Giving Dogs Choices
By Stephanie Peters Many of the parents who invite me into their homes are swimming in a sea of misinformation, just trying to stay above water. They may have been told, or read on the internet, erroneously of course, that when their dog mouths or jumps on or steals food from their children, he is trying to “dominate” them. They may even have been told, again erroneously, that the dog must view children as superiors, not subordinates, and that the parents have caused the disruption in the hierarchy by not being a… Continued
Feline Behavior Unmasked: Wakefulness, Whisker Fatigue, and Water
By Paula Garber and Tabitha Kucera 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. Whisker fatigue commonly occurs when a cat’s whiskers are regularly being squished and brushed up against food and water bowls…when choosing a place for water bowls, many cats do not like them placed right next to their food. In the wild, cats go out of their way to keep their food and water sources separate to avoid having the food contaminate… Continued
The Journey of a Crossover Trainer
By Nichola Marshall My dogs are livestock guardian dogs and some people will tell you that they cannot be trained to be “obedient.” My old girl was trained “old school.” She is a very good girl and now I understand why – she has been conditioned to avoid an aversive (leash check) by responding to a verbal cue…It seems so obvious now, but mentally it was a total paradigm shift for me to reward behavior rather than “obedience.” Feed my dog just to make her happy? Yes. Without her having actually… Continued
Canine Aggression: The Public Perception
By Hannah Blumenfeld I have spent a lot of time watching how people interact with dogs they don’t know. A handsome boxer was tied up outside a shop, and a woman went right up to him, got in his face, like mere inches away, and told him what a good dog he was. The dog tolerated it. He kept peering past her, toward the shop his person was in. He was pointedly ignoring the woman, but she didn’t notice. A friend of mine was visiting an apartment where I was… Continued
Putting the Social in Socialization
By Anna Bradley The goal of puppy socialization is to “convince the amygdala, that part of the puppy’s brain that reacts emotionally to his world that, in general, the best/most appropriate emotional responses are calm, relaxed and happy.” (Miller, 2014). Scott and Fuller (1965, cited by Overall (2013)) identified four main stages in a puppy’s development:• Neonatal• Transitional• Socialization• JuvenileOf most significance in terms of behavioral development is this socialization period. Read article
Helping Owners, Helping Dogs
By Veronica Sanchez How many times have you nearly walked right into a tree while training a dog? Multitasking is hard even when you do not have a limitation. Keep in mind that for someone with a mobility impairment, simply walking can require more of their attention. Holding a leash, using a clicker and rewarding the dog while walking is a learned skill that requires quite a bit of multitasking and coordination. Asking clients to put these skills together too quickly can make it more likely that the client trips… Continued
Lessons from Bogie
By Shannon Finch Later, my client told me what had happened that weekend. They had had guests, and Bogie had been whining and crying in his crate, so her husband used a shock collar to keep him quiet. Things suddenly became very clear. I now understood why Bogie’s progress was so sporadic. My client used positive reinforcement, but her husband was using fear, pain and punishment, and had been all along. It had escalated to Bogie being shocked in a crate, with no way for him to escape…My heart still hurts… Continued
February 28, 2019: Alberta Veterinarians Vote to Ban Unnecessary Surgical Procedures
Members of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) have voted to ban all unnecessary surgeries on pets, including declawing, ear cropping, and tail docking. The Association is working to have the new policy in place by spring. Dr. Darrell Dalton, registrar with the ABVMA, said there is “no scientific justification for cosmetic surgeries” and that they are “medically unnecessary,” “cause unnecessary pain to the animal,” and are “inhumane.” Read article
February 27, 2019: California Assemblymaker Introduces Bill to Ban Declawing in Cats
California Assemblymaker Bill Quirk (D-Hayward) has introduced a bill seeking to ban the declawing procedure in cats. “Declawed cats can suffer long-term physical complications as a result of declawing,” said Quirk. Many veterinarians say the practice is barbaric, causes unneeded pain and suffering, and leads to unexpected complications. It is already banned in 20 countries worldwide. Quirk has also introduced a bill seeking to give judges more direction about how to handle pet custody disputes in divorce proceedings and consider an animal’s interests in divorce proceedings and allow joint ownership of a companion animal.… Continued
Februrary 22, 2019: BC SPCA Urges Dog Owners Not to Use Shock Collars
The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BCSPCA) in Canada is urging dog owners to refrain from using electric shock collars as a training tool for their pets, stating that pet owners are often unaware of the harm the devices can cause. Says Dr. Karen van Haaften of the BCSPCA: “[Shock collars] cause pain and signs of fear in dogs, and long term they’re actually associated with poor behaviour outcomes, including increased rates of aggression, increased fear and anxiety-related behaviours.” Read article
February 21, 2019: Study Indicates Fewer Flies Land on Horses Wearing Striped Coats
The function of zebra stripes has been a “source of scientific interest for over 150 years” and there is now there is an “emerging consensus among biologists that the primary function of contrasting black and white stripes on the three species of zebras is to thwart attack from tabanids” (aka horse flies). A new study examines the behaviour of tabanids around horses wearing differently coloured cloth coats and reports on the duration of time that tabanids spend on equids with different coloured pelage, and concludes that “that, up close, striped surfaces prevented… Continued
February 14, 2019: Australian Capital Territory Considers Making “Sentience” Law
In an Australian first, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is currently considering the introduction of legislation that would acknowledge animal sentience, meaning that the government would, for the first time, consider animals’ feelings in addition to their physical well-being, and how these feelings may impact their welfare. Read article
Addressing Aggression, the Force-Free Way
By Diane Garrod Reactivity is by no means necessarily an intent to do harm; the dog who hides shivering behind her owner or the dog who lashes out with growling and lunging are both experiencing the same emotion of fear. Both have the same choices that we would have for dealing with it: fight, flight, or freeze. The reaction would not be displayed in the first place if the dog were more confident in how to handle a situation. Read article
What Does “Happy” Look Like?
By Lara Joseph I think it’s fair to say that most animals in our care have their choices restricted to some degree. For example, we have to limit options for their safety. Our companion cats and dogs are often confined to the four walls of our homes and the fences in our backyards. Exotics, both in the home and in educational organizations, are often restricted to cages within four walls. Many of them are undomesticated animals that have naturally evolved to navigate miles of land or fly vast distances. These… Continued
Protecting Your Business
By David Pearsall Unfortunately, most general liability policies contain exclusions for personal property in the insured’s care, custody, or control. And for many types of businesses this would be okay. However, for the professional dog trainer, (or pet sitter, dog walker or boarding facility), it is perhaps the most significant exposure of all. This is because dogs are considered personal property under the law. Without including this coverage under your general liability policy, you simply have no insurance for the dogs in your care. Read article
Calm Vet Visits
By Victoria Blais For cats, less really is more. This means less noise, less handling, less restraint, fewer loud voices, fewer odors, fewer bright colors, and fewer lights. When I arrive for at the veterinarian’s office for an appointment, I call from the parking lot, so we can directly enter the cat-only exam room. Next, we take five to 10 minutes to acclimate, accompanied by low volume relaxing instrumental music, soft exam surfaces, pheromones, and choices. We have the choice of treats or toys, to explore or to retreat, to… Continued
A Better Dog-Human Understanding
By Susan Nilson We may assume that a free-ranging dog lives unhappily without a human family. In some instances, this may be the case. But we also need to remember that free-ranging dogs have a lot of freedom that dogs living as companions, say pets, do not necessarily have. Free-ranging dogs have the privilege of deciding their daily actions and habits and displaying behaviors according to their personalities. Their sociality, and in some cases sexual conduct, are not, or are just minimally, conditioned by humans. Read article
The Durability of “Dominance”
By Anna Bradley The internet is great because there’s so much knowledge out there, but here’s the caveat – is it always good knowledge? Of course not. Miller (2018) states: “The alpha myth is everywhere. Google “alpha, dog” on the Internet and you get more than 16 million hits. Really. While not all the sites are about dominating your dog, there are literally millions of resources out there – websites, books, blogs, television shows, animal care and training professionals – instructing you to use force and intimidation to overpower your… Continued
January 28, 2019: New Study Examines Adult Womens’ Sleep Quality, Routines in Relation to Pet Ownership
Scientists have gathered data to investigate whether the presence of a pet in the bed impacts human sleep quality either positively or negatively, and found that “dogs who slept in the owner’s bed were perceived to disturb sleep less and were associated with stronger feelings of comfort and security. Conversely, cats who slept in their owner’s bed were reported to be equally as disruptive as human partners, and were associated with weaker feelings of comfort and security than both human and dog bed partners.” Read study
January 9, 2019: Study Examines Cat-Human Social Behavior
A new study has been conducted to “assess the influence of human attentional state, population, and human familiarity on domestic cat sociability,” and reported that “[h]uman familiarity did not significantly influence pet cat sociability behaviors. Overall, a wide range of sociability scores was seen, indicating individual variation is an important consideration in cat social behavior.” Read study
Is “Maybe” Addictive?
By Louise Stapleton-Frappell In operant conditioning, behavioral responses that are positively reinforced increase in frequency, intensity or duration. The cue is given, the response occurs, reinforcement follows and the loop is repeated. One would perhaps expect dopamine levels to rise upon receipt of the reinforcer. But do they? Some studies have shown that increases in dopamine are not, in fact, directly related to the reinforcer. Rather, it is the anticipation of the reinforcer that causes dopamine levels to spike. Although dopamine signals may well be activated during the consumption of a tasty… Continued
December 27, 2018: Danish Study Investigates Effects of Breed Specific Legislation
A newly- published Danish study has found that Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) has a limited effect on overall levels of dog bite injuries and summarizes that: “In order to minimise dog bite injuries in the future, it would seem that other interventions or non-breed-specific legislation should be considered as the primary option.” Read study
The Many Faces of Behavior Myopia: Recognizing the Subtle Signs
By Eileen Anderson and Angelica Steinker The fundamental goal of any behavior modification program should be to improve the dog’s1 and owner’s emotional states, both during and after the process. If emotional, genetic or medical information is omitted from the functional assessment process however, the ensuing behavior modification plan will be incomplete, which not only runs the risk of recommended interventions being inappropriate and misdirected, but may also have disastrous consequences. Unfortunately, behavior myopia such as this is an all too common occurrence in our industry. From a dog’s point of view,… Continued
Walking the Force-Free Path
By Daniel Antolec I recently enjoyed a thought-provoking conversation with a respected colleague on the subject of force-free professional dog training and my former career as a police officer. I think her expectation was that, given my background in law enforcement, I might be inclined to use forceful methods, such as those commonly associated with so-called “dominance theory.”…When I chose to become a dog trainer I discovered the force-free philosophy I now formally embrace. It was a natural transition. I do not use fear, intimidation or inflict pain on dogs… Continued
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