The Dog Blog

Pages

“Inside a dog’s brain it’s too dark to read” … no more.

Dr. Nicholas H.... | Thu, 12/17/2009 - 14:27

I hate to go on about our flank/blanket sucking Doberman study (not really) but it’s getting really fascinating and taking us to new heights in terms of studying behavior, so I thought I would share.

Most of us are involved in dealing with a behavior we see on the outside – the so-called phenotype. Training involves modifying phenotypic expression. In science, we are taught to report what we actually see … and no more. It is taboo to interpret what goes on within. “After all,” they say, “a dog’s thoughts and emotions (if indeed they exist) are inaccessible and best left out of the picture.” Not so much these days, I would say.

Walk the dog

Rachel Friedman | Tue, 12/15/2009 - 19:00

It's official. Researchers at The University of Missouri have confirmed what many have instinctively known for years. Walking your dog (or dogs) has more health benefits than walking with other people.

Bad Puppy Classes?

Dr. Ian Dunbar | Tue, 12/15/2009 - 09:41

I recently read — How Puppy Class Almost Ruined My Dad’s New Cattle Dog — written by a veterinarian, who blames Puppy Class (and her Dad) for almost ruining her Dad’s puppy, Lucy. I am worried that the sensational and provocative title along with the tabloid style, (replete with “videotaped evidence”, watching “in horror” and the predictable cliff-hanger ending, “To find out what happened, stay tuned for upcoming blogs”), might lead unsuspecting puppy owners to believe that puppy classes are bad news. Consequently, I have decided to reply at length, so that owners realize why they should never let their puppy miss the opportunity of attending classes.

Three Weeks of Chaos - Puppy Socialization

Jeff Silverman | Tue, 12/15/2009 - 08:42

There’s been a great deal of socialization to report on in the last 3 weeks for Chaos. Going home to visit my large extended family over Thanksgiving weekend set the gold standard. Chaos made 3 trips to a nursing home, where he met people in wheelchairs, people using walkers, and people who move a little oddly for a variety of other reasons. He made especially good friends with a dog lover who had suffered a stroke. I’d put Chaos in her arms and he’d lay his head on her shoulder bathing her face in puppy kisses. We made a point of visiting her every day. I've never done therapy dog work before, but I might be hooked. The joy that lit up people's faces when they met a puppy was really wonderful to see. I don't know how many therapy catahoulas there are, but who knows what the future holds?

Update On Chaos' Resource Guarding

Jeff Silverman | Mon, 12/14/2009 - 11:45

I’ve been crazy busy lately and not able to post too much about Chaos’ early weeks with us. I figured that an update on the guarding deserved its own post. I’ll get to the rest of his education in a post tonight or tomorrow.

Calling all dog lovers!!

Marie Finnegan | Thu, 12/10/2009 - 05:34

Your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to help educate our movie going public. Your deadline for the mission is December 18th. Your countdown begins now. While this current mission is targeting those who may be interested in a specific breed, it benefits anyone considering a dog. How? Because it helps to educate people about the need for breed research BEFORE getting a dog "just like the one they saw" in a movie. This in turn hopefully helps cut down on the amount of mismatched dogs to owners. Not every breed of dog is right for every home after all. What might be the best match for you may be a nightmare for your best friend and vice versa.

The steps for this mission are simple.

1) Go to this website http://www.akitaclub.org/ and download and print a copy of the file "Is the akita the right dog for you?"

2) Take the handout to your local Staples store and make a bajillion copies.

Can Too Much Socialization Ruin A Puppy?

Dr. Ian Dunbar | Wed, 12/09/2009 - 10:47

Recently, I read a blog that upset me — Lunch with Turid Rugas: Am I Driving My Dog Crazy, written by an obviously intelligent and caring dog owner, who blames herself for the unlikely likelihood that she ruined her dog Sadie with too much early socialization. My heart goes out to the author and Sadie and I feel that I must respond in case people misinterpret the facts to mean that early socialization can be damaging.

Maybe We Are Smarter Than They Think

Laurie C Willia... | Wed, 12/09/2009 - 06:40

This past Sunday, Cesar Millan was supposed to bring his Pack Power tour to the Washington, DC area, but it never happened. So, sadly, he wasn't able to "transform dog lovers in DC into Pack leaders," as the advertisement touted. The tickets, priced at $150.00/$75.00/$39.50 went on sale October 10, but suddenly a couple of weeks ago it was announced the appearance was canceled. And not only his DC appearance, but according to the website Cesar's Way, the appearances in Dallas on November 15 and Los Angeles on November 21 were canceled as well. The Patriot Center website cites the reason for the cancelation as "due to circumstances outside of his control..." However Cesar's way says "commitments to charity events." That one sounds much better. How can people be ticked o

Keeping the Bumpus Hounds at Bay

Nicole S. Silvers | Tue, 12/08/2009 - 11:41

The ubiquitous dog-related holiday disaster story appears in "A Christmas Story". Still, every year, I am contacted by distraught owners who just didn't realize how predictable and, sadly, preventable, holiday hoopla could have been.

To ensure you & your dog have a smooth holiday
Assess your situation:
Is this the dog's first holiday experience at your house?
Is the dog an adolescent (age 4 mos -3 years)?
Have you had the opportunity to properly socialize the dog?

Assess reality:
Are you able to make this a positive learning experience for the dog?
Have you been providing the correct levels of exercise, training, and stimulation over the past few weeks?