You may have heard that dogs "lip lick" or "tongue flick" when they are stressed. A recent study by Albuquerque et al. (2018) used lip licking in dogs to assess their ability to respond to emotional cues in humans and dogs. Previous … [Read more...]
Where did the blog go?
Hello everyone! Just a quick update that the blog is still active! After the holidays, we were hit with a variety of health issues that took over for several weeks. However, things are getting back to normal and I am now playing catch … [Read more...]
Improve Your Dog’s Life with a Few Simple Tricks!
As a field, we've done a pretty good job of teaching dog owners that they need to give their dogs physical exercise. However, we haven't been as good about teaching people how important mental exercise - often called brain work - is for … [Read more...]
Not just testosterone? Hormones and aggression
Usually, I try to focus my blog posts on applied research. But a study came out recently that has gotten enough press that some of my clients have asked me about it, so I decided to focus on that study for this post. I hope it will help … [Read more...]
The Journey of Finn – Settling In
Finn is finally back! The blog had an unexpected hiatus because my mother was in the hospital for several days at the beginning of September. The good news is she is back home now and doing well. General updates Finn … [Read more...]
Places to Go with Your Dog
The blog is on summer vacation this week. We will be back next week with an update on Finn. In the meantime, you may be interested in checking out one of our older posts on some possible destinations and activities for traveling with your … [Read more...]
Read My Mind – What is Theory of Mind and Why Should You Care?
"He pees in the house every time we leave. I know why he's doing it. He's angry with us and wants to punish us for leaving him alone. I know he knows it's wrong too, because he looks guilty when we come home." (Looking for Finn? Don't … [Read more...]
Journey of Finn – Are You a Puppy or a Piranha?
This week, Finn found his teeth. That means we've been doing some work on settle and impulse control. I am also continuing to work on socialization, loose leash walking and handling. In my posts I focus on the training we are doing … [Read more...]
The Journey of Finn – Learning the Basics
Hello again! We have spent the last week getting to know Finn and working on teaching him essential life skills. My primary focus is on preventing problem behaviors later on. Every week I see dogs that have serious behavior problems. I … [Read more...]
Finn’s Puppy Diary – Day 3
Finn McCool We have a new puppy! His name is Finn McCool (named after the Irish folk hero). He's a red bi Australian Shepherd and was 9 weeks old when we brought him home on Friday. This means we have our work cut out for us … [Read more...]