Field Stone Border Collies: FSBC

11/04/2024

Take a look…

Dogs may possess a key component of intelligence, the 'g factor', that shares many characteristics with its human counterpart, including its ageing patterns.

11/04/2024

Beautiful…

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.”
Josh Billings

Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Les Chats.

11/04/2024

When we focus on making dogs happy, it’s better for them and us.

13/03/2024

Sharing detection markers means that treatment research has potential benefits for both species.

01/02/2024

most loyal friend😍

31/01/2024

what touched me🥹🥰❤🐕

29/01/2024

With today’s technological advancements, researchers are calling for a concerted effort to gather big data on aging dogs to benefit not only veterinary care, but also to inform human medicine, as dogs and humans share similar medical conditions as they age

28/01/2024

:)

26/01/2024

This. Absolutely. Let's be dopamine dealers! 😉

BE A DOPAMINE DEALER NOT A CORTISOL CREATOR

Although there are other chemicals that have an effect on behaviour, the neurotransmitter dopamine and the hormone cortisol are important ones to understand.

Force free, positive reinforcement, reward-based methods result in a release of Dopamine which provides important motivation to seek out rewards, increases attention, memory and reinforces a behaviour. Behaviour is far more likely to be repeated when Dopamine is released.

Using punishment or aversive, old fashioned methods causes stress which increases the release of cortisol. Cortisol inhibits learning, affects memory, decreases motivation and can cause emotional, psychological and even physical damage.

Some ways to increase Dopamine levels and lower Cortisol levels –

Only using positive reinforcement, force free, reward-based techniques.

Slow, sniffing walks in a quiet area, interactive play, puzzle toys, lick mats, snuffle mats, foraging, providing mental stimulation activities, routine and predictability, enough rest and sleep and a balanced and nutritious diet.

Give your dog a “cortisol holiday”. Cortisol levels can take between two to six days to return to normal after stress.

This “holiday” could look like stopping walks for a week or changing the time of day you walk to a quieter time, covering or blocking access to a gate, fence or window, avoiding visitors or generally just taking a break from anything that may be causing stress.

23/12/2023

Check out this holiday training tip from Kate Richardson, CPDT-KA (.girl.with.the.dog)

"1. Make a sign for the door or give guests a 'heads up' if you're wanting to work on a behavior. 2. Give your dog (and yourself) breaks from the action as needed!"

23/12/2023

Consistency is more important than perfection.