This week is crazy with coming back after a week of vacation (staycation), having Research Bites on Tuesday and our big Power of Choice seminar next weekend! That means that I am pulling a previous blog post out of the archives and recycling it for this month. It turns out its perfect timing because this… Continue reading How do we make our dogs happy?
The benefits of appropriate challenge We talk about enrichment in the dog world all the time. How important is it, really? It turns out that it’s very important! In fact, the very definition of enrichment states that it improves animal welfare and wellbeing. Today I am going to focus on the topic of cognitive enrichment,… Continue reading I challenge you – the relationship between enrichment, challenge, and wellbeing
A heartfelt thank you to two of the researchers—Karen van Haaften, DVM, DACVB and Emma Grigg, PhD, CAAB —for sharing their feedback for this blog article! Behavioral— or psychoactive— medication can be an important aspect of treatment for behavior issues in dogs. Many of the readers are probably more familiar with the term ‘behavioral’ medication… Continue reading Owner attitudes regarding behavioral medications
Health, welfare, and emotional wellbeing are intimately and inextricably connected. An animal’s health impacts their emotional state and their emotional state impacts their health. The way an animal perceives and responds to the world around them speaks to their stress coping skills and that, in turn, has a profound impact on health and emotional wellbeing.… Continue reading Promoting wellbeing in our animals
Impulse control. It’s a hot topic in dog training right now. There are many opinions about what impulse control is, how to improve it, and how it impacts behavior. Many people associate unwanted behavior with poor impulse control in dogs. For example, trainers often attribute difficultly learning stay, jumping on people, or running through doors… Continue reading Impulsivity in Dogs – What Do We Know?
Hello everyone! I hope you are are staying safe and healthy! This is a reposting of an article I wrote quite some time ago about managing your dog’s indoor energy level. This seems very timely now so I am reposting along with some edits to make sure it’s compatible with the current situation. One of… Continue reading How to Manage Your Dog’s Indoor Energy Level – Updated for COVID-19
With the entire world being in the midst of a pandemic right now, many people are turning to scientists for answers. Now seems like a good time to address some common misunderstandings about science. This applies just as much to dog training and behavior as infectious diseases! When our field first began, there was very… Continue reading Three common misunderstandings about science
Think of the last time you felt stressed. Perhaps it was something as simple as running late for work, or something more serious, like being in a car accident. When you’re stressed, your heart races, your breathing increases, you feel tense and you are probably not thinking very clearly. Now think of the last time… Continue reading What is Stress?
We never arrive where we’re at on our own. My current knowledge and perspectives have been shaped by others in the field. The ability to pass on information has allowed humans to build on the accumulated wisdom of many generations before us. This has inspired me to create a series of blog articles based… Continue reading Morgan’s Cannon: the danger of assumptions goes both ways
Does stress impact learning and memory? You bet it does! Stress impacts these processes in several different ways. Today I am going to focus on the impact of stress on fear. First, we need to define some terms. Basic Definitions Stress occurs when an animal experiences a challenge to the status quo. This triggers a… Continue reading How does past stress impact fear today?
