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Green by Northmate
Food toys are a great way to keep dogs occupied and keep them mentally stimulated. Send us videos of your dog enjoying food toys!
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What is Clicker Training?
Kait Hembree, CVT, KPCT
What is clicker training? This is a question that is often asked of me. There is a lot of confusion surrounding clicker training-what it is, what it does and how to use the clicker to change the behavior of animals. The concept has been around as early as the 1940's. Clicker training is a positive reinforcement method for training animals. It has been used for everything from turtles to whales to elephants to teach everything from tricks to husbandry behaviors such as an Elephant lifting the trunk after washing.
The clicker allows the trainer to mark a behavior with the novel sound of a click. The click is swift and most importantly, accurate. By marking the behavior with a clicker, the trainer can more easily pinpoint specific behaviors due to the fact that is brief, distinct, and easy to deliver. Click here to read the entire article.
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Are you mismatched?
Lisa Radosta DVM, DACVB
A nice man who looks to be in his early 70s sits in my office with Midge, his young, black and white Border Collie who he received as a birthday gift from his daughter. Midge is very pretty with a shiny coat and a perky, fun loving face. He complains that she never sits still, herds his grandchildren and wants to play all of the time. He just can't keep up with her. The challenge for me in this case is that Midge is a normal Border Collie. She doesn't have any problems to diagnose.
Finally, my client asks me if I have a sedative that I can prescribe for her. Seems a little far fetched? Not really. I see it all the time. It's a dog-owner mismatch. A marriage made in, well you know where. Dogs are often impulse buys or gifts without a lot of time spent researching how that particular dog will fit into that particular family. Do you know how to pick the right puppy for you? Lets start with a little quiz...
You've decided to add a puppy to your family. How do you go about finding the right one?
- Think about why you are getting a puppy and what characteristics you would like in an adult dog. Then, try to find a puppy who fits the bill.
- Go to the nearest pet store and pick the cutest one!
- See if your 4 year old can spot one that looks good on the internet, then have it shipped.
Find out if you answered correctly and read the rest of the article here...
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Help! My bird is screaming and she won't shut up!
Cheryl Van Voorhies
Anyone who has ever owned a bird knows fairly early on that if you spend a lot of time holding you newly acquired bird that it will become spoiled and scream for your attention. I was warned about this early on, but for anybody who has ever held a Cockatoo you know darn well that you can easily become a sucker. You see, a Cockatoo, once in your arms will lay their head on your shoulder as if they are hugging you, yes, you got it, the sucker punch, deal closer, the aha moment where the bird knows they got you. When buying my bird, it was the deal clincher. A word to the wise, if you aren't serious about buying a Cockatoo, don't ask to hold it. Once I was home with Chenille I did exactly what I was warned not to do and now I have an ear piercing, screaming bird every time I enter the house or room where her cage is located.
Initially, I attempted to record Chenille in her boisterous screaming mode but every time I would come into the room with my iPhone on record, she was quiet. I thought to myself, this is easy, I'll just put a mock iPhone in the room, aim it at her and she'll be quiet. Chenille quickly became used to seeing me with the iPhone and started her usual screaming. I had to find a way to keep her quiet.
The next step was to decide what behavior I wanted to trade off for the screaming. I knew that one of the toys in her cage had a bell on it that she rang quite frequently. This bell ringing was nowhere near as annoying as the screaming. I decided to substitute the bell ringing for the screaming.
Click here to read the entire story.
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Lisa Radosta, DVM, DACVB
Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
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Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
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| Volume 3, No. 4: 4th Qtr 2012 |
Does your dog lunge, bark and growl on the leash?
Take the Reactive Dog Class taught by Dr. Radosta to learn how to control your dog and teach her to relax on walks. Reactive Dog Class starts February 2013 For more information, Click here>> |
Canine Body Language Spotlight: What are these dogs saying?
Tail up-Arched
The tail can be cause for much confusion when interpreting the body language of dogs. The tail should generally be judged from two perspectives. First, what is the normal tail carriage of the breed and second where is the tail in relation to the back. In the tail up-arched position, the tail is held over the back at an angle of 90 degrees of less to the horizontal plane of the back. Click here to read the entire article.
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Great website for cat owners
Have you been to the website for the
American Association of Feline Practitioners? It has pages of health information on the Health Resources Page and easy ways to find cat friendly veterinarians.
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Feline Body Language Spotlight
Ears-side
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Courtesy: Dr. Ilana Reisner
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The ears are one of the most expressive parts of the cat's body. As the ears go back from the vertical position, the cat generally is exhibiting more neurochemical arousal or fear depending on how flat the ears are and what the other parts of the cat's body language are indicating.
Click here to see what he is saying.
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Do you have a great story of success with your pet?
Your story could inspire someone else! If you would like to share your story, write it in 500 words or less and email it to us at info@flvetbehavior.com.
If we use it in the next newsletter, we will let you know!
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