Behavior
February 11, 2010
Must-See Video: Cat vs Robot
If you ever have worried about robots taking over the planet, this should calm your fears a bit:
Super cool find via DVICE
December 16, 2009
Hunch -- Practical Decision-Making About Pets and Other Stuff
Can't decide? Don't know what kind of dog or cat breed is best for you, what to name your pet, what kind of food to feed your pet, or even if you should get a pet? Hunch is a super cool site that helps you make these decisions and more.
Hobbies and Pets are only one of multiple categories (beauty, business, clothing, etc) and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of topics at Hunch. You can create a free account and then answer a few questions so Hunch can get to know you and figure out what you'd like best. You can also just browse and see what is generally popular based on other contributors' feedback.
November 12, 2009
Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan Mastering Leadership DVD Series 5th Ed: Common Canine Misbehaviors
You may be familiar with Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan's Cesar Millan's Mastering Leadership - Volumes 1-4
. Here's a few helpful hints from his latest DVD Mastering Leadership DVD Series Vol. 5 Common Canine Misbehaviors:Solutions to the 5 Most Common Dog Problems:
1.) Problems on the walk - A canine pack leader leads, and so should you! Your dog should always be next to you or behind you, never out in front. Make sure you are the first one out the door and the first one to come back in.
2.) Barking at a specific stimulus - Take time to simulate the cause of the barking, and practice correcting your dog. If it's the doorbell that sets your dog off, ring it when no one is coming over, so you can stay focused on the task at hand: helping your dog overcome this unwanted behavior.
3.) Barking while the owner is away - This is most often a symptom of separation anxiety. You can help your dog to relax by communicating that being apart is no big deal. Instead of showering your dog with affection, practice no touch, no talk, and no eye contact for at least five minutes when entering or leaving your home.
4.) Overexcitement or hyperactivity - Overexcited or hyperactive dogs are not being challenged enough. Most often, they just require more exercise! Find a new activity to try with your dog - hiking, swimming, agility courses - or step up your current walk routine. Dogs require at least 30 minutes of a structured walk every day. Talk to your vet about how much exercise your dog can safely handle.
5.) Aggression towards other dogs - Watch your temper! If you are tense, frustrated, or angry, your dog will mirror that energy right back at you, so it's especially important to remain calm when dealing with an aggressive dog. But remember, always put your safety first! Seek the help of a professional to deal with this potentially dangerous issue.
Are you a fan of Cesar Millan? Check out Amazon's Dog Whisperer Store
September 22, 2009
PetScoop: The Secrets Inside Your Dog's Mind at Time.com
This past weekend we featured some new Super Cool Pet Books for fall, among them Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
by Alexandra Horowitz [New York Times review here].
Ms. Horowitz's work with dogs is cited in Time.com's fascinating The Secrets Inside Your Dog's Mind. Did you know that out of all animals on earth, only humans and canines understand the meaning of a pointed finger? Or that the sloppy kiss your dog plants on your lips may not be an expression of affection as much as a quest for food?
Researchers are opening up centers to study dog behavior here in the US and abroad in Europe, such as the Duke Canine Cognition Center whose assistant professor of evolutionary anthropology, Brian Hare, is profiled in the article and Harvard's Canine Cognition Lab.
Not only will these studies benefit dog owners who continually strive to interpret their dogs' signs and signals more accurately, they should improve and enhance training methods for service animals such as guide dogs and bomb-sniffers.
September 15, 2009
Ruminations on Being a Cat by Flautist at bookofjoe
Who hasn't wondered at some point what life is like for our pets--how do they really view the world? The 'world's most popular blogging anesthesiologist' posted the other day over at bookofjoe:
One project of mine over the past few months has been trying (without success, methinks) to become Gray Cat, see the world as she does and experience things from her point of view.
I sometimes lie down right next to her and look at what she's looking at and try to do a mind-meld with her cat brain but so far nada.
If only I had fur and whiskers to make the incoming more realistic....
And received the following insights from Flautist:
Regarding your project to experience and see things as Gray Cat [above and below] does, I can save you some time and effort. I've already done it with my felines and here's my report: They spend their time dividing everything up into Feels Good or Doesn't Feel Good, and Exciting or Not Exciting. There is broad agreement amongst felines and plenty of individual quirks. Feels Good examples -- chin scratch, sunny spot, chow; Doesn't -- bath, medicine applications, toenail clipping. Exciting -- squirrel chase, bird stalk, cockroach hunt; Not -- waiting for playtime, waiting for rodents to show up, etc. They can occasionally feel deeply conflicted; when I pick up Laurence (cat) I like to hold him upside down like a baby, which he hates, and he plants back feet under my chin in readiness to kick forcefully for release, but he seldom uses that move because he knows he will get back of head scratch which he loves more than anything on earth. Anyway, all that is to say, this is pretty much what you need to know about Gray Cat's (literal) experience of life.
Readers, what do you think?
September 7, 2009
Labor Day 2009 -- Honor the Working Dog
Most US dogs live out their lives as pets, largely providing comfort and companionship 24/7 to the humans with whom they share their world. Definitely hard work.
Many dogs also formally serve us--searching, rescuing, herding, assisting the disabled, the police, the military. They provide therapy to the elderly and incapacitated, hunt, guard, track, and detect.
Today, Labor Day, we take off our hats to the extra special working dog. What would life be without them?
Want to learn more? Check out Working Group (Dogs) and enjoy a good read, Working Dogs: True Stories of Dogs and Their Handlers
.
September 5, 2009
Remembering Alex the Parrot
Alex the Parrot died unexpectedly overnight two years ago on September 6th 2007. Alex is the African gray parrot whose ability to master a vocabulary of more than 100 words and answer questions about the color, shape and number of objects brought him widespread acclaim during his life.
He was the subject of a thirty-year (1977-2007) research project by animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg, who judged that Alex had the intelligence of a five-year-old human and the emotional level of a human two-year-old at the time of his death (see article). Pepperberg's moving tribute to her parrot Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Uncovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process
is a must-read.
Watch this amazing video clip where Alex answers questions he hasn't been trained to answer:
Video via HuffPost Green
August 4, 2009
If Pets Could Talk -- New Online Guide to Dog and Cat Behavior at PetSmart.com
Want a better understanding of your pet? PetSmart.com
has launched an interesting online guide to dog and cat behavior, "If Your Pets Could Talk"
developed by animal behaviorist Dr. Suzanne Hetts and Dr. Robyn Jaynes, PetSmart's veterinary and pet care expert.
You will find variety of tools--quizzes, videos and exercises--to test and enhance your knowledge of typical animal behaviors. You may be surprised.
July 28, 2009
New Simon's Cat Animation -- "Fly Guy"
Are you a fan of the Simon's Cat animations by Simon Tofield? A new clip was released over the weekend.
via BlissTree
July 24, 2009
Raising a New Puppy?
Yesterday, we wished our fabulous Golden Retrievers "Happy Birthday". The first night we brought them home, we must admit asking ourselves (in between the cuteness): "What on earth have we done to our lives??"
The New York Times has begun a weekly series, The Puppy Diaries, about "the challenges and satisfactions of raising a puppy through its first year of life". A snippet from author and new puppy owner Jill Abramson:
Somehow I had forgotten how much having a new puppy is like having a new baby. It's not only the made-up games, the hide-and-seek and stuffed animals. There is the special puppy smell, much like the distinctive scent, better than perfume, of a new baby's head. There is the reflexive urge to smother with kisses. There is the getting up in the middle of the night. There is the singing of lullabies to sleep, lying next to Scout's crate as if it were a cradle. There is the arrangement of play dates for socialization....There are the books written by experts (our puppy manual is by the Monks of New Skete, The Art of Raising a Puppy
). There is the feeling of total relief in seeing tired eyes close for a nap.
Have a new puppy or know someone who does? Sign up for Drs. Foster and Smith's email series: Puppy Care Today -- Everything you need to know about a new puppy through each stage.
July 23, 2009
Bowlingual Voice -- Translates Your Dog's Emotions into Human Words
Who amongst us have not wondered what our dog is saying when s/he barks?
A Japanese toy company has invented Bowlingual Voice, a device that purportedly interprets the emotions expressed in a dog's bark then translates them into human words.
This gadget "detects" sadness, joy, alertness to danger, neediness, happiness and frustration, plus has a recorded repertoire of spoken phrases such as "play with me", "leave me alone", and "feel sad". And for the dog owner who doesn't want to miss a thing, an answering machine function can also record your pet's feelings when you are not around.
Or maybe, as is often the case in relationships, the less said, the better.
via DVICE / Daily Mail Online
June 3, 2009
Thunderstorms, Fireworks, Vet Visits -- 3 Remedies to Reduce Anxiety and Calm Your Pet
Does your pet suffer from anxiety? Thunderstorm season is here and the July 4th fireworks marathon approaches, not to mention those terrifying vet visits. Our dogs tremble, pant, pace and even become destructive. Our cats shake, meow strangely, and become skittish.
Pet anxiety is serious, especially for those who suffer continually. Your pet may flee the scene in terror and be hit by a car, get lost or stolen. S/he may jump through a glass window, scratch the walls or rip apart your furniture.
So, how to help your pet lose the terror?
Distraction -- Calming music, "white noise" such as fans or A/C, TV, radio to drown out the scary sounds.
Synthetic Pheromones -- These reduce or even prevent stress-related behavior if your pet's anxiety is mild to moderate.
For your cat, Feliway Plug-In Diffuser
is recommended or spritz some Feliway Spray
on his/her bedding and favorite hangouts. Likewise, for your dog, apply some D.A.P. Dog Appeasing Pheromone Spray
liberally in the cage and if in an enclosed area plug in a D.A.P. Dog Appeasing Pheromone Electric Diffuser
.
We are following up after trying D.A.P. Dog Appeasing Pheromone, which worked well with our storm-phobic Golden as long as she stays put in one spot. Since she paces, the DAP Collar
is the best choice as it goes where she goes.
Anti-Anxiety Meds -- Where a lot of pets live, thunderstorms or scary sounds can happen daily. If your pet experiences the misery of anxiety on a constant or extreme basis, your vet may prescribe a tranquilizer such as Acepromazine
or other Behavior Modification Drugs.
Other resources:
April 27, 2009
National Association of Professional Pet Sitters Preparedness Guide For Pet Owners
Each year, two to three million of us suffer as the result of disasters, and as was painfully apparent during Katrina, our pets do too. After a natural disaster everyone is pretty much on their own, at least for the first few days, as we have discussed in a prior disaster preparation post.
The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) has created NAPPS Disaster Preparedness Guide For Pet Owners to read and download, so animal owners can be prepared for man-made or natural catastrophes.
The operative word here is prepared. Preparation is key to surviving a disaster, as well as succeeding in any endeavor, as Amanda Ripley so aptly explains in her must-read guide The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why
.
Pet Photo: USA Today
April 24, 2009
D.A.P. Dog Appeasing Pheromone Electric Diffuser and Spray
The Super Cool Pets staff has received samples of the D.A.P. Dog Appeasing Pheromone Electric Diffuser and D.A.P. Dog Appeasing Pheromone Spray for review.
D.A.P. Dog Appeasing Pheromone reduces or even prevents stress-related behavior, say during thunderstorms, fireworks, visits to the vet, puppy anxiety or moving to a new home.
Female dogs secrete pheromones that comfort and reassure their nursing puppies. These "appeasement" pheromones have the same calming effect on adult dogs. D.A.P. mimics these appeasement pheromones to reduce or eliminate stress in dogs of all ages.
We personally have a storm-phobic Golden Retriever who lives in the lightning capital of the world, Florida, so we will try the diffuser and spray out on her as soon as the rainy season begins. She is not too comfortable with grooming either, so we shall have plenty of opportunity. D.A.P apparently takes a few weeks to be effective, so we hope to provide a report in May.
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