In the African-American studies book Gender Talk, Dr. Johnnetta Cole and Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall argue that, in the 21st century, issues of sexism must be addressed along with issues of racism in the African American community in order for the community to fully succeed.

Dr. Cole is the President of Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is President emerita of Spelman College and Professor Emerita of Anthropology, Women’s Studies, and African American Studies at Emory University. A nationally known African American feminist-intellectual, she is the author of several books, including Conversations: Straight Talk with America’s Sister President.

Beverly Guy-Sheftallis the Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies and English, and the Director of the Women’s Research and Resource Center at Spelman College. She is the editor of Words of Fire: An Anthology of African American Feminist Thought and co-editor (With Rudolph Byrd) of Traps: African American Men on Gender and Sexuality among many other publications.

They examine the historical conflict between race and gender issues in the Black community, the impact of feminism, the role of the Black Church, attitudes about sexuality, and popular culture such as hip-hop. The authors boldly assert that, without attention to these matters, there can be no long-lasting solution to many of the community’s race problems. They point to the impact of sexism on the oppression of Black women, including male dominance within Black communities.

Drawing upon a vast array of personal testimonies, both from previously published autobiographies and from interviews gathered specifically as part of the research for the book, Gender Talk provides a history of Black feminist struggles and debates up until now. This is necessary because Black audiences, male and female, have been unwilling to be persuaded by feminist arguments on the grounds that our experiences as victims of racism absolve Blacks from the willing participation in the sins of the patriarchy.

Cole and Guy-Sheftall have managed to deflect that issue, effectively drawing Black men and women into a honest discussion about how gender inequality affects the entire African-American community. Gender Talk discusses with passion, the process by which Black communities have arrived at its current situation, in which 54 percent of Black children live in single-parent, largely female-headed and less prosperous households, 68 percent of African-American children are born to unmarried mothers and 47 percent of the prison population and 29 percent of those who are confined to mental hospitals are Black. Several Black men emerge from prisons HIV infected and “on the down low” (having secretive sex with other men), passing the disease on to unsuspecting Black women and Black gay men.

The book is constructed of wonderfully argued chapters on the ways some of the more commercial forms of hip-hop culture participate in the misogynist brain-washing of its youth and the difficulties of living as a gay man or lesbian in a largely intolerant Black community. It also talks about the longstanding problem of violence against women within Black communities, the Back church’s role in supporting homophobia, and the Black power movement’s opposition to Black feminist movement.

The chapter entitled No Respect: Gender Politics and Hip-Hop, discusses how mental damage is being done to young African-American males and females because of misogynic lyrics of rap music. There has been a war brewing between Black men and women that started in the sixties and is still going on in the new millennium. The misogynic atmosphere of hip-hop has not helped tension that exists between Black men and women, particularly amongst the youth.

Over the past fifteen years, hip-hop has become more misogynistic and disrespectful of Black girls and women than other popular music genre and it is sad because hip-hop is an African-American creation. The casual references to sex and other forms of violence and the soft-porn visuals and messages of many rap music videos has been seared into the consciousness of young Black boys and girls and that is why I have seen boys as young as ten years old, referring to girls and women as nothing-assed whores and young girls referring to themselves as bitches.

The chapter entitled Black, Lesbian, and Gay: Speaking the Unspeakable is moving, with testimony from such important cultural figures as the poets Audre Lorde, Joseph Beam, and novelist Samuel Delany. Cole and Guy-Sheftall explore the history of African and African-American homosexuality, starting with anthropologist Ife Amadiume’s study, Male Daughters, Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in an African Society (1987).

Amadiume showed that homosexual relationships existed in Africa before colonization. Woman-to-woman marriages were not uncommon in some pre-colonial African kinship systems. Cole and Guy-Sheftall discusses how in many African cultures, same-sex intimacy was equal with heterosexuality. In America, sexual relations between slaves in the 17th century in New York were more complex than previously imagined. New evidence suggests that both consensual and forced sex took place between male slaves, as well as the rape of black boys by white masters.

They also discuss the down low brothers, Black men who are homosexual but pretend to be heterosexual and Black women who keep secret from the world that they are married to black gay men, even when these men put them and their unborn children at risk for HIV. Professors Cole and Guy-Sheftall feel that as long as the church, which historically has been the backbone of the African-American community, is intolerant of any other form of sexuality except heterosexual, Blacks will continue to be in denial and AIDS will continue ravishing families.

The most personally disturbing material to me in the book concerns Black America’s insensitivity to the issue of violence against Black women. The African-American community rallied around Mike Tyson and R. Kelly, both of these men were charged with sex crimes. The victims in both cases were blamed and defiled for trying to a bring a Black man down. The professors ask the question, “What makes Black men think they can be born and raised in a culture that has profound contempt for all women and place the Black woman at the bottom, and escape unaffected?” Too often, Black men seek to fit themselves into tired White patriarchal modes of behavior that is destructive to the entire community. You cannot rape, beat or humiliate someone into submission. Sooner or later, they will strike back.

For research on this book, in the summer and fall of 1999, Cole and Sheftall conducted series of four to six hour interviews with prominent black intellectuals and activists, asking them questions about what they saw as the most pressing issues of gender in the black community. Among those participating were Manning Marable, director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies at Columbia University, Calvin Butts, minister of New York’s Abyssinian Baptist Church, Rudolph Byrd, director of African American Studies at Emory University, and Elaine Brown, former chair of the Black Panther Party.

They also conducted a weekend long talk session at the Ford Foundation on November 19, 1999, with participants Dazon Dixon Diallo, president of Sister Love, Inc., the first and largest women’s AIDS organization in the Southeast, James Early, writer and director of cultural heritage policy at the Smithsonian, Calvin Hernton, professor emeritus at Oberlin College, sociologist bell hooks, and Haki Madhubuti, founder and publisher of Third World Press.

In particular, the chapter, Having Their Say: Conversations with Sisters and Brothers, draws heavily upon this material gathered directly from interview and multilogue participants, producing a range of narratives describing what it was like to grow up in a Black family ruled by patriarchy. Many pay tribute to the ways in which their parents resisted and taught their children that men and women were equal.

For instance, Ruby Sales, a former civil rights activist who grew up in the South, describes her father as “atypical” in that he would “hang out clothes, wash, iron, cook, and on Saturday he would say to my mother, ‘Mrs. Sales you’ll have breakfast in bed today and I’ll do everything.’ My mother didn’t cook dinner for us; my dad was the cook in our family so therefore all my brothers do the same thing. My father braided our hair and my divorced brother braids his daughter’s hair.”

However, some of the best testimonies were from “ordinary” African-American women. The Black women you see everyday on trains going to work or to college. Audree Irons, an administrative assistant at Spelman College, talks about the strong women in her family who always kept going in spite of any adversities that might come their way. “Men leave, we keep going. We don’t miss a beat. Like later for them. That’s basically the attitude my mother and grandmother had. It was like we’ll throw them out like garbage and we’ll just keep on going; they assumed the role of both male and female if necessary.”

I could really relate to that passage in the book. So many of my friends are in emotionally and physically abusive relationships and they cannot find the courage within themselves to stand alone. They really believe that it better to be abused than be alone and that is totally insane. These women have not yet realized that sometimes in order to become stronger, a woman needs to stand alone and take care of herself.

Black Panther member, Elaine Brown describes the way Black Panther men thought of female participants as “smart bitches” who needed to be silenced. “A woman in the Black Power movement was considered, at best irrelevant. A woman asserting herself was a pariah. Angela Davis was run out the Black Panther Party because she refused to bow down to the men in the group. A woman attempting the role of leadership was making an alliance with the ‘counter-revolutionary, man-hating, lesbian, feminist white bitches.’ It was a violation of some Black Power principle that was left undefined.” Reading that totally amazed me; how could the Black Panther Party be so stupid as to throw out one of the most intelligent and articulate individuals to come out of the Civil Rights Movement just because she had the guts to stand up for herself?

That same mentality still exists among some Black men today. If a Black woman is strong and assertive, she is categorized as an “Angry Bitch” who does not know her place. She is not suppose to articulate her thoughts in anyway because it not important. As long as that type of mentality exists in the African-American community, there can never be unity. It takes a village to raise a child and if the village is at war with each other, what happens to the children?

The one review that I found for this book was by Denise Simon, a contributor for Black Issues, a magazine geared towards African Americans. She felt that Gender Talk was more of a overview of sexism than an analysis. I did not agree with this review because the authors gave clear, concise reasons why conversations about gender are critical to African Americans. This book was an excellent analysis of sexism amongst Blacks and perhaps she was negative because the truth hurts sometimes.

If anything is wrong with this book, there is little discussion about Black women who keep sexism alive. I know too many sisters who have no problem labeling another women a slut or whore in order to make themselves look good in the eyes of some man. We as African-American women have to stick together in order to raise our children, since some of us are doing alone. We cannot allow pettiness and competition over men destroy our community.

Even with this flaw, Gender Talk It is a wonderful book. It is entirely successful in its intended goal, which is to make it easy for even a bona fide fool to comprehend the urgency of gender issues. The issue of gender very much affects the African-American community, and this book manages to explore every aspect.

For one reason or the other many of us think that we should be able to get a great boyfriend all on our own steam – that is without any external help. We think that we are either pretty enough or should know what it takes to do so; this is what my friend Kayode calls “illusion of knowledge”. We think we know, but we actually don’t.

To compound this, we dread asking for help because we are embarrassed, or think we would look silly and desperate. Nothing could be further from the truth. Unfortunately unlike animals we do not instinctively know how to relate romantically to the opposite sex. Even if we do have some short term success it’s still important to learn as much as we can.

An African friend of mine told me about the Ibibios tribe in Nigeria. After a girl is initiated into womanhood, they actually go through a yearlong mentoring process of all things related to romance and relationship; that include everything from sex, domestic duties and relating to men. We need to take a leaf from their book. How do we actually go about learning how to attract, secure and develop a happy relationship with high quality men?

1.       Read. Many books have been written about the subject. Some are really trash, others really remarkable. Here are some that you may want to look up

a.      How to succeed with men – David Copeland

b.      Soulmate relationships – Ulli Springnet

c.      Conscious dating – David Steele

d.      Why men love bitches (not the best title but the content it excellent)

e.      Love dating and marriage (can’t remember the author)

2.       Attend seminars, workshops and meetings. While these can be expensive usually you will get cutting edge information and meet many other like-minded people who can form a support network for you.

3.       Talk to men. Form relationship with men of all ages, colour and race. You will directly and indirectly learn so much about men that you will not only be able to understand them, but also empathise with them. This type of empathy will naturally attract men as they all love to be around women who understand them.

4.       Learn from the pros. Get a friends who seem to be natural at attracting people of the opposite sex. Become something of an apprentice. Look and learn from how they operate and move. You do not have to copy everything but they do have something that you can learn from. In fact just being around them may even improve your status since people will naturally assume that you are just as good as them. (There are some positive things to learn from Casanova).

Getting a puppy is a long-time commitment and a lot of work. Yes, they are cute, rambunctious and adorable but they are a heavy commitment in time and money for at least the first 3 months of their lives, and less so until 6 months, with adult dogs not in many cases truly settling down until 3 years old.

I recently heard that puppy raisers may participate in puppy raising clubs, which is a great idea. There is also a whole army of people who raise and train Guide Dog puppies, who must be highly dedicated and very selfless on the day that their prodigy leaves for life with his or her disabled owner.

Puppy raising starting with the mating and up to the sale to the owner needs to be done with dedication and commitment. This cannot happen if the breeder takes a farming approach, and treats the bitch and the litter as if they were farm animal stock. In such cases decisions about welfare are made purely upon the economic benefit and this may cause suffering by the puppies.

Puppy farms when the description is correctly applied, will always tend to maximize their profits by not spending money on proper food, housing, exercise, or veterinary care. Dogs bred in puppy mills have on some occasions for example, we are told, been de-barked by ramming a steel rod down their throats to rupture their vocal cords. This seems unlikely to be a common action, but the worry is there that such things could happen when profit is paramount and the owner depends upon the income from the sales of their puppies to support their families.

These types of breeders can fail to heed good practice guidelines. Puppies may be taken from their mother when they are 5 to 8 weeks old and sold to brokers who pack them in crates for transport and resale all over the country. It is claimed that there are cases when many of the puppies do not survive the trip. The appalling fact is though tha puppy farm produced dogs have often never lived in a home, and will be terrified of everyday objects and experiences. Puppy farms (PFs) can even possibly on occasions offer Kennel Club registered puppies as it is very hard for these authorities to police who breeds every litter, but the puppy buying public can eradicate the poblem by just not buying these pups. Research your breeder before you buy, make sure they have the support of their local kennel club, and if in doubt do not buy the puppy.

Breeding bitches at PFs are frequently bred from every season and often live in solitary confinement. This amounts to forcing them each season to produce excessive quantities of puppies for the pet trade, and is inhumane.

Breeding is not a cheap exercise and many breeders will tell you how much hard work and dedication goes into it. There is no easy money to be made in breeding and those that do it must be able to accept that from time to time they will find that they have not only have a sick dog on their hands, but also be out of pocket for thousands of dollars in vet bills.

The novice breeder need to understand the breeding requirements for a healthy dog. Breeding a good father with a bad quality mother does not normally produce good dogs. Some of the Labradors and beagles that I have seen from PFs look like a parody of what they really should look like.

As a life threatening emergency often misdiagnosed by dog owners Stomach Flip may cause much hardship for both dogs and their humans alike. Every year far too many dogs die because their stomach has flipped. It can happen to any dog, but large and middle sized individuals bear a greater risk than smaller and miniature sized canines. Very often dog owners do not know the signs of a flipped stomach which leaves them in a position where they can not help their four legged friends successfully. As a consequence the life threatening dynamics of the stomach flip just take their course and often their dogs life.

The sad story of a friend of mine suggests that sometimes even veterinarians do not recognize what is happening. My friend, a very experienced breeder was on holidays with her dogs when one of her bitches displayed all the symptoms of Stomach Flip. The veterinarian she consulted did not recognize them, telling my friend that things would improve with time and maybe her bitch had just eaten too much. Even when the things got worse he would not do anything for her. My friend had never experienced a case of Stomach Flip and was far too nice to look for another vet.

Even so she was very worried she trusted this man. Her bitch died a horrible and needless death. Later on the vet assured my friend that most dogs do not survive surgery anyway. This is of course not true as the lives of many dogs who came through illustrates. Whether a dog survives surgery depends mainly on the amount of time which has passed since the beginning of the catastrophe. If left too long even the best surgeon will not be able to save a dogs life. A general rule of thumb says that surgery should not be left longer than two hours after the onset of symptoms.

Signs to put you on RED ALERT are:

All of a sudden your dog starts to vomit. He wants to bring something up but due to the fact that his stomach is closed nothing comes up.

Usually there is some saliva and your dog pumps heavily in order to free his stomach but he does so without success.

His general condition starts to deteriorate rapidly

Your dogs belly starts to swell and becomes rock hard. As the size of his abdomen increases he may start to look like a barrel on legs.

Your dog starts to pant heavily as he is trying to breathe.

The lining of his eyes and gums become pale.

His pulse rate increases.

In order to breathe he may lie flat on his chest with outstretched elbows.

He is obviously in great pain and very frightened which may show up as listlessness.

What can you do in such a situation?

The most important thing is recognizing the symptoms for what they are and making your way to the surgeon immediately.

Phone a veterinarian at once and ask him whether or not he does do surgery on dogs.

If yes, tell him you are coming.

If no, do not waste any time but ask him for the number and address of the nearest vet surgeon.

DO NOT take your dog to a clinic unless they offer surgery for dogs.

Remember:

Stomach Flip is a killer and your dog does not have any time to waste.

Apart from rushing him to surgery what else can you do to help your dog? The most important thing is recognizing the symptoms for what they are and making your way to the surgeon immediately. Talk to your dog and reassure him. Let him choose the position he wants to be in – he knows best. Never lift him up under his tummy – the increase of pressure will cause his stomach and spleen to rupture. If possible transport him on a sliding plane so the back part of his body is lower than the upper part. Transport him in a well aired or air conditioned car so he can get as much air as possible. Try to be calm so you do not to frighten him even more.

I know quite a few dogs who suffered from stomach flip and did pull through after all. Thanks to their informed owners they were treated quickly and successfully. Keeping yourself informed about serious diseases like this is the best way to safeguard your best friend.

The Bull Mastiff is a very large breed of dog. Tall, stocky, confident, athletic and strong. But in contrast they are well known to be one of the gentlest, people loving, loyal, docile and faithful breeds. Perhaps the perfect family dog…

In the 1800’s the Bull Mastiff breed was used to guard large, rich country estates, assisting in catching poachers or thieves. They were successful in this role because of their reluctance to bark, thus allowing them to sneak up and use their weight to pin down their victim until their owners told them to release. As a rule they do not bite, which means that rough and tumble with your dog is safe – albeit a bit like wrestling match! And If your Bull Mastiff does bark, go and see why, they could be warning you of something important, they are great guard dogs.

Family dog

Bull Mastiffs are also known as the ‘babysitters’ of the dog world, widely regarded as being one of the safest breeds to have around children or babies, their calm, attitude means they tolerate being pulled around, climbed on and generally harassed and never lose control. However they can be clumsy and could quite easily knock a small child over with a swish of their tail, so do be careful!

They’re colouring is described as fawn (a light beige) red (a medium brown with a very slight red tinge) or brindle which is a mixture of brown and black. Male’s average size is 25inches tall, and weight about 50-60kgs. Bitches are generally smaller size 20-25inches tall weight about 45-55kgs

Bull Mastiffs can be quite lazy, a ten minute walk will satisfy them on a cold rainy day, but they will still love nothing better than a family day out in the woods or on the beach. Never ‘over walk’ your dog even if they look like they could go on and on, they are prone to hip and elbow dysplasia which can be triggered by too much exercise. Other health problems can include arthritis, bloat and lymphoma cancer.

Family always comes first to a Bull mastiff, but if socialised properly they mix well with people and other dogs, sniffing and playing with other dogs, with people they do not jump up, which is comforting given their size! They do not however mix very well with their own breed which is worth noting if out on a walk. Also when walking your dog, be mindful of other people who may feel uncomfortable at the sight of a large breed dog off a lead, especially if they have a small dog or children with them, always be ready to call your dog to your side and be confident they will come immediately when called, otherwise it is best to keep them on the lead at all times. Extendable leads still give your dog a lot of leeway.

Taking your Bull mastiff to training classes when young is the best way of letting them interact with other people and dogs, and how to behave within a community in a safe and friendly manner. They learn well and enjoy pleasing their owners by doing as they are told.

Watch out for your furniture!

Bull mastiffs love to chew and play, if you don’t want them to practice on your home, furniture and possessions, then you need to ensure they have plenty of their own toys to distract them. Because they have such strong jaws make sure you do some research and choose a toy that will last more than a few minutes before it’s destroyed! Look around your house for cheap alternatives, old shoes, tennis balls, plastic bottles are all great fun for them.

A large cage is a must for a Bull Mastiff, its useful to transport them around in the car, and its somewhere where they can relax and snooze indoors – you will find that snoozing is a large part of their day and second only in importance to eating! When it comes to their food and personal space don’t let them get territorial, there should be no place they can go and you can’t and no bowl of food you can’t take off them – test them on this so they know who is the ‘leader of the pack’.

If you are looking for dogs for sale, a lot of people who choose a Bull Mastiff as a family pet, never buy another breed of dog again (including me) they are a wonderful asset to any home, and make a loyal, caring and often entertaining pet. However, they are big, need a confident owner and careful training and socialisation. Never take the decision to buy a Bull Mastiff lightly.

For a student of the history of the German Shepherd, an examination of important dogs of the past that exerted a tremendous influence on the development of the breed presents a fascinating study.

One of the most influential dogs in the history of the breed was the controversial 1929 German Sieger – Utz. vom Haus Schuetting. There are probably very few German Shepherd Dogs exhibited in the show rings of any part of the world today whose pedigrees in which the name of “Utz” does not feature.

Because we are talking about the history of the breed and the particular period of the late 1920′ and early 1930’s when there was an enormous increase in German Shepherd Dog interest, research into your dog’s pedigree will obviously involve delving back many generations.

What was interesting about “Utz” is the fact that he was the subject of a great deal of controversy in the German Shepherd Dog world, whose virtues were extolled by some and harshly criticized by others.

“Utz” represented a completely departure from the long-legged, somewhat shelly type of Shepherd in vogue at the time. He was born on the 12th March 1926, bred by Dr, Funk of the well-known “Haus Schuetting” kennels in Munich. Dr. Funk became president of the S.V. from 1956 to 1971.

At the 1929 annual Champinship in Germany, “Utz” became the Grand Champion – “Sieger”. He was subsequently exported to the United States where he obtained his American and also his Canadian championship tittles.

What sort of dog was “Utz”? From description and reports of well-known authorities at the time, it would appear that he was somewhat smaller than the type of dog popular at time. He was also described as being somewhat unimpressive due to a certain dullness in temperament. Nevertheless, he was a beautifully constructed dog with excellent balance and he proved to be a remarkably prepotent sire.

Prior to his departure to America, “Utz” was extensively used at study in Germany and proved his worth as a Sire. His most famous son in Germany was the 1932 “Sieger” “Hussan v. Haus Shuetting. “Hussan” himself was the sire of two “Siegerins” – “Jamba v. Haus Schuetting” the 1933 winner and the winner of the 1935 title “Stella v. Haus Schuetting”.

In the United States “Utz” sired a host of champions and also two Grand Victors. These were the 1935 Grand Victor “Nox of Ruthland” and the 1939 Grand Victor “Hugo of Cosalta” bred by Marie Leary.

In Great Britain his influence was also profound. Mrs. Gwen Barrington’s famous international Champion “Gerolf of Brittas” was sired by the imported dog “Voss v. Bern” a son of “Utz”.

Another famous bloodlines though which Utz is perpetuated is that of “Ingosohn of Errol” who was sired by the famous Utz descendant “Ingo v. Piastemdamm”. Since Ingosohn was the grandsire of Champion Avon Prince of Alumvale, one of the most widely used studs of his time, the extent to which the blood of “Utz” has been spread through the breed in Great Britain can be appreciated.

“Utz” has been widely criticized for being responsible for poor temperaments and fading colors and it is an acknowledged fact that his Dam – “Donna zum Reurer” – was a particularly light colored bitch. However, it would appear that it was the indiscriminate “mis-use” of “Utz” rather the use of this important dog was the root of the trouble.

Mrs. Barrington of the well-known “|Brittas” kennels wrote in 1942…”the benefits of his blood far outweigh the disadvantages. Most of the faults attributed to Utz are in fact due to strains of blood allied to this though the bitches he was mated to…”

Colonel Baldwin, of the “Picardy” kennels, also a legendary figure in the development of the breed in Britain, made the following comments in an article published in the September 1946 issue of the American publication the “Shepherd Dog Review”…

“It is quite common to hear people say that Utz bred, light washy colors, was very shy, bred shy stock, etc. On the contrary he was lethargic and disinterested. Looking at him I always thought: There is the shape and the type, but we must add nobility to it. I am sure Utz blood his extremely valuable if it is used properly. Use it to get shape and type and then add nobility…”

Finally a well-known American breeders, Mrs. Margaret Horn, expressed similar comments in the April issue of the same magazine.

“I take nothing from the good Utz did to the breed, but I do say he has been overdone and with this comes the danger. Utz was no villain. We the American fancy are the villains in our over-use of him. No one wants a cup of pepper in one’s soup”

It would seem, therefore, that “Utz” must be definitely be regarded as one of the most important dogs in the development of the breed. It is apparent however, that because of his own remarkable qualities and his rare ability to reproduce these qualities he was used indiscriminately.

Clearly there is a message to be learned. Today there is also a tendency for breeders, keen to sell pups sired by well-known show winner, to mate their bitches to the dog, irrespective whether the animal is the most suitable or not.

To be successful in attracting, flirting and dating, you need to figure out what the people you wish to allure find attractive, simply put: “What do guys want in girls?” To find out, The Love Coach interviewed hundreds of guys about love, relationships, dating, picking up, sex and girls.

– The guys liked when a girl had her own life and interests and focus on her own happiness. Men are attracted to girls who are smiling and happy in their own lives, because that means they will not be too dependent and needy, plus they will be more interesting

– Guys want girls to be more easy going about things. When she stops him from seeing his guy friend and worry too much, she is a pain. They wish for us to trust more and give some space.

– Don´t try to blackmail yourself to love by crying. Men hates hurting us and might stay with a girl for the wrong reasons, just because she starts crying, but that will never work out in the long run.

– What do guys want in terms of flirting? They love when women approach them. Most guys has low self esteem and hate rejection, so they prefer staying with their friends before “picking up”. Guys want girls to show signals at least, so they know it´s “safe”. Apparently girls can be real bitches if they get approached by someone they don´t fancy, and when standing in massive groups we are intimidating. They guys want you to come up!

– Also, make yourself approachable by strolling around a bit on your own, which makes it easier for him to come up to you.

– Don´t forget to be mysterious and hard to get, but in a fun way. Being rude is not cool, but being strong and not always in their face is sexy.

– Don´t come up and be too drunk though. Guys find overly tipsy ladies scary and not very attractive.

– So what do guys want in terms of looks? Appearance is important to most men, since they are visual by nature. It doesn´t mean they just go for super models, but do your best. It seems like guys want natural girls, who are not too dressed up and plastic.

Most people are familiar with black and rust Dobermans and red and rust Dobermans, and maybe even blue or fawn and rust Dobermans. Since the 1970s, a fifth Doberman “color” has been established. In 1976, Padulas Queen Shebah was born to 2 black and rust Dobermans, as the first all White Doberman. She was registered by the American Kennel Club ( AKC) in 1979. The AKC allowed the registration because Shebah was in fact a pure breed Doberman, however, because the white Dobermans are of a disallowed color according to the breed standard, they are not allowed to compete for AKC titles.

After the birth of Shebah, the owner and breeder began to breed her with her her offspring in order to produce more of the white Dobermans. All white or albino Dobermans are descended from this one dog. Naturally, close inbreeding produces less than quality characteristics in the dogs. In 1983, the American Kennel Club bought 2 albino bitches to do a breeding study. They determined that white or albino Dobermans have conformation problems, such as sway backs and narrow chests. They all had vision problems and skin problems. They are very prone to skin cancer and have temperament problems because of the close inbreeding.

White Doberman breeders will try to convince people that their dogs are perfectly fine representatives of the breed, they are just a different color. The truth is, albinism is a genetic mutation. The white or cream color comes from a lack of the color gene. It is a recessive trait that is caused by a decreased number of melanocytes, which are pigment granules. An albino Doberman has a pink nose and pink eye rims, blue eyes and pink foot pads.

The genetic mutation that causes the lack of color also causes other problems such as photosensitivity, and even blindness. They are extremely prone to sunburn and skin cancer. They have missing teeth or very tiny teeth as well as the conformation problems mentioned above. The AKC decided to keep track of all the Dobermans from this line so they started designating the registration number with a “Z”. This will guarantee that no one will unknowingly buy a standard color Doberman with an albino gene. Blue and fawn Dobermans are not from a genetic mutation. Their color comes from dilution of the black and red color.

Many white or albino Doberman owners, though they love their dogs have an extremely difficult time keeping them healthy. The dogs really cannot tolerate the sun and if they must be outside, they have to have lots of sunscreen, t-shirts and even sunglasses. These dogs have a much shorter life span. They rarely live to the age of 7. Their blindness causes them to injure themselves and causes them to be very fearful. This fearfulness often causes unstable temperaments and behavior problems. There are many accounts of owners having to put their beloved pet down because of incidents of biting.

Today, there are approximately 8300 Dobermans that are descended from Padulas Queen Shebah. The Doberman Pinscher Club of America tries to minimize breeding of these dogs because ultimately, most do not have a good quality of life.

1) Do have an answer for everything/Don’t ever be at a loss for words.

A basic rule of the mackin’ game is to never be at a loss for words. To a mack, his verbal skills are his ammunition. When, or if, any situation comes up, you should be able to say the right thing at the right time to rectify the situation. Having a loss of word shows guilt, plus it makes you look stupid to the female. As a great player once told me. “If you run out of words, you run out of game.”

2) Do have platonic female friends/Don’t try to date every woman you know.

As I stated before, you are not going to be compatible with every woman you meet. Some women are going to have a different agenda than yours. If a female is looking for a brother to help pay some of her bills, no matter how good you look, or how tight your game is, if you’re not tricking off any money, she’s not interested in a relationship with you. In cases like this, don’t blow her off completely. Just put her in the “platonic” zone. As a platonic friend, she can hook you up with her other friends, all the while giving you the 411 on them.

3) Do carry yourself like a real man at all times/Don’t act overly emotional or overly sensitive.

One of the biggest complaints women have about men is that many of them don’t have any backbone. Too many men are acting emotional and overly sensitive with women. And when they do, women often accuse these men of “acting like bitches.” As a mack, you let your emotions remain a mystery, and always keep your composure. As a mack, you should generally have a nonchalant attitude. Your demeanor should basically be casual and unconcerned. This will keep women intrigued and trying to figure out what your feelings are and what you are thinking.

However, women will lose that intrigue if you reveal your feelings by acting overly emotional or jealous. Jealousy is a sign of insecurity. Many times, women will test your “jealousy meter” to see how you will react. If a woman says something like “There’s this guy at work that likes me,” or “My ‘ex’ called, and he wants me to meet him for a drink. What should I do?” or something of that nature, it’s a test. You have to let her know that you are so confident with yourself, and your game is so tight, it would be ridiculous for her to even think of stepping to the next man. Your demeanor is that you really don’t care what she does, and at this point she will put herself in check. But you should never rant, rage and act jealous, because a female will then consider you a “buster.”

4) Do learn how to read women/Don’t assume you know everything about women.

The only people that come close to knowing almost everything about women are seasoned macks and seasoned pimps. (Many women don’t know everything about themselves.) A lot of untrained, aspiring macks step to women thinking they know everything, and then end up getting played. A lot of brothers think that mackin’ is just stepping to women and spitting out a bunch of cliche pickup lines. This is how you get dissed.

In Jack London’s CALL OF THE WILD, the main character was a dog named Buck. Buck was stolen from his bright and sunny California home and sold into a harsh, brutal and savage world where he is eventually led to the Klondike and trained as a sled dog. Through a series of trials and tribulations, Buck is transformed into a survivalist who eventually answers the “call of the wild” and runs free in the cold. The journey Buck traveled unleashed his ability to survive and reveal his instinctive nature. He realized that in order to survive (and overcome) the challenges he faced, the Buck at the beginning of the book had to “die” in order for the “Ghost Dog” to emerge.

In life and business, there are two types of people: dogs and wolves. Dogs, in my opinion, are really wolves that had their freedom bred out of them. They have been domesticated and trained to wait on and serve their owner. They don’t hunt for themselves. They don’t provide for themselves and their families. The males are used to stud with “bitches in heat,” and the babies are sold to other owners with breeders, seeking to create “pure breeds.” The dog is the owner’s “bitch,” with no intentions of offering it a chance to live free. In business, the “dog” is that employee who looks to his “owner” for provision and direction. He feels the “call of the wild” within him because he is dissatisfied with having his freedom sacrificed for a check and the illusion of security. Just like the dog, the employee has been conditioned to ignore the “wolf” within him.

On the other hand, the “wolf” is within the heart of every man, woman and child. He is driven by a desire to yearn free. He doesn’t wait for his provision to come to him; he hunts. He creates territories and is prepared to defend what he’s built. He feeds his family without external assistance. His driving force is to express himself as the leader of his pack.

In business, the “wolf” is that entrepreneur driven to live life on his own terms. He chooses to blaze his own path. He hunts for his own dinner. He seeks more than the material riches. He ultimately wants to have the freedom and autonomy to live free. He wants the freedom and independence to raise his family without outside interference.

There’s a wolf in all of us that yearns to breathe free. The question becomes this: When the “call of the wild” triggers the wolf in you, will you answer the call?