What do you think of when you hear the phrase "human-animal bond"? I suspect, for most of us, our first thought is our relationship with our dogs. Which makes sense, given the depth of our connection with the animals that we have taken into our home and hearts like no other. However, Philip Tedeschi, Director of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection, and MSSW, reminded us in a speech yesterday that our connection with "other" animals goes beyond that of our companion animals. Philip co-authored a chapter in Ignoring Nature No More, The Case for Compassionate Conservation, edited by Mark Bekoff, titled "Conservation Social Work: The Interconnectedness of Biodiversity Health and Human Resilience". Yesterday, in a speech directed toward social workers in Madison, WI, he eloquently Read More
Archives for 2016
What is a Dog? & Dawn of the Dog: Book Reviews
Raymond and Lorna Coppinger's new book, What is a Dog? makes a compelling case for the "village dog" or "street dog" as THE dog, not a random collection of mongrels and strays. "We will argue that they [street dogs] are the real dogs, the ancestral type of our modern breeds. They are unique and beautifully designed by evolution.... part of a continuous worldwide and ancient population of dogs. They are much more ancient than any "ancient breed." The authors support this contention, which I would agree has a great deal of merit, with general principles of behavioral ecology and their own experiences with "street, village and dump" dogs around the world. The perspective that they have gained from their travels and research around the world provides them a unique perspective, and this Read More
Stress? Fear? Or “Displacement Behavior”?
Have you listened to any CAABChats lately? Hosted by PhD's Suzanne Hetts and Dan Estep, a CAABChat is "A professional discussion among Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (and occasionally invited others) about timely, useful, controversial and foundational topics in the field of pet behavior and training." The monthly podcasts are free if watched in real time or if you are a member of the Behavior Education Network. They are $18 a session if watched later. Hosted by Dr's Hetts and Estep, topics range from resource guarding to temperament tests, island dogs versus North American dogs, and the one I want to talk about today, the meaning of oft-discussed body language signals, Three Current Issues Surrounding Body Language. The issue I want to raise today is the relationship between Read More
Thunder Treats. Or, The Woman Who Mistook Her Dog for a Hat
Saturday night we slept in the tent, the Border Collies on their sheepskin rugs, and Tootsie in bed with us as usual. It was a lovely night, until it wasn't. Somewhere around dark-thirty the wind came up, lightening lit up the sky and the thunder began to roll. When Tootsie first came to us years ago she was terrified of thunder, and expressed her fear by attempting to crawl into my mouth. At least, that's what it felt like. She seemed driven to crawl around and on top of my face. Nowhere else would do, and no amount of tucking her into my shoulder, or beside my torso, or petting or soothing helped. I pulled out the easiest noise phobia treatment in the toolbox, and began giving her a tasty treat every time it thundered. This doesn't work for all dogs, but it works well for many and Read More
Presence–Don’t Let Your Dog Leave Home Without It
Perhaps you've seen Amy Cuddy's viral TED talk about Presence, or read her inspiring book Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges? While I was re-reading the book this morning I was reminded of Ranger, a large dog I worked with years ago who was agoraphobic and refused to leave the house. The owner and I tried everything I could imagine to help the dog, including a vast range of classical and operant conditioning sessions, every leash/collar system on the market, to western and eastern medicine. Nothing seemed to be working, and in desperation I recalled reading an old psychology study that improved people's moods by having them smile, no matter how they felt when first asked. Well, we're all mammals I thought, so if it works on people, maybe it could work on Read More
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