Study says that our beloved pet dogs actually understand us. When you ask other dog owner if their dog understands them, they’ll probably answer with a yes.

Psychology researchers at the University of Otago are conducting experiments whether dogs can really detect human emotions and the messages that we wish to convey.

Associate Professor Ted Ruffman and a team of students have put in Dunedun dogs over the past 15 months. These dogs come in all shapes, sizes, and breeds.

Some dogs have been shown images of babies laughing, crying, and babbling while others have been shown humans with happy or stern expressions while giving a command.

Indeed, dogs can differentiate a happy human from an angry or sad human. Professor Ruffman said. “We know dogs are very good at picking up on human gestures … and it seems they are very good at picking up on human emotions too.”

The dogs that were shown a crying and laughing baby have different responses. Some try to “find” the baby and showed signs of concern.

The studies were designed to find out whether dogs have an empathetic response to human emotions or are their reactions simply a result of the positive reinforcements that they receive.

Technorati Tags: dog, Emotion, Human, Psychology, Research, University of Otago

Depression does not only affect humans but dogs as well. When dogs are depressed, they are sleepy, do not eat properly, and do not like to go out for walks. In extreme cases, they lose a lot of weight.

Dogs are used to the environment where they live. If there is a change of location or owner, it can make a dog depressed. Weather changes can also be a cause of depression in dogs. Dogs can sense a death of a family member and this can also cause them to be depressed, just like the family members.

A depressed dog can show a lot of symptoms such as loss of interest in the activities that happen around him. He will not want to play or run around and be unmotivated. If your dog is always asking for food when you are eating, you will noticed that this will cease when your dog is depressed. A drastic weight loss is can be a symptom so bring your pet to the vet immediately.

Technorati Tags: depressed dog, dog health

If you have been reading up on how to stop puppy biting then you may have found an entire crop of resources that you can use with a massive range of methods and opposed recommendation. There are plenty of tips out there, many from owners that have experienced some success to stop puppy biting and trainers that have learned the best techniques through their job over time. However , if you’re to stop puppy biting then you need to find the best techniques for you and bear the following three necessary tips in mind :

1. Never allow the little puppy to bite clothing – If your puppy bites clothing or shoes when you are attempting to stop puppy biting then it should be stopped straight away because you cannot tell how hard or soft the bites are and thus can’t control them. You’ve got to be in a position to draw the line so your dog must only be permitted to bite your hands.

2. Control play biting by only permitting it to happen during play – Biting of any kind should only be put up with during play time when you’re making an attempt to stop puppy biting. It should not be allowed at any other time because your puppy will not be ready to differentiate between when he’s permitted to play bite and when biting isn’t satisfactory at all. By limiting play biting, your little dog will learn more then he otherwise would.

3. Do not punish your dog for biting as it is not effective – Puppies will not make a response to negative feedback if they are trying to learn something. Try using positive beefing up instead.

Technorati Tags: dog, puppy biting

My neighbor’s Aussie who is a really nice dog exhibited some strong herding behavior while the owner was bike riding with her dog to get him some needed exercise. She did this the other day resulting in a catastrophe for herself.

from thebarkingcommunity.com

The dog owner, wanted to be able to get her dog a lot of much needed exercise for her Australian Shepherd. After training him to first walk well on a leash, she advanced to off leash walking. The dog is a very impressive walker, staying really close to his owner and has excellent recall.

The next step was to ride around the neighborhood on bike with the dog nearby, yeilding lots of exercise for the dog. This was working really well until the dog decided that the bike tire needed to stay in place and started nipping at it while the owner was riding. Being a very persistent dog he pushed a little too hard and caused the bike riding owner to crash, hitting the sidewalk with a lot of force.

This resulted in the owner breaking her arm, requiring surgery and either spraining or breaking her ankle too. Yikes!. I’m posting this as a warning to you that even the most well behaved dog can revert to its basic instincts and do something you might not be prepared for.

I had followed the lead of my neighbor and took Sadie around the block a few times, but after my neighbor’s crash I decided that me being on foot was a safer option.

Find out how this owner trained her dog to walk well on a leash with the help of dog trainer John Spieser and  the long line dog training method.

Please write a get well comment for my neighbor Pam today. She’s having surgery to fix her broken arm.  She will really appreciate the good will. Thanks.

Technorati Tags: dogs and bikes, herding behavior

No matter how good or bad  your dog behaves you’ll probably need to manage your dog’s behavior at some point in time.  Some may require continued management for best dog behavior.

So what does this mean?  It means paying attention to your dog’s bad behaviors, pulling on the leash, counter surfing, raiding the garbage, getting on the couch or peeing on the floor. If your dog does anything you don’t approve of you need to manage his behavior.

One very easy way to manage a dog’s behavior is to never let him out of site in your house.  It may seem silly, but keeping your dog on a leash, inside your house can prevent him from sneaking into your closet to chew up your new shoes, or peeing on your bed.

The crate is also a great place to put your dog for part of the day if he is causing trouble or can not be watched carefully.  Do you leave food on the counter in the kitchen when yo know your dog had a propensity to counter surf? Well don’t do that. Keep your dog out of the kitchen unattended or put him outside or in his crate during meal prep time.

You need to manage your dog’s behavior and where-abouts to control the outcome in your home. Don’t be afraid to use a leash on your dog inside your house is warranted.  Your dog will learn that it is pointless to misbehave is he is never rewarded by allowing a bad behavior to continue.

A dog pulling on a leash is another bad dog behavior that should never be tolerated. Learn how one dog trainer uses two commands and an inexpensive training device to teach a dog to stop pulling on the leash.

Technorati Tags: Dog Behavior