Tell Us What You Really Think
By Susan Nilson and Angelica Steinker Amongst dog trainers and enthusiasts, Dr. Gregory Berns is probably best known for his pioneering work that specializes in the use of brain imaging technologies to gain a greater understanding of canine motivation and decision-making. For the last three years, Berns’ team at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia have used positive reinforcement to train a group of volunteer dogs to remain still during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)*. As the dogs are awake during the entire fMRI process, Berns and his colleagues are provided… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: Tell Me Who You Are – Understanding the Individual Dog
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Suzanne Clothier Session Title: Tell Me Who You Are – Understanding the Individual Dog Session Type:Lecture/LAB – 8 handler/dog teams (1.5 Hours) Each dog presents a unique blend of genetics, history, learning and experience, temperament, preferences, abilities and limits. Humane training is possible when we understand each dog in a nuanced way that reflects who they are as a social, cognitive, emotional and physical being. The more deeply we can understand the individual dog, the… Continued
Dog Trainers: Still Here to Help – Virtually!
Progressively, over the last couple of months, I have seen my client contact change dramatically. Classes, in-person 1-to-1 training sessions, day training, board and train etc…all of this physical, hands-on work has had to end due to COVID-19. Of course, the social aspect for us and our dogs has also come to an abrupt stop. No longer do we have access to that unique rapport with clients and no longer do our dogs have that option to form friendships, bond and learn about social interaction at training classes. For those… Continued
Tips to Help Your Reactive Dog
As a certified canine behavior consultant I enjoy working with “reactive” dogs. Yes, I said enjoy. Helping a dog and their guardian overcome this common behavioral issue is truly joyful for everyone involved. This is a long post…entire books have been written on this topic after all. I want to give you some virtual help during the global pandemic which has us sheltering at home. So feel free to get a cup of coffee or tea and then continue reading. What “reactive” means This refers to canine behavior in which a… Continued
Quick Cat Behavior Tip: Destructive Scratching
By the Pet Professional Guild Cat Committee Important Reminders about the Behavior Scratching is a normal, natural behavior for cats that serves many purposes: To communicate and modulate social interactions with other cats by: o Leaving behind a long-lasting visual mark (claw marks) and an olfactory mark by way of the interdigital glands. o Being seen physically marking an area (e.g., a confident, assertive cat might scratch in front of a less confident cat). To remove the layered sheaths that comprise the claws (claw maintenance). To stretch the muscles in the backs,… Continued
PPG Virtual Summit Recordings Now Available!
The recordings for the PPG Virtual Summit on April 2-3, 2020, celebrating the launch of the Pet Rescue Resource, are now available. Register here for access to these eight exceptional educational experiences offering 12 hours of recordings plus Q&A sessions: Preventing and Reducing Fear in The Shelter Environment – Dr. Karolina Westlund of Illis Animal Behavior Consulting Seven Top Tips to Promote Calm in Rescue and Shelter Dogs – Dr. Nick Thompson of Holisticvet Scent Work Solutions for Dogs in Rescues and Shelters – Dr. Nick Thompson of Well Connected Canine… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: How Can We Ask Questions from Non-Verbal Animals? Methods to Behaviorally Assess Preference in Applied Settings
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Dr. Alexandra Protopopova Session Title: How Can We Ask Questions from Non-Verbal Animals? Methods to Behaviorally Assess Preference in Applied Settings (Part 2) Session Type: General Session (1.5 Hours) Modern dog training recognizes that efficacy is simply not enough; ethics in dog training is equally, if not more important. A big part of being an ethical trainer is learning how to understand the animal’s point of view. Whereas using body language to gauge comfort level… Continued
Self-Isolation? Don’t Forget the Furries!
What unprecedented and uncertain times we’re in. I’m speaking from the viewpoint in the the UK but COVID-19, aka the coronavirus, is now sweeping the world. Here in the UK, the situation changes daily as the number cases (and very sadly, fatalities) increases, it is ever-evolving. By the time you read this, who knows what measures will be in place. Currently we have school closures and closures of businesses that provide food, hospitality and entertainment. There are advisories on social gatherings and social distancing and possibly soon to come, enforcement… Continued
Feline Behavior Unmasked: Acting on Instinct
By Amy Martin Q: My older cat does something frustrating while eating his food. He eats some of it, then tries to cover the rest of it with miscellaneous items nearby. Sometimes he even paws at the ground around his food plate or drags his placemat across his food plate, covering it a bit. My other (younger) cat does not do this. Is it related to age? Does this behavior mean he does not like his food? A: Two of our feline family members do this too! Understanding the why… Continued
Dogs in the Zone
By Barb Levenson Have you ever seen that look in your dog’s eyes? He looks at you and it feels like he truly loves you. Well, you are probably right. Scientists are discovering that we may actually be correct. Our dogs are indeed expressing their love for us. Several weeks ago I was working with my eight-month-old border collie puppy, Classy. I wanted to shape the behavior of him putting his head down while he was in his bed. In this situation I used a clicker as my marker so… Continued
Pigs at Work
By Lara Joseph Many people are astounded at the intelligence of pigs. Of all the animals that I train, one of my attractions to pigs is how quickly they learn. I had wanted to train pigs for quite a while, having been aware of their intellectual ability. I now have several who are regular clients and am contacted quite a bit for porcine behavior issues. With the latest craze for the ‘Teacup Pig’ or ‘Micro-Mini Pig’, this does raise concern. A Teacup Pig is only a Teacup when he is… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: How Can We Ask Questions from Non-Verbal Animals? The Basic Science of Choice
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Dr. Alexandra Protopopova Session Title: How Can We Ask Questions from Non-Verbal Animals? The Basic Science of Choice (Part 1) Session Type: General Session (1.5 Hours) Modern dog training recognizes that efficacy is simply not enough; ethics in dog training is equally, if not more important. A big part of being an ethical trainer is learning how to understand the animal’s point of view. Whereas using body language to gauge comfort level is one method,… Continued
Quick Cat Behavior Tip: Counter Surfing
By the Pet Professional Guild Cat Committee Important Reminders about the Behavior Getting up high is a natural feline behavior that enables cats to survey their territory and feel safe. Other reasons cats might jump onto counters include to obtain food, look out a window, get attention, find something to play with, hide, or avoid a dog, toddler, or another cat. High spaces that cats consider acceptable or desirable need to be in places that are interesting to them and/or where they feel safe—which, depending on the circumstances, may mean… Continued
Dog Behaviour and Managing Our Frustrations
We wouldn’t be human if frustration didn’t sometimes creep in when managing our dogs, particularly when helping them overcome training and behavior related issues. I don’t think it’s possible not to experience these emotions and I never blame owners for feeling exasperated or at the end of their tether at some stage. It’s important always to consider the impact training or behavior issues have on their owners, families and family structure, especially if other fragilities are already present. So what can we do if we are helping our dogs through… Continued
Feline Behavior Unmasked: Emesis in Cats – Common but Not Normal
By Dr. Liz Bales Q: I have 2 cats. One throws up constantly. She has thicker fur (she a tortie) than the other. I try to brush her as often as I can but she’s not a huge fan. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! A: This is such an important and misunderstood topic. We can help a lot of cats and the people who love them with this information. Most cat parents deal with cat vomit. Vomit is so common in the regular life with cats that we have… Continued
The Five Freedoms and Shirley
I had planned to write about a different topic today, but life often gets in the way of our plans — such as having to euthanize one of my pets yesterday. She was just shy of 15 years and that is very old, for sheep. Her name was Shirley and she has a story to tell. My wife and I first met Shirley in the spring of 2006 at a lambing event on a nearby farm. There must have been 100 sheep with scores of their babies, all available for… Continued
Jumping…A Perfectly Incompatible Solution!
As an animal behavior consultant, one of the most frequently asked questions I hear is, ‘How do I stop my dog from jumping up?’ Now there are, of course, multiple reasons why dogs may jump up – excitement, learned responses to given contexts, continued reinforcement (whether intended or not), or anxiety, to name a few. The first point I would make is that identification of the causes of jumping is paramount – what is the dog thinking and feeling in a given situation that drives the behavior? What is his… Continued
Guess What – That Dog Video Is Probably Fake!
By Eileen Anderson Many of us are beguiled by videos where dogs appear to be doing something very human or beyond what we usually consider to be their intelligence level, and some creators of dog videos exploit this tendency to get clicks. They make it appear that the dog is doing something he is not, or attribute some pretend, human-centric motivation or interest. And there are people who are willing to alter videos or create mashups so one of these things appears to be happening. Innocent Misrepresentation of Dogs Some… Continued
PPG Summit 2020 Sessions: Please Don’t Stress Me-owt! Feline Stress and Stressors in the Shelter, the Veterinary Clinic, and the Home
BARKS presents session details from PPG’s 2020 Summit and Workshops in Phoenix, Arizona Session Details: Presenter: Paula Garber Session Title: Please Don’t Stress Me-owt! Feline Stress and Stressors in the Shelter, the Veterinary Clinic, and the Home Session Type: Lecture (1 Hour) The emotional needs of cats are often not addressed as readily as their physical and health needs, typically because feline emotions are not easily recognized or understood. The impact of the physical and social environment on cats’ physical and behavioral health is significant and should not be underestimated. For… Continued
Feline Behavior Unmasked: Kitten Socialization
By Francine Miller Q: Should I socialize my kitten? I’ve heard that this is important for puppies, but is it important for kittens too? A: Yes! Although very few people are aware of how important this is, the socialization period is the time when all primary social bonds are formed and constitutes the single most important period during the cat’s life. During this phase, striking behavioral changes occur because of growth and experience. Socialization can occur between a kitten and humans, or between a kitten and its “natural enemies,” such… Continued
Feline Behavior Unmasked: Why Cats Paw at Water
By Tabitha Kucera Q: Why does my cat paw at the water in her bowl prior to drinking it? A: Pawing at, playing with or even splashing in a water dish is not as strange for cats as you might think. There are multiple reasons that may be motivating your cat to do this. Cats’ whiskers are very sensitive because they are filled with sensory collecting nerves that collect information about objects, vibrations, and wind currents around the cat. Some cats may become uncomfortable when their whiskers are regularly being squished… Continued
Icy Conditions Put People and Pets at Risk
My childhood winters were cold and snowy and I do not remember any freezing rain when I walked to school or played outside. Climate change has since warmed our region and I now find myself having to deal with winter rain, often creating unsafe icy conditions. That makes daily animal care far riskier. For one month last winter in southern Wisconsin (USA) we had intermittent light snow and freezing rain. My barnyard, driveway and the trails upon which I walked my dogs became dangerously slick. Just walking 100 yards up… Continued
3 Reasons a Little Dog Might Not Lie Down on Cue
By Eileen Anderson When I first started training dogs, things that didn’t work were a mystery to me. Why couldn’t I reward Summer with chasing squirrels like everybody said I could? Why couldn’t I find that slot in the layout of her teeth where the experienced trainers said she should hold the dumbbell? And why, oh why, could I not teach Cricket to lie down on cue? At first, I saw everything through the lens of disobedience: my dogs were wrong when things didn’t work out. As I learned more… Continued
Feline Behavior Unmasked: Nighttime Wakefulness
By Paula Garber Q: Why does my cat wake me up in the middle of the night? Is it because cats are nocturnal? A: Cats are actually crepuscular, which means they tend to be most active at dawn and dusk when the animals they prey upon (e.g., rodents and birds) are most active. This activity pattern often doesn’t match the owner’s schedule of getting up, going to work all day, and then coming home to relax and unwind. Many cats adjust their activity patterns to those of their owners, but… Continued
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