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Dangerous Smiles

Chirag Patel | Mon, 09/27/2010 - 16:20

A very interesting question: How do children view their relationship with the family pet dog?

Research in the 1980s suggested that children tend to treat their dogs as peers. As a result of this, their level and way of interacting with dogs, it is believed that young children are considered at the most risk of dog bites compared to any other age group. We also know, that the majority of dog bites that do occur and involve children, occur within the family home. Most of these bites occur towards to face and neck area. When bites do occur there can be very serious consequences both physical and psychological for both the child and the dog.

Embedded thumbnail for Dog Training Tools: Don&#039;t use food as a bribe! Don&#039;t let your tools become a crutch!

Dog Training Tools: Don't use food as a bribe! Don't let your tools become a crutch!

Dr. Ian Dunbar | Mon, 09/27/2010 - 12:06

A hot topic for sure! An incredibily important one too. No topic is more misunderstood than the use of food in dog training. By all means we should use training tools but there is indeed a lot of urgency to phase them out. Here I discuss the appropriate use, and misuse, of food in training.

This is just an hors d'oeurve of what's on the menu of my latest seminar series, check out my 2010/2011 appearance schedule if you'd like to take a bigger bite!

Become a Better Reader for your Dog.

Kevin Myers | Sun, 09/26/2010 - 14:56

After a year and a half of blogging about dogs, I hope I have become a better writer. But if you were to ask me to name the one thing that has improved most a result of my blogging, I would have to say it’s my reading skills.

I’ve written many posts during my blogging tenure and there is one thing they all have in common. Each piece is tempered by my own predilections and prejudices, beliefs and disbeliefs, and the lifetime of experiences behind them.

We tend to be very passionate about our dogs and I see that passion surface in both good and bad ways in blogs and more importantly the discussion of those blogs across the internet. Even though we are reading the same articles we seem to take away very different things from them; so much so that I often wonder if we are reading the same articles! Our passion seems to take an editorial role in the articles we read by highlighting some words and ideas while using whiteout on others.

Science-Based Dog Training (with Feeling): How Dog Training Transcends Learning Theory

Dr. Ian Dunbar | Thu, 09/23/2010 - 08:06

I have spent the past few years puzzling over why dog training is no longer working that well. Today there is much more management and less reliability than 10-plus years ago. Far too many dogs develop behavior, temperament and training problems and so are surrendered to shelters in a day and age where we have more knowledge than ever.

There is so much that we used to do in the 80s and 90s that we are no longer doing. Consequently, nowadays, far more dogs are fearful of people, reactive to other dogs and unreliable off-leash. Puppy classes are seldom taught off-leash and so, adolescent classes are seldom off-leash and so, as soon as dogs reach adolescence, socialization grinds to a halt and aggression problems appear. We must go back to training off–leash to ensure that socialization continues and that owners are taught off-leash verbal control independent of training aids.

The Media, Heartstrings, and Pet Adoption

Nicole Wilde | Wed, 09/22/2010 - 08:20

An interesting story appeared today on BBC News. A man had taken his dog for a walk, and then headed back to his car. He drove off—without the dog. The dog, who had a limp, was unable to catch up. This type of scenario is, unfortunately, not at all unusual. In the desert area where I live, dogs are dumped all the time. What made this different was that it was caught on video and broadcast on television. Hundreds of people across England, Scotland, and Wales stepped up to offer to adopt the dog. No doubt Ginger, a cute mixed breed, will find a home.

Stop Kissing and Smell the Roses – Human Greetings Seen through a Dog’s Eye

Kevin Myers | Wed, 09/22/2010 - 06:56

When it comes to the greeting behavior of dogs, information abounds from the human perspective on how our dogs should behave when greeting both humans, and other animals. However, not many have thought to ask our dogs their opinion of our greeting rituals. So I set out to interview my 8 year old Australian Shepherd, Gavin, and get his opinions on some of our human greetings.

Kevin: Let’s start with the traditional human handshake; tell us what you think of that.

Gavin: We see this as being closet in form and meaning to our traditional butt sniff. It seems like it conveys a lot of information. A strong handshake is like a good, thorough, butt sniff; “Hello, this is who I am, I am interested in you.” A weak handshake is like our cursory butt sniff; “Yeah, I see you, got better things to do.”

Kevin: Let’s move on to the hug.

Beyond Quantum

Dr. Ian Dunbar | Tue, 09/21/2010 - 14:55

Learning theory is incredibly valuable to dog training, but since it was largely developed in a laboratory, there are limits to it’s applicability.

Teach wait to your dogs, a useful safety behavior

Hurry Up and Wait! Teach A Safety Skill

Leslie Fisher | Tue, 09/21/2010 - 14:05

Hurry! Yes, dogs are always in a hurry to get out the door, and explore the world awaiting. However, especially with multiple large dogs, you run the risk of being mowed over in the melee. More importantly, bolting out the door is a huge safety concern, one that could end the life of your pal. Sadly, my mother had a little dog whose short life ended under the wheels of a car, after bolting out the front door. In my opinion, WAIT is one of the most important skills a dog can learn.

Urgent, Last Chance, Emergency Dogs

Cindy Bruckart | Tue, 09/21/2010 - 10:43

Every day my mailbox is full of requests for help with dogs who are scheduled to be euthanized. I receive plenty of requests for help in rehabiliting dogs who have hurt people or other animals and are now going to pay for it with their lives.

These requests tug at my heartstrings and illicit my anger and frustration with certain dog owners. The stories are all similar. The dog was never trained or socialized as a pup, turned into a teenage with no manners or social skills, was relinquished to a shelter and is now unsafe to adopt through no fault of his own. In other cases the dog was treated poorly by humans and is now afraid and reactive around some or all forms of the species. All of this was preventable and predictable, and that is what makes me so mad.

"Good Girl"

Chirag Patel | Mon, 09/20/2010 - 20:13

Do you say "Good Dog" or the like when you train your dog? Have you thought about what it might means to your dog? Many people say something like "Good Girl / Boy" to their dog to communicate that something the dog has just done was good, (liked by the owner). Most often we will give our dog some kind of reward (food, praise, fuss etc...) at the same time or after we say "good dog".