or to violate the Animal Welfare Acts of 1976 or any state, federal, or
local laws either ... these activities are merely being discussed on a philosophical level. As such, any
information or statements that may appear to endorse any illegal activity, should be viewed simply as
my right to express my view under the protection of my 5th Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech
and Expression, and should not be viewed as any attempt on my part at promoting, organizing, or
encouraging any kind of wrongdoing whatsoever.
Effective 1/24/03
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Table of Contents
California Jack's
Introduction
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THE LAWS?
History will show that the very this subject. And as a successful breeder of
Prohibition laws themselves were the problem.
these dogs, I can speak about this breed with
authority, and not based upon my unfounded
Well the same thing has happened by imagination, which is what the media and
outlawing pit fighting contests. The laws the lawmakers do. I make my arguments with
against this activity themselves have created facts, not unfounded claims, and I speak from
this problem. Because what the lawmakers years of legitimate experience as opposed to
dont want to stop and consider is the fact he-said, she-said baloney.
that there are many intelligent, decent people,
who actually love dogs very much, and yet And the fact is, these laws against fighting
who are simply fascinated with developing dogs have basically outlawed the selection
the toughest, most courageous dog on earth: process required TO TEST AND DEVELOP
the American Pit Bull Terrier. That is an COURAGE in our most courageous breed of
indisputable fact that no one seems to want dog. These laws have caused countless great
to consider! There really are good people who dogs to be seized and destroyed, and they
simply enjoy watching rough and tough dogs have caused countless good people to be
fight, just as there really are good people imprisoned and labeled criminals, and yet no
who simply enjoy watching rough and tough one has ever questioned the legitimacy of the very
human men box or wrestle. They are not laws themselves. Just like Prohibition, which
bad people, they are GOOD people who are made outlaws out of decent people just
simply fascinated by combat. Therefore, the for having a drink, the laws against fighting
assumption that all people who fight pit dogs have made outlaws out of people just
bulls are bad citizens is just flat-out untrue! for enjoying combat. Like Prohibition, these
Yet no one wants to actually use their brains stupid laws create a crime that doesnt
and acknowledge this fact.
exist, and they inspire criminal activity where
there doesnt need to be any. Does the name
Al Capone ring a bell? Well, that kingpin
These kinds of decent people, when they criminal was created by Prohibition. Yet where
participate in the sport of dog fighting, are Prohibition was eventually repealed, and
NOT being cruel; they are merely testing and sanity restored, the laws against dog fighting
maintaining the very standards by which the remain in existence, and (if anything) they are
Pit Bull Breed came into existence, and that is getting stricter and stricter.
courage in battle. And there is nothing wrong
with developing courage in battle; in fact, And it really is insane: the idea that breeding
nothing could be more right than developing and testing a dog for courage is wrong or a
courage in battle. It is a legitimate interest and crime is insane. It is absolutely insane. To put
it is a legitimate pursuit. So why in the world people in jail because they want to breed and
would any sane person seek to outlaw the very develop a tough and courageous breed of dog is
testing method that develops and maintains nothing but the insaninty of a declining nation.
deep courage in a unique breed of dog?
Our society has legalized homosexuality,
yet we outlaw the development of courage???
The truth is, the very premise that the laws
against dog fighting are correct laws is the That, people, is insane. And you need to
problem. These laws are not correct, because recognize it for the insanity that it is.
they were formulated by completely ignorant
people who dont know the slightest thing Yet, although I vehemently disagree with the
about dogs, let alone the Pit Bull Breed. And, laws against dog fighting, I am forced to obey
yes, you guessed it, I do not agree with these these laws myself. In fact, I havent matched a
laws against dog fighting. And as an American dog since Saturday, November 25, 1995, when
citizen I have the right to speak my peace on my Poncho dog lost game to Big Ernies CH
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A QUESTION OF CRUELTY?
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such injustices .. from The Inquisition, to The So I repeat, cruelty is based on the perspective
Salem Witch-Hunts, to Prohibition.
of the participant of the activity, not a mere
observers opinion.
The trouble is, this pathos that so many people
suffer from ... the propensity to condemn prior Recalling the example I made of a pingpong
to understanding ... is hard to shake. It is hard players view of being hit compared to
to overcome. Human stupidity, prejudice, and that of the boxers, I will now make another
the general refusal to consider all of the facts analogy to show the subjective nature of
has caused more damage to this world than cruelty. Suppose a tri-athlete decided to
all of the other maladies combined. And the run his hardest for 5 straight miles ... in the
human pathos to have this kind of a knee-jerk hot sun ... we can easily see that there would
reaction when they contemplate dog fighting be no cruelty involved in his running like this,
stems from this primitive mentality. Primitive because this activity would be easily-tolerated
minds cant reason about a subject, they can by the well-conditioned tri-athlete. However,
only react to a subject. Such people (in fact if we made a grotesquely-fat man ... with a heart
most people) when they contemplate dog condition ... run that same 5-mile run in the
fighting, only picture blood and guts and heat, then such a run would most definitely be
poor terrified doggies fighting for their lives cruel to him. The fat man would be in agony
... and so most people cant help but reflexively in a 5-mile run in the heat, whereas the tricall the activity cruel. Yet this is nothing athlete would not.
but their imagination. None of this is what,
in fact, actually happens in professional pit KEY POINT: Thus, here again, we see that
contests. And thus the opinions of the entire cruelty is always subjective, and it depends on
group of animal rights zealots are based upon the individual performing the activity, not on
nothing but a fabrication in their own minds the activity itself. You cannot therefore judge
... which images they irrationally cling to ... an activity in and of itself as being cruel
rather than opening their minds and seeking to ... you have to judge the presence or absence
gather and analyze the true facts.
of cruelty based on the perspective of the
participant in the activity. It is that simple.
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At one point in our history, the fighting courage of the American Pit Bull Terrier typified the American spirit ...
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~ HYPOCRICY DEFINED ~
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It is that simple.
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~ NEW STANDARDS ~
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people being screened and qualified before they should have to prove that they are home
can be owners/handlers of the breed.
owners, with stable work histories, and also
proof should be given that escape-proof
The tragedies involving people (especially quarters will be used for their animals. If
children) getting mauled by pit bulls almost you think this proposed testing and licensing
never involve owners who are professional dog sounds a bit extreme, consider the fact that
fighters. Instead, such tragedies invariably you have to take a drivers education course
involve ill-bred dogs, that are bred and owned to be able to obtain a license to drive a car.
by complete novices ... I mean totally ignorant The reason is the same, because of the serious
pet owners who have no idea how to handle consequences that can potentially be involved
this breed responsibly ... and who generally in the mishandling of a vehicle. You also have
get their dogs, not from true dog men, but from to pass a series of examinations in order to
other irresponsible, totally-cluelss backyard adopt a child, again because of the serious
breeders.
responsibility involved. You likewise have to
go through even more paperwork to start your
Truly superior pit dogs, in the hands of truly own business, and to obtain the necessary
competent dogmen, are absolutely terrific permits and licenses to prove your legitimacy
animals ... and their incredible abilities as a business, etc., etc.
deserve to be enjoyed and perpetuated,
responsibly and professionally, but *only* by So why isnt it reasonable to place a similar
proven-competent fanciers and dogmen ... not licensing requirement to prove legitimate
by any idiot who has the cash to buy one (but knowledge and competence in handling as
who hasnt the competence or sense to handle serious a breed of dog as an American Pit Bull
it properly).
Terrier?
Therefore, only by obtaining a permit, based
upon passing a series of strict examinations,
do I believe an interested person should be
allowed to obtain and own a pit dog, with
training courses being given as to how to
handle the breed responsibly. Such training
courses and tests could be created and presided
over by recognized experts on the breed. Thus
any interested pet owners would have to
score very high on these tests, showing a high
level of dog-handling competence, rather than
a minimal level of competence. I honestly
believe that any non-permitted ownership of
pit bulls should in fact be abolished, precisely
because of the constant mishandling that
happens with these dogs in the hands of idiotnovices. These dogs should not be available
to the totally clueless, but only to provencompetent, licensed individuals who have
demonstrated their dog-handling competence
on a very high level, according to a series
of strict qualifying examinations set by us
experts.
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~ California Jack
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PRELUDE
Why Have a Fighting Dog?
When a dogman says bulldog he means
the American Pit Bull Terrier a fighting
dog. In any attempt to understand The Pit
Bull Breed, one must come to terms with this
simple fact: the American Pit Bull Terrier is
a fighting dog. He was predominantly bred
for one thing only: to defeat other animals in
combat, most especially other dogs, and he
has certain superior capabilities bred into him
in order to accomplish this task. We will get
into those superior capabilities later, but all of
them center around fighting prowess.
The question is often asked: Well, what kind
of person would want a fighting dog? This is
a question Ive been asked more times than I
care to count, but lets analyze this question,
though, and see if we can come up with a
legitimate answer.
To answer this question, however, we must
first answer a more basic question, What is
a dog? This question may seem so basic, so
silly, but in fact it is right here (at its most
basic level) where most dog owners ... and most
people in general ... fail to understand what a
dog is and why the dog was domesticated by
man in the first place. Most people simply
have the wrong idea as to what a dog actually
is. In other words, they dont even understand
the very creature they are talking about or
which is in their care. Yet the truth is, if you
dont understand the very creature which is in
your care, how can you possibly care for that
animal correctly? How can you possibly make
correct decisions as to the nature and purpose
of that animal?
Well, the answer to the above question is,
A dog is a carnivorous predator that man has
domesticated for various uses.
What people need to understand is that a
dog is not a toy or a stuffed animal. A dog
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ousiders stop and think about what they and their laws are really doing to as fine a breed
of dog as has ever been domesticated by man: they are rendering it extinct. The sad truth is,
mankind has obliterated many a species of animal, during the long and bumbling course of his
thoughtless and ignorant existence; let man stop and think before he obliterates the very best
breed among the species he refers to as His Best Friend. It is time for the general population
to stop the madness ... and to understand, appreciate, and cultivate the precious COURAGE
that has seperated the American Pit Bull Terrier from every other breed of dog. Let us no longer
outlaw the development of this wonderful courage in our finest breed of dog; let us cultivate
it and perfect it. There was a time in our country, and in mans history, where deep courage was
valued, not outlawed, and it was a better time for us all.
~ California Jack
Vise-Grips ATHENA R ED, sired by PONCHO out of his daughter SCREAMER, and dam to
Platinum Boys BIGGIE (1xW) and Wicked Kennels MISERY (1xW 2:12)
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Chapter 1
~ Starting Out & Setting Up~
My first bit of advice to anyone looking to get
started with The Pit Bull Breed is DONT.
Forget about it and dont get caught up in this
lifestyle. If you want to be a responsible pet
owner, fine, I hope this book helps you, but if
you are looking to get into the illegal aspect of
it, dont. Yes, that is what these dogs are bred
for; yes again, it is a thrilling sport if conducted
in the right way; and yes a third time there is
no finer example of a canine athlete than a
top-quality specimen of the American Pit
Bull Terrier breed. But even still, there are too
many drawbacks.
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say, 20 years ago ... but who has bred his line
out and hasnt produced anything of note
in todays game? Why go to a breeder who
already has a reputation for paper-hanging,
so you will have no idea as to how your dog is
really bred, when you can go to a breeder who
not only produces good dogs, but dogs that are
bred as represented?
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KENNEL R UNS:
A lot of people feel that kennels are where its at in keeping a volume of dogs, but I am here to
tell you this is not the case. The only justification for a kennel run is if you have one dog, or just
a very few dogs, that you let out all the time or if you live in such a nice neighborhood that you
cant ruin your carefully-pruned, landscaped backyard with a chain being drug back-and-forth
across your lawn. One other advantage to a kennel run, with proper drainage, is that you can
hose the urine and feces down a drain, which helps eliminate odor, again which is a necessity in
a populated residential area where your neighbors might not appreciate essence of dog kennel
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permeating the air. However, as you will see in the forthcoming pages, there are better and
cheaper methods to confine your animals, which if managed properly are far superior systems
to kennel runs, especially when raising and breeding a volume of dogs.
Lets take a look at the 3 goals above, and draw an immediate conclusion: kennel runs meet #1,
they prevent our dogs from escaping, but the fact is they fail miserably to address #s 2 and 3.
How is this so? First of all, regarding our dogs comfort, kennel runs have concrete floors which
are hard on a dogs joints ... day-in and day-out, every day, of every week, of every month, of
every year. Dogs were not designed to run or lie down on hard concrete, they were designed to
run and lie down on soft earth. Therefore, when we force a dog to repeatedly walk and lie down
on concrete, by keeping him in a kennel, the animal will soon begin to develop sores on all of
the contact points his body repeatedly makes with said concrete or cement. If forced to be in a
kennel every moment of every day, these sores the dog develops will get bigger with time, and
will quickly worsen, while at the same time the animals weight-bearing joints will be likewise
challenged while he moves back and forth on the unforgiving flooring. For that matter, just
picture yourself, every day of your life, having to walk barefoot on concrete, and having to sit
and lie down on this substance, and eventually you too would be praying for a soft spot and a
way out of that uncomfortable situation. Well, how do you think a dog feels then?
Alot of people believe that kennel runs are the best way to keep dogs, but they are not. They are the
most expensive way for you, while being the least-roomy (and the least-comfortable) for the dog. These
runs pictured here are 6x10 in dimensions -- for a total of only 60 sq ft of living space for each dog.
Since this kennel run is comprised of 10 kennels, this means the total square footage for all 10 dogs is
600 sq ft. And, remember, the whole thing is set on a rock-hard concrete slab. Is this how you would
like to live every day?
The next issue where kennel runs fall woefully short is on living space. Not only are kennel
runs terribly uncomfortable for the dogs who have to live on rock-hard concrete, but they are
also woefully-small enclosures on top of this, being either 6 x 10, 10 x 10 , 10 x 12 in
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dimensions. As you will see in a moment, even the biggest kennel runs are only about onethird as roomy as the average chain set-up, while the average sized kennel run is only onefifth as roomy as the average chain set-up. In fact, lets get some irrefutable numbers on these
dimensions:
6 x 10 = 60 sq ft
10 x 10 = 100 sq ft
10 x 12 = 120 sq ft
The fact of the matter is, most kennel runs are of the first dimensions, as seen in the set-up
above, and offer a miserable 60 sq ft of living space (on a rock-hard surface) for a dog. And even
if a person really wanted to spend a fortune and build an enormous 10 x 12 kenneling system,
the fact is the dimensions of even this system still only add-up to a paltry 120 sq ft in total
dimensions, per dog, which is less than half the living space of an average-sized chain set-up.
Finally, regarding the desire to meet the need to confine your dogs conveniently and cheaply, you
can forget about either with kennel runs. A truly adequate kennel run system, with concrete
flooring, roofing, drainage, and thick-enough fencing will cost you several thousand dollars to
implement ... and they will take a couple of months to construct ... whereas an entire yardful of
top-shelf chain set-ups will only cost you a few hundred to buy and will take only a couple of
days to set-up.
In fact, lets examine all of the advantages to chain set-ups even closer:
Lets start right off the bat by clearing the air of one of the oldest myths perpetuated by animal
rights fanatics, and that is chains are cruel, or chains make a dog mean. This is pure,
fabricated bull-hockey. It is absolutely untrue, I have raised hundreds of dogs on chains, with
every one of them being happy and healthy, while not a single one has ever become mean on
a chain. Therefore I know first hand, for an indisputable fact, that all of this malarkey against
dogs being on chains was invented by zealots who use their over-active imaginations as a
substitute for genuine experience. They invent this concept in their head, or they repeat what
theyve heard from someone else, like a parrot, with no true first-hand understanding of the
subject in question.
I will prove here and now, factually with numbers and statistics, how and why chain set-ups
are better for a dog (physically and psychologically), than any kind of fenced kennel run could
ever hope to be. Lets start out by discussing the LIVING SPACE of each. Again, the average
kennel run size is 6 x 10 which indisputably and mathematically translates to a pathetic 60
sq ft of living space for a dog to live out his whole caged life. Again, even a huge 10 x 12
kennel run indisputably and mathematically translates to only 120 sq ft of caged living space
for a dog on hard concrete. Now lets compare these miserably-inadequate numbers to the open
and spacious dimensions of a professional chain set-up, on nice soft earth, when using just an
average-sized chain.
Chain space set-ups, when anchored on a central axis, become circular living areas for a dog,
and so to understand how much living space a dog will have on a properly set-up chain, we
must first discuss some simple geometry. The surface area for any circle is pi (3.14) multiplied
times the radius, squared. This is an indisputable mathematical fact. Therefore, since the
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chain-length itself is the radius, a 10-ft long chain, squared, equals ten feet squared ... which
equals 100 ft ... which figure we then multiply by pi (3.14) to come up with 314 square feet
of living space for a dog on a 10-long chain, when secured on a central axis. Again, this is an
indisputable mathematical fact.
The dog in the foreground has an 11 chain (and therefore has 380 sq ft of living space), while the dog
in the background has a 13 chain (and therefore 530 sq ft of living space). Together, these two dogs
alone have 910 sq ft of living space, which is almost twice the living space of all ten dogs in the entire
10-kennel run on the previous page! And they get to move around on nice, soft earth and not rockhard concrete.
Now then, for all the bleeding-heart animal zealots out there who sob at the thought of a dog
being on a chain, I ask that you please wipe away your tears and get real for a moment, and
ask yourself this question: if you had to be confined, but had a choice, which would you rather
be confined in ... a 60 sq ft living space on hard concrete ... a 120 sq ft living space on hard
concrete ... or a 314+ sq ft living space on soft earth? For that matter, ask yourself some more
questions: would you rather be permanently behind bars in a cage, in your smaller space on that
harder surface (where you cant be petted by your owner either), or would you rather be out in
the open where you can jump on your beloved owner and be petted every time he walks by you?
I think the answers to these questions are obvious, if anyone wants to think for more than a
second about it. These are all simple facts folks, plain as day. Yet, sadly, there are some cities
and counties, and some states even, where chaining a dog is now considered illegal ... all of
which laws were created by animal rights activists thrusting their ignorant propaganda and
agenda down the ignorant lawmakers throats, without any of them truly knowing first-hand
the slightest tidbit about what they are enacting or doing, based on their actual life experience.
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This is a closer view of the rear dog in the previous photo,on a 13 chain, who therefore has 530 sq ft
of living space to enjoy himself in nature, rather than be trapped in a tiny caged prison on concrete.
Therefore, take it from someone who does have the actual life experience, and has compared,
measured, and noticed the differences ... a professional chain set-up is by far the roomier, nicer
confinement protocol for the dog who actually has to live in it. So just forget about kennel runs.
They are tremendously expensive to implement, and after you have thrown away all that
money to get your kennels constructed, even the best of these constructs are not half as roomy
or comfortable for the dogs to live in, as just putting those same dogs on a professionallyconstructed chain set-up (that costs you about twenty bucks apiece to make, rather than
thousands of dollars). True, for the simple pet owner who has a finely-pruined backyard, and
only one or two pets that he lets in and out, a kennel is fine for such a persons in-and-out
dogs. However, for the serious dogman, who has a large yard of performance animals out in
the country that have to live confined for most of their lives when not hunting, proper chain
set-ups are better on every level. Believe me, I have run things both ways, and a yard based on
proper chain set-up protocol is far superior to a yard having kennel runs, both financially and
factually.
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Even a much smaller 9 chain still gives a dog 254 sq ft of living space, which is more than four times
the meager 60 sq ft living space that a 6 x 10 kennel run offers, and still more than twice the 120
sq ft that even a large 10 x 12 kennel run offers. And again, these dogs shown are out in nature and
they get to enjoy themselves in a natural setting; they are not stuck in a tiny metal-and-concrete world
with no interesting view or stimulation.
This bitch is on a 15 chain, which gives her 706 sq ft of living space to enjoy herself, which is more
room to move around than all ten of those other dogs had in that kennel run, combined. To state this
in the reverse, all 10 of those dogs pictured in that kennel run photo were cramped into LESS SPACE
than what you are seeing here! 10 dogs!
I hope by now my point has been made. As far as meeting the original 3 goals of confinement
(preventing our dogs from escaping, keeping our animals as happy and comfortable as possible,
and trying to meet these goals as conveniently and for as little unnecessary expense to us as
possible), the professional chain set-up is clearly the winning protocol, hands down.
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Still, as important to good dogmanship as a proper chain set-up is, surprisingly few people set
their yards up as well as they could, and that is because there is a lot of confusion as to how
to do so. Even when I have visited some of the most successful and experienced competitors
and breeders in the country, I have left there absolutely amazed at how precarious some of their
chain set-ups were. Many of these set-ups I have seen have had adequate chain length, proper
housing, and even clean kennel upkeep but the same problem I invariably witnessed was
inadequate hardware from which a dog can (and will) escape, sooner or later. And if a persons
dog can escape his chain set-up, then he hasnt properly addressed the #1 goal of confinement,
has he?
TIP: Remember the following well: Each way you can get your dog off his chain is a way
your dog can get himself off his chain. Therefore, you need to reduce the number of ways your
dog can come off his chain. Its that simple.
The very first part of designing a proper chain set-up begins with the chain itself. Make sure
that you use high-grade chain and make sure that the thickness of each link is about 14-inch.
You do not really need to put your dogs on thicker chains than that. I have seen people use these
big, huge yacht chains for their more powerful dogs, but this is over-kill and it can actually be
unhealthy for your dogs joints and health, especially if the dog is either very young or very
old. Lugging all of that weight around is simply burdensome for the dog and unnecessarily so.
All you really need to start out with is a 14-inch-thick, high-quality chain (see below), between
10- and 12-feet in length, and then you need to utilize the proper connecting hardware for your
rigging.
Regarding chain length, I have seen some dog yards (where the owners had no room for dogs),
and these folks kept their dogs on 3- to 4-foot chains. This is wrong, people, and this is just fuel
for the animal rights zealots to have a field day with. A tiny 3- to 4-foot chain space like that is
unhealthy for a dog as it only gives him 28 to 50 square feet of living space in which to live. This
might be OK for a puppy, or a tiny terrier breed, but for an average-sized dog this is just way
too small of a living space. Dogs kept on such small areas cannot exercise properly and they
will also be walking around in their feces all day. Lots of inner-city thugs have their dogs on
inadequate set-ups like this, and this is just flat-out wrong! So dont get started off this way;
make sure you have your dogs on 10 to 12 chains, affixed to a central axis, because this kind of
set-up gives your dogs 314 to 452 square feet of living space by comparison. In fact, lets come
to an exact understanding as to the actual square-footage of various chain-sizes:
6 Chain = 113 square feet of living space.
8 Chain = 201 square feet of living space.
10 Chain = 314 square feet of living space.
12 Chain = 452 square feet of living space.
15 Chain = 706 square feet of living space.
20 Chain = 1,256 square feet of living space.
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Smaller chains (in this case, 6 long) should only be used on puppies that are too old to be in a pen
any longer, but too young to be on a full-sized chain. Accordingly, your chain thickness, and hardware
weight should be lighter as well. This 4-month-old still has 113 sq ft of living space, which is just about
the same as she would have in a 10x12 kennel run.
The average 40-60 lb dog will only need a 10 to 12 chain space. Less space than that should
only be for very small breeds, or young pups, and if you have such small dogs like this, then you
will also need to purchase lighter-weight chains and lighter-weight hardware than discussed
here, so as not to be a burden on your comparatively-smaller pups. I have also noticed that dogs
dont really make use of a living space greater than a 12 chain provides, so in real-life practice
chains much larger than 12 are unnecessary. I will discuss how to set-up a proper chain spot in
a minute, but first let me give you a tip as to chain quality:
TIP: Regarding the grade of chain to buy, the average kind of chain that most people buy
at the local hardware store is Grade 30 Proof Coil, but this is a lower grade of chain that will
quickly wear out going back-and-forth over the ground all the time. Therefore, using this kind
of chain will likely result in a tragic kennel accidents or an escape. As such, you will be better
off in the long run to buy PREMIUM-GRADE TRANSPORT CHAIN, as such rigging will last you
much longer and it will keep your dogs much safer. Yes, such quality chain costs more to buy,
but what is the cost of a dead dog being lost due to a cheap chain that wore out and broke? Take
a look at the difference in load limit between Transport Chain and your average proof coil:
TRANSPORT CHAIN
Working
(in.)
Load Limit
(lbs.)
1/4
5/16
3/8
1,300
1,900
2,650
Weight
per 10
Chain
Size
(lbs.)
(in.)
Load Limit
(lbs.)
Working
6.3
9.1
13.5
1/4
5/16
3/8
3,150
4,700
6,600
Weight
per 10
(lbs.)
7.4
10.0
14.5
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As you can see, the transport chain is almost three-times as strong, yet doesnt weigh much
more. Unfortunately, you cant get chains like this at your typical Home Depot hardware
store but you can order this kind of chain from:
http://www.lacledechain.com
or
http://www.accochain.com
But make sure you order Transport Chain
These kinds of chain will in all probability out-last your dogs. You dont need buy massive
yacht chains to keep your dogs safe, like some of these bozos do, which will actually ruin their
joints trying to tote them around, you simply need to buy high-grade TRANSPORT CHAIN. These
kinds of chain weigh less, but last much longer. In other words, they are stronger than these
super-weighty, thick chains that you see -- and yet they are light enough for even your elderly
dogs to tote around comfortably. All any dog really needs is 1/4-inch thickness with these
kinds of chain, regardless of how big he is. Rather than wearing out after a year or so (like a
thick, heavy chain will when made of cheap steel), transport chains are built to withstand
friction contact, so they can tolerate being rubbed on the ground from the activity of your dog
and will still look like new two years later. What this means is you will have much greater
peace of mind knowing that your entire yard of quality animals is secured with Class-A chain
rigging, as opposed to the cheap rigging most typical dogmen use. At the same time your dogs
will be comfotable and not overburdened by un-neded weight. Why start your career off on the
bottom ... in either dogs, supplies, or in chain materials ... when you can get off to the right
start by shooting for the best in broodstock (as well as in the best supplies and materials house
them) right from the get-go?
CONNECTING HARDWARE
Remember, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so even if you purchase premium-grade
chain rigging remember that each time you use connecting hardware you create a potentially
weak link on your chain set-up ... unless the connecting hardware you choose is as strong
(or stronger) than the chain itself. Thus, the more you utilize strong, permanent connections on
your chain set-ups, the safer your dogs will be. By contrast, the more you use weak connecting
hardware (that either clips or in any way can be put on or taken off), the greater your dog
will be in danger of being able to free himself. And as soon as your hunting dog is free, he will
either get killed, kill something, get away, or he will get in trouble.
Therefore, it is your job as a professional to use hardware that is both strong enough to last,
and that when connected to the chain does not ever come off again. But So lets analyze some of
the many kinds of connecting hardware there are. Before I get into the right kind of hardware
to use, let me first show some examples of the wrong kind of hardware not to use:
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THE SNAP LINK: note how tiny the pin is which forms the hinge on this link (bottom arrows). These
hinges will break at this pin and/or they can open-up with complete ease. Snaplinks are the weakest
of chain-connecting links and are probably responsible for more kennel escapes and deaths than any
other kind of link, so DONT USE THEM.
Lets start with the worst kind of link that there is, the snap link. This piece of garbage is one
of the most commonly-used quick fix chain set-up devices that you will see people have on
their yards, because admittedly they are a breeze to attach swivels to chains with but the
problem is they are just as much of a breeze to come off, when you are not home. All your dog
has to do is lean into something hard with his chain, where the pressure is on the opening of
the link (for instance looking around his house or whatever) which action will push-open the
snaplink ... and you just got yourself a kennel death escape as the result. The bottom line is
this kind of connecting link is a very shabby piece of hardware to use, and should not be a part
of your chain rigging. EVER.
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COTTER PINS
Any type of connecting device with a COTTER PIN in it is going to be precarious also, so why take the
chance? DONT USE ANY CONNECTING HARDWARE WITH A COTTER PIN IN IT EITHER.
If you are out shopping for connecting hardware, and you see a piece with a Cotter Pin in it,
just automatically realize that this is unsafe. Those little cotter pins are the first thing to rust
out when exposed to the elements, and a tiny, rusted piece of metal is no match for a chainsnapping hunting dog, challenging this tiny piece of rusted metal, all-day, every day. Again,
a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and you are setting yourself up for tragedy by
utilizing anything with a Cotter Pin in it.
THE S-HOOK
S-Hooks are one of the mose often-implemented pieces of connecting hardware, but they can
be very unsafe to use. Most S-Hooks are comprised of weak metal and are too thin to correctlysecure a powerful dog. These inferior products are generally dull-grey and are not galvanized.
When in doubt, check the load-limit capacity, and if it is less than 1,250 lb, dont use it.
S-Hooks come in so many varieties that they are hard to differentiate for some people. Some
styles can be superior, usually when galvanized, while again other styles are totally inferior due
to poorer-quality metal being used. You just really have to look, and to check the limit capacity
in each one. In addition, some S-Hooks can be sometimes angled in such a way that a strong
puller on the end of his chain will gradually pull one back apart, and this is especially true,
again, if they are made out of inferior metal. Still, as nice as they fit and flow with the chain,
NO S-Hook is as strong as either Quick Links or Cold Shuts, as we will see in a moment:
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S-HOOKS come in a wide variety of strengths and styles. The hook on the left is dull grey and is very
weak, while the hook on the right is galvanized and much stronger. Still, all S-Hooks are weak when
compared to other pieces of hardware you can choose, so DONT USE THEM.
THE LAPLINK
The Laplink (like even the galvanized S-hook) is one where you have to use a hammer to put it
on, and what this means is once you connect your chain with this hardware, it will never come
off. The trouble is, like even the galvanized S-Hook, is that it is simply not as strong as either
a Quick Link or a Cold Shut.
THE LAPLINK is one where both the chain and swivel are placed inside the open end, and then (once
in) the open end is then pounded shut-with a hammer or squeezed-shut with a vise. These links, while
permanent, are simply not as secure as other kinds of connecting hardware. SO DONT USE THEM.
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In fact, lets make a simple comparison as to the kinds of connecting hardware we can use:
Comparison
Quick Link
Cold Shut
Laplink
S-Hook
Connection
Type
Thickness &
Load Limit
Thickness &
Load Limit
Thickness &
Load Limit
Thickness &
Load Limit
Quick Links
1/4 = 880 lb
5/16 = 1,760 lb
3/8 = 2,200 lb
1/2 = 3,300 lb
Cold Shuts
Laplinks
S-Hooks
1/4 = 750 lb
5/16 = 1,250 lb
3/8 = 1,900 lb
1/2 = 3,500 lb
1/4 = 300 lb
5/16 = 500 lb
3/8 = 825 lb
1/2 = 1,500 lb
1/4 = 200 lb
5/16 = 270 lb
3/8 = 350 lb
1/2 = 800 lb
As you can see by the above statistics, not all connecting hardware is created equal. You will
also notice that the most-often-seen hardware (Laplinks and S-Hooks) are in fact the weakest
and worst kinds of connecting hardware to use.
The other thing you need to understand about connecting hardware is this: even each type
can vary in its strength, depending on who makes it. I have seen 3/8 Quick Links and Cold
Shuts that are as weak as S-Hooks, and the reason they were so weak is they were cheaplymade by cheap companies. You really need to pay attention to the LOAD LIMIT of any kind
of connecting hardware you are going to use, and you need to make sure that you purchase
these products from a superior company. As a general rule, you want to have a load limit of at
least 2,000 lb. This means you want to stick with 3/8 to 1/2 Quick Links or Cold Shuts.
(Naturally, if you are making puppy chains, you can use the smaller 1/4 sizes.) As for a
superior company to get your Cold Shuts or Quick Links from, again you can go to
http://www.lacledechain.com
If you are so inclined, you can shop prices by going to www.google.com and click Cold
Shuts to compare quality and price amongst a whole host of manufacturers. Anyway, lets
take a look at these two superior kinds of connecting hardware to compare their strengths and
weaknesses:
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QUICK LINKS
QUICK LINKS These are generally constructed of top-notch steel, but my only problem with them is
what screws-on can screw-off, so I honestly dont trust them too much.
Again, Quick Links are constructed of of some of the strongest steel, and they can be very
secure ... for awhile but remember what screws-on can also screw-off. And I have seen these
things come un-screwed before. So I dont think you want to be away from home and have your
favorite dog bang this type of temporary fixture against a rock or something, repeatedly enough
to un-loosen it, and come home to a tragedy.
NOTE: If you decide to use Quick Links, here are some ways to ensure they wont come
un-screwed: 1) Dip them in water before you screw them on, as doing this will cause the inner
area to rust shut; 2) Use a wrench to scuff-up the threading before you screw them on, so that
they will be much harder to come undone; 3) Use the product Locktite on the threading. (You
can also combine 1 and 2 or 2 and 3.
When properly-secured, Quick Links are as strong (or stronger) than any kind of connecting
hardware, and they also flow nicely with the chain links.
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COLD SHUTS
COLD SHUTS are also generally constructed of top-notch steel, and in fact are so sturdy you need to use
a vise to clamp them onto your chains and swivels. And, unlike Quick Links, there is no possible way
Cold Shuts can unscrew ... which makes them MY FAVORITE CONNECTING HARDWARE.
Cold Shuts to me are where its at with connecting hardware. They flow fairly nicely with the
chain, but more importantly they are incredibly-strong with no possible way to unscrew or
come off.
With this kind of hardware implemented, the only way to get your dog on and off his chain is
with his collar. While this may sound like too much of a hassle to go through, remember the
idea is exactly to make it impossible for the chain to break, or for the connecting hardware to
break or come undone, which means your dog wont be able to escape. Thereore the peace of
mind that comes with knowing there is no way your dog can get off of his chain rigging is what
youre striving for.
All of this will make sense in a minute, when I show a photo of the completely-constructed
chain and hardware. A chain set-up consists of a chain, yes, but it also consists of connecting
hardware, as well as O-rings and swivels. We have just discussed the chain and the connecting
hardware, that which connects your chain to the O-rings and swivels you are about to see. And,
you guessed it, as important as it is to use the right kind of connecting hardware, it is just
as important to use the right kind of swivels and O-rings. As before, I will begin this example
showing you the wrong kinds of swivels, which you should not use, and those are swivels that
come in the form of snaps and bullsnaps.
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Snaps and bullsnaps are devices that are very convenient to use in a chain set-up; the problem
with them isnt their convenience, the problem is in their lack of safety for long-term use. Quite
simply, while these snapping devices make it very easy for you to get your dog on and off
the chain. You just clip him on and clip him off. That is their attraction, but again the problem
isnt their lack of convenience, its their lack of safety, because your dog can also get himself off
that chain too, by accident. These kinds of device are, at best, good for a month or two maybe
several months (depending upon how hard your dogs hit the chain) but a professional piece
of hardware to a serious dogmans kennel they are NOT.
Lets examine two of the more popular kinds of swivel-snaps and see why they are a poor choice
for a man who doesnt like kennel accidents. For starters, remember that our # rule of thumb in
constructing our chain set-ups is escape-proof. So if you can clip it on your dog, then it can clip
off too, its as simple as that. Therefore, if a dog rubs one of these snaps against an object in
the right way, he can come off the chain. Second, aside from the fact these kinds of device can
open accidentally, is the fact the actual swivel itself is miserably weak compared to a true swivel,
and as such these snaps are inadequate to hold a powerful dog for very long. Lets take a look
and see why:
Although the simple SNAP & SWIVEL may seem convenient to use, the arrows show the weaknesses.
The little tongue that opens back & forth, can accidentally get forced-open, and the hinge itself that
controls it is Mickey Mouse at best. Finally, a quick look underneath this swivel shows you just how
precarious the swivel itself is
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... that little swivel pin can (and will) slip out eventually, with an active dog hitting the end of his
chain, which might prove be the loss or death of your favorite dog DONT USE THESE.
So you see, while snaps like these seem like they will be convenient to use, at first blush, the
unfortunate fact is that these kinds of connecting devices are too precarious to trust, as the
arrows and photos above show. The arrows indicate all of the places where something can go
wrong. This is true for any kind of snap.
Below is another type of snap, the BullSnap, which is probably the most popular snap to use.
The BullSnap is a heavier-duty snap than the previous snap, and they in fact they can take a
bit more wear and last you for awhile ... and as such they are a bit safer to use than a standard
snap. Unfortunately, at the end of the day a dog secured by these devices can ultimately
get loose in the same two manners as the above kind ... which is out of the snap itself, or by the
swivel pulling through the main housing.
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THE BULLSNAP is a step up from the standard snap, but it ultimately falls short of acceptable safety
standards to the serious dogman. Again, the arrows point to the areas of liability. If you can get a dog
off if this thing, then the dog can get himself off of it. DONT USE THESE.
Remember, the lives of your dogs are at stake every single day when you have them on inferior
hardware, yet inferior hardware costs just as much to buy, and it takes just as long to hook
together, as superior hardware. Therefore why would anyone waste their time and money
(and risk the lives of their dogs) by setting themselves up for failure in purchasing weak and
unacceptable hardware? Ignorance and laziness are the only two possible answers.
Unfortunately, too many people simply dont know any better. Theyre thinking of their own
convenience, rather than their dogs permanent safety. Theyre thinking about how easy it is
for that snap to clip-on and clip-off, rather than how easy it would be for a dog to snap that
snap.
Well, I am finished showing you the wrong hardware to use, so lets finish this section off
right by showing you the RIGHT hardware to use. The crazy thing about it is, the proper
hardware doesnt cost any more to buy than the lousy hardware! Lousy hardware may make
things a bit more convenient when you want to take your dogs on-and-off their chains, but that
is *precisely* because lousy hardware isnt as secure. You need to forget about your ease and
convenience, and start thinking more about your dogs safety and security. Because at the end
of the day, the term ease and convenience simply means unsafe and insecure when it comes
to the chain rigging for your dogs.
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Rather than using clip-on laplinks and convenient bullsnaps, to make his life easier, the
savvy and intelligent dogman uses Cold Shuts and bona-fide swivels to make his dogs lives safer.
And finally, a dogman caps-off his professional chain rigging with two collars and two highgrade O-Rings. Yes, that is 2 collars and 2 O-Rings. This means you must take your dogs
collars off in order to get him off the chain, and yes again that is the *only* way your dog is
coming off. With this in mind, the collars you use are import and we will discuss those later.
Let us now look at the right swivel to use, and then let us look at the fully-constructed proper
chain set-up all put together.
Rather than a weak snap-swivel, true swivels are much thicker, and they have a much heavier
turn-bolt than a clip-swivel. Consequently, true swivels are MUCH sturdier, and MUCH
safer to use.
THE TRUE SWIVEL is a dogmans best friend besides his dog. Sturdy, dependable, these indispensable
connecting devices are no more expensive to buy than BullSnaps, and while they be more of a hassle
to use daily, the bottom line is their far superior security is definitely well worth it. So YES, DO USE
THESE J
In fact, let us compare the difference between the sucurity of True Swivel versus a Bull Snap:
Connection
Type
Thickness &
Load Limit
Thickness &
Load Limit
Thickness &
Load Limit
Thickness &
Load Limit
Swivels
1/4 = 1300 lb
5/16 = 2,350 lb
3/8 = 3,940
1/2 = 4,730 lb
Bull Snap
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O-RINGS
O-Rings are an important component to a good chain set-up, but they can be mis-used as well.
Many dogmen commonly use these rings to pound the axle down through, to secure the chain
into the ground and axle, but that is NOT the proper use of O-Rings.
O-Rings should only be used to put the dogs collar through at the dog-end of the chain, you
should not to use O-Rings to drive the axle through at the axle-end of the chain set-up (more
on this in a moment). To secure the chain into the ground, by driving the axle through it, you
should instead use Cold Shuts. To do this is simple: just form a loop in the chain and then
connect the chain to itself with a Permanent Laplink (or proper S-Hook). This way, you can
drive the axle down through the chain loop to secure the chain set-up in the ground. On the next
page you will see how to do this:
O-RINGS are a vital part of your chain configurations, but you use them *only* to run your dogs
collars through. At the point in the ground through which you drive your car axle, to bury your chain
and form your central axis, you do NOT use O-Rings for this. *Only* use O-Rings at the dog-end of
the chain set-up, to run his collar through not at the axle-end to drive your axle into. Use Permanent
Laplinks or superior S-Hooks for that.
The reason you do not want to drive the axle into the ground through O-Rings is that they
are not as strong as the other hardware, and are the weakest link of your set-up. That is OK
if they are only rubbing against your dogs two collars, but if you make the O-Rings as the
grounding point of your entire chain set-up, these weakest of links bear the brunt of all your
dogs weight. And if your dog keeps hitting the end of his chain, this means the O-Rings will
always be getting slammed into the axle, and they are not designed for this. The end result
will be your dog will break the O-Rings, eventually, through this repeated impact, and he will
escape. However, he will not break either the chain or the Permanent Laplink, when you use
this instead, as displayed below.
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In order to drive the axle into the ground to secure the entire chain set-up, you DO NOT use O-Rings,
but rather you just make a loop with the chain, and you simply lock it together with a Cold Shut. Then
drive the axle all the way into the ground through the chain-loop. NOTE: This photo is incomplete.
You do not leave your axles sticking up out of the ground like this; rather, you drive the axles all the
way into the ground after you make your loop. I only left this one sticking up for the photograph.
After you form a loop with the chain itself, and secure it with a Cold Shut, MAKE SURE YOU DRIVE
YOUR AXLE ALL THE WAY INTO THE GROUND. That way the chain will not get tangled around
it, ever.
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One more time: you only want to use O-Rings at the dog-end of the chain, not on the axleend of the chain. The reason why it is OK to have the two O-Rings at the dog-end of the
chain set-up is you will use them to put the dogs collar through. If the dog is hitting the end of
his chain, the O-Rings do not have any real impact against hard metal (like they would against
an axle); rather, the O-Rings are just up against a soft collar, and they always turn through
the Cold Shut, which greatly reduces the brunt of the impact at the dog-end of the chain.
Therefore, the O-Rings do not suffer any real impact or trauma on that end. Furthermore, you
can see the O-Rings there also, and thus you can keep an eye on them and make sure that they
are always in good shape. With this all said, we are now ready to take a good look at what a
well-crafted chain set-up looks like:
CHAIN TO SWIVEL: After you make a loop of the chain, and connect it to itself with a cold shut, you
drive the axle through (as in the previous page) But now you need to finish-off with the dog-end of the
chain. And the first step is then connecting the chain to the swivel with another Cold Shut.
THE VISE: Once again, with the Cold Shut, you need a vise to make this happen.
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LOCKING IT DOWN: Make sure that when you squeeze the Cold Shut closed that you leave enough room
at the top for this to happen.
FINAL TOUCH: Once you connect the chain to the swivel with a Cold Shut, then get another one to
connect the swivel to the two O-Rings. Again, you will need your vise to complete the procedure.
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A PROPER SET-UP: Cold Shuts make smooth-flowing chain set-ups, and (at 3/8 or greater) they are
as strong as the Swivels and Transport Chains themselves. The only thing you need to check every so
often are the O-Rings.
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FULLY-CONNECTED HARDWARE
Remember, that the purpose of a chain set-up is to SECURE your dog. If you dont use secure
hardware, then your kennel of dogs will not be secure. This is basic logic. I stress these points,
over and over again, because I have seen too many people hedge on basic safety standards,
over and over again, and unfortunately such people only get it after its too late and they
lose a good dog. The bottom line is that the only place you should be able to get your dog off
his chain is via his collar. Thats it. The rest of your hardare should be permanently-secured.
Again, each way you can get your dog off of his chain, he can get himself off of his chain. If the
only way your dog can get off is via his collar, and you have two good collars, one a larger 2-ply,
with a small collar as a backup (and you put them both on tightly enough), you will drastically
decrease the probability of having any dog escape or get injured in a yard accident. What this
means to you is PEACE OF MIND.
When your chain rigging is set up correctly, you will have to get your dog on and off of it by
way of his collars. You should put the collars on tightly enough so that there is no way your
dog can pull his head back through it. Some dogs have thick necks and thin heads, and these are
the worst at trying to keep from pulling their heads out of their collars. So really test it, and try
yourself to get your dogs head back through the collar, and if you can, then tighten the collars
up a bit. You must be cautious, though, as if you put the collar on too tightly the dogs neck will
get chapped, rubbed raw, and eventually infected. This is called collar rot in the vernacular,
and so you want to avoid putting any collar on too tightly also.
Again, one of the best things you can do is get in the habit of putting two collars on your dogs.
One of them should be thicker, from between 112- to 2-inches thick, while the other (back-up)
collar is only 12- to 1-inch thick. It is almost impossible for a dog to slip his head through two
collars at the same time, nor will a dog ever break two collars at the same time. Therefore, if
you get into the habit of using this kind of chain set-up, and then securing your dogs by way of
two collars, you will dramatically decrease your odds of having any kennel accidents ... and as
such you will dramatically increase your peace of mind while you are away from home. Ideally,
you should just be able to wedge two fingers between your dogs collar and its neck, no more.
Not easily, but just barely. This way, you can be sure your dog isnt going to escape from his
chain set-up, but yet you also allowed there to be a little breathing room, so as to avoid any
chaffing or infection to your dogs neck. I will discuss some good brands of collar to use in
another chapter.
The last thing you want to make sure you do, is drive your axles all the way into the ground.
This will ensure that the chain never wraps around the axle, which in turn will mean that your
dog will always be able to get to the end of his chain and reach the shade as well as his water.
If you leave the axle up and exposed, your dog will eventually get his chain tangled on sticks
and rocks, all of which will get tangled and wound-up around the exposed axle, and if you are
not home when this happens, and it is a hot day, your dog can and will die of heat prostration.
So get in the habit of driving those axles all the way into the ground when you make your chain
set-ups, and this will prevent any possible tangling from happening.
RECAP:
(1) Make sure you use 14-inch Grade 45 to Grade 70 Transport Chain. (2) Make sure your
chains are at least ten feet in length for adult dogs, though more than fifteen feet is unnecessary.
Then (3) connect this chain to your hardware with permanent connecting rigging such as Cold
Shuts. (4) Make sure you use true (and high-load-limit) swivels, not snaps; you need the
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swivels to keep the chain from binding. Then (5) make sure you use two high-quality O-Rings
to run your collars through, and (6) use two collars to attach your dog to his chain set-up. Cap
that off with (7) drive your axles all the way into the ground, and you will know in your bones
that you have set your gear up professionally every step of the way. If you make sure each step
of your chain set-up has been done right, then you experience of peact of mind knowing your
dogs are safe and secure.
Next, regardless of how hard you try to incorporate the most professional set-ups you can,
remember that everything wears out over time. A good habit to get into is to schedule a complete
chain inspection once per month. Physically inspect every single inch, of every single chain
set-up that you have, at least once every single month, because some chains will just wear out
faster than others. For instance, you may have had to shorten a particular chain by tying a knot
in it. Well, those knots youve tied are now going to weigh twice as much as the rest of the
chain, and as such these knots will rub along the ground, rocks, etc. much more emphatically
than will the other parts of the chain. This means any such knots will wear out much faster than
the rest of the chain will. Consequently, you should make sure you keep an eye on them.
Furthermore, you will do yourself and your dogs a favor by making it a habit to upgrade and
change every single chain spot you have, every two- to three years. Thats right. Every 2- to
3 years, you should go ahead and buy all new-chain and all-new hardware for every single dog
that you have, just as a precaution. That means from the tip of the chain underground, to the
O-Rings at the other end, as well as all-new collars. REPLACE EVERYTHING, EVERY 24 TO 36 MONTHS.
This will cost you about a $500 investment every 3 years, which translates to about $0.46-perday insurance policy for your whole yard of dogs. Spending forty-six cents a day to protect
your entire yard of valuable stock is but a small price to pay, is it not? And, with Herc Alloy
Chain, or Grade 70 Transport, you really wont need to change these but once every 5 to 7
years; however, you will still need to change the connecting hardware once every 2 to 3 years
regardless.
SAVING MONEY
Finally, you can save yourself a whole lot of money by getting all of your chain and rigging
supplies from a wholesaler. A wholesaler is the outfit that furnishes all of your local hardware
stores with their supplies. For instance, your local hardware store may charge you $1.80/foot
for chain. Multiply that times 10 feet of chain per dog, times having to do that for (say) 20
dogs, and you have $360.00 tied up in chains alone, not including tax. By contrast, your local
wholesaler will probably have that same chain at (say) $0.98 per foot. Buying the same amount
of chain through your wholesaler would therefore only cost you $196.00, saving you $164.00,
just on the chains alone. Factor in similar savings on the swivels, O-rings, and connecting
hardware, and you can literally cut your costs in half by going directly to a wholesaler instead of
a retailer. The more you buy, the more you save. In fact, you can buy the hardware for (say) 100
dogs, and then sell the remainder of the hardware to your friends for profit. Or, you can store
the remainder to be used as replacement rigging when you need it. Either way, you will do your
wallet a big favor by purchasing your chain and hardware through a wholesaler.
If you cant find a hardware wholesaler in your Yellow Pages, then go to a mom-n-pop hardware
store and ask them if they have ten thousand feet of chain right now. Naturally, neither mom
nor pop will have this much chain available immediately, and so then just ask them, Do you
know of a large-volume wholesaler nearby? ... and you will soon have the information you
need as to where your local hardware wholesaler is J
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If you cant find a local wholesaler, then again you can order your Transport Chain and Cold
Shuts directly from the internet at:
http://www.lacledechain.com
and you can get your True Swivels and O-Rings from
http://www.usahardware.com
If you want to get even larger, stronger O-Rings, you can get them at
http://www.farmhardware.com
Well, there you have it: step-by-step instructions on constructing top-quality chain rigs to
keep your dogs SAFE, from one end of the chain to the other, followed by an inspection and
replacement plan for good measure ... all the while saving money in the process ... to provide the
very best kenneling for your dogs, the most room possible for your dogs while yet still secure
and confined, without having to get a second mortgage on your home to make it happen.
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Housing
The next step in kenneling your dogs properly is to provide comfortable housing for them. There
are basically two kinds of houses that you can build for your dogs: wooden houses and plastic
barrel houses. Wooden housing is more of a hassle to create, the material is more expensive to
buy, and finally, wooden housing simply does not last as long as plastic housing. However,
wooden housing looks nicer, and (more importantly) wooden housing can be tailored to create much
warmer housing conditions for the animal in colder weather. As such, wooden housing is preferred
if you live in an area where extremely cold temperatures exist. By contrast, if you live in a warm
(and especially in a humid) climate, plastic barrel housing is preferred; it is easier to clean-up
after, and it will last much longer. The plastic barrels simply will not rot after a few years, like
the wooden house will, especially in humid weather areas.
In order to understand how to build a dog house, you must first understand what a dog house
is. This sounds kinda funny, but plainly and simply a dog house is shelter. This may seem
obvious, but if you look at many of the commercial doghouses available at pet stores and feed
stores, it seems as if modern design and/or cuteness are the predominating blueprints after
which many of these monstrosities are fashioned. Such fanciful pieces of junk, besides being
functionless, usually come with a hefty price tag.
Basically, a dog house has 3 functions: 1) to keep a dog dry, 2) to keep a dog warm, and 3) to
provide a dog with his own space where he can retreat. But the two most important things a
doghouse must do is to keep him warm and dry. Most of the commercial dog houses available
offer protection from the rain just fine, but they fall miserably short in their warmth provision.
Why? Because the openings for these commercial houses are usually big enough for a dog to walk
into and out-of without ducking. Now this may seem convenient to someone who doesnt think
too deeply, but the fact of the matter is a large opening to a doghouse in fact can be terrible
for a dog in a very cold climate. To understand what I mean, try envisioning yourself sleeping
next to a wide-open door at night, in freezing weather, without any blankets over you. Do you
think youd get a little cold? You bet you would, and so will your dog! If you live in a very cold
area, the opening for your dog houses should be small just big enough for your dog to squeeze
through barely. That means the opening should be about 9 x 9 for a 50 lb. dog. (Naturally,
the hole of the house would be bigger or smaller if your dog is bigger or smaller.)
Not only should the hole of the house be very small, but it should be raised at least 6-12 above
the ground so that wheat straw or wood shavings can be added as bedding. The funny thing is,
many of the commecial dog houses offered dont have any dam, or any way in which to fill the
house with straw or cedar, as these contraptions (Igloos come to mind) were obviously invented
by someone who knows nothing about dogs. The fact is, dogs need bedding when they sleep,
and therefore dog *houses* need to be constructed in such a way as the may contain bedding.
NOTE: Never use hay for a dogs bedding, as hay is a food, and thus hay can grow
moldy and your dog can get any number of respiratory infections if it sleeps in hay every night.
Also, never use blankets or rugs either, for two reasons: 1) a rugs and blankets form a perfect
environment for fleas, and 2) your dog may eat the blanket or rug, which can then lodge in his
stomach and eventually cause a serious problem. Use Cedar or Straw. Finally, even with the
preferred bedding of cedar or straw, you should change either of these at least once a month, up
to even once a week, if it is raining or snowing bad.
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Of these two preferred bedding mediums, straw is especially good to use in the cold months
as an insulator, as you can really pack it in your dogs house for insulation to keep him warm.
Conversely, cedar shavings is a better bedding choice for the summer, as while it is not so much
of an insulator, what it does do is repel fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes ... and it makes your dogs
smell better J
WOODEN HOUSES
In order to build a solid wooden house, you need a few tools and you need to get the right wood.
Plywood will comprise most of your wooden housing, but how thick to make the plywood
depends on your area. If you live in a generally-warm area, you can get away with 14 thickness
plywood, but if you live in a really cold area you will want 12 thickness (or more), and you may
even want to use double layers or to add insulation inbetween the layers. For the purposes of
this article, I will suggest 12 thickness in the plywood, as it should be adequate for all but
the very coldest areas of the country. As far as tools go, for this project, here is what you will
need:
Circular Saw
Power Drill
Paint Brush
Box of 134 Screws (for Plywood)
Box of 3 Screws (for Heavier Boards)
1 Can of Thompsons Water Seal (or equivalent)
Measuring Tape
Square
Pen (or pencil)
On the the the next page are the set of plans for you to use when you build the Winter House,
and I have photos of the process you will need to go through to build it. It is important to have
youself a workshop as a dogman, because building things like doghouses, pens, flirtpoles,
springpoles, etc., will become commonplace if you work with your animals for awhile. Since
you will forever be working on some new project in these dogs, or forever refurbishing an old
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one, investing in truly good tools (like DeWalt or Makita) is a wise thing to do.
You can use these plans to refer to, or you can use the upcoming photographs, or you can use
them both, but these plans will create for you a very solid, very dependable housing structure
for your animals.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that when we say 2x4 there really is no such thing. A
2x4 is really a 112x212 piece of lumber. Likewise a 2x6 and a 2x8 are really a 112x512 and
112x712 pieces of lumber, respectively. You should always keep this fact in mind when you are
making your measurements!
Figure 2
48
Figure 1
30
24
2x6 2x6 2x6 2x8
22
32
Top
22
36
26
96
Side 1
2x4 Supports
26
4
Figure 3
Side 2
Waste
22
4"
T
26 O Door
9"
P
Front
12
Back
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This right here is the actual 4-ft x 8-ft (48 x 96) piece of 12-thick plywood. I have marked off the
measurements of where to do the cutting as illustrated by the plans on the previous page. These simple
plans will turn out a pretty nice house for you!
The above photograph is the actual sheet of plywood that will ultimately comprise the sides,
top, front, and back of your winter dog house. The bottom of your winter dog house, however,
will be comprised of more solid wood. The reason for this is 1) to keep the house off of the
ground, and 2) to provide better insulation from the ground. Just as a human house is only as
strong as its foundation, so too is a dog house only as strong as its foundation. Here are the
materials you will need for your winter dog house framing:
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These are the pieces of supporting lumber you will need for your Winter Dog House.
Once you have your phywood measured and cut, then you need to measure and cut your frame
components. Your 2x4s will be laid on their sides and will form the outer support structure of
the frame, as well as the inner bracing, while the 2x6s and 2x8 will be laid on top.
The 2x2s will form the supporting work for the plywood sides, front, back, and top to be
connected. On the next couple of pages you will see how all of this comes together:
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First, you build your 2x4 frame, as above. Then, you screw down your larger boards on top of the
framework to form the flooring.
Review the master plans on p.XX if you have any problems understanding this. To construct
the frame and the flooring, you will be using your 3 screws.
You will construct the outside framing, and then you will add a centerpiece for support. Once
the framework is done, you will add the larger boards on top of it to form the bottom of the
house. See the next page.
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Now is the time to screw down your larger boards on top of the framework. Again, this forms the
bottom of the Winter Doghouse.
After you finish your frame, you can then cut your plywood into the sections indicated on the
preceeding two pages. With the plywood cut, you can then proceed to build the main housing
onto the framework:
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THE SIDE: From the side, you can see how the front end (26) is 4 higher-up than the rear (22).
This is to allow rain to drain off the roof. You use the 134 screws on the plywood.
THE FRONT: Remember, the front is 4 higher than the rear, so make sure all of your calculations
reflect this.
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THE REAR: Again, the front is 4 higher than the rear, so make sure all of your calculations reflect
this.
Part of the process of building the plywood front, rear, and sides onto the frame will be the
utilization of the 2x2s. As the photo on the next page reflects, the 2x2s give you something to
screw the plywood onto ...
INSIDE: As you can see, the 2x2s form the support beams into which you drive the screws to secure the
plywood. You will also notice I left 2 of space between the top of the 2x2s and the top of the plywood.
This is because the top of the house also has 2x2s affixed to it, that need room to fit snugly.
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THE TOP: You will have to measure the internal area of the house, and then draw it on the top portion
of the plywood, and screw in the 2x2s into the diagram. If you do this correctly, the 2x2s should fit
snugly within the inside parameters of the open house, for a completed project.
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dried, you now have a wonderful house for your athlete. It takes awhile to complete, but if you
have a hole yardful of houses like this, it really makes for a professional appearance. The nice
thing about this house set-up is you can add insulation if you want. Simply put the insulation
on the inside, and screw smaller plywood boarding to the inner 2x2s, and you have a really
warm house. Most places in the U.S. dont really need this, unless you are way up in the upper
mid-west.
The final touch for this house is a 4 x 8 shade board to be added. A shade board should be
added to any housing set-up that is not under heavy tree cover, as your dog should always have
shade available to him. Here is what this kind of a shade-board set-up looks like:
Any house out in an open area should have a shade board added to it. If your area gets really hot, like
in the desert, then the water dish should be a 10- to 15-gallon bucket, not a mere bowl (as shown). A
large water bucket is needed in these really hot areas so the dog can immerse himself in the water if
need be. Rather than against the house, you would put the huge water tub all the way to the left, at
the base of the shade board, to brace it on the ground. You can also screw-in the shade board directly
to the roof of the house at the high-end. This would ensure that your board does not get knocked over.
However, if you have lots of tree cover where you live, then you dont need a shade board.
Once you are finished constructing your house, add two- to three coats of Thompons Water
Seal to protect your house and your work from the elements. As you can see, there is plenty
of room inside this house to load-up on clean, fresh straw (or cedar shavings) to provide
comfortable bedding for your dogs.
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SAVING MONEY
Again, you can save money by going to a wholesale lumber yard or even by just building your
houses out of other peoples scrap wood. These houses seem complicated to build at first, but
after you build a few, they are a snap to put together.
But what about if you dont have a lot of money to spend to build twenty wooden houses?
What if you dont have the time either, and/or what if you live in an area that gets a lot of rain?
A house made out of a simple plastic barrel is the answer for you.
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BARREL HOUSES
Barrel houses are a snap to make, and are perhaps the most useful constructs overall of any
housing structure you will ever see. Whereas a wooden house might cost as much as $90.00
to build, and several hours to make, a barrel house costs only about $16.00 to build when all is
said and done. The amazing thing is, as with chain set-ups, animal rights whackos (who have
no real understanding of animals -- or anything else) have actually made barrel houses illegal
in some areas of the country. I mean, this is absolutely ludicrous!
As I will show, a properly-constructed barrel house is 10x as efficient at providing legitimate
and comfortable shelter as any Igloo house, and at about 1/5th the cost of these fanciful pieces
of en vogue junk. To build a proper barrel house, you first have to find a soda company, or a syrup
vendor, or some other outlet that has lots of 50-gallon plastic drums. Do not buy any drum that
has contained a poisonous substances, or your dog might get sick or develop cancer. Only utilize
barrels which have had harmless substances, like apple cider or soda in them.
If you find a good wholesaler, your barrels should be around $5.00 - $10.00 apiece, and they may
be cheaper if you buy them in large quantities. All you really need to make one is a circular saw,
although a jigsaw or reciprocating saw might be more handy for the opening. Other than that
a power drill, with socket wrench extensions, is needed. You will have to buy some nuts and
bolts, and get yourself a piece of 2x12 wood to form the front brace. As you are about to see,
with these simple tools and supplies, you are about to build some pretty impressive housing
structures for your stock J
As you can see, all this house is, basically, is a plastic barrel with a hole cut on the smooth-ended
bottom, a piece of 2x12 board bolted onto it to keep the construct from rolling, and a visor bolted onto
the roof. Thats it! This is the easiest kind of house to make, and in many ways its the best. Itll last
forever, it wont let a drop of rain in, you can load it up with lots and lots of straw (or shavings) for
insulation and bedding ... and the small opening keeps the dog warm by not letting any of his body
heat out.
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To make one of these houses is quite simple. First, drill your hole on the smooth end of the
barrel (the end without the plugs). Drill the hole between 9 and 11 wide, and no wider. Also,
make sure that the bottom of the hole is elevated above the ground to hold the bedding for the
dog.
9-inches
(Average)
Make sure that the hole you cut out for the door is elevated
above the ground, so that the barrel will hold lots of straw
or shavings. Don't make it any wider than 11 inches either.
Once you have drilled the hole in the barrel with a reciprocating- or jig-saw, simply take a 45
piece of your 2x12 board and cut it so the bottom is still 45 long, but the top is 22 long:
22
45
Once you cut your 2x12 board to size, then you cut an 9-inch wedge in it, to accomodate the
door opening, like this:
9-inches
The next thing you do is simply bolt your 2x12 onto the face of your barrel, using four 3 bolts,
tightened down with nuts. If you really want to get fancy, you can add a visor-roof by cutting
up an unused barrel into 6 sections. I will show this in detail on the next page.
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The arrows indicate where you will need to use your nuts & bolts, and that is to secure the 2x12
board on the front, as well as to secure the visor on top.
To make the visors, you will need to cut a full-sized barrel into 6 sections. Cut the ends off the
barrel first, and then cut the barrel in half length-wise. From there, you can then cut each halfsection into three segments. A full barrel will thus make 6 visor roofs. You affix these visors
above the dog door with the 2 bolts. Below is an example of how easy these are to set up J
1
If you live in a warm climate, you may want to use this type of house all year round, as the cold
factor isnt a problem. These houses are great because making them is a cinch, and cleaning
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them is a cinch all you have to do is hose them out and let them dry. Fill em up again with
cedar (or straw) and youre ready to go again. They work better than any Igloo house at
keeping the heat in at a fraction of the cost. However, if you live in an area where it gets
significantly below freezing, use the winter house when it gets this cold, with an added layer
of plywood, with insulation board between each. Otherwise, the barrel house is the simplest,
cheapest, easiest-to-maintain house that you can find (or make) anywhere: all for about $16 to
$20 in total parts -- and an hour or so total labor J
ADDITIONAL TIPS
As with a wooden house, if your dog is in a spot where he has no shade during some moments of the
day, you need to make him a shade board. As before, just take a 4x8 piece of plywood (or an old
car hood from a junkyard), and lean it against the doghouse with the bottom of the board (or hood)
anchored by resting it against the base of the water tub. Bolt the board to the house so it cant fall off.
Your dog can now go under the board (or hood) for shade. It is critical that a dog have a source of shade
at all times. If trees afford shade for your dog, during ALL times of the day, then obviously you dont
need a shade board. (PS: As for the wash tub, I just washed this little guys tub, and he is looking at
it and waiting for me to bring it back.) J
In fact, rather than buy a 10-gallon metal wash tub, you can just cut one of your plastic barrels
in half, which will give you two water tubs that you can use for this purpose also . Place the tub
of water approximately at the base of his shade board for achorage.
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Bolts and nuts are all the hardware that are needed to build a good barrel house. If you add a washer
(on the wood side), the set-up will last even longer. All you need are 3 bolts (for the 2x12 wood) and
2 bolts (for the plastic visor) to do the job.
Well, there you have it. Probably the best (and cheapest) housing ever. The only other kind of
housing you might want to consider are ABOVE-GROUND PENS, which I will discuss next.
Pens like these are ideal for puppies, bitches in heat, expectant bitches, injured dogs that you
are caring for, as well as key dogs being conditioned for a show, as well as to protect very
valuable dogs from any other animals. So lets take a look at these:
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In the previous section of this chapter, I mentioned the superiority of professional chain setups over kennel runs, and on almost every single level this is true. However, there are some
instances where a kennel run is superior ... however, in these few special instances an AboveGround Pen is superior still ... which is why we are about to discuss these constructs J
When you have puppies that are very young, you dont want them running around on the dirt
outside, nor are they big enough to put on a chain yet. When you have bitches in heat, you dont
need them on a chain, available to all studs within a miles trot, only to have some stray mutt
get ahold of your best brood matron and provide you with 12 useless pups two months later. For
that matter, pregnant bitches and bitches in whelp dont need to have a chain on them either,
interfering with their motherhood, quite possibly injuring a very young pup in the process. In
fact, if you live far enough in the woods, where there is dangerous wildlife, like coyotes and
whatnot ... and you either have a smaller breed that is vulnerable to attack, or you have one or
two very valuable brood animals that you just cant take a chance on ... you dont want these
dogs out there on a chain, exposed like sitting ducks. Or perhaps you have a dog that has fresh
wounds from a hunt, that can be running around in the dirt and elements, and needs a clean
environment to recouperate.
The basic structural materials you you need to construct this pen are 3 sheets of tin roofing (ten feet
long), 17 pieces of 2x4s (8 feet long), and 3 pieces of 4x4 wood posts (12 feet long).
Whatever the case, the Above-Ground Pen is your answer. The advantage to this kind of pen
is that 1) your dog will not get re-infested with worms after you worm him, because he is no
longer on the ground; worm him (or her) again in two weeks and you now have a clean animal.
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2) Being 3-ft above ground, your dog is now protected from poisonous snakes, other dogs
getting loose, wild coyotes prowling about, etc., and so your valuable (or vulnerable) animal is
up and out of harms way should danger come to your yard. These, and other critical reasons,
are why Above-Ground Pens are so valuable to the serious dogman. In fact, it is good practice
to have one of these pens for every ten head of dog in your kennel.
The tin roofing you will leave as is, but the 2x4s will be cut into various dimensions, while the
three twelve-ft 4x4 wood pillars will all be cut in half to form 6 six-foot posts. Supplemental
supplies that you will need include:
Circular Saw
Power Drill
Box of 134 Screws (for Plywood)
Box of 3 Screws (for Heavier Boards)
18 Angle-Braces
Measuring Tape
Square
Pen (or pencil)
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The first thing you do is take a square and measure 30 up from one end of a 4x4s ... and then cut a
312-wide wedge, that is 112 deep. This is to allow the 2x4 to be inserted into the pillar.
The 312-wide wedge is measured with measuring tape and your square, and the 112 depth is achieved
by setting your circular saw to a 112 depth. First, dileniate the outer perimeter. Then you simply saw
back-and-forth several times, and even make an X with the saw. From there, you simply use a wood
wedge to get out the wood chips.
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After you clear away the large wood chunks with the wedge, then pull back the blade protector and
slide the circular saw back-and-forth to create a smooth inset where you can fit your 2x4s. (Remember,
a 2x4 is really a 112x312 ... this is why your inset is 312 wide and 112 deep!)
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This wedge is the most important part of the pen-making process, because all else is built upon
this foundation and fram. Again, the bottom of the wedge is 30 from the end of each 4x4 pillar.
This means that the floor support rail for the pen is going to be 30 off the ground when you
stand it up.
When all of the wedges have been cut out, you will then lay three of the 4x4 pillars in line,
with the wedges in a perfect row, and then you will lay an 8-foot-long 2x4 down across all three
wedges, and then you will use two 3 screws per wedge to secure the board across all three
4x4s. This will form one side of your pen.
Repeat this procedure on the other three 4x4s, and you will have made the other side of the
pen.
You then lay the 2x4 accross each wedge and secure with two 3-inch screws.
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To connect one side of the pen to the other, you need to attach a 2x4 crossmember. You will need to
screw-on a metal angle brace to each end of the 2x4 to do this. Since you want your pen to be 4-ft
wide (48), this means that you should cut each end crossmember to be only 41 long. This is because
the two 4x4 support posts on each side of the pen are really 312 wide apiece (for a total of 7 inches).
Therefore, your end crossmember 2x4s should not be 48 long, it should be 41 long, which when added
to the two 4x4 posts will = 48.
Below, you will see the dimensions of the pen to help you understand what I am saying:
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To connect the first 41 crossmember, you need to place a 3312 support board (shown on far right)
under the free end (to keep the height accurate). Remember, the *bottom* of your side board is 30
high, which means the *top* of it is going to be 3312 high. Therefore, when you connect the 41 2x4
board across with the angle-brace (small black arrow) the top of the floor is going to be 35. The rest
of your 2x4s will be 48 across.
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Another unfinished pen. You can see that the pen is 6-ft high, 4-ft wide, and 8-ft long ... and that it
is 30-inches off the ground. You will also notice that while it is 6-ft high in the front, that it is only
512-ft high in the rear. This is because I drop the rear portion 6 to allow for rain runoff.
Once you get the sides of the pen built, and once you get them connected to one another via the
41 2x4s on both ends, then you add a third 41 2x4 to the center pillars, again with the frame
braces. These are the only floor beams that will be 41 ... both ends and the centerpiece ... and
that is simply because you have to compensate for the 4x4 pillars.
The rest of the 2x4s that form the flooring will be 48 in length and you will simply lay those
across the 8-long side support beams that you have placed in the wedges that you cut in the
4x4 pillars. These you will also screw-in with the 312 screws.
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While you are laying your flooring, using 48 2x4s, make sure that you leave a 1-gap between each
piece of lumber. This will allow the dogs feces to drop out of the pen making clean-up a cinch.
After you have finished the sides of the pen, and then the flooring, you will now need to
construct the top of the pen. Before you do this, you need to drop the rear of the pen 6 and you
will do this by marking off the rear 4x4 pillar 6 lower than the top. You do this to both of the
rear pillars. The front 4x4 pillars will remain at six-feet tall. Remember, when you start off, all of
your 4x4 pillars are six-feet tall (the front pillars, the middle pillars, and the rear pillars). So what
you do to create a 6 rearward slope is mark-off the rear pillars 6 lower than their present sixfoot height, while keeping the front pillars at their six-foot height. Then (since the side of the
pen is eight-feet long) you take an eight-foot 2x4 and put the edge of one end against the tip of
the top of the front pillar ... at six-feet-high ... and then you take the edge of the other end of the
eight-foot 2x4 and put it up against the mark-off-point of the rear pillar (that is 6 lower) ... and
then (while youre holding the 2x4 there at those key points ... you have a partner draw a line on
each of the three 4x4s ... from the tip of the front at six-feet-high ... across the middle pillar ...
to the end of the rear pillar, which is 6 lower. This will precisely delineate the downward slope
of the roof across all three pillars. Then you simply repeat this procedure on the opposite side
of the pen. From that point, you saw off the tops of the pillars in accordance with your sloped
mark-off lines on each pillar.
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6" drop
After you machine-screw the top framing onto the pillars, then bring in your angle-braces and brace
all sides of the joined lumber together for structural stability.
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The measurements for the roof support beams are self-explanatory. The outside ends are going
to be 48 (since they are placed over the 4x4 pillars ... while the inside middle beam is going to
be 41 (since it is placed inside the 4x4 pillars. All joining areas of lumber for the top need to be
supported by metal angle-braces. You need to buy 18 of them for this pen.
Once you have finished with the top, you then need to build the house for the dog. This is easy,
as all you do is make a 24 x 24 construct out of plywood, similar in design to the winter house,
already discussed. However, the house for this pen is simply a 24 x 24 x 24 box and is much
simpler to make.
Once you have finished the house, then you simply measure-off the door, which is easily-done
by measuring the dimensions of the doorway, and here you will need to add a couple of door
hinges as well as a latch. But you do not yet install the door, at this point, you just want to
create it and make sure that you have fitted it properly.
Before you install the door, you now add your fencing. You should have two layers of fencing:
the first layer will be a thinner fencing material, and the second layer will be heavy-duty 9gauge fencing (or pig wire). DO NOT USE STANDARD CHAIN LINK. Dogs can bend
and eat out of standard chain link, so make sure that you use 9-gauge fencing (or pig wire)
for your pen. You use smaller fencing tack to nail-on your inner fencing and you use a heavier
fencing tack to nail-on your heavy-duty outside fencing. The reason why you dont install
your door right away is you also have to hammer-on both layers of fencing to the door, and you
dont want to do this while it is installed on its hinges, but rather on the ground. Then, after
the fencing has been installed on the door, you can go ahead and install the door on its hinges.
After that, you can install the tin roofing.
The end result is a construct where your valuable brood animals, your puppies, or your injured
dogs can be up out of harms way ... where no snake, no worms, and no other animals can reach
them. I make a habit out of bathing and worming any dog before I put him in the pen, and I also
worm them out thoroughly. This way, your dog can basically remain clean and parasite-free
indefinitely while he or she is in that pen.
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INTO
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superbly-bred. The dog was also wonderfullytempered and even very obedient. Basically
the dog was a fine example of the breed (that
any true connoisseur of fine dogs would love
to have and behold), and yet this fool who
had him saw NOTHING POSITIVE in
this young dog, simply because he hadnt
been tested yet. This young person could
appreciate NOTHING about his beautiful,
young animal.
Folks, these dogs are not stupid, at least
superior dogs are not stupid, and intelligent
dogs know when they are with a friend ... and
intelligent superior dogs know when they are
with an enemy. They know when they are
genuinely loved by their owners, and they
know when they are unappreciated, abused,
and neglected. Your belief in this regard
doesnt matter; the fact is an intelligent dog
knows in his bones when his master is truly
his friend or not, just as YOU know in your
bones whether a person you are with is truly
your friend or not. Any intelligent creature
has this sort of sixth sense about him.
Therefore this young fool had his entire
view of dogs and his role as their care-giver
exactly bass-ackwards. This young man
expected his young dog to prove himself to
him, **before** the young man was willing
to make the commitment to love the dog in
return. Had this person any clue about the
proper order of things, he would realize that
he needs give TO the dog, on every nurturing
level, before he has a right to expect FROM
the dog at the highest performance level.
Genuine love for a dog not only is a necessary
part of ones own dedication as a dogman,
but such a bonding experience is PART OF
THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS
OF A DOGS EXCELLENCE. Let me
say that in a different way: developing a
legitimate bond with an owner is part of the
**complete** evolution of a young dogs
developmental process into a World Class
Professional Athlete. Therefore, to withhold
giving love to a dog, while he is developing, is
to withhold part of the necessary fertilizer
that is required for his optimal and complete
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maturation as a performance animal for you. and filth ... feeding them the least-expensive
Believe it!
food they can get away with feeding ... or ALL
OF THESE THINGS PUT TOGETHER
Yes, it takes a lot out of a person to put that ... without having one single book or scrap of
kind of devotion on the table first, for every paper containing even the slightest tidbit of
dog that he has, but if you are not willing to knowledge on proper care, proper nutrition,
put that kind of investment into your dogs proper husbandry, etc.
first, then how can you expect your dogs to go
all the way for you in return, when **you** How can you love an animal and yet keep him
have not provided for all of their needs first? in filth? How can you love an animal and yet
In short, how can you expect to reap where you keep him on a 3-foot chain? How can you be
have not sown?
considerate of your animals needs, without
the slightest will to crack open a book and
Folks, these dogs have a tougher job than we gain even drop of knowledge on proper care,
do, and they have the harder road to hoe, so proper nutrition, proper husbandry, etc.? How
YOU OWE IT TO THEM to give them can you love a dog that you wont even pet or
your ALL before you can expect them to take the time to bond with? For instance, I
give their all for you. Because if you have not have seen many people enroll on the Poncho
built your dogs UP with genuine love, (which board ... but who never bothered to sign-up
includes the best food, nutrition, care, bonding on my HEALTH AND WELFARE board.
and affection possible), then how can you How can this be? Its easy. Again, too many
possibly expect your dogs to reach an elite level people only care about their dog **hunting**,
when you have not bothered to raise them with but yet they could care less about their dogs in
elite caregiving? I could write 50 pages on this general. There is no other explanation.
subject alone, but the bottom line is in order
to succeed in dogs, long-term, a dogman must People, the bottom line is this: If you do not
plainly and simply LOVE HIS DOGS, and love your dogs, you will never succeed in
love them for real, which is shown by loving dogs for the long haul, and the only way to
actions and loving practices, and an unswerving show a legitimate love for something is to
dedication to their well-being.
CARE FOR IT, always, and on every level
possible: kenneling, nutritionally, medically,
Sincere love is expressed in many ways. It and emotionally via a legitimate bonding
is expressed by a deep compassion for each experience, basically you need an instinctive
individual dog, yes, but it is also expressed desire TO DO YOUR BEST for your dogs.
by an intense desire and curiosity to learn Anything less than this heart-felt continual
more and more about dogs in general (canine effort for your dogs is just being a half-ass,
health, canine upkeep, canine medicine, etc.). and the sad fact is this sport is chock-full of
For instance, most people in this game have half-ass dogmen who ultimately dont give
several dogs on their yard ... but yet they do a shit about their animals, individually, as a
not have one single book on veterinary medicine family, or in any other way.
or dog care. Most people in this game have
(say) 15 dogs, but yet they will not have one
single proper chain set-up to restrain their 2. He Must Abide By Natures Laws
animals. Their whole yard is a nig-rig set up The successful dogman realizes there are
of shit hardware, and such people lack the certain Laws of Nature that must be abidedcuriosity or concern to learn HOW to chain by in order to achieve the best results. The
and kennel a dog properly. Basically, too many maturation process is one of these laws.
bottom-dwelling dogmen buy-up a bunch of The ability to reap only after one has sown
dogs ... and then they keep them in crates ... is another of these laws. The fact that the
or in mud ... or on 3-foot chains ... or in shit best nutrition yields the best health and
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2-hour mark.)
With those numbers in mind, and with the
other fact in mind that over 90% of all hunts
are won and lost ON SCRATCHING
within these time frame parameters, we must
therefore breed dogs that can survive a total
war with a wild boar for at least 2 hours, and
which dogs are always willing to scratch-back
at any point in time they are called upon to do
so, within that time parameter. Furthermore,
our dogs do not have to do this against
several boars, but only against one of
them, which means that the practice of twodogging is absolutely pointless and stupid..
And yet you will see people breeding their
dogs for entirely different purposes than a
Cajun Rules contestJ You will see people
breed for things like mouth, and you will
see people purposely breeding dogs who wont
pace themselves at all, and thus who couldnt
possibly go two hours, just because these
energy-wasting barnstormers are impressive
in SHORT hunts. You will also see people
test their dogs against multiple boars, when
the dog only has to face ONE opponent for
his true vocation and job. Basically, you will
see **most** people in these dogs breeding
for, testing for, and culling for traits that have
NOTHING to do with their dogs ACTUAL
JOB.
And these people will invariably be failures as
breeders, percentage-wise, precisely because
they do not truly understand the job for which
they are breeding their dogs. Killing boars
quickly is not what we are breeding dogs for
and for that matter it is not usually possible
when you are on a real boar. Scratching into
2 or 3 different opponents is not what we are
breeding our dogs to do either. What we are
trying to do is breed dogs who are athletic,
intelligent, and tough enough to nullify and
survive anything that happens to them,
from ONE boar, and who will continually
scratch-back any time they are asked to do so.
THAT is what we are breeding our dogs for
folks, because that is what a Cajun Rules
contest is!
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to manage the intangibles to be WITH your #1 trait more effectively, to motivate him to
dogs and not against your dogs.
see the other 4 traits more clearly and to then
follow these traits with clearer vision and
perspective, then I will have done my job as
Conclusion
a writer and I will have passed the torch to
I hope my efforts at writing all of this do not another willing and capable runner. And in so
go unnoticed. I hope that some of you found doing I will have benefited another yard of
yourselves nodding your heads at the power dogs somewhere ... and as such I will be very
of these 5 Key Traits that cut a deep gash and content that I have done my job.
defining line between the successful and the
unsuccessful in these dogs.
Good Luck,
We all have violated one (or all) of these 5 Key
Traits, at one point or another, and thus we have
all failed at one point or another. That is not
the lesson here. Failing in the past is not the
mark of an ultimate failure, but continuouslyfailing is. Some of the most successful people
in every walk of life started out as total
failures, but through re-newed effort and
re-newed PRACTICES, they slowly-butsurely gained success for themselves, one step
at a time. Failed practices will always yield
failed results. And one definition of insanity
is to continue to do the same things and yet
to expect different results.
But the true success in dogs is not content
with failure and the true success is always
striving to do better. Therefore, if **you**
want to achieve better results, then you have
to habitually-employ better practices. This
article here defines those better practices.
If you are already living-up to every single
one of these principals, then you already are a
successful dogman. Success CANT HELP
but come from these practices. If you live up
to none of these practices, then you are a total
failure as a dogman. Failure CANT HELP
but come from violation of these practices.
If you have not been succeeding so far in these
dogs, but if you have a sincere desire to do well
and to be successful (that is, if you have the
#1 Key Trait, which is a sincere love of these
dogs), then getting the other 4 elements in
order will spell your eventual success in dogs.
If this chapter helps even one person use his
~ California Jack
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BIOLOGICAL FACT:
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FINAL TIP:
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THE
60-DAY
NATURAL
KEEP
~ BY CALIFORNIA JACK
California Jack's
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
10 Lead
Conditioning Harness + Tracers
[OBriens Supply; (434-568-3148)]
Jenny/SlatMill
Flirtpole
SpringPole
Dog Booties
Postal Scale (Staples or Office Depot)
Hanging Scale [Chatillon Scales Model # IN-60 (http://www.chatillon-scales.com/)]
Test-P (25 lbs) [Apex Scales (http://www.apexscales.com/)]
Test-P (50 lbs) [Apex Scales (http://www.apexscales.com/)]
Microwave Oven
SUPPLEMENTS NEEDED:
VERTEX /POWER CHOW
(http://www.naturmix.com/)
Fastrack Probiotic (http://www.naturmix.com/)
K-EASE (www.thomasveterinarydrug.com)
Bee Pollen (http://www.beepollen.com/)
Gingko Biloba (www.bodybuilding.com)
Gucosamine/Chondroitin (www.bodybuilding.com)
Organic Germanium
(http://www.vitaminexpress.com/)
Coenzyme Q-10 (www.bodybuilding.com)
L-Inosine (www.bodybuilding.com)
L-Carnitine (www.bodybuilding.com)
Tribulus Terrestrus (www.bodybuilding.com)
Atlantic Salmon Oil / Wheat Germ Oil
(http://www.naturmix.com & www.bodybuilding.com)
FEED NEEDED:
Natures Variety Raw-Frozen Diet
(www.naturesvariety.com)
Beef
Chicken
Cheddar Cheese
Collard Greens
Kale Greens
Mustard Greens
Turnip Greens
Baby Spinach
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A QUICK NOTE:
WEIGHTPULL:
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FLIRT POLE:
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JENNY:
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SPRINGPOLE:
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FEED SCHEDULE
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MORNING MEAL
EVENING MEAL
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DAY 1:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
with 1-cup bottled water.
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
EVENING:
Journal.
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
empty).
and record how he acts and feels in your
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Daily Journal.
Journal.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (14 Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
bodyweight) - 5 minutes.
talk to him.
FLIRTPOLE - 5 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 5 minutes. REST.
SPRINGPOLE - 5 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal. DAY 4:
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
recovers and stops panting.
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141
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
and record how he acts and feels in your
empty).
Daily Journal.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Journal.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (14 Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
bodyweight) - 5 minutes.
REST.
FLIRTPOLE - 5 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 5 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 5 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and DAY 7:
record all activities in your Daily Journal. MORNING:
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
talk to him.
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
DAY 5:
Feed dog 1 hour later.
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
with 1-cup bottled water.
REST.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
DAY 8:
empty).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
Journal.
with 1-cup bottled water.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (14
bodyweight) - 5 minutes.
EVENING:
FLIRTPOLE - 5 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 5 minutes. Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
empty).
SPRINGPOLE - 5 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (14
bodyweight) - 7 minutes.
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and FLIRTPOLE - 7 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 7 minutes.
talk to him.
SPRINGPOLE - 7 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
DAY 6:
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
MORNING:
recovers and stops panting.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
Give the dog his full body massage and
with 1-cup bottled water.
talk to him.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
with 1-cup bottled water.
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DAY 19:
EVENING:
MORNING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
empties.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
EVENING:
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
and record how he acts and feels in your
empty).
Daily Journal.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in Feed dog 1 hour later.
Journal.
Give the dog his full body massage and
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (12
talk to him.
bodyweight) - 9 minutes.
REST.
FLIRTPOLE - 9 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 9 minutes. DAY 22:
SPRINGPOLE - 9 minutes.
MORNING:
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
EVENING:
Give the dog his full body massage and Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
talk to him.
empty).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
DAY 20:
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (12
MORNING:
bodyweight) - 11 minutes.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements FLIRTPOLE - 11 minutes.
with 1-cup bottled water.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 11 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 11 minutes.
EVENING:
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
empty).
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
recovers and stops panting.
Journal.
Give the dog his full body massage and
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (12
talk to him.
bodyweight) - 9 minutes.
FLIRTPOLE - 9 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 9 minutes. DAY 23:
SPRINGPOLE - 9 minutes.
MORNING:
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
EVENING:
Give the dog his full body massage and Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
talk to him.
empty).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
DAY 21:
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (12
MORNING:
bodyweight) - 11 minutes.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements FLIRTPOLE - 11 minutes.
with 1-cup bottled water.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 11 minutes.
California Jack's
SPRINGPOLE - 11 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
146
empty).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (12
bodyweight) - 13 minutes.
FLIRTPOLE - 13 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 13 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 13 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
DAY 24:
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
MORNING:
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
recovers and stops panting.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
DAY 27:
Weigh dog and jot down weight in MORNING:
Journal.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
with 1-cup bottled water.
and record how he acts and feels in your
Daily Journal.
EVENING:
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
Give the dog his full body massage and
empty).
talk to him.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
REST.
Journal.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (12
DAY 25:
bodyweight) - 13 minutes.
MORNING:
FLIRTPOLE - 13 minutes.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 13 minutes.
with 1-cup bottled water.
SPRINGPOLE - 13 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
EVENING:
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Put dog on new chain space until he Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
empties.
recovers and stops panting.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in Give the dog his full body massage and
Journal.
talk to him.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
DAY 28:
REST.
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
DAY 26:
MORNING:
EVENING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Put dog on new chain space until he
with 1-cup bottled water.
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
EVENING:
Journal.
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
California Jack's
147
and record how he acts and feels in your Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
Daily Journal.
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
Give the dog his full body massage and
recovers and stops panting.
talk to him.
Give the dog his full body massage and
REST.
talk to him.
DAY 29:
DAY 31:
MORNING:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
empty).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (12
bodyweight) - 15 minutes.
FLIRTPOLE - 15 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 15 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 15 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
~ GET ANOTHER CBC BLOOD
PROFILE ~
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
and record how he acts and feels in your
Daily Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
REST.
DAY 32:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
DAY 30:
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
MORNING:
Journal.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Feed dog 1 hour later.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
EVENING:
REST.
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
empty).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in DAY 33:
Journal.
MORNING:
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (12 Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
bodyweight) - 15 minutes.
with 1-cup bottled water.
FLIRTPOLE - 15 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 15 minutes. EVENING:
SPRINGPOLE - 15 minutes.
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
California Jack's
empty).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (34
bodyweight) - 17 minutes.
FLIRTPOLE - 17 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 17 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 17 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
DAY 34:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
empty).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (34
bodyweight) - 17 minutes.
FLIRTPOLE - 17 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 17 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 17 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
DAY 35:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
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149
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talk to him.
REST.
150
DAY 45:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
DAY 43:
MORNING:
EVENING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Put dog on new chain space until he
with 1-cup bottled water.
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
EVENING:
Journal.
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
empty).
and record how he acts and feels in your
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Daily Journal.
Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (34 Give the dog his full body massage and
bodyweight) - 23 minutes.
talk to him.
FLIRTPOLE - 23 minutes.
REST.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 23 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 23 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and DAY 46:
record all activities in your Daily Journal. MORNING:
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
recovers and stops panting.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
DAY 44:
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
MORNING:
Journal.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Feed dog 1 hour later.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
EVENING:
REST.
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
empty).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in **TWO WEEKS OUT! You now want to
Journal.
gradually get your dog from 2 lb. over his
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (34 show weight, so that one week from now, and
bodyweight) - 23 minutes.
one week prior to the show, your dog will only
FLIRTPOLE - 23 minutes.
be 1 lb. over his show weight.**
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 23 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 23 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
California Jack's
151
DAY 49:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
DAY 47:
MORNING:
EVENING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Put dog on new chain space until he
with 1-cup bottled water.
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
EVENING:
Journal.
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
empty).
and record how he acts and feels in your
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Daily Journal.
Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers Give the dog his full body massage and
(FULL bodyweight) - 25 minutes.
talk to him.
FLIRTPOLE - 25 minutes.
REST.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 25 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 25 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and DAY 50:
record all activities in your Daily Journal. MORNING:
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
recovers and stops panting.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
empty).
DAY 48:
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
MORNING:
Journal.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers
with 1-cup bottled water.
(FULL bodyweight) - 27 minutes.
FLIRTPOLE - 27 minutes.
EVENING:
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 27 minutes.
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until SPRINGPOLE - 27 minutes.
empty).
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers
recovers and stops panting.
(FULL bodyweight) - 25 minutes.
Give the dog his full body massage and
FLIRTPOLE - 25 minutes.
talk to him.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 25 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 25 minutes.
DAY 51:
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and MORNING:
record all activities in your Daily Journal. Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
with 1-cup bottled water.
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and EVENING:
talk to him.
Handwalk 30 min (or put on chain until
empty).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
California Jack's
Journal.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers
(FULL bodyweight) - 27 minutes.
FLIRTPOLE - 27 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 27 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 27 minutes.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
DAY 52:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
152
Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
REST.
DAY 54:
MORNING:
Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers
(full to 112 x bodyweight) - 30 minutes.
FLIRTPOLE - 30 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 30
minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 30 minutes.
*** NO Kong Ball ***
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
and record how he acts and feels in your
Daily Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
DAY 55:
talk to him.
MORNING:
REST.
Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
~ SWITCH FROM VERTEX TO
EVENING:
POWER CHOW ~
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
SWITCH FROM NATURES
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
VARIETY BEEF TO THE NATURES
Journal.
VARIETY **CHICKEN**
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (14
body-weight) - 15 minutes.
FLIRTPOLE - 15 minutes.
DAY 53:
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 15 minutes.
MORNING:
SPRINGPOLE - 15 minutes.
Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated *** NO Kong Ball ***
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
EVENING:
Give the dog his full body massage and
Put dog on new chain space until he
talk to him.
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
California Jack's
153
DAY 59:
MORNING:
Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
WEIGHTPULL w/ harness & tracers (14
body-weight) - 5 minutes.
FLIRTPOLE - 5 minutes.
JENNY (or TREADMILL) - 5 minutes.
SPRINGPOLE - 5 minutes.
*** NO Kong Ball ***
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
DAY 60:
MORNING:
Feed 14 Cup POWER CHOW in 12
cup bottled water, plus the Indicated
Supplements.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
*** NO Shank Bone ***
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
DAY 57:
talk to him.
MORNING:
Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated REST.
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Travel to Show (Never more than 4
hours!)
Acclimate and Empty Dog
PRIOR to official weigh-in, weigh your
dog, and if he is slightly under (or spot-on)
give him 14 scoop Cytomax and 14 cup
bottled water after UNofficial weigh-in,
and 20 min. prior to actual weigh-in.
Continue to walk and empty dog after you
give him this energy drink, as long as he
DAY 58:
is not going ballistic, and to prevent this
MORNING:
walk him out it in a secluded spot so he is
Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated
calm.
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
Official Weigh-In.
SHOWTIME!
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
*** NO Shank Bone ***
Feed dog 1 hour later.
California Jack's
154
California Jack's
155
California Jack's
156
California Jack's
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
1 Set (or 10 min. total all-out).
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
157
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
DAY 2:
2 Sets (or 15 min. total all-out).
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
with 1-cup bottled water.
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
EVENING:
recovers and stops panting.
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
DAY 5:
1 Set (or 10 min. total all-out).
MORNING:
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
EVENING:
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
talk to him.
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
DAY 3:
2 Sets (or 15 min. total all-out).
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
with 1-cup bottled water.
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
EVENING:
recovers and stops panting.
Put dog on new chain space until he
Give the dog his full body massage and
empties.
talk to him.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
and record how he acts and feels in your
Daily Journal.
California Jack's
158
DAY 9:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
2 Sets (or 15 min. total all-out).
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
DAY 7:
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in DAY 10:
MORNING:
Journal.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
Feed dog 1 hour later.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
EVENING:
REST.
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
DAY 8:
Journal.
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
and record how he acts and feels in your
with 1-cup bottled water.
Daily Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
EVENING:
Give the dog his full body massage and
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
talk to him.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
REST.
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
DAY 11:
2 Sets (or 15 min. total all-out).
MORNING:
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
California Jack's
159
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he DAY 16:
MORNING:
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
Journal.
California Jack's
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
3 Sets (or 20 min. total all-out).
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
DAY 17:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
and record how he acts and feels in your
Daily Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
REST.
DAY 18:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
REST.
160
California Jack's
161
California Jack's
162
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
DAY 24:
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
MORNING:
recovers and stops panting.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Give the dog his full body massage and
with 1-cup bottled water.
talk to him.
talk to him.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
and record how he acts and feels in your
Daily Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
REST.
DAY 27:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
5 Sets (or 35 min. total all-out).
HANDWALK - 30 min.
DAY 25:
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
MORNING:
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
with 1-cup bottled water.
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
EVENING:
talk to him.
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in DAY 28:
Journal.
MORNING:
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
Give the dog his full body massage and
with 1-cup bottled water.
talk to him.
REST.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
DAY 26:
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
MORNING:
Journal.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
with 1-cup bottled water.
and record how he acts and feels in your
Daily Journal.
EVENING:
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Give the dog his full body massage and
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
talk to him.
Journal.
REST.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
5 Sets (or 35 min. total all-out).
California Jack's
163
DAY 29:
EVENING:
MORNING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
empties.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
EVENING:
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
and record how he acts and feels in your
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Daily Journal.
Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
TREADMILL - All-out running until Give the dog his full body massage and
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
talk to him.
6 Sets (or 40 min. total all-out).
REST.
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal. DAY 32:
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely MORNING:
recovers and stops panting.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
Give the dog his full body massage and
with 1-cup bottled water.
talk to him.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
~ GET ANOTHER CBC BLOOD
empties.
PROFILE ~
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
DAY 30:
Give the dog his full body massage and
MORNING:
talk to him.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements REST.
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
6 Sets (or 40 min. total all-out).
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
DAY 33:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
6 Sets (or 40 min. total all-out).
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
DAY 31:
recovers and stops panting.
MORNING:
Give the dog his full body massage and
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
talk to him.
with 1-cup bottled water.
California Jack's
164
California Jack's
165
California Jack's
166
DAY 47:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
DAY 45:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
with 1-cup bottled water.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
EVENING:
8 Sets (or 50 min. total all-out).
Put dog on new chain space until he
HANDWALK - 30 min.
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Journal.
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
and record how he acts and feels in your
Give the dog his full body massage and
Daily Journal.
talk to him.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
DAY 48:
REST.
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
DAY 46:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
with 1-cup bottled water.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
empties.
8 Sets (or 50 min. total all-out).
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Journal.
California Jack's
167
DAY 51:
MORNING:
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements
with 1-cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
8 Sets (or 50 min. total all-out).
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
and record how he acts and feels in your
Daily Journal.
Feed dog 1 hour later.
DAY 52:
Give the dog his full body massage and MORNING:
talk to him.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Suppements
REST.
with 1 cup bottled water.
EVENING:
DAY 50:
Put dog on new chain space until he
MORNING:
empties.
Feed the Vertex and Indicated Supplements Weigh dog and jot down weight in
with 1-cup bottled water.
Journal.
Give raw Shank Bone until time to feed
EVENING:
and record how he acts and feels in your
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Daily Journal.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in Feed dog 1 hour later.
Journal.
Give the dog his full body massage and
TREADMILL - All-out running until
talk to him.
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again. REST.
8 Sets (or 50 min. total all-out).
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Give Kong Ball until time to feed and
~ SWITCH FROM VERTEX TO
record all activities in your Daily Journal.
POWER CHOW ~
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and
SWITCH FROM NATURES
talk to him.
VARIETY BEEF TO THE NATURES
VARIETY **CHICKEN**
California Jack's
168
DAY 56:
MORNING:
Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
EVENING:
Put dog on new chain space until he
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
*** NO Shank Bone ***
DAY 54:
Feed dog 1 hour later.
MORNING:
Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
REST.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in DAY 57:
MORNING:
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
9 Sets (or 55 min. total all-out).
EVENING:
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
*** NO Kong Ball ***
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
recovers and stops panting.
Give the dog his full body massage and TREADMILL - All-out running until
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
talk to him.
3 Sets (or 15 min. total all-out).
HANDWALK - 30 min.
*** NO Kong Ball ***
DAY 55:
Feed 30 minutes after dog completely
MORNING:
recovers and stops panting.
Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated
Give the dog his full body massage and
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
talk to him.
EVENING:
Handwalk 30 min or until empty.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in DAY 58:
MORNING:
Journal.
TREADMILL - All-out running until Feed the POWER CHOW and Indicated
Sup-plements with 1 cup bottled water.
failure ... then recover ... then all-out again.
3 Sets (or 15 min. total all-out).
EVENING:
HANDWALK - 30 min.
Put dog on new chain space until he
*** NO Kong Ball ***
California Jack's
empties.
Weigh dog and jot down weight in
Journal.
*** NO Shank Bone ***
Feed dog 1 hour later.
Give the dog his full body massage and
talk to him.
REST.
169
California Jack's
170
California Jack's
THE
AFTERMATH
~
Field Care
(Treating a Wounded Dog)
171
California Jack's
172
DISCLAIMER
I do not claim to be a veterinarian, and I certainly dont claim to be able to give medical advice. Nor do I claim that
the steps contained in this Field Guide will guarantee that a dog will live through whatever trauma he or she has
suffered, even if these steps are followed exactly. All I claim is that I, and other experienced dogmen, have used these
methods on our own dogs to treat severe trauma in the field and that these methods have worked.
This information is given SOLELY as an alternative for those people who either cannot afford veterinary care for
their dog(s) and/or who do not have access to veterinary facilities. By reading or utilizing this information, the reader
agrees to waive any and all rights, claims, causes of action, or any other allegations of injury, property damage,
and/or emotional distress against California Jack and/or its owner John A. Koerner II, affiliated entities, associates,
partners, etc. (Vise-Grip Kennels, California Jack, etc.) Further, the reader/user of this information agrees to defend,
indemnify, and hold harmless California Jack, etc., against any and all such rights, claims, causes of action, or any
other allegations of injury, property damage, and/or emotional distress against California Jack, etc. The utilizer
of this information agrees to use this information AT HIS OR HER OWN RISK TO HIS OR HER OWN
PUP(S)/DOG(S), with the full and total understanding that the effectiveness of the methods described by this
advertised Reference Guide depends on many factors, including user competence, the condition of the animal, the
availability of ALL the described materials, etc. - which can and will affect a dog profoundly in its ability to survive
trauma. By reading, and/or using the material contained herein, the purchaser, reader, or user of this information fully
understands the above and again agrees to utilize this information AT HIS OR HER OWN RISK TO HIS OR
HER OWN PET.
It is also expressly understood that in no way is the production of this Field Guide an encouragement or support
of any illegal activity - but has merely been created for the benefit of dogs who suffer severe trauma, for whatever
LEGAL reason, as a means of assistance to LIFE and HEALTH, where a party does not have access to veterinary
care. The publisher of this Field Guide soundly denounces any illegal activity and actively encourages the use of a
licensed veterinarian over and above the implementation of any of the described procedures, should an individual
have a severely injured dog. This Reference Guide is nothing but a laymans guide to take care of ones severely
injured dog in the field where veterinary care/advice/literature is often unobtainable.
California Jack's
173
Overview
California Jack's
174
towards others, including their dogs, youll find it lacking when theyre in deep themselves too.
It is true every single time.
OK, enough soap-boxing ... So youve decided to pick up your dog or he just completed a
tough, but successful hunt and hes pretty banged-up, chopped-up, and he needs your care.
You were smart enough to bring all of the appropriate supplies to the hunt ... RIGHT?!? What
are those supplies?, you ask. Okay, fair question, they are:
CHECKLIST
California Jack's
175
can occur from all-out wars. Give one injection IM or SC at 0.25 mg/kg (or 0.5 mg/5 lb).
9. GAUZE AND LEG TAPE.
The tape can be used to secure the Ringers to the leg of the treated dog, as well as securing
splints and braces if any legs are broken. You can get straight medical tape, and also colored,
non-stick, breathable tape. The gauze is used to wrap around any cotton rolls which may have
to be applied to broken bones. The tape goes over the gauze.
10. 2 FULL COTTON R OLLS.
To aid in setting splints and can be used as a leg wrap by itself, secured with the leg tape.
11. 2 ADJUSTABLE SPLINTS.
These should also be fitted for your dogs legs prior to leaving for the hunt. Having splints
there in your medical box will minimize any further and unnecessary trauma from a broken leg,
should your dog suffer one, by securing the limb immediately afterward.
12. SPRAY BOTTLE W/ BETADINE IN IT.
You need to spray this disinfectant directly into the holes suffered by your dog to flush out dirt
and kill toxins, which will cleanse the wounds and prevent infection.
13. SPRAY BOTTLE W/ 1 QUART OF BOTTLED WATER MIXED WITH 25 CC OF NOLVASAN
(CHLORHEXIDINE).
See 12 above. Nolvasan should be used in deep cuts to mucous membrane tissues, rather
than the Betadine. It is gentler on these tissues and it lasts longer too. However, some gram
negative bacteria are resistant to Nolvasan, so its good to have the Betadine on hand as well.
You can also spray this Nolvasan solution into damaged ears too.
14. PREPODYNE SWABS.
Ears can swell and fill with fluid. These swabs (like giant Q-Tips) help by enabling you to
cleanse and remove dirt, pus, and blood crust from the ears, as well as to help with applications
of Betadine, Nolvasan, etc.
15. STAPLE GUN (+ R EMOVERS) AND ALSO CAT GUT SUTURES.
For closing more serious wounds (after treatment of same with Betadine and/or Nolvasan,
etc.). Once you clean cuts out, then you need to staple or suture the big cuts to both prevent
infection and speed up healing. This also reduces scarring. I personally prefer the ease of
staples **Note however: If you have a severed vein or artery, you can use the cat gut suture
to tie off the end of the bleeder to stop the blood from flowing out, so its good to have sutures
on hand, just in case. To stop a completely-severed bleeder, take a length of cat gut suture (and
make sure it IS cat gut, because they eventually dissolve) and then tie a knot withi it right on
the vein, real close to the limb. Then you tie another knot out a little ways from the first knot,
toward the tip of the severed vessel. Then simply push the whole vessel, with two knots tied
on it with the sutures, back into the hole. The vein will eventually rearticulate, but you just
stopped your dog from bleeding to death!
16. BETADINE SURGICAL SCRUB OR NOLVASAN SHAMPOO.
For washing your dog off after the show, cleaning him from head to toe to prevent infection.
(Again, you can substitute a Nolvasalon shampoo for Betadine surgical scrub.)
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YOU
HAVE
NO
BUSINESS
HUNTING WITH A DOG WITHOUT
ALL OF THESE SUPPLIES!!! EVERY
ONE! Keep these supplies in your Jumbo
Vet Box, which is usually a converted fishing
tackle box. To make such a box yourself, just
go to any sporting goods store, or fish & tackle
shop, to get a great big tackle box to store all
of your meds in. Now heres what you do:
Immediately after the hunt, or kennel accident,
get your banged-up dog to a quiet (and warm)
room and get his first clean, dry Blanket over
him. This is to keep his body temperature
level and warm which will help prevent him
from going into shock. Turn on a heater, or
start a fire in the fireplace, bring an Electric
Blanket ... whatever you have to do ... dont let
the dogs body temperature drop, or he will shut
down. (You dont want him too hot, either, but
a little too hot is better than too cold.) Speak
kind words to him in a reassuring voice. He
may not be able to understand your words,
but believe me he understands the emotion
thats behind your words. The power of emotion
and closeness cannot be overstated in your dogs
will to live. Any child feels better if his mother
is close by when he is sick, and any severely
traumatized dog feels better when his owner
is close by reassuring him. It makes a BIG
difference whether your dog is left behind in a
cold crate to sleep in his piss while you go out
and party (dont laugh this has happened more
times than you might think) ... or whether
youre right there petting him and praising
him for the good job he did, or tried to do. His
will to live can very much be dependent on how
much he knows you care.
Immediately after the deal, the first thing to
worry about would be stopping any bleeders
(arteries) from running. If there are no bleeders,
fine. If there are, then apply the Shoestring
tourniquet 2 inches above the wounded limb
fairly snugly (but not too tight, or youll cut
of all the blood supply, which is bad). What
you are trying to do is slow the blood flow, not
cut it off altogether. Slowing the blood allows
for clotting; stopping all blood flow will kill
off the limb. Once you have the tourniquet
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on IV Fluids.
Use Betadine (or Nolvasan) to disinfect the
limb first. In fact, it is a good idea to trim the
fur with hairclippers, so you can see better.
Anyway, carefully cleanse the injection area
(usually the front leg vein, though in some
cases you will use the hind leg vein or
even the jugular in severe cases). This exact
procedure is outlined in the next chapter.
IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO
DO THESE THINGS, THEN BRING
SOMEONE TO THE HUNT WITH
YOU WHO DOES UNTIL YOU
LEARN YOURSELF.
Okay, now while youre running the fluids
into the dog at a good drip rate (having
first made sure that the fluids are BODY
TEMPERATURE and to do this the bag
should have been held by your second, under
his shirt, during the entire hunt to keep it
warm), you inject the Dex (Azium, SoluDelta, or Solu-Medrol) into the 1000 ml bag
of fluids youre running. Which cortico-steroid
you should use, and how much to use, will be
discussed in a few chapters. But running the
these drugs WITH the ringers gets them in
there at a gradual rate, which is critical. Once
the fluids are in place, and the Dex (or similar)
has been added to the fluids, at this point
you give the dog his antibiotic treatment, as
another chapter. If your dog is really bad off,
you can also give him a shot of Banamine
to ease the pain (see the dosage previouslystated).
These basics will stabilize your dog for the ride
home, but if he is really bad off, I would recommend
spending the night right where you are. At least
take him to the nearest cheap motel so you
dont force him to travel with you too far while
in a weakened condition. Whatever the case,
after you have covered these above procedures,
then keep him wrapped and warm in his
blanket, gently put him in his crate, and go
to where youre spending the night (home, the
motel, where you are right there, whatever.) If
you have a truck, do NOT but him in the back
if you dont have a heated shell. Your friends
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IV Fluid Therapy
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I.V. DOSES
over 24 hours.
FLUID R ATES:
40lb dog
50lb dog
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slow constant supply 24 hours a day. Thats Post hunt dose-BOLUS=1000 mls
the way it works in hospitals but they have Maintainence dose-BOLUS = 400 mls every
electronic I.V. pumps. We dont have these 12 hours.
devices, so make the best of it. The more you
practice the better youll get.
NOTE: There is a danger involved with
giving too much fluid too quickly. You can
send your dog into congestive heart failure
and cause pulmonary edema. The easy
explanation of which is, you can give your dog
so much fluids that his lungs will fill with fluid
and he can actually drown. Stick to these doses
I have prescribed here and this will never
happen to your dog.
40-lb dog:
50 lb dog:
30-lb dog:
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S.Q. DOSES
50-lb=600 mls
60-lb=700 mls
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Once the catheter is in place, gently withdraw the needle part, leaving the catheter in the leg. You will
then insert the IV line into the catheter.
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Shock Therapy
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SOLU-DELTA CORTEF:
SOLU-MEDROL:
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needs it.
Dont be too gung-ho with these drugs. If hes
fine and up the next day, then leave him be
and let his immune system work naturaly. If
he is still bad off, then he needs the full dose,
again, once every 24 hours, given IN THE
MORNING. If he doesnt seem responsive
to these drugs after 48 hours, then he needs
a vet. However, if after 48 hours, your dog is
eating, drinking, urinating, and is not anemic,
you can then wean him off the drug (see
below).
Third, if you cannot hit a vein at all, your
best bet is using one of the high-strength
drugs like Solu-delta Cortef. You can give
an intra-muscular injection of about 5 mls in
each leg and give the remaining dose (if any)
under the skin (Sub-Q). This is not practical
with Azuim due to the high volume needed for
effective doses.
Finally, do not just stop cortico-steroid
therapy, if your dog has needed it for a long
time. Now, if you just give one or two doses,
there is no need to wean a dog off these drugs
... however, there IS a need to wean them off
these drugs if youve been using them for
awhile. READ THIS:
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Antibiotic Therapy
Most dogmen, whether active in hunting
dogs or not, will at one time or another need
to use antibiotics on their dogs. There is a lot
of ignorance regarding antibiotic therapy, and
many people use these drugs incorrectly, which
can be worse for a dog than not using them at
all. In the chapter that follows I will attempt
to explain, to the best of my knowledge, the
proper uses and dosages of antibiotics. I
will also list the most effective antibiotics
available as well as which circumstances
require their use and some mistakes that are
commonly made.
Having an extensive supply of antibiotics is
one of the most important factors to success
that a dogman can have on hand at all times
... but having a deep understanding of how to
use these antibiotics is even more important
than just having them, because these drugs
(like anything else that is good in life) can be
misused and abused.
Most people have absolutely no clue as to how
to use antibiotics correctly, and that is simply
because most people are too damned lazy to
crack open a book and read about them. Most
dog owners automatically defer this kind of
education and responsibility to their vet,
but this is a critical error in judgment and
responsibility-shifting. The truth is, your dogs
are your responsibility, not your vets, and if
you want to become any kind of a dogman it
is imperative that you become familiar with
antibiotics, and at least learn the basics
on how to use them. Because the more you
learn about antibiotics, and how to use them
properly, the more you will realize how little
many vets themselves actually know about
antibiotics and how to use them properly.
Therefore, I am going to teach you the basics
of antibiotic therapy ... and, if nothing else,
you can make sure whether your vet is giving
you good advice or not.
CLASSIFICATIONS
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R OUTE OF ADMINISTRATION
= Orally or by mouth.
= Subcutaneous injection.
= Intra-muscular injection.
= Intravenous injection.
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CONVERSIONS
INJECTABLES
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IMPORTANT ANTIBIOTICS
Example VII:
Say your best brood bitch comes out of her
heat cycle, and a week or so later you notice
that she is very groggy. You take her off the
chain and bring her inside for an examination.
Right away you notice a slight discharge from
her vagina that is foul-smelling. Right away
you think, Pyometra!, and at that point you
should automatically reject the thought of
using experimental antibiotics altogether,
and you should realize that pyometra is deadly
serious, and you should reach an immediate
conclusion that your bitch needs to be treated
correctly the first time. There is no room for
messing around with something as serious as
pyometra.
Therefore, you do not just try some
random antibiotic choice for a problem of this
magnitude, but instead you immediately take
your bitch in to your vet, have him take a swab
culture of your bitchs vaginal discharge, and
you have the specimen sent out to a lab for a
full Culture & Sensitivity Test. Again, the
reason is you do not want to play around with
guessing-games on something as serious as a
full uterine infection like pyometra. You want
to identify the offending bacteria, exactly and
immediately, and then you want to blast those
bacteria out with exactly the right antibiotic
choice(es).
In summation, when using antibiotics, if you
stick to Rules #1, #2, and #3, you will be
doing your dogs a great service.
That being said, let me now introduce you to
some important antibiotics you should have
on hand, and I will give explanation for what
TO HAVE
THE BASICS
PENICILLIN G:
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AMOXICILLIN:
STRONGER
FIGHTERS
CEPHALEXIN:
CLAVAMOX:
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ANTIROBE: (Clindamycin)
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BAYTRIL: (Enrofloxacin)
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CHLORAMPHENICOL:
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ANTIROBE / BAYTRIL:
BAYTRIL / CEPHALEXEN:
BAYTRIL / CLAVAMOX:
CLAVAMOX / GENTAMICIN:
CLAVAMOX / METRONIDAZOLE:
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Liquid Measure
Milliliters
(ml = cc)
Teaspoons
Tablespoons
1 ml
1/5th Teaspoon
1/240th Cup
1/30th Ounce
5 ml
1 Teaspoon
1/48th Cup
1/6th Ounce
15 ml
1 Tablespoon
1/16th Cup
1/2 Ounce
30 ml
2 Tablespoons
1/8th Cup
1 Ounce
100 ml
6 Tbsp + 2 Tsp
5/12th Cup
3.4 Ounces
240 ml
16 Tbsp
1 Cup
8 Ounces
480 ml
32 Tbsp
1 Pint
16 Ounces
950 ml
63 Tbsp + 1 Tsp
1 Quart
31.67 Ounces
1000 ml
66 Tbsp + 2 Tsp
1 Liter
33.34 Ounces
3.84 Liters
256 Tbsp
1 Gallon
128 Ounces
Cups, etc
Teaspoons
Tablespoons
Ounces
Milliliters
1/16th Cup
3 Tsp = 1 Tbsp
1/2 Ounce
15 ml
1/8th Cup
2 Tbsp
1 Ounce
30 ml
1/6th Cup
2 Tbsp + 2 Tsp
1.33 Ounce
40 ml
1/4 Cup
4 Tbsp
2 Ounces
60 ml
1/3rd Cup
5 Tbsp + 1 Tsp
2.5 Ounces
80 ml
3/8th Cup
6 Tbsp
3 Ounces
90 ml
1/2 Cup
8 Tbsp
4 Ounces
120 ml
2/3 Cup
10 Tbsp + 2 Tsp
5.5 Ounces
160 ml
3/4 Cup
12 Tbsp
6 Ounces
180 ml
1 Cup
16 Tbsp
8 Ounces
240 ml
2 Cups
1 Pint
16 Ounces
480 ml
2 Pints
1 Quart
32 Ounces
960 ml
4 Quarts
1 Gallon
128 Ounces
3840 ml
1 Milligram
1/1,000,000th
Kilogram
.000035 Ounce
1 Gram
1/1000th Kilogram
.035 Ounce
1000 milligrams
100 Grams
1/10 Kilogram
3.5 Ounces
100,000 milligrams
500 Grams
1/2 Kilogram
1.10 pounds
500,000 milligrams
1000 Grams
1 Kilogram
2.205 pounds
35 Ounces
Dry Measure
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Kidney Failure
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Preserving Gameness
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~ California Jack
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As with any endeavor in life, pups are most of worms in preparation for her task of carrying
successfully raised when one follows a game pups, and she will be in an Above-Ground Pen
plan. That game plan should include the so as to not re-infect herself in the dirty soil.
optimal health of the bitch prior to conception
as well as the optimal health of the pups,
***Tip*** If your bitch has had past problems
both in gestation as well as in whelping. To
with mastitis, then also treat her with
begin with, your bitch should be in decent
Cephalexin, again beginning on the Day 1
shape long before you even breed her. It does
of her heat cycle, and continue Cephalexin
a bitch no good to be fat and un-exercised dog
treatment for the next 10 days. Discontinue
anyway, but this is especially true prior to the
on the 10th day. After you breed her and she
trauma of pregnancy, delivery, and especially
goes through her entire pregnancy, then begin
whelping and raising 6-10 hungry puppies
to treat her again with Trimethoprim-Sulfa
for 6 weeks. Your bitch needs to be in lean,
beginning 3 days before the expected delivery
athletic condition, to be parasite-free, and she
date and continue this treatment for another
needs to beam with good health prior to you
7 days after the birth of the pups as the
expecting her to bear the task of having and
Trimethoprim-Sulfa wont hurt the pups
raising pups for you.
but it will kill off any poisonous bacteria
that might be developing in the mothers
Once you have met your obligations as a
produced milk. Further, if you have coccidia
breeder, in keeping your bitch in this kind of
in your kennel (and most kennels do), the
condition, the first thing you must do is log
Trimethoprim-Sulfa will knock-out the coccidia
down on a calendar the first day she swells
as well. Finally, when the bitch has weaned her
and the first day she bleeds. If you have a
pups, and they are completely off her, give her
computer, Microsoft Excel is your best friend.
10 days worth of Clavamox/Augmentin so as to
Even if you only have a good old-fashioned
prevent any final infection. Remember, this is
paper calendar, keep these records handy
not for every bitch that comes into heat, but
because they will assist you not just in
only for those who get mastitis. You can thank
pinpointing when shes ready on this heat
Mr. Hollingsworth for this tip.
but if you make a habit of logging in this
kind of data, you will quickly see the pattern OK, so youve kept your bitch in perfect
of her heat cycles in general and in this way health, youve wormed her and (if she needed
you can project the expected times she will it) youve prevented the mastitis. The next
come into season for her future breedings as step is targeting the conception date. Simply
well.
put, the best way to do this is to take your
bitch to your vet, this time on Day 5, and
Now then, on the first day when she bleeds have a Progesterone Test performed on your
you need to COMPLETELY worm your bitch to test her cycle. You can also order
bitch. Using the Saving Money tips of the this test yourself from Camelot Farms
next chapter, hit her with Fish Tapes, Safe- (www.camelotfarms.com), called a Date
Guard, and Pamix on Day 1 of her heat cycle To Mate kit, but whether you perform this
(of course, you have to give the Safe-Guard test yourself or not, you begin testing on Day
for 3 consecutive days). You will also want to 5 of her heat cycle, and then you test your
place your bitch in an Above-Ground Pen as bitch every other day until, for sure, you have
depicted in Chapter 1. Then, you repeat this pegged her date of ovulation. You only need to
exact worming procedure on Day 15 of her breed her once (two days after her first day of
heat cycle. This will completely rid your bitch actual ovulation) and you will get pups. Still,
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Pups
Expecting
Mama
ADULT
WO R M I N G
SCHEDULE
2 wks
4 wks
6 wks
8 wks
Jan.
Feb.
* Ivomec
*Pyrantel
March
(Loaded Regimen 2)
April
* Ivomec
*Piperazine
May
16 wks
2 wks
6 wks
June
* Ivomec
*Pyrantel
* Panacur
* Droncit
July
August
* Ivomec
*Piperazine
Sept.
Oct.
* Ivomec
*Pyrantel
Nov.
Dec.
* Ivomec
*Piperazine
* Panacur
* Droncit
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Figure 1
Figure 2
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When you get the feeding tube, the first thing you need to do is measure-off and mark the tube so that you
are sure it will reach the puppys stomach. You do this by laying the puppy on his side and then laying the
catheter on top of him, from the outside, and them you take a measurement as follows:
Figure 3
Take the catheter and lay it on the puppys side, with the feeding-end of the tube even with the pups last rib.
Then, mark-off the spot on the upper-portion of the catheter at the point it is even with the pups nose. The
puppys stomach is located right where the last rib is, so when you mark-off your catheter on the upper portion
like this, you know that it has been measured in such a way that, when you slide the tube down his throat to the
marked-spot on top, you know the feeding-end of the tube is where it should be, which is in the stomach.
The key to tube-feeding your pup is to make sure the you can just go to the local pet store and purchase
tube is placed all the way down into the stomach. Esbilac milk replacer as your formula, and then
You need to make sure that it is neither placed too all you do is follow the instructions on the label as
shallow into the pup (which will cause his lungs to to how much to feed. Typically, this is around 30
fill with formula), and also need to make sure that ml A DAY of formula for every 4 oz of puppy. This
the tube is not placed too far into his stomach either means that you divide the 30 ml total into six equal
(which can injure him). The way you make sure of parts (or 5 ml) of feed, that you give 6 times a day
these things is to measure-off the length of your (once every 4 hours), again for every 4 oz of puppy.
catheter on the puppys side, whereupon you markoff the catheter at the appropriate point.
This means if your pup weighs 10 oz you need to
(See Figure 3.)
feed him 75 oz formula total, divided into six portions (which is roughly 12 cc of formula fed every 4
Once you have made this notation on the catheter, it hours). In order to get the exact weight of your pup,
is now safe to give him his formula. For convenience, you need to buy a gram/ounce postal scale, which
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220
you can get at Staples or Office Depot. The weight of your pup will tell how much formula to feedHowever, feeding every 4 hours is just for the first week. By the second week, you should be able to feed your
pup less frequently at 4x a day, or every 6 hours. By the third week, you should be able to feed your pup
3x a day, or every 8 hours. The amount to feed stays the same (30 ml A DAY of formula for every 4 oz of
puppy), so you just increase the amount you give per feeding, as the pup grows older and less fragile. If you
have a 12 oz pup that you want to feed 4x a day, you would be feedng him 90 ml of feed total, divided into
four 22.5-ml feedings. As far as how to feed with the tube, see Figure 4.
Figure 4
First, you load your syringe with formula that you have WARMED TO BODY TEMPERATURE. Next, you attach
the catheter to the recepticle of the syringe, and point the syringe upward to MAKE SURE YOU SQUEEZE ALL
OF THE AIR OUT OF *BOTH* THE SYRINGE *AND* THE CATHETER. Then, once all the air is squeezed out, you
lubricate the syringe with some more of the warmed formula, after which you then gently slide the catheter
down the pups throat. Keep feel your way with gentle pressure, trying to gradually slide the syringe down
the passage ... until the mark-off spot on the catheter is even with the pups lips. THIS WILL MEAN THAT
THE FEEDING-END OF THE SYRINGE IS NOW IN THE PUPS TUMMY. From here, you gradually depress the
plunger on the syringe, until the syringe is empty and the measured amount of formula has been administered. From there, you quickly pull the catheter back out of the pups passage so as not to gag him.
Next, after you administer the pups feed, you then want to burp your pup to make sure there is no air in
him. From there, immediately wash-out your syringe and catheter, several times under running tap water,
AND THEN BOIL THESE ITEMS FOR 5 MINUTES. You boil them to make sure that all the residue formula comes
off, which in turn will ensure that there isnt any bacteria growth going on between feedings.
Return to your pup in thirty-minutes to make sure he is not bloated. You can tell if hes bloated as his belly
will be very swollen and uncomfortable. If he is bloated you can use the catheter to run down his throat ...
which will release any trapped gas. This is critical to remember, because this technique can save his life.
You can also give him a few drops of Gas-X to relieve any bloat or gas. In keeping with this, make sure
you do not over-feed your pup. If he still looks full when its time to feed him again, wait awhile. These
intervals are guidleines, not rules. Just make sure you keep him warm and feed him regularly ... and Good
Luck!
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Saving Money!
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EXAMPLES
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tablets ... or ten dogs for $164.95 (which pansout to be $16.50 per dog).
However, when you use my methods and
order the 170 mg Fish Tapes, at $112.95 for 30
tablets, remember that these mega-tabs are
already five-times larger than Droncit, and as
such you only need ONE of them to treat a 50
lb dog. Since there are 30 tabs in a bottle, this
means you could treat those same 10 dogs for
a balance of $37.65 (which pans-out to be a
negligible $3.77 per dog), and youd still have
20 tabs left over. In other words, you can treat
30 dogs for $112.95 using Fish Tapes, whereas
you can only treat 10 dogs for $164.95 buying
Droncit wholesale.
In other words, say you have a kennel of thirty
50-lb dogs. Going to your vet directly, it would
cost you $687.00 to treat your whole kennel for
tapeworm (three $229.00 bottles of Droncit at
retail). And even if you got this product from
the catalogue, with a prescription, it would still
cost you $494.85 (buying three $164.95 bottles
of Droncit at even the wholesale discount).
But when you utilize my methods, your same
kennel of thirty 50-lb dogs would only cost
you $112.95 to tapeworm them all. That is a
total savings of $574 over getting Droncit
directly from a vet; it is a saving of $382.00
over ordering the Droncit wholesale yourself
with a prescription; all this made possible by
simply using my 4-Step Method and ordering
an alternative product (Fish Tapes) instead.
Remember, it is the same active ingredient,
just a different label, and also a vastly
different price J
Example 4) How about heartworms? Most of
the people who have to worry about heartworms
are back east, or down south, but some areas
out west have them too. Heartworms are
a serious problem and can cost us $3.00 per
dog, once every month, every month of a
dogs life IF we use the prescription drug.
So how do we get around this? Again, lets
follow Step 1, identifying the product. Well,
the most common drug used to prevent this
infestation is a product called HEARTGARD.
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PRODUCT
Albon
(Sulfadimethoxine)
Nemex II
(Pyrantel pamoate)
Mitaban
(Amitraz)
HeartGuard
(Ivermectin)
Droncit
(Praziquantel)
Retail
Cost
Wholesale
Cost
MY WAY
30 dogs = $51.60
30 dogs = $2.70
30 dogs = $1.80
30 dogs = $2.40
2 dogs = $29.90
2 dogs = $0.16
30 dogs = $75.00
30 dogs = $1.50
30 dogs = $8.70
*Savings*
(Per month)
Save Up to
$49.80 /month! !
Save Up to
$82.50 /month! !
Save Up to
$89.84 /month! !
Save Up to
$66.30 /month! !
Save Up to
$381.90 /month! !
$670.34
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http://www.thomasveterinarydrug.com/
Their phone number is (800) 359-8387.
Thomas Labs also carries almost any canine
performance supplement you can think of so
you should order their catalogue immediately
as well! Here are some of the common
available antibiotics you can get over the
counter from Thomas Labs, labeled for birds
and fish, and the recommended dosages (give
at your own risk):
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SPRAYS,
SUPPLIES
California Jack's
~ California Jack
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John A. Koerner II
P.O. Box 66
Pleasant View, TN 37146
(615) 336-3208
Form of payment must be either (1) U.S. Postal
Money Order, (2) Western Union Wire Transfer /
MoneyGram, or (3) Cash. No other forms of payment accepted. Thank you!
If you would like to do yourself, your dogs, and even your friends a favor
and order the back issues of this magazine, here is how to do so:
United States Orders = $60.00
All Others Orders = $75.00
John A. Koerner II
P.O. Box 66
Pleasant View, TN 37146
(615) 336-3208
Form of payment must be either (1) U.S. Postal Money Order, (2)
Western Union Wire Transfer, or (3) Cash. No other forms of payment
accepted. Thank you for ordering!
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