According to a paper that I read recently, nuisance barking is identified as a major, worldwide behavior problem that affects 1 in 3 dogs, is a frequent cause of neighbor disputes, and is a common cause of relinquishment of dogs by their owners to shelters and rescue groups (1). Hmmm.... Nuisance barking. So, once again, … Continue reading How Many Barks does a Nuisance Dog Make?
dog science
Go Ask Alice
We have a new puppy in the house. Alice is her name. She's cute. Really cute. Of course, it is possible that I am a bit biased.......(nah.....she really is adorable, even now at 4 months....). During the first few weeks that Ally was with our family, we could not go walking at our local park without … Continue reading Go Ask Alice
Weigh In On This
It is a fact that many pet dogs (more than 50 percent by several accounts) are overweight. I reviewed the current statistics regarding canine waistlines in an earlier blog, "Do you think I look fat in this collar". In that essay, we learned that owners of overweight dogs have a tendency to incorrectly assess their dog's body condition, almost … Continue reading Weigh In On This
Fear Itself
Last year, on the drive home from our annual vacation in Bar Harbor, Maine, our 11-year-old Brittany, Vinny suddenly and inexplicable awoke from a sound sleep and began to tremble, pant, pace, and obsessively lick at the sides of his travel crate. When I crawled back over the seat to find out what was wrong, Vinny’s … Continue reading Fear Itself
Death Throes of the Guilty Look
I just talked to a potential client who is interested in bringing his 7-month-old Golden Doodle to train with us at AutumnGold. His dog, Penny, has the usual young dog issues - jumping up, a bit of nipping during play, still the occasional slip in house training, etc. Penny also raids the kitchen garbage bin, removing and shredding food wrappers, napkins, and … Continue reading Death Throes of the Guilty Look
Keep those Doggies Rollin’……Rawhide, Rawhide!
Rawhide, Rawhide: A dog person cannot walk into a pet supply store (or their own grocery store, for that matter) without noticing the explosion in the number of dog chews, dental devices and edible bones that are available for sale today. Some of these are biscuit or extruded concoctions containing a mixture of ingredients, while others originate from cow skin (rawhide chews) or are the … Continue reading Keep those Doggies Rollin’……Rawhide, Rawhide!
Scoopin’ for Science
I was at the gym recently, swimming laps. After my work-out, I was sitting by the side of the pool and a fellow swimmer and friend stopped to chat about dogs. He has never owned a dog, but his daughter has been pressuring him and he thinks she is finally old enough to take on the … Continue reading Scoopin’ for Science
What’s in YOUR Food?
What I mean of course, is "What's in your dog's food?" When asked this question, most owners read the list of ingredients found on their food's label. By law, pet food ingredients must be reported in descending order of preponderance by weight at the time of processing. This means that ingredients that are found first in the list are present in greatest abundance … Continue reading What’s in YOUR Food?
Not Your Grandmother’s Kibble
When I was in graduate school, a fellow student recommended a book called The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn. Published in 1962, it was already considered a classic in the philosophy of science by the 1980’s. Kuhn is responsible for defining and popularizing the concept of “paradigm shifts.” He explains that historically, scientific … Continue reading Not Your Grandmother’s Kibble
Talking Turkey
I grew up with a story-book grandmother. She was my mother’s mom, “Nana” to my sister and me. As required of all perfect grandmothers, Nana was a great cook and regularly expressed her love through sumptuous meals and comfort foods. Although she did not actually reside “over the valley and through the woods”, her home … Continue reading Talking Turkey
You Barkin’ At Me?
I have a ring tone on my mobile phone that I really like. It barks. Five barks (bark-bark-bark-bark-bark) for each ring. It is a real dog's voice, not a person fake-barking in that annoying way that certain people feel compelled to do when they see a dog. (Really, what is that about anyway?). Earlier this week, my phone started barking while I was … Continue reading You Barkin’ At Me?
I Yawn for Your Love
Vinny, my Brittany, yawns a lot. He yawns first thing in the morning when he rises, in the evening when he is tired, and many times in between. We notice this because Vinny emits an adorable little squeaky sound whenever he launches a particularly wide and emotive yawn. We also know that Vinny seems to be highly susceptible … Continue reading I Yawn for Your Love
Its All Rock-and-Roll to Me
When training my dogs, I always have music playing. And, truth-be-told, my personal tastes gravitate neither to easy-listening nor to high-brow classical music. Rather, I am a rock n' roll gal, all the way home. On a given day, my dogs and I may be training agility to The Who, retrieving to Stevie Ray Vaughan, and practicing tricks to Ray Lamontagne. On days that my feminist freak … Continue reading Its All Rock-and-Roll to Me
Fear Factor
Experiencing fear is not pleasant. Any human will tell you this. As one of our most basic emotions, fear functions as a rapid-fire means of communicating to our bodies "DANGER, DANGER - GET AWAY NOW!!" As a physiological state, fear is associated with a set of bodily changes that are decidedly uncomfortable. Respiration and pulse increase, we become … Continue reading Fear Factor
What’s Your Dinner Ritual?
The Case dogs have an evening dinner ritual. This ritual has not changed much in the last few years and deviates very little in its nightly performance. It begins, like clockwork, at 8:15 pm and is currently directed by Cadie, our senior Golden girl. Mike (my husband) typically feeds the dogs their evening meal, so … Continue reading What’s Your Dinner Ritual?
The Science Dog 