Recently I posed a question about research to fans of my Facebook page. The question goes like this: Say you’re comparing dog-training method A for training a down-stay (using a clicker and food rewards) with method B (using a shock collar at low levels when the dog starts to get up). You want to know if one method causes more signs of fear and anxiety during the training than the other. For consistency you decide to use the same trainer for both groups.  The trainer is skilled at both training methods. You are recording the training sessions and having a

Have you ever thought you were pretty brilliant, or at least above average at some common skill only to find out, after taking a test, that you were practically incompetent at that task? Well, that’s what I just found out about my three year old Jack Russell Terrier, Jonesy and his foster dog side-kick, Homer, a couple of years ago when I tested them on a two-choice task to see if they could understand pointing. According to a research study by Gabriella Lakatos and her colleagues at Eötvös L. University (Budapest, Hungary), dogs are able to recognize the significance of

A study found dogs have bigger brains relative to their body compared to cats. But does that mean that dogs are actually smarter? Or that cats are dumb? The study published by researchers at Oxford University charted the evolution of mammalian brains over the last 60 million years. The scientists found that mammals such as whales, dolphins, dogs and humans, tend to have larger brains relative to their body size when compared to more solitary species such as tigers and rhinos. The co-authors, Dr. Susanne Shultz and Dr. Robin Dunbar, state that these findings suggest that the cooperation and coordination

Question: I have a dog and 2 cats on a homemade raw diet made under recommendation of a holistic vet. I grind whole chickens with bone and skin, raw veggies and add vitamins and essential fatty acids. I have been doing this for about 3 years and my pets have well formed stools and shiny coats. My dog started all of this because of skin allergies, which since have disappeared. What is your advice on raw diets? Answer: While the majority of pet owners use commercial pet foods, others opt for diets that seem more natural. The idea behind diets

Question: I have two one-year old male cats Sergeant and Figaro. Sergeant had been waking me up every night …due to his noisy midnight explorations. Sergeant’s latest discovery has been the spiral door stopper which makes a lovely Boinng sound. I have had to remove all of them in my apartment. I have tried keeping them up all day by playing games with toys, hoping they will sleep through the night. However, that is impossible when I have to be away in the daytime and it is time consuming. I now close them both in the bathroom where the litter

All in all it was a magical hour and a half. I highly recommend that everyone who visits Chicago visit the Shedd Aquarium. It will give you a new appreciation for the husbandry training that can and should be done in all zoos.