Reports of two studies involving kids and one involving dogs so reminded me of what I see clinically that it caused me to ponder yet again the role teaching methods may play in problem behavior. And because at least some kids get dogs when they grow up, do they wind up creating pets with behavioral issues, too? In the case of these particular human studies and their results, I suspect that this is a possibility. The First Study Years ago, a teaching method that championed the companion animal version of all-positive training had parents and teachers gushing effusively over their
Read more →When the time came to write this month’s commentary, I found myself in a somewhat lackluster state sitting at the kitchen table drinking Teeccino and eating dark chocolate with bits of ginger without a relevant thought in my head. My thoughts, such as they were, mostly drifted to what else I could do besides write a commentary. As I did this, I absent-mindedly leafed through a magazine that had arrived that morning. And there it was. Condemnation and inspiration all rolled up into one. An article about procrastination. Surely if there were a road to hell reserved for those
Read more →I began 2011 the same way I ended 2010, pondering a notice about a lost cat that showed up in my mailbox about two weeks before Christmas. It was nothing fancy. A single sheet of white copy paper with text written in black capital letters, except for those words the author thought warranted special emphasis with colored type. Evidently it had been put it put in my box before the mail arrived because I found it mashed at the bottom of a pile of holiday ads and cards. In spite of the fact that the main text was very short, only
Read more →For many people the watch-words of the holiday season are “eat,” “drink,” and “be merry.” This holiday season, I suggest replacing them with “love,” “hate,” and “eat,” specifically Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals by Hal Herzog (Harper-Collins, 2010). This book is a perfect gift for those who work with animals in any capacity as well as any animal-lovers on your list. And don’t forget to put it on your own wish-lift or purchase it as a gift for yourself if you enjoy learning about human-animal interactions as much as
Read more →Rita informs me that Dilly actually points with his paw, not his nose, which I maintain proves my point even regarding dogs as skilled teachers even more. Not only do dogs who use this strategy point, they point using a part of their bodies that makes the most sense to us even though it may not be the easiest way for them to accomplish this task.
Read more →As I was flying home after two days at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers annual conference last month, I found myself thinking some paradoxical, possibly off the deep end thoughts. I could defend such thoughts by noting that I’d been averaging about 3 hours of sleep per night for the previous 5 days. Or I could mention that I’d gotten up at 3 that morning to catch an early flight. But truth be told and thanks to my knowledge of animal behavior and probably normally confused mind, I often find myself evaluating what I hear from more than
Read more →Several people have asked me what I mean when I refer to behavior that is out of context for the animal. Often, but not always, this is in response to my observation that any time an animal accepts a reward for displaying such a behavior, that reward may be a punishment for the animal. “How can accepting a reward be punishment?” they ask. This is a legitimate question for those trained in behaviorism which maintains that animals learn in response to reward or punishment. As I’ve discussed previously, for the most part behaviorism is an anthropocentric system. People define
Read more →I have a magnate on my refrigerator that says, “Change your shoes…Change your life.” The relationship between planting a garden and quality animal interactions may seem equally unconnected, but it’s not as far-fetched as you might think. Gardening teaches basic skills that carry over into all areas of life and I’d heartily recommend it for anyone who works with animals and/or wants a quality relationship with them. Consider the following and judge for yourself. Knowing Your Limits. One of the first things that gardening teaches is to select plants or seeds that are compatible with your soil, climate, and degree
Read more →In all the year I’ve been writing commentaries, I’ve never received as many emails as I did for the July commentary on the service animal dilemma. These were sufficiently numerous and thought-provoking that I pondered them while enjoying the sites in Colorado and mastering a new computer and its software. I’m back in New Hampshire and stuck with my dial-up connection, but pleased to report that a Toshiba Satellite with an external modem and Windows 7 so far works very well. Whew! But getting back to those responses. These came response came from those who use service animals and/or those
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The Rest of the Story
Back in the seventies, anyone who cared anything about animals and enjoyed reading was reading a series of books written by British veterinarian James Herriot, a.k.a. Alf Wight. Later, the BBC made the books into a television series that introduced even more people to the life of a trio of veterinarians plying their trade in the 1930s and 40s in the Yorkshire Dales. For a period of several weeks during this past long winter of record-breakers, I’d recover from shoveling snow, chipping ice, hauling wood and other chores by making myself a cup of herbal tea and watching episodes
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