In this episode, I speak with Dr. Sasha Protopopova. She is an Assistant Professor and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Chair holder in Animal Welfare at The University of British Columbia (UBC). If that sounds familiar, that’s because my last guest, Dr. von Keyserlingk is at the same University, in the… Continue reading Episode 8 – Dr. Sasha Protopopova
It’s time for a change. I started (consistently) publishing this blog about two years ago, maybe a little longer. As many of you know, I also recently started The Research Bites podcast. I am posting one blog post a month and about one podcast episode a month. That’s really not as frequently as I’d like… Continue reading Changes to the Science Matters blog
Last month I wrote about what is meant when we use the term reactivity and some of the different factors that influence reactivity. This month I’ll be talking about how we can use this information to improve our ability to work with reactive dogs. As a reminder, my preferred definition of reactivity is that of… Continue reading Addressing emotional reactivity
We spend a lot of time talking about reactivity in dogs. But what is reactivity? It seems there are many different definitions in the dog training world and this is actually true in the research world as well. In this blog post I’m going to do my best to create a cohesive storyline about what… Continue reading What is ‘reactivity’?
Most experienced trainers are fairly well-versed in the basic principles of instrumental learning. Primarily, that means the antecedent-behavior-consequence sequence and the four types of instrumental learning: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment and negative punishment. These concepts are fundamental to our understanding of why animals do what they do and how to change their behavior.… Continue reading Why advanced instrumental learning?
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?
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
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
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
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