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January 23 Smart DogsThere are many dogs out there that act as if they are brilliant. The truth is that they really are! Notice the video above of the boston that escapes from her kennel. This is a great example of the K9 mind at work. Dogs are reward based creatures, the reward in this case is freedom. The dog has learned that she can minipulate the kennel latch and escape. Much like the dogs tested by B.F. Skinner. Go to K9 Mind to learn more about how smart dogs can truley be. You'll even meet a Doberman named Donnie that can arrange his toys in geometeric patterns! October 19 Why Dogs Misbehave Uh-oh! Is Fido in the toilet again? Maybe he isn't getting enough attention. That's right, dogs usually misbehave because they do not get enough attention. The worst thing you can do is to let him fend for himself. You need to play with him and love on him to keep him happy. Dogs are pack animals, and they require lots of attention. I've said this many times before, but dogs are a lot like kids.
Dogs do what works. That means they do whatever they have to to get attention, or rewards. Attention, to a dog, is a form of reward. So even if it is negative attention, it is still better than no attention, to your dog. Drinking from the toilet is rewarding, after all, the dog is getting "fresh" water and it's raised up instead of on the floor. That means it's easier for him to drink out of than his water bowl. It also gives him an adreneline rush because there is the chance of getting caught. If he gets away with it, he will continue to do it.
Some people actually try to reason with their pooch. They try to tell them that drinking from the toilet is gross. Do not try to reason with your dog about drinking from the toilet. Try thinking like a dog. After all, a lot of dogs eat their own poop, and lick places you'd never want to imagine! Drinking from a recently flushed toilet seems a bit better doesn't it? At least to your dog it does.
So if your dog is misbehaving, ignore it. Now I'm not saying if you catch your dog drinking from the toilet you should just let him. The best way to train you dog not to do things like that is prevention. Do not allow your dog access to the toilet or anything he could get into that he shouldn't. But if your dog is doing something bad to get your attention, ignore it. This means don't give him attention by scolding him for doing bad things. Give him attention only when he does something you like. For example: If your dog is jumping on you to get attention, ignore his jumping, redirect his behavior by give him a command to sit, and when he does.. acknowledge him with abundance.
Remember, your dog loves you and all he wants to do is please you. So show him when he does and you'll be great friends .
October 17 Can Dogs Tell Time?I figured it'd be fun to answer a question that a lot of people have. Can dogs, or all animals, tell time? The answer to this question... Yes! As a matter of fact, dogs and other animals can indeed tell time. Unbelievable? Well believe it. There have been numerous tests preformed that indicate that animals can, in fact, tell time. One of them you may have seen on t.v. last night on Animal Planet. A researcher did a study with bees where at precisely 3:35 every day he put out some necter for the bees. Eventually, there were several bees that came to feed. While the bees fed, he painted their backs to identify them. The next day, at 3:35 the same bees arrived to feed.. on time! After awhile, he observed that some of those same bees.. arrived early, anticipating being fed. So they not only knew they'd be fed at 3:35, but they also knew that if they arrived early they wouldn't have to fight other bees to be fed. Amazing!
There was a dog who learned that his master always arrived on the 5:30 train. So he'd meet his master at the train station. He would always get there just as the train was pulling into the station. He was as punctual and reliable as the train! One day however, he arrived and his master didn't get off the train. He waited and waited, but what he didn't know was that his master had been rushed to the hospital and had died. Every day for the rest of his life he was still at the train station at 5:30 to wait for his departed master.
Stories like these are not uncommon. As a matter of fact, we hear stories of dogs waiting at the door when they know their masters are due home. Some dogs even ask to go out to potty at the same time everyday. Others wake up at a certain time each morning and wake up their masters for work. They can be so reliable that their masters don't even require an alarm clock!
They have a biological clock in their brain. We have it as well. According to the show, these biological clocks are cells deep with in the brain that produce enzymes, and then break down the enzymes with in a 24 hour period. So dogs just know what time of day it is. We on the other hand have become dependent on clocks.
Dogs can't look at a clock and tell that it is 4:00 p.m. But they do know the events that usually occur at that particular time. Even if it is a trivial event to us, it triggers to the dog what time of day it is. For example, maybe the hotwater heater makes that boiling sound the same time every day.
So there you have it! Dogs really can tell time! It all goes back to routine. Dogs are very sensitive to routine, as I've menchioned in previous blog enteries. So the next time you come home late from work to find your pooch upset, it's probably because you didn't call to let him know you'd be late! LOL! June 27 Doggy Intelligence
Quote DOGGY TIMES II BLOG: Doggy Intelligence April 15 Are Dogs Intelligent?What do you think? Are dogs intelligent? Well, I suppose that's a matter of opinion. I happen to think they are. Well, in their own way anyway. According to scientists, dogs can remember up to 300 words and comands! That's a lot if you think about it. A lot of people treat their dogs like children instead of pets. I think there is a reason for that. They tend to act a lot like a 2 or 3 year old. Of course intelligence is also determined by personality, and the dogs willingness to learn. Dogs are man's best friend, and intelligence is one reason for that. They are the only species on earth that we people can really relate to. They can be trained to obey very helpful comands. Some guide blind people through busy intersections. Others help handicapped people with daily chores. There are those dogs that spend all day rescuing people. They risk there lives to save ours. There is no greater love, except for the love of Jesus. As a matter of fact I happen to believe that a well trained dog is the perfect christian! Loyal, faithful, unconditional love, obedience, the list goes on. They live in social packs in the wild, and there is a dominant male and female. Just like in our society. They mark their territory and defend it, as we do. We just do it differently! Yes, I have to say that dogs are truely intelligent. They comfort us in our times of saddness, they are there to make us laugh, and they will always love us no matter what. Intelligence is a debateable topic, especially when it comes to animals. But I don't see how anyone could truely believe dogs are not intelligent in their own way. Try this... take a peice of food, or a special treat and put it under an overturned cup or glass while your dog is watching. See how long it takes for your dog to get the treat from under cup. This way you can measure your dogs intelligence. Obviously, the faster your dog gets the treat, the smarter he or she is. Most dogs can do it in under 1 miniute! |
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