“Given my choice, I would almost always choose to be a feral dog. Maybe you don’t live as long, maybe you don’t have shots, maybe you have mange, but I would choose that in a hot second over waiting for…
Blog Archives
Animal Madness – A review of Laurel Braitman’s insightful new book
Tagged with: abandonment, Animal Madness, animal shelters, Behavior, Dog, dog behavior, dogs, fear, Jennifer Cattet, Smart Animal Training Systems
Posted in Dog behavior, emotions, Misc, Psychology, Separation anxiety
Posted in Dog behavior, emotions, Misc, Psychology, Separation anxiety
The Insider’s Secrets to Teaching Words to Dogs
For as long as humans have lived with animals, we’ve fantasized about being able to hold conversations with them. Throughout much of the traditional literature we can find people and animals talking together, from Eve and the serpent in the…
5 loving ways to pet a dog
We’ve all heard of the many health benefits of owning a dog; from reducing our blood pressure and heart rate to increasing our immune system. Being in the presence of a dog or better, touching and petting a dog is…
Tagged with: Dog, dog behavior, dog petting, Dog physical contact, human dog bond, Jennifer Cattet, Pet Tutor, petting, petting a dog, Smart Animal Training Systems, touching a dog
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, emotions, Misc, Psychology
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, emotions, Misc, Psychology
Shelter dogs: studies highlight why some are adopted, others aren’t
The leading cause of death of our companion dogs is euthanasia in shelters. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), about 60% of dogs entering shelters are euthanized (ASPCA 2011). Some of these dogs…
Tagged with: animal shelters, Animal training, Dog, dog behavior, dog shelter, Jennifer Cattet, Pet Tutor, Smart Animal Training Systems
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Misc, Shelter
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Misc, Shelter
Does the concept of dominance apply to dogs? Science says it does
Is there a behavioral concept that we can describe as dominance between dogs or between dogs and people? As I had mentioned in a previous blog “Dominance and pack leadership in dogs – Controversial and still misunderstood“, there seems to…
Tagged with: Cesar Millan, Dog, dog aggression, dog behavior, Dog training, dominance, hierarchy, Jennifer Cattet, Smart Animal
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Educational, Psychology, science, Wolves
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Educational, Psychology, science, Wolves
Wolf Park: For the Love of Wolves
Wolves have always triggered strong emotional reactions in people. Some fear them, others love them, but rare are those indifferent to this intelligent, powerful and mysterious animal. Wolves have fascinated mankind for millennia, which is one reason why so many…
Tagged with: Animal training, Dog, dog aggression, dog behavior, Ethology, Jennifer Cattet, reward based training, Wolf, Wolf behavior, Wolf Park, Wolves
Posted in Dog/human relationship, Misc, Wolves
Posted in Dog/human relationship, Misc, Wolves
The 10 best ways to get bit by a dog
Dog bites hurt! Even when they don’t break skin, the mere pressure of the canine jaws is enough to inflict serious pain. Many of us have experienced at least one traumatic chomp. The speed and brutality of the act often…
Tagged with: Dog, dog aggression, dog behavior, dog bites, dogs, human dog bond, Jennifer Cattet, Smart Animal
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, emotions, Fear, Roughhousing
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, emotions, Fear, Roughhousing
Learning theory basics – Part 2: Operant conditioning: if it works do it again!
Just waking up from a nap, the 2 month old puppy is now replenished and full of energy. Since he’s locked up in a crate, little Jake starts vocalizing and scratching at the door. Thankfully, Coleen, hearing her pup in…
Learning theory basics, part 1- Classical conditioning in dogs: beyond the training session
Most of us have heard of classical conditioning. Pavlov demonstrated how a neutral stimulus could become meaningful to a dog when followed by something that elicits a natural response. So when a bell, meaningless in itself, is consistently followed with…
Dominance and pack leadership in dogs – Controversial and still misunderstood
If there is one subject that has been beat to death in the dog world, it’s certainly the notion of pack hierarchy in dogs! For the longest time everything was about leadership. Most dog behavior problems were interpreted as a…
Tagged with: Dog, dog behavior, Dog GPS, Dog study, dog walk, dog walking, dogs, dominance, Jennifer Cattet, leadership, Smart Animal Training Systems
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Psychology, science
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Psychology, science