Last week's post on teaching dogs "Enough," when you are tired of being a petting machine, elicited a request from reader Nana-Mary: "Speaking of our two dogs, I would love some tips on controlling the BARKING! I know that we don’t want to discourage ALL barking, but sometimes it gets way out of control. It’s like a game. They seem to bark to get the other one riled up. I would love to hear how to make them STOP!!" Whaaa? Barking? Dogs? In my first month of working as an applied animal behaviorist, I literally asked a potential client--who was calling about a barking problem--to repeat herself because I couldn't hear her. Because--you know where I'm going here--my dogs were barking. Unlike adult wolves, who rarely bark, most domestic dogs are veritable opera singers, from Read More
Thanks, But That’s Enough! (How to Discourage Relentless Attention Seekers)
Let me start with a story, one that I relayed in Bark Magazine in 2005: When I was taping the Animal Planet show Petline, a veterinarian-turned-sales-rep asked to borrow Cool Hand Luke for a demonstration on dental care. Luke and I had JUST finished a segment on how much dogs dislike being patted on top of the head, and had directed the audience's attention to Luke's look of disgust when we did it to him. Sure enough, after jerking Luke's mouth open several times (as though she were cleaning clams), the woman said "Thank you, Luke," and gave him three short, bouncy pats on the top of his head. We had to stop taping because the camera crew was laughing so hard they couldn't continue filming. The fact is, people just love to pat, pat, pat dogs on the top of their heads, and most dogs Read More
The Joy of Being Published in Multiple Languages
It's just a wonderful feeling, knowing that what you've written has been published in a variety of languages. Imagining people reading The Other End of the Leash in Polish or Spanish makes me smile. It's not just the intellectual knowledge that one's books have circled the globe; it as much a feeling of connection. A connection to other cultures, other countries, other people who love dogs as much as I do. It is that connection that feels so important right now, in a time when being truly connected to other people feels increasingly threatened. So, join me, in celebrating that people all over the world can bond over their love of animals, and that, in a variety of languages, we can read the same books, under the same sun and the same moon, on our tiny, green, gorgeous, and Read More
Dogs and Cats, Oh My.
I was clearing out the (way too many) photos on my laptop, and ran into this video from years ago. It pretty much sums up the relationship between dogs and cats: Highly variable, and always interesting. Some dogs are best friends with cats, some ignore them, and some either chase them, or try to herd them. Or are afraid of them, often for good reason. In the video, you'll see Maggie, on the left, protecting Nellie from Willie. Willie, like many Border Collies (including Skip) perceive cats as weird, mushy-hoofed livestock. Maggie, on the other hand, was protective of Nellie the moment they met. What I love most about the video is Maggie's facial expression. She is one of the most expressive dogs I've ever known, and usually has either a sweet, passive resting face (the real Resting Read More
Could We Ever Read Dogs as Well as They Read Us?
"Oh no, he's just fine! Go ahead and pet him." If I heard that once, I heard it a thousand times, from owners anxious for me to pet their dog, while their dog begged me not to. Of course, the dogs didn't say so, but their body language spoke volumes. Mouth closed, stiff bodied (even if the tail tip wagged), head down and averted--these dogs were the equivalent of an introvert about to be hugged by a drunken stranger at a noisy party. Except the dogs couldn't escape. So I didn't pet them; but I had to spend no small amount of energy convincing the owners that I was honoring the request of the dog, not because I was afraid or uncaring. These owners loved their dogs, deeply. If they didn't, they wouldn't have devoted the resources--time, energy, and money--to see an applied behaviorist. Read More
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