Dog trade cards are a fun collectible and a great choice for a new collector. They are inexpensive, numerous, readily available, and take up little space.

Trade cards commonly advertised tobacco products, but also candy, coffee and tea, soap, toothpaste, medicines, and even thread (as in the J&P Coats Thread trading card below).

Some people collect complete sets such as these:

• Companies, like John Player & Sons, and Gallaher, Ltd. issued numbered sets of cards, each featuring a breed illustration and profile.
• The Berlin Morning Post (der Berliner Morgenpost) issued a collectible print each week in 1960 of various breeds.

Other collections could reflect:

• a breed
• a time period
• a country
• the product advertised
• cards that are printed on unusual media, such as silk, playing cards, cigar bands, and even film transparencies.

You can’t go wrong if you remember the old rule, collect what you love.

Most cards are vintage, but some are more recent. My trade cards range from the 1890s to the 1990s. Ask whether the card you’re interested in is an original, or a reprint. Some popular cards, such as the Player and Gallaher sets were reprinted; reprints should be less expensive.

The Corgi and Newfoundland cards above were both premiums with tobacco products. The Corgi card was printed in the UK in 1979. The card back gives breed details, while the front features a charming drawing of a Corgi.

The 94-year old Newfoundland card is unusual; it was printed on silk. This card shows a prominant Newfoundland of that era on the front, and pedigree, show, and ownership details on the back.

To learn more about dog-themed trade cards:

• Select your breed (or any well-represented breed) on Donna’s Dog Cards of the World site, and read the details of the cards shown. This will give you a thorough overview of the types of cards that were made.
• Read Dogco.com’s article The Dogs of Victorian Trade Cards.

Are you ready to search out your own dog-themed trade cards? Check out my favorite sources for dog cards; Donna’s Dog Cards of the World, and eBay.

Enjoy!

Everyone’s talking about getting organized. It’s that time of year. Why not organize your dog’s records?

You may need to access your dog’s records for:

• Veterinary consults
• Kennels, petsitters
• Training classes
• Events (You’ll need basic info to register, and often proof of vaccination.)
• Disaster preparedness
• Travel outside the country
• If your dog is lost or you need proof of ownership
• If you are a breeder, detailed information is appreciated by new owners.

Choose the format that best fits your style. Records can be kept:

• Digitally, on your computer or PDA. Disadvantages; accessibility, power-outages, and not having a hard-copy when you need one. However, having a digital backup of paper records is a great idea.
• In a binder with originals, certificates, and registration papers tucked safely in a file. Disadvantages: paper in binders can tear loose or become dog-eared. Consider page protectors or heavy-weight paper and hole punch reinforcements. You may want to protect your information by using a zip-up binder, or making a pouch to keep it in.
• Loose in file folders or in a portable file pocket.
• In an index card file. Disadvantages: Limited to written information; this format is too small for photocopies.
• In a “My Dog” recordkeeping book (usually found at bookstores) Disadvantages: you cannot add pages to a bound book. Tucking records in the pages is not secure.

I decided to keep Dash’s information in a binder that I can easily take with me. This method has worked very well for us. Here’s how we did it:

• I bought an inexpensive binder with clear pockets on the front, back and spine, and a package of clear, archival-quality page protectors.
• I printed a title sheet for the binder and slipped it under the clear front pocket.
• When I want to add information to Dash’s binder, I slide it into a page protector and place that in the binder. No hole punching necessary!
• I filled out our downloadable dog data sheets, saved them on my computer and PDA, and printed a copy for his book. I can update and reprint Dash’s data whenever I need to.

Here’s to an easy, organized New Year!

Fall was in the air, and it was back-to-school for Dash. The dog bag was carefully packed, and inside, the longline was neatly hanked and tied. Even so, when I pulled it out in class, it tangled.

Sandy, our favorite clicker-friendly instructor, reminded me that I could both avoid a tangled longline and shorten my line for storage with one repetitive “weaving” motion. The instructions are below, for those who need a refresher (as I did) and for those who haven’t learned this handy trick. (The instructions are written for the right hand; please reverse if you’re a leftie.)

1. Put your left hand through the handle of the longline, while holding the longline with your right hand. Grasp the line a little below the handle with your left hand and pull your left hand back through the handle. You’ll need to use your right hand to pull the handle over your left hand. Keep hold of the line with your right hand while you…
2. Reach through the new loop you just created with your left hand, grasp the line a little below the loop, and pull your left hand back through the loop, again using your right hand to pull the handle over your left hand. Your right hand will continue to hold the loop it pulled over your left hand, until your left hand reaches for a new section of line.

That’s it! Repeat this step until you get to the end of the longline.

Note: As you “weave” your longline, it will naturally make quarter-turns away from you.

To release the longline, just pull the last loop, and the line will easily unwind.

After you get the hang of the technique, you can make the “weave” tighter by just reaching through the handle with your left thumb and forefinger (rather than your entire hand). Grasp the longline closer to the loop and pull through enough to make a loop just big enough to reach through with your thumb and forefinger. You’ll use your right hand to help pull the loop over your left hand, as before.

If you want to make the final length even shorter, you can double your longline before you begin weaving it. Clip the leash onto the loop. You will “weave” your leash as above, but you’ll pull two thicknesses of longline through each loop. My 30 foot longline done this way becomes only 30 inches!