Don’t you wish you knew what your dog was thinking? It would make all of our lives so much easier.

Several laboratories are working on questions related to how dogs think about the “physical and social world.” The Yale University Canine Cognition Center is one. It is devoted to learning how dogs “perceive their environment, solve problems, and make decisions.” Their findings will “teach us how the dog mind works, which can help us to better develop programs to improve how we train and work with our canine friends.”

The researchers use several different types of studies to investigate how dogs think:

Looking Measures — In “looking” games, dogs are asked to sit while being shown a small stage and a series of events. Sometimes one of these events will involve something that’s unexpected—an event that appears to violate physical or social principles. When dogs detect the violation, they will look longer at the display as if they are “surprised.” In this way, we can see what dogs know simply by measuring how long they look at certain events.

Social Cues — By using simple pointing and looking gestures, we can see if dogs understand our intentions and goals. In a typical game, dogs see one of our staff cueing the location of hidden food treats. We then give them a chance to search for the food and see what types of cues they naturally use.

Choice Measures — Dogs’ decisions reflect how they process the world. In a typical choice game, dogs get to choose between two different boxes that have different numbers of food, balls, or other toys. From their choices, we can tell whether they can distinguish between different kinds of objects and learn more about their understanding of numbers.

Touchscreen Testing — In this type of study, we teach dogs to make choices using their nose on a touchscreen. Once they become touchscreen experts, we can then show them new and interesting events to see how these events affect their decisions.

Sounds like a lot of fun for the dogs, owners (yes, owners get to stay with their dogs), and researchers!

Yale’s Canine Cognition Center is looking for dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds to participate in their work. Dogs must be healthy (free from any contagious illness), have no history of aggression, be current on their rabies, distemper/parvo, and bordetella vaccines, and have a negative stool sample (including Giardia) within the past six months. Puppies must be over 16 weeks of age, have already received at least their third set of vaccinations, and have a clean stool sample.

If you live in the New Haven, CT area and want to see whether your dog is “Ready for the Ivy League,” take a look at the Canine Cognition Center’s webpage. For a peek into what a session in the lab might look like, watch this report that aired on the Today Show awhile back.

Source: Pet MD / Dr. Jennifer Coates

Cats get a bad rap when it comes to laziness. Lasagna-loving Garfield, for example. This cat is lazy and scoops its food out of its bowl so it can dine whilst lounging. This cat would rather not treadmill, thank mew very much.

But in the wild, cats are sleek and stealthy hunters, and will stalk their prey, whether it’s a roll of toilet paper or a Swiffer. When your cat is an indoor pet, anything is fair game. But while some cats will go chase after any reflection of sunlight that catches their eye, others need more motivation to move. To keep his cat’s hunting instincts sharp, Ben Millam built a device that triggers the cat feeder when Monkey, his cat, finds an RFID-equipped ball, according to Laughing Squid. And it’s not like the balls are in plain sight. Millam hides them in different places to ensure Monkey stays active. The idea occurred to him after he read that cats practice “mobile” hunting, sticking their whiskers in different spots while roaming around their territory in hopes of unsettling some prey. Instead of hiding bowls of food, he decided to train his cat to find the balls and get rewarded with a snack.

Using an RFID reader, an Arduino, a remote antenna, and relays (plus cat), the device activates the feeder whenever Monkey deposits a ball, equipped with an RFID tag, into the hole and past the reader.

Millam says he’s an amateur maker, but he’s clearly an expert cat trainer. In order get Monkey to learn this behavior, he went steps beyond Pavlov. He has a breakdown of his “clicker training” on his site. It will definitely take both time and patience to get your own little feline in fetch mode. For Millam, it was all worth it, because it brings Monkey “one step closer towards a more fulfilled and self-actualized indoor kitty existence.”

Source: digitaltrends.com / Jenny McGrath 

Is your pet shy or a social butterfly? Many experts say that they key to having a well-behaved dog or cat is socialization — here's how to get started.

Veterinarians can tell if an animal has been socialized the moment they walk into an exam room.

“Some animals come bounding up and are happy to see me and everyone in the waiting room,” says Bonnie V. Beaver, DVM, professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station, and past president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. “Others hide behind their owner and don’t want to come out. Life is stressful for them.”

And socialization helps make the difference. When puppies and kittens are introduced to a variety of people, other animals, and environments during the first several weeks of life, they tend to do better, and have less stress and fewer problems later on.

Think about everything your pet will be exposed to during life: different people, animals, places, situations, cars, noises, and smells. When they’re puppies or kittens, they take new experiences with stride. But as they get older they quickly start to become nervous and scared when confronted with something or someone new.

Why Socialize Your Pet?

Animals are preprogrammed to become fearful of people and things that aren’t part of their everyday life so they react appropriately when they are in danger. But you can introduce a new dog or new cat to a variety of situations when it’s very young so it doesn’t live its life afraid of straying from its neighborhood or meeting new people.

When you do, your pet will be more laid back and can enjoy life. Pets are also safer once they’re socialized because they’re less likely to react in a fearful or aggressive way when they’re faced with something new.

How To Socialize Your Pet

The key to socializing dogs and cats is to start very young and to introduce your new dog or new cat to as many different things as you can. Here’s what to do:

• Start at a few weeks of age. Puppies and kittens need to be socialized before they are16 weeks old. “We have a tendency to isolate them at that time and expect that at a year we’ll get them used to cars and different environments,” Dr. Beaver says. The ideal time for this kind of pet training is between 3 and 12 weeks of age. The window of opportunity to socialize your pet usually closes around 18 weeks. For kittens it may be even younger, Beaver says. 
  Unfortunately, when you adopt an adult dog you’ve missed the opportunity to socialize. But even adult dogs can get used to individuals they see on a regular basis, Beaver says.
• Set goals. Think about who and what a puppy will be around when it gets older and make a long list the things your pet needs to be socialized to. That means children, adults, men, women, crying babies, people of different nationalities, crowds, people wearing hats, and people not wearing hats, Beaver says. The wider the variety of people you can expose your puppy or kitten to, the better.
• Include different environments. Have your puppy walk on grass, concrete, through buildings like pet stores, on busy streets, quiet streets, areas with other animals — and near cars, trucks, buses, and trains. You can even take your dog for rides in the car through different areas of town, through fast-food drive-thrus, and through car washes. This is also the time to get your dog used to be handled during grooming.

Check out this checklist of things to expose your dog to.

Kittens can also be socialized by having people come to your house or by bringing your kitten to other people’s houses, although it’s better to visit someone who doesn’t already have a cat.

Socialization Tips

When you’re ready to begin socializing your dog or cat, keep in mind these tips for success:

• Do it daily. Ideally, you should try to socialize your pet every day during the first 16 weeks. When strangers approach, let them pet your dog.
• Get them used to carriers. If you want your kitten to grow into a cat who doesn’t mind going to the vet, leave its carrier out for playtime. Carry the kitten from one side of the house to the other and give your cat treats in the carrier, Beaver says.
• Reward your pet. Make your puppy or kitten feel good about new things by praising it during socialization and giving it small treats (break up a normal size treat into small pieces so your pet doesn’t get too many calories).
• Give it about 75 minutes. Puppies and kittens are constantly learning; they become socialized to new things within 75 minutes of being exposed to them, Beaver says.
• Be gentle. It’s important to keep a close eye on your pet’s reaction to new things. Don’t force it if a situation seems too overwhelming and scary for your pet. Your pet may need to be exposed to that particular thing more gradually.
• Go to kindergarten. If your dog hasn’t received all of its vaccinations, consider signing up for puppy socialization classes at an animal hospital, Beaver says. It’s a safe environment for your dog to be in because it will be surrounded by well-vaccinated dogs, she says. The classes are designed to introduce your pet to a variety of sights and sounds and can even help with obedience training.
• Go for pet training. You can socialize your pet on your own, but if you need help outside of a puppy kindergarten class, consider hiring a pet trainer.

Socializing dogs and cats this way ensures that they’re better adjusted as adults and may be easier to train because they’re less distracted by fear, Beaver says.

Source: Everyday Health /  Marie Suszynski 

Being a successful search-and-rescue (SAR) dog and handler requires intense training. There are a kennel’s worth of commitments and sacrifices involved, say the experts. The first consideration is the age, breed and temperament of your dog. Because young dogs are easier to train, “you need to start as early as possible during puppyhood,” said Ken Chiacchia, the Pittsburgh, Pa.-based owner of Sophia, a two-year-old female German shepherd, and Pip, an eight-year-old female English shepherd.

An older dog can be properly trained if it has already established a good working relationship with its owner. Older dogs trained for police and security work can also be good candidates for search and rescue (SAR) missions, provided they are not aggressive and can be trained not to bite or attack rescue victims on command.

A dog of nearly any breed can be trained for specific SAR missions, said Harry Oakes, owner of International K-9 Search and Rescue Services, a training and SAR-for-hire company based in Longview, Wash.

Larger dogs such as Labradors, German shepherds and golden retrievers are popular choices for the rugged and demanding nature of many of these jobs, including water, wilderness and avalanche rescues.

“But medium-sized dogs like border collies and Australian Kelpies seem to live longer and do well in all aspects of SAR,” Oakes said. “And small dogs are great for disaster work – they can get into tight spaces.”

Teaching a young dog old tricksAccording to the Centreville, Va.-based National Association for Search and Rescue, training typically takes a year before a dog and its handler are ready for SAR missions. Some trainers, such as Oakes, are more rigorous in their stipulations.

“Our program requires a minimum of four hours of training a week with your dog for 18 months,” he said. To attain “expert” status, that time span stretches to six years.

Oakes says dozens of private and public SAR training organizations exist around the country to educate future handlers. Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency offers an urban SAR certification program for dogs and handlers.

After the minimum training is completed and you gain certification from that organization or individual trainer, “you have to get certified as a search-and-rescue team member by your county sheriff’s office if you want to get called out on search-and-rescue missions in your county,” Oakes said. “In our area, for example, this is a 40-hour program.”

Your homework doesn’t stop there, however. Once trained, “you typically spend 10 hours a week keeping your dog in shape and ready to work at peak performance,” said Michael Lueck, a member of the Search One Rescue Team in Dallas, Texas. “A rescue situation can happen any time, anywhere, so you need to be ready at all times.”

Cash commitmentSAR involvement can total up to $4,000 a year or more in out-of-pocket expenses, said Debbie Palman, game warden specialist in Aurora, Maine, who owns an 8-year-old male German shepherd SAR tracking dog named Alex.

“I’m lucky, because I get paid to do this professionally, but I also do it on the side as a volunteer,” Palman said. “But most people do it strictly on a volunteer basis.”

“There are no municipalities in the United States where there’s enough business to do search and rescues and make a profit,” Chiacchia said. “The only people really making money doing this are being paid by the government as law enforcement personnel, firefighters or rangers.”

Making a differenceSo, if there are no greenbacks to be made from becoming a search-and-rescue dog team, why do it?

Chiacchia says SAR volunteers do it “out of the kindness of their hearts to make a difference in the lives of others. Let’s face it – there aren’t a whole lot of boy scouts out there.”

Most people do it “because they really love spending time with their dogs,” Palman said. “It’s also nice to have a talent or ability that few other people have.”

Ultimately, asks Oakes, “What can be more rewarding than the ability to use your dog and your own skills to help save a life or bring closure to a family’s suffering?”

Source: webvet

Many pet owners will tell you their bundle of fur is like family. So there’s no shame in feeling just a little guilty when you have to leave yours behind, whether it be for a quick errand or night on the town. (The adorable drooping face and sad eyes don’t make it any easier.)

You might be tempted to try an age-old trick: turning on the radio or TV to keep your furry friend company. Turns out, though, neither may produce sounds he’ll actually enjoy. Cats, for instance, just aren’t that into human music (the classical kind at least), according to new research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The study, recently published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, compared how 47 felines responded to two different types of music at home, the first being classical melodies from the human world and the second dubbed “cat music.” That would be music composed specifically to appeal to cats using a particular pitch and tempo.

“Their normal communication is at a much higher frequency range than humans,” says Charles Snowdown, PhD, the study’s lead author and professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. So the study’s two “cat songs,” created by University of Maryland composer David Teie, are an octave higher than regular human speech or singing voices, Snowdon says. Plus, the songs were formatted to match tempos cats might enjoy, such as purring and the sucking noises made during nursing.

Snowdon and his former student, Megan Savage, played four sets of sounds for the cats, including two classical songs and two cat songs. The pair found that the kitties showed more positive behavior (like purring and rubbing against the speaker) when listening to the music created for them versus the human music. And they reacted to the cat music about a minute sooner, too.

Though the researchers aren’t exactly certain how cats might respond to other musical genres like rock or country, one thing is clear. “From the cats’ perspective, they really don’t care about classical music,” Snowdon says.

And what about dogs’ preferences? Those would be much trickier to pinpoint.

“We chose cats [for the study] in part because they are fairly homogenous in body size,” Snowdon says. “Dogs range in size and voice, so we’re not sure whether there would be a universal music created for them or whether it would be different for each breed.” (Small doggies make noises that sound very different than big ones.)

Still, entertainment isn’t a total wash for pets. Some dogs with separation anxiety may respond well to radio music or TV noise if used as a safety cue. “The whole idea is to get them to like something that doesn’t remind them of you,” says Jeff Werber, a licensed veterinarian and founder of Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles.

To spot separation anxiety in your pooch, look for behavior problems such as destructive chewing, howling, or urinating without cause. Then, start by training Fido to associate the radio or TV with positive things, such as a treat or praise (you can also use a word or action as a safety cue, he says). “Now the dog is getting rewarded for listening to music and it’s taking attention away from you,” Werber says. The more you do that, eventually your lonesome pup will learn to keep his cool when you’re gone. Before you go, be sure to hide anything he could link back to you, like a toy you often play catch with, then turn on the radio or TV.

This trick is especially great if your dog already likes sitting in front of the tube (dogs CAN see what’s on the screen, according to Werber), but it’s not guaranteed to win over every furball. In that case, you could try investing in soothing tunes for canines, like the Through a Dog’s Ear music series, he says. You could also set out a toy with hidden pockets for treats to keep your animal busy, Werber suggests.

Cats, on the other hand, may not need a safety cue to feel better about being alone. “Cats have more natural instincts that allow them to find ways to take care of themselves,” Werber says.

That said, there are still little things you can do to keep your cat distracted and happy, Werber says, such as setting out a maze of treats or buying a diffuser like Feliway which sprays natural pheromones in the air to reduce your cat’s stress levels. Lucky for your feline, the cat music used in Snowdon’s study is also available to purchase ($1.29 per song) through the composer’s website MusicForCats.com. So even kitties can have their own jam session while you’re out.

The important thing to remember is that human music may not always be the answer to help your pet feel better when you’re away. “To assume that just putting on a classical music station will calm your animal may not be the case,” Snowdon says. “We know very little about what animals really like, and we hope people start thinking more carefully about that.”

Stool eating, also known as coprophagy, is actually quite normal behavior for a puppy. And though you may find it utterly gross, the behavior does have an underlying cause. Moreover, if the cause is not addressed appropriately and in a timely manner, it does have a good chance of becoming a recurring habit.

To begin, do not be immediately alarmed when you see your puppy doing it. Reacting in a way that is alarming to the puppy can do more harm than good, and may even lead to other behavioral problems.

Stool eating typically begins when a puppy is still in the litter. At this stage, it is natural for the mother to eat the stool of her puppies. She does this both to keep the “den” clean and to protect the puppies from predators that might be drawn by the scent. (It doesn’t matter that there are no predators in your home, this is primitive evolutionary behavior -- other animals do the same thing with their young.) The mother does this from the time the puppies are born until they are weaned, and since puppies are in the process of learning how to be dogs, they are naturally going to follow her lead and do what she does.

Of course, the mother stops eating her puppies’ feces around the time that they have begun eating solid food or have weaned from her milk, but the puppy may still continue the behavior until he becomes more mature. It is learned behavior along with natural puppy curiosity that leads them to smell, taste and even eat their own or other dogs’ stool.

To begin discouraging this behavior before the puppy is ready to go to its new home, it is the breeder’s responsibility to always clean up after the puppies -- before they have a chance to eat it. However, this may not have been the practice used for your puppy.

OTHER REASONS FOR STOOL EATING
As previously stated, it is not uncommon to find your puppy eat its own or other dogs’ stool. However, dogs who are receiving a well-balanced and nutrient-rich diet should grow out of this behavior naturally by the time they are one year of age. If your puppy continues this behavior past his first year, you will need to consult a veterinarian or behaviorist in order to identify the problem.

Here are several of the reasons that are typically associated with coprophagy:

Poor digestion 

Your puppy may not be digesting his food properly. This may be because the food is low in digestible nutrients and is coming out basically the same way it went in, or because the puppy has a problem with his digestive system. To the puppy, his stool tastes pretty much like the food he just ate. For the former, switching to a higher quality food can solve this. For the latter (if switching foods has not helped), you will have to have the puppy checked by a veterinarian.

Boredom

Boredom is another cause for stool eating. If a puppy is left alone for a long time, he may find relief from boredom by playing with his own stool. This also occurs more often during cold weather, because they are fascinated by their frozen stool.

Stress

Stress will often drive puppies -- and dogs -- to eat their own stool. This may be stress from being brought into a new home, or from any of a number of reasons. It is because of this that you should not induce further stress in the puppy by punishing him for eating his stool.

Hunger

Parasites and worms can leach nutrients from the puppy’s system, causing him to be hungrier than normal. He will respond to his hunger by eating whatever is available. On the same note, your puppy may simply not be getting enough to eat during the day. Puppies are growing and need to be fed at least three times a day. If you have any questions regarding how much you should feed your puppy, talk to your veterinarian, or to the breeder bought the puppy from.

Attention

If you have already responded several times to this behavior by getting upset, your puppy may continue to do it just for the reaction. Even though the reaction is a negative one, all the puppy knows is that he is getting extra attention from you. Conversely, your puppy may eat his stool to avoid negative attention. If you have been responding angrily to “accidents,” his response may be to effectively “hide” the evidence by eating it.

Just Because

Finally, some puppies -- and dogs -- will eat their own stool just because they like to do it. There is not always a satisfying explanation for the behavior, and the best you can do is to try to prevent your dog from doing it by distracting him and getting the stool picked up as quickly as possible. 

TECHNIQUES FOR TREATING COPROPHAGY
Always feed your puppy a good quality puppy food so that you can be sure that he is getting all of the protein, minerals, vitamins and other nutrients he needs for normal growth. Observe your puppy for signs that he may be suffering from poor digestion, such as watery stool or stool with large particles of undigested food. If you see any of these signs, consult your veterinarian. This can become a serious issue if not resolved.

Be diligent in cleaning up after your puppy eliminates. Do not give him the chance to play with or eat his stool. Try placing the puppy on a leash when you take him outside to relieve himself, and do not allow him to inspect his stool after he has defecated. Distract him from the stool by calling him to you, and when he responds appropriately, reward him with a training treat and verbal encouragement and then take him inside, away from the stool, before you go back to pick it up.

Some experts have found that adding meat tenderizer, digestive enzymes, or natural additives to the puppy’s food makes a big difference, since these additives cause the stool to have a particularly unappealing smell that will discourage him from eating it. If you cannot immediately clean up the stool, or if there are some old stool piles in your yard, you can spray it with hot pepper sauce or mouth wash. However, it is still more effective to just clean up after the puppy each time he eliminates.

Always keep your puppy on a leash whenever you take him out for a walk. This will prevent him from smelling and eating the stool of the other dogs that are left lying around in the streets. Note that some parasites and illnesses can be transmitted through stool, so you don’t want your puppy to come into contact with stool under any circumstances (of course, this is not always possible). If the puppy begins to sniff at a stool pile, gently pull on his leash and lead him in another direction. Use immediate distraction techniques as soon as he begins to show curiosity for his or other dog’s stool, and reward him with verbal praise and a training treat when he responds appropriately.

If he is consistently discouraged and appropriately reprimanded each time he plays with or eats his stool, he will learn to let go of this habit in a short period of time. Soon enough, you will be able to allow your dog to walk around freely and not have to worry about him eating stool when you are not looking.

source: PetMD

Nuisance jumping is a common complaint from owners.

Most often, dogs are jumping for attention. Dogs who are overly anxious, such as those with separation anxiety, may also jump even when the owner is ignoring them.

Don’t make jumping more than it is. It is not an effort to dominate you or lead your pack. First, domestic dogs don’t form packs, so you are not a pack member. Second, dogs generally don’t want to run the world. Nope, no visions of grandeur. They simply want attention from you. That is it, plain and simple. The dog is trying to get you to give her attention. If you are a dog, it’s natural to want to be up near the hands or face of someone who may pet you. Third, dogs don’t try to dominate each other by jumping up to lick each other’s faces.

Unfortunately, owners generally do pet dogs when they jump up. This reinforces (rewards) the behavior, making it more likely to occur again. To the dog, any type of attention can be considered reinforcement. This includes pushing her away and yelling at her. Through basic positive reinforcement (there’s the science of learning again), we have trained our dogs to jump on us starting in puppyhood. Once again, it is not the dog’s fault.

Take the following, common example: When first adopted, the puppy jumps on you. You bend down to pet her. While this is fine when the puppy is 10 pounds, it’s not nearly as enjoyable when she’s 100 pounds. Then, when the puppy gets a bit larger and is in adolescence, the jumping becomes annoying. You try different methods, such as ignoring her, kneeing her or yelling at her. She continues to jump. Making it even more difficult for your dog to learn what is appropriate, there are inconsistencies within the family regarding how they interact with the puppy. Some people pet her when she jumps up and some yell at her. Finally, there are invariably inconsistencies between what family members and visitors do.

This is very confusing to the puppy. She can’t be sure what type of behavior is appropriate. The scientific term for these types of interactions is variable reinforcement. Variable reinforcement means sometimes the pup is rewarded and sometimes she is not. Believe it or not, this kind of reinforcement is the most powerful kind you can apply to a behavior. You read that right. You are actually making the behavior stronger by sometimes punishing and sometimes reinforcing. What results is a very persistent jumper.

To understand variable reinforcement better, consider the example of a person at a casino. This person might leave the roulette table after losing 2 or 3 times, but will sit at a slot machine for eight hours. Why do they do that? Because the slot machine employs variable reinforcement. The slot machine delivers small rewards intermittently throughout the day. There are enough rewards, statistically, to keep the person playing all day. There's even the promise of a possible huge jackpot at some point during the day.

Teaching pups not to jump is pretty simple — ignore the pup when she is jumping and teach her an alternate way to get attention.

Follow these simple tips and your dog will be asking for attention politely in no time.

1. Do not knee, kick, or yell at her when she jumps on you.
2. Ask your puppy to sit for every bit of attention she gets. All of the time.
3. If she’s jumping on you, walk away from her and completely ignore her. Don’t even make eye contact. When she stops jumping on you, ask her to sit. Then, reward her with petting, praise and/or a treat.
4. When you praise your pup for sitting for attention, make sure to keep your praise calm and cool. It’s not fair to the pup if you get extremely excited praising her while asking her to stay under control.
5. Like any other behavior, you will see the most improvement if everyone in your pup’s world follows the same plan.
6. Until you can get your pup’s jumping under control, you can try distraction techniques like tossing small treats off to the side, or tossing a toy when you come through the front door.

Source: PetMD

Why do dogs love to dig through our trash? 
The answer may lie far back in our shared history.

According to most experts, dogs were domesticated from wolves by humans several thousand years ago. The speculation is that wolves may initially have been captured as puppies or tamed due to living in proximity to human villages. Why would these wolves live close to human villages? To scavenge our trash for food, of course! 

In the wild, wolves may go several days without eating. They are not always successful in hunting big game every day. We may consider the food we throw out to be garbage, but to dogs, it is merely food — stinky, ripe, aromatic food! It is a bouquet of scents that are interesting and exciting to dogs.

Some dogs have developed a game of digging through the trash. Sometimes they find good stuff to eat or fun things to chew on. When they are so engaged in sniffing out an interesting scent, they may scatter the refuse all through the house. The garbage may be akin to a doggie version of a Cracker Jack box — they know there's a prize inside.

Other dogs have learned that digging in the trash is a good way of getting an owner’s attention, so it becomes attention-seeking behavior. Your dog may have formed the association that, “Every time I drag a tissue out of the trash, my mom or dad suddenly starts talking to me and tries to take my new toy away.” What fun it is for them to play keep-away and have their owners chase them around the house! Whereas if the dog did not get an item out of the trash, the owners may not have paid the dog as much attention.

Stopping Doggie Dumpster Diving
There are several things you can do to keep your dog out of the trash.

1. Hide the can. This is the best and easiest method. Do not leave temptation out. Put the trash can in a cupboard or pantry. If your dog has learned to open cupboards, use a child lock. 


2. Contain the trash. Use a trash can with a tight lid that stays on even when your dog knocks it over. Modern trash cans with motion sensors that automatically open the lid won't do. Nor will trash cans with step pedals or swinging lids. Dogs have gotten their heads stuck through swing lids, and if a can is heavy enough, a dog sometimes learns to step on the pedal and open the lid. 

3. Deter the behavior. The use of remote-activated spray or noise deterrents can help to prevent your dog from getting into or near your trash can. If your dog has previously been reprimanded for getting into the trash when you are home, he is likely smart enough to learn to leave the trash can alone when you are present, but as soon as you are out of sight or leave the house, he may go looking for goodies in the garbage. Remote deterrents are motion-activated devices that release compressed air or emit a high-pitched noise. The devices are intended to be mildly aversive. Some dogs may be sensitive to these devices and get scared, while others may not be deterred at all. Before employing such products, discuss their safe use with your veterinarian or behaviorist.

4. Try training. The one method that requires the most work is teaching your dog to “leave it.” I first teach a dog to turn away or back off from my hand while I am holding treats. Once the dog has learned the phrase “leave it,” then I use that phrase every time the dog goes near the trash. When the dog backs or turns away, I immediately offer him praise and treats. When I am not working with the dog, I put the trash can away. After repeated training sessions, I leave the trash can out for longer periods and offer praise and rewards every time the dog walks past the trash can and does not stop to investigate. I may even go a step further and start with a trash can that does not contain any food. Then, in more advanced training sessions, I bait the trash can with really pungent foods.

As always, consult your veterinarian or pet behavioral professional as a first step when dealing with a pet behavior problem.

Source: vetstreet.com, Dr. Sung/ istock photo

It is amazing how little time is required for petting to make a big difference in their stress levels. At the 2014 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Symposium researchers presented an abstract synopsis of a yet to be published study of 15-minute petting sessions with shelter dogs. The results are illuminating and really reinforce the impact of companionship in helping shelter dogs adjust to potential adoption.

The Dog Stress Study
Fifty-five shelter dogs were subjected to one 15-minute petting session with an unfamiliar volunteer at a county animal shelter. The sessions were videotaped and the volunteers were given specific instructions on how to interact and pet the subject dogs. Saliva was collected from the dogs to analyze their body cortisol, or stress hormone, levels before and after petting. The heart rate of the dogs was also monitored for the entire 15-minute session.

As expected there was a great deal of variation of response depending on the age, temperament, coping styles, and time spent in the shelter among the animals. In fact, cortisol levels before and after petting were not different. This suggests that stress was still a constant despite the petting session. Another explanation is that 15 minutes is a relatively short period of time to detect significant changes in body cortisol levels in saliva and would not reflect potential real changes in cortisol secretion. 

What was observed was a statistically significant decrease in heart rate and behavior changes consistent with a positive state of relaxation. The observation of the researchers is that “yes, 15 minutes does make a difference” for many shelter dogs.

The Implications of the Dog Stress Study
If only 15 minutes can make a difference, what difference could multiple 15-minute sessions make in the re-socialization of abandoned or lost pets? 

Before a baby is born, it is imperative you learn to read your dog's body language so that you can interpret the often subtle signs that mean a dog is unhappy or uncomfortable.

"The better you become at reading your dog's body language, the better you will be at avoiding accidents," said Gina DiNardo Lash, assistant vice president of the American Kennel Club. "My main rule is to never leave a dog alone with an infant or toddler."

In the meantime, it is helpful to crate-train your dog if you haven't done so already, Lash said. A crate provides a cozy and secure place for the dog to rest and take a time-out from all the new sights, sounds, and smells of the new baby. When the dog becomes uncomfortable, it will appreciate having its own special place to recuperate.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Many dogs will tolerate being hugged while giving very clear signals they are unhappy or uncomfortable. Often a dog will bite after giving signals that it wants the hugging to stop.

Dogs don't like hugs, believe it or not," said Kellyann Conway, director of animal training and behavior for Animal Pet Video and Petfinder.com. "Dogs don't greet each other with hugs when they meet. When one dog places himself over the shoulder and neck area of another dog, he is seeking status over the dog."

According to the American Kennel Club:

• Dogs feel vulnerable when hugged by someone taller than them, and must mentally become submissive.
• Some dogs take a hug as an act of dominance or aggression.
• Children should be taught to pet the dog on the head and neck, across its back and on its sides.
• If a child is interacting with a dog, place your hands on the dog as well.
• Reinforce your dog's proper behavior around your child with treats and praise so it associates the child with positive experiences.

Interpreting Meaning

Recognizing warning signs in a dog's body language will help tremendously in improving the relationship between pet and child, Lash said. While all dogs are individuals, some gestures are considered universal:

• When a dog leans or turns away, or quickly gets up to move, the dog does not want to be there.
• If the eyes are showing whites or looking away, or giving you a pleading look, the dog is in a state of discomfort.
• If the dog is suddenly panting or yawning or licking its face, the dog is in a state of anxiety.
• If the dog is growling or has its hair raised on its back with its tail up, or its lips are tight, these are definite signs the dog is upset, and you should remove the child from the dog or instruct the child to back off the dog immediately.

Members of the Pack

Dogs may believe that children are members of the pack, and a pack leader may lean heavily on a toddler, paw at the child roughly, or hurt the child by accident.

"It's important that toddlers understand the pet isn't a toy, that in fact it's very delicate," Conway said. "Make it clear there can be no tail or ear pulling, chasing, jumping on, hitting, teasing, yelling, or any other behavior that could frighten or hurt your pet."

Here are some more tips for ensuring a safe interaction between pets and children:

• Running and screaming can cause some herding breeds to chase the child, nipping in play. Encourage calm, quiet activities between toddlers and pets.
• Teach children to leave the dog alone while its eating, sleeping, or chewing on a toy or bone.
• Never let children stick their face right into the dog's face.
• In general, large dogs may be better suited to toddlers than small dogs because they are sturdier and better tolerate the pushes and pulls of an enthusiastic child.

The best dogs to be around children are those owned by responsible adults. Take the time to learn dog body language and teach your child the proper way to behave around a dog.