Happy Canada Day! and Summer Reading



Happy Canada Day! The best blogs for summer reading
Photo:C_Gara/Shutterstock

By Zazie Todd, PhD

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Happy Canada Day! The photograph shows a Boston Terrier on a kayak in Banff National Park.

If you’re looking for some reading to enjoy on a lazy summer’s day, here are some favourites from around the internet.

Dog Training 
Caveat emptor is only effective if the buyer is actually aware of what to beware,” writes Maureen Backman in Caveat Emptor: Bringing Consumer Protection to Dog Training 

Does your dog's jumping up cause you to forget your manners? asks Sylvie Martin of CrossPaws Dog Training. 
 
Not All "Choices" are Equal. It matters what the choices are, says Eileen Anderson.

Given a choice between petting and verbal praise, what does your dog choose? Less Talk More Touch, explains Erica Feuerbacher, PhD, in this guest post for Do You Believe in Dog. 
 
Stanley Coren, PhD, looks at a 2004 study in Effectiveness of Rewards and Punishments in Dog Training 
 
Marc Bekoff, PhD, reviews Melissa Holbrook Pierson’s new book in The Kindness of Dogs: New Book Explains Why Cesar’s GottaGo 
 
Make yourself a cup of tea before sitting down to read this long and thoughtful post from Simon Gadbois, PhD. 51 Shades of Grey: Misuse, Misunderstanding and Misinformation of the Concepts of “Dominance”and “Punishment”

Separation Anxiety?
Dr. Meredith Stepita has written a series about separation anxiety for the Decoding Your Pet blog. It starts with The Great Imitator? 
 
Is it useful to label separation anxiety as mild or severe? Malena DeMartini writes about this question in How Serious is it and Does it Matter? 
 
On Separation Anxiety  by Lori Nanan at Your Pit Bull and You writes about the heartbreak of separation anxiety in dogs, and the dedication of owners in finding a solution.

Dog Bite Prevention:
Can dog bite prevention actually prevent dog bites? Julie Hecht writes about what we know about preventing dog bites, with a list of resources. 

And in This Dog Bite “Fact” Could Get You In Trouble, Julie Hecht sheds light on a problematic myth. She says "Taking dog bites seriously means not painting some dogs in rosy, "that dog could never bite" glasses and others in tinted "biter" glasses."

“Muzzles don’t have to mean a prison sentence for a life bereft of enrichment.” In Elevating Muzzle Training to a Higher Standard by Maureen Backman at the Muzzle Up! Project.

What are the legal liabilities if you adopt a dog from a 'rescue' that doesn't do behavioural assessments, and the dog subsequently bites someone? "nothing quite prepares the owners of these unvetted aggressive dogs for what's to come" writes Dr. Rebecca Ledger in the Vancouver Sun

Wider Reading:
Why Don't Dogs Like Cats? John Bradshaw, PhD, asks whether dogs and cats are natural enemies and explains how to socialize kittens and puppies so they are friends.

“it appears that, much like dog owners, veterinarians are markedly under-diagnosing obesity in their canine patients” writes Linda Case in Weigh In On This

 “The message from wildlife officials is that residents in coyote country need to adapt.” Coyotes Create Dangers and Divisions in New York Suburbs by Lisa W. Foderaro 

“Even those who have spent their lives working with animals have to decide whether their future will include pets” Retirees deciding whether new lifestyle will include pets  by Sue Manning.  

Sadly our pets have short lives. In Encounters With Dead Pets: A Study of the Evolution of Grief  Hal Herzog, PhD, considers whether there is an evolutionary purpose for the experience of grief.

Did you know half of cats in America don't have regular trips to the vet? Your Cat's Visit to the Vet Starts at Home, says Ingrid King

And do you also wonder why cat videos are so popular? Bethany Brookshire, PhD, explains a recent study in The Guilty Pleasure of Funny Cat Videos

"likely the best PR campaign for cats is carried out by cats themselves" says Steve Dale in The Real Truth About Cats

Catch up on Jessica Perry Hekman's visit to the fox domestication project in Novosibirsk.

"The turnspit [dog] was bred especially to run on a wheel that turned meat so it cooked evenly" Some 16th century canine history covered by The Kitchen Sisters in Turnspit Dogs: The Rise and Fall of the Vernepator Cur

Disgusting:
Ever wondered why wet dogs smell? Find out in this video from the American Chemical Society. (Thanks to Malcolm Campbell's Morsels for the Mind for this and the above link)

Patricia McConnell, PhD, asks Why Do Dogs Roll in Disgusting Stuff? like fox faeces.

Pica is eating non-food items, something many cats (and other animals) do. In Here’s Looking at Chew, Mikel Delgado reviews a recent study investigating pica in cats. 

Since it’s Canada Day, if you want to catch up on some Canadian research on people and pets, you could start here with these links from the Companion Animal Psychology archives:

My Dog Comes First: The Importance of Pets to Homeless Youth on research by Michelle Lem (University of Guelph)

Are Seniors More Satisfied with Life if they have Pets?  on research by Chelsea Himsworth (UBC) and Melanie Rock (Calgary University)

Homeless Cats in Canada on a report by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.

And Should you take your dog to the dog park? on a study by Lydia Ottenheimer Carrier et al (Memorial University of Newfoundland)

Enough Reading, I Want To Take Part in Some Science!!!
Then Julie Hecht has all the links you need in this list of canine science projects looking for participants. Mail Your Dog’s Poop for Citizen Science 



Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, writes The Pawsitive Post premium newsletter, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and two cats. 

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