Month: June 2020

Medical sniffer COVID-19 dogs being trained in the UK

By Claudia Bensimoun –   First published: Animal Wellness magazine April 8, 2020     anyone, including those who are asymptomatic and tell us whether they need to be tested.  This would be fast, effective and non-invasive and make sure the limited NHS testing resources are only used where they are really needed.” With each disease…

Dogs Imitate Novel Human Actions and Store Them in Memory.

By Claudia Bensimoun A recent scientific study shows that dogs can learn to copy human behavior and repeat it later. First published in The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) in 2013 by Claudia Bensimoun Every dog watched their handler go into a wooden box. These dogs would then have to wait for one minute…

Training Tuesday: Petting or Praise – What Do Dogs Prefer?

By Claudia Bensimoun First published in THE UNTED STATES DOG AGILITY ASSOCIATION (USDAA) What’s the best way to reward your dog – petting or praising?     Image Credit: Pixaby Agility requires plenty of teamwork between dog and handler, and we all understand the importance of effective communication with our furry best friends. If you’re…

Training Tuesday: When Will Your Pup Be Most Attentive to Learning?

By Claudia Bensimoun First published in The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA)   Image credit: Pixaby In order to learn successfully, dogs, like humans, need to have some level of concentration and attention. Similarly, dogs, like humans, have varying amounts of attentiveness throughout the span of their lives, according to a study published in…

Training Tuesday: How Dogs Know When Communication Is Intended for Them

By Claudia Bensimoun First published in The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) Studies show importance of body language, eye contact in dog-human interactions. Image credit: Pixaby Thousands of years of living with humans and domestication have most likely given our furry friends an evolved ability to pay attention to and understand most human visual…

Training Tuesday: New Study Shows How Dogs Mirror Our Stress

By Claudia Bensimoun First published in The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA)   Image credit: Pixaby Agility competitors have all felt the impact of stress, and have probably noticed their dogs feeling stressed out too. While cortisol levels increase naturally with physical activity, previous research has demonstrated that short-term levels of cortisol in saliva…

Training Tuesday: How Does Your Dog Know What You’re Saying?

By Claudia Bensimoun First published in The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) A recent study looks at how dogs process verbal communication.   Image Credit: Pixaby Dogs are our best friends. We can’t avoid communicating with them, nor would we want to. We’re constantly sending messages — with our words, hand gestures, eyes and even…

The Role of Life Experiences in Affecting Persistence in Dogs

By Claudia Bensimoun First published in The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA)   Image credit: USDAA Study compares factors related to problem-solving and motivation. A 2019 study by researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, examines how a dog’s life experiences may impact his or her persistence, particularly related to problem-solving, an important…

CBD Oil for Dog Anxiety!

By Claudia Bensimoun First published in Sit & Stay   Image credit: Pixaby Nearly everyone can understand what a huge impact anxiety can have on a dog’s life. After all, when your pooch is anxious, you’ll become anxious too! It also can result in numerous destructive behaviors. The good news is that there are so…