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What does it mean to exhibit elephant paintings and elephant figurines within your home? The symbolism the elephant projects is one that not a lot of people really know about. Being the hugest earth-bound animal on Earth, the elephant stands for 4 extremely significant behaviors.

Strength and Power: Okay. This fact is rather transparent. Lions and tigers are even frightened of elephants due to their sheer potency and might. Before there was the bull dozer, there was the elephant.

Perseverance: Who wants to be associated with a quitter? Not many. Perhaps its obstinacy or trust, but the elephant is remarkably tenacious equated to many other animals. During their annual desert migration, elephants must endure through high temperatures and carnivore onrushes to uncover water for themselves as well as their children. I like to utilize a rustic water source, like a copper fountain, on or close to elephant artwork to render a combination of yin and yang with the artistry.

Patience / Wisdom: Strength is all around us all the time. So is intelligence. But strength and smarts are a remarkable duo encountered in elephants. The elephant is sapient enough to see and utilize the many dimensions needed in group dynamics and relationships.

Dignity: Unlike the ostrich or the gopher, the elephant cannot bury itself in the earth at the times it prefers not to be looked at. It was established by God to be tremendous, and “out there” for everyone to lay eyes upon and enjoy. Elephants will not tip-toe about the jungle or be quiet due to the fact that they don’t want to hurt other lesser animals. And that is why civilizations, the world over, observe the elephant as one of the most magnificent and dignified beasts around.

Can you think of another creature, on any continent, that better represents the four traits of Self-respect, Wisdom, Persistence, and Strength? Even you can harness these powers, even if only in reduced sums, by displaying artwork or images of elephants in your surroundings.

I’m pretty convinced although hog roasts have been around for almost a thousand years they are at their most popular right now.One of the most brilliant and amazing things anyone could do in medieval times was to roast a whole hog to serve up at a special banquet. Only a select few got to experience a hog roast, as it was only the really rich and important who could afford to host a hog roast.But now in 2009 hog roasts are even more fashionable then they were back in the medieval times and anyone can now experience them. There is no easier way of feeding many greedy people then having a hog roast at your event, so when you are next holding a vast party you should consider it as a possibilityThere is very little difference from the method used almost a thousand years ago and the one applied today. Using a gas cooker and a mechanism to turn the spit instead of a fire pit and a manual spit turning system, these are the small difference between the two methods.Still both methods develop the same results, a beautifully roasted hog, dripping with flavour and covered in golden brown crackling, a sight which few men or women can withstand. So whether you’re throwing a medieval themed feast or just having a birthday party remember to keep hog roasts in mind as it will turn your event into a day that no one will get in a hurry.

Just as you would give a loved one a jeweled necklace, you can give your dog one too. There are jeweled collars, harnesses, hairpins, and necklaces, and jeweled dog tags. Accent your dog with that feminine touch, masculine, or just doglike piece of jewelry. They come in the shapes of hearts, fire hydrants, crosses, pirate flags, sports team logos, anagrams with your dog’s initials, and more.

Every kind of jewel you can name can be incorporated into the design of your dog tag jewelry. Jet onyx, ruby, gold topaz, Swarovsky crystals, rhinestone, silver, gold, diamond, gemstones, birthstones - these are just some of the jewels that can be hung, studded, or otherwise attached to your dog tag.

Dog tag jewelry ranges in price from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. You can buy dog tag jewelry as is, or you can customize it to fit your exact taste.

You can get jewelry for a dog tag necklace, or you can buy the necklace as is. Some dog tag necklace jewelry is permanently attached, whereas others are customizable according to whim, like a charm necklace. With a charm-type dog necklace, you can suspend any number of dog tags for your little guy to wear. Bringing your dog with you to the park? Try a rhinestone pendant. Will your dog accompany you to the latest fashion party? Try a pearl necklace. The combinations are endless.

Some manufacturers even do customizable anagrams or laser-etched photos on dog tags. Order your dog’s initials to be cast in a gold topaz pattern with sterling silver accents, if you like. Or send the manufacturer a treasured photograph of you and your dog together; they’ll put it on your steel or silver dog tag for you for a few hundred dollars.

Yes, its cold outside, but don’t stop your dog’s agility training. Depending on where you live, there might be snow on the ground from November through March, but thats no reason to give up your agility training. Bring your training indoors, right at your own home.

Get creative with your training locations. Do you have a hallway, basement, or garage? Then you have a place to train! Before it snows and your equipment is frozen to the ground, store some in your garage, shed, basement, or put a tarp over it. Bring in one piece of equipment at a time, and begin your indoor training.

We do a lot of indoor training with a Pause Table. In fact, we keep one in our living room for both obedience training and agility training all the time. The Pause Table is a great obstacle for developing your obedience behaviors and teaching agility directional commands

Don’t forget to work on your contacts. It’s easy by having a Contact Trainer indoors. A 3-Piece Contact Trainer offers you versatility; you have an A-frame side, the Pause Table, and a Dog-walk plank. Practicing your two feet on and two feet off is convenient and quick when you have indoor contacts, only a few minutes a day to steady your dog’s behavior.

Indoor jumping must be approached carefully. If you don’t have indoor matting, don’t jump. You don’t want your dog jumping on concrete or wood floors. But you can use the uprights or posts to practice your handling. Use your Sit-stay or Down-stay and practice your lines or dogs path with no jump bars.

Weaves can be practice indoors. Are you training with a weave-chute or straight line weaves? Five minutes a day of weave training through out the winter will have your dog weaving smoothly by springtime. You can practice weave entries and weave sends or weave recalls.

There is also a variety of mini agility equipment that can be purchased, and don’t require the same space as standard equipment. There are mini-teeters, mini-dog walks, and mini-A-frames. These are great obstacles for puppy training or indoor winter training.

So, during the cold winter months, don’t give up on your agility training. Whether you are starting a young pup, working a novice dog, or an experienced titled dog there is always something that you can do indoors with your agility training.

Brad Carlson is a dog trainer at Agility by Carlson. For more training details, visit our website at www.carlson-agility.com/

There is evidence that Maltese type dogs were present in China
as early as 8000 B.C. Maltese are white. It is very likely these
white Maltese type dogs were interbred in Tibet with Tibetan
Terriers to produce the Lhasa Apso type temple dogs. Those
presented by wandering Lamas were likely bred with the existing
Pekingese type dogs. A few paintings and art objects dating back
to the seventh century depict dogs resembling the Shih Tzu. Some
of our white Shih Tzu today probably is a result of these early
breedings with the Maltese. I have one solid white female who
does look a lot Maltese, however, he pedigree shows only Shih
Tzu ancestors.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) the Shih Tzu type dog was a
cherished pet - highly favored by the royal family. A cult-like
worship for the Shih Tzu developed at this period. Eunuchs were
charged with duties of breeding and rearing the beautiful Shih
Tzu royal pets. Competition among the eunuchs to gain royal
favor became fierce, as each tried to breed the best Shih Tzu,
most lion like, and most ferocious looking specimens of Shih Tzu.

Surgery was used to shorten noses of the Shih Tzu. Women who
bore female offspring were used to nurse Shih Tzu puppies after
their babies were murdered mercilessly so as not to disrupt an
abundantly even flow of milk from human nurses to nursing Shih
Tzu puppies.

The Ming Dynasty was marked by the development of the arts,
especially in porcelain, textiles, and painting. Sculptures,
wall-hangings and paintings from this time period depict dogs
resembling the Shih Tzu.

The Manchu Dynasty extended from 1644 to 1912. Throughout this
period, tribute gifts of pairs of Shih Tzu and Lhasa Apso were
sent to Chinese rules from the Potala Palace.

Through the first two centuries of the Manchu Dynasty, the Shih
Tzu and the Lhasa Apso were more similar than they are today.
But it probably has been only in the last hunred or hundred
fifty years that specialized breeding programs in the Forbidden
City and in the West established uniformity in conformation to
really distinguish between the two breeds of the Lhasa Apso and
the Shih Tzu.

The Shih Tzu went through several stages while its breeding was
confined to the palaces of the Chinese Emperors. For centuries
the royal family included a very large number of sub-royalty and
servants. They traveled from their summer courts to their winter
quarters in procession - complete with household and personal
possessions, which of course included their Shih Tzu and other
pets. The description of this massive semiannual exodus along
with their Shih Tzu was one reminiscent of a very large circus
parade.

The Shih Tzu came into its heyday as the pampered darling of the
Chinese Imperial Palaces during the reign of the last Empress,
who came into power in 1861 and continued as Empress until her
death in 1908.

In her youth she was known to her family as Orchid, of the
Yehonala family. She was Manchu, not Chinese, background and was
of humble origin. At 17 years of age she became the beautiful
concubine of the Emperor in the Forbidden City. She rose to
power as a brilliant strategist and was the mother of the
Emperor’s first-born son. In later years she was known as the
earthly embodiment of the Goddess of Mercy. This great
personality was the patroness of the Palace Dog - the Shih Tzu.