2015 Puppy New Year! Get some science into your dog

2015 is a bright and shiny new year for canine science! 

But first, this face:

After being a dog-less household for eight months (you might remember we sadly farewelled Elke in 2013 and gut-wrenchingly, also old man Caleb, in the first half of 2014) we welcomed a new member to the family at the end of 2014. 

Those paws. Not photoshopped.

If Im honest with you, Id been stalking PetRescue quietly for a month or so, not really sure if the time was right, but also open to being inspired to make it the right time to welcome a new dog into our lives. I eventually made a call to a shelter a long, long way away about a dog Id seen who looked like the kind of dog I thought would be a good fit for our family over the next fifteen years. His profile had been up for a few weeks and I was concerned he might be nearly out of time to be adopted. The lovely shelter staff let me know hed actually just been adopted that morning - I was thrilled for him and his new family. Probably a good thing anyway, that shelter was 5 hours drive away - no small distance. 

The following day I received a message from the shelter staff - there was another dog - a younger pup, similar type, would I be interested? "Send me some photos and a video clip of him" I said... and they did. I told Julie about the pup and how far away he was. "Love this story!! Keep it coming ;)" she said via email. Huh, I thought - what an adventure this could be to meet a new family member - and luckily, my partner agreed!

So a week later, coincidentally on my birthday, we headed off after lunch on a 400km (thats 250miles to those of you who prefer miles) drive to a faraway coastal town south west of Melbourne to meet this four month old pup. He had come into the regional shelter as a stray. Whether he was deliberately dumped, wandered off through an open gate, or actively strayed by jumping a fence - well never know. Thats part of the shelter dog story - not necessarily knowing what came before. 

What we do know is this: 

• He was not identified by microchip, had no collar with ID and was not desexed
• No one came looking for him during his two weeks in the shelter
• On meeting us, he was excitable, mouthy and jumpy, but calmed down fairly quickly
• We have named him Rudy (roo-dee), inspired by Rudolph as it was Christmas week

What is he?

Weve been asked that a lot! Rudy is a Staghound. Staghounds in Australia are similar to Lurchers and Longdogs in the UK - a type of dog, rather than a breed. Staghounds are generally greyhound x deerhound with maybe a bit of whatever else was around the area in them too. They can vary widely in looks as they are bred with an emphasis on health, performance and longevity, rather than to a physical standard. They are generally bred to help with hunting in rural areas, but like greyhounds, can make excellent companions as well. As youd expect, they are highly distracted by moving things.

A diet of science

Inevitably, were feeding Rudy a daily dose of science. If you want to keep up with how hes going, you can follow the #RaisingRudy hashtag on Twitter, keep up with our Do you Believe in Dog? Facebook posts, or check in here at the blog for regular updates. Ive never claimed to be a dog trainer, but Im certainly aware of the importance of putting the wide array of scientific findings into practice with our dogs to help them have a great life and help us enjoy our time with them.

So far, over the first couple of weeks Rudys been with us, this has looked a bit like this:

In these early days, were focusing on socialisation (new experiences, places, people, surfaces, sounds, smells), basic training (toilet training, recall, sit, leash walking, house behaviour, independent time outside) and getting to know Rudy (learning how he responds to new places, loud noises, other dogs and people, etc.). Were marvelling at those ears. 

Were remembering what having a puppy in the house means (e.g. encouraging the puppy to splash its feet in a toddler pool is super funny and cute, until it starts repeating that behaviour in the indoor water bowl and floods your laundry!). Were a tidier household for it (Shoes go in cupboards! Pre-schoolers toys get put away! Remote controls go up high!).

If, like us, its been a while since you raised a puppy, you might enjoy the back seat experience (sometimes hilarious, sometimes frustrating!) offered by the new BBC documentary series Six Puppies and Us - Episode 1 linked here:

What science have you fed your dog recently? 
What should I be sure to feed mine? 

Let us know your thoughts by commenting on the blog, Facebook or Twitter - and join in #RaisingRudy.

Til next time, 

Mia

p.s. No, this hasnt turned into just a puppy blog! The Do You Believe in Dog? team will still be bringing you regular guest posts from fellow canine scientists, monthly updates on the science thats caught our attention and news on major events we attend in 2015.

Further reading:
Kidd A.H. & Kidd, R.M. (1989). Factors in Adults Attitudes Toward Pets, Psychological Reports, 65 (3) 903-910. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1989.65.3.903 

Hiby E.F., Rooney N.J. & Bradshaw J.W.S. (2004). Dog training methods: their use, effectiveness and interaction with behaviour and welfare. , Animal Welfare, 13 (1) 63-70. 

© Mia Cobb | Do You Believe in Dog? 2015

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Why Do Dogs Love Some Dogs and Hate Others

By Langley Cornwell

Dogs are amazing creatures. The amount of information they can discern in a short amount of time is really something. I have a friend whose dog, Sally, is like a cartoon character; everything the dog does is exaggerated. Seriously, this dog should have her own reality show! She’s like the Joan Rivers of canines. She knows in an instant if she likes or dislikes another dog, and she lets you – and the other dog – know it.

To give you the entire picture, I’ll start with the dog. Sally is a seven year-old mixed breed from a shelter. My friend has had her since she was 10 months old. The dog lives in a single-dog household with two cats. She gets along wonderfully with the cats, but my friend has been reluctant to adopt another dog because she can never anticipate how Sally will react to other dogs.

When she’s out walking Sally and another dog approaches, Sally can immediately tell if she likes the other dog or not. My friend works hard on breathing calmly and not communicating anything from the other end of the leash. It doesn’t matter what my friend does, though. Sally will make a snap judgment. She’ll bow up with her hackles raised and begin to bark threateningly, or she’ll drag my friend over to the other dog with her head lowered and her tail wagging in a friendly manner.

Her decision is immediate and unwavering. What’s more, Sally can make her assessment from great distances and it seems to have nothing to do with how the other dog is responding to her. In fact, sometimes she’s sized up the other dog before the other dog even notices Sally and my friend approaching.

When I pitched this article idea, Diane at CANIDAE responded by saying that her dog, Breezie, also instantly decides if she likes or hates another dog, and Diane has no idea why. Other friends have shared similar experiences, so I was curious about what the experts would say.

Jean Donaldson is the founder of the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers. Additionally, she’s authored several books on dog training and behavior, including The Culture Clash and Dogs are from Neptune.

In a Modern Dog magazine article, Donaldson confirms that even properly socialized dogs do not and will not like every other dog they meet. She goes on to liken a dog’s behavior to that of a human. She says that outgoing, well socialized humans do not like every other person they meet. There are even some humans who function well in society but only like a few other people.

The difference between dogs and people is that dogs are able to make faster decisions about who they do and don’t like. I’ll go out on a limb here and say they are able to make more accurate decisions, too. Since the canine olfactory sense is so keen, dogs can determine from a great distance if the approaching dog is male or female, neutered or spayed, and maybe even if they had CANIDAE dog food or something else for breakfast.

It’s not just a dog’s ability to take in so much information via the nose; they are also experts on reading body language – canine and human. They can tell immediately if the approaching dog displays welcoming or rude body language. Even though dogs can’t see details or colors as well as humans, they are authorities on picking up on other dogs’ movements and intentions.

Donaldson also suggests that the reasons for some dog’s snap judgments are based on profiling. Not the CSI version of profiling, but rather a reaction to a certain type of dog; as if a certain category of dog bothers your dog and her prejudice causes a pre-emptive reaction.

As an example, Donaldson shares a personal experience with her Border collie. She says her dog was perfectly nice to most dogs and tolerant to practically all dogs but she hated Standard Poodles – all Standard Poodles regardless of height, size, color, haircut, etc.  Donaldson is convinced her dog’s reaction to Standard Poodles is a result of one slightly irritating poodle on one particular occasion.

Is your dog like Sally and Breezie, or does she love everyone?

Top photo by Richard Harrison
Bottom photo by Hunter-Desportes

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Doggone Safe Coordinator Tonji Stewart Wins Video Contest

We are thrilled to announce that Doggone Safe Eastern Canada Coordinator Tonji Stewart was the co-grand prize winner of the Canis Film Festival. The award was presented at Clicker Expo in Chicago on the weekend. This is an international video contest for clicker trainers and the videos must demonstrate how to teach something using clicker training. The videos are judged on entertainment and teaching value and the winners must demonstrate excellence in the application of clicker training principles in training.

We are very proud of Tonjis accomplishment and her efforts to promote force free training methods that are safe for kids and dogs.

Click here to listen to an interview with Tonji on CBC radio

Click here to see all the winning videos

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Use Some Of Those Dog Training Skills To Help Teach Your Dog To Sit

by Chris Simpson

Anyone who has experienced the thrill of teaching a dog new tricks knows exactly what it takes to get their dog to listen to their commands and it usually does work too. It is very exciting when you finally start to see the results from using your dog training techniques on your dog and it will motivate you to continue working with them to teach them even more. Instead of having a dog that just sits around doing nothing, you could have a dog that is totally fit to be involved in dog shows or anything else interesting such as that. One of the easiest commands to teach a dog would have to be, to sit. Teaching your dog to sit should come pretty easy, if you are consistent and praise them every time that they do listen to you. Normally within just a week of working with them, you should have a dog that listens to the sit command and you will just be tickled if this has never happened for you before now. Dog training can be a great deal of fun, both for the owner and their dog, if it is done correctly.

There are several different ways that you can go about teaching your dog how to sit whenever you tell him to and it is important for you to try a few different techniques with him and once you are seeing that he is listening to you finally, then you will know which technique to stick with. Some people can teach their dogs to sit just by saying it over and over and gently pushing down on their backside and once they do it then they are given a treat or a great deal of praise. Others find that taking something that the dog loves and kind of moving it slowly around their head and behind them, saying the word sit to them in a stern tone each time, works for them the best. It just depends on your preferences and what your dog responds to the best. Finding what works for you and your dog is what is important, do not let anyone else try and tell you how you should be doing it, if what you are doing does work. Advice is usually a good thing but for some reason there are those people that believe that they know what is best for you and your dog and sometimes that can really be annoying, so do what works for you ok.

Whenever you do decide to begin dog training your dog to teach them to sit for you, just remember to be patient with them because sometimes certain dogs might take a little bit longer to catch on than others would. Your dog can be your best little friend and when you do start seeing results from using your dog training techniques, you will just be totally excited and will be even more excited about showing it off to all of your friends and family members, so have fun with it!

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How Some Popular Dog Breeds Got Their Name

Cocker Spaniel

By Linda Cole

Deciding on the perfect name for a new puppy or dog isnt always easy to do. You want to pick one that fits his personality and is easy to learn. Now imagine coming up with a name for a new dog breed. The history of dog breeds is an interesting story. The history behind naming some of our popular dog breeds is also an intriguing tale.

Cocker Spaniel

Spaniels date back to the 14th century; they evolved over the years with some working on land and others working as water retrievers. These dogs were highly prized by English hunters for their outstanding ability to flush out and retrieve a large, short legged and bulky wading bird called a woodcock. This nocturnal bird spends most of the day hiding in dense cover. People started calling the dog “cocker,” and the name caught on.

Labrador Retriever

Newfoundland is the land of the Labrador Retriever, not Labrador. Fishermen around the Canadian province used a small water dog that was bred with Newfoundland dogs to produce a first-class swimmer called the St. Johns Water Dog, the ancestor of the Labrador. The breed had webbed feet and was used to retrieve fishermens nets from the icy waters and bring them back to shore. In the early 1800s, the Earl of Malmesbury saw one of the dogs in action and imported it to England. He trained his dogs to retrieve ducks and called them “Labrador dogs.” Even though the Earl was confused about which province his dogs came from, the name stuck as the dog became more popular.

Cairn Terrier

Cairn Terrier

This little dog was developed on the Isle of Skye, in Scotland. Farmers wanted a small, feisty dog with lots of courage, determination, intelligence and the ability to go to ground when necessary after prey. The Cairn Terrier was bred to hunt badger, otter, fox, rabbit and other vermin. They were especially good at digging prey out from under cairns, which are mounds of man-made piles of stone used in the Scottish Highlands as grave site memorials and boundary markers. People started calling the dogs Cairn, and thats where the breed name came from.

Great Dane

This is one of the tallest dog breeds on Earth, affectionately referred to as the “Apollo of all breeds.” The Great Dane was developed in Germany and was likely created from mastiff type dogs, the Greyhound and the Irish Wolfhound. It was the French who named this breed, mistaking Denmark as the country of origin. In Germany, the dog is known as the Deutsche Dogge. A proper diet is very important for Great Danes, and its essential to feed them a high quality food made especially for big dogs, such as the new CANIDAE Large Breed Formula.

Bouvier Des Flandres

This breed was developed in Flanders, which is located in northern Belgium, as an all-around farm dog to drive cattle, herd sheep, pull carts and act as a watchdog. French farmers were impressed with the working spirit of the dog and the breed name is French, meaning “Cow herder of Flanders.”

Beagle

This little dog has a distinct, resonant baying voice, which was how hunters were able to follow a pack of Beagles as they eagerly chased after prey. According to the Oxford English dictionary, the beagle word was first used in English writings in 1475. Where the word came from, however, is still a mystery. Beagle could have come from a French word “begueule” that means open throat, or a French, Old English or Celtic word “beag” which means little. Another possibility is a French word “beugler” which means to bellow, or a German word, “begele” which means to scold.

Dachshund puppy

Dachshund

The Dachshund is an interesting breed, not only in looks, but in the job this small dog was bred to do. Dont let those short legs and long body fool you. When it comes to rooting out prey from underground, this breed is as feisty, determined, smart and capable as any dog. The breed was created in the early 1600s to work with hunters. Their job was to dig into badger holes and engage in combat with them. The dog was so good at doing his job, the breed was named in honor of his fearless spirit. Dachshund is a German word that means “badger dog.”

Weimaraner

Nicknamed the “Grey Ghost” because of his unique coat color, this breed was developed in the early 1800s at the Weimar court in Germany. Noblemen wanted a courageous hunting dog that was smart and fast, with plenty of stamina and good scenting ability to take on bear, wolves and deer. The breed name comes from the court he was developed in.

Cocker Spaniel photo by Jeremy McWilliams
Cairn Terrier photo by robinsend
Dachshund photo by Bill Kuffrey

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