In this recent blog post, Dr. Patricia McConnell, CAAB, discusses a recent attribution of guilt to a dog’s behavior and the importance of differentiating between “guilt” and social appeasement behavior. The page includes a great video demonstration of pseudoguilt as well. Sorry to Say (Dogs and Guilt, Revisited)

In this recent CAAB Chat, Dr. Alexandra Protopopova, Dr. Nathan Hall (Texas Tech) and Dr. Jessica Hekman (University of Illinois) discuss their current project correlating behavior, physiologic measurements of stress, and respiratory disease in shelter dogs. They talk specifically about their methods – how exactly do you measure behavior, stress, and respiratory disease (three fuzzy […]

Teaching your dog to respond to his or her name is an essential part of establishing clear lines of communication between the two of you. Whether you have a new puppy, or have just adopted an adult dog and would like to use a name of your choosing, you can begin at the same place […]

Is a word of praise as effective as a clicker sound for dog training? Read more from Dr. Stanley Coren in Psychology Today’s Canine Corner. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201704/is-clicker-training-the-most-effective-way-train-dogs

Follow this link to read the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists’ guide to selecting a dog trainer for veterinarians. http://www.dacvb.org/wp-content/uploads/How-to-select-a-trainer-A-guide-for-veterinarians.pdf

Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist Dr. Patricia McConnell’s new book, a memoir titled The Education of Will, brings up many issues related to the experience and treatment of trauma in both people and companion animals. In conversation with Drs. Suzanne Hetts and Dan Estep, the book is used as a starting point to discuss: * Is […]

Welcome back to the Trainers Ring! With warmer temperatures upon us, it’s time to get your spring training plans on track. Warmer weather brings a lot of joy to life with our dogs, as well as its own set of challenges. Between the fresh smells that were hiding under the ice and snow, the new […]

In this excerpt from her behavior advice column, The Teacher’s Pets, Dr. Megan Maxwell, CAAB, reviews some intervention strategies for addressing canine separation anxiety. Amos was a handsome and well-behaved 2-year-old Airedale. His owners lived in a large home with a big fenced-in yard and Amos enjoyed days full of chasing squirrels and spending time […]

Echterling-Savage, K., DiGennaro Reed, F.D., Miller, L.K., & Savage, S. (2015). Effects of Caregiver-Implemented Aggression Reduction Procedure on Problem Behavior of Dogs. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 18, 181-197. Summary Many studies in applied animal behavior rely on correlational designs or survey research, rather than experimental manipulations involving direct observation and systematic measurement of […]

The 2016 animated hit The Secret Life of Pets opens with an entertaining montage of scenes depicting how pets behave when their owners leave for the day. As owners say good-bye and head to work, closing the doors behind them, we see the Chihuahua who promptly urinates in the houseplants, the Pug who rearranges the […]