A study published in January of this year, "Impact of Training Discipline and Experience on Inhibitory Control and Cognitive Performance in Pet Dogs," reveals some fascinating insights into how different training disciplines can shape our dogs' cognitive abilities. Conducted by researchers from Aberystwyth University in Wales and Puppy Plus Training and Behaviour Services, this study explored how scent work, agility, and obedience training affect dogs' performance in two key tasks: the A-not-B task and the detour task.
Key Findings:
🐾 Scent Work Training Benefits: Dogs trained in scent work showed better inhibitory control. This means they were more able to control their impulses and focus on tasks, which can be especially useful for activities that require patience and persistence.
🐾 Task Performance Relationship: Dogs that performed well in the A-not-B task, where they had to change a previously learned behavior to find a hidden reward, also did well in the detour task, where they had to navigate around a barrier to get a treat. This suggests that both tasks require similar cognitive skills.
🐾 Training Experience: While the type of training (scent work, agility, obedience) didn't drastically change overall task performance, dogs with a variety of training experiences adapted more quickly during the initial learning stages of the tasks.
Why This Matters:
This study highlights the importance of varied training for our dogs. Scent work, in particular, can enhance a dog's ability to control impulses and stay focused. These findings are a great reminder that different types of training can develop different skills, making our canine friends more adaptable and well-rounded.
For more detailed insights, check out the full study: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/3/428
If you are interested in exploring different training options message us here or email [email protected]
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🐾 New Insights into Canine Atopic Dermatitis: A Comprehensive Study 🐾
A study titled "Canine Atopic Dermatitis: Prevalence, Impact, and Management Strategies," published on February 13, 2024, in the Veterinary Medicine: Research and Reports journal, considers the prevalence, impact, and complexities of managing Canine Atopic Dermatitis (CAD). Authored by Yvonne Drechsler, Charli Dong, David E. Clark, and Gagandeep Kaur from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, and the Animal Dermatology Clinic in Pasadena, this study emphasizes the challenging nature of CAD.
STUDY FINDINGS:
• PREVALENCE: The research highlights varying prevalence rates of CAD, influenced by genetic and environmental factors.
• IMPACT ON QUALITY OF LIFE: The study discusses how CAD not only affects dogs but also significantly impacts the quality of life of their guardians, affecting everything from daily routines to emotional well-being.
• MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES: The researchers propose a multimodal approach to managing CAD, focusing on a combination of topical and systemic therapies, lifestyle and dietary changes, and innovative treatments like immunotherapy.
• INNOVATIVE TREATMENTS DISCUSSED: Immunotherapy: Highlighting its use since 1911, the study discusses the benefits and customization of Allergen-specific Immunotherapy (ASIT) for CAD. Biological Therapies: Exploration of new biological treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies targeting specific pathways involved in CAD, shows promising avenues for more targeted and effective management.
Researchers discuss the necessity for veterinarians to adopt a comprehensive and personalized approach to managing CAD, considering the diverse clinical presentations and responses to treatment.
Education for pet parents on the chronic nature of CAD and the importance of consistent treatment regimens is crucial for managing expectations and improving outcomes.
For those dealing with CAD, this study provi
🐾 Celebrating World Veterinary Day 🐾
Today, on World Veterinary Day, we pause to honor the dedication, compassion, and tireless efforts of veterinarians around the globe. These unsung heroes work behind the scenes to ensure animals receive the care they deserve, often under challenging and stressful conditions.
The life of a veterinarian is filled with both profound joy and considerable challenges. They share in our moments of happiness as our pets thrive under their care, yet they also navigate the complexities of medical treatments, the heartache of loss, and the responsibility of making difficult decisions. The stress of wanting to provide the best care, balancing the emotional needs and financial constraints of pet guardians, and the physical and mental demands of the profession are immense.
They are our guides through the confusing world of canine health, offering support, education, and empathy. Their work extends beyond the clinic, contributing to public health, research, and education, making our world a safer place for all living beings.
Today, let's take a moment to express our gratitude for these remarkable individuals. To all veterinarians: thank you for your unwavering dedication, for the nights spent comforting a sick animal, for the smiles in happy times, and for the tears shared in sorrow. Your work does not go unnoticed, and we are deeply grateful for the care, compassion, and expertise you bring to our lives and the lives of our furry family members.
Happy World Veterinary Day! 🌍🐶🐱
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Why Do Dogs Wag their Tails:
🐕✨ Tails of Rhythm and Communication: A New Study on Why Dogs Wag Their Tails ✨🐕
Have you ever wondered about the merry dance of your dog's tail and what it really means?
A new study published in Biology Letters on January 17, 2024, takes a close look into the world of tail wagging and offers fascinating insights:
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0407
Researchers Silvia Leonetti, Giulia Cimarelli, Taylor A. Hersh, and Andrea Ravignani have presented compelling hypotheses on why our canine companions wag their tails more frequently and diversely than their wild counterparts. They explore everything from the mechanics behind the movement to the role it may have played in the history of dog domestication. 🌍🐾
Key Points from the Study:
• Tail wagging could be a by-product of selecting for traits like docility during domestication.
• It might also be directly selected by humans due to our affinity for rhythmic stimuli, which is evidenced in the joy we take from watching a dog's tail in motion.
• This behavior provides a window into dog emotions, with the direction and type of wagging potentially indicating different emotional states.
By understanding these nuances, we can deepen our connection with dogs and appreciate the complex ways they communicate with us and each other.
Keep an eye on your dog's tail—it's telling you more than you might realize! 🐶❤️
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🐶🏠 Boosting Shelter Dog Adoptions 🏠🐶
Virginia Tech and Arizona State University researchers have made a heartwarming discovery: brief fostering stints can significantly boost adoption rates for shelter dogs. 📈🐾
On November 15, 2023, insights from a pivotal study emerged, showing that shelter dogs who enjoy even the briefest outing or a short fostering stay are more likely to be adopted. This isn't just a slight uptick—it's a game-changing increase, making a dog five to over fourteen times more likely to find a forever home. 🏡❤️
The research, funded by a $1.7 million grant from Maddie's Fund and detailed in the Journal Animals, highlights how these short-term experiences reduce stress for the dogs and increase their appeal to prospective guardians.
It's a win-win: dogs get a break from the stress of shelter life, and the community gets a chance to fall in love with them. It turns out that a simple walk or a cozy sleepover could be the bridge to a loving, permanent home. 🐕🍁
The study's takeaway is clear: short-term fostering doesn't just make a difference—it makes the difference.
So, let's roll out the welcome mat for these pups in need. By opening our hearts and homes, even temporarily, we can pave the way for many happy endings—or rather, new beginnings. 🌟🐾
https://news.vt.edu/articles/2023/11/cals-research-dog-shelter-adoption.html
Let's spread the word and encourage more community involvement. Together, we can help countless shelter dogs find the loving homes they deserve. 💖
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🐾 Could Your Dog’s Life Be Extended? 🐾
If your dog is a large or giant breed, the answer to this question may soon be yes!
A biotech firm in San Francisco, @Loyal (https://loyalfordogs.com/), is making significant progress with a drug, LOY-001, which could potentially extend the lifespans of larger dog breeds by at least a year.
🔬 The Science Behind the Breakthrough:
LOY-001 targets cellular mechanisms specific to large and giant breeds, known for their shorter lifespans due to rapid aging. The Food and Drug Administration (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) for Veterinary Medicine has recently recognized the promising effectiveness of this innovative drug. It works by addressing genetic anomalies like elevated IGF-1 levels - a growth hormone higher in larger dogs and linked to shorter lifespans.
🐕🦺 Who Will Benefit?
Slated for a 2026 launch, this intervention is designed for dogs that are seven years or older and weigh at least 40 pounds. The drug, administered as an injection every three to six months, offers hope for a healthier, extended life for our larger canine companions.
🌟 Broader Implications:
Loyal's vision doesn't stop at LOY-001. They're also developing LOY-002, a daily pill for medium to giant breeds, and LOY-003, specifically for large and giant breeds. This pioneering work in delaying and reducing age-related diseases in dogs could have future implications for human health as well.
🧪 Clinical Trials:
Currently, Loyal is conducting extensive nationwide clinical trials with over 1,000 dogs participating. This phase is crucial for ensuring the drug's safety and efficacy before it becomes available for prescription use.
To learn more about this interesting advancement, check out this article, published on 11-29-2023 in @Earth.com: https://www.earth.com/news/want-to-extend-your-dogs-lifespan-a-new-drug-shows-promise/
#VirginiaDogTrainer #DogTrainer #JoyfulDog #TimetoTrain #DogLongevity #InnovativePetCare #HealthyPets #La
🐾 New Study on Dog-Human Communication 🐾
A recent study published in Ethology on October 31, 2023, with the catchy title "Canine Comprehension of Human Communicative Signals Involves Sequence Learning Ability," offers insightful findings on how dogs interpret human communicative signals.
Researchers found that dogs have an impressive ability to understand sequences in human communication, not just isolated cues. This means that dogs are interpreting a series of human actions and instructions, which significantly improves their response to our commands. The implications for dog training are substantial, suggesting that training methods that utilize consistent sequences of cues could be more effective in teaching dogs.
These findings underscore the importance of structured and consistent communication in strengthening the bond between dogs and their guardians. It also highlights the depth of understanding our canine companions have for our behavior and communication patterns.
The full study can be accessed here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eth.13423
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Do dogs love us? 🤎🐶
We know that we've talked about this before, but isn't it a nice thing to think about?
Do our dogs love us? According to a new article from ScienceLive published in February of 2023, the answer is a resounding YES: https://www.livescience.com/do-dogs-love-us
Despite the feats that dogs undertake for their humans, like leading rescue workers to the injured or protecting children from animal attacks, it's often asked whether dogs help because they love us or because they see us as a meal ticket. But various studies (referenced in the article) show that dogs may actually love people more than food.
Neurologist Gregory Berns conducted a study where he trained his dog and other dogs to tolerate the noise inside the imaging chamber of an MRI and then analyzed their brain activity. He then subjected the dogs to a variety of scents from familiar and unfamiliar dogs and people. While the smell-region of the brain lit up for all 12 dogs regardless of who the person or dog was, only the familiar scents lit up the caudate nucleus, a region tied to higher-level mental processes such as emotion, motivation, and reward, and romantic feeling. Berns found that 86% of the 15 dogs he studied showed a similar or higher level of caudate activation in response to praise than they did from food.
Clive Wynne, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University and the director of the university's Canine Science Collaboratory, found that dogs may prefer their humans over food when they are left at home without food or human companionship for more than four hours. He set up an experiment where the carers of 60 dogs climbed into boxes and pretended they were in distress to see if their pets would rescue them. Roughly 1 out of 3 did so, according to a 2020 study published in the journal PLOS One.
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Do dogs love us? 🤎🐶
We know we've talked about this before, but isn't it a nice thing to think about?
Do our dogs love us? According to a new article from ScienceLive published in February of 2023, the answer is a resounding YES: https://www.livescience.com/do-dogs-love-us
Despite the feats that dogs undertake for their humans, like leading rescue workers to the injured or protecting children from animal attacks, it's often asked whether dogs help because they love us or because they see us as a meal ticket. But various studies (referenced in the article) show that dogs may actually love people more than food.
Neurologist Gregory Berns conducted a study where he trained his dog and other dogs to tolerate the noise inside the imaging chamber of an MRI and then analyzed their brain activity. He then subjected the dogs to a variety of scents from familiar and unfamiliar dogs and people. While the smell-region of the brain lit up for all 12 dogs regardless of who the person or dog was, only the familiar scents lit up the caudate nucleus, a region tied to higher-level mental processes such as emotion, motivation, and reward, and romantic feeling. Berns found that 86% of the 15 dogs he studied showed a similar or higher level of caudate activation in response to praise than they did from food.
Clive Wynne, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University and the director of the university's Canine Science Collaboratory, found that dogs may prefer their humans over food when they are left at home without food or human companionship for more than four hours. He set up an experiment where the carers of 60 dogs climbed into boxes and pretended they were in distress to see if their pets would rescue them. Roughly 1 out of 3 did so, according to a 2020 study published in the journal PLOS One.
#CanineCognition #VirginiaDogTrainer #DogTrainer #FearFreePets #Pets #Animals #Dog #Dogs #PetsofInstagram #PetLovers #PetLover #Pet #LoveYourPet #Family #DogSafety
Did you know that dogs' remarkable sense of smell can be affected by age and health conditions?
A study published in Scientific Reports in February of this year explored a novel olfaction test that used spontaneous search behavior in dogs to find hidden food treats: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-29361-x
The study found that senior/geriatric dogs performed with lower accuracy than healthy adult dogs in the dark phase of the test, which removed visual cues from the environment.
Additionally, dogs with nasal pathology had severely reduced performance. This test provides a clear way to quantify canine olfaction and could be used to detect baseline or diminished olfaction in any population of dogs.
Research like this reminds us of the fascinating complexity of our canine companions and highlights the importance of understanding their unique needs.
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Training Tidbit: BABY SHARK! Puppy mouthing and bite inhibition.
Teaching your puppy bite inhibition is an important part of ensuring they grow into well-behaved adult dogs.
Bite inhibition is the ability to soften their mouths for a gentle grip, and it's a lesson that continues when they come to live with their human families.
Check out Laurie Luck’s great protocol for teaching puppies to soften their bite in just a few weeks at her Smart Dog University website: http://smartdoguniversity.com/puppy-biting-solved/
Remember, redirecting bites to appropriate toys, responding only to the strongest bites, and not yelling or punishing your pup are key to success.
Visit the Joyful Dog Website for more to access our full training tips sheet: https://joyfuldogllc.com/client-resources-puppy-tips/ “
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Did you know that dogs' amazing sense of smell can help improve technology?
Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) used biomimetic sniffing to enhance particle detection sensors, inspired by the way dogs sniff out odors. By understanding how dog noses work and applying that knowledge to current vapor sensors, researchers were able to achieve a 16-fold increase in detection capabilities.
Next time your dog sniffs out something suspicious, just remember that they may be helping to keep you safe in more ways than one!
Read more in this Nature.com scientific report: https://www.nature.com/articles/srep36876
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What can Donut the dog tell us about the passage of time?
After decades of wondering, psychologist Alexandra Horowitz has helped Michaeleen Doucleff, an NPR reporter, to figure out how her husband's family dog, Donut, knew when the school bus would arrive every day.
Horowitz of Columbia University and Barnard College suggests that dogs may be able to "smell" time. Dogs, like humans, probably use environmental cues and physiological signs to estimate the time of day, such as the amount of light in a room or the angle of the sun, as well as fluctuations in hormones that create a built-in clock in their bodies and minds.
However, dogs also have the added ability to track time using smells. Dogs have an incredibly sensitive sense of smell. They can recognize their owners by scent alone, meaning they may be able to detect changes in their owner's unique bouquet of odors throughout the day.
This theory was proposed by Horowitz after hearing about a dog named Donut, who was able to predict the exact moment the school bus would arrive every day. While more research is needed to confirm this theory, it is possible that dogs may have a secret sense of time that we don't fully understand yet.
Take a look at the full article on NPR (you can also listen to an interview with Donut’s human family and Horowitz):
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/12/22/1139781319/can-dogs-smell-time-just-ask-donut-the-dog
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🐾 LET'S START 2022 ON THE RIGHT PAW! 🐾
Did you know that January is Train Your Dog Month? 🐕
Left to their own devices, dogs behave like … well … dogs. Jumping on people, chewing on shoes, barking at the mail carrier, digging in the yard… the list goes on. These are all perfectly normal behaviors!
As canine caretakers it’s our job to direct impulses, meet needs, and teach our dogs skills so that our shoes remain intact, our dogs no longer freak out when mail and packages are delivered, and our yards don’t double as the set from “Holes” (unless that’s the look you’re going for).
In addition to addressing challenges, training is a great way to strengthen the bond you have with your dog. No longer a locked-down “obedience” exercise, training done well is like a creative game for you and your dog in which important skills are learned, communication is enhanced, and everybody has a great time.
Let’s all start 2022 committed to a few minutes daily of training fun!
What could you and your dog learn in 5 minutes a day?
Interested in finding out more? 👇
*** Message us on social media, email [email protected], or visit our website to book a discovery call: http://ow.ly/o7Bv50HmNYx ***
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