“For the first year of a dog’s life, balanced nutrition is vital,” says Dr. Stanley Coren, Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. “Without balanced nutrition, the nerve cells of a dog’s brain will not mature properly; and the brain will be smaller in volume and weight and not function as well. Poorly…
A recent scientific study shows that dogs can learn to copy human behavior and repeat it later. Claudia Bensimoun Every dog watched their handler go into a wooden box. These dogs would then have to wait for one minute before going back to their starting position. They were then told to “Do it.” When…
New research suggests that the way our canine companions respond to the level of our attentiveness is linked to a combination of specific cues, context, and previous experience. Claudia Bensimoun Photos courtesy of Dr. Monica Udell. Udell and her team carried out two experiments and compared the performance of domestic dogs, shelter dogs, and…
Do Dogs Get Information From Their Owners Before Reacting Toward a Potentially Scary Object? Naci Berkoz and Contact Points Will share a moment together. Photo courtesy of ContactPointPhotography.com. Overview Social referencing is the seeking of information from another individual to form one’s own understanding and guide action. In a study, adult dogs were…
Studies show that dogs that have experienced stressful or traumatic events can show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) This Jack Russell Terrier doesn’t look stressed on course. Does your dog? Photo courtesy of ContactPointPhotography.com. Dogs that experience stressful or traumatic events can carry psychological trauma. Walk through any postmeltdown Fukushima dog shelter…
A new study shows that dogs make decisions about stealing food based on whether the lights are on or off. Image Credit: Claudia Bensimoun Call it a revelation. A new study shows that dogs are much more capable of understanding different situations from a human’s point of view than previously thought. What have they learned?…
A new study reveals that if you want to socialize a dog with a human or a horse, all you need is 90 minutes to introduce them between the ages of four and eight weeks. With wolf pups, it takes 24 hours! A wolf pup explores his environment. Photo courtesy of Anne-Marie Arnold.…
How Smart are our Dogs? Who said you can’t teach an “old” dog new tricks? A nine-year-old Border Collie, Chaser, was trained to understand the names of over 1000 objects. Recent work has discovered that Chaser was able to differentiate between the names of objects and commands to fetch them.…
Have you noticed that your dog’s tail sometimes wags more to one side than the other? It might mean something! Image Credit: Claudia Bensimoun Although many of us may think that our dog’s wagging tail merely reflects his happiness, there is far more to the wagging than initially thought. Recent studies demonstrate that…
Dogs Can Eavesdrop From People’s Reactions in Third Party Interactions Image Credit: Claudia Bensimoun Have you wondered how our reactions towards other people may affect the way our dogs react to the very same people? Can our body language affect the way our dogs behave? Past research has demonstrated that the socio-cognitive abilities of dogs…
Paw Preference and Handler Location May Affect Canine Mental Performance on the Agility Course. During these trials, each dog’s owner filled out a questionnaire about how easily their dog was distracted and the dog’s speed during relatively easy agility combinations. The dog’s temperament was also tested and measured throughout the procedure by the owner…