Posts tagged "DogBehavior"

As a poodle breeder, I'm no stranger to being surrounded by a pack of dogs gazing at me with that overwhelmingly adorable yet pathetic stare that pooches tend to display either at the dinner table or any time a morsel of food should appear. It's important to keep in mind that even if a dog is not jumping and whining, that loving stare is considered "begging."

Begging is a learned behavior which is usually unconsciously reinforced. Many of us see our pets as members of the family, so it's extremely natural for us to want to share with them. Although it gets annoying to have a pet begging at the dinner table, we have a tendency to block it out and let it continue. One minute we might yell, "Stop begging!" at the guilty dog, but the next minute we feel bad and feed him something. This is exactly where the problem begins.

The moment you give in and offer your pet even a morsel of food, you're reinforcing begging behavior by teaching the dog that if he hangs in there and has the patience to wait, he will be rewarded with a taste. Dogs can be very patient: some will jump and whine and carry on, but many will just sit, stare and wait.

Dogs are pack animals, and in their natural habitat the social order would be ranked in a hierarchy with the leader of the pack -- known as the "alpha dog" -- dominating. Pet owners should be aware that "the pack" instinct remains intact even in domesticated dogs, and that they must take on the alpha role in order to discipline their pets. Once you firmly establish that role, you can more easily take control of bad habits.

Meet jet-setting show dog Curry, Paw Nation's newest advice columnist. In between competing at the top dog shows, Curry finds time to answer the questions all dogs long to ask. From grooming advice (Curry just won Best in Breed at Westminster, so she knows a thing or two about looking gorgeous) to tips on getting along with the craziest of canines (she lives in Manhattan so she has to make friends with the many other dogs on the block), this 3-year-old Glen of Imaal terrier has all the answers to your crucial canine queries.

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Congrats on your Westminster Best in Breed win. You looked darling and seemed to have a great sense of humor. Question: Did I catch you laughing when the judge wanted you to move on and you wanted to stay and eat the bait other dogs had dropped?
-- Charlie, a lab-mix from Miami

Charlie you are absolutely right. You did see me laughing at Madison Square Garden.

Most humans don't know it but dogs laugh all the time -- I know I do. It sounds like an excited burst of panting when you are interacting with others. Some experts have called it social panting, as it occurs when we are playing or trying to get someone to play. It's a sign of enjoyment which I was certainly having the night of the big doggie show.

Did you know that research shows that playing a recording of dogs 'laughing' at animal shelters has been found to reduce sign of stress in those poor dears looking for a home?

So laugh away Charlie, it's far better than getting all grumpy.

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Ask Curry your questions by e-mailing her at curry@pawnation.com.

We love our dogs. They soothe us, entertain us, and their devotion and affection brings an enormous amount of joy into our lives. For all that we are appreciative.

Some of us show our appreciation by buying luxury items that range from the frivolous (designer clothes and custom-made collars) to the more practical (organic dog food and orthopedic beds). When our hectic lives mean we have to leave our precious pooches behind, we put them up at fancy dog hotels with socialization hours and individual walks. Many of us avoid that problem entirely by bringing our dogs everywhere we go -- showering them with non-stop affection.

Is all this the least we can do for the pets that bring us so much happiness? Or, at some point does this 21st century lifestyle begin to take something away from the dog's essential animal nature? And are we somehow giving other humans less than they deserve because we are showering all this attention on our pets? These are some of the questions pondered in the New York Magazine article "The Rise of Dog Identity Politics" in which the author John Homans describes some of the conflicts we – and others, including academics, psychiatrists, and dog trainers -- feel about the way many of us choose to parent our pets.

"The dog is more and more an urban species. Even in the suburbs, the dog's unleashed, unfenced, carefree outdoor life is largely at an end. The dogs are in the house, even in the bed. (The doghouse is now mostly for husbands.) There are no rules to this evolving, increasingly intimate arrangement, and it can give rise to a kind of canine identity crisis. Outside of its country context, the dog plays an ever more human role. Which can make things very confusing," says Homans.

What do you think, Paw Nation? By giving our dogs the cushiest, most comfortable lives possible, are we somehow invalidating their essential "dogness?" Do you personally feel that you have ever gone over the line in your devotion and care for your pet?

Tell us what you think by taking our poll and sharing your comments below.

Who hasn't looked into the soulful eyes of their furry best friend and wondered what on earth their pet was thinking? Dog lover and psychologist Alexandra Horowitz sure did.

Luckily for us (and our dogs), Horowitz, who has extensively studied dog behavior, explores what's going on in our canine companions' heads in her new book, "Inside of a Dog". Horowitz recently chatted with Paw Nation about the book, dog behavior, and her own pup.

Where did you get the idea for this book?
I was prompted to write the book by two things: my work and my relationship with my then-dog Pumpernickel. My work has been studying the mind of non-human animals, especially dogs. There has recently been a great increase in the scientific study of dogs, and I decided it was high time to summarize this for a wider audience, and to use the results to try to address the questions that I had about my own dog. Pumpernickel was a great character, and I, like many owners, spent hours admiring her and wondering about her experiences of the world.

What do you think is most important for dog owners to understand about their pets' minds?
Dogs are not less-intelligent humans. At times we treat them so, and this is doing dogs a disservice. Instead, by careful observation and consideration of dogs' behavior, we might draw a new picture of what the dog mind is like. For instance, we all know that their world is dominated by smells -- but understanding the role it plays in their social, physical and perhaps mental life should lead us to reconsider, say, pulling the dog away from a juicy smell on the side of a fire hydrant.

Your book addresses how dogs experience each of the senses in ways different from humans. How did you come to these conclusions?
I reviewed many other scientists' research into the sensory capacities of dogs -- from how they sniff, to how they see colors, to their sense of pressure and touch. They show that both quantitatively and qualitatively there are interesting differences between us and dogs (for instance, beagles have three hundred million scent receptors in their noses, compared to our six million). When these results are applied to the exercise of imaging what it might be like to be a dog, we come up with a picture that is quite distinct from the human view of the world.

Check out an excerpt from Inside of a Dog after the jump!