The February issue of
Dogs Monthly goes
on sale 6 January.
Inside you’ll find…

Guarding breeds Heed our top trainer’s wise words on these charismatic, but  complex, canines.  
Feeding reward systems 
Why they work so well – and fast – for problem behaviours.  
Long-term medication Making the right treatment choices for your pet.  
Create a dog-friendly garden Top species to plant – 
and ones to avoid.  
Dangers in the garden Expert vet help on the symptoms and treatment of plant poisoning.  
Training masterclass Teaching boundaries and
toilet training.  
Tail docking Five years since the ban, the controversy continues…  
Breed focus All about the Australian Cattle Dog.  
Research Can just walking a dog improve human health?  
Health problems in young dogs Vet advice for the canine ‘teenage years’.  
Alternative feeding All about prescription foods and home-prepared diets.  
Training case study Getting to grips with the tricky problem of recall.  
Focus on neutering Vet advice on the pros & cons.  
Scent work How to harness your dog’s sense of smell.  
Trail hounds Doggy days out in Yorkshire.  
Waste disposal The health and social consequences of not ‘bagging and binning’.  
In the dock with your dog The law relating to dangerous dogs.  
Defying the odds Meet three dogs who came back from the brink.  
Real homes for real friends Heartwarming rehoming stories.  
Canine crafts Dog-themed Valentine cards step-by-step. 
K9 Queries All answered by experts in their field on: care, health, training, legal, insurance, grooming, breeding & puppy care, behaviour, feeding and veterinary.
PLUS Many more entertaining and informative articles on all things dog!

Do you own a sociable, playful Dachshund? Do you live within easy reach of Birmingham? If so Fierce Festival, Birmingham’s festival of live art and performance, would like to hear from you. It’s aiming to recruit 60 local Dachshunds to participate in a piece of live art called ‘Dachshund UN’ that will take place in central Birmingham during the festival, which runs from 29 March to 8 April 2012. The fun (and often chaotic) art installation, by Australian artist Bennett Miller, was first performed in Melbourne in 2010 – to see a video go to http://tinyurl.com/DachshundFierce 
     Dachshund owners who want to find out more about taking part in the Birmingham project should email dachshund@wearefierce.org

Do you know a devoted veterinary nurse, virtuous vet or just a dog-lover who has gone that extra mile to improve companion animal welfare and deserves recognition for their hard work? If so, you could nominate them for the Ceva Awards for Animal Welfare, organised by Ceva Animal Health UK, manufacturer of Adaptil.  
     There are three categories – Vet of the Year Award, Welfare Nurse of the Year and the Pet Lovers’ Welfare Award, which is open to all individuals involved in the care of animals, whether that’s at a vet practice, animal rescue, charity or other welfare organisation.   
     When sending in your nominations give full details of why your nominee deserves to win. Judging will be based on support materials provided (such as case studies, examples and photos), so the more information you send with your entry, the better the chances of them winning.   
     Anyone can nominate somebody and all those who do will be entered into a prize draw to win £250 of high street vouchers. The deadline for nominations is 27 January 2012 and the awards ceremony will take place in April.  
     For more information, call Ceva Animal Health on 01494 781510, email welfare.awards@ceva.com or download a nomination form from www.ceva.co.uk

The charity Canine Partners is appealing for individuals and businesses to collect used postage stamps which can be turned into much-needed funds to support its work. The monies raised will go towards training more canine partners for people with disabilities – just £5,000 raised will cover the cost of a puppy’s first year of training. 
     All kinds of stamps are welcome, on or off envelopes. You need to leave no more than a 5mm single thickness border around them, and the perforations should not be damaged. Commemorative or special stamps should be packaged separately.  
     You can either drop off your stamps at one of the charity’s 12 puppy satellite centres in England
and Scotland (visit www.caninepartners.org.uk
for locations), or post them to:
Canine Partners Stamp Appeal, PO Box 638, Fareham, Hampshire PO14 9JJ
     Please make sure you pay the correct postage when you send them!

The Dogs Monthly editorial office and sales office will be closed from 1pm on Friday 23 December and will reopen at 8.30am on Tuesday 3 January 2012.  
     The Dogs Monthly subscriptions department will be open 29-31 December, freephone tel 0800 612 8379 or email subscriptions@warnersgroup.co.uk     
     The advertising department will also be open during those dates, tel 01778 392445 or email paulat@warnersgroup.co.uk 

Have you or your dog experienced a bad case of ticks or Lyme Disease? Do you have a story to tell? Taste PR is looking for case studies to help promote a major national campaign in 2012 to increase awareness of ticks and Lyme Disease in the UK.   
    If you’re interested in helping and are willing to talk about your story, email your details to casestudy@taste-pr.com    
    You could win an exclusive package of products for your dog, too.

There’s still time to enter your pet in a competition to find the doggy ‘face’ of the newly-formed Canal & River Trust – which in April takes over British Waterways’ responsibility for waterways in England & Wales. The winning pooch will front the trust’s new national marketing campaign.    
     All you need to do is post a picture of your dog by the canalside or messing about on a canal boat – the best entries will receive a doggy bag of goodies and the overall winner will become the doggy face of the Canal & River Trust. Entries close 31 December 2011 so get your skates on and post your pics at www.flickr.com/groups/canaldogwalker