One of the challenges for those interested in dog behavior is keeping up with current research. Access to journal articles can require prohibitively expensive subscriptions or membership in a research institution with an extensive library system. That's why open access journals, like Plos One are so valuable, and why I'm grateful to Monique Udell, the editor of a special issue of Behavioural Processes, New Directions in Canine Behavior, (Vol 110, Pages 1-132.) for providing open access to the issue until February 6th, 2015. By clicking on the link above, you can read articles as varied J. Hecht's and E. Spice Rice's discussion on the benefits and challenges of citizen science as it relates to canine behavior, to what personality dimensions "puppy tests" actually measure, to whether Read More
Archives for January 2015
Making the Medicine Go Down: Giving a Dog a Pill
Can you give your dog a pill? More to the point, can you give your dog a pill three times a day without any stress on you or your pooch? A recent online discussion reminded me how difficult it can be to get some dogs to take their medicine, and I thought it might be helpful to go through some strategies that make medicating your dog relatively easy and stress-free. I'll list techniques in order of easiest to most involved: 1. Mix it in with the food. This is a no-brainer, and it works great for some dogs and some pills. It helps to add some soft and gooey food like canned or cooked meat if you usually just feed kibble. Caution: If you use this method and have more than one dog, you have to ensure that Dog A gets the medicine while Dog B does not. However, lots of dogs are picky about Read More
The Animals of Belize
Who said a honeymoon had to be taken immediately after the wedding? Jim and I just took ours, two and a half years after the fact, and it could not have been sweeter. We stayed at the Hamanasi Resort in Belize and loved it. Yes, it's expensive and not all that easy to get to (three planes, the last so small I thought it might be easier to carry it to our destination), but hey: It was our honeymoon, so it was worth it. Hamanasi is committed to eco-tourism and sustainable practices, and that was clear from, for example, the extensive composting (which brought in great birds, including tons of warblers), careful snorkeling guidelines ("Please do not touch the coral or feed the fish.") and wooden, multiple-use containers for shampoo and conditioner. The staff is sincerely friendly and Read More