Seek and ye shall find. What a great list of topics that blog and Facebook readers came up with! There were over 100 topics suggested, many of them addressing excellent questions. For example: What does it mean if a dog greets other dogs with a high head and tail, and yet lets all the other dogs rule the roost? Why do dogs mount other dogs–is it really just about social status? Do dogs learn best through a particular sensory modality, given that people tend to be “visual, auditory or kinesthetic learners?”
These topics, along with posts about recent research, videos and case studies, should keep us all happily discussing dogs and their humans for a long time to come. I thought you all might be interested in the topics and had considered listing them for you, but a full list of 100 separate issues might be a tad, uh, boring and I found the prospect of writing them all out a bit daunting. However, here are the categories, and number of requests, that the topics fall into:
- Behavior and Training Problems 50
- Relationships and Behavior Between Dogs: 18
- Canine Behavioral in General 17
- Communication Between People and Dogs 11
- Health and Behavior 9
- More Videos 3
- Dogs and Cats 2
- Case Studies 1
- Cat Behavior 1
It might be helpful for new readers to know that several of the behavior and training topics requested are addressed in some way in the Reading Room on my website. For example, you can read about Separation Anxiety and Thunder Phobia under Solving Behavioral Problems, and a comparison of different types of Training Methods by searching “Training Methods” in the search bar.
That said, you have all given me lots to think about and research in preparation for blogs to come. Someone asked me once, in all seriousness, if I wouldn’t get bored with canine behavior after a few years? Answer: Nope.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: We’re still under a white blanket of snow, although the last two days have been well over freezing so the snow is gradually changing from “Don’t even think about going outside without knee-high boots or snow shoes” to “You can manage with regular boots if you walk in the tracks you’ve made before.” Willie was in heaven because for a few days the snow was so deep that we could actually play frisbee if I kept the disc low to the ground. Now the snow depth is down to 5-6 inches so I’m afraid we’ll have to go back to playing “Find It.”
Tootsie has become quite the snow dog. The morning after the last big snow she ran full speed smack into a wall of snow pushed up by the plow. I wish I had had a camera because she basically disappeared into a wall for snow for a moment. Think Harry Potter at the train station. She emerged none the worse for wear and continued her ear-flapping, ridiculously endearing, full-bore run toward her favorite place on the farm, the barn. (Well, and the couch. And the bed. And my lap.)
The cats seem almost oblivious to the snow, dashing into snow as high as their necks with abandon. Polly, with her all-white coat, reminds me of an Arctic Fox or an Ermine in their winter wear. Why is it that White-on-White is such an attractive “color” combination?
Speaking of color, or lack of it, I am beginning a “Contemplative Photography” course. (The link is to the method in general, not to the course I am taking specifically.) I missed the first class last week because of IFAAB, but got my assignment and sent in my first photographs to our instructor. The goal of contemplative photography is to see the world in a fresh and new way, which is especially appealing to me given that I’m suffering from cabin fever and the same-old, same-old view out the window of white and grey. Thankfully, our assignments the first week was to photograph color such that the object is irrelevant and it is the color that catches and keeps your attention. Color is what I’m missing, so this assignment was the best homework I’ve ever had.
Here are three of my photos for the first class:
Okay, this is on the borderline of not meeting the criteria, because the objects are pretty obvious, but still … I just love the color here. And the paws.
I’ll tell you what the instructor says next week!
LunaGrace says
Your photographs are positively/pawsitively galvanizing! Reader’s Digest has a photography section called “LookTwice” that these would definitely qualify for inclusion. You grow, girl!
Canine behaviour as boring?!?!?!? BOSH! Must be a question from a person who is, himself, bored. With as many breeds, as many individuals as there are on this earth …… As long as dogs remain Companions and people continue to ask “Why does my dog _______?” there will always be those of us fascinated by taking the clock apart (s0 to speak) to see what make it tick.
Frances says
Love the photographs – especially the last one! And I’m really looking forward to all the forthcoming blogs – so much fascinating territory there.
We have (so far) had a rather good end to winter in Lancashire – little rain, lots of sunshine, and many very mild days (over 50F at times – positively warm in the sun!). We’ve had some wonderful walks – unfortunately this is also the season for muck spreading round here, and there is something about ancient cow slurry that Poppy in particular finds irresistible, particularly when she has just been bathed and clipped…
Rose C says
Thanks for sharing the photos and about comtemplative photography. Now I have a name for what I have an eye for (that, and people’s faces depicting ‘quiet’ emotions). I myself recently got a new camera and the first pics I took were close up shots of a Whitman’s Sampler box and an open can of diet Coke. I thought that was so cool!
Looking forward to learning more about canine behavior. I like understanding the concepts behind the different dog training techniques and the only way to do this, in my case, is to understand dog behavior first. Example, on letting a dog pass the point when it had already started barking (excessive barking case), barking in itself is reinforcing to the dog; and that a dog faces the direction where my feet are facing — so now I know where to place myself in relation to my dog depending on what we are about to do. These things are basic but not obvious and they are not necessarily discussed by all trainers. They may tell me where to stand but not why. Understanding the ‘why’s’ of things gives me flexibility to be creative and modify things if my first approach didn’t work. Reading your blog, books, training tips, and watching your seminars had given me great information on this. Thank you.
Ellen Pepin says
I love the photos, especially the middle one. The narrow depth of field makes the subject harder to distinguish, and the colors stand out. Your instructor sounds like the one in my photography class. He wanted things to look abstract.
Color is actually starting to appear around here (Annapolis). Today we actually have sunshine and my plants are starting to bloom. How I have missed them.
Kat says
Gorgeous photos, love the side of the barn especially. Probably because red is such an attention grabber.
Was a discussion of vaccines and vaccinations on the list? I’ve just started exploring the subject and there’s a lot to consider.
Kelly says
I’m looking forward to reading an article about humping! My male lab (neutered) is too enthusiastic for his own good, I keep a very tight rein on dogs he is allowed to interact off-leash with.
Nee says
Hello, there’s one by Julie Hecht at http://dogspies.com/Dog_Spies/Science!_files/56-60_Mounting_Bark70.pdf. In my sessions, I’ve noticed that puppies, adolescents and adults display this behaviour within the following contexts: (a) when they’re learning something new, particularly some kind of behaviour that requires self-control, as alternatives to their default; (b) their default behaviour in the past had been somewhat over-the-top, e.g. persistent jumping, nipping at the owners. It would appear that while these dogs acquire the alternative behaviours easily, there comes a point when the accumulated nervous energy has to go somewhere, and in lieu of their usual defaults, they sometimes hump. The preceding signs are fairly distinctive in these cases – the level of activity goes up, spontaneous recovery of jumping, eye expression loses focus, dog persistently heads towards a person to hump. Usually for these dogs, one way is to keep training bouts really short to stay below their threshold, interspersed with tie-downs to cool down. As training goes on and the dog acquires stamina for self control in tandem with consistent differential reinforcement, the behaviour tails off.
Frances says
@ Kelly
“I’m looking forward to reading an article about humping! ” Just as well we all know exactly what you mean!
Kat says
@Nee, thank you for sharing that article.
“Humping could be an assertive behavior related to social bonds rather than competition for resources or status. In friendly contexts, mounting could be an attention-getting behavior to instigate an interaction. As Trisko explains, “Among preferred play partners (scientific jargon for friends), it almost seems to be a way to get the other to play. A dog might do a play bow, bark and paw at a dog. If the second dog isn’t really responding, mounting will often get a rise out of the dog, and then they’ll play.”
That is one of the most common mounting contexts I see with Ranger. The other context does seem to have a status related context. He’ll mount dogs that are getting over-aroused, or are very emotionally unbalanced. Nearly all the time when he does this the mounted dog calms down and becomes Ranger’s devoted follower. I almost want to say by mounting them he’s saying to the aroused/unbalanced dog, ‘it’s OK I’m here to help.’
Trisha says
Excellent discussion about mounting behavior so far. It definitely deserves more attention. I’ve wondered often if, in some cases, mounting isn’t used by one dog to squelch the “over the top” behavior of another. In other words, sometimes it might be “play with me,” but sometimes I wonder if it’s not “calm down.” Any thoughts?
Kat says
“but sometimes I wonder if it’s not “calm down.” Any thoughts?” That’s exactly what I was trying to suggest. Ranger is the most emotionally balanced dog I’ve ever met, calm, confident, self-possessed, and in control. He mounts dogs that I would describe as particularly wound up or way out of their emotional depth. A prime example would be a dog that’s never been to a dog park before and has been simply thrust into a group of dogs with no idea how to behave and is running around like a crazy thing in a very over-excited and undirected way. Once Ranger has mounted that dog it’s like he’s taken it under his wing and is helping it behave more appropriately. The dog follows him everywhere and copies what he does.
I’ve also noticed that when Ranger’s psycho bitch sister (our highly reactive GSD/Corgi mix) has had a big upset she will seek out Ranger and back into his chest until he mounts her. Once he has she’s more relaxed. I’ve wondered if that behavior was the equivalent of wanting a really tight hug.
Beth with the Corgis says
Let’s not forget that humping can be just sexual play/interest… Maddie will hump Jack and only Jack, and only when he gets very excited playing soccer in the hall with his big plastic ball. We have taught her to redirect to chewing a bone instead; I think she’s excited by his play and does not know how to join in.
Jack, on the other hand, will try to mount (in order of preference) intact females in season if he gets a chance which he never gets after I saw his drooling fanatic interest on the first occasion), intact females not in season, male beagles (all the better if they have only three legs), and shih tzus wearing red sweaters.
A boy has to have his standards, after all.
However, he WILL sometimes try to mount other dogs if there is out-of-control rough play. It’s a totally different behavior (as far as I can tell) from his “Hey pretty lady” mounting (he was neutered at six months but is one of those neutered males who does not really know he’s neutered; I’ve never once seen him squat to pee, for instance). And it does sort of match what you say, about squelching over the top behavior of other dogs. He tends to be boss-dog in most groups. He is most definitely NOT the “fun police” as some dogs who don’t like any noisy play are called. But I have noticed that if two (usually young male) dogs are exuberantly chasing and wrestling in such a way that they are running into people, running over dogs, etc, he will hurl himself into the mix and try to hump someone. Despite his short size, he frequently succeeds in somehow knocking them sideways; he knows how to use his low center of gravity to his advantage.
Beth with the Corgis says
Speaking of mounting, I have one funny humping story:
It was early spring (mud season, I call it) and against my better judgement I let the dogs loose to play with some other dogs (against my judgement because I knew they’d need a bath).
There is a cocky little male Shih Tzu named Domino who is part of the large informal “dog club” that plays at the park. He’s sweet, confident, well-socialized.
It was chilly so he showed up wearing the cutest little red sweater.
I lost track of mine in the melee. I looked around, spotted Maddie, then saw that Jack had poor Domino plastered over sideways in the mud, humping him. My “Leave it!” went unheard so I went, gently got Jack’s collar and hauled him away.
Domino stood up, shook himself, and said “Yipe!” pointedly at Jack.
At this point, Domino’s oblivious owner looked down, and mildly said “Domino, be nice.”
Poor Domino. Defiled in his fancy sweater.
Rose C says
In the case of my two dogs, I think it is more of an assertive behavior and behavior associated with hyperarousal. I have 2 spayed dogs, a 2.5-yr old (Ludy) and a 2-yr old (Dani). Between the two, Dani is the more assertive one who plays with more intensity, always gets both toys, holds on to both Kongs, and used to barge to eat Ludy’s food/drink her water. Dani started humping Ludy when Dani was about 9 months old, frequency of about 3x a month, and occurs randomly and not during play. I felt it was an assertive behavior. About 3 months later, Ludy started attempting to mount Dani and soon after, she would randomly hump Dani from time to time. In my opinion, it was like the ‘beta’ dog trying to see if she can assert herself too. These days, Dani would occasionally hump Ludy, occasionally with no ‘triggers’ but more often noted when she gets hyperaroused during play or chase (Dani is always the chaser and Ludy the chasee except when Dani has a toy in her possession, then she makes Ludy chase her for it.). Ludy, on the other hand, humps Dani either during play (when Dani is not ‘dominating’ the play) or when Dani is just laying down, probably to try to get Dani to get up and play. (Ludy is almost always the one who initiates/solicits play even if she always ends up to be the ‘underdog’.)
Interestingly, last month, Dani humped Ludy in such a way that Ludy let out one ‘cry’ sound that I’ve never heard from her before. I separated the two, calmed Dani down just to realize that Ludy had stayed close by me appearing somewhat ‘stoic’, moving ever so slowly, tail tucked between her legs. Since then, she had behaved as if she was fearful of Dani, stayed far from Dani, always followed Dani with her eyes, her tail tucked between her legs everytime Dani is close. Surprisingly, Dani wasn’t as persistent in bugging Ludy as she typically does. If ever she tried, it was with much less intensity. She did try to hump Ludy twice and Ludy gave out the same ‘cry’ sound each time. I had grasped Ludy from the back and when I happened to hold her by her waist, she cowered and let out the same ‘cry’, her tail between her legs. But then, I was able to hold Ludy on my lap and hold and press on the same area and she was fine. I strongly feel that there was something in the way that Dani ‘clasped’ Ludy that day that triggered something in Ludy. I watched them intently, with extreme concern, but kept our routines ‘normal’. After about 4 days, Ludy started showing signs of easing back to her usual self and by the 5th day, they were back to their chasing and roughhousing. Whatever that whole incident was all about, I wish I know. But I’m glad we overcome it.
Kelly says
Thank you for posting the article, it is very interesting. Lots of food for thought. In the case of my dog, I think is it over-stimulation that causes it. I once had a person tell me that my dog was “raping” their dog, it was very upsetting. Maybe because I am anxious about the behaviour it makes him more anxious, which makes the humping worse? Not something I had thought of before, so thank you!
I suppose I should use the word mounting, instead of humping 😉
em says
I’ve seen the “cool it” hump, too. Otis almost never humps. I’ve seen it extremely rarely (one or two occasions ever) as part of very excited play- on that particular day all the dogs seemed to have ‘spring fever’ and there was a lot of reciprocal humping by all members of a regular group of playmates, including several who almost never show that behavior. It seemed to be all high spirits and good fun.
I can count on Otis to hump in one particular (fortunately rare) circumstance, however. If there is serious tension or aggression from a big dog (he has never shown this behavior to a small dog) that has the potential to become a real fight, Otis will either alpha roll (three times, ever) or hold the dog and hump (probably six or seven times, ever) to calm the situation. Sometimes this has happened with a very tense newcomer who is giving Otis the hairy eyeball- there will be some very quick footwork, a hard shove off-balance, and a moment of humping- always Otis to other dog, I’ve never seen Otis on the recieving end of this kind of interaction- after which the new dogs have always appeared subdued and chastened and Otis confident and relaxed. These dogs often go on to become very comfortable members of the play group, even preferred playmates.
But usually the pre-fight that sets Otis off doesn’t even involve him directly- a dog that is either status-seeking or resource guarding reacts in a very over-the-top aggressive way toward one of his regular playmates. Otis will charge in, shove the outsider hard (he has never shown this type of behavior toward a regular playmate, but his regular playmates are a fairly laid-back group, so that may be coincidence), grab and hump. On every occasion, this has seemed to work surprisingly well, disrupting a handful of almost certain serious fights and calming the over-the-top dog, who stopped lashing out and showed much more inhibited behavior immediately afterwards. In most cases the owner of the humpee also acts to calm and usually remove their dog at this point, so I can’t be sure how the social interactions among the group would go in the long term, but Otis does manage to re-establish calm long enough in the short term to avoid real fights and has never personally had further conflict with any of the dogs he humps in this way.
The dog involved in this kind of interaction has never been an absolute newcomer- it’s always been a dog Otis has met before without incident, but who is not part of his regular group. As I just now realized that, I had a moment of wondering why that might be before it dawned on me, newcomers who approach the group are ALWAYS screened by Otis before they begin interacting with the other dogs- if they are going to have a problem, they have it with him, not the others, ever.
He’s generally so laid-back and accepting of new dogs, I never really noticed it- obviously happy, submissive dogs get a flicker of his polite attention when they approach, dogs with good manners and relaxed postures get ‘accepted’ while they are still quite distant, so it doesn’t SEEM like he’s playing the bouncer, but approaching new dogs who show tension never get into a snark with one of the other dogs- they deal with Otis, every time. In defense of my obliviousness, it’s really not all that obvious- 99% of the time, even if they snark at him, he has a moment of quiet eye-contact with them and a subtle neck arch in their direction, and that’s it, they check out, no problem, he’ll greet them cordially ever after. 1% of the time he ends up humping them, and THEN is cool with them thereafter. I knew he was doing it, but I never put two and two together and realized just how constant (and successful!) he was in taking on this role.
Wow!
Marjorie says
I think Trish in the above post is right in regards to humping being a way one dog gets another to calm down. I have seen this many times in my two and I do believe it is a way for one to try and take control of a situation in which one dog is reacting in a way that makes the other dog uncomfortable.
Laura says
My first two dogs were both humpers/mounters, but they would not tolerate it from other dogs. The only time I saw Torpedo allow such a behavior was from an 8-week-old puppy. Seamus on the other hand will mount other dogs, but it I think, as others have said, it’s because he’s over excited about playing. If another dog mounts him, he doesn’t do the growel/barking my other two used to do. He’ll just stand there, calmly looking around or sniffing something interesting. He seems to be saying, meh, I really don’t care what you do. He’s a very nutural, relaxed dog when playing, but he is a good communicator and let’s other dogs know when he doesn’t like something. My sister, who was watching him play with our friend’s dog said that his body would stiffen and his tail would rais when he didn’t like something. I never even heard him make a sound, but according to my sister, the other dog got the message and did some other form of play. I think all of my dogs have been over excited mounters and so whenever it happens and the two dogs haven’t worked it out themselves, I just go over and calmly take my dog off the other dog. I’m glad nobody seems to mind, except the neighbors or passers by who look over at the shouts of “Hey, no humping!” 🙂
Mary Beth Hall says
Too funny….lots of focus on humping. That is probably one of the most common topics that people ask me about. I’ve been really interested in play lately. My pack currently consists of a young, silly Weimaraner that plays constantly without a thought in his head, a four year old coonhound that plays but has social status concerns currently, and a 13 year old Weimaraner who rules the roost and has always been the social order police in the yard. Its endearing to watch the old boy play. Its generally when he doesn’t have any other dogs near him, so he doesn’t have to worry about social issues or getting bumped into, its generally a spontaneous burst, and its short lived. He enjoys engaging in me in play when I join his sessions, but if I do join in, there is no greater violation in his world than if one of the other dogs tries to get my attention while the old dog is playing with me. The old boy is appropriate in his correction but very firm about the “rule”.
Its a topic that keeps coming up because my old dog is slowly going downhill. He’s lost a little bit of weight, his coat isn’t as nice, and he is developing a degenerative myleopathy that makes it difficult for him to walk. Yet he eats well and loves his play sessions. I’ll continue to carry him up the stairs at night if he continues to play with gusto, however short the sessions!
I had no idea how fascinating play sessions would be with a senior dog….very different from puppy play!!
A.S. says
The ‘calm-down’ mounting might be be what my three year old dog intends when he tries to mount the young male cat? He only does it when the young male cat runs and plays, not when he calmly walks or rests. Let it be said that he has never gotten to a ‘full mount’ with the cat, the paw over the cat’s back and an attempt to move chest over the cat’s back and the cat runs fast.
Jim says
Hello—I’m wondering if someone can help me. I have a 3 yr. old neutered male rescue collie I got a year and a half ago. He was apparently an abused dog, who was kept in a cage in a garage by his previous owners. I’m a big believer in positive re-inforcement for training dogs, and just taking your time and letting the dog/person relationship develop, and I thought things were going OK until the just the last few weeks. He used to love to have me pet him, laying on his back and would want me to do this forever, and now, I’ll just start petting him and he gets up with a jerk and goes away. And then he comes back to me, like he really wants to do that, and if I start to pet him, he jerks away again. It’s like he’s real conflicted about it. I walk him 3x a day, he’s been to the vet, he has no health problems apparent. I’m trying petting him when I have him sit for treats. It doesn’t seem to be having an effect. Why would this behaviour develop now? I would appreciate any insights anyone could give me. Suggested readings? Thanks.
JJ says
re: “…sometimes I wonder if it’s not “calm down.” ”
Wow. That’s a new idea to me. I’ve been thinking about it. The idea reminds me of the bonobos (?) monkeys who use sex for all sort of recreational, bonding, and calming purposes (as I understand it). I had thought that bonobos were the only species to do that. I wonder how many other species do that too, even if to a lesser degree.
JJ says
Jim: I’m no expert, but it sounds to me like your dog is injured in some way. If he really wants to be pet, but he is hurting, I would think that would describe the reaction. Have you taken him to a vet?
Just a thought. Good luck to you.
Trisha says
To Jim: I agree absolutely with JJ that there might be something physical that is causing the behavior. It is not uncommon for even the best veterinarian to have trouble picking up on pain, especially because dogs exhibit the same behavior humans do when they are socially stimulated: More dopamine, less pain. My own mother used to complain of terrible physical ailments UNTIL she went to the doctor when she, eyes shining, would tell the doc she was doing just fine. And the fact is, she WAS “just fine” at the moment. However, once she got back to her apartment, she didn’t feel so good any more. Same, I would argue, with dogs. I’d talk to your vet again, and ask for a recommendation for a certified canine chiropractor. Failing that, you can ask you vet is he or she would consider trying a pain killer as an experiment to see if the behavior changes. Of course, that decision needs to be based on the dog’s other medical history, so it’s a decision the two of you need to discuss thoroughly. Keep us posted…
Jim says
Hello—Thanks for your response. My first thought was that it might be pain related, but not now. He eats good, he runs like the wind. I’m an acute care RN who deals alot with pain and pain control issues, and this looks more like psychic pain. He looks real conflicted. I laid on the floor today and had him walk over me, and was reaching up and petting him, and he was tolerant of that. He was very afraid and timid and unsocialized when I got him, and I expect a long time for him to work through what was a very bad beginning. I’m wondering if abused dogs sometimes regress even in better environments. He’s very bright , and I think if we can get through this, he’ll be just a dynamite dog. Regards, Jim.
JJ says
Jim: You sound like such a caring and bright person. I wish you luck in getting through this.
Kat says
@Jim, I live with a dog similar to yours. She’s very conflicted about my husband petting her. She’ll curl up next to him on the couch and put her head in his lap but when he tries to pet her she acts like he’s planning to kill and eat her. She really wants to be physically close to him, touching him; but she doesn’t want him touching her. I have been working really hard to get her comfortable with me touching every part of her and most of the time she permits it but some days she really doesn’t want me handling her hips and hind legs. I know she carries all her stress in her back end and suspect that as we’ve managed to relax her the back end especially feels unfamiliar–after all if you walked around with all your butt muscles clamped as tight as possible for over a year then relaxed them I’m willing to bet it would feel strange. My sense is that not knowing what normal feels like she can’t handle the additional sensations related to touch as well. When she has one of her episodes of “don’t touch me there” I concentrate on fondling her ears (she can’t get enough of that ever), jaw, and chest. If I remember right those are all pressure points that correspond to relaxation. Rub the ears for awhile, one light stroke down the back to the tail rub the ears more repeat dozens of times a day and she’ll return to being willing to let me handle her back end again.
The other thought I have is something I read in Brian Hare’s The Genius of Dogs. One study showed that dogs petted by men had more stress hormones than dogs petted by women but when the men were shown how to pet like women this difference disappeared. As an RN you may already pet your dog in a more slow, gentle, empathetic way–being the nurturing caregiver–rather than the typical male firm, quick, stimulating way. It’s something to think about I suppose.
Good luck, I completely understand the ups and downs of the journey when you’re rehabilitating a profoundly damaged dog and how wonderful those flashes of the dog that you’re friend should have been and might be one day if you can find the right ways to help.
Trisha says
Jim: Good luck from me too. There are so many possibilities here, and I love that you noted he seems to feel more comfortable if you reach for him when you are down lower. It might be that any forward lean or loom is intimidating, but that doesn’t make sense given that he used to enjoy you petting him while he was on his back. I understand that it might not make any sense, but I have seen a large number of dogs who run fast, eat well and seem “fine,” but in certain circumstances react as though they might be in pain. Some of these dogs turned out to have a physical or medical problem that was indeed painful, some probably had been classically conditioned to react to a stimulus that once was associated with pain, and for some we simply never figured out a pattern. Pain if a very tricky thing to evaluate in an animal who can’t speak, and because your dog was so comfortable at first with petting and then abruptly stopped, I am still wondering if it not physical. I wouldn’t continue on along this line but I have seen so many dogs who seemed NOT to be in pain but completely changed their behavior when given a pain killer. Whatever happens, yeah for you for taking on a needy dog, all paws are crossed for you.
Lisa W says
Trisha,
When you wrote: ” . . . some probably had been classically conditioned to react to a stimulus that once was associated with pain . . .”
A thousand light bulbs went off in my head. We will never know exactly what Olive experienced before she came to live with us; however the poorly docked tail and some scarring give us a few hints. She used to whip around as if someone were pulling her tail when no one was near her (that has subsided in the last few years). It was like she had a phantom tail (like phantom limb syndrome). She is extremely sensitive about that whole area and some other places on her body. Her response to certain stimuli is best described as a post-traumatic-response, but your explanation is amazingly spot on in a whole new way. Thanks.
Nic1 says
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/pets/9934977/Scientists-prove-you-really-can-tell-what-your-dog-is-feeling-by-looking-at-its-face.html
Not sure if you had seen this Patricia.
Nic1 says
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635713000326
What about in Brachycephalic dogs? They have been bred to the point where communication and siganlling is challenging to say the least – dog-dog and dog human.
Perhaps another PhD topic?!