Category: Shared Blog Post

Shared Blog Post – What makes dogs so friendly? Study finds genetic link to super-outgoing people.

What makes dogs so friendly? Study finds genetic link to super-outgoing people – This article posted on Science on July 19th discusses research that “…found variations in several genes that make dogs more affable than wolves and some dogs friendlier than others.”

“The study is exciting because it provides such strong support for the ‘survival of the friendliest’” hypothesis of dog domestication, says Brian Hare, an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, who was not involved in the work. In ancient wolves with these gene disruptions “fear was replaced by friendliness and a new social partner [was] created.”

This study reinforces the behavioral differences between wolves and dogs.

FMI – http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/07/what-makes-dogs-so-friendly-study-finds-genetic-link-super-outgoing-people

Shared Blog Post – (Declawing Cats) Still Common in the US, yet Banned in Several Countries – Why Is This Happening?

In this blog post from August 15th, 2017, veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker notes: “Declawing of cats is still legal in the U.S., and sadly, it’s still somewhat common, It’s important to understand that declawing is not nail removal, it’s the permanent amputation of bones in each of your cat’s toes, A recent study concluded that declawed cats have more pain and behavior issues than non-declawed cats, The study’s authors hope their results will encourage veterinarians to reconsider declawing cats, and There are many alternatives to declawing your cat, starting with providing appropriate scratching surfaces and training kitty to use them.” [Emphasis added]

To read the entire post, just click on the link – http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2017/08/15/declawing-de-toeing-cats.aspx?

Shared Blog Post – If a Dog Fails This Test, He Won’t Make a Good Service Dog

I receive many calls from people that want to make their dog into a service or assistance dog, or that want to purchase or adopt a dog that they have selected and make it into a service dog. What these people do not realize is that while most dogs can be great pets, very few have what it takes to become a service dog. Even service dog agencies that have breeding programs to select the qualities that they believe will make a good service dog and up having a large number of dogs, as many as 70 percent, that do not graduate due to behavioral problems.

In her blog post, Dr. Becker discusses a recent study that may help service dog organizations evaluate dogs earlier in the process. “These study results suggest fMRI scans can improve the ability to identify dogs who are not good service training candidates to 67 percent, up from about 47 percent without the use of fMRI. “What the brain imaging tells us is not just which dogs are more likely to fail, but why,” says Berns.”

FMI – http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2017/08/12/dogs-flunk-service-dog-training.aspx?

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog (http://www.words-woofs-meows.com)

Service, Assistance and Therapy Dogs – What is the Difference Between a Service/Assistance Dog, an Emotional Support Dog, and a Therapy Dog? – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2014/11/22/service-assistance-and-therapy-dogs-what-is-the-difference-between-a-therapy-dog-and-a-serviceassistance-dog/

10 Things That Make A Dog Unsuitable for Service Work – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2016/03/03/service-dogs-10-things-that-make-a-dog-unsuitable-for-service-dog-work/

10 Signs That A “Service Dog” Is Actually A Fake – An article from “I Heart Dogs” that reveals ten things that are a reliable predictor of whether or not a dog is a trained service dog. Sadly, more and more people are committing fraud and claiming there dog is a service dog when in reality they are not. It takes much more than a letter from a doctor or mental health professional to make a dog a service dog. Typically a real service dog will have between 12 and 24 months of training, by professionals at a service dog organization, before the dog is every placed with the person they are meant to help. – https://iheartdogs.com/10-signs-that-a-service-dog-is-actually-a-fake/

Shared Blog Post – The Double Advantage of Reward-Based Training

In this post on The Academy for Dog Trainers blog, Dr. Zazie Todd discusses the benefits of reward-based dog training. Key points addressed are: aversive methods are not more effective, studies suggest reward-based methods might work better, aversive techniques have risks such as an increase in fear and aggression, fear takes a lot of work and time to resolve and does not always resolve, dogs taught with negative reinforcement are less likely to look at their owner, and reward-based training has fewer risks and is better for the dogs overall welfare.

Read the post at https://www.academyfordogtrainers.com/blog/the-double-advantage-of-reward-based-training

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog (http://www.words-woofs-meows.com)

Dog Training – Reward Based Training versus Aversives – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2017/04/25/dog-training-reward-based-training-versus-aversives/

 

©5AUG17, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
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Shared Blog Post – The CDC Weighs in on Raw Food – Should You Believe Them?

This August 5th, 2017 post on the blog of veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker discusses the Center for Disease Controls latest thoughts on feeding raw pet food. She comments “I don’t know that people working for the CDC, or the FDA, or AAFCO “hate” raw pet food. I DO know that for reasons only they can explain and so far haven’t, they seem very invested in issuing ongoing warnings about the so-called dangers of raw pet food, despite ample evidence that raw diet recalls represent a laughably small percentage of total pet food recalls, year after year.” She then goes on to discuss the fact that dry and canned foods are recalled for bacterial contamination far more than commercial raw pet foods.

You can read the entire post at http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2017/08/05/cdc-weighs-in-on-raw-pet-food.aspx?utm_source=petsnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20170805Z1&et_cid=DM152978&et_rid=3824758

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog (http://www.words-woofs-meows.com)

Pet Nutrition – Should I Feed My Pet A Raw Diet? – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2016/09/11/pet-nutrition-should-i-feed-my-pet-a-raw-diet/

 

©05AUG17, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
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Shared Article – Is This Dog Dangerous? Shelters Struggle With Live-or-Die Tests

The New York Times published an article yesterday discussing the validity of the behavioral assessments being conducted by many shelters and rescues. The article brings up many legitimate concerns about the validity of the current tests and how they are performed. I am glad to see shelters reconsidering these tests but at the same time believe it would not be good to throw caution to the wind and to abandon any level of behavioral assessment. Shelters and rescues that place dogs with a known bite history are not helping dogs, their community or themselves.

Click to read the article – https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/31/science/dogs-shelters-adoption-behavior-tests.html

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog (http://www.words-woofs-meows.com)

Dangerous Dogs! – What Shelters, Rescues, Prospective Adopters, and Owners Need to Know – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2017/06/07/dangerous-dogs-what-shelters-rescues-prospective-adopters-and-owners-need-to-know/

©1AUG17, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
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Shared Blog Post – It’s Time to Put a Stop to the Mindless Over-Vaccination of Pets

Shared Blog Post – It’s Time to Put a Stop to the Mindless Over-Vaccination of Pets

In this June 25th post, veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker interviews Dr. John Robb, a Connecticut veterinarian who has become known worldwide for his fight against profiteering and over-vaccination in veterinary medicine. If you are concerned about over vaccination of your pet, shop at Pet Smart, use a Banfield Veterinary Clinic, or feed any pet food made by Mars/Waltham, you will want to watch this video or read this article. – http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2017/06/25/pets-over-vaccination.aspx

Recommended Resources

Articles on Don’s Blog (http://www.words-woofs-meows.com)

Vaccinations–Interviews with Dr. Ron Schultz – http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2013/07/15/vaccinations-interviews-with-dr-ron-schultz/

Complementary Medicine – Tikken – Vaccines, Aggression & Homeopathy — http://blog.greenacreskennel.com/2014/10/06/complementary-medicine-tikken-vaccines-aggression-homeopathy/

 Podcasts from The Woof Meow Show (http://www.woofmeowshow.com)

Vaccinations- Why they are important, Core Vaccines & Vaccination Schedules w/Dr. Ronald Schultz (June 22nd, 2013) – http://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/WoofMeowShow-2013-06-22-Vaccinations-1.mp3

Vaccinations, Titer Testing, Non-Core Vaccines and Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex with Dr. Ron Schultz (June 29th, 2013) – http://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/WoofMeowShow-2013-06-29-Vaccinations-2.mp3

Vaccinations- Non-Core Vaccines for Cats and Adverse Reactions to Vaccines with Dr. Ron Schultz (July 6th, 2013) – http://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/WoofMeowShow-2013-07-06-Vaccinations-3.mp3

Vaccinations – The Rabies Challenge Fund with Dr. Ron Schultz (July 13th, 2013) – http://traffic.libsyn.com/woofmeowshow/WoofMeowShow-2013-07-13-Vaccinations-Rabies_Challenge_Fund.mp3

 

©5JUL17, Donald J. Hanson, All Rights Reserved
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Shared Blog Post – Cats Domesticated Themselves, Ancient DNA Shows – from National Geographic

This June 19th article from National Geographic reports “In a new comprehensive study of the spread of domesticated cats, DNA analysis suggests that cats lived for thousands of years alongside humans before they were domesticated. During that time, their genes have changed little from those of wildcats, apart from picking up one recent tweak: the distinctive stripes and dots of the tabby cat.” – http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/domesticated-cats-dna-genetics-pets-science/