Blogspot - Companion Animal Psychology

Animal cruelty investigations, cat music, dog parks, and interviews with dogs...the latest Companion Animal Psychology news. Favourites from around the web this month: If you’ve ever tried to get a wriggly puppy into a harness, this post is for you. Gearing up: How to harness your dog or puppy by Joan Grassbaugh Forry CTC. “The one symptom I cannot ignore, however, is my dog’s tiny head, resting on my leg during a portion of the day when she’s usually ignoring me.” How your dog knows when you’re sick , by Amanda Mull . "When you’re training a dog using a good plan and good treats, the dog is so keen to work it feels almost criminal." Kristi Benson CTC ponders the question, is training your dog unnatural? “I have been leading a team studying animal cruelty investigation work and workers for the last few years. It is difficult research, to put it mildly.” Preventing animal cruelty is physically and emotionally risky for front-line animal workers by Dr. Kendra Coulter . Shoul...

Dog training standards, the puppy brain, and the crow that called for food… the latest Companion Animal Psychology news. Favourites from around the web this month These are my favourite articles, photos and podcasts about animals this month. As usual, I've included links to people's Twitter accounts so you can easily follow them. "A new training program from Canada's BC SPCA is a model for all to follow.” At Psychology Today ,  Dr. Marc Bekoff interviews Dr. Karen van Haaften and Dr. Sara Dubois of the BC SPCA about their new AnimalKind accreditation scheme for dog trainers in BC. In very cold temperatures, does dog urine do what boiling water does? Find out in, What happens when it’s 30 below and the dog’s gotta go? By Karin Brulliard  at The Washington Post . “The puppy brain still has a lot of developing to do after birth, and understanding that process is important to raising confident, well-adjusted dogs.” Fear, stress, and puppy brain development: what to know...

Where guide dogs come from, why cats aren’t antisocial, and what pet obesity says about us… Some of my favourites from around the web this month “At the risk of sounding evil, Labrador puppies aren't at their cutest as newborns. They look like wrinkly hamsters.” Guide dogs: Where do they really come from? By Rebecca Seales. And despite the quote, the photos are adorable. “When it comes to age-related illnesses, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are some of the most notorious and least understood human afflictions. But did you know that man’s best friend can suffer from very similar ailments?” Senior dogs can suffer from dementia too by Saryn Chorney .  “What do I want, and how do I reinforce it? In other words, you’re not going to “lose weight,” you’re going to lose 5 pounds by the end of the month and reinforce it by buying more sheepdog training videos.”  Patricia McConnell takes a look at what dog training teaches us about resolutions . “Your dear dog sniffs the same fir...

The mirror test, what we know about dogs, and some Christmas videos... the latest newsletter from Companion Animal Psychology. Some of my favourites from around the web this month "“There are researchers who, it seems, do not want fish to be included in this secret club,” he said. “Because then that means that the [primates] are not so special anymore.”"  A ‘self-aware’ fish raises doubts about a cognitive test by Elizabeth Preston .  “A while ago I saw a dog training guide that recommended that someone put a shock collar on their puppy and then hold down the shock button…” Yes, I’m angry about that training advice by Kristi Benson CTC .  “It may start as nothing but a temporary relief or a distraction, but it may also grow into a newfound appetite for life.” How to get your anxious dog to play by Sylvie Martin CTC at Crosspaws Dogs (don’t miss the lovely video).  "The main point is that there aren't any definite answers to many questions about dog behavior, dog ...

Women in canine science, people who care for parrots, dogs in Paris, and more... the latest news from Companion Animal Psychology. Some of my favourites from around the web this month "Clearly - dogs are awesome. So is science!"  Women are thriving in canine science - tell a girl you know!  At Do You Believe in Dog?, Mia Cobb and Julie Hecht are celebrating the women in canine science, and encouraging girls to get interested in a career in science. Don't miss the daily inspiring quotes on their Facebook and Twitter feeds. “...it is the only study I know of which has demonstrated that petting and playing with a therapy dog can reduce human distress even when the interactions are not facilitated by a sympathetic handler” How important is the animal in animal-assisted therapy? Hal Herzog on an important new study that tests the use of therapy dogs with children. A must-read. "This way of structuring veterinary and animal science as subjects within animal welfare is ...

The latest news including an evidence-based guide to pets, what it's like growing up with wolves, and anxiety in pets and us. Some of my favourites from around the web this month The Psychologist guide to … pets . I love these evidence-based tips on pets put together by Ella Rhodes . “Fido” or “Freddie”? Why do some pet names become popular? A fun and interesting post from Prof. Hal Herzog , complete with a quiz to test how popular your dogs’ names are. Do you want to know what the umwelt of a dog is? And what canine science experiments look like? The Scientist Podcast interviews Dr. Alexandra Horowitz .  “Treating my cat for depression caused me to question the state of anxiety in animals and us.” Can a cat have an existential crisis?  by Britt Peterson . Secrets of getting pee and poop samples from Fear Free . A tricky thing that many pet owners have to do sooner or later… what to do next time you need to take a sample to the vet. Caring for senior and geriatric cats by ...

Newborn kittens, a puppy searching for owls, and clever raccoons - the latest news from Companion Animal Psychology. Some of my favourites from around the web this month  “in a last-ditch conservation effort, a crack team of Canberra researchers plan to harness Zorro's superior canine nose to help find and monitor Tasmania's masked owl.” Scientists want to train this puppy to save endangered owls . Meanwhile, sniffing out error in detection dog data looks at the issues that can cause dogs to identify the wrong kind of poop. You will learn something new about coprophagy (poop-eating). How kittens go from clueless to cute . A fun article (with lots of pictures) on Kitten Central, newborn kittens, and a new project by Dr. Mikel Delgado that is looking at whether incubators can help orphaned kittens. “As the floodgates of genomic information open, society will often find itself grappling with the question of how to clearly and accurately present that information to the public.” Je...

A cat's purr, heart dogs, and the 'real' age of pets - don't miss out with Companion Animal Psychology News. Some of my favourites from around the web this month Are dogs really our best friends? Marc Bekoff on the consequences of misrepresentations of dogs. “Heart dog. Say those two words to any dog lover and their eyes will go soft.” Debby McMullen on what the phrase ‘heart dog’ means to her at Victoria Stilwell’s site. Small dogs aim high when they pee . Julie Hecht on a fascinating new study of peeing dogs and the possible explanations. “Determining a pet's "real" age is actually important because it helps veterinarians like me recommend life-stage specific healthcare for our animal patients.” Do you ever wonder how old your pet is in dog or cat years?  Veterinarian Jesse Grady explains. “Our cats may purr when we pet and tickle them, but it’s a much more complicated form of communication than we've assumed.” The complicated truth about a cat’...

Cats high on catnip, the heritage of mutts, and sunk costs for mice - don't miss a thing with the latest news from Companion Animal Psychology. Some of my favourites from around the web this month “It takes patience to let the student run the show.” The pause that refreshes by Patricia McConnell PhD .  “You know exactly what I'm talking about. There's a dog. Right there, right in front of you.” 10 things to do instead of patting that service dog by Kristi Benson CTC . “Experts did little better than dog lovers — and nobody did very well — when asked to describe the heritage of various mutts.” What breeds make up this mutt? By James Gorman at NY Times. Can we ever really know if animals are happy?   Anna Brooks  tackles an important question. "Like so many other humans, you might find cats to be mysterious creatures. But believe it or not, it’s not that hard to make friends with a feline, if you know what to do."  10 science-backed tips for getting a cat to lik...