(It Depends on Who You Ask) Feeding dogs using food-delivery devices has become increasingly popular. Some owners use these gadgets as a supplement or occasional treat for their dogs, while others use them to provide all of their dogs' meals. The general intent of providing food in this way, as opposed to a bowl, is … Continue reading How Do Dogs Prefer to be Fed?
canine behavior
Understanding Canine Play
And Then the Dog Said...LOL! New Webinar presented by Dr. Shelly Volsche Can you hear that? Are you listening? The Science Dog's newest webinar examines the basics of animal bioacoustics, with a focus on the domestic dog. Dr. Volsche, who teaches canine behavior and training at the University of WI at River Falls, reviews past … Continue reading Understanding Canine Play
10 Years of Dog Science
The Science Dog just turned 10-years-old! With the holiday season upon us, this seems to be a good time to reflect on what the blog has accomplished over the last decade, where it is now, and where I hope to take in the future. A Bit of History I started The Science Dog blog in … Continue reading 10 Years of Dog Science
The Stress-Reducing Effects of……
A Dog's Friend Providing a Good Life I think it is safe to say that most of us strive to provide our dogs with a good life. Typically, we think of this as a life that includes love, companionship, security, proper nutrition and health care, and opportunities for exercise, play, and relaxation. An additional (and … Continue reading The Stress-Reducing Effects of……
Would Your Dog See the Gorilla?
Inattentional Blindness Inattentional blindness (IB) is a cognitive phenomenon that occurs when we experience a reduction in attention to extraneous stimuli (even novel ones) when we are tasked with focusing our attention on something else. In extreme cases, the novel stimulus will not even be perceived. A classic experiment that demonstrates IB was conducted by … Continue reading Would Your Dog See the Gorilla?
Does Your Dog Think that You Throw Like a Girl?
The Joy of a Well-Thrown Ball It is summertime and pool season is in full swing at our house. This means daily swimming and retrieving for our dogs. They love nothing better than an afternoon at the pool with friends and lots (and lots) of toy-throwing into the water. (Our dogs seem to view human … Continue reading Does Your Dog Think that You Throw Like a Girl?
The Scent of Happiness
Can Dogs Detect the Smell of Human Emotions? A few years ago, I wrote about our neighbor Joe, his new dog, and Joe's (somewhat ubiquitous) theory that dogs can "smell fear." At that time, a team of researchers, led by Dr. Daniel Anielo, had just published a study of dogs' ability to detect human emotions … Continue reading The Scent of Happiness
What Do You Know……
About Canine Communication Signals? Do Dogs Enjoy Hugs? The question of whether or not dogs enjoy being hugged by humans tends to spark a great deal of discussion and controversy. While there are some who state that dogs do not naturally enjoy the intense physical closeness of a hug (and may even perceive hugs as … Continue reading What Do You Know……
What Dog Owners Think about Lead-Pulling
(And why it is such a common problem.....) One of the many joys of living with dogs is going for walks. In our family, all of our dogs have loved to hike and run, and Mike and I spend time together almost every morning with our dogs at our local forest preserve. The dogs enjoy … Continue reading What Dog Owners Think about Lead-Pulling
Does Your Dog Love You More than He Loves Food?
(Do you want to know?) Our Dogs Love Us Of this, we are pretty certain. Of course, this is the science dog, so we like evidence. One of the ways in which researchers study dogs' relationships with owners is to measure dogs' preferences - called differential responses - in a variety of situations. In many … Continue reading Does Your Dog Love You More than He Loves Food?
Did Lassie Love Her Job?
One of the many ways that the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) is unique is in how many different roles that dogs have in human society. Most who read this blog share their lives with dogs who are well cared for and who are deeply loved. However, around the world, some dogs lack homes altogether and … Continue reading Did Lassie Love Her Job?
The Eeyore Effect
Measuring the Emotional Toll of Aversive Training Methods The tension between dog trainers who use primarily reward-based methods (positive reinforcement) and those who rely more on aversive methods (positive punishment/negative reinforcement) is not new. Many trainers (myself included) believe that not only are reward-based methods more humane than methods that rely heavily upon aversives, but … Continue reading The Eeyore Effect
Wait. Should I like that?
A number of studies have shown that dogs possess the ability to learn new behaviors and even problem solve by observing the actions of other dogs or humans. Several forms of social (aka observational) learning are defined by researchers. Discussions regarding dogs' proficiency, the types of tasks that can be learned, and the relative cognitive … Continue reading Wait. Should I like that?
Wait. You Can Eat THAT?
Poop eating. Lots of dogs do it. Many are quite proud of it. Owners? Generally not so enthusiastic. What do they eat? The technical term for poop-eating, of any type, is coprophagy. Many dogs readily consume the feces of other animal species - rabbit, deer, horse, possum and raccoon. Additionally, dogs who share their home … Continue reading Wait. You Can Eat THAT?
Still Be There……Once it is Safe
The Question: Are dogs less stressed when their owners are present during routine veterinary examinations or do they fare better when examined in the owners' absence? I have written about this issue before (see "Be There"). The study reviewed in that piece reported that having a dog's owner speak softly to and pet their dog … Continue reading Still Be There……Once it is Safe
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