Scaredy Dogs and Strangers – Part 1 By Dr. Jen Summerfield Click for original post Today, I want to talk about dogs who are afraid of visitors. This is one of the more common behavior issues that I’m called to help out with – but fortunately, it’s also a relatively easy one to address, in […]

By Zazie Todd, PhD Click here for original Post Every dog owner has probably had a situation where their dog has looked to them for help, perhaps when a coveted ball or treat has ended up out of reach under the sofa. Is this something special about dogs and their relationship with us? Research already […]

The Benefits Of Fostering An Animal By Dr. Megan E. Maxwell, Ph.D. My first adventures in the world of observing and analyzing dog behavior occurred while I was an undergraduate in the mid-1990s. I was a psychology major and lifelong animal lover and knew I wanted to find a career path that would allow me […]

Positive Reinforcement is More Effective at Training Dogs than an Electronic Collar, Study Shows By Zazie Todd, PhD Link to original post We’ve known for a while that training dogs with aversive methods, including electronic collars, has risks for animal welfare. Positive reinforcement training is effective and does not have those risks. New research from the University of Lincoln, published […]

Sudden change in your dog’s behavior? He could be in pain. Click Here for Original Post In our practice, we are regularly presented with dogs whose behaviors appear to have changed abruptly. Often once we take a deep dive into their histories we uncover signs that the behavior problem was brewing for a while but […]

Survey Shows Which Treatments Are Effective for Fireworks Fears in Dogs Click Here for Original Post By Zazie Todd, PhDMany dogs are afraid of the bangs and whistles from fireworks, up to half according to one study. A new, large survey by Dr. Stefanie Riemer (University of Bern) shows that treatments involving food and play are effective – […]

WHY IT’S HARD BEING TINY AND CUTE By: Dr. Jen Summerfield Click Here for Original Post Today, I want to talk about little dogs. I was at a client’s home a few weeks ago, doing a behavior consultation for their adorable two-year-old Maltese mix.  “Chloe” had a tendency to get over-aroused and begin barking, jumping, […]

Does Behavior Affect How Long Cats Stay in Shelters? Mikel Delgado • March 13, 2020 Click for Original Post The goal for any animal shelter is to keep animals there for the shortest time possible, and help them get adopted as quickly as possible. Understanding what factors might impact “length of stay” (LOS; how long it takes […]

Cheryl Kolus, DVM, KPA-CTP Click for Original Post Craisin Her big green eyes sucked me in the moment I saw them. They had the potential to be so beautiful, but right now they were filled to the brim with fear. And they wouldn’t change much for a good 10 weeks. Craisin came to our Colorado limited-admission, […]

How will the economic fallout of COVID-19 affect pets? Click Here for Original Post Recession can increase relinquishment of pets and reduce adoptions. What will the economic effects of COVID-19 be on pets? By Zazie Todd, PhD In the news, we’ve seen heartening stories of people choosing to adopt shelter pets at this time. For […]