Here we go again. It appears that there may be more than what dog owners expect to find in vegetarian dog food. Hold the Spam, Please: Before all of the "Dogs are Carnivores (and a pox on your mother if you think differently)" devotees begin posting comments (in all caps ) that dogs should NOT be fed a vegetarian diet in the first … Continue reading What’s in Your (Vegetarian) Food?
dog science
A Walk in the Park (or not)
In my view, one of the many benefits of living with dogs are the walks. All four of my dogs love to hike and run and we spend time together almost every morning at our local forest preserve. The dogs enjoy the exercise and have opportunities to explore, sniff and play, while Mike and I exercise, … Continue reading A Walk in the Park (or not)
Excitable You
There is a common cognitive bias, the Fundamental Attribution Error, that is central to the way in which we view others and make judgements about their behavior. It is supported by a large body of research and is one of the most common errors that our brains make on a regular basis. The Fundamental Attribution Error refers to our tendency to explain … Continue reading Excitable You
The Inhibited Dog (Its not what you think)
We recently started a new Beginner class at my training school, a course designed for dogs who have had little or no previous training. Generally this class is composed of young dogs less than one year of age and a few older dogs who have been recently adopted from a shelter or rescue group. We … Continue reading The Inhibited Dog (Its not what you think)
The Perfect Dog
Well, not perfect actually, the word that is being thrown around is ideal. In three separate studies, people in the UK, Australia and Italy were polled and asked to describe what they believe to be their ideal dog; the dog with whom they would like to share their love and their life. Kinda like being asked about … Continue reading The Perfect Dog
Manners Minder and Me
In the previous essay, "Doggie See, Doggie Do?" I discussed research showing that dogs may be capable of learning new tasks simply by observing another dog being trained. I mentioned that when I work with my own dogs, I rotate among them by training each dog to perform a down/stay on the pause tables located on the side of our training … Continue reading Manners Minder and Me
Doggie See, Doggie Do?
At my training center, AutumnGold, it is not unusual to enroll students who live with and train more than one dog. A common question that these clients have is how to arrange their training sessions to allow them to train one dog while the other dog "waits his or her turn". In most of these cases, the student laments … Continue reading Doggie See, Doggie Do?
Want Flies with that Shake?
Well, not actually you, but rather your dog. Before food purists get up in arms over this topic, consider that numerous human cultures have historically viewed insects as acceptable and even highly desirable food items. And today, our ever-expanding human population and the increasing need for sustainable sources of food have led to increased consideration of insects as food in almost all human cultures. … Continue reading Want Flies with that Shake?
How Reactive is Your…….Lysine?
I imagine that the word "reactive" caused most readers to think of this: However, what we will actually be talking about is this: Yeah, not quite so dramatic, I admit. However, the reality is that the amount of reactive lysine present in your dog's food is much more likely to have an impact on his health … Continue reading How Reactive is Your…….Lysine?
Do You Know What I Can See?
Chippy, our Toller, is a terrible food thief. (Of course, the use of the word terrible is one of perspective. Given his impressive success rate, Chippy would argue that he is actually a very good food thief). Chip has become so proficient at his food thievery that our dog friends all know to "keep eyes … Continue reading Do You Know What I Can See?
With a Little Help from My Friends
There is a large body of research showing that dogs are quite capable of noticing and responding to human communication cues such as body language, tone of voice, and various forms of pointing. Dogs also will initiate eye contact with people and respond to human gaze. We are well matched in this respect because humans, of course, use eye contact to communicate … Continue reading With a Little Help from My Friends
Only Have Eyes for You
Eye contact is one of the first things that I teach to my own dogs and is a basic behavior that we teach to all of our students at my training school, AutumnGold. In our training classes, we introduce eye contact very early because it is easy to teach and provides rapid and positive results to owners who are … Continue reading Only Have Eyes for You
Dog Food Marketing – Science Weighs In
Marketing researchers know a lot about advertising strategies that successfully increase sales. This is no less true for pet foods than it is for any other consumer goods. Some of the more obvious approaches to attracting dog owners to a particular brand are advertisements that appeal to our emotional attachment to dogs, capitalize on our desire for expert … Continue reading Dog Food Marketing – Science Weighs In
Dogs are Carnivores, Right?
The Article: "Dogs are Carnivores, Right?" plus a webinar on this topic are now available as a Science Dog Nutrition Topics Course. Visit The Science Dog Courses to Learn More!
Got Gullet?
Innovative dog chews and treats are all the rage these days. Despite the claims of their sellers, most of these products are new twists on an old theme - taking the parts of food animals that we typically discard as inedible waste and turning them into expensive and often highly sought after dog treats. A few examples are bully sticks, … Continue reading Got Gullet?
The Science Dog 