Human vs. Canine Behavior: A Brief Comparison
By Joanne Ometz “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.” – Mark Twain This quote has become ubiquitous. It is on coffee mugs, bumper stickers, and T-shirts. But why do so many people feel this way about members of our own species? And why do we attribute such high standards of behavior to our canine companions? Some say dogs are more pure; they love unconditionally and are always there for us. But when it comes to each other, are they really any “better” than us? As a… Continued
The Elephant on the Stairs
By Bob McMillan For the dog owner, the experiences of James Howard Williams are an inspiration not only to train their dogs without force, but to learn and respect the ways of their animal friends…Williams tried something never before done with elephants. He and his workers carved a series of crude “steps” up the face of the soft, limestone cliffs. Then he had to convince the elephants to use them. The way up was barely wide enough for an elephant. It would have to be taken one precarious step at… Continued
Pain Underlying
By Dr. Lynn Bahr Pain is not a symptom that exists alone. Other problems associated with pain can include fatigue, withdrawal from activity and increased need to rest, and changes in mood, including fear, depression, anxiety, irritability and stress. In humans, we know that long-term pain has a profound effect on quality of life and we might assume the same holds true for animals. Aside from the physical suffering that it causes, there are also psychological and personality effects associated with chronic pain. Read more.
The Power of Water
By Charlotte Pimm In conjunction with veterinary treatment, hydrotherapy can improve the quality and rate of healing following surgery and traumatic injury while also helping with the treatment of medical conditions by reducing pain and swelling…Warm water increases the circulation of the blood to the muscles, which increases the supply of oxygen and nutrients and flushes away waste products. This leads to muscle relaxation and a reduction in pain and stiffness. Improved circulation reduces swelling around the injured area and enhances healing. Read more.
August 2, 2018: Netherlands Prohibits Use of Prong Collars
According to the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations, Netherlands law on animal welfare now considers it an “act of animal cruelty” to “use or tether an animal with an object with sharp spikes or prongs that can cause pain.” Read article. See also Why Prong Is Wrong – Physically and Psychologically
Ask Your Dog Questions – Overshadowing 2
By Yvette Van Veen How to ask your dog questions…overshadowing part two. My last blog introduced the concept of overshadowing by offering a simple example to illustrate the point. For an explanation of the concept, you can read that blog here. But that basic understanding doesn’t go far enough in my opinion. Many unusual variations exist and can interfere with training. To recap, animals are more likely to attach meaning to information that is more important and noticeable – the more “salient.” Abstract variations can be hard to spot. It’s… Continued
Teaching Trailer Loading
By Kathie Gregory Not all horses automatically enjoy the process of going into a trailer, yet in an emergency it may be essential for them to do so…Think of fun ways to teach these things. You may be interested in agility, tricks, or creating a routine to a piece of music. We do all these things with dogs to interest and engage them, so think about how to apply that to your horse. If your horse likes movement, you may look at agility or hoofwork to music as a starting… Continued
A Safe Escape
By Dr. Lisel O’Dwyer Entering and standing in a small, often dark, enclosed space is completely against the average horse’s instincts which is why we need to actually spend time training them to load. Much of trailer training does not involve the actual trailer–the horse should be confident about stepping onto wooden boards and tarps, entering narrow or dark spaces, and moving forward away from light pressure on the halter or on his rump or tail. Target training is a highly useful skill in these situations, and either a nose target… Continued
Get A Successful Start—Today and Every Day
By Veronica Boutelle As small business owners we live with never-ending to-do lists and a constant frustration that there aren’t more hours in the day. While we can’t do anything about that last complaint, it turns out that how we use the first hour of each day can significantly improve the productivity of the rest. Many successful people and “success gurus” have weighed in on how to use that first hour. While there’s no consensus about the one best way to start the workday, there are several strategies to experiment… Continued
Does Ignoring an Unwanted Behavior Really Work?
By Debbie Bauer I often hear the advice given to ignore the behavior we don’t like and it will go away. But is this really true? In my experience, and in the experience of many others, ignoring a behavior does not cause it to go away. In many instances, ignoring can even cause the behavior we are trying to get rid of to escalate. Ignoring a behavior can cause it to escalate. If we are trying to ignore a behavior and it escalates, we will often at some point give… Continued
Pet Professional Guild to hold inaugural Australia summit in Sydney – Two weeks to go and 15 spots left!
Convention guarantees three full days of high-level education and networking opportunities for pet training and behavior professionals. The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) will hold its inaugural Australia summit on July 26 – 29, 2018 at the Bankstown Sports Club in Bankstown, NSW. PPG represents pet industry professionals globally and who are committed to results based, science-based, force-free training and pet care. Aimed predominantly at pet industry training and behavior professionals, the principle goals of the event are to build a greater awareness of PPG as the go-to organisation for force-free… Continued
July 26, 2018: New Study Compares Personality and Behavior of Companion vs. Free-Ranging Bali Dogs in Bali
The study, Companion and free-ranging Bali dogs: Environmental links with personality traits in an endemic dog population of South East Asia, examines the personality traits of dogs based on their lifestyle “either living as human companions or as free-ranging animals, exploring at the same time the impact of demographic variables (such as age, sex, and neutered status) on personality.” Read study.
Busy Toys Gone Bad
By Yvette Van Veen Toys…are neither good nor bad. Rather it’s how they are used. They can strengthen behaviour you like. If you’re not careful, they will strengthen behaviour you dislike. There are more toys out there than you can shake a stick at. You could say that busy toys are the new stick. Many people are convinced that if they just buy enough toys, the right toy, their dog will stop pestering them with jumping, nudging, barking, whining and more. They hope to buy calm. But could your busy… Continued
Learning a New Way to Communicate
By Debbie Bauer Sometimes we know in advance if our dog will lose sight and/or hearing. I have a senior dog now who is mostly deaf from age. So far his sight seems OK, but I know it too may begin to fade. There are some things we can do to help ease this transition for our dogs. One is to teach hand signals to our dogs for basic every day behaviors (sit, lie down, wait at the door, come) and for some of the fun tricks they know (fetch,… Continued
The Dark Side of Dog Training and Pet Care
By Angelica Steinker Original article, published in BARKS from the Guild, March 2018 pp. 14-21, features more photos of Sarge, Gunner, Blue, Max and Finn. *Caution: This article contains violent descriptions of dog death, abuse and neglect. “Prosecutions under general anti-cruelty statutes are occasionally successful but greatly hampered by the absence of legal standards pertaining specifically to training practices. Provided it’s in the name of training, someone with no formal education or certification can strangle your dog quite literally to death and conceivably get off scot-free.” – Jean Donaldson (2017) Dog training… Continued
Experts United: Breed Specific Legislation Does Not Work
The following is an excerpt from PPG’s recently released Position Statement on Breed Specific Legislation. Countless animal welfare organizations and professional bodies worldwide have issued position statements that comprehensively refute the efficacy of BSL as a means of reducing dog bites and increasing public safety. Victoria Stilwell, president of the Victoria Stilwell Academy for Dog Training and Behavior, and CEO of Victoria Stilwell Positively Dog Training “Without exception, I stand firmly against BSL. The research has shown time and time again that BSL does not reduce dog bites in the… Continued
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