About Nature's Way Carolina Dogs

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Seymour, Tennessee, United States
Welcome to my site about my Naturally Reared Carolina Dogs! Carolina Dogs are a relatively new, rare breed recognized by the UKC, AKC-FSS & ARBA, and are quite possibly America's own indigenous wild dog. CDs make wonderful companions, athletes, hunters, and bedwarmers! Natural Rearing is the philosophy wherein we raise our dogs and puppies by following the 8 Laws of Health, employing Biologically Appropriate Raw Food and no toxic chemicals on, in or around our dogs. We have found this way of life fosters balance, health and longevity in our beloved companions. For our puppies, we welcome homes that have a very similar philosophy about dog rearing, or wish to learn. Check us out, follow us and share us in other places!!! YouTube@ Susan NaturesWayCarolina Dogs NaturesWayPets and FaceBook @ https://www.facebook.com/mycarolinadog on Twitter @https://twitter.com/NaturesWayCDs Thank you so much for visiting our site, feel free to leave us a comment or send us an email! susanlewelling@yahoo.com

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Is a Carolina Dog Right for you? Some tips about Carolina Dogs


As with ANY breed, you should always do your due diligence & research BEFORE you get a dog, whether a purebred puppy or a rescue. 
You should read the Breed Standard, know what a dog is generally used for, check out breed enthusiast's websites & breed specific FaceBook pages and talk to some people that own that breed. 
Know what to expect regarding energy level, friendliness, instincts, etc. Pay special attention to statements beginning with such as "if" or "as long as" this will tip you off to what you should expect to have to do in order to take care of & properly train your Carolina Dog. 
The Carolina Dog is a rare breed dog of the Pariah and Sighthounds Group (UKC)
As a recently discovered breed of dog, even the registered dogs are relatively close to their wild roots. 
There are several traits that require special consideration when training and living with a Carolina Dog, such as; shyness around strangers, aloofness, private about doing things such as going potty or eating, extremely strong prey drive, fear of being choked/constrained, strong pack mentality, either very dominant or very submissive, digging small muzzle sized holes, to name a few! Keep in mind these dogs are rare and special and their unique survival traits are what has kept them around this long. We want to work with or around those traits and not try (unsuccessfully) to change what is so special about our beloved Carolina Dogs! 
Sadly though, there are many Carolina Dogs who have ended up in an Animal Shelter or just thrown out because the owner didnt realize exactly what he/she was getting into and training or socialization became a nightmare. 
If you are aware of and willing to work with your Carolina Dog, you will have a unique best friend and close companion for many years to come:)- 
*The Carolina Dog is naturally suspicious of strangers. Around those it knows, it is quiet, reserved, somewhat aloof, yet affectionate on it's own terms. Carolina Dogs have been known to be more suspicious of men and people wearing strange clothing, such as sunglasses, hats, large flapping clothes, and people carrying things.   
*As with any breed, Carolina Dogs should be introduced to strange children in a controlled, monitored setting to ensure a pleasurable experience for all parties involved.
*They tend to be easily housebroken (with proper training), easily crate trained, and are not destructive in the home, as long as they are kept mentally stimulated with toys, training, and lots of attention.
*Carolina Dog pups tend to see older dogs as "alpha" (superior) dogs and will act submissive and defer to them. If your new Carolina Dog is a juvenile or adult, and you already have other dogs(no matter what breed, although more-so with other Carolina Dogs) you may hear many new sounds that you have never heard from a dog before, growls of different pitches, whines, whimpers, barks, "talking" and some noises with no name! Do not be alarmed and jerk the dogs apart unless one (probably not the Carolina Dog) becomes overly aggressive. The new dog has to establish his/her place in your "pack". Introductions with other dogs are best done with a calm yet brisk pack walk. 
* They are good with cats if introduced when they are young. Getting along with other pets (snakes, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, etc.) depends on the individual dog and the care given in training the pup to accept these pets as part of the "family pack."
*They are not likely to try to dig out or jump over a fence, as long as they are happy and stimulated inside their enclosure. They are not as inclined as many other primitive type dogs to escape or "be free", but do have a strong hunting instinct, and should not be allowed to roam free in an unfenced yard. Many people have a great time hiking with their Carolina Dogs off leash, as the CD will not stray far from their "pack", with proper recall training of course. 
* Carolina Dogs have a strong Prey drive, so socialization and training is a must, especially recall and leave it/drop it commands.
*CDs in the wild have been said to be organized in a 'bitch pack' meaning the Alpha Bitch (breeding age female) runs everything. They bond quickly with their human "pack" and love to be included in all family activities.
* It is important that someone (you) be the Alpha in the pack (i dont mean you have to beat up your dog, just be the Pack Leader) this will make training easier and control of your CD & its actions easier if it is looking to you as the Leader in every situation.
* You must diligently and patiently work with your Carolina Dog during training and socialization, Do not try to force it into doing something it does not understand, or is fearful of, or quirky about!!!! Whether you get a Carolina Dog from an animal shelter, or from a breeder, no matter what age, do not be upset it takes a few days for your new Carolina Dog to warm up to you and become bonded and trusting.  
* Do not be hurt or offended if you Carolina Dog does not want to be a snugly lap dog all the time. You will find your CD is very perceptive of your moods and he/she will be close to you when you truly need it. Many CDs, including my own, have been able to sense medical problems.  

(excerpts copied from several sources, including www.carolinadogs.org & www.carolinadogs.com) 

26 comments:

  1. I have a 3 year old Carolina bitch that I got from the local Animal Shelter. Your assessment of their temperament is right on; at least as far as she goes. I would add, she was difficult to train at first, and wanted to be pack leader. It took a lot of calm assertiveness ( never physical discipline, she will not react to that) Just repetition and stability on my part, to finally convince her, I was the "alpha" male. I've done my best to socialize her, but still, she is leery around strangers (especially men) and extra wary around people on bikes, or wearing sun glasses or carrying something. She almost never barks, unless excited when playing. When scared, or protective, she growls and makes a strange noise, but doesn't bark. When she meets another dog, she immediately attempts to dominated them, which has started a few fights. One thing I realized, if she fights, it is to the death, there is no backing off, until I interviene. She is a healthy, beautiful dog, also surprisingly strong for her size. They are a unique breed. Graceful, athletic and energetic as needed. When I'm out and about, she is too. When I'm doing something strenuous she is right there with me...But, when I'm being a couch potato, she has no problem quietly laying around all day as well. She seems unafraid of water, swims well, she has no fear of heights, and no problem with snow. She also does fine in the summer (I live in Phoenix so it's hot) if you have the chance to own one, do so....Just be ready for some work. They are not "lap dogs" and have a lot of wild still in them.

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    1. Their are Carolina dog mix puppy at an adoption site. I've been reading about them and since you own one can you tell me if they are good with kids. I have 4 boys age 15 10 5 and 3.

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    2. In my experience with Carolina Dogs, they are very good with Children, especially with children they are raised with and children they have known from infanthood. They should be introduced to new children correctly, children should know the rules for interacting with dogs, and are gentle with the dog/puppy. Always allow a CD to meet people on their own terms, never force them to interact with strange people, especially children. A pack walk is a great way to introduce a new CD to people and pets. This fosters a sense of being a "pack" before any petting. Always supervise any dog with small children.

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  2. I had a carolina dog till she died recently at 15 years old. I loved the wild in her. She was not cuddly but had a strong loyalty and psychic connection with me at all times. She was strong, beautiful and in her younger years, a real hunter of woodchuck etc
    She was the best dog I ever had. Do not assume cause carolina's are a little aloof that they do not have deep feelings. And they LOVE to be with you and sense every mood in those they love.

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  3. I just found my Carolina dog about 5 months ago, someone had thrown her in a ditch near my house when she was only 4 weeks old. I had NO idea what I was getting into when I got her but I'm sure glad I did. She is extremely mischievious, but very affectionate. She also tends to just cowl and hide and/or roll over when meeting any new dog or person. Her attention span is about 5 minutes long so keeping her busy is always a chore. But all in all, she's really turned into one of the family. I'm so glad we found her that day when she lived in the drainage ditch.

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    1. That is awful that someone would throw a tiny defenseless puppy out into a ditch like that. How wonderful for that pup, that it landed just where it did, so that you would find it and give it a forever home! If it is a Carolina Dog you have a treasure beyond imagining, as they are wonderful companions. The growing up years are trying sometimes, but jusat remember that Carolina Dogs are very smart and are made by nature to be able to survive so your pup will need to get lots of exersize(more than a romp in the yard), Like miles every day, as well as some brainwork(brain games, tracking, hide & seek, obedience, etc). Another thing is to remember to be a calm, confident assertive pack leader, but not to be too heavy handed. Good luck with your pup! We have a great facebook page you should join if you are on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/groups/ORCDT/

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  4. I am reading... alot. There is a CD at the local shelter, 1 yr old F.. What is considered "young" ?... I am asking because all I see in reading is the word "young".... Is 1 yr old CD young enough to be intro'ed to cats ? Last year I adopted what was labeled as a 1 yr old Shepard mix, but after getting him home and much research, he is a Ro ridgeback. Can a 1 yr old CD be brought into this pack with 2 old barn cats, horses, an older cairn terrier and a 2 yr old Ro Ridgeback ? The ridgeback plays tug, balls, hide/seek, and RUNS. (we have 1 acre fenced yard/barn) Will a CD make a good play buddy ? Will they play with ropes, balls, sticks? I am very active with my dogs.... Any info will help.... thanks!

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    1. CDs are not like Labradors, Goldens, etc, friendly happy go lucky. Not that CDs are not friendly, but they are very sensitive to the energies of other guys. I would advise taking your other dog to the shelter to meet this dog before adopting. As for introducing a cat, it will depend on how much of a pack leader you are, the dog's responsiveness to you & the dog's previous experiences with cats. With work & proper leadership & introduction it can be accomplished.

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  5. Thanks for your reply. I am still considering her, after what I went through with this "hound" ( Ro Ridgeback) last year after adopting him. I do not give up. He taught me alot of patience, as he was not a trusting dog...( he had been through "bad times" as the shelter told me) .... 1 yr later he has become a very good dog with persistence, patience and biscuits! Yes, I do believe in taking the time, that is why I started looking for a buddy for him. I will leave a comment if I do decide to adopt the CD. Thanks again!

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  6. Hi there! I'm not from USA, and I'm trying to speak a decent English, so, you can have some dificulties to understand what's I'm talking..... I recently felt in love with the KBD (Kintamani Bali Dog), who's a Balinese dog breed and I can see some similarities with the dd (Dizie dingo).... The Dd (Dizie dingo) is a beautiful dog, I think :) but he's so rare

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    1. Kbd is also a pariah breed. And your English is quite easy to understand!

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  7. I can't find any breeder of dd (Dizie ding0) here on my country (I'm NOT from USA or North America.... I'm from a country in central America), and I recently became curious about dd (Dizie dingo), so, I'm starting to think this's a very rare breed outside USA. It's true? If yes, why?

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  8. The country who I talked is panama. I'm Panamanian and I can't find any dd (Dizie dingO) breeder here.... I'm starting to think this breed's very rare outside USA. It's true? If yes, why?

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    1. Yes you are correct. The Carolina Dog is a rare breed & very few are iutside the USA. You may want to look into the Carib Tyke breed they are similar to the Carolina Dog (not the same though) and are found in South America.
      http://wolfpackcaribtykes.blogspot.com/?m=1

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  9. Oh, thanks, my dear! It helped me a lot! And I'm a dog-a-holic and I NEVER heard anything abouth this breed who you're talking about! I like pariah dog breeds, such as Dizie dingo. And I liked this breed who you talked.

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  10. I liked Carib Tyke, but I still prefer Dizie dingo. Maybe because they're most elegant, maybe because they look like a Australian dingo... So, I bought a WGSD (White German Shepherd Dog), who look like these white Dizie dingoes of the photo. And, you can leave some of your dogs to Brazil and Panama, plz? The South America NEED to know the American most rare and beautiful jewel: the Dizie dingo. :) it'll be a good idea, of course. Can impulse the fame of this breed around Central and South America.

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    1. Dizie would be a cool name for a CD.

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  11. We have a male Carolina Dog, Duke, that we fostered and then fell in love with and adopted. It took a week for him to adjust, but when he did, we found him to be one of the most affectionate dogs we've had. A big baby at heart (he has a blanket he drags around with him and brings it to bed with him at night). Very loyal. We have three children and another dog, Daphne. He did immediately assert himself as the alpha over her, but treats me like I am the alpha, which surprised me so I am glad to finally read that it is because they are usually organized into a "bitch pack". With the kids, he plays a lot with them, but gives the warning you'd expect if they do something he doesn't like and then for the most part will walk away from them. I do have one concern though and was hoping to get some advice about it. He has always been very territorial over his food. We just feed him separately from our other dog. At first, he was even aggressive if we got near him when he ate, but seemed to get over it after trust was developed. Just recently he started getting aggressive again and not just with food. I know there were some issues with his former owners, but I thought after almost two years, he would be comfortable with us. Today, Duke jumped up on the counter and started eating food we had on there. My kids tried to get him down and he bit my three year old. Almost broke the skin on his arm. He hasn't done anything like this before. And, I've noticed he is starting to get very angry with me too. Is this something they go through? Our bully went through an adolescent stage so maybe he is going through something like that. Do they need something in their diet that is different than other dogs? He is part of our family, but I can't have him biting my children. I'm hoping to come up with a solution so he gets back to being our loving Duke.

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    1. I assuming you feed him kibble? I dont recommend kibble. IME, a raw diet is best you can find more about this on my consulting website www.natureswaypets.com
      As to the food aggression i recommend that dogs need to "work" for their food. In the wild they would work by hunting & foraging for food, sometimes traveling many miles to find a meal. This can be as simple as doing "tricks" or obedience commands, such as sit, down, stay, wait, etc before eating. Also exersize is key, to keeping a CD calm & balanced. Another thing you can do is hand feed your dog, a handful at a time, working for each one, with focus on staying calm before being allowed to eat. A leash on during mealtime may help you stay in control. Basic obedience training will help with the counter surfing. A book (Brainwork for Smart Dogs) & website I recommend for CD owners is http://k9joy.com/
      If these things done consistently do not help You may want to consider a trainer. Please dont give up on your CD for these issues! Good luck.
      -Susan

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    2. I assuming you feed him kibble? I dont recommend kibble. IME, a raw diet is best you can find more about this on my consulting website www.natureswaypets.com
      As to the food aggression i recommend that dogs need to "work" for their food. In the wild they would work by hunting & foraging for food, sometimes traveling many miles to find a meal. This can be as simple as doing "tricks" or obedience commands, such as sit, down, stay, wait, etc before eating. Also exersize is key, to keeping a CD calm & balanced. Another thing you can do is hand feed your dog, a handful at a time, working for each one, with focus on staying calm before being allowed to eat. A leash on during mealtime may help you stay in control. Basic obedience training will help with the counter surfing. A book (Brainwork for Smart Dogs) & website I recommend for CD owners is http://k9joy.com/
      If these things done consistently do not help You may want to consider a trainer. Please dont give up on your CD for these issues! Good luck.
      -Susan

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    3. I assuming you feed him kibble? I dont recommend kibble. IME, a raw diet is best you can find more about this on my consulting website www.natureswaypets.com
      As to the food aggression i recommend that dogs need to "work" for their food. In the wild they would work by hunting & foraging for food, sometimes traveling many miles to find a meal. This can be as simple as doing "tricks" or obedience commands, such as sit, down, stay, wait, etc before eating. Also exersize is key, to keeping a CD calm & balanced. Another thing you can do is hand feed your dog, a handful at a time, working for each one, with focus on staying calm before being allowed to eat. A leash on during mealtime may help you stay in control. Basic obedience training will help with the counter surfing. A book (Brainwork for Smart Dogs) & website I recommend for CD owners is http://k9joy.com/
      If these things done consistently do not help You may want to consider a trainer. Please dont give up on your CD for these issues! Good luck.
      -Susan

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    4. Thank you so much!!! We are going to go ahead and start all of what you've recommended. We do love him. He is my baby.

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  12. Hi! I'm Brazilian but I recently felt in love with CDs (Carolina Dogs), but they're very rare outside USA :( so, I'll never found one at my country. I like so much Australian dingoes and I saw some dogs SIMILAR to ADs (Australian Dingoes) and CDs (Carolina Dog), but they was simply stray dogs. There's any UNIVERSAL purebred dog who's SIMILAR to CD (Carolina Dog)?

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    1. COs dingo Canaan etc devolve to that look as they breed on the wild. Look it up. I suspect those strays you see are another branch of pariah dog. They have evolved in almost every continent and their looks and behavior are almost identical. Strange evolutionary stuff!

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  13. My Bailey that I actually rescued off the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere dying at 5 weeks with my sister in law. She took her to the vet and saved her... but after my beginning training they just chained her up and she would just keep escaping and killing animals. My golden died and they asked if I would take her back and I did that day. Now my Bailey lives happily unchained and wants to play instead of escaping from their place. And instead of hunting cats and skunks and squirrels she started playing with my ferret. She's grown so much. Takes alot of training specially from a bad born family but she's amazing. I can take in the trash as she follows me instead of her running away. They are a beautiful breed for there right people.

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  14. We found a CD while atv,ing in southern utah.truely wild and culled from the pack..she was half dead and would not have survived another night....my wife nursed her back to health and after several months of travelling thru s utah and n arizona we got her a clean bill of health from a vet in courdelaine idaho and bought her home to the okanagan vally in B.C.she has been a part of our family for 5 years now and not a day goes by that we dont realize what an amazing litte dog she is

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