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
Create Sensory Spaces for Dogs
An article from Australian Dog Lover on how to create a “sensory garden” for dogs was a nice escape from the cold of a Montana winter. It’s filled with great tips for creating mental stimulation for dogs that you can adapt to any space. The author describes watching how her dog used their outdoor space, and then designing around that dog’s preferences. But for those creating a sensory space for, say, a doggy day care or a training space or a dog park, it’s possible to generalize. It’s feasible to include… Continued
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
‘Spring Clean’ Your Relationship!
Spring’s here (almost), the weather’s improving, the mud’s drying, the morning’s are getting lighter and the day’s longer and you just feel better. So why not use this time to think about how you and your dog work together? It’s a great time for positive change! NEW WALKS It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut, we all live busy lives and time is always of short supply. Dogs love to use their extra special senses to good advantage, so think about where’s local that you haven’t explored yet… 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
Portland Blog Competition: Conflict vs. Cooperation
By Marie Selarque At the time of writing, Bix was almost 8 months old and was staying with me for board and train. The focus of his training was jumping and biting, but the truth is, he taught me as much as I taught him. Silly me though, I did not initially get quite enough information about his undesirable behaviors and was caught by surprise in the middle of the first night of his stay when he had vomited and I got up to clean it. I saw his “worried”… Continued
Herrnstein’s Matching Law and Reinforcement Schedules
When we bake cookies, some reinforcement is on a variable interval schedule. Have you heard trainers talking about the matching law? This post covers a bit of its history and the nuts and bolts of what it is about. I am providing this rather technical article because I want something to link to in some other written pieces about how the matching law has affected my own training of my dogs. In 1961, B.J. Herrnstein published a research paper in which there was an early formulation of what we call the matching law… Continued
Dog Adoption, Done Right
Dog adoption is near and dear to my heart, and one which, hopefully, leads to a celebration that lasts for the life of the pet. The main concern I have heard people express is that adopting a dog is likely to result in dealing with “issues” such as fear, aggression or separation anxiety. I often hear the person express a desire to buy a puppy in order to begin with a clean slate and avoid pre-existing “issues”. I appreciate that not everyone is suitable to adopting a pet with pre-existing “issues”… 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
An Allegory: What Happens if a Dog is Punished for Having a Phobia?
By Sandra Machado Johnny is five years old and he is a great kid. He is loving, does very well in school and absolutely adores his mom. One day he was playing in the park and was badly bitten by a spider. He was never afraid of them before until he got bitten. He became so fearful that every time he saw one he would cry, tremble and have a panic attack. He would sweat and almost faint. Almost all physiological signs of fear were present at the mere sight… Continued
Treat Value: What Should You Use?
By Yvette Van Veen Which Treat Value Is BEST? It depends. There’s so much variation in how food reinforcements are used that we have to look at the objective of the training. Generally there are two styles of training. We can primarily work in classical conditioning or we can primarily work in operant conditioning. It is correct that Pavlov is on your shoulder and Skinner is on the other. Hopefully we have a plan when training. Our plan should be clear as to which strategy we are using in the moment. You can’t… Continued
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
BARKS Podcast with Dr. Nathan Hall: February 7, 2019.
Guest: Dr. Nathan Hall, assistant professor of companion animal science at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, and the director of the canine olfaction research and education laboratory in the department of animal science. Topic: Understanding Gene-Behavior Relationships in Domestic Dogs. Dr. Hall’s PPG Annual Summit, presentation. Canine Aggression & Bite Prevention Education Seminar, April 2019 Portland, OR. Listen to the Recorded Podcast here
Tips for Working with Clients with Mobility Impairments
By Veronica Sanchez A large and rambunctious dog can pull an owner off their feet, even if they do not have any physical limitations. However, people who have mobility impairments are at a higher risk. Additionally, the consequences of an injury may be more serious. Fortunately, there are a variety of strategies that can help clients with mobility limitations be successful in training their dogs to walk on a loose leash. Many people may experience a mobility limitation, including people with disabilities, people with temporary health injuries as well as… Continued
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