The celebration of July 4th and all things loud and noisy has already begun here in Wisconsin. And so have the thunderstorms. We've had at least three major thunderstorms so far, and no doubt more are to come. That's why the next section summarizes a post from 2009 with specifics about helping noise phobic dogs: First and Foremost, try Counter Classical Conditioning: In this paradigm (described in a general sense in The Cautious Canine), you pair something the dog adores (food or play best) with a damped down version of what scares him. Your goal is to condition your dog to associate thunder with something he loves, so that his emotional response to the loud noise is “Oh boy!” rather than “Oh No!” To get this to work, you need to start at whatever stimulus first elicits any sign of fear Read More
Archives for June 2018
Traveling with Dogs–Should You?
Are you doing any traveling with your dog(s) this summer? I love taking the dogs on trips, and am starting to prepare for one coming up in July. As I was making a list of things to take, a good article came out in Conde Nast about traveling safely with pets. Author Rachel Peachman interviewed me and several other experts in the field, and did a great job summarizing some of the most important considerations. The article contains a lot of great information about traveling safely with pets, including by plane, car, and even train. Check it out. Here's one consideration I brought up, and I want to focus on it here today--Not so much how to travel with your dog, but should you? There are two ways to look at it: First, does your dog want to go? Your dog may think you hung the moon, but Read More
Rescue Regrets Be Gone!
Some things seem to be universal—like discovering a need for the thing that you just threw away. Or looking for your cell phone when you are actually talking on it. (This, of course, is just theoretical.) Included in that list is a feeling of panic after bringing home a new dog. Here's what blog reader Martha recently wrote, in response to a post I wrote about a year ago, Rescue Regrets are Temporary. Thank you very much for this kind post that addresses what we humans are experiencing during this transition. We are on day five, and I am in a cloud of free-form anxiety and dread. I so appreciate your post, and everyone’s responses. It DOES feel good to know I am not alone. I’m thankful that my husband has far more patience and faith than I do. I need to work on steps 3, 5 and 6. Thank Read More
Wowser: 2018 Canine Science Initiative Rocks
HOLY MOLY dog lovers, did you get a chance to watch any of SPARCS 2018? (No worries if you missed it, because we all can watch it (and for free, no kidding) in a week or so through it's new sponsor, the National Canine Research Council. SPARCS stands for The Society for the Promotion of Applied Research in Canine Science, and is a three-day, live-streamed conference in which animal behavior scientists "present, discuss and debate their findings" in an accessible style. Best of all to me, the format includes lots of Q&A and discussions between the presenters and the community of dog lovers who are watching. This is absolute heaven for any of us who have experienced the best of academia—cutting edge research, honest discussions of what we know and what we don't know, and Read More