tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79132866185404450412024-03-13T22:29:57.139+00:00What Dogs DoObservations on Dog BehaviourE.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-42428656786502996832012-11-03T17:49:00.000+00:002014-08-15T02:39:11.223+01:00Trust – or Why You Should Spend Time Doing Stuff With Your Dog<div class="MsoNormal">
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Many people find that they have a
perfectly good relationship with their dog – until they ask them to do
something the dog really does not want to do. Neither cajoling nor threatening seems
to work, eliciting only a response of fear or aggression, and the dog “digging
its heals in”. It is difficult to advise what to do in these situations,
because the quickest solution is not always the best in the long run.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Immediate results can be achieved by simply
forcing the dog to do what you want it to do, using the lead, physically moving
the dog or punishing it in some way, for example by spraying water on it to
make it move. Certainly a stand-off involving aggression can be quickly diffused
in this way.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">However, in the long run applying only
these quick-fix solutions may make things worse. Some dogs will give up future
struggles if “overpowered” in this way, but to many this will simply be a
confirmation of the negative associations that led them to refuse in the first
place, worsening the problem the next time the situation arises. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">If you ever get into a situation like this
with your dog, it is time to consider the problem holistically, whether you decide
to use a quick fix solution or not. The problem is essentially one of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">trust</i>. If your dog trusts you enough, it
will not refuse to do what you tell it to do. Indeed, building trust is central
to a good relationship with all dogs, whether you have problems with them or
not. Many problems will never occur if you have built a good relationship of
trust with your dog. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyNfdVp7Xv0OCEC0-uFXisKVCt5SvHCDchVc458IBfIMYKtJZzJKbJkLBHOo7sKq0EaUha8AxVzrutqGWcFIS40C0_2CAT9GgnIC0ATHLW10RuwalArSPdIdT7SZoZjzIFZ8X24qoFFGm/s1600/Exploring+Cotswolds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyNfdVp7Xv0OCEC0-uFXisKVCt5SvHCDchVc458IBfIMYKtJZzJKbJkLBHOo7sKq0EaUha8AxVzrutqGWcFIS40C0_2CAT9GgnIC0ATHLW10RuwalArSPdIdT7SZoZjzIFZ8X24qoFFGm/s320/Exploring+Cotswolds.JPG" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Best way to build trust.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US">By trust I mean a lot of things that are
difficult to put into words, but I will try. If a dog trusts you, it sees you
not only as a leader, but as a friend. It is not simply a matter of dominance.
A dog may be cowered into obeying, but at some point it will decide that a
command is simply not in its interest to follow. A dog that trusts its owner,
will be safe in the knowledge that commands issued are all in its best
interests and will lead, ultimately, to good things. This, of course, cannot be
simply explained to a dog. It must be demonstrated, again and again, for the
dog to place its trust in you. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Trust is also a two-way street. You should also
learn to trust your dog. If you trust your dog, your commands will carry so
much more force for the dog. If you don’t, the dog will sense either that it
can get away with it, or that there is something to be unsure or scared about
in the situation. Neither will make it more likely to trust in you and do as
you say.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So how do you build trust? What is
absolutely imperative is to spend time with your dog. Doing stuff. Sitting on
the sofa next to a sleeping dog does not count! (Although downtime is also good
time, sometimes, more about this elsewhere) Trust cannot be declared, or bought,
it has to be earned – by both you and the dog. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The very best place and time to build trust
is when walking your dog. Games and play also help, but always staying at home
in your garden will not cut it. In order to build trust you must experience the
world <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with</i> your dog. You must
negotiate new and unusual, even unexpected situations <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">together</i>. Note my emphasis on with and together. Walking along
oblivious to your dog because you are checking your mobile phone is not walking
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with </i>your dog. Taking your dog to the
same small park three times a day, every day, does not set you up for new
experiences.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Of course we all do these things
occasionally because of our busy, modern lives, but it is important to properly
go out and walk with your dog, exploring new and exciting places, at least once
in a while. The walks don’t have to be long, and the new places don’t have to
be far away. The most important thing is to pay attention to your dog, and
explore the world with him or her. The emphasis is on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">active</i> walking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with</i>, and
encountering the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">new</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">together</i>. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYDn6c78HZC0cACMmRI6lFVdKC9T7MrlSW9KAbBSFqPT16G6el9ZJdIoXG9Cq6IvoltVkP8w_ZSG4rK-H0UbAtoCIWegHk5uLLmeu7i1ZdtRc04scjSBlqBVTXpDUsZ0w59EZkvBtOt2E/s1600/Exploring+finisterre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDYDn6c78HZC0cACMmRI6lFVdKC9T7MrlSW9KAbBSFqPT16G6el9ZJdIoXG9Cq6IvoltVkP8w_ZSG4rK-H0UbAtoCIWegHk5uLLmeu7i1ZdtRc04scjSBlqBVTXpDUsZ0w59EZkvBtOt2E/s320/Exploring+finisterre.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Friends exploring together, Finisterre.</td></tr>
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Talk to your dog when you are walking
together. Tell him or her where you want them to go, tell them where you don’t
want them to go. Use your voice and your body to guide them, first and
foremost, then the leash. When your dog sticks with your or comes to you,
praise them and pat them. Often give them a very tasty treat. Make sure
listening to you, and sticking near you, is always rewarded. Don’t just call
your dog when it is distracted or running away, but periodically call it back
when you know it will come, then reward with praise, pats, play and treats. Do
this every walk.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Calling the dog’s name and rewarding
even just attention at short distance and recall at longer distances is vital
to building trust, and which is why I tell people to keep on repeating this
apparently easy and pointless exercise. Why keep on calling a dog that you know
will come, rather trying to “teach” it to come when it is being naughty? First
of all because you have no chance of recalling your dog when it is being
naughty if you have not taught it well in advance to come when you call.
Second, because it builds <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">trust</i>.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Every time your dog comes to you and gets a
overwhelmingly positive response, it understands a little bit more that
listening to you is a good thing, and that you are a friend. If you only ever
offer your dog sausage when trying to lure it to the vet’s, it soon learns that
your sweetest voice and your best treats are simply devices to trick it. Don’t
“burn” your treats, by using them only in bad circumstances. Makes sure you
train recall and attention in positive situations only for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">vast majority</i> of instances. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMZa8JoUD8yo7CgThzhyphenhypheneIykuftEEP7EMRwBQ69bJ50ugT53KAh43pzdl6HojPJ0qKZfElqQiAZCofNp-fLAyOU9c9QcSBQDlZN0bacMOSZXnw7bkg0b366ej8D4_ZYXoxKB3bxBdLxgL/s1600/Exploring+art1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMZa8JoUD8yo7CgThzhyphenhypheneIykuftEEP7EMRwBQ69bJ50ugT53KAh43pzdl6HojPJ0qKZfElqQiAZCofNp-fLAyOU9c9QcSBQDlZN0bacMOSZXnw7bkg0b366ej8D4_ZYXoxKB3bxBdLxgL/s320/Exploring+art1.JPG" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Figuring out some modern art in France</td></tr>
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You don’t always have to control your dog’s
every movement on a walk. Most of the time it isn’t looking for trouble, just
for something interesting to sniff. A little bit of give and take is good in my
opinion. Go and check what is behind that tree with your dog, then take two
steps back and call its name and reward it with something very tasty when it
comes. Make sure you don’t only ever call your dog when it is time to stop
play, or put the leash on. Convince your dog that being with you does not mean
doing something it doesn’t want, or being prevented from doing something it
wants, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">all the time</i>. Simply put, just
spending a nice relaxed walk together with your dog will make it trust that you
are a nice person to be around, not just someone that shouts commands, and
berates it for having fun.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Same thing goes with meeting other dogs. It
is not just fine for your dog to meet other dogs, it is something that makes
their lives richer and better and teaches them something about doggy
interaction every time it happens. It is also an important experience that
builds trust. You should guide all dogs, especially those with fearful or
aggressive tendencies, through meeting other dogs. I will post at length about
this elsewhere, but the most important thing is that you also greet the other
owner and the dog, showing confidence and calm. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsep9BMmar_5mkrAbTUfVj9W5peL6LKTqX291-K_zTrIREj6XSJS6H0wb7HVZnty01U7FSD4miF89mdntecseHgVZmtKdyVb9DD7_bxIdN23jkF5yqzw8Mw93-gtKY-zRW6ktIogTYyx3c/s1600/Exploring+scottish+castle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsep9BMmar_5mkrAbTUfVj9W5peL6LKTqX291-K_zTrIREj6XSJS6H0wb7HVZnty01U7FSD4miF89mdntecseHgVZmtKdyVb9DD7_bxIdN23jkF5yqzw8Mw93-gtKY-zRW6ktIogTYyx3c/s320/Exploring+scottish+castle.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going new places - Scotland.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US">My absolute favourite way to build trust,
however, is exploring new places. Taking your dog away on holiday is a
fantastic way of building trust, but even a trip to a different park will do.
Faced with a new environment, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i>
provide a constant and reassurance to your dog. With both my dogs, I felt that
I reached a new level of trust after we went on our first holiday together. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It is often on holidays, or days out, that
we have had our best “team-building” experiences. I remember some of these very
clearly, and it is not by chance that they relate to situations where my dogs
have had to face things they do not like or fear. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Eddie is not keen on getting his paws wet,
so he was a little perturbed when we had to cross a stream during a forest walk
on holiday in France. There was a narrow plank bridge, and he could quite
happily wade across the small stream, if it wasn’t for his dislike for water.
There was a narrower place slightly further upstream from the plank, too. We
humans crossed swiftly via the plank, but Eddie hesitated. The plank was too
narrow for his taste, and the water to cold. He paced to and fro and whined.
After trying to cajole him over the plank or through the water for a while, all
I achieved was increasing his agitation. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">However, this was where I had a chance to
solve the problem, not with pleas or with force, but with a little guidance. I
went back across, and asked Eddie to follow me along the stream to the narrower
place. There I jumped across, in effect showing Eddie the easy way. He quickly
came after me, evidently relieved that he didn’t need to go any of the other
scary ways.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">A simple story, but one that I feel was
crucial in our relationship. Now when we come across tricky bits of overgrown
path, fallen logs or streams, Eddie looks to me to tell him where to go. If I
tell him to come a particular way, he will follow closely behind me. He trusts
that I will show him the easiest way. Obviously it wasn’t simply that one time
that convinced him, but is a moment that sticks in my mind. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGtf4Q0-eFKS7xGz-yKhgwvXV4zRVKqRWq8EfzEhxpgV4QGivOSLI4aiL5UnUZRypqgSm32dQugy8DzUoo9JEDokwayM6ICXfNUx1PourRHP4oFa6gZSaABpsuH7DRS_JA1la9flv69lu/s1600/Exploring+bridge+scotland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGtf4Q0-eFKS7xGz-yKhgwvXV4zRVKqRWq8EfzEhxpgV4QGivOSLI4aiL5UnUZRypqgSm32dQugy8DzUoo9JEDokwayM6ICXfNUx1PourRHP4oFa6gZSaABpsuH7DRS_JA1la9flv69lu/s320/Exploring+bridge+scotland.jpg" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Together on quite a scary bridge!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US">With Cassie there wasn’t such a defining
moment, rather I recall several encounters with gates, fences and similar
obstacles. For some reason this extremely relaxed little girl can work herself
into a real panic in the face of a low fence or a tight gate. Something about
the sensation of being caged scares her. When walking in Scotland with my
mother and both dogs, we had to cross the occasional gate. I soon realized that
trying to drag or push Cassie through a kissing gate only made her panic. Rather
I took it slow and made her walk next to me or very close behind me. Eddie also
helped, by going first, with me, and showing Cassie that it wasn’t so bad after
all, as long as you stuck with mum. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Cassie still needs to be guided closely
through these gates. If I can I try to find her an alternative, like when we
encountered a large log on the path, too high to jump over and too low for
Cassie’s taste to squeeze under. She keenly followed me the long way around
through gorse and shrub, just to avoid the log. She, too, trusts me to guide
her, now.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi606RFBLNJZzhtaeqcw1eaAwE3NNtA4lVGWTzm1vJ0pS-LTpdRk3hWsDLQGrqpjhQZ2tcfZzHEs-Yg82juoA_OSdctiXFzgF53j3AzkeKHp58QnOWs81lliqRIWLq8Av1gDdliWT1MKEJ5/s1600/Exploring+art+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi606RFBLNJZzhtaeqcw1eaAwE3NNtA4lVGWTzm1vJ0pS-LTpdRk3hWsDLQGrqpjhQZ2tcfZzHEs-Yg82juoA_OSdctiXFzgF53j3AzkeKHp58QnOWs81lliqRIWLq8Av1gDdliWT1MKEJ5/s320/Exploring+art+2.jpg" height="240" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">What IS it?</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">If we walk somewhere unknown to the dogs,
they keep much closer tabs on me and listen to me much more than when they are
in the same old park. It is at times like these that I feel we have finally
made a team, built on mutual trust. I trust them not to go to far away, they
trust me to show them the best way around the new place. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">However, we wouldn’t have got here without
walking together, experiencing the world together, and facing some problems
together. Because you can't stage these trust-building moments, the best
way is simply to go out there and experience the world with your dog as often
and as much as possible. Building a relationship with an animal takes time,
just like getting to know a human. If you don’t give your dog and yourself
ample time and opportunity to earn each other’s trust, the process will take a
long time. Do your dog and yourself a favour and plan a good walk in a new
exciting place for the weekend! </span></div>
E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-27910058504866949332012-11-02T09:05:00.000+00:002012-11-02T09:10:14.332+00:00In Memory of Cassie<i>This week we lost Cassie to bone cancer. She was only seven, and it is hard to accept that we were only allowed to enjoy her company for a brief two and a half years. I want to write more about her and our experience with the disease, but can't do it quite yet. Instead I want to post an extract from </i>The Little Prince <i>by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The passage is not the least an excellent description of how to gain an animal's trust (a little closer every day, observing the proper "rites", "words are the source of misunderstandings"), and a reminder of our everlasting responsibility to that which we tame, but it also tells us, how and why out of thousands of people and thousands of dogs, our dog becomes unique to us, and we to them. And however brief our friendship is, and however much we cry when they depart, it has done us good, making us see the world a little differently, and appear a little more wonderful. </i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Chapter 21</u></div>
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It was then that the fox appeared.</div>
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"Good morning," said the fox.</div>
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"Good morning," the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.</div>
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"I am right here," the voice said, "under the apple tree."</div>
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<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"I am a fox," the fox said.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Come and play with me," proposed the little prince. "I am so unhappy."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Ah! Please excuse me," said the little prince.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But, after some thought, he added:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"What does that mean--'tame'?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"You do not live here," said the fox. "What is it that you are looking for?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"I am looking for men," said the little prince. "What does that mean--'tame'?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Men," said the fox. "They have guns, and they hunt. It is very disturbing. They also raise chickens. These are their only interests. Are you looking for chickens?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"No," said the little prince. "I am looking for friends. What does that mean--'tame'?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. It means to establish ties."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"'To establish ties'?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Just that," said the fox. "To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you, on your part, have no need of me. To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world . . ."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower . . . I think that she has tamed me . . ."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"It is possible," said the fox. "On the Earth one sees all sorts of things."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Oh, but this is not on the Earth!" said the little prince.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The fox seemed perplexed, and very curious.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"On another planet?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Yes."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Are there hunters on that planet?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"No."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Ah, that is interesting! Are there chickens?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"No."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Nothing is perfect," sighed the fox.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But he came back to his idea.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"My life is very monotonous," the fox said. "I hunt chickens; men hunt me. All the chickens are just alike, and all the men are just alike. And, in consequence, I am a little bored. But if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow. And then look: you see the grain-fields down yonder? I do not eat bread. Wheat is of no use to me. The wheat fields have nothing to say to me. And that is sad. But you have hair that is the color of gold. Think how wonderful that will be when you have tamed me! The grain, which is also golden, will bring me back the thought of you. And I shall love to listen to the wind in the wheat . . ."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The fox gazed at the little prince, for a long time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZBav7nXmeWYG03lODiEBCOOb6D-ceyz9pp7ziVTSKZEOih7XckwbuITRus7fJQJx32QpECX7y50SyHSXrfo8i3-DkEvo2PnHJTMUz7kO1gvBQ_W4AFNdG8x3izJ9-a-jAntOcKq2vPp9/s1600/princefox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZBav7nXmeWYG03lODiEBCOOb6D-ceyz9pp7ziVTSKZEOih7XckwbuITRus7fJQJx32QpECX7y50SyHSXrfo8i3-DkEvo2PnHJTMUz7kO1gvBQ_W4AFNdG8x3izJ9-a-jAntOcKq2vPp9/s320/princefox.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Please--tame me!" he said.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"I want to, very much," the little prince replied. "But I have not much time. I have friends to discover, and a great many things to understand."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox. "Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends any more. If you want a friend, tame me . . ."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me--like that--in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day . . ."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The next day the little prince came back.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"It would have been better to come back at the same hour," said the fox. "If, for example, you come at four o'clock in the afternoon, then at three o'clock I shall begin to be happy. I shall feel happier and happier as the hour advances. At four o'clock, I shall already be worrying and jumping about. I shall show you how happy I am! But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you . . . One must observe the proper rites . . ."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"What is a rite?" asked the little prince.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Those also are actions too often neglected," said the fox. "They are what make one day different from other days, one hour from other hours. There is a rite, for example, among my hunters. Every Thursday they dance with the village girls. So Thursday is a wonderful day for me! I can take a walk as far as the vineyards. But if the hunters danced at just any time, every day would be like every other day, and I should never have any vacation at all." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So the little prince tamed the fox. And when the hour of his departure drew near--</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Ah," said the fox, "I shall cry."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"It is your own fault," said the little prince. "I never wished you any sort of harm; but you wanted me to tame you . . ."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"But now you are going to cry!" said the little prince.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Yes, that is so," said the fox.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Then it has done you no good at all!"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"It has done me good," said the fox, "because of the color of the wheat fields."<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDtmAoImIc1RsCI5OJX1UgpSaxIHHPH8Yq9w1GJre2PALANHC0irwjGcJmnZg4NyZxlQuqEbi_fJwrTqk4fcFR9mvC5y3ecE6mm2S7NwncWlxsA8BqVuMf1jdsLCkmVKXWEK5ipiLB3YQ/s1600/IMG_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDtmAoImIc1RsCI5OJX1UgpSaxIHHPH8Yq9w1GJre2PALANHC0irwjGcJmnZg4NyZxlQuqEbi_fJwrTqk4fcFR9mvC5y3ecE6mm2S7NwncWlxsA8BqVuMf1jdsLCkmVKXWEK5ipiLB3YQ/s320/IMG_0006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-30789417469690680522012-07-16T17:59:00.001+01:002012-07-16T18:48:09.819+01:00Corns<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It was only a matter of time before I
posted on this topic. Most greyhound owners are at least aware of, if not well
acquainted with the tricky affliction that is corns. Eddie has been spared this
malady, but Cassie has had a couple of mild corns previously.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"></span>
<span lang="EN-US">The first signs of a corn is usually lameness on hard, but not soft, surfaces. Corns appear </span>as round, sometimes whitish, domes or discs on the paw surface. Although it is said that corn are often misdiagnosed as skeletomuscular problems, I have found that vets often are aware of the problem in greyhounds. It is worth considering corns when faced with otherwise unexplained lamenss, and dealing with them as soon as possible, since they can lead to secondary problems, as the dog modifies its gait due to the pain.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXf2GfPGnnoxMYGgok5O2V5LjtzEawu8N3caT783DSNJc_K7e2wzkLRxwCoUKQb3zlBSWTJx5XWZAgP_5EfLjjgDfWM1zEXAsS7WwL0oJlD7eoHFGFnpG32BqaX4Oz6UJwwuu94qag9MI/s1600/Corn4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXf2GfPGnnoxMYGgok5O2V5LjtzEawu8N3caT783DSNJc_K7e2wzkLRxwCoUKQb3zlBSWTJx5XWZAgP_5EfLjjgDfWM1zEXAsS7WwL0oJlD7eoHFGFnpG32BqaX4Oz6UJwwuu94qag9MI/s200/Corn4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VY2TzwMN6KKtsJDKkzqeem6D28Fpm8aL6UCSN3UIgr3u1hyhg5X7s2UCpAkagTxu_LXvfvN8s_Nq1WnN5BgK3q8e9-z5A_p5pN85FCL5c8owr3BCIOSV60p_2QW9VKS15xHJ4su98ZY/s1600/Corn2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VY2TzwMN6KKtsJDKkzqeem6D28Fpm8aL6UCSN3UIgr3u1hyhg5X7s2UCpAkagTxu_LXvfvN8s_Nq1WnN5BgK3q8e9-z5A_p5pN85FCL5c8owr3BCIOSV60p_2QW9VKS15xHJ4su98ZY/s1600/Corn2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Examples of corns on<br />
greyhound footpads.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Commonly thought only to occur only in greyhounds, corns, or <i>circumscribed hyperkeratotic lesions</i>,<i> </i>are found in other breeds too. </span>However, it does seem that they are most problematic in greyhounds and lurchers, due to the lack of cushioning fatty tissue in their toe pads making the condition more painful. In fact, it is also suggested that this lack of fat is one of the reasons greyhounds tend to get corns far more often than other breeds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">Viral infection and foreign bodies in the pad are also cited as possible reasons, but mechanical pressure is likely to be if not a causal then at least a significant contributory factor in the formation of corns. Corns usually develop in the centre of the two middle, weight bearing, toes of the paw, and more commonly on the front paws, which take the most weight in a greyhound. This seems to indicate that pressure on the pad from the toe bone is crucial to the formation of corns in greyhounds. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span lang="EN-US">In humans, corns usually develop on feet due to mechanical pressure, such as ill-fitting shoes or protruding bones. The difference between corns and the simple thickening of the skin known as a callus, is that in a corn a hard plug of keratin (skin tissue) is formed, pressing into the skin and underlying nerves, making it potentially very painful when under pressure. Corns are fairly easy to remove in humans, but tend to recur. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I have been previously been able to deal with corns on Cassie's paws myself. I soaked Cassie’s foot in epsom salt solution
(traditionally used to “draw out” corns, foreign bodies and infections in humans as
well as horses and dogs), and then filed down the skin on the pad until I could
see the corn kernel clearly. When possible I then hulled the corn using a large
gauge surgical needle (which works as a little sharp spade). Sometimes would
have to soak and file the foot a few times, with a couple of days break in
between, before being able to get the corn out. One corn came out on its own,
during a walk, after a few times soaking and filing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Many vets will use a similar technique,
working the corn out with a scalpel or a dental root elevator. Often this can
be done without much discomfort to the dog, but vets can and do sedate some dogs to
make the procedure easier.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46GA9CIvt_ayGuZIzA9cDzj71FO1q9oi9tODrJvyfQeuW9cF1nlHPU4hClxpLni7vrIxhczNnQkqq3ct4oCkfdh-0EUoWLq6lJKawDzrsjTChyv2kcpoNZenSS-aIR0koOlPX8yUtDzI/s1600/dental+root+elevator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh46GA9CIvt_ayGuZIzA9cDzj71FO1q9oi9tODrJvyfQeuW9cF1nlHPU4hClxpLni7vrIxhczNnQkqq3ct4oCkfdh-0EUoWLq6lJKawDzrsjTChyv2kcpoNZenSS-aIR0koOlPX8yUtDzI/s400/dental+root+elevator.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dental root elevator technique. Click to enlarge. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This time, however, my usual technique
didn’t work. There was hardly any sign of the corn on the pad. This looked more like a lesion from a bit of glass or something. I
managed to extract some corn tissue from the site, which did seem to alleviate
Cassie’s lameness somewhat each time. I kept on having to repeat the procedure
though, without being able to extract the whole corn kernel. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The vet advised that surgical removal would
probably be necessary, but I chose to wait a couple of weeks, as I was going
away and did not want to leave post-op care to the people looking after my dogs. When I came home, Cassie was much worse, however. She was almost
constantly lame on the leg, even in protective booties, and even on soft
ground.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Cassie was also getting pretty sensitive
about me touching the foot. Usually she is quite patient and allows me to
bother her corns with minimal grumbling. Now she was screaming and snapping.
She was obviously in quite some pain. It seemed clear that surgical removal
under general anesthetic was the way to go. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The operation was fairly quick – she was
under for less than half an hour. However, the corn removed was a whopper, and
deep. It had grown inside the pad, and trapped nerves against her toe bone. No
wonder she was in pain. Her pad had to be stitched together with non-dissolvable suture, which will stay in for two whole weeks. She is on-leash only for this time, too, making sure the pad gets to heal.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nMhxdhd9gISnJSI3zi19N4pLSQM9-4YB4ERc-G-bhZh0tmtNsB1j_ScIhzu5T8yMMB0v_SyBlepht48kSWh9hZ_GyQDFcdosLSCTqxg337rpXWw6JGcsbet9n6v8OS4rvKSo5VukOjA/s1600/Corn3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6nMhxdhd9gISnJSI3zi19N4pLSQM9-4YB4ERc-G-bhZh0tmtNsB1j_ScIhzu5T8yMMB0v_SyBlepht48kSWh9hZ_GyQDFcdosLSCTqxg337rpXWw6JGcsbet9n6v8OS4rvKSo5VukOjA/s320/Corn3.jpg" width="251" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The excised corn. Note how far below the<br />
hard skin of the pad the corn extends.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Y7YE6QYKd6WnoVOf4F6oAVHfEajByW01nEoU-uSL66-FuNw4XhSPqbwsbTgAqY2z3zp_w-1aABXz979BOrBkZ_meIRDloVKj_w2mcMq7yhu7QG_U6kyixq_2yLQ6aJu-Oy5yxYGNdOE/s1600/Corn+stitches2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Y7YE6QYKd6WnoVOf4F6oAVHfEajByW01nEoU-uSL66-FuNw4XhSPqbwsbTgAqY2z3zp_w-1aABXz979BOrBkZ_meIRDloVKj_w2mcMq7yhu7QG_U6kyixq_2yLQ6aJu-Oy5yxYGNdOE/s320/Corn+stitches2.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stiched pad. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I am not sure why this corn grew – or moved? – inwards, into the flesh of her toe, when many grow outwards, in
the harder outer layer of the pad, making them easy to remove. I wonder whether my interference had
anything to do with how the corn developed. Ilaria Borghese, president of
Thera-Paw and guru on corns, in her widely consulted <a href="http://www.therapaw.com/Docs/cornandwartarticle.pdf" target="_blank">article</a>, also suspects
intervention may be detrimental to the development of corns, especially if
using salicylic acid products marketed for human corn removal. </span>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">I have indeed
considered but decided not to try these products, because I am worried I’d do
more harm than good. There are also reports of a successful technique using
duct tape, but I have not tried this. In my opinion, considering the that mechanical pressure seems to be the best contender for the cause of corns in greyhounds, perhaps prevention is better.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If the theory that the lack of fat in the
greyhound foot pads causes corns is right, then we could say greyhounds have
ill-fitting paw pads. Like in humans, corns will recur if the pressure that caused them in the first place is not dealt with. Unfortunately, unlike shoes, paws cannot be changed for a
softer, more comfortable pair. The problem of corns, if a dog is afflicted by
them, is therefore usually chronic or recurring. Whatever way you treat the
corn, if the underlying mechanical cause is not addressed, they will most
likely come back. </span>The long term success of surgical removal is not very good - over half of excised corns return one to three years after surgery according to a study - so I am half expecting Cassie's corn to reappear at some point, although I will try to prevent it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The easiest way to prevent recurring corns
is to use padded shoes on dogs with a history of the affliction. The best ones I have found are the <a href="http://www.therapaw.com/" target="_blank">Thera-Paw boots</a> (for UK distributor click <a href="http://www.veterinary-instrumentation.co.uk/" target="_blank">here</a>). A more drastic
measure is to partially or completely amputate the affected toe. Some studies
have found this to be more successful than any surgical removal of corns, while
others report that corns return on remaining toes (which presumably now take
the pressure when the dog moves). An experimental treatment involving the
implanting silicone gel cushions in the pad has been tried but doesn’t seem to
have moved on to any clinical use in canines. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_599633936"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkKI9JDzjh_MKIlhErnrdYZlahDz19wBoCygl_R9-fil2Y7ujJvQKU5WnSrORYV5mE_XijQDPrz2m11ycue3LllUJvBACaZLIygVPa5wWdUDTk6jdjzJxOagqgzjZD3aw5RUTor6syNI/s200/Therapaw1.JPG" width="150" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.therapaw.com/thera-pawboots.aspx" target="_blank">Thera-Paw cushioned boot.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I expect the gait of individual greyhounds,
which affects how weight is distributed on their pads, is relevant to whether
any particular hound develops corns or not. I wonder, therefore if correcting
other possible skeletomuscular issues, using pain relief, physiotherapy and
other relevant therapies, may aid dogs with recurring corns. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
As Cassie has a history of corns, and the recently removed one is likely to recur, I am thinking of having her wear her Thera-Paws any time we walk for any length of time on hard surfaces, taking it off only when she has a run-about on grass (they don't tend to stay on when she reaches 5th gear!).<br />
<br />
I know many greyhound are affected by corns, and would love to hear from you if you have any experience with corns. Any miracle cures? A novel way of preventing corns? Please leave a comment!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sources and Links: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I F. Borghese, Corns and Warts,
<a href="http://www.therapaw.com/Docs/cornandwartarticle.pdf">http://www.therapaw.com/Docs/cornandwartarticle.pdf</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Carol L. Machery, William E. Feeman III,
(2006) Using a dental root elevator to remove footpad corns in dogs: Two
practitioners' experience, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Veterinary
Medicine</i>, December 1, 2006. Access online:
<a href="http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/Medicine/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/392957">http://veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com/vetmed/Medicine/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/392957</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">M. J. Guilliard, I. Segboer, D. H. Shearer,
(2010) Corns in dogs; signalment, possible aetiology and response to surgical
treatment, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal of Small Animal
Practice</i> 51, 162–168</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">S. F. Swaim, T. Amalsadvala, D. B.
Marghitu, E. A. Sartin, J. A. Hudson, E. D. Stoenescu, Pressure Reduction
Effects of Subdermal Silicone Block Gel Particle Implantation: A Preliminary Study,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wounds</i> 16:10, 299-312.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Corns in humans:
<a href="http://www.bupa.co.uk/individuals/health-information/directory/c/corns">http://www.bupa.co.uk/individuals/health-information/directory/c/corns</a></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
</div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
</div>
</div>
</div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05208184333942955225noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-55491609808453220172012-07-04T17:53:00.000+01:002012-07-04T17:54:40.775+01:00What the Deaf Puppy Taught Me<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My parents got a little boston terrier
girl, Bettina, a couple of months back. She came to them at seven weeks old.
Soon they realized something wasn’t quite right, and a few weeks later she was
diagnosed as probably completely deaf from birth. There was no question of
returning her, but understandably my parents were a little upset, and concerned
about the implications of her deafness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4l3CSXJTKo8SCk__5OQecpIu06CuRKHzbHg_uprI4-1evrVyTSfD-QuHZqOqA-RcB5RYlDpew9hVu5e6A1tmQUyZIfHxTYMlJsaoZy3VrLCI3IE88fc13eNhCoMedTa2KhqwD5jpQPY/s1600/Betty+sleep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4l3CSXJTKo8SCk__5OQecpIu06CuRKHzbHg_uprI4-1evrVyTSfD-QuHZqOqA-RcB5RYlDpew9hVu5e6A1tmQUyZIfHxTYMlJsaoZy3VrLCI3IE88fc13eNhCoMedTa2KhqwD5jpQPY/s320/Betty+sleep.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just kept on sleeping right through the bangs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My intuition was that deafness in a dog is
much less problematic than it may appear to us humans. Yes, the dog will probably
never be able to be let off leash with as much freedom as a hearing dog: not
only is recall difficult, but they can’t hear either the sounds of danger or
our warning cries. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">However, although their hearing is very
acute, dogs don’t really use sound to communicate very much. Their hearing is
mainly utilised to orient themselves and detect prey and dangers. Barks, growls and
whines, although vocal, are always accompanied by expressions of the face and
body. The vast bulk of canine communication takes place through the mediums of
smell, touch and body language. Although it is impossible for us to understand
their world of smells, we would benefit from paying a lot more attention to
their use of the latter two. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I visited my parents for a week recently,
and met Bettina for the fist time, aged four months. Indeed, my feeling about
deaf dogs was confirmed. Not only was Bettina so easy to communicate with, and
so fast to learn, but she also emphasized some important lessons for me about
communicating with all dogs, deaf or hearing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My mother still holds out some hope that
Bettina can hear high-pitched sounds, and uses whistles when calling her
together with the hand signals. Bettina is so attentive that it almost seems
that she can hear us at times. I don’t think she can, and felt that accepting
this was a relief and lesson in dog communication. I don’t think that one
should stop talking to deaf dogs, mainly because of the reasons that I set out
in my <a href="http://www.whatdogsdo.com/2011/07/talking-to-dogs.html" target="_blank">post about talking to dogs</a> – as humans <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we</i> need verbalizing to communicate, so talking shapes our body
language. However, walking and playing with Bettina felt extraordinarily
relaxing and calm, and our communication so intense, precisely because I
accepted she couldn’t hear. Instead I completely focused on my non-verbal
signals. It was somewhat of a revelation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At four months Bettina knew signs for
attention (tap on shoulder), good girl (clap hands), no (wagging finger), sit
(fist with thumb up), fetch (motion of pointing hand towards the object),
gentle come here (beckoning hand), decisive come here (hand slapping thigh),
and recall on a lead (two gentle tugs). I also taught her lie down (fist pointing
to floor). There is certainly nothing wrong with the little pup’s brain. Having
worked with older rescue dogs for so long it was a joy to spend time with
such a quick and keen learner. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Even the seemingly impossible recall when she
was off leash was mitigated by her obviously compensating for her lack of sound
location by frequently turning to look at us. There was only one moment when
Bettina’s deafness frustrated me. When she was doing something naughty at a
distance and I could not shout “ah-ah!” the way I do to my dogs. You had to be
very quick to get to her, push her away from and wag your finger at her. However,
as she was quick to respond to being corrected in this way, it made me think
about how often verbal reprimands are so very ineffectual. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklog4diNNAQKNWfMravHylFxlkToQqV9o_5nVUQjBrqCj0jHBK5-1hxvpz08xtT9r-9ocymDnOaOEL1Zheh8bqUxxdQmlUMCeNSh84AJe6ne7HMV6wrqKVGwrbAfc4pyyKU7od8TcMEs/s1600/Betty+monkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklog4diNNAQKNWfMravHylFxlkToQqV9o_5nVUQjBrqCj0jHBK5-1hxvpz08xtT9r-9ocymDnOaOEL1Zheh8bqUxxdQmlUMCeNSh84AJe6ne7HMV6wrqKVGwrbAfc4pyyKU7od8TcMEs/s320/Betty+monkey.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deaf but destructive! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I hear so many owners shouting at their
dogs, to come here, to do this, to stop that. Almost always the shouts are
repeated – because, of course, the dog isn’t likely to do something just
because you shout louder, if they weren’t going to in the first place. Yes, a
sharp “No!” or “Ah-ah!” can have the effect of getting their attention, but if
it doesn’t almost immediately, it is unlikely the dog will comply. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">With a deaf dog there is no point in
shouting. Rather you have to show them what you want them to do or not do,
using your body. You need to prod and point, and gently or firmly bump and
push. You need to make your body speak, through posture and signs. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As I said, touch and body posture is a
massive part of doggy communication. Observe dogs interacting, and you will
notice how much they use it – they are always posturing, and shoving and
prodding each other. Even when they are looking away, or sniffing nearby, they
are talking to one another! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If you use your body it is remarkable how
quickly and well dogs respond. Often I need to show my clients that their
commands of “come” need to be accompanied by gestures and posture that makes
the dog interested and willing to come back, and their commands of “wait” or “stop”,
with a posture that makes it clear where the line is drawn. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Only days before going to visit my parents
my friend was playing with her dog Frank and my Eddie. She was giving them
treats for simple obedience commands. She told Frank to sit and he
quickly complied. She told Eddie to lay down, but he just stared at her
uncomprehendingly. She tried again – nothing. Eddie is usually very good at lying
down for a treat, so I tried to figure out why he wasn’t this time. I quickly
realized that her hand signal for “lie down” was subtly different from mine.
She holds her arm out, palm facing the floor. I point at the floor. As soon as
I told her to change the signal, Eddie promptly lied down. It was so obvious
that he responds much more to the hand signal than the words he hears! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When training dogs it is therefore
imperative to remember to use consistent gestures as well as commands. Playing
and working with Bettina was a lesson in speaking without words, a way of
speaking that is closer to the dogs’ own way. It was so clear that words are
really not necessary to communicate effectively with dogs, and although they can
help us humans get to grips with what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we</i>
mean, if we rely on them we forget the most important tool for
talking to dogs: our bodies. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcFygNB9_cPDIbpFd4V5GKiq1kDW5Lmqgl5bn-et0o3esI9mWDysuBheZvuQnmg3J8FS2c48zsMg8dWc-kmgm8tk9q1nLbqKsaMaB0TNucwIVuNrbtW55OL1uNME9ZPX0j7u6b4lrqag/s1600/Betty+play.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcFygNB9_cPDIbpFd4V5GKiq1kDW5Lmqgl5bn-et0o3esI9mWDysuBheZvuQnmg3J8FS2c48zsMg8dWc-kmgm8tk9q1nLbqKsaMaB0TNucwIVuNrbtW55OL1uNME9ZPX0j7u6b4lrqag/s320/Betty+play.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Play needs no words.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05208184333942955225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-87420875824378906792012-06-25T10:17:00.000+01:002012-06-25T10:18:26.790+01:00Asiatic Wild DogsSo you know I didn't post for a while - well this is something to show that I wasn't entirely idle during that time. I have been taking courses in animal behaviour and physiology, as well as doing an internship with my vet.<br />
<br />
My first assignment for my behaviour course was to study the behaviour of an animal in captivity, and of course I chose a relative to the dog. It is a very limited study, but as a fist attempt at a bit of scientific writing I am quite pleased with it. So I am posting the whole thing here, perhaps it will be of some interest.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Pack cohesion
behaviour in the Dhole (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cuon alpinus</i><u>)</u>
in captivity</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Introduction<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The dhole (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cuon alpinus</i>), or
Asiatic Wild Dog, is the only extant species of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cuon</i> genus of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canidae</i>
family. Widespread in Central, Southern and Eastern Asia in prehistoric times,
it is currently found mainly on the Indian subcontinent and in smaller numbers across
South-East Asia (Durbin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2004).
The species is found in a range of habitats from tropical forest to high
mountainous regions (Maisch 2010). However, the dhole is now on the IUCN Red
List of Threatened Species, because loss of habitat and prey animals to human
activity, and persecution by humans in the past (IUCN 2011, Fox 1984). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The dwindling numbers of dholes in the last century, and the fact that
dholes are very wary of humans, means that the study of their behaviour in the
wild has been difficult (Johnsingh 1982, Cohen 1982, Fox 1984). Early problems
with breeding in captivity has also limited the number of observations of dhole
behaviour in captivity (Cohen 1982, Maisch 2010). However, in the last decade
the numbers of captive dholes has increased, as have studies of their behaviour
(Maisch 2010). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Dholes are medium-sized canids (12-20kg) with a red or brown, thick coat
and a darker bushy tail (Durbin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2004).
Taxonomically the dhole has been placed together with the African wild dog (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lycaon pictus</i>) and the South American bush
dog (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Speothos venaticus</i>) due to the lesser
number of post-carnassial molars found in these species, distinguishing them
from the genus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canis </i>(including the wolf and the
domestic dog) (Davidar 1975, Durbin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et
al. </i>2004). This classification has been questioned, however, attributing
these similarities in dentition to convergent evolution due to diet (Durbin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2004). Recent genetic studies
confirm that the dhole is in fact more closely related to the genus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canis </i>than previously believed (Durbin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2004, Graphodatsky <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2008, Zhang and Chen 2010). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The dhole is a highly social animal, living in packs of up to 40
animals, although the average pack size is between 8-12 (Davidar 1975, Johnsingh
1982, Fox 1984). Dholes are highly co-operative, undertaking both hunting and
breeding as a group (Kleiman 1967, Venkatamaran <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>1995, Fox 1984). They use a wide range of vocalizations for individual
recognition and pack co-ordination (Johnsingh 1982, Volodin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2001, Durbin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2004, Volodina <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2006).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The dhole displays a notably wide range of behaviours relating to pack
cohesion and hierarchy (Cohen 1982, Johnsingh 1982). From early studies onward
the predominance of socio-positive and submissive behaviours in establishing
and maintaining dhole pack hierarchy has been noted (Kleiman 1967, Davidar
1975, Cohen 1982, Johnsingh 1982, Fox 1984). This has been more recently contrasted
to the more fractious, dominance driven dynamics of the wolf pack (Durbin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2004, Maisch 2010).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">As the hegemony of interpreting the behaviour of the domestic dog (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canis familiaris</i>) as an evolution from
the rigid pack structure of the wolf (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canis
lupus</i>) is being reappraised (Koler-Matznick 2002, Bradshaw 2011), studies
of the behaviour of the dhole are ever more pertinent to an understanding of the
evolution of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canidae</i>. Bradshaw
has suggested that the behaviour of the common ancestor of both the domestic
dog and the wolf would have been different to that which has evolved in the
current living wolf, which is not easily domesticated (Bradshaw 2011). Indeed,
the dhole has been mentioned along other species of wild dogs as a more likely behavioural
analogue for an early ancestor of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canis</i>
genus (Koler-Matznick 2002). An ancestor animal with a predisposition to
cementing social relationships with submissive or playful interaction would
have not only been more easily domesticated, but would explain the relative
placidity and lack of aggression in the domestic dog as opposed to the wolf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The aim of this study was to obeserve the social interaction of dholes
in captivity, to test the hypothesis that this interaction relies heavily on
socio-positive and co-operative behaviour rather than socio-negative and
antagonistic behaviour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Animals and Study Area <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The animals studied were in captivity in Howletts Wild Animal Park in
Kent, United Kingdom. The group studied consisted of twelve females, ranging in
age from one to eight years, including two sibling yearlings. All dholes had
been bred at Howletts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The animals were housed in a roughly square enclosure measuring
approximately 50m x 50m. The enclosure consisted of level grassy terrain,
enriched with a number of trees and bushes, a small pond, two wooden platforms,
a group of concrete pipes, and a wooden shelter. Within the enclosure there was
a smaller fenced-off area of 20m x 20m, to which the doles had free access via
a small opening. See Figure 1.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKV1TcOU8RUlGeuh4sh8wIgqGJ83-UhV4HB6ReYvNoyWANVickxwhM3NIqtrATYVoJu0-cwP_48mSXHPQzms0a5vBH2LOZVV96XOZwnrsgcNup33vVEsVAqy6dd8BbMdsRUXTNswhF44zu/s1600/Slide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKV1TcOU8RUlGeuh4sh8wIgqGJ83-UhV4HB6ReYvNoyWANVickxwhM3NIqtrATYVoJu0-cwP_48mSXHPQzms0a5vBH2LOZVV96XOZwnrsgcNup33vVEsVAqy6dd8BbMdsRUXTNswhF44zu/s400/Slide1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">Figure 1: Dhole enclosure</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Methods <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The animals were observed from the accessible northwest and northeast
sides of the enclosure, primarily from the small viewing area at the western
corner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Individual dholes are notoriously difficult to distinguish (Fox 1984,
Johnsingh 1982), and the animals were thus studied as a group. Thirty minutes
of initial ad libitum observation was undertaken between 3.30pm and 4.00pm on
21 November 2011, noting the full range of behaviours seen. The weather was
misty but dry, and visibility was fairly good on this day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">An ethogram was devised following these observations in conjunction
with previous studies of dhole behaviour (see Appendix I: Ethogram). From of this
ethogram, eleven categories of behaviour were chosen for the main scan sampling
study. All data gathering on vocalizations was abandoned, since it was not
possible to ascertain how many animals were producing sounds at any one time.
In addition, categories that were deemed less defined and/or more difficult to
observe reliably, such as sniffing and moving away from conspecifics were
dropped. During the main study it also became clear that the category of
approaching a conspecific was too difficult to observe in a number of
individuals at the same time, and it was effectively abandoned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Data was then gathered for this selection of behaviours using the scan
sampling method, recording the number of animals performing each behaviour at 5
minute intervals. The data gathering session lasted two hours between 1.00pm and
3.00pm on the 24 November 2011. The weather went from overcast to sunny spells,
with good visibility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">There are several limitations to this study, notably the fact that the
group of dholes consisted exclusively of females. An all-male group of a similar
size exists at Howletts, however, so there is scope for a comparative study
across the sexes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The visibility of the female dhole group was sometimes partial, due to
the amount of vegetation in the enclosure, and the limited area and elevation
from which observations could be made. Also, the observer was clearly visible
to the dholes, and they were aware of her presence, acknowledging it with
curiosity and sometimes fear and aggression. These facts, as well as the
relatively small enclosure available to the captive dholes, who have a range in
the wild of 40km squared (Johnsingh 1982), has to be kept in mind when
considering the results of this study. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">In addition, the preliminary observations were made on a day on which
the dholes had been fed in the morning. The dholes are fed every other day, and
the scan sampling was thus undertaken on a day when the dholes were not fed. It
has to be assumed that this will have had some impact on the animals’
behaviour, although the keepers at Howletts suggested that their behaviour was
fairly uniform over the feeding and non-feeding days (pers. comm.). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Results<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The scan sample data can be found in Appendix II. The results are
represented graphically in Chart 1. Note that behaviours which
were not observed at all during the scan sampling were excluded from the chart.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2AxS1LGDz99B18icrkR3-2c23A_Y9YUdAleSkAqEQmbx-3aNXybKku0Y8gR0aEHQhh6d2E0uemdsGmd9FGsjZkbtpz8WgNX3ZYCDAM5DEvsUwyiMLVyBGlWz5l8yTtNu6EIuCzEzSe1f/s1600/Dhole+chart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2AxS1LGDz99B18icrkR3-2c23A_Y9YUdAleSkAqEQmbx-3aNXybKku0Y8gR0aEHQhh6d2E0uemdsGmd9FGsjZkbtpz8WgNX3ZYCDAM5DEvsUwyiMLVyBGlWz5l8yTtNu6EIuCzEzSe1f/s640/Dhole+chart.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">It has to be noted that from minute 75 onwards, the active period, at
several sample points not all dholes were visible to the observer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">During the first hour of observation the group was resting and
immobile the vast majority of the time. There was one case of an animal
defecating away from but near its sleeping site, and there were some movement
to rearrange resting positions in the other animals. On the whole, the animals
remained in the same places, in two groups of three, one group of two and four
solitary animals. The group of two appeared to be the two yearlings, judging by
their size, and were partially hidden in the wooden shelter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Two of the four solitary animals appeared to have look-out or guarding
roles. Guarding in the dhole pack has indeed been reported by previous
observers (Johnsingh 1982, Fox 1984). They were placed on the extremes of the
area occupied by the resting pack, and showed more movement and alertness than
the other animals. However, as they were also intermittently resting they were
not counted as guarding on the scan sampling data chart. The resting positions
of the animals from 0-60 minutes are recorded in Figure 2. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXopDl6xsoitvma3AEvsYwPb4fiBIHEywO0I8RkvWUwkFcvUK6vrdmKaj3QST-arGouOROmSOwLZ7PZeCWTTG2gLFH3TQTFJQ_PjHe5sScglsDtNQqQdczyvcZftcLhqH2Cl0M8Gjxd-I/s1600/Slide2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXopDl6xsoitvma3AEvsYwPb4fiBIHEywO0I8RkvWUwkFcvUK6vrdmKaj3QST-arGouOROmSOwLZ7PZeCWTTG2gLFH3TQTFJQ_PjHe5sScglsDtNQqQdczyvcZftcLhqH2Cl0M8Gjxd-I/s400/Slide2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure 2: Resting positions of Dholes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">At the interval 65-70 minutes into the study, one of the yearlings
emerged from the shelter. After a few minutes of stretching and looking around
it rushed towards Group 1, three adults, making the characteristic repeated yipping
sounds of the dholes. It engaged in begging behaviour towards one of the larger
animals. This raised the whole group into intense activity, and multiple cases
of begging behaviour took place. At any time in this interval there were three
or four groups of two or three animals engaged in begging behaviour directed
towards one individual in each group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">From this time and for the rest of the study, 70-120 minutes, the
dholes remained relatively active. Apart from multiple instances of begging,
guarding and patrolling recorded, and the frequent reorganization of small
groups of sitting and lying dholes, the animals engaged in some brief chase
games and play fighting. During this period of activity the dholes frequently
vocalized, making a repeated yipping sound. It appeared to be made by several
if not all individuals, at intervals of a few seconds, lasting from ten seconds
to several minutes at a time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">There was an instance of communal defecation. Initially three to four
individuals defecated on the same spot, in the interval 80-85 minutes into the
study. The place was later repeatedly visited, sniffed and defecated on by
other individuals throughout the rest of the observation period. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Apart from one staring match observed during the preliminary study, no
fights or threat behaviour was observed among the dholes, although some begging
behaviour was met with brief inhibited biting. In contrast, the dholes growled
at the observer on a couple of occasions. This was usually performed by a
single animal, in one case reminiscent to the “grumble on hind legs” decribed
by Volodin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2005 (See ethogram
in Appendix II). Towards the end of the observation time, between 110-115
minutes, almost the whole group approached the fence in front of the observer,
apparently led by a one of the larger animals. The group was yipping excitedly
and two of the larger animals reared up, growled and bit at the fence. After a
few minutes the group seemed to lose interest and carried on with their other
activities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Discussion<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">All behaviour observed was of a neutral or socio-positive kind. Two
characteristics of the behavioural data gathered stand out:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">1) Approach and interaction between dholes was mainly performed
through begging behaviour, which, as there was no food present at the day of
the main observation, must be interpreted as a submissive greeting and social
bonding ritual (Maisch 2005). In the active period, begging was frequent (6 out
of 11 sample points) and undertaken by a significant proportion (10-25%) of the
individuals observed. In addition to this some play was observed, although not
sampled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Also, the over-marking of feaces by the group was observed,
effectively producing a communal latrine. It has been suggested that this
behaviour serves an intra-group communicative function, rather than being a territorial
marking (Cohen 1982, Johnsingh 1982, Durbin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et
al. </i>2004). However, it has to be noted that the latrine was placed on the
edge of the dhole enclosure, bordering that of the African wild dogs (see
Figure 1 and 2). There may therefore also have been a territorial element to
this behaviour in this case.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">2) Throughout the observation period a significant proportion of the
dholes were engaged in behaviours undertaken in a group, either passively
sitting or lying together, or actively interacting in the begging ritual. On
average, these behaviours together accounted for 55% of individuals at any one
time. If patrolling is included as a group behaviour, the average rises to 62%
of individuals at any one time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The yipping noise made by many dholes while patrolling has been
interpreted as a way of coordinating the group’s movement (Johnsingh 1982, Fox
1884, Durbin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2004, Volodina <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">et al. </i>2006, Maisch 2010), suggesting that
patrolling can be seen as a group behaviour, although the data gathered by this
study is not sufficient to distinguish between group and solitary patrolling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">It was also notable that throughout the initial period of inactivity, the
dholes were resting in well-defined groups, as seen in Figure 2. It was clear that
Group 1 (see Figure 3.), which included the largest animals, as well as Group
2, were composed of higher ranking animals. These two groups occupied the
highest points in the enclosure, the two wooden platforms. Indeed, these
animals seemed to be among the ones mostly at the receiving end of begging
behaviour, although as mentioned, the reliable distinction of individuals was
not possible. The smaller group of two yearlings that were hiding in the shelter,
on the other hand, appeared to be the instigators of much begging.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoCaption" style="page-break-after: avoid;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcF_xhNfRQktz7szc6UWDJhLGyDVDSqj5V-Kx6Uwfkh-gZfeMwpztXGcY_Z6FsCyBHVE8yfjW78e_r-ZU1TB7ce_FbAMb8_vBiQiOCURvI_djdCPyjrs98sruig7nd88_Xi2MR7C3Oioj9/s1600/dhole+group+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcF_xhNfRQktz7szc6UWDJhLGyDVDSqj5V-Kx6Uwfkh-gZfeMwpztXGcY_Z6FsCyBHVE8yfjW78e_r-ZU1TB7ce_FbAMb8_vBiQiOCURvI_djdCPyjrs98sruig7nd88_Xi2MR7C3Oioj9/s400/dhole+group+1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Figure 3: Group 1 consisting of three large adult dholes on Platform 1.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Thus, even the sleeping formation of the dhole pack seems to be related to the social relationships within the group, and must be seen as a behaviour that positively aids social cohesion. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The prolonged period of inactivity at the beginning of the observed
period may be explained by two factors. 1) The dholes had no food in the
enclosure, the presence of which had been a reason for some activity seen
during preliminary observations. 2) Dholes are often, although not exclusively,
crepuscular (Johnsingh 1982, Durbin<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> et
al. </i>2004), and the period of activity seemed to correlate with approaching
dusk. Indeed the preliminary observations, in which the dholes were more
active, were undertaken later in the day.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The data gathered in this brief study does seem to indicate a mainly
socio-positive and co-operative behavioural pattern in the dhole pack. This
result correlates with earlier observations of the pack-cohesion of the dhole
(Kleiman 1967, Cohen 1982, Johnsingh 1982, Fox 1984). The predominance of
submissive displays and play behaviour in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cuon alpinus</i> is particularly interesting in the context of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canidae</i> family and the evolution of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canis</i> genus. The majority of canids are far
less socially co-operative (Kleiman 1967, Fox 1976, Bradshaw 2011) than the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canis</i> genus and its precursors. In
addition, the placidity and predisposition to submissive social bonding of the
domestic dog contrasts with the dominance displays of the current wolf. The
similarities between the socio-cohesive behaviour of the dhole and the domestic
dog (Davidar 1975) suggests and interesting avenue of investigation of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cuon alpinus</i> as a more apt behavioural
analogue of the ancestors of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canis </i>genus,
and precursors to the domestic dog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">References<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Bradshaw, J. (2011) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In Defense
of the Dog: Why dogs need our understanding</i> London: Penguin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Cohen, J. A. (1982) ‘A Note on the Behaviour of captive
dholes (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cuon alpinus</i>).’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal of the Bombay Natural History
Society</i>, 62: 146-148.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Durbin, L.S.,
Venkataraman, A., Hedges, S., and Duckworth, W. (2004) ‘Dhole.’ In
Sillero-Zubiri, C., Hoffmann, M., and Macdonald, D. W. (eds.) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals and Dogs -
2004 Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. </i>IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist
Group, 210-219. Available at: <a href="http://www.canids.org/cap/index.htm#On-line%20Copy%20of%20the%20Action%20Plan">http://www.canids.org/cap/index.htm#On-line%20Copy%20of%20the%20Action%20Plan</a>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 252.0pt 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Kleiman, D.G. (1967) ‘Some Aspects of
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98-118. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Johnsingh, A. J. T.
(1982) ‘Reproductive and social behaviour of the Dhole, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cuon Alpinus</i> (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Canidae</i>).’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal of Zoology</i>, 198, 443-463.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Maisch, H. (2005) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ist das Fortpflanzungssystem bei Rothunden
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Maisch, H. (2010) ‘The influence of husbandry and pack management
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Venkataraman, A. B. Arumugam, R., and Sukumar, R., (1995) ‘The
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Volodin, I. A., Volodina, E. V., and Isaeva, I. V. (2001) ‘Vocal
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Volodina, E. V., Volodin, I. A., Isaeva, I. V. and Unck, C. (2006)
‘Biphonation may function to enhance individual recognition in the dhole, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cuon alpinus</i>.’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ethology </i>112(8)<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">, </b>815-825.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Wang, S. W. and Macdonald, D. W. (2009) ‘Feeding habits and niche
partitioning in a predator guild composed of tigers, leopards and dholes in a
temperate ecosystem in central Bhutan.’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Journal
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Zhang, H. & Chen, L. (2010) ‘The
complete mitochondrial genome of dhole <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cuon
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Appendix I: Ethogram</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Sources:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Observation ad libitum of all-female
group of twelve individuals aged 1-8 years, captive in Howletts Widlife Park,
3.30pm -4.00pm on 21 November 2011. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Behaviour observed by Volodin 2001, and
Maisch 2005.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Behaviour selected to be studied by scan
sampling in the main data gathering session of this study are indicated in
bold. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: -7.1pt; margin-right: -10.25pt; margin-top: 0cm;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> Vocalisations</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid black; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid black; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 191;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Yip <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Short squeaking noise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Responses: yips / no response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Grumble <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Longer growling noise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Responses: quick retreat / no response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Grumble on hind legs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Longer growling noise, standing on hind legs
facing the “threat”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Movement:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid black; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid black; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 191;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Guarding<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Individual sitting or standing near perimeter of
enclosure, paying attention to the outside.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Patrolling<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Moving at a moderate
pace, without a specific goal. Alert and attentive to other dholes. Often
accompanied by repeated “yip” vocalization. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Approaching other dhole<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Walking or running
towards another dhole and coming within 1 meter of other individual.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Moving away from other dhole<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Purposefully walking or running away from other
individual, increasing distance to over 5 feet. Not a chase game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Sniffing ground<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Stationary or walking, nose to the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Sniffing conspecific<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Stationary or walking, nose close to conspecific.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Sitting or lying down –
solitary<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Animal sitting or lying
further than 1 meter away from other animal.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Positive social
interactions:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid black; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid black; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 191;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Sitting or lying down –
group<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Animal sitting or lying
within 1 meter of other animal. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Begging <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Approach to conspecific,
with head held low, ears lying back. Tail wagging and/or coiled on the side.
Contact made with snout, often licking conspecific’s muzzle. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">May be accompanied by
pawing, circling of the conspecific, and whining.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Responses: snarling, inhibited
muzzle biting, reciprocating, playing, giving food (if food is around),
denying food, moving away, passive.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Chase game<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Enticing chase by
approaching and then quickly running away from conspecific, which follows.
Roles may be swapped. May lead to play fight.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Play fight<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Enticed by play bowing,
nudging or muzzle nipping. Involves one individual playing submissive, head
held low, rolling over, and other individual standing over or jumping over,
nudging, bumping and playfully biting neck of “submissive” animal. Roles
frequently reversed. May be combined with chase game. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Negative social
interactions:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid black; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid black; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 191;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Staring match<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Both parties head held
low, ears back, eyes almost closed. Stare at each other and try to wait each
other out. May be accompanied by growling.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Wrestling fight<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Standing on hind legs,
trying to press opponent to the ground. The loser runs away. Growling and
“miii” sounds may be made.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid black 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Threat<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid black .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid black .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 212.9pt;" valign="top" width="213"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">No physical contact.
Tail held horizontal, u-shaped or up. Hackles raised. Ears and eyes pointing
at opponent.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Back may be arched, legs
may be stiff and pushing into ground.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br />
<br />
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;">Appendix II: Scan Sample Data and Calculations</span></b><br />
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKb8ScEXj0GPUxtizYKI5SzH_SYNILOPNZuHojP7BUt906z359jq55QYr-dsejZZe2HLNKIx_I-PibfIgd835TOnYwt0XPbZYoOUc-UW7AvH-ZFwxc2roRjRbqXHspDz5bnFPdscaAOty/s1600/Dhole+data.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKb8ScEXj0GPUxtizYKI5SzH_SYNILOPNZuHojP7BUt906z359jq55QYr-dsejZZe2HLNKIx_I-PibfIgd835TOnYwt0XPbZYoOUc-UW7AvH-ZFwxc2roRjRbqXHspDz5bnFPdscaAOty/s640/Dhole+data.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span></div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-27646088919558413632012-06-12T10:18:00.002+01:002012-06-12T10:32:43.049+01:00Coming TogetherA little observation made on a walk with a friend the other day.<br />
<br />
Eddie, Cassie and I were joined by my friend and her new boy Frank - a rescue greyhound I will tell you more about soon. We had done a lap of the park and my friend sat down to try the new cafe.<br />
<br />
Frankie, a young and frisky hound, was leashed but lied down calmly next to our table. Cassie, the independent lady, found some shade to lie in under a tree a few metres away. Eddie was sniffing in some bushes a similar distance from us. All was well.<br />
<br />
Suddenly a fight broke out between two dogs further away in the park. We were too far away to intervene (besides having three dogs of our own), but close enough to see and hear everything. A small fluffy on a lead was attacked by an over-zealous staffordshire bull terrier off the lead - the sort of thing that unfortunately happens quite often here in London. The situation wasn't well handled by either owner, and although undoubtedly it sounded worse than it was, the whole thing was very unpleasant. Dogs growling and squealing, people shouting unproductive accusations.<br />
<br />
Frank started barking - he is still not entirely comfortable with other dogs, especially when leashed. Besides, who can blame him, it all felt very threatening. In fact, I am sure a few years ago, when Eddie was new, he would have barked too.<br />
<br />
Instead, an interesting thing happened. Almost immediately, both Cassie and Eddie came closer. I only noticed after the fray had stopped, that she was now lying next to the table and Eddie was standing by her. The three dogs, my friend and I, were suddenly positioned as a very close group.<br />
<br />
A natural enough response, if you think about it, and a sign of good pack cohesion. It made me feel happy and proud that my dogs' reaction to a threatening situation was to come to me and come together. When you have rescue dogs that often don't show that much emotion, this is a welcome sign.<br />
<br />
It is also a much truer representation of the dogs' true nature, I think, than the fight that we were witnessing. Dogs, like their ancestors and cousins, are social animals whose survival depends on the peaceful co-existence with other members of their species. Sure, disagreements happen, but assuming most dogs are aggressive is counter-productive and often a self-fulfilling prophecy. Dogs would much rather be friends and allies than combatants, and most dog interaction, often gone unnoticed by us, whether between members in a pack or with strangers, is designed to diffuse any aggression or tension and forge or strengthen bonds.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuvD942IXcrTWMTpFnxhN2qVlQnT1KLlqkzwGreakTlpVM1qYeDYkuRzwfJDp9RlVRUTLpM-uq23bMa2ugLvBi71xGk6nhS0sCpfD64Nzu8jQuuDm6NMp5D7W_Wl8CYTV6uvTU7aOgDE/s1600/Dholes-in-pack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuvD942IXcrTWMTpFnxhN2qVlQnT1KLlqkzwGreakTlpVM1qYeDYkuRzwfJDp9RlVRUTLpM-uq23bMa2ugLvBi71xGk6nhS0sCpfD64Nzu8jQuuDm6NMp5D7W_Wl8CYTV6uvTU7aOgDE/s320/Dholes-in-pack.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asiatic Wild Dogs (Dholes) in a pack.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05208184333942955225noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-6650091053105917642012-05-24T15:41:00.000+01:002012-05-24T15:41:10.638+01:00What Dogs Do blog is re-launching after a quiet few months with a special announcement:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Eva Aldea is appearing at the <a href="http://howthelightgetsin.org/">HowTheLightGetsIn</a>, the philosophy and music festival at Hay-on-Wye (parallel to the famous literary festival in Hay).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://howthelightgetsin.org/"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4NUJhfVf3nEzt3m-Tj1zLDF2qu13wP1v8IsbPzo-HXu5RXBLRQw_gbr0Mre_RuvMhNXDF9R1P9bfn0-mDYbDT2hvQLRLSvPCXFe3I5nsoTqC2k_nqF75d7vElmJfg9ATeG56ItXsIOcO/s320/HTLGI+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Save the date - 2nd June. Yours truly is hosting a philosophical lunch and appearing on a panel discussing evolution, animal and human. If you're anywhere near, I hope to see you there, but if you can't come, don't fret, I will report back on What Dogs Do Blog.<br />
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<strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Saturday 2 June 2012</span></strong></div>
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<strong class="starttime" style="font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1:00pm</span></strong></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Venue: Lower Gallery</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">HowTheLightGetsIn Lunch</span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Philosopher Eva Aldea leads the conversation on the morning's debates in the Hall, <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Fantasy of Technology </em>and<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> Hawking vs. Philosophy</em>.</span></div>
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<em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Price includes lunch.</span></em></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', 'Liberation Sans', Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Earlybird price: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;">Sold Out</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', 'Liberation Sans', Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="current-price" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Advance price: £18.00 </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', 'Liberation Sans', Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Full-price: £24.00 </span></span></span></span></div>
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<strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Saturday 2 June 2012</span></strong></div>
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<strong class="starttime" style="font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6:45pm</span></strong></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Venue: International</span></div>
<br style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', 'Liberation Sans', Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-color: initial; border-width: initial;"><img alt="The Paragon of Animals image" src="http://howthelightgetsin.org/assets/Uploads/_resampled/thumbnail-paragonofanimals.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></span></span></div>
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Philosophy Session</h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The Paragon of Animals</span></h2>
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<strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nicholas Humphrey, Ken Binmore, Eva Aldea and Nick Maxwell. David Malone chairs.</span></strong></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Darwin's <em style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Origin of Species </em>appears to ally evolution with advance, and as humans we place ourselves at the top of the tree. But is evolution progress or simply change for good or ill? Have we transcended our animal nature, or is this a dangerous illusion?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Evolutionary psychologist Nicholas Humphrey and evolutionary game theorist Ken Binmore clash with cultural critic Eva Aldea and philosopher of science Nick Maxwell.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', 'Liberation Sans', Freesans, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', 'Liberation Sans', Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><div style="clear: both; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', 'Liberation Sans', Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Earlybird price: £4</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', 'Liberation Sans', Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', 'Liberation Sans', Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="current-price" style="color: #3d3d3d; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Advance price: £6.00 </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'DejaVu Sans', 'Liberation Sans', Freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Full-price: £8.00 </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">To purchase tickets and see the full How The Light Gets In program click <a href="http://howthelightgetsin.org/tickets/all-sessions/">here</a>.</span></span></div>
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</div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-65933478918970739292012-04-03T18:49:00.001+01:002012-04-03T18:49:40.354+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyPTpyx1rhnXwQC5rabnnAixt9ynr8fWjJyr5ipVzDdt8JSe1ohIqcU6fo5CqGnDXTAsNLRsjmrPjrxLlRWHAFxpS35E3mZ_S4TwgNLxQnOL9uLSaofj1wRJBQl20ar5FEswDNO4Xv3gk/s1600/keep+calm+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyPTpyx1rhnXwQC5rabnnAixt9ynr8fWjJyr5ipVzDdt8JSe1ohIqcU6fo5CqGnDXTAsNLRsjmrPjrxLlRWHAFxpS35E3mZ_S4TwgNLxQnOL9uLSaofj1wRJBQl20ar5FEswDNO4Xv3gk/s320/keep+calm+2.jpg" /></a></div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-26412371726617765522011-10-03T11:00:00.000+01:002011-10-03T11:02:45.755+01:00Moving HouseWe have a good excuse for not posting for the last few weeks – we’ve moved house! After a lot of packing and unpacking, some painting and decorating and a bit of carpentry we are finally installed in our new, fabulous garden office: the new What Dogs Do HQ (still in South East London, UK).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmt9LcR4um5B4oyUjPyt7U5JTJmeTUVIa3To-IrpQ_n3L5RFkFnstDVLlbcxt83eQ7bSXeQZJnvBa4FFMr5x5Ey4KOFZwmITG77wN7qCe4T7XGKjLhRQ8owUwYWhLO_p9j7Xil9U2GmlM/s1600/Office+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmt9LcR4um5B4oyUjPyt7U5JTJmeTUVIa3To-IrpQ_n3L5RFkFnstDVLlbcxt83eQ7bSXeQZJnvBa4FFMr5x5Ey4KOFZwmITG77wN7qCe4T7XGKjLhRQ8owUwYWhLO_p9j7Xil9U2GmlM/s320/Office+view.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Eddie and Cassie have had a few unsettled weeks, but have coped very well. We bought the new house from friends, who we actually know thanks to our dogs. We met them because they also have a greyhound, Bertie, and over the past year and some we have walked together, and often taken care of each other’s dogs. Eddie and Cassie know the house well, therefore, which on the whole has probably been an advantage. They immediately settled in their beds in the old study, which will eventually be our library, where they usually slept when staying with our friends, and where they will continue to sleep at night. I am hoping to install a wood-burning stove in there before winter, which will keep them warm and snug.<br />
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Nevertheless, they have been a little stressed and confused over the past two weeks, starting from when we were packing all our things in boxes in the old house. Their beloved routine was broken, both by our general business, and by the disappearance of their usual “landmarks” in the house. I am not sure if reappearance of our things in the new house reassured them or confused them more. For a few days they seemed quite perplexed, almost waiting to go “home” (as they usually did after staying in this house). But then again, we were all there, which was both strange and familiar, at the same time.<br />
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Although the first week wasn’t quite back to normal, we did establish the basics of routine – feeding, walking and bedtime – which allowed them to start feeling at home. However, a new element has been added, with a little challenge for the dogs. We now have our TV room upstairs, which we want them to join us in of an evening. Neither of them is keen on stairs, and haven’t previously encouraged them otherwise, as in the old house dogs did not go upstairs.<br />
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To help them overcome their awkwardness on stairs, I have tried to establish a routine that gives them a good reason to want to walk up: when we go to watch TV they get a yummy treat in their comfy beds upstairs. This seems to be working fairly well, and they certainly expect the treat now. Cassie rushes up, even though she is clearly still a little uncomfortable. Eddie, however, is still hesitant, and needs extra encouragement before braving the stairs. I hope that with practice he will gain confidence.<br />
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There was a small snag in re-establishing old routines at feeding time. I have <a href="http://www.whatdogsdo.com/2011/01/feeding-time.html">written previously</a> about how I expect my dogs to lie down and wait for their dinner until they invited to eat. For the first few days, Eddie and Cassie, seemed to find this challenging, even though they were so used to doing it in the old house. Not only was it a strange experience to be fed by us in this other house, but, I expect more importantly, my friend never did require them to lie down. To their minds that routine was firmly associated with the old house. After a few battles of the wills, however, it is now established as a routine in the new house too.<br />
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This will be the first week back to normal working routine for me and M, and the doggies too. That will mean that they can properly settle down in our new house. Cassie is a very relaxed little dog, and although she has made sure to patrol and sniff all new spaces thoroughly, she has been happy just to find a comfortable spot to lie in. Eddie is harder to please, and has been pacing and following us around a lot more than usual. His stomach has also shown his stress, with looser stool, which is still ongoing. I am hoping now we go back to a proper routine that will settle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigW-dzBgIDIkhnVJKvff7RhxZUeQkcOGcHv5GcI-HvhAurelrlq80O3S28Ubue9xtr88HyftsDnyYZDd2kr1JgMkfhyphenhypheny3UTpChHQ3aOVz2GoYnGokm27_ZS-mDKi3EfrfGf8aFnrketz0/s1600/Ed+Office.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigW-dzBgIDIkhnVJKvff7RhxZUeQkcOGcHv5GcI-HvhAurelrlq80O3S28Ubue9xtr88HyftsDnyYZDd2kr1JgMkfhyphenhypheny3UTpChHQ3aOVz2GoYnGokm27_ZS-mDKi3EfrfGf8aFnrketz0/s320/Ed+Office.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So starting today is another new routine, or rather a variation of an old one: coming with me to my office, as I work. I have purchased yet another pair of dog beds, taking the total in the house up to a somewhat embarrassing six! They have their night beds in the library, a couple of comfy beds up in the TV room upstairs to encourage them to spend time with us there, and two in the office, where I will be spending a lot of time during the days. I drew the line at getting beds for the kitchen.<br />
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Well, for me the point of having dogs is companionship, so I want them to be with me most of the time at home (although I prefer to sleep in a different room from them at night, due to smells and noises!). The least they can expect from me is a comfortable place, and I think they seem comfortable enough!<br />
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E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05208184333942955225noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-4909760771092748142011-09-14T18:05:00.000+01:002011-09-14T18:15:18.193+01:00Wordless Wednesdays - Closeups<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=107145" type="text/javascript" ></script>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05208184333942955225noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-29805823202591626312011-09-10T08:14:00.002+01:002011-09-10T08:39:08.284+01:00Diet<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFWttIfVyRXLew_34ianDj9q9QWLytsXIVgHufXcW3kYgERNza6bCBhl7Eys8ak4CjjVl5UmoaHzStoKhNMn3G-yJCINMFBr0OPWUCuMiCQN3fyQfRKZdXjLmnLDXzRNzgMrIEtdTEN8/s1600/dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFWttIfVyRXLew_34ianDj9q9QWLytsXIVgHufXcW3kYgERNza6bCBhl7Eys8ak4CjjVl5UmoaHzStoKhNMn3G-yJCINMFBr0OPWUCuMiCQN3fyQfRKZdXjLmnLDXzRNzgMrIEtdTEN8/s320/dinner.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner: Fish and vegetable kibble, <br />
tinned beef and salmon, grated carrot,<br />
a little cod liver oil and dried seaweed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I’ve been thinking about writing something
about greyhounds and diet for a while now, but keep postponing it until I have
learned more. Well, I’ve realized I am probably never going to stop learning,
so I may just as well write something now, subject to updates and changes, of
course.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">All the below recommendations are my own, I
am not sponsored by any brand. And in the end, all dogs are different, and what
works for one won’t for another. The best test for how good a diet is for your
dog is how healthy and happy they are - especially how good their poop is! Don’t
ignore it: like with babies, a bit of poop-spotting goes a long way to
ascertaining your dog’s wellbeing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Quite a few greyhounds have sensitive
stomachs and suffer from both diet and stress related digestive issues. Mine
have two very different stomachs, indeed, and I have learnt to deal with their
respective problems by trial and error. In fact, I would like to hear other
owner’s (greyhounds and other dogs) experiences with diet and digestion. Please
leave a comment or email <a href="mailto:whatdogsdoblog@gmail.com">whatdogsdoblog@gmail.com</a></span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When Eddie came to live with us we reckoned
it would be best to buy a bag of the food he had been fed on in the kennels. He
had very loose, bright yellow stool, and pretty bad wind, and initially we
thought it may be the stress. However, his bowel movements didn’t improve, and were
clearly not normal. We fed him bland cooked chicken and rice for a few days on the vet’s advice, but the improvement was only slight, and the soft, yellow poo
returned as soon as we went back to the kibble. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Around the same time I was advised by a
behaviourist that high quality, low protein foods are supposed to improve all
sorts of behaviour in non-working dogs. In addition, of course, it is generally
advised that retired greyhounds eat a fairly low protein diet. Burns and
Wellbeloved are the brands I have used. As I have been able to let my dogs off
the lead more, I have found that Burns actually has too little protein for some
seasons – they lose weight on it in the summer when they are very active.
However, another reason why I prefer to base my dogs’ diet around a
low-protein biscuit. I can then adjust their protein intake day by day by
adding extra meat, depending on their level of activity. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Note: these premium completes are very
expensive. It is possible to lower the protein of your dog’s diet by
substituting cooked rice, potato or pasta for part of a higher protein kibble.
However, I would still pay some attention to the ingredients of any dog food.
Less additives and more clear sources of protein are always better. Bakers
Complete, for example, has 23% protein but only 4% beef and 4% fresh meat.
Chappie has 20% protein but only declares 4% chicken. In fact, the latter has
more “derivatives of vegetable origin” than “meat and animal derivatives” –
which to me, anyway, is just not enough information. I would like to know what
source the protein my dog is eating is from!</span><br />
<br />
Indeed, I do think that the less additives and vaguely described "derivative" ingredients the better. Here are two of my favourites:<br />
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Eddie seems to do best on the Wellbeloved Ocean White Fish & Rice Kibble, but also on the Lamb flavour, as well as on the Fish and Vegetable variety. The Fish & Rice has 21% protein and 10% fat, and has a simple list of ingredients: fish (26%), rice (26%), barley (14%),
linseed (3%), fish stock (3%), alfalfa (1%), seaweed (0.5%), yucca extract
(0.02%), chicory extract (0.1%).<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Burns is even lower in protein and fat, - 18.5% and 7.5% - respectively for the Lamb & Rice variety, and similarly simply composed: </span>brown rice (54%), lamb (21%), oats, peas, sunflower oil, seaweed, vitamins and mineral. They also do fish and a range of other flavours.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I also discussed Eddie’s stomach problems
with my parents, who have a great knowledge of dogs, and experience of feeding
an ageing dachshund post-liver tumour. My father told me that Bilbo, my old
childhood dachsie, was intolerant to chicken, and suggested trying Eddie on
chicken-free food. As chicken is often seen as a very harmless source of
protein, and is the main ingredient in the majority of commercial dog food
products, I was a little dubious.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It turned out my old man was right,
however. While even on the high quality, low protein kibble Eddie had loose
stool if it contained chicken, but as soon as I gave him the non-chicken
flavours his digestion improved. I also learned that it is only the
high-quality kibbles that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">don’t</i> use
chicken, if they’re billed as another flavour. Many brands do – so I have
learned to check the ingredients carefully. In addition, it seemed the less fat
the kibble contained the better. Indeed, it is common that greyhounds’ bowels
are loosened by fatty foods. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It is difficult to entirely exclude chicken
products from Eddie’s diet, since a majority of processed dog foods contain
them. The effect is marked, though. If I allow Eddie to have a treat such as a
Jumbone, or Schmackos, even though they are nominally “beef” flavour, his poo
is looser and he lets off some violently stinky farts. Indeed, the farts are
like a barometer of the content of chicken in the food he’s had. We can live with
the effects of a Jumbone, but feed him a tin of chicken flavoured dog food and
we have to open windows and doors! Interestingly, tinned tuna, which Eddie
loves, has a similar effect. I suppose there is some fat or protein in chicken
and tuna meat that simply doesn’t agree with him.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">You have to be careful with what you buy when you have a chicken-intolerant dog. Jumbone with beef, for example, lists the following ingredients: </span>Cereals,Various Sugars, Meat and Animal
Derivatives (including 4% Beef), Derivatives of Vegetable Origin, Minerals, Seeds, Oils and Fats, Herbs. And usually the "meat and meat derivatives" means chicken. Anyway, I plan to write more about treats in another post.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Even high-end foods can be deceptive. For example you'd think the Arden Grange Tripe, Rice and Vegetables hypoallergenic tinned food would be just that: tripe, rice and vegetables. Having fed it to Eddie and smelled the results I had a closer look, and lo and behold: </span>Tripe (40%), Chicken (30%), Rice (5%),
Peas(0.5%), Carrots (0.5%), Pumpkin Meal, Beet Pulp, Fish Oil, Minerals,
Vitamins, Seaweed Extract, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Cranberry Extract, Yucca
Extract and Nucleotides. (The last one is a bit of a mystery, considering nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA, they are in pretty much all biological material, what good they do outside of DNA I don't know).</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In my quest to firm up Eddie’s stool, I
also followed my mother’s advice. She is a firm believer in dogs’ need for raw
meat and bones, at least occasionally. Although I don’t feed my dogs raw meat
every day – mainly for practical reasons: I don’t have enough freezer space – I
ensure they have it several times a week. Raw tripe or beef mince, and the
occasional bone, or meat chunks seem to work very well for Eddie’s stomach.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In fact, in my experience, and from
hearsay, it seems greyhounds do better on a less processed diet. I can see that
they would do well on a raw or so called BARF diet (Biologically Appropriate
Raw Food or Bones And Raw Food – there is quite some discussion about the pros
and cons of this, which I am not going to go into here), which I am always
considering. However, with limited freezer space, and the greater inconvenience
of preparing a BARF diet, I have stuck with the frequent feeds of raw meat,
combined with high quality dry kibble and high quality tinned meats. More on which below.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">We jokingly call Cassie “Guts Of Steel” as
she almost always produces perfectly formed, firm poops. When she has an upset
stomach it is clearly because something inappropriate has entered her system,
and she quickly gets rid of it and returns to normal. However, little Cassie
has a completely different issue with her stomach, and she is quite a fussy
madam with her food. </span>While Eddie pretty much always finishes his
food with relish, Cassie often leaves some behind, and sometimes a whole meal
goes untouched. Generally, this is not a problem. Most dogs can happily skip
meals, even days of food. Not Cassie, however.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A few weeks after we adopted her, one
morning she refused her food. I then noticed that her stomach was rumbling.
Loudly. In fact, Cassie’s stomach was making so much noise it was
disconcerting. She didn’t seem entirely comfortable either, unable to properly
settle. She even whines a little as she was lying down. She refused food for a
couple of hours and her stomach continued rumbling. In the end, however, she conceded
to eating some specially made scrambled eggs, and lo and behold, her stomach
was silenced, and she seemed altogether happier. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This happened occasionally, and she was
always refusing food for quite some time, until she finally gave in and ate
something (usually a very tasty morsel). Then her stomach seemed to settle and
she’d eat a whole meal. I asked my veterinarian for advice and he called it
“excessive borborygmus” (excessive stomach noises) and suggested it may be
caused by bile entering her stomach when her stomach is empty for a long time,
such as over night. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">He suggested I give Cassie a small portion
of wet food later in the evening. I have been doing this, and although it
doesn’t always work, it does seem that she is more likely to have a morning
bout if she hasn’t had anything to eat since early evening. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The problem is that she will refuse food,
and since she is clearly uncomfortable and I know that if she eats it will
immediately get better, I pander to her and offer her ever-tastier morsels. She
has cottoned on to this and is obviously milking the situation, and also trying
to refuse food when her stomach is perfectly all-right, to see if she can get
me to get the ham or bacon out! Eddie has observed her and is now also sometime
begging for treats at mealtime. It is a tricky situation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In any case Cassie is not a big eater – she
seems to have a small stomach that does better on several smaller meals than a
couple of big ones. So we’ve had to change meal-time routines a bit in the
house. Breakfast is a smaller meal, as they both seem less interested in food
at this time of day. Usually they get some dog biscuit in goat’s milk or a
little wet food. Then they have a bigger early lunch, consisting of half dog
biscuit and half wet food. In the evening they have their second big meal,
biscuit topped with meat, often raw mince, and some grated or cooked
vegetables. If they don’t finish it they get a second chance later, but I don’t
leave the bowls down, once they have walked away from them. If they finish,
Cassie still gets a few spoonfuls of wet food later in the evening. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I also give them a spoonful of cod-liver
oil and some dried sea-weed in their evening meal – for coat, joints and
digestive system. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ivHOoJC4w7xOXrYsvHamp2SZJazHWs9vy_LC7XvcLKjtOyE03pK86QsbIQmICzprJHDj8zT-aTLDBCpo5v0qpnYXk2Fi4cMMPN91WirVCidc25r_EU84rlTdZGKpJOIW60T3dTZIqxk/s1600/oil+and+weed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ivHOoJC4w7xOXrYsvHamp2SZJazHWs9vy_LC7XvcLKjtOyE03pK86QsbIQmICzprJHDj8zT-aTLDBCpo5v0qpnYXk2Fi4cMMPN91WirVCidc25r_EU84rlTdZGKpJOIW60T3dTZIqxk/s200/oil+and+weed.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I have mentioned what biscuit I prefer
above, here are some wet food products I have found very good. It is actually
hard to get raw or natural, additive free and non-chicken-based products in the
UK, but I have discovered that the company <a href="http://www.zooplus.co.uk/">Zooplus</a>, based in Germany, sell a
wide range of excellent products, at reasonable prices and deliver for free in
the UK (over a certain minimum order amount). They have affiliated websites in
a range of European countries.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Rocco Classic is an inexpensive, additive
free range of beef-based tinned meats. Apart from pure beef it comes in a range
of flavours, all with 70% beef + 30% other pure meats, innards or fish. A
godsend for chicken-intolerant dogs. </span>I have recently discovered Animonda GranCarno a range of tins with interesting flavour combinations (Rabbit and herbs! Eel and potato! Salmon and spinach!) that my dogs are very keen on. Again good quality meat, no additives and not all bulked out with cheap chicken meat!<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X2jIgW-LX0S9nUV0F07otxKbw8_Y8TiTKGZ2fN7VLr3c2q6RQ8wHXI3tLq_837z3FS7YL1_5K3DfqqJOLSVnlp2EM_xgqE2LH5B5KmbxpD6m5Qs9WRSjE2xHzn8VHQZm3rcphSHw1zM/s1600/Rocco.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7X2jIgW-LX0S9nUV0F07otxKbw8_Y8TiTKGZ2fN7VLr3c2q6RQ8wHXI3tLq_837z3FS7YL1_5K3DfqqJOLSVnlp2EM_xgqE2LH5B5KmbxpD6m5Qs9WRSjE2xHzn8VHQZm3rcphSHw1zM/s200/Rocco.png" width="151" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2eePiwH3-6u2Qfpe96j2p4txQo_KZBp6Ex-uGxE465mipLEW8pYKxUmTVPe4ZEmj-RBl0LICLL0R612Y1BKbFIWJZ1WErqiHIHhdNtKm-r7ZDoxXSb40WtkJZvU0NhvCeCxCL7wQQHo/s1600/Animonda.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2eePiwH3-6u2Qfpe96j2p4txQo_KZBp6Ex-uGxE465mipLEW8pYKxUmTVPe4ZEmj-RBl0LICLL0R612Y1BKbFIWJZ1WErqiHIHhdNtKm-r7ZDoxXSb40WtkJZvU0NhvCeCxCL7wQQHo/s200/Animonda.png" width="198" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
Naturediet is a British complete natural
dog food and is available in UK pet shops, but is fairly expensive. Additive
free and easy on the digestive system, the lamb and fish flavours do not
contain chicken.<br />
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5y3V2i6dvdb5PYEFPNfVUlSLRu6u7tbuWABlMzKHMubt-EpPgioO0os-lYYepwOdbgfJg2tu_Es2e-u45KEWinPofbcd0PsmxcSHGoYloeqyLKHGjYl_DQv4FxtsPqPGMe6oetu_gGc/s1600/Nature+Diet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5y3V2i6dvdb5PYEFPNfVUlSLRu6u7tbuWABlMzKHMubt-EpPgioO0os-lYYepwOdbgfJg2tu_Es2e-u45KEWinPofbcd0PsmxcSHGoYloeqyLKHGjYl_DQv4FxtsPqPGMe6oetu_gGc/s200/Nature+Diet.png" width="160" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIw-C__8nEC3iRGMBr-WOXt4oMSMU48j6vg6YjyjxdaAqQ605hXKBrM8UMnG2lL04YtPQqAshdNDcEynatcewtIOlej3dOTE6L_liJ9KsAP-XEET24BwbiWkW-S2o6zmSHvqLMxBDo8Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-09-09+at+18.08.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeIw-C__8nEC3iRGMBr-WOXt4oMSMU48j6vg6YjyjxdaAqQ605hXKBrM8UMnG2lL04YtPQqAshdNDcEynatcewtIOlej3dOTE6L_liJ9KsAP-XEET24BwbiWkW-S2o6zmSHvqLMxBDo8Q/s200/Screen+shot+2011-09-09+at+18.08.58.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
Prize Choice are the most widely available frozen raw meat products on the UK market. They do minces in various sizes and meat chunks, all at a good price. Tripe and beef free-flow minces are the standard around here, with the occasional beef chunks thrown in. Just good, natural and pure meat!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The same people are behind Natures:menu,
which I haven’t tried extensively but want to experiment with. Keep tuned for
results! Also keep an eye out for a post on treats: bones, healthy chews and
making your own…</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><br />
* * *<br />
<br />
<img height="156" src="webkit-fake-url://6563ED1C-3175-4D0D-9B1A-51DD15DB7C95/image.tiff" width="200" /><br />
<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #474747; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">We're Blog Hopping again this Saturday!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #474747; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Thank you to the blog hop hosts <a href="http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/" style="color: #b80053; text-decoration: none;">Life With Dogs</a>, <a href="http://www.twolittlecavaliers.com/" style="color: #b80053; text-decoration: none;">Two Little Cavaliers</a> and <a href="http://blog.nipandbones.com/" style="color: #b80053; text-decoration: none;">Confessions of the Plume</a>. If you'd like to participate, please follow the <a href="http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2010/05/for-the-bloggers-the-saturday-pet-blog-hop/" style="color: #b80053; text-decoration: none;">rules</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #474747;"> and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code.</span></span></div>
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<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=106594" type="text/javascript">
</script>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05208184333942955225noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-83947801431922627902011-09-03T14:17:00.000+01:002011-09-03T14:53:42.534+01:00Companions in Killing – Diana and ActaeonIn my academic work I have been thinking
about violence and what it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">means</i> – I
am interested in trying to figure out why violence happens by looking at it as
a form of expression. “There is no such thing as meaningless violence”, is my
tag-line for this project. People that commit violent acts do it to
communicate, often when other forms of communication have broken down; they
express their superiority, strength and perceived right, but also their fear,
desperation and hopelessness.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">At the same time I have been thinking about
animals and humans, and how our relationship to our companion species
illuminates our differences and similarities. In particular, of course, I have
been thinking about dogs, and how humans and dogs appear to have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">co-evolved</i> as species, neither of which
would be the same without its long history of living with the other. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The ancient myth of Diana (or Artemis in
the Greek version) and Actaeon is situated smack bang in the middle of these
two trains of thought: violence and expression, human and animal. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWMFWIj-etpY72hcXAYfYrkP4_TFAyA8ODJ3vjtycVC8uPpd-op_PdvVGQ-XyFn_dKMjDgSxKmnctp1QuxdaXBzovTN3P3WW1-EW4Vhbs3cr_nucMFElhfF7aROpJbTxiki2Q8AXpoMs/s1600/Artemis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWMFWIj-etpY72hcXAYfYrkP4_TFAyA8ODJ3vjtycVC8uPpd-op_PdvVGQ-XyFn_dKMjDgSxKmnctp1QuxdaXBzovTN3P3WW1-EW4Vhbs3cr_nucMFElhfF7aROpJbTxiki2Q8AXpoMs/s1600/Artemis.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Diana (Greek: Artemis)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Around the birth of Christ, Roman poet Ovid set down in his collection of myths, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metamorphoses, </i></span>the by then already old story. It begins on a
beautiful evening, when both Actaeon, a nobleman from Thebes, and Diana,
goddess of the hunt, the moon and wild animals, have been out hunting with
their separate parties. It is late and hot and both decide to call
it a day.</div>
<blockquote>
<span lang="EN-US">“</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">In a fair chace a shady mountain stood,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Well stor'd with game, and mark'd with
trails of blood;<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Here did the huntsmen, 'till the heat of
day,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Pursue the stag, and load themselves with
rey:<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">When thus Actaeon calling to the rest:<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">"My friends," said he, "our
sport is at the best,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">The sun is high advanc'd, and downward
sheds<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">His burning beams directly on our heads;<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Then by consent abstain from further
spoils,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Call off the dogs, and gather up the toils,<br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">And ere to-morrow's sun begins his race,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Take the cool morning to renew the
chace."<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">They all consent, and in a chearful train<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">The jolly huntsmen, loaden with the slain,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Return in triumph from the sultry plain.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Down in a vale with pine and cypress clad,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Refresh'd with gentle winds, and brown with
shade,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">The chaste Diana's private haunt, there
stood<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Full in the centre of the darksome wood<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">A spacious grotto, all around o'er-grown<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">With hoary moss, and arch'd with
pumice-stone.<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">From out its rocky clefts the waters flow,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">And trickling swell into a lake below.<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Nature had ev'ry where so plaid her part,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">That ev'ry where she seem'd to vie with
art.<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;">Here the bright Goddess, toil'd and chaf'd
with heat,<br /> </span><span lang="EN-US"><i>Was wont to bathe her in the cool retreat.</i>”</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(from Ovid, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metamorphoses</i>, Book the Third, trans. by Sir Samuel Garth, John
Dryden, et al, 1717)</span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As it happens, Actaeon stumbles on Diana as
she is bathing naked. Having left her trusted bow on the bank, the incensed
goddess throws a handful of water on Actaeon, proclaiming: "Now tell you saw me here naked without my clothes, if you can tell at all!".</span> </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlCgYmUBhCnFOS_DLqYoMwiXyWTaawP0OAQ0BiEmyxudUbQ_8pIvA4lTBeURyshfMjM2-Gf5krHnEscwIZAI-0oadOXXoheUXjvFxHM2YnkFJEL88GdgAF716Kq_jYzyG3jXRECy_TB4/s1600/Actaeon+transformed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlCgYmUBhCnFOS_DLqYoMwiXyWTaawP0OAQ0BiEmyxudUbQ_8pIvA4lTBeURyshfMjM2-Gf5krHnEscwIZAI-0oadOXXoheUXjvFxHM2YnkFJEL88GdgAF716Kq_jYzyG3jXRECy_TB4/s320/Actaeon+transformed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">“</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><i>This said, the man begun to disappear<br /> </i></span><span lang="EN-US"><i>By slow degrees, and ended in a deer.</i>”</span> </span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Diana’s revenge lies not so much in turning
Actaeon into a stag, however, as in making him mute. The bold hunter becomes
the voiceless prey. Stunned, Actaeon doesn’t know where to turn, his castle or
the woods, and as he hesitates his hounds catch sight of him:</div>
<blockquote>
<span lang="EN-US">“<i>First ‘</i>Black-foot<i>’, Melampus, and
keen-scented Ichnobates, ‘</i>Tracker<i>’, signal him with baying, Ichnobates out of
Crete, Melampus, Sparta. Then others rush at him swift as the wind, ‘</i>Greedy<i>’,
Pamphagus, Dorceus, ‘</i>Gazelle<i>’, Oribasos, ‘</i>Mountaineer<i>’, all out of Arcady:
powerful ‘</i>Deerslayer<i>’, Nebrophonos, savage Theron, ‘</i>Whirlwind<i>’, and Laelape,
‘</i>Hunter<i>’.</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span lang="EN-US"><i>Then swift-footed Pterelas, ‘</i>Wings<i>’, and
trail-scenting Agre, ‘</i>Chaser<i>’, fierce Hylaeus, ‘</i>Woody<i>’, lately gored by a boar,
the wolf-born Nape, ‘</i>Valley<i>’, Poemenis, the trusty ‘</i>Shepherd<i>’, and Harpyia,
‘</i>Snatcher<i>’, with her two pups. There is thin-flanked Sicyonian Ladon,
‘</i>Catcher<i>’, Dromas, ‘</i>Runner<i>’, ‘</i>Grinder<i>’, Canache, Sticte ‘</i>Spot<i>’, Tigris
‘</i>Tigress<i>’, Alce, ‘</i>Strong<i>’, and white-haired Leucon, ‘</i>Whitey<i>’, and black-haired
Asbolus, ‘</i>Soot<i>’.</i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-style: italic;"><o:p> </o:p></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span lang="EN-US"><i>Lacon, ‘</i>Spartan<i>’, follows them, a dog well
known for his strength, and strong-running Aëllo, ‘</i>Storm<i>’. Then Thoos, ‘</i>Swift<i>’,
and speedy Lycisce, ‘</i>Wolf<i>’, with her brother Cyprius ‘</i>Cyprian<i>’. Next ‘</i>Grasper<i>’,
Harpalos, with a distinguishing mark of white, in the centre of his black
forehead, ‘</i>Black<i>’, Melaneus, and Lachne, ‘</i>Shaggy<i>’, with hairy pelt, Labros,
‘</i>Fury<i>’, and Argiodus, ‘</i>White-tooth<i>’, born of a Cretan sire and Spartan dam,
keen-voiced Hylactor, ‘</i>Barker<i>’…</i>”</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(from Ovid, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metamorphoses</i>, Bk III:206-231, trans. by A.D. Kline, 2000)</span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The fact that Ovid spends quite some time
naming and describing Actaeon’s dogs, reminds us of the close bond between us
and our companion species. It also reminds us that this bond is forged in
language, in the names we choose to give the animals we share our lives with. Terrified
Actaeon flees over the mountain, pursued by his own pack. He tries to shout: "<i>Actaeon
ego sum: dominum cognoscite vestrum!</i>" - ‘I am Actaeon! Know your own master!’,
but nothing but noises are heard. Actaeon has lost his voice and his name. The
dogs soon catch up and pounce on him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4HiE88bB7ybK5lpIVWnIcWV_8yqDKdhix12Wkc-VO_xMyGdmjI2M3nj75m7ha8gu6_Ns9pUTU-W316J5j7OTPG4FkVOI3BXmZ5k5cdF_ODNBVd7ynjRZ-3OnsiyD5Ny2gK9YjmlG1HI/s1600/Actaeon+ego+sum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4HiE88bB7ybK5lpIVWnIcWV_8yqDKdhix12Wkc-VO_xMyGdmjI2M3nj75m7ha8gu6_Ns9pUTU-W316J5j7OTPG4FkVOI3BXmZ5k5cdF_ODNBVd7ynjRZ-3OnsiyD5Ny2gK9YjmlG1HI/s1600/Actaeon+ego+sum.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Actaeon ego sum!"</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote>
<span lang="EN-US">“<i>First ‘</i>Black-hair<i>’, Melanchaetes, wounds
his back, then ‘</i>Killer<i>’, Theridamas, and Oresitrophos, the ‘</i>Climber<i>’, clings to
his shoulder. They had set out late but outflanked the route by a shortcut over
the mountains. While they hold their master the whole pack gathers and they sink
their teeth in his body till there is no place left to wound him. He groans and
makes a noise, not human, but still not one a deer could make, and fills
familiar heights with mournful cries. And on his knees, like a suppliant
begging, he turns his wordless head from side to side, as if he were stretching
arms out towards them…</i></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span lang="EN-US"><i>They surround him on every side, sinking
their jaws into his flesh, tearing their master to pieces in the deceptive
shape of the deer. They say Diana the Quiver-bearer’s anger was not appeased,
until his life had ended in innumerable wounds.</i>”</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">(from Ovid, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Metamorphoses</i>, Bk III: 232-252, trans. by A.D. Kline, 2000)</span></span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Actaeon dies wordless, the violence
inflicted upon him speaks volumes of Diana’s rage, and about our relationship
with dogs. In the presence of cuddly puppies and cute toy dogs, it is easy to
forget that at the centre of our cross-species evolutionary connection with
dogs lies violence. Dogs and humans have thrown their lot in with each other
for two mutually beneficial reasons: hunting and protection. Both activities
imply violent acts, as is illustrated by the myth of Diana and Actaeon. It is
by killing, that the hounds aid Actaeon in is hunt, and Diana in the protection
of her honour. We are companions in killing.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCmAbOJofhzdlSI5KfJZEaRuIkHxy-BqDOk9KAJ7qQIbtNR1FqEnLSaXZn0Vh3JHa0QPzq3kEcb-rPih_H4oWspc3u8nKN7iw1bqd08Okyl9ajJPLJV8V4w8qWgTHLvRllejhPE_MdFI/s1600/ActaeonTempesta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHCmAbOJofhzdlSI5KfJZEaRuIkHxy-BqDOk9KAJ7qQIbtNR1FqEnLSaXZn0Vh3JHa0QPzq3kEcb-rPih_H4oWspc3u8nKN7iw1bqd08Okyl9ajJPLJV8V4w8qWgTHLvRllejhPE_MdFI/s1600/ActaeonTempesta.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Actaeon torn asunder by his own dogs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
From a behavioural perspective we need to
keep this in mind. All dogs are instinctive hunters and protectors, to some
degree, whether they are of a “dangerous” breed or not. A number of problem behaviours
stem from a domestic dog’s lack of an outlet for these instincts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">However, what also unites us as species,
apart from violence, is the ability to communicate, by verbal and non-verbal
means. Yet, violence and language also separate us: if dogs bring us
prey and protection, we bring them our capacity for naming. Linked with our
capacity for verbal language, which dogs lack, is the ability to categorise and
organize the world around us. As I have mentioned before, research indicates
that over the time that dogs and humans have spent together, the brains of both
have shrunk. Humans have ended up with less acute senses, in particular smell,
and dogs with less capacity to organize and plan – instead we are sharing these
tasks between our species. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It falls to us then, to figure out when
hunting and protecting is necessary and when it is not, and exactly what is to
be hunted and who is to be protected from whom. In naming our dogs, we take on
the responsibility to name the world for them, too. Games, training and
activities can satisfy our dogs’ instincts to hunt and protect, but it is up to
us to tell them how. The key, of course, is communication. As always I come back
to this, even in reading an ancient myth: its good, nay necessary, to talk
(albeit not always using words) to your dogs. If we don’t have a voice, our
dogs, like those of Actaeon, will not recognize us.</span></div>
E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05208184333942955225noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-56279183542759225132011-08-27T14:43:00.000+01:002011-08-28T09:20:00.311+01:00Routine<div style="text-align: left;">Dogs love routine. In addition, ex-racing greyhounds have known little but a strict kennel routine. It is quite amazing how quiet the kennel goes after the morning feed and after the evening turn-out. The dogs know that this a time where nothing interesting will happen, and there is no point in expending energy on whining, barking and jumping about.</div><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645535232674893090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3APjGMCgufefFtmS2V-T2ptdSj3BKF3u4Sb60WVdBZ9qF004BmLq9Fc46HPSlv-Z-Zd_HzBM8CjBjHpotuSdAKiiaGae3muLzEiOP8Rre3gjC-0OFVA-YzGgt6qwKouzm7EkzQSXC6M/s320/photo+2.JPG" style="display: block; height: 239px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast time!</td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color:#0000ee;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">These activities are liberally indulged in before breakfast and particularly vigorously when strangers appear, for they may take the dogs for a walk! Indeed, staff can walk up and down the row of kennels with little more than sporadic outbreaks of n</span>oise after breakfast, but introduce a stranger and the calm is instantly broken. It is pretty clear that these dogs, contrary to what it appear as to the casual visitor, don’t bark and jump about aimlessly. They do it according to schedule, when something nice is coming such as food or a run in the field, or at an interruption in the routine.</div><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645535482401949442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUQRS9DERM44oO6aC-syrEzmR-NxS8vR6T87CCN54f3wsfUqxeZuHB8BShGdEm2i0JdfGQ4MKUa3jVQeJZ83LhXwGfBTQJ8oEnxXeDm8eqMOZhshp_nG2P3XbiZohtW7G8ZmckHwIDdQ/s320/photo+3.jpg" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 239px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time for a post-breakfast nap.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color:#0000ee;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">These two triggers of noisy behaviour in kennel dogs are useful to note. They indicate how canine behaviour can be steered by routines and the break of routines. Knowing this means we can use routine to encourage desired behaviour and discourage disruptive or destructive behaviour.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color:#0000ee;"></span>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">Although important to all dogs, establishing a routine is going to be very helpful for an adopted greyhound settling into a new home. Keeping walking and feeding time, as well as quiet resting time, regular will help the dog relax, by allowing him or her to understand when it is ok to let their guard down, as nothing interesting is likely to happen.</div><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Getting these timings right can also help with separation anxiety. Dogs are naturally inclined to rest after a walk and food (given after a suitable interval depending on prior exertion). If you have to leave your dog at home alone, plan your daily routine so that they are walked and fed before you go. Quite obviously a dog that doesn’t need to go to the toilet or isn’t hungry will be more likely to stay calm when alone. But it also means your dog can allow him or herself to be less alert, safe in the knowledge that this is now quiet time.</div><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It doesn’t take long for an adopted dog to get used to a routine as long as it is consistent, and interruptions avoided for the first few weeks. However, always expect that any break in your dog’s routine, even after it is settled, is likely to lead to excitement at best and anxiety at worst. Being prepared and planning ahead is the best way of dealing with this.</div><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Our lives don’t always lend themselves to rigid routine, and there will always be occasions when we for some reason have to break them. This does not have to be a big problem, because dogs don’t see daily routines as a whole. Rather they react to events that foretell the next step in their schedule. You may have noticed how your dogs will jump up ready for a walk even before you have got up off your chair. They are reading tiny little cues such as that “I’m finishing off this email”-sigh, or the way you say “Right!” to yourself when you’re about to see to the dogs. Eddie always jumps up when I close my laptop lid – this usually means he will get to go for a walk or get fed.</div><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div><div><div class="MsoNormal">These cues incite our dogs to pester us for food and walkies, but we can also use them to encourage calm. It is about keeping the routine, but in bite-size, mobile chunks. If I have to leave Eddie and Cassie alone for any period of time I always walk and feed them first – even if it may only be a short walk and snack – whatever the time of day. This signals to them that it is time to rest; like the dogs in the kennels, they know that nothing particularly exciting is likely to happen now, and they can rest without remaining alert. I have also noticed how they react to cues in a similar way on car journeys. If the car reaches a certain speed and steady pace, they lie down quietly – nothing is happening, we’re on our way. As soon as I slow down, and start turning, however, their heads pop up – are we there yet?</div><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645533604817392098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF9_vP4msl1eQQdtdAVfkxb2zz8XXIzoMwPl2piFIsdsVEyRj4nMbl3GJ8gESiKkPSUNjVXbMM-N1IXpA6xIQEfTLiPHT3l0Bp6vVav8skbAuPLBEN8qHyWOjAKCMRDykTUPgUqVw9EC0/s320/carpeek.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are we there yet?</td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color:#0000ee;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">With a bit of thinking and creativity we can reproduce cues from our dog’s daily routines to modify behaviour effectively at other times. For example, having a bed-time routine can be very useful when staying away with your dogs. Ours is the dogs being let out for a pee, and then going to their bed, and getting a final good-night cuddle. Repeating this makes them feel safe and calm for the night wherever we are.</div><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645532290980252354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXTdLfrZyZuXZUtdjjfSwtWj2f9RcNp5TBQcbl9Rz5EEZYdnkhSBZsC54BrrD7qtaPZUvAKZJwZz_i-ESb3Xx8CdGufLl4JuhqKAfS6WV9MMAyR4jOgp8yDuNvotXrK0O5wVBt1XJTI8/s320/IMG_0255.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Settling down in a new hotel room.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<br /><div></div><div class="MsoNormal">We can also make commands such cues – “go back to bed” means “there is nothing to see here, calm yourselves down and stay quiet” in our household. Indeed, all commands work best if the become routine for the dog – I have talked elsewhere about having found that conditioning with positive reinforcement being the most effective way to train recall. Making commands routine means, of course, using them regularly, indeed, every day. Again I find an argument for the fact that training dogs is not something you ever finish, but an ongoing way of being with your dog. </div><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">* * * </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 21px;font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:15px;color:#474747;">
<br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 21px;font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:15px;color:#474747;">We're Blog Hopping again this Saturday!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 21px;font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:15px;color:#474747;">Thank you to the blog hop hosts <a href="http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/" style="color: #b80053; text-decoration: none;">Life With Dogs</a>, <a href="http://www.twolittlecavaliers.com/" style="color: #b80053; text-decoration: none;">Two Little Cavaliers</a> and<a href="http://blog.nipandbones.com/" style="color: #b80053; text-decoration: none;">Confessions of the Plume</a>. If you'd like to participate, please follow the <a href="http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2010/05/for-the-bloggers-the-saturday-pet-blog-hop/" style="color: #b80053; text-decoration: none;">rules</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 21px;font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#474747;"> and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 21px;font-family:Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif;font-size:15px;"> <a href="http://ow.ly/1LLrE/" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s263/LNeilB2/Dogs%20general/petbloggerhoppinkcopysmall.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976562) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-left-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976562) 1px 1px 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative;" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div></div><script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=104345" type="text/javascript"></script>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05208184333942955225noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-61649057825402883922011-08-23T13:46:00.000+01:002011-08-27T08:45:48.856+01:00Talking to Dogs II: They Know When You're Lying <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In the previous <a href="http://whatdogsdo.blogspot.com/2011/07/talking-to-dogs.html">Talking to Dogs</a> post, my argument was that it is never wrong to talk to your dog, quite the opposite. We humans have to verbalize our intentions to make them clear, so explaining to your dog that everything is all right and you’ll be back soon, will, although they won’t understand the words, probably soothe and reassure them. As you are saying the words, you make the feeling clear to yourself, and dogs feel that. As long as you are telling the truth.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">By the same token, if you tell your dogs something you don’t fully mean, they will pick up on it. They’re not listening to your words, but to your feelings. Oliver Sacks in his famous <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=uB5XrZnnL2YC&printsec=frontcover&dq=oliver+sacks&hl=en&ei=saFTTs6ZMZGJhQeu1fCUBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false">The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat</a></i> points out the similarity between dogs and people with aphasia. Aphasiacs have, usually through brain damage, lost their ability to recognize language. That is, the pure, verbal system of words. Many aphasiacs nevertheless understand most of what is being said to them, because they are still able to read the non-verbal parts of human speech. And these parts are considerable. Sacks writes:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>“<i>Thus the feeling I sometimes have - which all of us who work closely with aphasiacs have - that one cannot lie to an aphasiac. He cannot grasp your words, and so cannot be deceived by them; but what he grasps he grasps with infallible precision, namely the expression that goes with the words, that total, spontaneous, involuntary expressiveness which can never be simulated or faked, as words alone can, all too easily...</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>We recognise this with dogs, and often use them for this purpose - to pick up falsehood, or malice, or equivocal intentions, to tell us who can be trusted, who is integral, who makes sense, when we - so susceptible to words - cannot trust our own instincts.</i>”</p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Indeed, as I argued before, us humans are so susceptible to words that they are necessary to our process of thinking and understanding. We swallow lies because we are seduced by words, unless we deliberately pay attention to non-verbal cues, which is very hard to do. Sometimes we can even make ourselves believe lies, our’s and other’s, by repeating them enough. If you say something enough times it becomes the truth, just have a look at politics and media.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">However, if you say something to our dogs that we don’t believe, they won’t believe you either. Dogs are not listening to your words, but reading your intentions. This is something that is worth remembering when training dogs or trying to modify their behaviour.</span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I am having real difficulties stopping Eddie from barking at, and trying to chase cats. I tell him off, sharply, every time he does it. My admonitions have limited effect, though, both in the heat of the moment, and long term. He won’t let those cats alone. Yes, he is a greyhound and his chasing instinct is strong, so it is a difficult task, but there is, I think something more going on here. I have had to admit to myself, that I actually quite like his behaviour towards cats.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">There is something in my view of dogs that naturally includes the idea that they chase cats. This, to my mind, is what dogs do. I expect it has something to do with all those Tom & Jerry cartoons I watched as a child, my parents attitude to cats, and so on and so forth. Wherever it comes form, it is clearly some kind of deep-seated belief. I know rationally that it isn’t a good idea for Eddie to chase cats, but somehow I cannot make myself feel it, and I think that Eddie, however much I tell him off for barking at cats, can sense it. He simply knows that I don’t fully mean it. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I think this issue is evident in a lot of dog-owners who appear to be telling their dogs off for some anti-social behaviour, such as barking at visitors or showing aggression to other dogs, but with little effect. Deep inside, and I expect this goes back to our evolutionary history with dogs, we like our dogs defending our property and persons. Whether we think we are “that kind” of dog owner or not, a strong dog exhibiting good guarding or hunting instincts appears beneficial to our survival instinct. As Sacks says, we use our dogs to pick up falsehood or malice.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Equally, owners scalding their dogs for minor misdemeanors or mishaps often don’t really <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">really</i> mean it. We are often so deeply emotionally attached to our canine companions that a little chewing or peeing on the carpet is by the by. And they know it. Our dogs need us, but we, maybe even more, also need them, and this makes correcting undesired behaviour difficult. How can you persuade a creature which can read your feelings like an open book, that you are really quite cross, when you – and they – know this will all be forgotten and forgiven in five minutes time.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Sometimes the problem lies not just in the fact that we don’t mean what we say. I find my dogs are a lot less attentive to my commands when I am distracted, tired or feeling low or insecure. They sense when the intention behind my words is less determined than usual and quickly take advantage of it. Communicating with and training dogs takes a lot of energy, precisely because it is not simply about saying the words. One also needs to project the intentions behind the words clearly and strongly. If you’d rather be a at home with a cup of tea than in a field with your dog, they'll know it.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">There are two potential solutions to this problem. We can work on convincing ourselves – and I do think that changing our attitudes often plays a great part in successful modification of problem behaviour in dogs. The old platitude that it is the humans that have to be trained, rather than the dog, means precisely this: we have to change our feelings and beliefs in order for the dog to change a behaviour that responds to these feelings and beliefs. I want to talk a bit more about this elsewhere, but needless to say it is often easier said than done to change ingrained attitudes in ourselves. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Another way is to use appropriate training tools and techniques, which allow you to strengthen the message you want to give your dog. Treats as well as corrections external to your voice and body language work this way. For example, you are unlikely to make your dog feel fully rewarded by your voice only – pats and morsels of food are also needed. A bit of sausage never lies, even when you’re ready to give up and go home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">With Eddie and his cats, as I have said elsewhere, I have started using a spray collar. This type of corrective training tools should be used with caution, as they are not suitable for all dogs. However, with Eddie it allows me to support my “lie” that I want him to stop chasing that cat, in a very immediate and effective way. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Ultimately we have to do a bit of both: work on ourselves <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">and </i>the use the right tools and methods. Importantly, however, I think we need to be aware of our own lies. There is no use in pretending that I am terribly upset when Eddie barks at yet another cat. However, rationally I know I can’t allow him to do this at his leisure, so I know that I need to use other means than telling him no, half-heartedly. Dogs know when you’re lying, and they tell you when you are, sometimes when you don’t even know it yourself.</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05208184333942955225noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-24815432645868469992011-08-15T18:38:00.000+01:002011-08-15T18:59:44.445+01:00Wanted: Your Dog Rescue Story<div style="text-align: left;"><i><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><ul style="display: inline !important; "><li style="display: inline !important; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; "><i><blockquote>"His heart was racing and he was panting so fast I was worried he was going to have a heart attack. It was a hot June day and I was sitting at the back of the car trying to reassure Eddie, the ex-racing greyhound boy we had just picked up from the re-homing kennels. I had chosen him partly because when we took him for a walk he had made eye contact with me. Then, he seemed to be more communicative than most other greyhounds at the kennels. Now he seemed a million miles away.</blockquote></i></span></li></ul></i></span></i></div><blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><i>When we got home he wouldn’t lie down for hours. He’d pace the garden and the house, or just stand there panting. When he finally settled down, and I leaned down to stroke him, he immediately shot up again. The first night he spent hours pacing and whining before giving in to exhaustion. The things that we thought that Eddie, finally out of the kennel life, should rejoice in – space and attention – seemed to unsettle him most. </i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>On the other hand, he was so easy when it came to many of the things I had anticipated problems with. He walked on the leash like an angel, and he learned not to toilet in the house after only three accidents. He didn’t bark, chew, jump, lick or run about indoors. For someone used to having dogs from pup, Eddie seemed like a strange, distant creature. I thought I knew how to communicate with dogs, but this one was speaking a different language.</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>Although it mystified me then, I now realize that Eddie’s behavior was typical of rescue greyhounds. They are often extremely easy to handle, yet frustratingly aloof. Eddie would let me touch him and groom him without problems from day one, but seemed unsure and uncomfortable when I gave him pure pats and cuddles. He followed me around the house, but it took him over six months to be comfortable with someone sitting down next to his bed. If it is true that greyhounds make great pets, as the re-homing movement is keen to tell us, it is also true that adopting a greyhound comes with its own set of problems and frustrations.</i><i>"</i></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This is how <i>my</i> dog rescue story begins. Do you want to tell <i>yours</i>?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Bocci's Beefs Blog is looking for stories to include in a book on dog rescues. I have submitted my tale about the frustrations and joys of adopting retired racing greyhounds Eddie and Cassie. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Now, Bocci and Joan would love to hear from you. Click <a href="http://boccibeefs.blogspot.com/p/your-rescue-stories.html">here</a> to link to further details on how to submit your story:</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><i></i></span></p><blockquote></blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-style: normal; "><a href="http://boccibeefs.blogspot.com/p/your-rescue-stories.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQmyyyzjtbJoYHh0ZZo7Jq_CUIB25hngVgO49WiMO-RdVvSoMhb81kg_UvR4lj8mRijbfwWK5vIrKMiAtdLS_EDBqdUDrHABbb1cMTTrkvCg5ONLgh6_lBSIkWT73VYaqRy5l0znNhd8/s320/Bocci_header+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641141589698890370" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 120px; " /></a></span></i><div style="text-align: center;"><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p> <!--EndFragment--><p></p> <!--EndFragment--></div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05208184333942955225noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-3967505864656152702011-07-31T13:01:00.000+01:002011-07-31T13:02:54.652+01:00Talking to Dogs<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Quite rightly, people who “know” about animal behaviour warn against the danger of anthropomorphizing. If you treat your dog as a human being with human feelings and thoughts you will encounter problems sooner or later. However, this drive towards letting dogs be dogs, and avoiding communication with them in “human” ways forgets, I think, the important fact that dogs have evolved, or more rightly, <em>co</em>-evolved, as a companion species to us humans (something both <a href="http://whatdogsdo.blogspot.com/2011/07/reading-list-animals-in-translation.html">Temple Grandin</a> and <a href="http://whatdogsdo.blogspot.com/2011/06/reading-list-companion-species.html">Donna Haraway</a> consider in their books). It is commonly said that the domestic dog barks more than wolves ever do, precisely because it has evolved to communicate with humans in a way that is closer to our own primary way of communicating: language. </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course dogs ar</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">e essentially non-verbal; they don’t have language the same way we have. They do, however, have the ability to learn to associate certain sounds, words, with things and actions. We can easily teach them to “sit” and they quickly learn what “walkies” means. Studies have also shown that dog owners can often recognize differences in their dog’s bark: if it means danger, play or aggression. As I have considered before, dogs also use other sounds, such as <a href="http://whatdogsdo.blogspot.com/2011/06/whining.html">whining</a>, to communicate their needs to us. So dogs do avail themselves of sounds to communicate, but they don’t connect and combine these sounds into the complex system we call language. While we primarily use language to communicate to our dogs, it is doubtful whether dogs consider sounds as either their or indeed our primary means of communication between our two species. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To a certain extent the warning against anthropomorphizing when trying to communicate with your dog is an important one. You often hear people in the “know” about canine behaviour berating dog owners for talking to their dogs. We have all heard a story about this or that silly dog owner who, wagging their finger, tells their dog “Naughty boy, Fido. I have told you once, and I will tell you again, that you are not allowed to pee on the carpet. If you do it again you will have no dinner”, or some such. Indeed, Fido most probably does not understand that his owner is disappointed at repeating his prohibition, what this prohibition is about and the future threat regarding it. Yet, and surely all dog owners are guilty to some extent here, we persist in talking to our dogs as if they understood language as well as children, at least. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Indeed, language comes so naturally to us that we find pretty much impossible <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>to talk to our dogs, even when we doubt how much they understand. And you know what, I don’t thing talking to your dog is wrong at all. In fact, I would say, talking to your dog is essential to communicating with them. The reason is precisely because language is so natural and important to us humans. If dogs are non-verbal, most humans are hyper-verbal. Indeed, for most of us it is virtually impossible to formulate any thoughts without language. (Grandin’s thesis in her book is that autistic people think far less in language, and more in pictures than the “normal” human, and therefore think more like animals that most of us do.) What I am getting at is that we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">have </i>to talk to communicate, because we cannot think without language. We have to verbalise our intentions to make them clear, even to ourselves. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Poor Fido in the example above, while he does not understand specific prohibitions or threats, most probably has a “guilty” look on his face, “because he knows he’s been naughty”, according to the anthropomorphizing owner. Actually, of course, Fido is looking glum because he understands some of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">intention</i> behind his owner’s words, if not the particular details. He gets the disappointment, the anger and the threat, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is looking extra worried because he cannot work out what and why and when. That is what we need to remember to clarify to our dogs in ways other than language when we talk to them. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nevertheless, dogs do read our intentions very well. They know when we are angry or pleased, and other more complex things too, like when we want them to stay or come. Cesar Millan calls it “energy”, others explain it through body language. Whatever it is, us humans usually channel it through words. When I tell my dogs to stay, I consciously and unconsciously project my intention through my body and some sort of “vibes”. I raise my palm to them, and I am sure my body also assumes a certain posture. I expect that my dogs read my body and my mood as much as the word “stay” that I have just uttered. However, and this is the key for me, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I</i> need to say the word in order for my body to project that intention. I can probably replicate the stance, but to really feel that I want them to stay, I need to say or at least think the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> word</i>. This is why I think that talking to our dogs is important. We rely on language to form our thoughts and intentions.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I talk to my dogs all the time, and I am sure that our canine-human relationship benefits from it. I tell them when they are doing something right and when they are doing something wrong, of course. But I also tell them why they need to wait just a little bit longer for that walk they are really keen to go on. I am sure they don’t understand that I just need to finish paragraph I am writing, and it will be ten minutes, and then we’ll go, but I am pretty sure that they understand that they need to wait some time because my attention is needed elsewhere, as they go back to their beds with a sigh. They may have not understood the words and the specifics, but they have sure got my intention. And <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I </i>needed to verbalise that intention in order to communicate it to them successfully. Whatever you may think dogs are not mind-readers. They are very good readers of emotions and thoughts as they appear in our body language, and so much of our body language is mitigated through our – verbal – thoughts. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While we have to avoid excessive anthropomorphizing, we shouldn’t forget the human in the human-dog relationship, because, surely, if we forget our own nature we are likely to run into just as many problems as if we forget our dog’s nature. When living with and communicating with dog we have to heed their needs, of course. If Fido is to understand exactly what his owner wants from him, his owner needs to take care to supplement his verbal communication with practical, well-timed non-verbal pointers. However, we also need to understand ourselves and the way our own minds work, if we are successfully to communicate with anyone else at all, let alone our dogs. We need to talk to think, and our canine companions benefit from the kind clarity of intention that only verbalizing our thoughts can give us humans. If we don’t know what we want ourselves, how could we expect our dogs to know? </span></span></div><a href="http://petblogsunited.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w351/laurenjh04/Customs/featuredbutton.png" /></a><br />
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What Dogs Do are very pleased to be this week's <a href="http://petblogsunited.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-dogs-do-weekly-featured-blogger.html">featured blog </a>on <a href="http://petblogsunited.blogspot.com/">Pet Blogs United</a>! <br />
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Check out the <a href="http://petblogsunited.blogspot.com/">PBU blog</a> for more great pet blogs.E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-80115257255169404792011-07-15T08:12:00.000+01:002011-07-15T09:06:35.088+01:00Reading List - Animals in Translation<blockquote><i>“The Aboriginies have a saying: ‘Dogs make us human.’”</i></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This quote may sound like a romantic cliché, but it is meant in all scientific seriousness. This book by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin">Temple Grandin</a>, who has been called “The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow”, isn’t merely a collection of amusing anecdotes from Grandin’s fascinating life with autism and with animals. Each story convincingly illustrates her theory that people with autism think more like animals, than “normal” people do. Together these stories and ideas form a handbook of how to understand and deal with animal behaviour, that is not only convincing, but also very entertaining to read. When you get to the “Behaviour and Training Troubleshooting Guide” at the very end of the book, a remarkably thorough yet concise summary of the basics of ethology, you realize what a wealth of knowledge Grandin possesses and has just imparted in the most delightful way.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.grandin.com/inc/animals.in.translation.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwtkaASdA2gBPnZr05ZBcVTCxNTrJdqRvvzhNu5l2C-0eNitSr8VXUvOnA7xm2HBfuDW_xTrC2U69780SXp8J-mYlkBiv36GNFFiHBqrn5Smj3uH7RhypYVxzS18k0BzloqEdY6eT4tdie/s1600/Animals+in+Translation.jpg" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Some of my favourite bits:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“Unfortunately, when it comes to dealing with animals, all normal human beings are too abstractified, even the people who are hands-on. That’s because people aren’t just abstract in their thinking, they’re abstract in their seeing and hearing.</span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">”</span></i> </blockquote>Normal humans hold an abstract idea of the world, which results in <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“</span></i><i>inattentional blindness</i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">”</span></i><i> </i>- they see the world as the expect to see it, filtering out unimportant or unexpected detail.<br />
<blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“</span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">When an animal or an autistic person is seeing the real world instead of his idea of the real world it means he’s seeing </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">detail</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">. This is the single most important thing to know about the way animals perceive the world: animals see details people don’t see.”</span></i></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So much failure to understand and thus to modify animal behaviour comes from the fact that we just don’t see (or hear, or smell, or feel) what they are seeing. Consequently we have no, or even the wrong, idea of the motivation for the behaviour. Grandin’s argument that animals, like autistic people, are far more sensitive to details, such as changes in the environment, bright lights and stange noises, makes sense. Even just looking at the world from the same angle as my dogs, and keeping in mind that their sense of colour, contrast and perspective is different, makes it clear why, for example, those stairs in our house seem so scary to them – they don’t look like </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">steps</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">, that is, things that would support one’s feet, but as some strange slope, and as a precipice from above!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOuiKMopQH2z_ce_Bi0G6Avyr8aqVC_zvKaVdwy19OUw_nxxLiZQyeb9edggyp2LbCN4Mn9Ec_S9nhzAGW9zIahKKYiHaHnn-kHQll3WNnAHHVBlA839Jbtq9R0qLDUcG-5471b7Xyz43/s1600/stairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaOuiKMopQH2z_ce_Bi0G6Avyr8aqVC_zvKaVdwy19OUw_nxxLiZQyeb9edggyp2LbCN4Mn9Ec_S9nhzAGW9zIahKKYiHaHnn-kHQll3WNnAHHVBlA839Jbtq9R0qLDUcG-5471b7Xyz43/s1600/stairs.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Scary Stairs</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Grandin allows that animals do have feelings, which, although not the same, are connected to basic core emotions that humans also experience, such as rage, fear, social attachment and play. One of these core animal and human emotions, according to Grandin, is not easily described in only one word: curiosity/interest/anticipation. Recent research indicates that this emotion is seated in a part of the brain </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">separate</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> from the reward and pleasure centre:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“This part of the brain </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">starts</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> firing when the animal sees a sign that food might me nearby, but </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">stops</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> firing when the animal sees the actual food itself. The SEEKING [capitalised term coined by Jaak Panksepp] circuit fires during the search for food, not during the final locating or eating of the food. It’s the search that feels so good.</span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">”</span></i></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Very compelling stuff when you have two greyhounds that never catch anything but nevertheless throw themselves into the chase with abandon. Grandin draws parallels with human addictive behaviours, and I think one needs to bear this idea in mind when trying to deal with certain behaviours – removing the apparent “reward”, or even offering an alternative reward, will have little effect – it is the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">chase</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> that is the point here. And we can all identify with that. Indeed, curiosity and exploration bring much pleasure to us human as well as our animals. Expecting your dogs not to be curious or not engage in some form of exploratory and predatory behaviour is at best going to lead to disappointment and at worst to behavioural disasters. Providing a safe space for them to explore is imperative.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">There are also some interesting passages relating to the much discussed idea of dominance in Grandin’s book. Grandin clearly has no interest in joining either camp regarding canine behaviour and training, and she makes some very interesting points. On the one hand, she clearly states that dominance and hierarchy plays a central role in predator animals: </span></span><br />
<blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">All</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> animals who live in groups – and this is most animals – form dominance hierarchies. Animals are not democratic and there is always an alpha animal, and often a beta animal, too. […] Dog owners must establish themselves as the alpha, period. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This is the one rule you must not ignore.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">” </span></i></blockquote><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">However, establishing yourself as the alpha to your dog does not mean breaking it into submission for Grandin. She discourages the alpha roll, but encourages owners to make their dogs assume the sumbmissive roll </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">voluntarily</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> through play and training. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Indeed, playing with your dog does not mean giving up alpha status, argues Grandin. Higher ranking dogs play with lower ranking ones frequently, and themselves assume the submissive position at times. Play strengthens social bonds, and teaches correct social behaviour. A good example is the game of tug-of-war, often discouraged by trainers, on the basis that it inspires dominance in dogs. Grandin recounts a study into how the game affects behaviour:</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“The researchers had people either win or lose a series of tug-of-war games with retrievers, and then watched how the dogs behaved. The losers </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">were</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> more obedient after playing the game – but so where the winners. All the dogs were more obedient after playing tug-of-war with humans! And none of the dogs suddenly got more dominant […] One study doesn’t prove anything, but I think it is probably both safe and fun to play tug-of-war with your dog, and it might even be good for him. Just remember one thing: the study also found that the dogs who lost every time were a lot less interested in playing any more tug-of-war. Apparently a dog doesn’t like losing all the time any more than a person does.”</span></i></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In my experience dogs whose owners </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">engage positively</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> with them, whether by walkies or games or cuddles, are more likely to attentive and thus obedient. I have said it before: you have to give your dog a reason to want to be your friend, let alone to listen to your command. Not only are dogs social animals and need interaction, but humans and dogs have a special relationship as companion species. In fact, it appears that part of our evolutionary make-up is shaped by our interaction as species. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“Going over all the evidence, a group of Australian anthropologists believes that during all those years when early humans were associating with wolves </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">they learned to act and think like wolves.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> Wolves hunted in groups; humans didn’t. Wolves had loyal same-sex and nonkin friendships; humans probably didn’t, judging by the lack of same-sex and nonkin friendships in every other primate species today. (The main relationship for chimpanzees is parent-child). Wolves were highly territorial; humans probably weren’t – again judging by how nonterritorial all other primates are today.</span></i></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal"><blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">By the time these early people became truly modern, they had learned to do all these wolfie things. When you think about how different we are form other primates, we see how doglike we are.”</span></i></blockquote></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">This may sound like another romanticization of the dog-human relationship, but Grandin points to biological evidence of brain evolution. All domesticated animal species brains shrunk compared to their wild ancestors, most likely because many functions such as alertness for predators and searching for food were no longer necessary. Dog brains shrank too, compared to wolf ones</span></span>. However, so did human brains, just at the time when evidence of burial with dogs is seen, around 10,000 years ago. As Grandin says, what is interesting is which part of the brain shrank in dogs and people:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><blockquote><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">“In all of the domestic animals the </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">forebrain</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">, which holds the frontal lobes, and the </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">corpus callosum</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">, which is the connecting tissue between the two sides of the brain, shrank. But in humans it was the </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">midbrain</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">, which handles emotions and sensory data, and the </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">olfactory bulbs</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">, which handle smell, which got smaller […] Dog brains and human brains specialized: humans took over the planning and organizing tasks, and dogs took over the sensory tasks. Dogs and people coevolved and became even better partners, allies and friends.”</span></i></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4bX1b1o0C_ttaP4x7_pa2LO8WBPT1rKFViE2V7DsOjJtW-kenN8zPDm6ur0H1yLVhWRxvUxME0ZXSHZZy-fsw4sfzGpD_QA6vdZeRaGbFh1XlNmJyUOMuBY44UeNONCSgEo75bk4tHdI/s1600/Dog+man+burial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4bX1b1o0C_ttaP4x7_pa2LO8WBPT1rKFViE2V7DsOjJtW-kenN8zPDm6ur0H1yLVhWRxvUxME0ZXSHZZy-fsw4sfzGpD_QA6vdZeRaGbFh1XlNmJyUOMuBY44UeNONCSgEo75bk4tHdI/s1600/Dog+man+burial.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mesolithic Natufian (in present Israel)<br />
burial with puppy, ca. 10,000 BC.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span lang="EN-US">To my mind our companionship with dogs is crucial to remember. They are not toys, ornaments or status symbols, not there just for your company, for your entertainment, or for the kids. Like Donna Haraway suggests in her <i><a href="http://whatdogsdo.blogspot.com/2011/06/reading-list-companion-species.html">The Companion Species Manifesto</a></i>, which also puts forward the theory of canine-human co-evolution, we are in a relationship of “reciprocal possession” with dogs, and this relationship demands two-way respect. For a happy and harmonious relationship with our dogs we need not just to understand their behaviour but to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">interact</i> with them, as we both evolved to work and play – indeed live – together. If you’re not prepared to give them that, don’t get a dog.</span> </div></div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-43881541441470925632011-07-13T22:55:00.000+01:002011-07-13T22:55:46.469+01:00Sniffing BitsI am always surprised and a little saddened when I meet yet another dog-owner who tells their dogs off for sniffing other dogs' bits. “That’s disgusting, Fido. Stop it!”, seems to be a common reaction to one of the most important rituals of canine greeting. Not only is it entirely unnecessary to tell your dog to stop smelling other dogs' bottoms, but it’s also detrimental to their wellbeing and potentially to their behaviour.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Jean Donaldson in her excellent book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Culture Clash</i> sets up a scenario to make us imagine how life might be like for a pet dog in a human world: imagine humans were living with a superior species, whose language they did not understand and who set rules for human behaviour, often running counter to what humans felt was natural. One such rule forbids humans to smile at strangers, or shake hands with their friends. In fact, they are told off and even punished if they do so. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Although Donaldson over-eggs the pudding when it comes to the incomprehension between humans and dogs, I think she makes a valid an important point with this analogy about greetings. Both humans and dogs are highly social species, and greetings are central to social behaviour. Restricting the ability to greet both your own and other species (the problem of how to greet a dog correctly </span>- as a human - is going to have to be the subject of a whole different post), is likely to make any human or dog miserable.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Even more crucially, it is also likely to restrict and even deteriorate an individual’s ability to interact socially. I am convinced that the apparently silly, but surprisingly widespread, interdiction against sniffing bottoms and bits is part of the problem with anti-social dogs. Of course, a lot of other factors are also responsible, and there is to a certain extent an evil cycle at work, where people are wary of letting their dogs meet other dogs, let alone come close enough to sniff each other, due to the prevalence of badly socialized dogs. However, I feel that keeping dogs apart from one another, and preventing them from interacting in a natural way, is not going to improve things, quite the contrary. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Is it a wonder that dogs struggle with getting on if we are not allowing them to greet each other politely. A human smile and handshake signals good intentions and a willingness for peaceful interaction, and so do doggy greeting rituals, and sniffing and allowing oneself to be sniffed is a big part of those rituals. If smiles and handshakes were discouraged, even forbidden, how would you know who was friend or foe? Would you not be more likely to take a defensive, even an aggressive stance to all strangers?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">While I would always advise caution, although I wish I did not have to, when meeting and approaching strange dogs with your own, I would call for people not only to allow their canine companions to interact more, but also encourage them to engage in the full glory of canine greeting rituals, bits and all. </span></div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-77467126886720022952011-07-09T16:28:00.000+01:002011-07-09T16:29:57.644+01:00CorrectionThe topic of correction is one that I have spent quite some time thinking about, and I still am. I have much to learn, and would love to hear your thoughts and comments. What I am sure about is that the term <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">correction</i> is important in itself – as opposed to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">punishment</i>. Correction is about learning, and punishment is about justice. Dogs are not moral beings, and have no concept of right or wrong in the moral sense. They don’t feel guilt the way we do. Therefore punishing a dog is at best a waste of time, and at worst detrimental to the dog’s physical and mental health.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">While I am increasingly finding that behavioural changes are best achieved by conditioning through positive reinforcement, I am also pretty sure that appropriate and well-timed corrections are necessary and beneficial to the interaction with, and training of any dog. Like children, dogs do need boundaries for their own wellbeing and safety, and in order for life in a human-dog household to be a comfortable and happy one for all species involved. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A dog cannot be allowed to steal food, go to the toilet indoors, show aggression to family members, chew furniture, bark excessively or engage in other kind of dangerous, destructive or anti-social behaviour. Some consider the enforcement of these “house rules” as a matter of hierarchy and dominance, and I am still undecided on this theory, but I do know that it is a matter of pragmatics. If you allow your dog to get away with these behaviours you won’t be happy, and so your dog won’t be either. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Correcting these behaviour should not be a difficult or fraught experience, especially if you are starting from puppyhood. Usually a “no” said with a stern voice together with a determined posture, and if necessary a gentle but firm push away, or quick tug at the leash, should be enough. The actual word is not important, of course, and I think it is best to find one that comes naturally (for example, Cesar Millan uses that “tssst” sound because that is how his mother used to tell her children off). I usually go for a sharp “ah-ah”. Some repetition will inevitably be necessary, but after a while you will find that the “no” or “leave”, or whatever, is enough to stop the dog doing what he or she is doing. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Timing is crucial to good correction. The correction must come during or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">immediately</i> after the offending behaviour. If you miss this time-window, it is better <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>to correct, as you will end up confusing your dog and teaching them nothing at all. This is even more important if you find that you need to step up the intensity of the correction. While I have found that I can very effectively correct the vast majority of unwanted behaviour by the above method, some things need something more drastic, or indeed, something else altogether. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This is where I am still working by trial and error. A big lesson I have learned, though, is that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not all unwanted behaviour is best dealt with by correction</i>. In fact, I am now of the opinion that the first approach to changing behaviour should be trying to find a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">positive</i> reinforcement for an appropriate, alternative desirable behaviour. Working with what the dog wants to make it do what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> want, is simply the easiest way in most cases.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I have previously written about my <a href="http://whatdogsdo.blogspot.com/2011/01/feeding-time.html">feeding time</a> ritual, which I realized worked wonders to correct my dogs' begging behaviour. As my dogs have to lie down and wait before they get fed, every time, they tend to lie down when they want someone’s food – rather than sticking their noses in people’s faces. I think the principle is applicable to a range of behavioural issues, but it needs a little bit of lateral thinking to figure out how to harness the dog’s desires to modify their unwanted behaviours. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I also had quite some trouble getting Cassie to come back to me when called, and continuing corrections using a long lead seemed to have very limited effect. She was clearly aware when she wasn’t on the lead and I couldn’t get her. I then decided on an intense programme of conditioning – using toys and varied tasty treats, I called her back to me frequently in a range of situations, reinforcing the idea that coming back equals treat. (You can read more about my methods for recall training <a href="http://whatdogsdo.blogspot.com/2011/06/recall-part-i.html">here</a>). She is not 100% but I have seen an incredible improvement in her recall. Working with Cassie has definitely changed my opinion on the efficacy of correction for certain behaviours and certain dogs. Coming back is something you need your dog to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">want </i>to do, and Cassie seems simply more responsive to positive reinforcement. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In most circumstances Eddie has been much more receptive to correction, and learned our “house rules” very quickly. He also usually heeds my corrections at a distance. However, cats are a different story. Eddie is extremely aggressive to cats, barking and trying to chase and catch them if he can. My usual “ah-ah” has limited effect, as has a tug on the leash. I used a rattle-can, but he got quickly de-sensitized to it. Prodding him in the side has had certain effect, but for best results I have had to place myself right in front of him and stare him in the eyes while telling him off. This is quite hard to do when you have two dogs on the leash, which has meant that since I have got Cassie, his cat-aggression, which I felt I had under some control previously, has got progressively worse again. Cassie is not as excited by cats on her own, but she feeds of Eddie’s frenzy, in turn spurring him on. I have therefore recently tried the remote controlled spray collar with some very good early results. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I was reluctant to try it for a long time, as I had given it a go when I first got Eddie with almost no effect. I realize now that this was probably because he was just out of kennels, and I used it in the park where there were lots of squirrels about. At that stage, Eddie was just too excited and overwhelmed by all the stimuli around him. Now he is far more receptive to me in general, and I am hoping for a better result with the collar. On the few occasions I have used it this time, he has immediately stopped barking and straining for the cat, stepped back and looked at me. I am hoping that repetition will give me a longer-term effect, where the simple “ah-ah” suffices to deter him. I will report back on my progress. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So, I am still learning about correction, when and what works, and when it doesn’t. I would be very interested to hear your experiences, views and opinions on this topic. Please comment below or email whatdogsdoblog@gmail.com</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br />
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</script></div></div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-45009502171578329412011-06-25T17:16:00.000+01:002011-06-25T17:16:52.623+01:00WhiningA constantly whining dog can be terribly annoying and frustrating, but whining is a way for dogs to communicate their needs to us, and is not always a bad thing. How much and when a dog whines depends to some extent to their temperament, confidence and health, but to a very large part it is a behaviour that is learned. We are often unaware that we are actively teaching our dog to whine when we really don’t want them to. Often we try to stop whining, but end up encouraging it. On the other hand, if you have a dog that never ever whines, how do you know if they feel pain or worry, or if they need the toilet when you are sleeping at night?<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Eddie and Cassie are two very different characters when it comes to whining. Eddie is quite vocal and will voice his discontent, boredom or excitement through whining. He was also quite a whiner when dealing with the stresses of settling into our home. The first night he paced and whined for a long time before quieting down, out of exhaustion, no doubt. Although I have since realized that crating him may have made the transition from kennel to house easier for him, at the time my only strategy was to ignore him and let him get used to his new situation, which he did relatively quickly. After a week with us he was no longer whining in the evenings when we went to bed, leaving him downstairs. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">However, as soon as he heard us waking up, or even just our alarm going off, he started whining intensely with the excitement of having us back down and getting to go outside. He made quite some noise, making us stress and hurry downstairs to get him out and quiet. Not an ideal situation. Of course, we were immediately reinforcing his whining, as he was rewarded every morning by us coming downstairs after his performance. It was difficult not to, as we had to get up – we couldn’t stay in bed until he became quiet which would have taken quite some time, and he probably did need the toilet too. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I decided this had to be nipped in the bud. At a weekend, when we had some leeway with time in the morning, as soon as he started whining I went downstairs and told him very firmly, “no” and “go back to bed”. I had to physically push and herd him into bed, at first, but he very quickly understood my body language (determined stance, moving towards him). Once he was lying back in bed, I left to go back to mine. Of course, at fist, as soon as I turned to go back up, he followed me to the bottom of the stairs and resumed his whining. So I repeated my correction, coming down, saying “no, back to bed” and making him go. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">After a few repetitions he followed me to the stairs but did not whine. When he had been quiet only a few minutes I went downstairs, praised him profusely and took him outside. The next morning he was whining again, but less intensely. However, he got told to go back to bed again. This time he remained quiet very quickly. In fact, after the weekend, I only had to correct him a couple of times, and usually only by voice from the top of the stairs. Now he does not whine at all when he hears us get up, but waits patiently and quietly at the bottom of the stairs. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In fact, the “no, go back to bed” correction has proved very effective in several situations, but more on that elsewhere. I was, however, a little worried that discouraging Eddie from whining would stop him from telling me if something was really wrong, or if he needed to go out during the night. So when he did start to whine a little tentatively on a weekend when we weren’t awake, but the time was reasonable for us and him to wake up, I did get up and take him out. This way, I was hoping, I was rewarding him for telling us when he really needed to go.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">On the other hand, I didn’t want to encourage him to start waking us up, however gently, earlier and earlier. I have therefore tried to make a distinction between toileting needs and morning walkies. He gets to go for a little walk in the mornings once we’re out of bed, but if he whines earlier than we are ready, I go downstairs and open the door to the garden, so that he can go if he needs the toilet. Then I go back to bed. This seems to have worked very well to discourage him to whine for walkies too early, but has let him know that if he needs to toilet I will come and open the door. Indeed, the few times he has had a bad stomach in the night, he has let me know, and I have let him out, he’s done his thing and quickly gone back to bed, with a little tail wag on the way back as if to say “thanks”. My strategy seems to have worked. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Cassie was very different, however. When she came to us she didn’t whine at all. She slept through quietly from the first night. She was still in bed when Eddie was waiting at the bottom of the stairs in the morning. In fact, she was so quiet I was worried she wouldn’t tell me if she needed to go out, but just go. Thankfully she turned out to have a stronger stomach than Eddie and she is very regular in her toilet needs. We have had only one accident, and only pee. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Over time, however, Cassie has become more vocal. I think she is partly taking after Eddie and whining when she is really excited about a cat or a squirrel, and partly coming out of her shell more, and learning that communicating with us pays dividends, by getting our attention. The real test was a bad stomach at night, however. Usually she shows me that she wants to go out by pacing around the door, but quietly. The other night, however, I heard some whining, and I could tell it was her. Indeed she needed to go out and relieve herself. I gave her a lot of praise, to show her I was very pleased and proud that she had alerted me! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Although some thought and care has to be taken to encourage the right kind and discourage the wrong kind of whining, it is a behaviour that I don’t think should be suppressed entirely, at the same time as it should be managed. It is one of the ways that a dog can use to communicate its needs to us, and for a happy canine and human cohabitation, we have to listen to them sometimes too. </span></div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-79262306705990357832011-06-22T21:15:00.000+01:002011-06-22T22:18:03.567+01:00Wordless Wednesdays - The Fearsome Threesome<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yBaqDRei8tc7k9-P7DezL-XR6NMVgs9-q0bbh3L7DTLpx0XY6lBXUvhMGYDDx6-xNXsSIc1MhRVKBXTnysy5DE44bE0o_L_HAK108GkGLLGSm5_Dvd7gxdtjZDiJ-QwrP5JXrSxfXTrL/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yBaqDRei8tc7k9-P7DezL-XR6NMVgs9-q0bbh3L7DTLpx0XY6lBXUvhMGYDDx6-xNXsSIc1MhRVKBXTnysy5DE44bE0o_L_HAK108GkGLLGSm5_Dvd7gxdtjZDiJ-QwrP5JXrSxfXTrL/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_yBaqDRei8tc7k9-P7DezL-XR6NMVgs9-q0bbh3L7DTLpx0XY6lBXUvhMGYDDx6-xNXsSIc1MhRVKBXTnysy5DE44bE0o_L_HAK108GkGLLGSm5_Dvd7gxdtjZDiJ-QwrP5JXrSxfXTrL/s640/photo+1.JPG" width="550" /></a></div>Eddie, Cassie and their best friend Berty in Avery Hill Park, London.<br />
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</script>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com6Avery Hill Park, Eltham, Greater London SE9, UK51.448010653873695 0.07406806347660221951.441160153873696 0.065258063476602221 51.454861153873694 0.082878063476602218tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-30120829108919900292011-06-16T14:23:00.000+01:002011-06-21T19:28:59.065+01:00Reading List - The Companion Species Manifesto<blockquote><i>"There cannot be just one companion species; there have to be at least two to make one. It is in the syntax; it is in the flesh." </i></blockquote>A little diversion from the practicalities of dog training, a note on a short book by Donna Haraway, Professor in the History of Consciousness Department at University of California, Santa Cruz, called the <i><a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/C/bo3645022.html">The Companion Species Manifesto</a> </i>(Chicago: Prickly Paradigm Press, 2003). More thoughts in process than a call to action, this is an exploration of our relationship to canines in philosophical, historical and socio-cultural terms.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/C/bo3645022.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGQct9JfwmvUZTfHJ6fWrugRv4qDXK9su4vPFqqCHAGNxYSSyDGeuJIe5h-2JBmfU7Z97FualSO-q0s1si1LIeJq2qodQBa3tHzc8wWPHrCbuq00Jbtd1cD4WcGUs3jFqJM36vXqzE2NI/s1600/csmcover.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Some of my favourite bits:<br />
<blockquote><i>"... dogs are not about oneself. Indeed, that is the beauty of dogs. They are not a projection, nor the realization of an intention, nor the telos of anything. They are dogs; i.e., a species in obligatory, constitutive historical, protean relationship with human beings."</i></blockquote>Haraway tries to write, sometimes in the face of a complex reality that is hard to translate into prose, the myriad of connections, associations and relationships that make up every encounter with a <i>"significant other" </i>of another species. Her sometime failure to clearly articulate these encounters proves her point. We have to recognise that we will always fail to understand the other species, but also that this is what drives us to continue trying.<br />
<blockquote><i>"The recognition that one cannot know the other or the self, but must ask in respect for all of time who and what are emerging in relationship, is the key. That is so for all true lovers, whatever the species."</i></blockquote>Part of why I like Haraway's inquiry, is that her personal choice, which is also my choice, to have dogs, not children, simmers under the surface of her exploration of her own relationship with dogs. She resists being called 'mom' to her dogs because she wants to avoid the <i>"misidentification of the important fact that I wanted dogs, not babies"</i>. While I have given up resisting the 'mama' label, the distinction is important to me, too. Haraway quotes Linda Weissman:<br />
<blockquote><i>"While my dogs can love me (I think), I have never had an interesting political conversation with any of them. On the other hand, while my children talk, they lack the true 'animal' sense that allows me to touch, however briefly, the 'being' of another species so different from my own with all the awe-inspiring reality that brings me." </i></blockquote>However, the relationship with dogs is not just about this ineffable otherness that we are allowed to touch in their presence, but about love. To Haraway, training her dogs is an act of love, as is her Manifesto, indeed, it flourishes between what she calls the "<i>corporeal join between the material and the semiotic"</i> that make up species distinctions in the first place.<br />
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Yet she is the first one to reject the many fantasies we have about our dogs, including the one about unconditional love. To engage with dogs is rather <i>"about seeking to inhabit an inter-subjective world that is about meeting the other is all the fleshy detail of a mortal relationship"</i>. This is what attracts me, who usually deals with the semiotic, to dogs: the inevitability of the material in our interaction.<br />
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Some of the most interesting parts of Haraway's little book is her consideration of the co-evolution of dogs and humans. She sees it as a two-way process, where the distinction between natural and artificial selection, as well as between nature and culture is a false one.<i> "There is no time or place at which genetics ends and environment begins..."</i> Both species have influenced the evolution of the other.<br />
<blockquote><i>"It is a mistake to see the alterations of dogs' bodies and minds as biological and the changes in humans bodies and lives as, for example in the emergence of herding or agricultural societies, as cultural, and so not about co-evolution. At the least, I suspect that human genomes contain a considerable molecular record of the pathogens of their companion species, including dogs."</i></blockquote>To Haraway, this two-way interaction is continuing to this day, in a relationship of <i>"reciprocal posession" </i>that should guide us in the way we interact with dogs.<br />
<blockquote><i>"In relationship, dogs and humans construct 'rights' in each other, such as the right to demand respect, attention and response [...] If I have a dog, my dog has a human; what that means is concretely at stake."</i></blockquote>In my own theoretical and, importantly, practical explorations of canine behaviour and training, this is what I believe is important to remember - reciprocity. If you want to expect attention and response from your dog, he or she will need to have some attention and response from you.E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-69793402186607667552011-06-15T23:02:00.000+01:002011-06-22T22:20:24.270+01:00Wordless Wednesdays - Postcards From The Kennels<center><div style="text-align: auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Photos from <a href="http://www.rgtcroftview.co.uk/">Croftview Rehoming Kennels</a>, Kent, UK</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div></center>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com1Meopham, Gravesend, Kent, UK51.3393342511853 0.3706873672118717951.3043957511853 0.34013836721187179 51.3742727511853 0.40123636721187178tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-65184120042384271052011-06-13T18:27:00.000+01:002011-06-13T18:30:37.746+01:00Inspiration Award!WOW! We (I and Eddie and Cassie, who by rights deserve some credit, too) are honoured to have been chosen for the Inspiration award by <a href="http://browndogcbr.blogspot.com/">Hawk aka the Brown Dog</a>. We were so pleased to hear his words of praise for What Dogs Do (click <a href="http://browndogcbr.blogspot.com/2011/06/inspiration-award.html">here</a> to see what he said). Hawk writes a pretty darn good <a href="http://browndogcbr.blogspot.com/">blog</a> himself, writing about his experiences of play and training with his humans.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">We’re all inspired by our fellow bloggers, so as part of the award we pass it on to ten blogs that have inspired What Dogs Do. It wasn’t an easy choice, there are so many good blogs out there. But nevertheless, below, in no particular order, are ten blogs that have inspired me. Click on their names to see them. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlWOpTL8zlbS_YBxXS0aMS6ohYgkUxmcqw0-x6s8T8zDHAYWGK4WkHZN8YnlqYcYpcF1vb0hydgnlgiRZWjjnJIucT_-dUpK0WwgKh7KzUObMyTNJO51LVi_q4sEbSpVakEqF4sgTi3Cr/s1600/InspirationAward_thumb%255B5%255D_thumb%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlWOpTL8zlbS_YBxXS0aMS6ohYgkUxmcqw0-x6s8T8zDHAYWGK4WkHZN8YnlqYcYpcF1vb0hydgnlgiRZWjjnJIucT_-dUpK0WwgKh7KzUObMyTNJO51LVi_q4sEbSpVakEqF4sgTi3Cr/s1600/InspirationAward_thumb%255B5%255D_thumb%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If you are here to pick up your award, there are a few simple rules that go with accepting this award.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded this to you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">2. Link posts by you and ten fellow bloggers that you find inspirational.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">3. Forward the award to those ten fellow bloggers.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The What Dogs Do Inspiration Awards go to:</span></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://neversaynevergreyhounds.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Never Say Never Greyhounds</span></a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://neversaynevergreyhounds.blogspot.com/"></a></span>Truly inspirational for me as a greyhound owner, Jennifer competes with her hounds in obedience and agility – not sports you associate with ex-racing dogs! She uses clicker training and shares her wisdom in informative and well-illustrated posts, as well as some amusing ones on greyhound life.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://greyhoundgardens.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">It's A Greyt Day</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I love this blog for its absolutely amazing photos. Every time I visit it is a feast for the eye, especially for the greyhound lover’s eye, but there are plenty of other doggies there too. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://winniethegreyhound.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Winne's Dog Blog</span></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Have to mention a fellow blogger from the UK – we’re not that many yet. Fun posts and beautiful pictures from the life of another happy retired racing greyhound.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baileywhippet.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Whippet Tales</span></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Lots of pretty pictures of two very pretty whippets. Yes, I am biased towards sight-hounds – here are some of my greyhounds' smaller cousins!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://sagechronicles.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The (mis)Adventures of Sage</span></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Fantastic blog about the life of a rescued Australian Kelpie – Sage’s owner informs us these are the most energetic of the herding breed – and boy, is Sage up to some great adventures, chronicled here.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://sherryrind.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Farm House</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Not just dogs – here is a beautiful blog about adorable dogs Alanis and Miro, a load of chickens, and other occasional visiting animals on a farm.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://dawgbusiness.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Dawg Business</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Very informative blog on dog health. A real treasure trove of information about doggie healthcare, disease, veterinary practice and other canine issues.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://talesandtails.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Tales and Tails</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">A long-running blog featuring greyhounds (and a german sheperd)– one of the blogs that inspired me to set up my own. Lovely photos and great stories form the lives of Blueberry, Bunny, Lilac and Morgan.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://maylithelabradane.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Mayli the Labradane</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">I love big dogs, so I love to hear about what is going on in Mayli’s life. She is a beautiful labradane, and her blog chronicles her far more happy adventures with new humans, after being found abandoned in a McDonald’s parking lot!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://greytdays.blogspot.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Greyt Days</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal">A greyhound in NYC – having greys in a big city myself, it is always “greyt” to read what other big-city hounds get up to. It is a real inspiration to read that it IS possible to give a big dog a good home even in the big Apple!<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Thanks again to <a href="http://browndogcbr.blogspot.com/">Hawk</a> and all you bloggers out there that have inspired What Dogs Do. </span></div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7913286618540445041.post-53938520193688886172011-06-13T16:41:00.000+01:002011-06-13T16:42:39.105+01:00Problems Posting Comments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaQfesS1kuvyG73fFPzLk0HermOT0GlbQoKxKPl1i_E92YfJuf1jvtcGkmcIuggQI5R0PGdhgLk8VUz9S3wcmNNKhbn9LquLUaINJ-hjQdQu7ne4jMq2AHrZvw9gXyGKvztAReoqbT7qV/s1600/blogger+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaQfesS1kuvyG73fFPzLk0HermOT0GlbQoKxKPl1i_E92YfJuf1jvtcGkmcIuggQI5R0PGdhgLk8VUz9S3wcmNNKhbn9LquLUaINJ-hjQdQu7ne4jMq2AHrZvw9gXyGKvztAReoqbT7qV/s1600/blogger+logo.jpg" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>I have known from friends that they have had problems posting comments on my blog, and have worried how many people that I don't know have tried unsuccessfully! </div><div><br />
</div><div>Saw this <a href="http://neversaynevergreyhounds.blogspot.com/2011/06/blogger-psa.html">PSA</a> on the Never Say Never Greyhounds blog, and it made sense - turns out people have problems posting comments on Blogger blogs if comments are set to "Embed below post". </div><div><br />
</div><div>I have now changed the settings on my blog. Check out the above post on NSN Greyhounds for a how-to, if you are a blogger with the same problem.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Please do come back and comment if you can, would love to hear from you!<br />
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</div><div>E.A.</div></div>E.A.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472236833554889887noreply@blogger.com5