When I first started to study dogs from a scientific perspective, finding research on canine behavior was a long and difficult task. It wasn’t just because at the time we didn’t have Internet and most of the publications had to…
Blog Archives
How Do Dogs Think? The Scientific Revolution in Dog Intelligence
Tagged with: Dog, dog cognition, dog cognition center, dog cognition labs, dog research, dog studies, Jennifer Cattet, Smart Animal Training Systems
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Educational, Psychology, Resource, science
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Educational, Psychology, Resource, science
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…
Training ‘Do As I Do’: Fun and Efficient!
Through interactions with the world, animals learn that certain actions lead to pleasant or unpleasant consequences. Most of our training theory revolves around our ability to manipulate the animals’ environment to reinforce certain behaviors rather than others. However, not all…
Tagged with: Animal training, clicker training, do as I do, Dog, Dog training, imitation, Jennifer Cattet, Smart Animal Training Systems
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Positive Animal Training, science, Training tools
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Positive Animal Training, science, Training tools
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
Enrichment – 8 easy ways to increase your dog’s quality of life
When we compare the lives of wild animals to that of our pets, there is a striking difference in their activity levels. Dogs, cats, birds, hamsters and gerbils of all sorts, spend a large part of their days just lying…
Tagged with: Animal training, Dog, Dog training, enrichment, human dog bond, Jennifer Cattet, Smart Animal Training Systems, Technology
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Psychology, Resource, Technology, Training tools
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Psychology, Resource, Technology, Training tools
Social referencing: we influence how our dog sees the world
When we’re unsure about a novel situation, our first response is to look around and check how others are reacting. This behavior is easy to spot when watching hidden camera TV shows where a person faced with an ambiguous situation…
Tagged with: Animal training, Dog, human dog bond, Jennifer Cattet, Smart Animal Training Systems, social referencing
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, emotions, Fear, Psychology, science
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, emotions, Fear, Psychology, science
Smaller dogs, bigger problems?
From Rin tin tin to Lassie, Benjie and Beethoven, medium to large dogs have dominated the Hollywood scenes, the TV shows as well as our homes. Often statements of prosperity, leadership and strength, dogs convey a certain image we have…
Tagged with: Animal training, Dog, dog behavior problems, dog fear, human dog bond, Jennifer Cattet, small dogs, Smart Animal Training Systems
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Dog/human relationship, Fear
Posted in Dog behavior, Dog training, Dog/human relationship, Fear
2013 – A year to remember! Top 10 blogs.
What a year! Year 2013 has been a journey for all of us at Smart Animal Training Systems, on many levels. It was a year of many beginnings, of exhilarating moments as well as growing pains. In March we launched…
Tagged with: Animal training, Dog, Jennifer Cattet, Pet Tutor, Smart Animal Training Systems
Posted in Bob Bailey, Dog behavior, Dog training, Dog/human relationship, Positive Animal Training, science, Technology
Posted in Bob Bailey, Dog behavior, Dog training, Dog/human relationship, Positive Animal Training, science, Technology
Treated fear can return – even to the next generation
As I have mentioned in a few other posts, the vast majority of behaviors that we deem problematic in our dogs, such as, barking, biting, lunging, destruction, separation anxiety or resource guarding, stem from the dog’s fear, anxiety or panic.…
Tagged with: DNA, Dog, dog behavior, Fear in dogs, Jennifer Cattet, Smart Animal Training Systems
Posted in Dog behavior, Educational, Fear, Psychology, science
Posted in Dog behavior, Educational, Fear, Psychology, science
New study sheds light on serious to fatal dog bites
The bond between man and dog goes far back in the history of mankind and countless studies point to the benefits of owning a dog. Yet, there are times where the relationship between the two species takes a turn for…
Tagged with: Dog, dog aggression, dog bites, human dog bond, Jennifer Cattet, Smart Animal Training Systems
Posted in Children, Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Fear, science
Posted in Children, Dog behavior, Dog/human relationship, Fear, science