DOG DAY AFTERNOON

A psychology teacher walked around her class holding a half empty glass of water. The students were all waiting on the ‘half empty half full glass’ question. Instead the teacher asked “How heavy is this glass?” “8oz, 12oz” the replies came. In fact the actual weight of the glass doesn’t matter. How long I hold it is more important. If I hold the glass like this for five minutes there isn’t a problem. If I hold it for an hour my arm might start to ache. If I stand here and hold it for a day my arm might become numb and paralysed. But in each case the weight of the glass stays the same, but the longer I hold it the heavier it becomes. The stresses and worries in life are like that. If you think about them for five minutes theres no problem, if you think about them for an hour they begin to hurt. If you think about them for longer you will feel paralysed and incapable of doing anything.  Sometimes you have to remember to put the glass down.

The RSPCA have a fact sheet which you can download from their web site which is very useful. It describes how anyone involved with animals should aspire to providing the animals with the ‘Five Freedoms’. It says it’s aspirational because there are times when they cannot always be achieved. For example before an animal will feed it may need to feel hungry. However it goes onto say that wherever possible animal keepers should strive to provide the Five Freedoms as far as possible. If you want more information you should visit the website. www.rspca.org.uk/animalcare . THE FIVE FREEDOMS: 1.FREEDOM FROM HUNGER OR THIRST. by providing enough fresh water and the right type and amount of food to keep them fit. 2.FREEDOM FROM DISCOMFORT. by making sure that animals have the right type of environment including shelter and somewhere comfortable to rest. 3.FREEDOM FROM PAIN, INJURY AND DISEASE. by preventing them from getting ill or injured and by making sure animals are diagnosed...

I read an interesting article in ‘Canine Corner’ a column written by Dr Stanley Coren for ‘Psychology Today’ about dewclaws. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, dewclaws are short claws or nails on the side of the dog’s foot which don’t touch the ground. Most dogs have dewclaws only on their front paws, and it is rare to find them on their back paws. There are some breeds who have them, like the Great Pyrenees. In most cases however the dewclaws are nonfunctional. The dewclaws are an evolutionary throw back to some 40 million years ago. Back then there was a tree climbing cat-like animal . It is believed that this animal known as Miacis was an early ancestor of our modern dogs. Having five toes when you climb trees is obviously a great advantage. As evolution unfolded through the generations these creatures evolved into social hunters of fast moving prey. Obviously speed became a more important factor than climbing. This meant the physiology of canin...

The length of retractable leashes, some of which can extend up to 26 feet, allows dogs to get far enough away from their humans that a situation can quickly turn dangerous. A dog on a retractable leash is often able to run into the middle of the street, for example, or make uninvited contact with other dogs or people. In the above scenario, or one in which your pet is being approached by an aggressive dog, it is nearly impossible to get control of the situation if the need arises. It's much easier to regain control of – or protect -- a dog at the end of a six-foot standard flat leash than it is if he's 20 or so feet away at the end of what amounts to a thin string. The thin cord of a retractable leash can break – especially when a powerful dog is on the other end of it. If a strong, good-sized dog takes off at full speed, the cord can snap. Not only can that put the dog and whatever he may be chasing in danger, but also the cord can snap back and injure the human at the othe...

How many times have I heard that? As a reward based trainer I am often asked, “but what do you do when your dog refuses to comply when he clearly knows the command”. I usually reply like this.  There are many reasons why a dog may not comply to a cue that he already knows. Stubbornness, Dominance, and wilfulness are rarely the reasons. Whilst it is clearly very frustrating when your dog “ignores” you, its worth the time, effort and saves your sanity to try and take a step back for a moment and work out what the cause might be. This is often easier said than done in the heat of the moment. Its worth remembering that even though your dog may have learned a behaviour and performed it solidly many times before it doesn’t mean that in certain situations it may not remember what the behaviour is to the cue that you give. Let me liken it to a human example. I walked into a shop last week and was greeted by a woman who smiled and began talking to me like we were old friends. she asked me ...

In a recent address at the Vatican, Pope Francis issued a statement that is sure to comfort those of faith who have lost a beloved pet. He stated that all animals go to heaven. "The Holy Scriptures teach us that the realization of this wonderful plan covers all that is around us, and that came out of the thought and the heart of God," Francis was quoted  as saying by the Italian News site Rsapubblica . "Heaven is open to all creatures, and there [they] will be vested with the joy and love of God, without limits." Francis is a known animal lover. He adopted his papal name Francis, in honor of the patron saint of animals, St. Francis of Assisi.  Over his term, the Pope has demonstrated his love of animals. He has given an impromptu blessing to a guide dog of a journalist and also welcomed the dog of a homeless man to celebrate his birthday . Source Blog “Welcome to DogHeirs, where Dogs Are Family. http://www.dogheirs.com . The French Philosopher Renee Des...

I recently read an interesting article in ‘Science Direct’ from Applied Animal Behaviour Science which discussed the impact attending training classes had on a companion dogs behaviour. The published report was based studies carried out in Australia in 2006. The report was written by Pauline Charmayane Bennet and Vanessa Ilse Rohlf. Basically what they are saying is that a lot of companion dogs occupy a priviledged life style, living with owners who take care of their every needs and desires. Some going to great lengths to provide the very best for their canine companions. However others are not so fortunate and often find themselves abandoned, killed, given up for adoption, which most ultimately get put to sleep, and the main reason is that they are believed to exhibit behaviour problems. The aims of the study were to investigate the frequency of the problematic experienced by the owners sample and whether these behaviours were associated with demographic variables, involvement in dog...