Like kids with their Halloween candy, do dogs rank the treats that we provide to them? Many trainers selectively use what we call "high-value treats" for some behaviors and "low-value treats" for others. However, other than subjectively observing the level of our dog's pleasure at receiving different types of treats, do we have actual evidence that treats vary in their influence upon … Continue reading Speaking of treats…..
Treat Please!
One of the things that I love best about training dogs (and there are many, many things to love about training dogs) is that they respond well to so many different types of positive reinforcement. We have a wide variety of "fun stuff" from which to choose that communicates "Yes!!! That is it!! You are SO … Continue reading Treat Please!
Is it time for the extinction of extinction?
Each of these photographs shows a dog jumping up on a person.....with the person appearing to be quite happy about the interaction. Yet, jumping up to greet is a frequently cited complaint that dog owners make to dog trainers. While I am sympathetic to owners' frustrations, the underlying cause for jumping up in … Continue reading Is it time for the extinction of extinction?
Smell This!
Dogs smell things. A lot of things. A lot of the time. Their noses are very important to them. And, most dog folks would agree that the dog's nose is a pretty amazing sense organ. Indeed, we capitalize on our dogs' olfactory (smellin') acuity when we train them to select scent articles in Utility training, … Continue reading Smell This!
Your face is gonna freeze like that (Part 4)…….(a.k.a. Why we need multiple Steves)
So, here we are, with three study groups described in Part 3 of this series. Each group consists of 25 young adult dogs, representing a range of breeds and breed-types. This collection of dogs is considered a sample of the population that we are testing. In this example, we identify the population as all young adult dogs living in … Continue reading Your face is gonna freeze like that (Part 4)…….(a.k.a. Why we need multiple Steves)
Your face is gonna freeze like that (Part 3)…….(aka: How many Steves?)
The mental manipulations that we described in Part 1 are actually a form of psychological priming. Priming occurs when the way in which a person responds to an event (stimulus) is influenced by a previous stimulus. Perhaps most intriguing is the fact that much of this influence takes place outside of our conscious awareness. In part 2, we presented our working hypothesis that priming may … Continue reading Your face is gonna freeze like that (Part 3)…….(aka: How many Steves?)
Your face is gonna freeze like that………(Part 2)
Part 1 of this topic reviewed a bit of research suggesting that emotional states can (rather easily it appears) be manipulated, which in turn influences our perceptions and opinions of unrelated events. In Part 2, we ask how might these results be applicable to dog training. Most trainers are intimately aware of and concerned with the emotional states of our dogs. Our goal … Continue reading Your face is gonna freeze like that………(Part 2)
Your face is gonna freeze like that…… (Part 1)
This oft used rebuke, uttered by moms everywhere, is typically directed toward crabby toddlers, sullen teens, and the occasional discontented failed-to-launch 29-year-old. We all know that the implied consequence of having one's face freeze like that is to remain perpetually in a bad mood; a mood that will plague us for the rest of our natural lives and that will make ourselves and everyone around us … Continue reading Your face is gonna freeze like that…… (Part 1)
Why Dogs Need Science
Hello and Welcome to The Science Dog! This blog provides a short introduction of me (Linda Case), and my reasons for writing a blog entitled "The Science Dog". I am a science writer, canine nutritionist and dog trainer. I earned a B.S. in Animal Sciences at Cornell University and an M.S. in Canine/Feline Nutrition at … Continue reading Why Dogs Need Science
The Science Dog 