I'm working on my Intro for APDT's symposium on Canine Cognition, and one of the hot topics right now is why dogs seem to be better able to interpret a pointing gesture than are wolves or chimps. Various research projects (see below) have shown that dogs go directly toward food hidden under one of two objects (both scented with food) if a person points toward it, while wolves and chimps do not. Some have speculated that at least 10,000 years of co-evolution (probably more) have resulted in a genetically-mediated ability of dogs to inherently understand human communicative gestures. I've always wondered about the results of these studies, because in my experience, you have to teach dogs to look in the direction you are pointing. When they are young, it seems to me that they pay no Read More
Archives for October 2010
Fall Colors, Rescue Booklet II
Thanks for the great comments on what's needed in a booklet for people bringing home adult dogs from shelters or rescues. Keep 'em coming, either on this post or the previous one. A lot of you will be gratified to know that the points at the top of my own list are similar to many of yours: 1) patience patience patience, 2) do not expect the dog you bring home to be the dog you end up with in 3 days, 3 weeks or 3 months and 3) don't try to make up for past neglect or abuse (or the perception of it, which common but often not accurate) by coddling a dog such that she becomes emotionally overloaded by you and finally, for now, 4) no, love is not enough... love doesn't mean much if you are totally confused about what is expected of you. You simply have to teach your dog what you want, Read More
Booklet For Dogs from Shelters or Rescues
Karen London and I are planning on writing a booklet for people who adopt dogs from shelters or rescue groups. We're both aware that often it can be intimidating to sit in your living room with a new family member, whose background you may not even know. Over the many years that we've worked with people who have adopted dogs, and with our own dogs that we have taken in from difficult circumstances (5 between us), we know that these dogs can present challenges, and generate questions that are not often answered by standard training books. We have our own ideas about what to include in the booklet, we've already written an outline, but we'd love to hear from you too. If you have a dog that you obtained from a shelter or rescue group, or adopted an adult dog who might have had a difficult Read More