Case Study: Barks Aggressively at Dogs, Counterconditioning, Changing Emotions
On walks, Daniel the Deerhound Lurcher barks aggressively at other dogs. At home, he is a well-behaved, quite self-contained but friendly boy, four years of age. The owner has had him for two years. He lived on a narrow boat For the first two years of his life, Daniel lived on a narrow boat, so he has had several years to rehearse barking at other dogs in order to make them go away. When he barks aggressively, it works! The dogs carry on walking. Living on a boat, I’m sure… Continued
No Recall? Is It Really Your Dog’s Fault?
Of all the doggy and doggy parent issues, not coming back when called has got to be nearing the top of the list. There could be lots of variations of this, a casual sauntering back when your dog feels like it, taking in a few sniffs along the way. Maybe your dog might be one of those explosive types, let off the leash and, crikey, she’s off like a bullet and, before you know it, is a speck in the distance. Meanwhile, you begin that Olympic sprint before collapsing in… Continued
Teaching Your Dog to “Go Say ‘Hi'”
By Danette Johnston I am not a fan of dogs greeting on leash for several reasons but I do like to teach dogs a “GO SAY HI” cue for the following circumstances: Times when it may be OK for the dogs to meet on leash. For emergencies when another dog or human is approaching without consent. Therapy work. GO SAY HI is a bit of a fake-out cue. What GO SAY HI means to me (and my dogs) is: go ahead and step toward that dog/human, sniff for 1-2 seconds and then come back… Continued
June 18, 2019: New Study Examines Evolution of “Puppy Dog Eyes”
A new study has found that facial musculature between domestic dogs and gray wolves differs only around the eye. The study reports that exaggerated eyebrow facial movements in dogs cause their eyes to “appear larger, giving the face a more paedomorphic, infant-like appearance, and also resembles a movement that humans produce when they are sad.” This potentially elicits a “caregiving response from humans, giving individuals that inherit the trait a selection advantage with humans.” The researchers conclude that “the data suggest that selection—perhaps mainly unconscious—during social interactions can create selection pressures… Continued
Actually, I **Can** Get My Dogs’ Attention
I was thinking the other day about how and why I have a dream relationship with my dogs. They are cooperative. They are sweet. They are responsive and easy to live with. You know how I got there? Training and conditioning them with food and playing with them. They weren’t the most difficult dogs in the world when they came to me, but they weren’t easy, either. Clara was a feral puppy who was growling at every human but me when she was 10 weeks old. Zani is so soft and… Continued
Prehistoric Dogs and Humans
Dogs and humans have a long history of living and working together, unique among species on this planet. In the modern age dogs wear many hats…companions, herders, protectors, search and rescue, guides for the blind, bomb and drug sniffers…just to name a few. During prehistoric times dogs served our ancestors as well. In “The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction” Pat Shipman, a retired Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, chronicled in exquisite scientific detail the alliance between the two predator species. That alliance conveyed… Continued
Are Head Halters Like Prongs?
By Yvette Van Veen Are Head Halters Like Prongs? Head halters took the training world by storm years ago. Some trainers are hanging up their head halters because they simply don’t like how dogs seem to fight them. Other trainers, those who use force have long tried to make the claim that head halters are no different from prong collars. Generally, the argument made is that if you use a head halter then you really are no different from a trainer who uses prong collars. That we are in denial. That aversives are necessary. That we… Continued
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Lynn Bahr: June 6, 2019
Guest: Dr. Lynn Bahr DVM, the CEO of Dezi & Roo Dr. Bahr serves on the Board of Director of Pandemonium Aviaries, Fear Free Advisory Board, Parliamentarian of the Society of Veterinary Medical Ethics, and is on the Cat Committee of the Pet Professional Guild. Topic: Scratch, Scratch, Scratch The benefits of allowing cats to scratch and how to encourage them to scratch appropriately. This podcast will include tips, tricks, and tools to help cat owners live cohesively with their clawed cats. We will discuss why it is good for… Continued
Animal Trainers: Take Animal Emotions into Consideration!
By Karolina Westlund Ph.D. of PPG corporate partner Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting Is the dog fearful, or crouching? Does it matter, when you’re training? The world of animal trainers is divided, and I find that some trainers avoid the subject of animal emotions altogether. “There’s no need to factor in and understand emotions, just deal with the observable behaviour”, is the gist of what some trainers and animal professionals say. No doubt their unwillingness to consider emotions stems from the Father of Behaviourism, influential to this day. Skinner said: “The ‘emotions’ are excellent examples… Continued
June 5, 2019: NY Legislature Votes to Ban Declawing in Cats
New York lawmakers have passed a bill sponsored by Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) to ban cat declawing, meaning New York State is set to become the first to outlaw the procedure. The State “joins several cities in banning declawing, including Los Angeles and Denver; several other states, including California, New Jersey and Massachusetts, are also considering bans, according to the Humane Society of United States, which hailed the New York bill.” Read article
Eight Tips When Traveling with a Puppy
Traveling with a dog can be a great adventure for both you and your trusty canine. Now that you have a new puppy in the home, you want to take him on epic road trips and travel the world. But, there are a few things to consider and prepare for prior to your epic dog-friendly road trip. In this article I will help you and your puppy get off to a good start traveling in a car. Active puppy socialization prior to your trip is essential. When you brought your… Continued
Case Study: Over-Excited, Frustrated, Habituation and Freedom
Dylan is an enthusiastic, friendly young dog, if a little over-excited at times. He is beautiful, but someone coming to house is a very exciting thing for the young 16-month-old Labradoodle. When I arrived the lady was doing her best to control him. She repeatedly told him to sit and stay on a mat just round the corner where he couldn’t see me. She was fighting a losing battle. It’s hard to control a dog that is so over-excited. In this state of mind he can’t be expected to exercise much self-control.… Continued
May 31, 2019: Manitoba Vets Vote to Ban Declawing
Manitoba has become the sixth Canadian Province to ban the practice of declawing cats, a procedure that amputates the first joint of a cat’s toes. Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta banned the practice earlier this year, while British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia prohibited it in 2018. New Brunswick is expected to join them in July. Read article
Double Asset or Double Trouble?
There comes a time in many dog owner’s lives where the thought is sprung…. ‘I wonder if Fido would like a friend?’ Inextricably bound with the idea are feelings of excitement, guilt, worry because there are so many aspects to consider if you’re going to go through this whole doggy journey twice over! Let’s take a look at some of those. Who are you doing this thing for? Question this first. You love dogs, I love dogs, we all love dogs & that’s great but think seriously, yes most of… Continued
Behavior Suppression Is Not the Same as Behavior Modification
By Jenny Efimova Reactive behavior is the tip of the iceberg. It’s what we see: the lunging, the barking, the snarling, the growling, etc. It’s what’s above the surface and it’s what we often want to stop. What we don’t see and what’s driving this behavior is the rest of the iceberg below: the fear, the anxiety, the stress, the frustration. So if we want the behavior to change, we need to look at the root cause, not just the symptoms. When we change how a dog feels about a… Continued
May 16, 2019: Australian Capital Territory Overhauls Animal Welfare Legislation
Under the legislation, “[p]et shops and boarding kennels will be licensed and all pets recognised as ‘sentient beings with intrinsic value’.” In addition, confining an animal, “or even transporting it in a way which causes it injury, pain or stress, will attract a maximum penalty of $16,000 and a year’s imprisonment. An identical penalty will apply for anyone who places an electric shock device on an animal, such as a shock collar.” Read article
Scared Dog vs. Happy and Engaged Dog
Here’s a little dog body language study. My dear Zani shows a lot of emotion, which means she is a good dog to observe. She is pretty easy to read and can teach us a lot. The short video below consists of two quick clips taken less than two minutes apart. In one clip, Zani is afraid, and in the other she is having a good time. I reversed the order in the video from what happened in real life. We had been on a walk and things were going fine. But… Continued
Lawn Chemicals and Dogs
Spring is a time when people work and play on their lawns. It is also when many folks apply weed killers. I did so for years and thought nothing of it. Then in 2016 I read an article in a local newspaper and learned that a nearby village was spraying a particular brand of lawn chemical in a dog park, so I did some research. Many weed killers contain 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). I learned there are over 3,000 sources in the scientific literature on this chemical. I did not read… Continued
Helping Pet Families in Need
By Alicia Obando I had become quite familiar and active with the pet care and rescue organizations around my city of Chicago, Illinois. I saw that there were lots of organizations helping find homes for homeless pets. This was great work done by mostly unpaid, hard-working volunteers. Even though so many of us were working towards this cause of helping homeless pets, it seemed like it would be a never ending battle. I started thinking that maybe instead of helping the animals once they became homeless, I should try to help… Continued
Humane Education
By Stephanie Peters Humane programs that incorporate animal interaction have a profound capacity to help students on a personal level. Angel Banuelos-Price is a fifth grade teacher at Boone Middle School and she has enthusiastically welcomed my educational programs with Marmalade from the very beginning. She observes that Marmalade’s presence in her classroom reduces her students’ stress and anxiety levels, and that her attendance numbers are often higher on the days when Marmalade visits the classroom. Stacy Lehman of University Community Childcare in Ames also notes the social-emotional benefits to her… Continued
Stable Life
By Kathie Gregory In the equine world, I would say it is widely accepted that a horse may live the majority of his life in a stable, and, in my opinion, there is far less awareness concerning the impact this may have on his wellbeing. People may consider it “normal” for a horse to spend most of his time in the stable and only be brought out to do his job or to be given specific exercise subject to people’s requirements…There are numerous studies on the adverse effects of keeping horses… Continued
The “Ouch” You’ll Never Hear
By Andrea Carne …according to Bahr (2017), up until recently “it was thought cats did not experience pain at all, based purely on the fact that they tend not to show it.” In my opinion, it is safe to assume this is a major factor behind why chronic pain caused by conditions like arthritis go undiagnosed and, therefore, untreated in many older cats. This is despite several studies showing that arthritis is the number one cause of chronic pain in cats and that 90 percent of cats over the age… Continued
From Foes to Friends
By Tori Ganino By the end of the second week and into the beginning of the third week since arriving at our home, Jeter was spending more time out of his room. He stayed on leash and chose my bed to be one of his favorite places to relax. One evening, Si entered the room, and with Jeter’s presence on the bed unbeknownst to him, jumped on the bed and the two were suddenly nose to nose. I immediately gave Jeter the “leave it” cue which he followed. Si jumped off… Continued
A Better Awareness of Overarousal
By Anna Bradley When mentioning “arousal” or “overarousal,” dog owners may have some idea as to their definition, but in my experience the consensus seems to be that the terms generally refer to negative trigger events. This is inaccurate, however. Arousal triggers include positive as well as negative events. Examples of positive arousal triggers may include greeting a familiar person, getting the leash out, engaging in a dog sport, or play. Examples of negative arousal triggers may include an unfamiliar person approaching the home, or going to the vet. Each dog… Continued
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