BehavioRx Pet Behavior Quiz

December 2007 Behavior Quiz

November 2007 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

Do older dogs suffer from senility?

__ Yes
__ No

ANSWER:

Yes. Many older dogs begin to show symptoms of the same conditions aging humans experience. Forgetfulness is chief among them. However, there have been scientific investigations published. As usually happens, the condition has been re-titled as Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (or condition). If you have an elderly pet, try a Google search for the words Senility  Dogs (don't put quote marks around both words) and you'll be fascinated by reading the some, if not all, of the articles arestudies.

September 2007 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

When should a dog be praised with "Good Dog" for responding positively to the command to "Rover, Sit?"

A. When his rump touches the ground or floor.
B. When he starts to move as if to sit.
C. When looks up for a treat.

ANSWER:

B. Is a sign that the dog is THINKING about sitting; and reinforcement with praise can cut learning time in half when teaching sit.

August 2007 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

What was the name of one of Ivan Pavlov's favorite experimental dogs.

A. Mensa
B. Lenino
C Brains
D. Carney 

ANSWER:

C. She was delightfully pleasant and quick-to-learn. She also taught Pavlov at least one thing about dogs and learning: The "contexts" of learning. She demonstrated that, for some learning to be permanent, it must be taught in more than one setting.

Ivan had set up a great demonstration of "Brain's" talents and called a large lecture in a great hall, but when it came to performing her tasks, Brains simply ignored him and looked out at the students in the hall! Henceforth, Pavlov taught his dogs with many distractions and in different laboratories before his many demonstrations!

This old knowledge should forewarn anyone who adopts a dog that was house-trained in its former home that the dog must usually be re-house-trained in its new home, too.

P.S. Pavlov probably didn't use the actual word "brains" for his genius-dog. He more than likely used his native language and said "nauka."

July 2007 Behavior Quiz

 Bill took a leave of absence!

June 2007 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

What is the most misunderstood word dog owners use when talking to their fearful pet?

A. Okay
B. Alright
C Don't
D. Good 

ANSWER:

A. "It's Okay" tops the list.  When it is used to console a dog who is worried or fearful, it can create the feeling that we "approve" of the way the dog is feeling
and behaving. It's better to distract the dog with an invitation to play, take a walk, or anything that will get the dog's mind off what happened.

May 2007 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

Who was the first scientist to study hyperkinesis in dogs and when did he publish his results?

A. Samuel A. Corson, 1973
B. Ivan Pavlov, 1913
C. B. F. Skinner, 1938 

ANSWER:

A. Samuel Corson, PhD, Ohio State University Department of Bio-Psychiatry, studied dogs with physical and behavioral traits for the disorder and successful treatments. Dr. Corson's historic work is described in the 3rd Edition of Behavior Problems in Dogs which you can preview at http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB101

QUESTION:
What is the third most popular dog breed, following Labrador Retriever
and Golden Retriever, in Portland, Oregon?

A. German Shepherd
B. Dachshund
C. Border Collie
D. Chihuahua

ANSWER:

B. Dachshund.  Dachshund popularity appears to be getting bigger, while the breed stays small!

March 2007 Behavior Quiz 

QUESTION:

Can dogs be "cured" of Attention Deficit Hyper-activity Disorders?
And... can they be treated successfully for it? 

A. No
B. Yes

B. Yes, if you first investigate the strong possibility that your dog is
Hyperkinetic. This can be accomplished by referring to the book
"Behavior Problems in Dogs," by Wm E Campbell, which can be obtained by
clicking on its cover in the picture at:

http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior

January 2007 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

Your 13 year-old, neutered male, mixed German Shepherd/Doberman Pinscher has started growling when disturbed while snoozing. You've scolded him, but it only makes him intensify his growl in response. He's never been this way in the past and is generally a very happy dog. What should you do? 

A. Contact a behavior consultant.
B. Make a Google internet search for the key words; Old dog growling when awakened.
C. Seek a dog trainer.
D. Make an appointment for a complete veterinary examination. 

Answer:

D. Always make a complete veterinary examination your first priority when you dog's behavior changes for reasons that are not clear to you. As dogs get older, the possibilities for health related behavior problems increase. Your veterinarian can investigate, then treat any physical problems and advise who in your area is best qualified to help with the behavior problem. A trip to http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/guide.html will help you in the selection process.

December 2006 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

Where can you find really reliable behavior profiles for a particular breeds of dogs so you can select one for your family, which has 3 children, ages 12 (Boy), 9 (Girl), 6 Girl?

A. A Google search
B. A book on the subject
C. Nowhere
D. A pet shop 

Answer:

C. Virtually 'nowhere' for "profiles," since most breeds of dogs suffer from being behaviorally stereotyped in nearly every medium of human communication. Your most reliable source would be to find some families like yours with dogs obtained at 6 to 8 weeks of age and asking or meeting them and their dogs. Then you can meet with the dog's breeders and discuss things before making a fairly enlightened choice.

November 2006 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

Who was the first to publish studies about pecking orders and "dominance" in animals?

A. Ivan Pavlov
B. Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe
C. John Scott and John Fuller
D. Konrad Lorenz
E. B.F. Skinner 

Answer:

B. Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe.  Try a Google search for his name  and "Dominance"and you'll be more aware just how unfairly some people get treated in academia. :-)

October 2006 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

The US population is starting to consider the importance of controlling the amount and kind of carbohydrates in their diets. Yet, very few dog owners know how to find out what percentage of their dog's commercial diet is carbohydrate. How can you find out?

A. Find it in the "Guaranteed Analysis" on the package label.
B. Use simple arithmetic.
C. Phone the manufacturer and ask. 

QUESTION:

Your 10 month old, intact male Labrador/Collie mix went missing sometime during the day. You got home at 4:00pm and made the discovery. Somehow
the side gate from the back yard got opened. "Blitz" had not run off before. Since he was a puppy you had taken him for walks and he never tried to run away, even when you walked him off leash in the early mornings. None of your immediate neighbors noticed him loose. You phoned your local radio station with a lost dog notice. What's your best "first" step, since you haven't a clue where to start. 

A. Get in the car and start circling the blocks around your neighborhood.
B. Walk around the same places to take him for walks, calling his name loudly.
C. Call the weather bureau and find out which direction the wind was coming from during the day.
D. Call the Animal Regulation Department and report him missing. 

Answer:

C. Find out the prevailing wind at the time he went missing, then drive or walk to search that area. Dogs usually follow their noses on their first unsupervised
foray away from home. Then,
B. Scout the areas you have taken him during walks. Then,
D. Call animal regulation authorities. Then,
Order the BehavioRx Instructions for "Finding a Lost Dog.: http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/bseries.html

August 2006 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION
Your 10 month old dog is in excellent health, but has had loose stools recently, which he can't control at times. You're feeding him one cup of dry food, 3 times a day; morning 1:00pm and 7:00pm. What should you do?

A. Cut down on the amount food at each feeding.
B. Change his diet.
C. Feed only twice a day.

Answer:
Your dog may be hitting the end of his rapid growth period. A. and C. 

A. is your first step. Cut the amount of each feeding by 10 percent for 2 days and see if the stools don't firm up. If not, cut down another 10 percent. If they don't get any firmer, tell your veterinarian what you've done and she/he may want to examine him. If no problems are found,  C. should started, and another 10 percent drop in quantity may be required.

July 2006 Behavior Quiz

Your 6 month-old puppy used to come instantly every time you called "Tippy Come." However, Tippy now hesitates, especially when something distracting is going on. What probably happened?

A. As pups mature, they vie for dominance and Tippy is competing for it.
B. You've probably worn out the command by using it in casual circumstances.
C. You probably didn't use food properly as a reward.
D. You used your clicker incorrectly.

Answer: 

B. The word "Come" is so commonly used in casual situations that most dogs need a "special" word to learn to come in really important circumstances, such as when they're chasing a cat, a car, or about
to pick up something they shouldn't, etc. For this reason, it's most effective to teach them a "code" word for come. One of the best is the sharp, rarely-heard word, "Tippy, KOY!" It should never be
heard in non-emergency situations. The BehavioRx Instruction Brochure "Obedience Training - A Primer" explains it fully. See http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/bseries.html to order it.

June 2006 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
What did Ivan Pavlov demonstrate concerning a dog's ears?

A. Dogs hear better than people.
B. A puff of air stimulates an unconditioned bite response.
C. Pulling a dog's ear causes a bite response.

Answer: 

B. A puff of air into a dog's ear stimulates a spinal reflex to bite at the source of the air. For this reason, if you ever see your child watching TV when a kid is shown gleefully hugging a dog's neck, it's best to warn your youngster about the very real danger of getting seriously bitten.

May 2006 Behavior Quiz

What is the most inviting movement a human can make to attract most dogs to come toward them?

A. Wave to the dog in a beckoning manner.
B. Move away from the dog while facing him, leaning toward him, and clap your hands.
C. Take a step away from him while standing with one side toward him and immediately crouch down and clap your hand.

Answer:

C. Standing sideways is friendly and non-confrontation. Moving away tends to draw them, and crouching invites them to come. Any leaning toward the dog may stifle an urge to come. Waving must be learned in order to attract.

April 2006 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
Your 6 month old female Skye Terrier has started to act as if she is fearful when people reach to pet her. She has never been spanked in her life, so being hand-shy has no cause that you can think of. She is very friendly otherwise and you want her to be a happy family pet.

What can help her overcome this?

ANSWER:

Get some hair berets for her, then gently pin the brow-hairs up and over her eyes. She'll then experience her genetically endowed peripheral vision and, with it, a
whole new world. Wait an hour so she can get accustomed to her new vision.

Then, when you or others reach pet her, do so with one hand, kneeling or sitting at her level, palm up and scratch her under the chin while happily praising. When she starts wagging her tail. bring your other hand up and calmly toward her eyes, then over her head and scratch her there and behind the ears, once again praising happily. Do this exercise 3 times a day and leave at least 2-1/2 hours between the exercises so the learning can "incubate." In about 6 weeks you should find she is no longer hand-shy when people reach to pet her, with and without the berets holding her brow-hairs up.

March 2006 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
You bought a Myna bird as a pet. It has started screeching at night, which makes your sleeping difficult, since "Lippy" will only stop if you go to the living room to sleep there. You have a roomy cage with two perches, water and food bowls, which are kept full and cleaned daily. The cage is also cleaned daily. Lippy has lots a bird toys and uses them during the day. The lights in the room are turned off at night. How can you make him more comfortable, and quiet, at night?

Answer:

The best way is to give "Lippy" a paper bag large enough for him to get into and turn around at night. Many Myna birds love them and will quiet down nicely.

February 2006 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
What are the best words to use to teach a dog named "Tippy" to come to you immediately when he/she is running into the street?

ANSWER
A. "Tippy Halt!"
B. "Tippy Come!"
C. "Tippy Koi!"
D. "Tippy Here!"

ANSWER:
C. Or any other single syllable word that starts with a "hard" consonant. Koi is actually a Japanese military command as well as a colorful fish. The reason to
avoid commonly used words, such as "come", or "here," is that they are used in everyday, non-urgent situations and can literally "fall on deaf ears."

January 2006 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
What is one of the leading causes for dogs to eat their own stools?
A. Under-feeding
B. Over-feeding

ANSWER:
B. Over-feeding. Feeding a pup or adult dog too much overwhelms their digestive system and results in the pet eliminating partially digested stools that contain the
odors of palatable food. In the meantime, the dog's stomach has been over-stretched by the heavy meals, which creates an excessive appetite. Result... Dog eats its poop and the voracious cycle is reinforced.

December 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
Ivan Pavlov was a pioneer in using dogs for experiments. He was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1904 for what work?

A. Psychology
B. Conditioned reflexes
C. Canine nutrition
D. Digestive secretions 

Answer:

D. Digestive secretions (Which proves: Sometimes the importance of a person's work gets mislabeled. He actually pioneered classical conditioning experiments!)

November 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

After hurricane Katrina many pet animals were left behind in their homes when their owners fled or were evacuated. Other dogs manipulated human rescue workers in order to bring about their safe recovery?  

A. True
B. False

Answer:

True. Rescue workers encountered dogs that actually refused to be rescued and kept pestering the workers until they followed the dogs, who then led them to other
pet animals who  had been trapped in circumstances which hid them from rescuers.

October 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

What breed is now the most popular (in numbers) in the USA?

A. Golden Retriever
B. Dachshund
C. German Shepherd
D. Labrador retriever
E. Beagle

ANSWER:
According to the AKC the most popular USA registered breed in 2004 was:

D. Labrador Retriever

September 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

Many children are bitten in the face while hugging their family dogs. Why does this
happen?

A. The biting dogs are bad pets.
B. The hugging is painful.
C. It's a reflex.

Answer: B & C:

Some children squeeze the dog's neck, grab the hair with their fingers or place pressure on the throat, any of which can trigger a defensive biting reflex. If adults
have used any of the ill-advised, but popular, forceful dominance take-downs, roll-overs, scruff-shakes, etc., etc., the dog's defensive reflexes may become
triggered when a youngster appears (to the dog) to be about to apply aggressive handling.

The other reflex is triggered when air is puffed into the ear canal, or onto the ear. Pavlov documented this basic "automatic" defensive reflex bite (not consciously
planned by the dog) aimed at the source of the air.

Moral: Avoid physical handling dominance techniques and apply principles of Leadership. The most complete source for these is in Behavior Problems in Dogs and
The New Better Behavior in Dogs.

Editor's  Note: These facts have been repeated deliberately from September, 2005's Case of the Month in order to stress their importance in avoiding injury to kids and euthanasia for dogs.

August 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

BehavioRx Systems has problem instructional program brochures for direct sale to dog and cat owners at $2.50 each, $25.00 for the complete 32 brochure Canine Pack and $6.00 for the Feline Pack. However, they are also available, often free, from which of the following sources:

A. Selected Pet Stores
B. Many Veterinary Practices
C.  Dog Obedience Trainers

Answer:

B. Hundreds and hundreds of veterinarians dispense them to their clients as client education handouts.

July 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
How many hours per day does the average dog "need" to sleep?

A.  8.0
B. 10.8
C. 14.4
D. 18.0

Answer:

According to the US National Institutes of Health, dogs "need" to sleep 10.8 hours a day. However, as most dog owners know, given a chance in a low activity/noise environment and eating a carnivorous diet, most dogs sleep 16 to 18 hours per day.

June 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
Which one of these is the best book to read about how animals think?

A. Animal Minds, by Donald R. Griffin
B. Thinking in Pictures, by Temple Grandin

Answer:

You guessed it! BOTH A and B. They complement each other beautifully!

May 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
Does switching a dog from a diet high in carbohydrates to one low in carbs but high in protein in fat have any value in solving the problem of pica; i.e. eating non-foods, like rope, rocks, paper, etc.?

ANSWER:
Here's another testimonial about the effectiveness of using proven remedial behavior advice with cutting down, drastically, the carbohydrates (which dogs convert to
various kinds of sugars) that our pet carnivores devour in many popular commercial diets. In a few words... "The Proof of the Pudding is in the Eating."

"Dear Mr. Campbell,

I recently purchased your book on Behavior Problems. I was especially interested in the diet guidelines for a stress diet as I have a Flat Coat with stress induced
aggression. He also has undergone weird coat changes and I have felt that his diet was to blame. I have felt that 'something' was missing or not being absorbed
properly.

After lab tests failed to find any explanations, I modified his diet to the higher protein, lower carb you recommend and have added the Canine Plus tabs, the Omegas
capsules and the results are amazing.  

Not only is his behavior improving but his coat is as well, and he no longer eats all the plants, rocks and sticks in the yard, nor does he rummage through the waste
baskets in search of delicacies such as Kleenex, paper and such or swallow the rope from his toys.

I do have one question and that's about the niacinamide.  Your book recommends 500-1000mg/ daily.  Should this be micrograms instead of milligrams?  And  can you recommend a brand or source for this?  I've checked in nutrition stores and can't find that high a dose.

I appreciate your help and thank you for the valuable information in your book. I have recommended it to my friends in the Rescue I work with.

S. B."

Editor's Note: The error that got loose on the niacinamide in Behavior Problems in Dogs, page 146, lists 500-1000MG and page 149, lists 500 to 1000MG. Both should read 50-100MG. S. B. was right! (ed)

April 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
The concept of using laughter as part of remedial programs was first introduced by your humble editor in the early 1970s in Modern Veterinary Practice Magazine. Has there been any genuinely "scientitfic" validation for this concept between humans and animals?

ANSWER:
Behavioral scientists, such as the late John P. Scott and John L. Fuller, have written about "act-like, be-like," behavior among all sort of animals, from schools of fish swimming in spatial harmony, birds flying in synchronous patterns, cattle moving in groups, etc. Laughter as has been commonly referred to as "contagious" among humans, but we've yet to find anything on the scientific level that tackles this social phenomenon among people and their pet. However, anyone with a dog who observes the its tail wagging in response to their human laughter has certainly observed the validity of allelomimetic behavior. Its value in helping dogs to adopt a positive emotional attitude as a step toward getting over fear, anger, shyness, anxiety, etc., has been proven by thousands of dog owners and professionals.

March 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
You've been using one of the treat-training techniques to train your puppy, but find that the pup is starting to get "hand-happy," i.e., jumping up in anticipation of the treat, nipping at hands, pockets, etc. What is the most effective way to solve the problem?

A. Withhold the treat until the pup settles down.
B. Switch off the treats and use what Dr. Ian Dunbar calls ""life rewards" reinforcements, (praise and petting).
C. Scold the puppy.
D. Do the dominant take-down, Alpha Roll-over until the behavior stops.

Answer:

B. It may take some time but, once again, Dr. Dunbar is right about real "life rewards.* If you will avoid all the heavy-handed stuff and patiently, consistently
put the dog on what we call the "Learn-to-earn praise and petting program in everyday life with your pup, you'll be earning a genuine "leadership" position with him or her, whereon the dog will work for you instead of goodies.

February 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION
How much time should elapse between sessions in which dogs are being taught new behavior, whether it be training to commands or teaching new ways to feel about and respond to situations; i.e. behavior modification?

A. 1-2 hours
B. 5 hours
C.  At least 2-1/2 hours
D. 24 hours

Answer:

C, The new behavior pattern or responses to situations should be broken down into steps that will take no longer than 10-13 minutes each. Then, after a successful step is achieved, even if it takes much less than 10 minutes, the session is ended and at least 2-1/2 hours should be allowed for the learning to incubate.

January 2005 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
Your new puppy is in its Primary Socialization Period, between 5 and 12 weeks of age, and you want to make sure it develops without any hang-ups about meeting people and different situations. What's the best way to go about it?

A. Seek out odd-ball social situations (meeting screaming kids, hostile strangers, aggressive adult dogs, gun shots, heavy traffic, etc.) so the pup learns to adjust to
life's extremes, after which ordinary contacts and situations will seem trivial and easy to handle.

B. Introduce the puppy to people and situations you enjoy in a in the manner you enjoy, showing pleasant confidence. Behave as you would want the pup to react and inter-act with the various situations. In a few words... "show" the puppy, through your own behavior, how to act and "feel" about the new experiences.  

C. Use food treats so the pup associates them with new people-meetings and experiences.

Answer:

B The "act-like, be-like" principles of animal behavior are most effective way to build your puppy's confidence about all of life's possible stressful
situations. Your leadership and happy good nature will show the pup the way to feel and behave.

December 2004 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
How many separate visits (not just "hits") did the web site receive during the last full week of November, 2004?

A. 1,695
B. 3,695
C. 2,695
D.  695 

ANSWER:

B. 3,965. This means an average of 44 people per hour were actually spending time reading the information on our web site. We are dedicated to sharing useful information with pet owners and professionals on our pages. As we begin the year 2005, we wanted to express our thanks for all the kind reader comments we receive about Pet Behavior News, and to Mark Hasting our valued friend and internet web page guru for his invaluable help in keeping this site easy-to-browse and easy to navigate.

Kindest Regards and Happy New Year to all,

Bill and Peggy Campbell and Punkin 8 lbs of 12 year-old Mini-Dachshund and still keeping us in touch with wily canine ways.

November 2004 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
What is the most powerful way to communicate to a your dog how you want him to behave and feel about the environment in which you live?

A. Reward him when he does what you want.
B. Punish him when he does what you don't want.
C. Show him.

ANSWER:

C. Allelomimetic (acting like-being like) behavior is one of the earliest social reactions learned by dogs. Movement and emotional vocal/physical expressions
rank at the top, with very subtle, almost imperceivable (by people) postures, tones of voice, etc., ranking among those which can create the most problems. In the new year we'll have a dramatic case about a couple whose large German Shepherd attacked the husband with what they described as "no provocation at all."

October 2004 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
What is the safest, most powerful and permanent training and behavioral tool dog owners can use?

A. Click and treat
B. Shock collar
C. Physical dominance
D. Praise

Answer:

D. But you knew that!

September 2004 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
Who was first to train dogs (formally) to document the training of dogs to perform an act by conditioning them to respond to a sound as if they were getting a treat?

A. B.F. Skinner
B. Dave Butcher
C. Ivan Pavlov
D. Karen Pryor

ANSWER:

It wasn't even a dog trainer, but a physiologist who was investigating reflexes and digestive functions; i.e., Ivan Pavlov. He used a bell, since clickers weren't popular then.

August 2004 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
You accidentally stepped on your 10 week-old puppy's forepaw. He's yipping, bouncing around on three legs while holding up the paw.. What should you do?

A. Pick up the puppy, pet and console him, examine the paw, saying "It's OK Tippy."
B. Ignore him and go on about your activities until he stops yipping and running around.
     Then take a look at the paw to see if it's broken while you act happy about it.

Answer:

B. However, if he persists in yipping for more than 15 minutes and doesn't put the offended paw on the floor, get ready for a trip to the veterinarian by telephoning to tell them you're on your way. Then, using the Jolly Routine, pick him up gently and take him to the hospital or clinic. 

July 2004 Behavior Quiz

Question:
What is the major cause of pet house dogs who chew their owners' personal belongings?

A. The owners give them their personal belongings when they leave them alone.
B. The owners play tug-o-war with the dogs.
C. Lack of effective Leadership by the owners.
D. "Separation Anxiety"

Answer:

As simple as ABC, though any one of the three can cause destructive chewing on its own.

June 2004 Behavior Quiz

Question:

What is the most prevalent element that leads to dogs eating their own stools?

A. Hunger, due to under-feeding.
B. Their mother ate their stools when they were nursing, and they are mimicking her.
C. Over-feeding.

Answer:

C. It seems unusual that an over-fed dog should be hungry enough to eat poop, but most dogs do it because their stools contain under-digested nutrients. The usual
culprits are protein and fat. For this reason it's necessary to take a stool sample to the veterinarian to rule out physical problems, such as pancreatitis, etc. Also,
inquire about a truly high protein diet (chicken is excellent) and low in carbohydrate. Feed twice daily an amount that produces formed, firm stools.

May 2004 Behavior Quiz

Question:

Your 10 week old male puppy was born and raised in the back bedroom a home devoted to the litter and its mother. Newspapers were on the vinyl floor to soak up urine and avoid feces stains. Unfortunately, the litter wasn't allowed to follow their well-housetrained  mother outdoors when she did her "duties." Therefore, you bought a pre-unhousetrained puppy. After 2 weeks spent shouting "No!" and carrying it outdoors when the pup starts to urinate or defecate in your house, you're making no progress. He just doesn't seem to "get the message," since when you're not on the spot to correct "Spanky," he urinates regularly. What should you be doing?

A. Get a crate and keep him in it until he's "crate trained."
B. When you see him start to go potty, slap a table top or wall to distract him, then praise and shoo him out.
C. Get some small size "Bitches Britches" and keep the urine from leaking onto the floor.

Answer:

B. Make a mildly startling non-you noise, like a quick slap on a table or wall, when the pup isn't looking at you. This will cause Spanky's urinary sphincter to clamp
(and it'll soon become a conditioned reflex) then praise the sphincter-clamp and happily shoo him to his toilet area. Stand quietly until he finishes urinating and/or
defecating, then lean over the spot, point at it and praise the spot to demonstrate to him that "stuff" there is superb! Then, happily lead him back into the house.
After about 4-6 such sessions, he'll start controlling himself without any table slaps from you.

April 2004 Behavior Quiz

Question:
How can giving a dog food treats just before leaving to go to work affect the dog's behavior?

A. It can induce relaxation.
B. It can induce anxiety.
C. It can induce a bowel movement.

Answer:

C is our first choice, because swallowing food triggers a gastric reflex, which starts the dog's digestive tract working to pass along it contents for the next
stage of digestion. This is called peristalsis. At the same time, the gastric reflex activates the Rectal Reflex to empty the rectum of its contents. In the event the dog
is thoroughly housetrained, the pet may "clamp down" and avoid defecating, a side effect of which can be anxiety... answer B.

March 2004 Behavior Quiz

Question:
At what age have puppies with a bone been observed to growl when approached by a person.

A. 6 weeks
B. 5 weeks, after being weaned by their dams.
C. 2 weeks
D. 12 weeks

Answer:

Believe it or not, John Paul; Scott and John L. Fuller and their staff gave bones to 2 week old pups and they growled to protect them...  before their eyes were
even open!

February 2004 Behavior Quiz

When teaching your puppy to come to you when called, what is the very first thing you want him to know when he hears you call?

A. That he/she must come instantly.
B. That you are talking to him/her.
C. That you are speaking urgently.

Answer:

B. The first word of every formal command, except "Stay," should be the puppy's name, which should signify to the pup "Tippy... get ready to DO SOMETHING!" That "something" will depend on the next command word, in this case "Come to me instantly." The "Stay" command uses no name because it is taught after the pup has already responded to "Tippy, Sit" and means we want him/her to "DO NOTHING."  We always recommend a code word for "Come" because the word is so often spoken causally to and around puppies. We like the word "KOY," since it rarely used. For the same reason, we also recommend that everyone assign a nick-name to their pup and use it when talking ABOUT, but not TO the pup. This avoids wearing out the pup's name and the need to raise one's voice to get a pup's attention.

January 2004 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:
The guaranteed analysis of ingredients that is required to be listed on pet food containers includes, by percentage, the following:

Crude protein, Crude fat, Crude Fiber, Moisture, etc. Why is the percentage of carbohydrate not listed?

ANSWER:

We don't know! We have not been able to find out from any of the sources from whom we made inquiries. The first visitor to this page to supply a source with a
credible answer to the question will be rewarded with a 2004 Pet Behavior Newsletter subscription and a Sof-Touch Training Safety Leash.

Until then, suspicions will still abound about this mystery, the most common of which is that pet food manufacturers don't want to have to reveal that they are marketing food for carnivores whose calories are mainly from carbohydrates.

December 2003 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

What in an animal feels a stimulus on its body, such as being touched, or pricked with a pin, or shocked with electricity, what part of its brain shows a response, as indicated by it brain waves?

Answer:

A simple pin prick or a touch of a finger tip on the throat elicits a response in the brain's sensory center associated with that spot on the throat. In other words, the
brain's response is "discrete." On the other hand, an electric shock's effect is not discrete... it travels non-discretely through nervous system, affecting not just that
part of the sensory brain associated with that spot on the throat. As one bright student of neurophysiology puts it... "the whole brain lights up." In one human
experiment many years ago, a group of above average college students were asked toidentify whether a mild electric shock to their forearm occurred after the appearance of circles or after hexagons flashed on a screen a few feet in front of them. The circles and hexagons were presented in random order. The students failed accurately to identify which shape was followed by the shock!

Moral: This should be considered before using electric shocks, even "mild" ones, to train any animal (or human).
Reference: Memory Traces in the Brain, D.L. Alkon, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1987.

November 2003 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

Approximately how many health and physical problems have been associated with aggressive behavior problems in dogs?

A. 5
B. 9
C. 15
D. More than 15

Answer:

D. Amazing, but it's more than 15.  This month's Behavior Case has details. Don't miss it.

October 2003 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

You have adopted an adult dog ( 18 months old) from a rescue organization. Where should you have the dog sleep at night?

A. In a crate.
B. In the service porch.
C. In your bedroom.
D. In a dog house in the back yard.

Answer:

Keeping in mind that these dogs, like foster children, can be feeling insecure about their new membership in your group, it's best to have them sleep in circumstance that are reminiscent of the time in their lives when they felt totally secure; i.e., sleeping with their dam and litter mates. Therefore, place their bed in a bedroom
where a person of people are sleeping. Sleep in nearly "infectious" to dogs, who will usually fall asleep, and remain asleep, all through the night.

The BehavioRx Instructions for Adopting and Older Dog and Babies, New Pets and Dogs are invaluable guides for this situation.

September 2003 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

An cat approaches you with its tail raised nearly straight upward. What is it likely signalling?

A. Friendliness
B. Caution
C. Dominance
D. Impending aggression

Answer:

A. Friendliness.
Cats signal that they're relaxed and feeling friendly both to other cats and people by elevating their tails. Pity the poor Manx cats, with only a stub
tail! However, cats also blink as a show of friendliness.

reference: The Domestic Cat, the biology of its behavior, D.C. Turner & P. Bateson, eds.  Cambridge Univ. Press, 1988

August 2003 Behavior Quiz

QUESTION:

You just brought your new 7 week-old puppy home from its litter to your house. What's the best way to establish yourself and other family members as it life-long leaders?

A. Roll the pup onto its back on the ground or floor and hold it firmly, until it relaxes.
B. Teach the pup to obey your command to sit, using treats.
C. Lead the pup, meaning take it out in the yard and keep walking away from it.
D. Teach the pup to sit by physically placing in a sit and correct it physically be repositioning it if it breaks the sit.

Answer:

C. Dogs are naturally endowed with the tendency to respond to physical movement. If you walk away from your pup and praise ("Good Dog") when it starts to follow you, the pup will soon recognize you as the leader. An excellent exercise for leadership is found in the BehavioRx System Instructions "Obedience training - A Primer." Here's the link to click.:

http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/bseries.html

July 2003 Behavior Quiz

This is a test of perception of dominance body language. Describe it correctly and you'll win a 15 percent discount off the regular price of the following   BehavioRx Behavior/Training aids: Click the underlined text to read about them.

BehavioRx BioSonic Beanbag Training Kit (with 2 beanbags)
http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/biosonic.html

Sof-Touch Safety Training Leash, either size.
http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/softouch

BehavioRx Canine Pack of all 32 brochures.
http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/bseries.html


We'll send you an email with your discount price certificate. Then, you can either email your orders, phone them in, or print them out and send them by regular mail.

Good luck!

QUESTION: Which one of the individuals in this photo is demonstrating dominance over another, and, how is that dominance being demonstrated?

Email your answer to:
Bill Campbell billcamp@webtrail.com

The answer will appear in the August Quiz; but we'll let contest winners know within a week of entry. Entries must be received before August 1, 2003.

Answer:

Since this is a visual Quiz, click here for the answer.

June 2003 Behavior Quiz

Question:
What's the best way to avoid a jealousy problem with an adult family dog when a new puppy is going to join the household?

A. See if you can get one of the new drugs for anxiety in dogs and dose the family dog..
B. Make the puppy's arrival mean the family dog gets more attention after it arrives.
C. Underfeed the adult dog for several days, then feed it fully when the puppy moves in.

Answer:

B. And be sure to show the adult dog less attention (enough less that he notices it) for at least 4 days prior to the new pup's arrival. Make the increased attention
happy and joyous Don't coddle or try to reassure the dog. That can make him think something is "wrong." Let the puppy adapt to the situation. The BehavioRx Instructions, "Babies, New Pets and Dogs" contains the entire program for this type of situation.

May 2003 Behavior Quiz

Question:
Why do some dogs urinate on their owners?

A. Because they dislike them.
B. Because they want to "dominate" them.
C. Because they feel "insecure" about their relationship with them.
D. Because they "love" them.

Answer: C (and usually D)

Feelings of insecurity in dogs, and many cats, about their "people" stimulates what is often called "social urine marking" so as to set it apart from pure territorial marking. However, many dogs and cats will spray on strangers who enter their social group or territory:

Take it from one behavior consultant who has "been there." Dogs who have done this are not necessarily aggressively dangerous; they are usually insecure and socially "bossy" with their owners and strangers.

Peeing exclusively on the owner indicates the dog wants to lay claim to someone about whom he or she needs to feel more secure. Once this security is provided, usually through a differential diagnosis and a well-designed and faithfully executed leadership program for the owner(s), the problem simply goes away.

April 2003 Behavior Quiz

Question:
We are on the brink of another time change, as we "spring forward" and set our clocks an hour later in must US states. Can pet dogs really keep track of the time of day, or do they simply respond to events, such as getting up, meal times, etc?

A. They simply respond to 'events' as they occur, not the time of day.
B. They have very sensitive, accurate, biological clocks.

Answer: B.
Dog's biological clocks have been shown to be accurate to within 30 seconds in a 24 hour time period. However, this accuracy refers to "nature's time," not a clock on the wall, which is really "Human's time." For this reason, when we change clock times, it's smart (behaviorally) to start at least 4 days early feeding your pets 15
minutes later each day as the 'fall-back" change approaches and 15 minutes earlier as the "Spring-forward" change approaches. This helps to avoid housetraining accidents.

March 2003 Behavior Quiz

Question:
A retired couple moved to a rural area during the summer, where most homes enjoyed at least 2 acres of property. They two neutered male cats, 4 and 7 years of age, who always lived and played happily together, suddenly started fighting in the middle of the night. What should you look for as possible causes?

A. The new cat food you started feeding them?
B. The neighbor's dogs, who often bark at night?
C. Roaming neighborhood cats?

Answer:
C. The neighborhood dogs are probably barking at the neighborhood stray cats who, according to their kind, are nocturnal creatures out looking for food or are toms in search of a stray female.

As for A., cats rarely become aggressive with each other over changes in diet. So, the first step is to keep the drapes and blinds closed at night. Second;
cat-proof your property against strays. Spraying an animal repellent on outdoor winder panes and planter boxes, deck and porch rails and stairs would also be a
winner. A more detailed explanation of why this sort of fighting occurs (and other solutions) can be found in our books, "Behavior Problems in Dogs" and "New Better Behavior in Dogs." Just click on the book covers for quick order and shipment.

http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/

February 2003 Behavior Quiz

You have a male, 75 lb. German Shepherd-Labrador Retriever, 11 months old, who was neutered at 6 months of age. He has always been very active, enjoying the evening on-leash walks with you nearly every day of the week. He loves to play fetch and retrieve happily and dependably. Besides a bout with roundworms as a 9-week-old, his health seems excellent. However, when out on the walks for the last two weeks, he has started stopping and resisting walking more than about Two blocks, about a third of your normal walking distance. This started three weeks ago. You got a choke chain collar, but it didn't help, so you're back to using your flat buckle collar.

Question: What kind of help should you seek to overcome the problem?

A. Ask your veterinarian.
B. Call a dog trainer.
C. Find a behavior consultant.
D. Get a shock collar.

Answer:

A. Your veterinarian must examine your dog first. This avoids the danger of trying to "train" him to ignore his pain in order to overcome reluctance on the walks. Since 1967, we have found the majority of this type of complaint involves pain; pain from physical problems ranging from pancreatitis to hip dysplasia to spinal misalignments and injuries to pastern sprains... and many other conditions in between. When any of these have been discovered, then treated effectively, the balky-doggedness has resolved itself. When there has been no physical problem involved, the Sof-Touch (TM) Training Safety Leash has worked wonders.

January 2003 Behavior Quiz

You're looking for your special puppy to join your family. You have two children, a five year old girl and seven year old boy. You all go to the breeders to make your selection. The seven week old litter of 7 puppies is in the back yard. Wisely, the breeder has scheduled your arrival so the puppies have eaten, done their toilet duties and had their post meal nap. This ensures all the puppies are wide awake and ready for some social time. You all enter the yard with the breeder and stand in a group about 20 feet away. One male puppy rushes from the group to greet you, two others, a male and female follow. A few seconds later, three others approach. The seventh puppy a female, seems to want to approach, but doesn't.

Question: Which puppy is likely to be the most outgoing and social in your home?

A. The male who was first to approach?
B. One of the first two to follow him?
C. One of the next three to follow?
D. The seventh puppy, who stayed away from the group?

Answer:

At this stage, the odds are 1 in 7 that any of the above answers will be correct, because the pups are functioning as a social group. You'll have to take each puppy,
alone, to an area away from the social puppy-group and test it with the BehavioRx Puppy Selection Test, where it is free of the influence of the breeder and the other pups. Using this system, you may find "outgoing" Puppy A is a shy, wimpy bundle of submission, while the litter "wallflower," D, is an absolute "heller," biting at your hands, and struggling fiercely when you try to pick it up. After all the pups have been tested and scored, you can then have a chat with the family and the breeder as to which pup is both appealing and whose behavior is, at that moment in time, most suited for your family. However, that's just the beginning, since your environment will mold the puppies developing and its adult personality.

December 2002 Behavior Quiz

Pet behavior Resources makes available to dog and cat owners the complete BehavioRx Series of Problem-solving programs in a series of brochures. There are available through the mails at $2.50 each. They are also available in many areas, usually at no charge, from another source.

Question: Name the free source for BehavioRx Problem-solving Brochures.

Answer:

One or more of the veterinary hospitals/clinics in your area may have them, offering individual brochures as courtesy handouts for the clients. If yours doesn't, have them contact us via email or phone (541-476-5775) and we'll send them a sample for your problem. (We'll also include an order form for the BehavioRx Series of 36 brochures.)

November 2002 Behavior Quiz

Your puppy's name is "Jake." You got him at 7 weeks of age. He knows his name, but he is starting to ignore it when he is interested in something other than you. Why is this?

Answer:

It's probably because you use the name "Jake" when you talk about (but not to) Jake, after which you haven't reinforced his responses at those times. Hence... you extinguished Jake's responses to "Jake."

Solution: Give Jake a nick-name. Make it a name that you and others don't usually use in conversation around Jake. Some favorites we've heard in the past are: Genius, Dummy, Fang, Slobber, Slick, Idiot, Superdog, Yapper, Jumper, Digger, Whiney, Garbage disposal, :-)

October 2002 Behavior Quiz

Humans and all mammals (as well as other species) have a basic, mainly defensive, reflex that occurs when a novel or unexpected stimulus occurs, such as a quick sound, movement, change in light, touch, a novel scent? The Russian researcher, Ivan Pavlov, called it the "investigatory reflex," or the "What-is-it? reflex." What are the effects of this reflex on the mental (thought) function of the brain?

A. It erases what was being thought about when it occurred.
B. It pairs the stimulus with what it was thinking to form a conditioned reflex.
C. It interrupts what was being thought about for an instant or even longer.

Answer:

C. Brainwave graphs indicate Pavlov was right.

In fact, these "interruptive" reactions are the basis for the BehavioRx Bio-Sonic Beanbag training system. Using them, you can interrupt a doorbell-aggressive dog's
mental/emotional reaction to the doorbell, then introduce the Jolly Routine to help change the dog's total emotional response to the bell. The same thing applies to dogs who jump on you or others. When they are thinking about jumping, the beanbag is tossed down by their feet, interrupting the jump-thought and taking their attention downward. After a few applications (per the instructions) a permanent correction is achieved, without force or punishment, only praise to reinforce the good behavior.

September 2002 Behavior Quiz

Question:

Your 21 month old, neutered (at 11 months) male Labrador Retriever has recently begun to growl and try to attack other dogs through the fence when they come by his front yard. He is also starting to snarl at dogs and strain on the leash when other dogs approach while you are walking him in the neighborhood. You have scolded him and slapped his rump, but it hasn't calmed him down. He seems to enjoy the walks, lifting his leg on various scent posts along the way, even after he has run out of urine. Why is he getting aggressive and overprotective of his property?

A. It's natural for his age.
B. You have done the wrong things during the walks.
C. Urinating off the property on the walks has caused him to extend his territory.

Answer:

A, B and C Partly

A. Your Lab is maturing and, even though neutered, goes through periods when his territorial protective genes tell him he's more macho than when younger.

B. Allowing him to become preoccupied with other dogs' urine scents primes him for defensive and aggressive behavior when he meets them, on or off his own property.

C. "The world is my toilet" is an attitude that can develop as he generalizes his territorial boundaries to those scents he leaves away from home.

For this reason, it's important to establish a habit of having your dog urinate and void his bladder BEFORE arriving at places where other dogs may be playing or working, such as at Doggy Play Parks, Obedience classes, the beach, mountains, etc., etc., etc. Later, if the exercise of activities causes him to start urinating at those locations, distract him (or her) and take him out of the area and allow him to urinate there. This helps avoid the urinary rituals that can trigger defensive/aggressive behavior toward other dogs.

August 2002 Behavior Quiz

Question:

Your 5 month-old, intact, male Cock-a-Poo no longer wants to chase or catch a ball. This has been his favorite playtime game since he was 2 months old. You recall that the ball did hit him on the nose once, but he continued to play. But he now seems frightened of it. What should you do first?

A. Desensitize his fear by associating the ball with a delicious, favorite tidbit.
B. Make an appointment with a veterinary ophthalmologist for an eye check up.
C. Take him to a clicker training class for professional assistance.
D. Put him on an anti-anxiety drug.

Answer:

B. The puppy may well have problems with his vision. Juvenile cataracts are still problems in many young dogs. Another vision problems can be what is called occipital aplasia, which is sometimes found in young animals. It most commonly affects their tunnel (focus) central vision. When the vision problem, if there is one, is identified, you can use the remedial program for Fearfulness (phobias) which is covered in detail in Behavior Problems in Dogs. It's available at Direct Books if you'll just click on the book's cover on our home page.

July 2002 Behavior Quiz

Question:

When teaching a dog to respond to the command "Sit" what is the most important cue the animal needs to learn most quickly?

A. A sound cue
B. A touch on the rump
C. A visual directional cue
D. A tug upward on the collar

Answer:

C. A visual directional cue.
The most "important" is also the most effective. For Sit, as you say "Sit," a movement of your hand from a point below the dog's snout, upward to a point about two
feet above the dog's head will cause him or her to track your hand visually. Raising the head is the first movement for a natural sit by dogs.

June 2002 Behavior Quiz

Answer:
B. She has learned what she was taught, as well; she has not learned what she was not taught.

She has learned to urinate when she gets the urge and she can ring the bell, but she has also generalized the bell's purpose to getting you to let her out of the house
whenever she wants to go out.

Solution? Get the BehavioRx Instructions for Housetraining and you'll learn how to use her feeding schedule to establish what we call "BioRhythms" relative to eating
and urinating/defecating. As one grateful veterinarian with your exact problem phoned to report many years ago... "Bill, I followed the instructions and they really work. My Lab is finally out of his crate!"

May 2002 Behavior Quiz

Why do most dogs pull on their leashes?

A. They want to lead (be ahead of) their owners.
B. Their nature is to be free, and to go where and when they want.
C. Their owners are pulling on the leashes.
D. Positive thigmotaxis.

Answer:

In our experience, the answer is a combination of "All of the Above." Most chronic leash-strainers are leader-type dogs who also forge ahead of them at doorways unless commanded not to do so; Pavlov documented the dog's Freedom Reflex as a genuine brain stem, plus conscious desire to be unfettered; Most owners of leash-strainers can be seen actually tugging back on the leash when the dog starts to strain. This is a good way to get a dogsled team to start pulling the sled, but it is counter-productive in teaching a dog not to strain; positive thigmotaxis is another brain stem reflex which goes to work opposing a force on the body when that pressure is applied. For all these reasons, the Sof-Touch (TM) Training Safety leash takes advantage of all the facts in teaching the dog to control these elements itself, except one--- the owner's pulling back on the leash. Which is why the directions require that owners learn to stand as still as a fire hydrant, rather than pull back on the leash.

P.S. The Pet Behavior Newsletter, 2002-2, deals with more of these problems in an article by the eminent consultant/trainer, George P. Quinlan.

April 2002 Behavior Quiz

The family's 10 month-old mixed-breed Golden Retriever has suddenly started growling and acting ambivalent about the 13 year old daughter, fearfully backing up while growling. He had always been affectionate and obedient with the girl. To make things a bit more confusing for the parents, the dog didn't act this way all
day, every day.

To treat this situation most effectively, which of the following steps is most important?

A. Recommend obedience training.
B. Desensitize the dog from the reactions to the girl.
C. Discover, then treat the cause(s).
D. Counter-condition the dog through positive associations (food, for instance) relative to the daughter.

Answer: C
Obviously, "Find the Cause" should be the first watchwords, and the first action taken, in analyzing all behavior problems, even if the problem seems simple. This
avoids violating the second watchwords for solving behavior problems in all animals, even people!"DO NO HARM."

To send aggressive dogs to obedience school, desensitize them to provocative situations, or to counter-condition them, with or without food, risks creating a tragedy. The same holds true for giving the dog a drug; it merely attempts to treat the behavior, rather than discover and treat the underlying cause. A classic example of failure to find the cause was reported recently in a leading veterinary journal. The cause for such a problem was never fully investigated, yet a treatment program was instituted which involved behavior modification. Ultimately, the girl's mother discovered the cause. It was her daughter's acne medication! When the girl forgot to use it for several days, the dog became friendly, non-aggressive. When she started using it again, he became aggressive to her. After again stopping the medication, the dog returned to normal and was still friendly and obedient 18 months later.  Moral: Changes in scent, appearance, gait, emotional states, etc., etc., may affect a family pet's behavior.

March 2002 Behavior Quiz

How Long to Train Effectively

Question:

You're trying to teach your 7 month old dog not to charge out the front door ahead of you when you open it to go for a walk. If you spend a few minutes, twice in training, how long should it take before the dog can be deemed "dependably" trained not to charge ahead?

A. 1 week
B. 4 weeks
C. 6 weeks
D. 3 months

Answer:

Most professionals adhere to the principle of training with increasing distractions during a 42 (days, that is) or 6 week time span. Pavlov demonstrated this principle in training his dog's conditioned reflexes; salivation, for instance, and unconditioned reflexes; withdrawing a paw from a pin-prick or electric shock. It is interesting that tissue and bone in dogs and humans requires about seven weeks to heal. Cats heal quicker, possibly because their purring promotes speedier healing.

To read about this fascinating concept go to: http://www.animalvoice.com/catpurrP.htm

February 2002 Behavior Quiz

Ivan Pavlov tried lots of ways to find "automatic," i.e., involuntary reflexes in dogs. One of those he and other investigated was the dog's bite reflex. Although "a bite is a bite" and may seem to be an aggressive act to lots of people, Pavlov listed this as a "defensive reflex." He found one sure way to activate this automatic bite. It was:

A. Strike the dog on the snout.
B. Apply a shock to the dog's rear leg.
C. Blow a puff of air in the dog's ear.
D. Make a loud noise.

Answer: C.

Blow a single puff of air into the dog's ear. And now... the rest of the story:

Family kids and their friends are often bitten in the face. In our investigations, which are from cases, many of thesechildren were either bothering the pet while it was eating, taking away something the dog valued, i.e., toys, bone, etc.or... (and here's where Pavlov's work is revealing)... hugging the dog's neck or head. This behavior puts the child's exhaled breath in close proximity to one of the dog's ears. One puff equals one bite, and often continued biting if the child screams. Screams can also stimulate severe biting by many dogs.

The moral is: TV ads often show small children hugging Rover, the family pet. If you and you child see one of these, tell your child that such behavior is very dangerous, even with your own dog. Explain why it is dangerous. If you think your own situation with your pet may be a problem, get the BehavioRx Instructions for "Babies, New Pets and Dogs" (Introducing them). It explains methods to teach family dogs to avoid situations that can lead to problems. Read about it at:

January 2002 Behavior Quiz

When fighting becomes a problem between two family dogs, and one or both dogs have suffered seriously wounds, what role does their sex have in the difficulty of rehabilitating them?

A. Neutered males are more difficult.
B. Intact males are more difficult.
C. Intact females are more difficult.
D. Spayed females are more difficult.
E. Males with females are more difficult, whether spayed, neutered or intact.

Answer:

Our experience (nearing 35 years) has been that spayed females who have punctured each other require more time, up to 3 months versus 6 weeks, than most other cases. Having said that, it is important to point out that other types of cases on the list above have required longer periods, as well. The critical factor in all fighting dog cases is the owners' attitudes.

The most difficult cases involve owners who favor either dog. This imbalance in the emotional atmosphere seems to be sensed by both dogs. The result is that the aggressor, if favored, tends to be more aggressive; while the defender dog feels more insecure and often becomes more aggressive. The opposite feelings occur when the defender is favored. The quickest corrections occur when all of the owners are emotionally totally committed to both dogs.

December 2001 Behavior Quiz

Your 5 month old dog is always on the go. Nearly every waking minute is spent moving around. You've heard this is the canine counterpart of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and should be treated with drugs. What is the first thing you should do?

A. Ask your veterinarian to prescribe one of the drugs.
B. Put the dog on a low protein diet.
C. Get your dog thoroughly examined for possible allergies, thyroid disorders or other physical problems.
D. Get one of the homeopathic medications for the disorder.
E. Put the dog on a high protein diet.

Answer:

C. Despite all the human psychiatric labels attached to canine behavior (most of which only describe Symptoms, not their Causes) drugging an animal with a behavior problem should occur only after a thorough diagnosis. These drugs themselves may have serious physical/behavioral side-effects. Otherwise you will risk "masking" or depressing the symptoms, while the dog still suffers from their causes. Untreated thyroid diseases, food or environmental allergies, even misaligned spinal vertebrae, early-onset-diabetes, etc., can have behavioral effects ranging from hyper-activity and impaired attention span to unreasonable aggressiveness,
phobias, etc. So, before drugging your behavior problem, follow the first guard post of medical ethics... "Do no harm." Moral: Get your dog a thorough veterinary examination, lest you regret it.

November 2001 Behavior Quiz

Why don't healthy puppies and adult dogs who sleep on their owners' beds urinate during the night?

A. Their mother taught them not to mess in their litter's sleeping place.
B. A hormone controls urine production during sleep.
C. They did it as puppies, but didn't like getting wet, so they stopped it themselves.

Answer:

B. Puppies and adult dogs, when they sleep, produce a hormone called vasopressin. This dandy bio-chemical, manufactured in the hypothalamus of the dog's brain, goes to work as an antidiuretic, i.e., it suppresses the secretion of urine, so the dog doesn't wake up with a bursting bladder. This is the reason you should feed your puppy or adult dog before, not after, taking them out for their morning duties. This schedule will help establish a bio-rhythm for morning elimination after being fed.

October 2001 Behavior Quiz

At what age do puppies start learning?

A. At birth
B. About 5 weeks
C. About 7 weeks
D. About 10 weeks

Answer:

If we define learning as a deliberate, "conscious" activity, rather than a purely reflex reaction (like a knee-jerk reaction when the knee is tapped firmly) then B., about 5 weeks, would be correct. However, strictly unconscious reflex reactions have been "conditioned" in puppies shortly after birth. These experiments usually used pain, often induced by electric shock to a paw, to produce the withdrawal of a leg. However, 5 week old puppies are quite capable of learning to "Come" and "Sit" for rewards of petting and praise.

September 2001 Behavior Quiz

You're going to get a puppy. You've decided on the breed and have found a breeder who come highly recommended by your veterinarian and several people who have had the breeder's puppies. You're looking at the litter, but aren't sure how to pick out THE puppy who might be best for you. There are 8 puppies. One, a female, is super friendly. Six of them seem friendly, but don't come close to you, while another (a male) is a real wall-flower. The wall-flower is most appealing to you because he seems the cutest and you want a male, but you don't want a super-shy dog, either.

How can you make an enlightened decision?

Answer:

Take your wall flower away from the litter. Chances are he's well down the ladder of social dominance within the litter. If you can, use the BehavioRx Puppy Selection Test instructions for handling and leadership with him. You'd be surprised how many puppies' behavior flip-flops when alone with a person. We once appeared on a CBS-TV feature with a littler of 7 week-old Golden Retriever puppies. Away from their littermates the litter bully proved to be a submissive urinater during the handling test, while the wall flower jumped all over us, biting and resisting any handling.  The test won't predict your pup's adult behavior; that depends a great deal on your environment, but you will have a good idea of what you're getting in that puppy!

August 2001 Behavior Quiz

According to most wolf- and coyote-authorities, when these wild canids kill a moose, deer or other large prey, what do they do with the animal's intestines?

A. They eat the intestines first.
B. They pull them out and hide them to eat later.
C. They pull them out and don't eat them.

Answer: C
Contrary to what most people say, wolf and coyote-researchers report that the intestines are not eaten at all. The myth got started about canines eating the intestines, which are filled with partially digested vegetation, because they do open the bellies of their prey, but that's to get to the liver, heart, kidneys, spleen and lungs, which are rich in vital nutrients. Further, domestic pet dogs, like their feral cousins, have absolutely no need for vegetables and the starches and sugars they contain. Starches are converted into sugar in the dog's intestines. Sugar is another nutritional substance they don't need and can actually be harmful to their health, creating Type II diabetes mellitus.

July 2001 Behavior Quiz

Your 4 month old puppy is beginning to strike you as a real "dummy." You keep having to re-teach things like "sit" and "stay" which he seemed previously to have learned quite well?

A. He more easily distracted than adult dogs.
B. He's always hungry.
C. His brain's "memory" chemistry hasn't matured.
D. He haven't been taught with enough intensity.

Answer: C. Although puppies can learn very quickly, just like young humans, their retention of things learned which require long-term memory doesn't mature until they are about 22 weeks old. This is because their brain doesn't reach adult levels of turnover of RNA (ribonucleic acid) until just before they reach 6 months of age. Hence, your 4-month old pup needs patience and must be re-taught many of life's lessons that require "consciously," or intellectually, remembering what to do when told to perform something, such as "Sit."

However, this is not strictly true for "emotional" memories, such as experiences which cause extreme fear or joy. These memories appear to become stored in the brain's "unconscious" emotional memory centers. From a standpoint of self-preservation, this makes "natural" sense.  This is why punishing puppies by shaking them or otherwise threatening their physical well-being is unwise. It may well induce anxieties, even fear or defensive-aggression, later in life. Early physical punishment
in puppies is common in the history of many puppies who start wetting submissively when approached by their owners and/or strangers.

June 2001 Behavior Quiz

Answer: D. A conditioned response. C would have been OK, too, since Pavlov also used it. :-)

Ivan Pavlov described experiments by Dr. Zitovich, a Russian scientist. Several young puppies who were taken away from their mothers prior to weaning and fed only milk until they were a few months old. He then showed the pups meat or bread. They did not salivate! It wasn't until the puppies had eaten bread and meat several times that they began to salivate when they simply saw the food. So, see-food-salivate is not an unconditioned, but a conditioned response!

This conditioned salivary response posed some problems for Pavlov, who wanted to measure dogs' unconditioned salivary reflexes, which don't involved the brain's cerebral cortices, i.e. "those little gray cells," as detective Poirot described them. To accomplish this, he surprised the dogs by suddenly thrusting meat into their mouths. They began to salivate in 1 to 2 seconds. However, when his dogs were shown food, the conditioned salivation didn't begin until 5 seconds had elapsed. In
spite of this difference, Pavlov simply treated salivation at the "sight or smell of food" as a reflex, but he called it a "conditioned" reflex, whereas salivation when food is suddenly put into an unsuspecting dog's mouth was termed, quite correctly, an "unconditioned" reflex. (see: Conditioned Reflexes; I.I. Pavlov, Dover Publications, NY.1960; first published by Oxford University Press, 1927.)

May 2001 Behavior Quiz

What is the best way to handle a puppies so as to establish physical dominance over them as adults?

A. Roll them onto their backs and hold them firmly until they relax. Do this daily.
B. Pin them to the floor by their necks daily.
C. Pick them up daily and hold them in your arms until they relax.
D. Hold them by the jowls daily and stare them in the eyes until they look away.

Answer: C.

Landmark works by John C. Scott and John L. Fuller in the 1960s found, after their puppy handlers and caretakers simply approached the puppies several times a day, gently picked them up and held them until they relaxed, it was soon only necessary that they simply walk toward a puppy in order to stimulate submissive responses. Even litters of Terrier pups would stop fighting among themselves when their handler walked toward them.

Moral: The roll-over, jowl-pickup-and-stare and neck-pin and/or side-pin techniques are all over-hyped: Avoid them. They can be seriously harmful for owners of puppies with Active Defense (fight or flight) Reflexes, and may induce submissive wetting in pups with Passive Defense (freeze) Reflexes, whereas the pickup technique has no dangerous side-effects when the pups are picked up gently.

April 2001 Behavior Quiz

Your 2 year-old, spayed female Golden Retriever has started chasing her tail about two weeks ago. When she catches it, which is rare, she chews on it. She then gets up and starts chasing again. You have been told that her behavior is called "stereotypy," which is purposeful, repetitive behavior. Someone else said she probably suffers from OCD, an obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is stereotypy caused by a senseless, intrusive, persistent idea, thought, impulse or image. You are baffled, because your dog cannot tell you if she has "intrusive," etc. thoughts or images. You have also been told that there are new psychoactive drugs to treat these conditions. What should you do?

A. Ask the veterinarian to prescribe one of the new drugs.
B. Try one of the anti-anxiety herbal remedies.
C. Ask her veterinarian to perform a complete physical examination; complete blood tests, including chemical screen, thyroid function and allergies and a thorough spinal examination.

Answer:

C. Make sure your Goldie's health is not a factor. Many tail chasers have spinal misalignments, which can cause numbness or tingling in the tail; hence she tries to get at it to itch it or otherwise get rid of the sensation. We even had one case in which the problem was caused by a tick which was on the underside of the dog's tail. After the veterinarian removed the tick, the chasing stopped.

In any event, immediately with your Goldie, ignore the behavior. You can reinforce it by giving her attention. Even scolding and/or stopping her physically from tail-chasing can actually reinforce it!

March 2001 Behavior Quiz

Question:

Your dog has started showing aggression toward family members. You heard that feeding a low protein diet should be used to help alleviate the problem. Protein should make up about 17% on a dry basis. Is this low protein diet been demonstrated to be effective in any studies?

___Yes

___No

Answer:

From the record:

A study published in the Journal of that American Veterinary Medical Association, Vol 208, No. 3, February 1, 1996, regarding the effects of low protein diets (17%) on dog behavior concluded:

"Clinical Implications: Results of this study suggest that a reduction in dietary protein is not generally useful in the treatment of behavior problems in dogs, but may be appropriate in dogs with territorial aggression that is a result of fear."

As with many clinical studies, the title is often confused with its conclusions. In this case, "Effect of dietary protein content on behavior in dogs," has in some quarters been misunderstood to mean that low protein really improves dog behavior, when just the opposite was found.

February 2001 Behavior Quiz

Question:

What is the best age for you to take a new puppy home from its litter?

A. 5 to 6 weeks old.
B. 7 weeks old.
C. 8 to 10 weeks old.
D. 10 to 12 weeks old.
E. 12 to 14 weeks old.

Answer:

B. 7 weeks is the very best time for a puppy to make the transition from its canine family to your human family. However, most pups do quite well if they are adopted between 6 and 8 weeks of age. Canine Behavior pioneers John Scott and John Fuller, in their book, now titled "Canine Behavior, The Genetic Basis" University of Chicago Press, 1965, placed both pure bred and mixed breed puppies during their landmark work at the Jackson Memorial Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine. The best (least problematic) adjustments were made by seven week old puppies.

January 2001 Behavior Quiz

When meeting a strange dog, what is the most dangerous way you can behave?

A. Grab and hug the dog.
B. Slap the dog on the back and pet him/her there, too.
C. Talk loudly and pet the dog on top of the head.
D. Crouch down and put your face in the dog's face.
E. All of the above.

Answer: E, all of the above. We should also have mentioned that "Staring at Strange Dogs" is a dangerous practice. Pet Behavior Newsletter, 2000-4 contains a detailed guide for meeting strange dogs. The 2001-1 issue will feature a guide on what to do if a dog attacks.
http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/pbnews.html

December 2000 Behavior Quiz

How many medical drugs for behavior have been approved by the Food
and Drug Administration for use with small animals?

Answer:
A. 13
B. 2
C. 5
D. 8

Answer:

B. At this writing there are only two psychogenic drugs with US Government approval for prescription use in small animals; Prozac and Clomicalm. A great many other drugs have been clinically useful as short-term adjuncts to remedial behavior programs.

November 2000 Behavior Quiz

Newborn puppies are soon suckling for their dam's milk, even though their eyes are tightly sealed; they are virtually blind. They find their mother's milk by searching blindly. They will suckle on anything warm and soft, even if it doesn't deliver any milk. When they do suckle on a teat and gain milk, each pup usually settles on a "favorite" teat and will often protect it from other pups.

After its first few meals, the puppy needs to eliminate nature's waste. What does its mother have to do at this point?

A. Carry the pup to a toilet area away from the litter nest, so it doesn't mess the nest?
B. Lick the pup's genital and anal area to stimulate urination/defecation?
C. Let the pup eliminate on its own, obeying "nature's urge."

Answer:
B. The mother must lick every pup's genital/anal area to stimulate elimination. If she doesn't the puppies die. This procedure virtually pre-trains puppies to eliminate after they eat, which means that when the new owners ring them home, they are ready for instant housetraining. pups between 5 and 14 weeks of age should be
fed at least 3 times daily, at times the owners will be home during their work week, then taken immediately to their toilet area, where they will reflexively urinate and/or defecate. On the weekends, the pups should not be fed during times the owners will be away during the week. Also, it's a bad practice to give a puppy treats as an inducement to go into a crate.

This elimination pre-conditioning is the reason that giving tidbits to train puppies leads to so many problems in housetraining. Tidbit training puppies also tends to make them what we call "Hand-Happy," i.e., they nip at people's hands to get a treat. If they are then punished or scolded, the "trainer" appears inconsistent... which is a lousy image to have if the owner is to be the pup's leader. Praise and brief, friendly petting is life's most powerful puppy-reward.

October 2000 Behavior Quiz

You heard that a great way to exercise your pet is by having it chase a flashlight or a laser beam pointer. Is this wise?

A. Yes
B. No

Answer:

B. NO! Using a laser pointer is downright dangerous. As many lecturers have learned the hard way, it takes only a brief exposure of a laser beam into an eye to cause harm to vision. Most laser pointers contain warning against pointing the light toward people or animals. Since dogs and most other mammals do not have the same defensive blink reflexes to bright lights, they will tend to freeze and stare at the source of the light. This is one reason so many animals look as if they are "trapped" and stand stock still in the headlights of automobiles.

Another compelling reason not to use any beam of light with a dog, cat, or any other pet, as a way to stimulate running, chasing and pouncing, is the serious risk of instilling obsessive "searching" for the light when it isn't there. We have worked with many clients with such "obsessive-compulsive" dogs. Some of the dogs wouldn't
even stop searching for the light long enough to eat!

September 2000 Behavior Quiz

What mental state causes most of the behavior problems in pet animals?

A. Fear
B. Anger
C. Anxiety
D. Spite
E. Love
F. Frustration
G. Hate

Answer:

F. Frustration is at the root of nearly every behavior problem in pets who are in 100% robust health. The cause for the frustration, in healthy dogs, is invariably found in social problems within the human/pet relationship; or in structural problems, especially in birds and exotic animals. Once the pet owner discovers and appreciates the cause(s) of the frustrations, then the anger, fear, anxiety, etc. behaviorisms, which are only symptoms of the basic problem, can be effectively cleared up. In fact, in many cases, the behavior problems just disappear.

August 2000 Behavior Quiz

You have a new puppy and you want to avoid the current buzzword problem behavior, "Separation Anxiety," because your former dog was destructive when left alone in the house. Wisely, you plan to have your puppy's bed on the floor of your bedroom beside yours at night, where she will sleep when you sleep. You also plan leave her in a puppy exercise pen with her bed and a chewable toy when you have to leave her "home alone." Now, the question is... Where should you
leave her in her pen?

A. In the kitchen, which is where she will be having her meals?
B. In the den, because it is where she will spend most of her waking hours?
C. In the bedroom, where she sleeps at night?
D. In the garage or basement, because it will be dark and quiet?

Answer:
C, at first, because she is preconditioned to sleep in the bedroom. However, you should sit quietly with her, after gathering all the stuff you have to take with you and leaving it by the door you'll use to leave the house. Sit until she settles, then quietly leave without speaking or even making eye-contact. (Get BehavioRx
instructions for Separation Anxiety for full instructions) As she matures, remains quiet and has 2 BMs a day and you feed her twice a day, you can start leaving her in the den (B) for a couple months, then leave the pen open as a first step to her having freedom of the house. (The Housetraining BehavioRx instructions will help you in this procedure.)

July 2000 Behavior Quiz

The Fourth of July is upon us. Your dog reacts fearfully to explosions and other loud noises. What's the best thing to do when the first firecracker or other loud noise occurs?

A. Clap your hands once, run around and find one of the dog's toys and start playing with it. Continue this until the dog loosens up and joins in the fun. If other people are there, they must also do this with you.

B. Go to the dog, pet and reassure him or her by saying "It's OK. Don't Worry."

C. Give the dog a tidbit.

Answer:

A, of course. You need the dog to soak up your happy emotions about the racket. Giving the dog food will usually induce copious salivation and reinforce the fearful reaction. Trying to tell the dog that his or her fear and concern are "OK," while a 'natural' human reaction, is reinforcing, too.

June 2000 Behavior Quiz

Your new puppy, "Skippy," balks when you put on the leash and collar (make it a flat buckle collar) and try to walk him. What's the best way to overcome this without dragging him or jerking on his neck, either of which may cause injury to his fragile spine?

Answer:

Once again, John Paul Scott and John L. Fuller's work with puppies at the Jackson Memorial Laboratories at Bar Harbor, ME, in the 60's showed the way, mentioned in the paperback edition of Dog Behavior - The Genetic Basis. When their puppies balked while being taken across the building toward the examination rooms, where they were weighed and examined daily, the handler simply dropped the leash and walk onward. Lo! The puppies followed! This technique can be adapted for any balky pup.

Simply go to the center of an open area (but safe from traffic with no big distractions-the back yard or unused tennis courts are great). Put the leash in your pocket. Have the collar on the puppy. Put Tippy down at your left side, keep your head turned to watch her over your left shoulder and walk forward, away from the pup and say "Good Dog" as you start walking. Pat your left thigh with your left hand. If the she balks, kneel down on one knee, clap your hands and praise happily until she gets close to you, then quickly stand and move away again. Keep that left side toward Tippy. If she starts to go behind you, turn left and keep walking away, praising happily. In a few minutes she will stay with you for a few steps.

At that time, kneel down and praise and pet her. Hook up the leash and hold it loosely, so it can slip through your fingers if it starts to get tight. Then start the routine over by standing a starting off again. Tippy will probably go right along. If she balks, just keep moving, letting the leash slip through your hand until you get close to the end, then abruptly kneel and praise like crazy. She should come to you quickly, at which time you stand and start off again. Keep this up until she has stayed with you for about a minute. Then end the session. Don't have another for at least 2 and 1/2 hours. Let the learning incubate. Then have another, preferably in a different area.

If this doesn't solve Tippy's balkiness, follow the BehavioRx Obedience Training Primer Instructions and use them for a couple of days and try again.

If you really want to succeed quickly, use the Sof-Touch Training Safety Leash with its instructions.

May 2000 Behavior Quiz

A two-part question:

1. What is the best age for your new puppy to leave its mother and littermates and go home with you?
2. Where should the puppy sleep?

Answer:

1. Nearly all the research, especially that done by John P. Scott and John L. Fuller in the 1960s and published in their landmark book "Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog," now called simply "Dog Behavior," and certainly most of the experience of dog owners, indicates that a new puppy is best taken from its litter to the new home between 6 and 8 weeks of age. However, when contacting a breeder, it is best to make sure the puppy's litter, itself, was gently handled daily during 3 to 7 weeks of age by humans, both adults and children, adolescence and pre-adolescent. This gives the pup experience with the differences in body odors between the three age groups, thus helping to avoid 'odor shock' when the meets youngsters in the new home.

2. Remember, while in the litter, the puppy slept up to 12-13 hours a night without urinating or defecating. When you take it away from "Mom" and its siblings to your home, which is upsetting in itself, this is not the time to isolated it from other sleeping animals. To do so invites emotional distress and nighttime urination and
defecation. A warm puppy-pod (actually an infant 'sleeping bag,') which you can get at most any baby store, should be placed next to your bed. This way the puppy can hear you breathing as you sleep, which is a near-hypnotic sleep-inducer for puppies.

April 2000 Behavior Quiz

Most pet owners are convinced that their animals can think. Many owners believe animals can even think like humans, in words. What is the most likely way pet dogs and cats think?

A. In words, since they live with people and learn the meaning of words.
B. In images, in their "minds-eye" or "mind's ear."
C. In their brain's mental computer, like a software word processor.

Answer:

Probably B, but also including their mind's nose, touch, taste and smell senses. One of the finest books any animal owner can read to gain insight about "animal thinking" is Temple Grandin's "Thinking in Pictures." It is fascinating, inexpensive and available quickly at  http://www.dogwise.com

While our animals may not speak, they certainly remember the way we "sound" when we say their names, give commands, look happy, sound happy, maybe even smell happy, since body odors change with moods, as do our rates of breathing, heart rates, even the way we move. Animals are far better at reading human non-verbal signals and we are.

March 2000 Behavior Quiz

What breeds of dogs were found most likely to display abnormal (aberrant) behavior due to thyroid disease?

Answer: Here's the bad news, along with some background:
W. Jean Dodds, DVM, a pioneer in canine thyroid disease and behavior, recently conducted a 4-year study of 1,060 cases of auto immune thyroiditis. It revealed twelve breeds most affected:

Golden Retriever - 209
Shetland Sheepdog - 124
American Cocker Spaniel - 68
Boxer - 51
Doberman Pinscher - 42
Labrador Retriever - 40
German Shepherd - 19
Akita - 15
Irish Setter - 14
English Setter - 13
Old English Sheepdog - 12
Collie - 10

Another study by Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine performed complete thyroid function work ups on 634 pet dogs who displayed aberrant behavior; i.e., aggression, submissiveness, shyness, fearfulness, seizures, withdrawal from family activity, excitability, noise-sensitivity, irritability, compulsive behavior, chewing,
mood-swings, depression, unstable temperament. 90 percent of these dogs were pure breeds and both sexes were about equally represented. The findings? Brace yourself: 63% of these dogs were found to have thyroid disease.

If your dog shows any of the signs in the previous paragraph, either suddenly or gradually, we hope you will seriously consider having a complete blood workup (not limited only to thyroid function) performed by your veterinarian BEFORE you decide to euthanize or commit the pet to one of the new psycho-active drug-based remedial behavior programs.

For more information and forms, call HEMOPET, (714) 891-2022.

Hemopet/Pet Life-Line
11330 Markon Drive
Garden Grove, CA 92841
(714) 891-2022
(714) 891-2123 Fax
www.hemopet.com
hemopet@hotmail.com

February 2000 Behavior Quiz

When should a puppy be taken out during the first stage of house training?

A. Every hour
B. Every two hours
C. When it is most likely to have to "go."

Answer
C. During the first stage the puppy should be shoo-ed out to, and through, the door to its toilet place when it is most likely to feel the "urge." These occasions are:
After eating (see below*); after chewing for more than 2-5 minutes; when it sniffs around the floor; after waking from a nap; after getting excited.

* The exception to this rule is the first meal, after getting up in the morning. Puppies come from the litter "ready-trained" by their mothers to eliminate after eating. If you will feed the puppy right after it wakens, it will usually eliminate immediately after the meal. This is the perfect arrangement, since you have to be there to feed it, so continuing this biorhythm at home just good sense.

When the puppy starts heading for the door to the toilet area after chewing, getting excited, sniffing, awakening from naps (usually in a couple of days) Stage 1 of the housetraining program is complete, and Stage 2 can begin. This total, "natural" program is contained in the BehavioRx Housetraining instructions. The page for these is http://www.webtrail.com/petbehavior/bseries.html.

January 2000 Behavior Quiz

What behavior problem is most likely to be associated with cats who left their litters as kittens before they were weaned?

A. Aggression toward their owners.
B. Clawing at furniture.
C. Urinating outside the litter box.
D. Fighting other cats.

Answer:

A. A kitten who never experiences the discipline applied by its mother when she denies suckling privileges apparently misses a most important lifelong lesson, at least insofar as living with people is concerned. Even so, most kittens who are treated gently can peacefully cohabit a house with people.

December 1999 Behavior Quiz

Answer:

The study appeared in The Veterinary Record, Sept. 25, 1999. The results were summarized by the authors* as follows:

"The present study provides evidence that behavioral therapy is useful in the treatment of separation-related behavior problems in dogs, but it found no evidence that clomiprimine constituted a useful adjunct." The authors also mentioned that further studies with larger numbers of dogs will be needed before the drug's potential can be defined more closely.

*A.L. Podberscek, BVsc, PhD, U. Cambridge; Y. Hsu, PhD; J.A. Serpell, MA, PhD, U.Penn.

November 1999 Behavior Quiz

When training a puppy to eliminate outdoors, what is the most effective, long-term reward?

A. Give the puppy a food tidbit.
B. Praise and pet the puppy.
C. Crouch, praise and point at the pee and/or poop.

Answer:

C. Crouch, praise and point at the pee and/or poop. Accompanying the puppy to its toilet area, standing quietly while he or she eliminates, then praising the result of the action immediately is more effective than rewarding the puppy directly. A personal, petting, or food, reward often causes the puppy to seek out the owner inside the house, then eliminate; while this may seem logical to many pups, it usually results in scolding or some other punishment, degrading the pup's confidence in the owner.

October 1999 Behavior Quiz

Your dog or cat suddenly starts acting "different;" i.e., doesn't seem to want to be petted and avoids contact; or, on the other hand, wants to be petted all the time, or seems anxious. Is this strictly a behavior problem?
___ Yes
___ No

Should you seek professional help?
___ Yes
___ No


If "Yes" whose help should you seek first?

___ A behavior consultant
___ The pet's veterinarian
___ A trainer
___ An internet animal chat room


Answer:
"No," it is not necessarily strictly a behavior problem.
The pet's veterinarian should conduct a thorough examination because this type of behavior is often the result of some physical problem. If one exists and is treated successfully, the weird behavior often just goes away... if you don't dote and fuss over, or punish the pet.

September 1999 Behavior Quiz

Nearly every dog owner has heard about "flight or fight" behavior among animal, especially dogs. They are both two elements of the animal's "defense reflexes," which are reactions to serious physical threats and which may be modified by experience, especially by the way a puppy's owner handles and/or punishes them. How many different types of behavior are in the dog's repertoire of Defense Behavior?"

A. Four
B. Three
C. Two

Answer:

"Defensive Flight or Fight" behavior is not the same as "Submissive or Dominant" behavior, which are behaviorisms usually learned through social interactions among a maturing puppy's litter mates and later in pack life. When dogs are faced with what they perceive as a threat to their physical well-being, especially when they experience pain, they will take some kind of action. There are three different expressions of reflexive defense behavior:

    1. "Passive," in which dogs play 'possum' and freeze, often after attempting to appease an attacker by submissively rolling onto a side or even onto their back, exposing the throat and belly.

    2. "Active-fight," in dogs who will meet force with force, even if an avenue of escape is readily available to them.

    3. "Active-flight," is shown by dogs who will retreat and/or run away; but, if no avenue of retreat is available, they will fight fiercely to defend themselves.

    When raising any puppy it is wise never to subject them to any physical punishment, since their in-built defense reflexes are part and parcel of nature's self-preservation equipment. In wolf and domestic dog packs, life-threatening treatment of subordinate animals by alpha males and females or dominant pack members is extremely rare. Dangerous fights are more likely to occur between low-ranking individuals and usually occur at feeding times when food is scarce.

    In raising puppies and handling adult dogs it is important to remember that fear and anger are the two emotions that are stimulated by physical pain and punishment. However, fear and anger are not simply "states of mind;" they have physical, hormonal elements as well. Therefore, when a pet puppy or dog is physically punished, its body will prepared itself for defense, and the pet will experience an adrenaline surge which may trigger defensive biting.

    The sorriest result of some of the popular punishment advice in books and even in videos today (scruff-shaking, muzzle-clamping, jowl-lifting, etc.) occurs after the adults in the family apply them, then an innocent child reaches for or grabs the dog's neck, face or mouth. If the dog growls or snaps, it is usually punished further by the adults, which creates a conditioned fear of the child and heightened defensive behavior when the child again approaches, etc., etc.

August 1999 Behavior Quiz

Many puppies and adult dogs break their housetraining for no apparent reason. Some little-known factors that can contribute to the problem might be:

A. Juvenile onset diabetes, even in adults.
B. Hot house temperature.
C. Poor personal hygiene habits

Answer: All of the above, but one of the most over-looked causes among male dogs is C.; poor personal hygiene of the guard hairs of the penis and under its sheath. Either a build-up of urine crystals on the guard hairs, or natural lubricants under the sheath. Insurance against both problems is a weekly warm, soapy water, wash-rag wash, followed by a warm, clear water rinse.

By the way, A. and B. should both be suspected when any dog or puppy begins drinking more water and urinating more than usual.

July 1999 Behavior Quiz

Every animal requires certain amounts of different nutrients in its food. Most commercial dog foods today offer different ratios between protein, fat and carbohydrate. What is the dogs approximate minimum requirement for carbohydrates?

A. 40%
B. 60%
C. 25%
D. 10 %
E. None of the above

Answer:

E. None of the above. A healthy dog really doesn't need carbohydrates. In fact, some dogs, like many children, are behaviorally sensitive to carbohydrates, becoming hyperactive or hyper-reactive... even experiencing mood swings leading to sudden aggression or fear.

Many veterinarians are first treating "hyper" dogs nutritionally with great success, using high- or all-meat diets.

June 1999 Behavior Quiz

"Randy" is your new, 7 week-old family puppy and you want to teach the fuzzy little Norwegian Elkhound to come, dependably, to you and your spouse when you call him. To accomplish this, you have wisely decided to use a code word,
"koy," instead of "come," because "come" can get worn out through casual use around the house. "Koy" will be reserved as a 'panic command' for use only when life or limb are in danger. While training Randy, when is it best to call "Randy, Koy"?

A. When he is eating.
B. When he is looking at you.
C. When he is not looking at you.
D. When he is playing with a toy.

Answer:

C. When he is not looking at you. In real panic situations the dog's attention is nearly always off you and locked onto something away from you. The teaching technique isn't difficult, but it's important to get it right. The method is best described and illustrated in "Better Behavior in Dogs" in the Puppy Primer section.

May 1999 Behavior Quiz

Both dogs and cats are often unnerved when their formerly four-on-the-floor human companions start acting like they are "out of physical control." Your baby, Debbie, is just beginning to walk, which can be best described as "lurching about the room on the brink of falling down, followed by falling down, often screaming." Many dogs growl and try to avoid the baby when she or he falls. As a guideline, when Debbie first falls down and your dog, "Tippy," is watching, what is the best course of action for you to take?

A. Pick up Debbie and calmly put her in her play pen.
B. Laugh, move away from Debbie, pleasantly call Tippy to you and briefly pet him. Let Debbie get up alone.

Answer:

B is the best way to handle the dog's experience with Debbie's new-found two-legged follies. You show Tippy by your example that there's really no need for concern.

On the other hand, if you go over and pick up Debbie, even calmly, there is a danger, in your absence, that Tippy might try to copy your actions and pick up Debbie if she were to fall. This could lead Tippy to try picking up Debbie, using her only tool... her mouth, which is full of teeth. Even if Tippy were extremely gentle, Debbie might struggle, get scratched [read bitten, in Mom's interpretation] and it's all down hill from there for Tippy.

April 1999 Behavior Quiz

You are teaching your dog to Sit when you say "Tippy, Sit." The dog has never learned it before.  Once you get the Sit successfully three times, it is important to let the learning "incubate" for a certain length of time before holdiong another training session. What is best minimum time to wait?

A. 30 minutes
B. 3 hours
C. 1 hour
D. 24 hours

Answer:

B. Between 2 1/2 to 3  hours allows time for learning to make the transition from short-term to mid-term. Once- or twice-daily reviews will then allow the transition to long-term memory to take place. Individual dogs vary considerably in the learning process. Pavlov concluded that learning of tasks, such as Sit, Stay, etc., generally "tends" to become permanent after 6 weeks.

"Emotional memory" is another matter, which we'll address in a forthcoming quiz.

March 1999 Behavior Quiz

There are several new behavioral "Wonder Drugs" coming onto the market lately. With their usual fervor for the sensational, TV new shows and some national news magazines have featured the latest entry, "Clomicalm" (Novartis) as relief to owners of dogs suffering from "Separation Anxiety" with problems such as destructive chewing, etc., household urination or defecation, barking, howling, etc. In a controlled study, what percentage of dogs using it would you expect to have showed an improvement when compared to dogs taking a placebo pill?

Drug: Clomicalm    Placebo (neutral pill)
(Novartis)

Answer:

Drug: Clomicalm - 65%
Placebo............... 55%

Clomicalm was a bit more than 10% more effective in producing an "improvement," but neither group was "cured." Unfortunately, there was no control group in the study; i.e., dogs with symptoms of separation anxiety but received not treatment at all.

P.S. A quick phone survey of three professional behavior consultants who use the BehavioRx Systems remedial programs with their clients revealed "cure" rates of over 95% without medications.

Now the commercial. :-)

BehavioRx just announced a new "Separation Anxiety" brochure. These instructions explain the term and, when used in conjunction with the Brochure Instructions for a specific behavior, such as Chewing, Barking, Digging, Housetraining, Whining, Self-Mutilation, Escaping, etc., they are designed to improve a dog owner's perception of the problem and, hence, lead to even better success rates.

February 1999 Behavior Quiz

Your dog barks when you're not at home and the neighbors and/or landlord are sending you nasty notes about it. Someone tells you about a collar that shocks the dog's throat neck when it barks. It is even offered with a 30 day money-back guarantee. Is this type of device the most effective way to stop the problem barking?

Answer:

No. A study conducted at the Cornell University Veterinary College showed electric shock anti-bark devices to be 44.4% effective, while a device issuing a squirt of citronella oil was 88.9% effective. Information is available from Animal Behavior Systems at 1-800-627-9447.

January 1999 Behavior Quiz

Your cat is getting on the kitchen countertops and foraging around for goodies. You taught them only to jump up when you're  not looking or not at home. You did this by following some mis-advice; you got a squirt bottle and squirted them every time you caught them on the counters. You now have to keep the squirt bottle handy all the time, but the cat is onto your act and is usually on the way off the counter when you approach the kitchen. The cat is also not as warm and friendly as he/she used to be.

Question: How can you solve the problem effectively and humanely?

Myrna Milani, DVM, popular author of CatSmart and DogSmart, two great books available from Direct Books (www.dogandcatbooks.com or 1-800-776-2778) has been touting this remedy as her favorite for many years.

Firmly stick 4-inch strips of double-sided Scotch tape all over the counter tops. Space them about 2-1/2 inches apart. When the cat jumps up, it's paws will feel most unpleasant as they adhere (even if only weakly) to the counter. A hasty leap to the floor usually follows. Most cats avoid the counter top forever if you leave the tape down for a few days.

December 1998 Behavior Quiz

Are Dogs Really Dummies?

You are trying to train your dog, "Hugo," to sit up and beg in one the old fashioned ways: You physically sit him in a corner, then lift his front legs so he is in a sitting up position. As you do this, you say "Hugo, say please." [You want "say please" to be the command to sit up.] You then start removing your hand-support for a couple of seconds, re-positioning him if he starts to lower his paws, and praising when he holds his position for two or more seconds. You try this technique for about 10-15 minutes on two successive days, but Hugo never seems to get beyond two or three seconds before lowering to the normal dog-sit position. You're beginning to think he's is a real dummy. However, Hugo is only 4 months old, so you cut him
some slack and decide to press on the next day.

You get home from work late on the third day and find a throw pillow from the sofa has been torn up and feathers are all over the family den, where Hugo stays during the day. You're standing there looking at the mess, when your attention is drawn by a quiet whine coming from the corner of the den where your sit up training is held. There is Hugo, sitting up, quite steady,
happily waving his paws at you.

Question: What does Hugo's performance indicate relative to his intelligence?

Answer:

(In case you wondered, this scenario really happened to a dog owner.)

Hugo's clever, "Hey, boss, look at me... I learned to sit up!" behavior invites all sorts of what behaviorists call 'anthropomorphism,' i.e., projecting human mental capabilities to animals. Even so, at the risk of being labeled an "anthromorph," we have to say Hugo appears to have learned (known) what you wanted, but just didn't have the motivation to perform for you. In this case, Hugo had previously been scolded harshly by you when you had come home and found something chewed up. His motivation to avoid another scolding may well have been strong enough for him to utilize all his "social smarts" and try out his clever sit-up ploy. In the event you're a strict behaviorist and would deny this mental ability to a dog; analyze the same sort of situation, this time involving a deaf-mute child. Would you endow the child with the ability to
think, remember a past consequence and use a cute, deceptive ploy to avoid a scolding? Hmmm...

November 1998 Behavior Quiz

When a dog or cat with an empty stomach eats a meal, its tummy stretches. What effect does this have on its behavior? And how does that effect relate to feeding one or two meals a day?

Answer:

A nicely stretched stomach has the same effect on most cats and dogs as it has on humans--- it relaxes them. Therefore, feeding two meals a day tends to create a more laid-back pet, whereas a single meal gives half the benefit; leaving food down all the time tends to stop dogs and cats from "filling up," i.e. they nibble all day and rarely, if ever, get really hungry. Hence, no stretch, no satisfied feeling.

October 1998 Behavior Quiz

Your puppy is now nearly 15 weeks old and has started acting ambivalent when friends whom he or she hasn't seen for a couple of weeks enter the house; backing away, or growling. The pup was formerly giddy and friendly with them. You got the puppy at 7 weeks of age. What is the reason?

A. Your friends smell different to the pup.
B. Your pup is getting territorially defensive.
C. Your pup is losing his/her sight.
D. Your pup is getting protective of you.
E. Your friends look different to the pup.

Answer:

D. 3-6 months is the age at which the first signs of protecting the integrity and safety of the pack, so it's one of the influences working on your puppy. However, there may be more;

E. The pup's eyesight is maturing at this age, too. Therefore, it is very likely (even though we cannot find any scientific research about visual perception development in pups) that the pup is seeing people more clearly than earlier. The visual tract between the back of the eyeball (retina) and the brain's visual centers is maturing rapidly at this age.

Therefore, it's best not to punish or encourage any flight/fight behavior at this time. Rather, you should go to people happily, stand alongside them, have everyone crouch down and act happy. A happy example and invitation to play (crouching) will build the pup's confidence.

September 1998 Behavior Quiz

What behavior most often causes dog owners to seek advice from their pet's veterinarians?

A. Barking
B. Biting
C. Chewing
D. House Training
E. Jumping on people

Answer:

D. House Training. The request occurs when the owners have their puppy in for the first examination and inoculations.

August 1998 Behavior Quiz

Your cat has started clawing on the front panels of your fabric sofa and chair arm rests. You went out and bought a rather expensive set of cat scratching posts. The cat doesn't seem inclined to use them. What's your best next move?

A. Get a different type of cat-scratching device.
B. Cover all sofas and chairs with plastic for a while.
C. Put double-sided sticky tape on the arm rest front panels.
D. Spray some cat-off solution on the panels.

Answer:

Actually, both A and C can succeed nicely if you add one of the new catnip-laced, flat-on-the-floor Catscratchers by Worldwise. It's available at most pet stores and Walmart. We have yet to hear any adverse reports about this product. The Worldwise home page is at http://www.catscratcher@worldwise.com

July 1998 Behavior Quiz

You got a puppy from a pet store. Why is crate training at home not advisable?

A. Because [in a dirty, poorly-run store] the puppy has learned to defecate and urinate in a small space, its cage.

B. Because [in a clean, well-run pet shop] the personnel have cleaned up the puppy's messes shortly after they have occurred.

Answer:

The correct answers are A and B. In B's case, the reward of being handled for cleaning the cage rewards the urination/defecation. In A's case, the act, itself is its own reward.

There's a moral somewhere here.!

June 1998 Behavior Quiz

You have left your 8 week old puppy, Dolly, home alone for the first time in her young life. You blocked off the kitchen, placed her bed against a wall, left her non-tip water bowl half full and placed some newspaper down by the back door. When you returned an hour later the following scene greeted you:

-Dolly was yipping with excitement, jumping at the barrier.
-Most of the water had been splashed out of her bowl.
-The newspaper was half-shredded and strewn over the floor.
-There was a puddle of urine by the back door.

What is your wisest course of action?

A. Step over the barrier, pick up Dolly and take her to the urine. Push her nose toward it and scold and/or spank her. Do the same with the paper.

B. Remove the barrier, greet Dolly, go to the urine and say "No." Pick up the paper, make a ball of it and toss it at her. Then pout her out to her toilet area.

C. Step over the barrier, pick up Dolly and take her out to her toilet area. Leave her there until she urinates. Then let her back in.

D. Stay out of the kitchen until Dolly calms down. Then remove the barrier and quietly shoo her out the back door to her toilet area. Go inside and clean up the kitchen. Go outside and let Dolly in.

Answer:

The answer that brings the quickest and most positive result is D. We have found that punishment after-the-fact isn't advisable, since it only seems to screw up your pup's perception of you at home-coming, as well as in other situations. The "Secret Clean-up" is excellent, since avoid all negative.

May 1998 Behavior Quiz

You are walking in the park and you see a large dog running toward you, tail up and barking. The dog does seem friendly. You are in the open and there is no way to escape from the dog. What is your safest primary course of action?

1. Lie face down on the ground.
2. Put your hands in the air to make yourself look larger, face the dog and stare at him.
3. Turn sideways toward, avoid direct eye contact, pivot to keep your side toward him wherever he goes.
4. Rush toward the dog, shouting NO.
5. Take off a shoe and throw it at him.

Answer:

# 3. Turn sideways toward the dog, avoid direct eye contact, pivot to keep your side toward him wherever he goes. Even if a dog is unfriendly, the sideways posture, avoiding eye contact, removes any threat from your side of the communications link.

April 1998 Behavior Quiz

Your 4 month old pup is in great health, has no behavior problems and seems quite happy with his or her life style. Lucky you. However, you are feeding 3 meals a day, which produces 3 BMs, one after each meal. How will you know when it is best to cut down to 2 times daily?

Answer:

The puppy may turn up her/his nose at one of the meals, usually about 7 to 9 months of age. At this time most dogs are through their rapid growth spurt period and may gain muscle as they mature, but skeletal growth slows or stops. If the stools begin to get rope-like or loose, versus formed and firm, it is time to cut back to two meals. Watch the stools and adjust the amount of food to make sure they become formed and firm again.

If the stools do not firm up, consult your veterinarian.

March 1998 Behavior Quiz

You find a 2-1/2 week-old female Tabby kitten whose mother apparently abandoned her. Your family all agrees to keep her, which requires special bottle feeding and weaning her to regular food later. What type of problem are you most likely to have as your kitten becomes a cat?

A. She will be a finicky eater.
B. She will continually groom herself and swallow hairballs.
C. She will claw at the furniture.
D. She will start attacking you.
E. She won't use her litter box.

Answer:

D. She is most likely to start attacking you.

The single most likely owner-complaint about kittens who leave their queens before she weans them is aggression to owners. The speculation as to why this occurs centers on the fact that the queen asserts dominance when rejecting her kittens during the weaning process. Hence, the kittens learn not to get their way with their feeders and adults. This dominance is generally not asserted by people with bottle fed kittens. Further, the usual kitten play fighting interplay between litter mates is missing in these kittens.

February 1998 Behavior Quiz

Ideally, the instructor would have taken the 16 year old and his dog aside and observed the Collie sitting naturally, with no physical handling. Sadly, this didn't happen. Instead, the instructor told the boy his dog should not growl at him and had the boy repeat the pull-back on leash/push-down on rump routine. This time the Collie turn and snapped at his young owner, scratching his forearm. Dog and owner were dismissed from the class.

The following week we saw the dog with his owner and the parents. We watched the Collie sit to a non-physical, hand-over-head movement. He shifted sideways as he sat and wound up sitting on his right haunch. We then watched the dog moving away at a trot and noticed that his right hock rotated during strides. Veterinary examination was recommended. Hip dysplasia was discovered. The dog learned Come, Sit, Stay, Heel, Down and Go away and lie down during a 6-week, off-leash, hand's off [except for petting] training program.

Message: Always suspect pain in biting cases.

January 1998 Behavior Quiz

A recent study* identified some factors which are more likely to be present in the life of dog's that are turned into the pound. One of these concerned where dogs are kept when the owners leave them alone at home. Which of the following three circumstances would you rank 1,2, and 3 as being more likely to lead to a dead-end at the pound?

__1__Dogs that are left alone outdoors in a run or yard.

__3__Dogs that are left alone free in the house.

__2__Dogs that are left alone in crates.

*Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, V. 209, No. 3, Aug. 1996

December 1997 Quiz

Question:

You got your puppy when she was 7 weeks old. Now, at 13 weeks, she has started grabbing the baby's toys and carrying them away. She has started growling when you approach to take them away. Why is she growling?

1. To warn that she will bite if you persist in taking them away. (True or False)

2. To let you know she doesn't want to give up the toy. (True or False)

3. To show dominance toward you. (True or False)

Answer:

November 1997 Quiz

Question:

When a new baby, new pet or a long-term visitor is coming to the home of an established pet (dog or cat) what is the most effective way of making the pet happy to see the newcomer arrive and stay?

Answer:

Several days before the newcomer is due, pay less attention to the established pet than it currently receives and less than it will receive after the arrival. Then, when the newcomer is introduced, the pet is happily praised and petted. This creates positive feelings for the pet relative to the newcomer. (See December 1997's Case of the Month.)

October 1997 Quiz

Question:

What simple exercise can all family members practice with their pet dogs which can reveal the strength of social attraction between each member and the dog?

Answer:

I call it "Back and Forthies." The family should stand in a circle with a diameter of at least 12 feet. Keep equal side-to-side distances between family members around the circle so the dog doesn't see two people closer together than any other two people, thereby making a "group of two," which can distract the dog. People must be at least 3 feet away from any wall, fence, furniture, so the dog can't get behind anyone for a "haven." Everyone not calling the dog must stand, legs apart, with their arms folded in front of their chests, until it is their turn to call.

Decide on an order of calling which will make the dog come to people across the circle from the last person it comes to. For instance, Dad and Mom can be directly across from each other, and Brother and Sister are between them around the circle. The order of calling should be:

1. Mom
2. Dad (Across from Mom)
3. Sister (Next to Dad)
4. Brother. (Across from Sister)

Mom calls first, saying "Dog's Name, Come" and she instantly crouches down, clapping her hands quickly and happily repeating "Good-dog, Good-dog, etc.," until the dog gets to her. She then pets on the throat and chest for 3 seconds, and quickly stands up, spreads legs, folds arms again. As soon as she stands, Dad calls with the same technique as Mom. If the dog doesn't come all the way, the caller must stand again and call again, repeating the procedure.

As the dog comes to each person, make mental notes about its body language, i.e., tail position, head angle, speed, etc. After the session, you can discuss whom you think the dog is most enthusiastically responsive to... and why.

When the dog has come to every person on the first call 3 times, everyone should go to the center of the circle, crouch down in a group and lavishly praise the dog. This simple exercise can help to strengthen everyone's control of the dog, no matter the family's size or ages. (Children usually have to be over 3 years in order to conduct the calls without help.)

September 1997 Quiz

Question:

When housetraining a puppy, why can it be counter-productive to pick it up and carry it outside to its toilet area?

 Answer:

Carrying a puppy from inside to outside the house to go to the toilet teaches him to expect the person to perform this chore. On the other hand, 'shoo-ing' the pup in front of you from inside and out to the area causes him to go there on his own four paws. It speeds up learning at least four-fold. In fact, if a doggy door leads to the toiler place, most puppies, even at 6-7 weeks, will learn to go out when the urge strike in as few as 2-4 days. Carrying them to the doggy door will extend learning time to several weeks. Like the old saying goes... "Nothing teaches better than experience." Even when paper training indoor puppies, it's best to shoo them versus carry them.

August 1997 Quiz

Question:

Why do virtually all untrained dogs pull on their leashes?

Answer:

Most untrained dogs pull on their leashes because of an unconditioned reflex... positive thigmotaxis. Thigmo is Greek (thigma) for touch. Taxis means orientation (movement, in this case) with respect to stimuli from the environment. Positive thigmotaxis causes the dog to move toward the pressure (touch) exerted on its throat by a collar or its chest by a harness. Hence, when training sled dogs, it is best to pull back on the harness to start them forward. Negative thigmotaxis is often seen in totally unsocialized dogs and many normal cats. When stroked on their backs, they respond downward, away from the pressure of the hand.

Ironically, positive thigmotaxis has been known about for centuries; yet conventional leash training systems persist in attempting to overcome this "resistance reflex" with hefty, painful jerks on the leash, choke-chain collars, even collars with spikes. Keep checking in on this page for a scientifically sound, painless, quick way to overcome leash straining.

July 1997 Quiz

Question:

When first teaching a well-socialized puppy or kitten to come when called from a distance of, say, 10 feet, what are the most effective movements the trainer can make after speaking the command "Come.?"

Answer:

Turn sideways to the pup or kitten, lean slightly away and squat or kneel and clap hands quickly. Turning sideways removes the confrontation of a frontal stance, leaning away invites an approach, squatting or kneeling reduces the approach-distance for the animal and the quick hand-clapping is attractive to most animals. Add a rhythmical "good dog" (or kitty) to these movements and most young animals will approach readily.

June 1997 Quiz

Question:

When a pet animal feels a sudden pain it reacts with fear, either toward or away from the stimulus that caused the pain, if indeed that stimulus is perceived by the animal. Here's a situation: A dog is in its yard and sees a young child approaching on the sidewalk. The dog starts to approach the child in a friendly manner, at which time the dog experiences a sudden pain on its throat.

With what stimulus will the dog likely associate the pain and the resulting fear or anger:

A. Its own neck.
B. The child.

Answer:

Most likely the dog will associate the pain with the approaching child. This is one of the serious problems with using even mild pain or any negative treatment (punishment, scolding, etc.) when boundary training a dog not to leave the yard. Since, in order to be effective, all the various sights, sounds and odors that might cause the dog to cross the boundary must be presented, there is always the danger that the dog's anger or fear may be controlled during the training, then released when the trainer(s) are not present. Thus, if a child, adult or another dog, etc., approaches and enters the yard, or the dog breaks through its trained boundary, serious biting may occur.

This best boundary training is one that uses positive stimuli and reinforcements for remaining in the yard. Even after success is achieved, dogs should never be left unsupervised in an unfenced yard.

May 1997 Quiz

Question:

How many times a day should an 8 week old puppy be fed in order to make house training easier?

Answer:

Puppies should be fed as many times as they have bowel movements each day. For instance, if the breeder has been feeding 3 times daily, and you find the pup poops 4 or 5 times a day, then he should be fed 4 or 5 times. Also, the amount fed should produce consistently formed and firm stools. Less-than-firm stools make it very difficult for puppies to develop anal sphincter control. If stools are like rope or have a soft ending, the daily quantity should be cut by 10 percent daily until firm, formed stools are achieved.

April 1997 Quiz

Question:

Many popular books about raising a canine puppy recommend punishing them for misbehavior by grabbing them by the scruff of the neck and sharply shaking them. This treatment is justified by the claim that this is the way their "mothers" punish them. Is this true?

Answer:

False. Shaking an animal, puppy or adult, is a predatory kill behavior. Dams with litters of puppies have rarely, rarely ever been witnessed shaking them. On the contrary, they pick them up tenderly, usually by the head or body, in order to move them from place to place. Just as shaking can cause brain and/or spinal damage in a human baby, so it can in puppies. Books, articles and other advice to shake puppies as a means of demonstrating dominance or to punish them, claiming that the pup's mothers do it, is groundless.

March 1997 Quiz

Question:

You are about to start a foot race with your dog. The dog, and you, have been trained to start running when the starter-person gives a signal. The signal is as follows: The starter stands, hands at his sides, then quickly raises them. Your dog always gets off the line and starts running before you. Why is this?

Answer:

Dogs with normal vision can detect a movement so slight that it would have to be accentuated 10 fold before most humans could detect it; as a result, you won't perceive the starter-person's hands moving until they've traveled about ten times further than when your dog perceived it. You're beaten before you're even off the line.

February 1997 Quiz

Question:

It's a cloudy night, pitch black, there's no wind at all, and you're standing still on an open plain with your dogs; one is a lop-eared Dachshund, the other, a prick-eared Husky. Your only light is a small flashlight. Suddenly you hear a low growl from both dogs. You shine the light on them... they're intently staring straight ahead. You don't know it, but they just heard the footsteps of an approaching hiker walking toward you, 75 feet away. You listen intently, but hear nothing.

Questions:
1. How close will the hiker have to approach before you can hear the footsteps.
2. Can prick-eared dogs hear better than lop-eared dogs?

Answer:

1. About 18 feet.
2. Lop-ears do not impair the hearing of breeds such as Basset hounds, Dachshunds, Beagle hounds, Doberman Pinschers, etc., whose hearing is as acute as breeds with upstanding, or prick ears.

January 1997 Quiz

Question:

How many senses do mammals have? Name them. What emotions are triggered by the sense of intense, sudden pain in most mammals?

Answer:

13. They are: 1.Sight 2.Hearing 3.Smell 4.Taste 5.Touch and pressure 6.Temperature 7.Weight 8.Resistance 9.Tension (muscle sense) 10.Pain 11.Balance 12.Hunger 13.Thirst. Visceral sense, the perception of non-painful sensations of the inner organs, is difficult to prove in non-verbal animals. There are many learned senses, such as time, the learned sense of anticipating when events are imminent, but these are secondary, in that they depend on one or more of the primary senses. Intense pain triggers either fear or anger in most mammals. Both of these emotions can result in aggression toward the perceive cause of the pain.

December 1996 Quiz

Question:

Dogs and monkeys share a problem when it comes to learning whether to go to the left or right to get a reward when the signals (tones or lights) come from the same place. Example: The dog sits on a low platform 30 feet from a wall that contains two feeders - one feeder near the right wall of the room, the other the same distance from the left wall. A tone is sounded from a speaker midway between the feeders: middle C indicates the food will be found in the left feeder, a middle G means it's in the right feeder. Dogs and monkeys find this virtually impossible to solve.

Question: What must be done to help these animals overcome the handicap?

Answer:

The missing link for dogs and monkeys is a directional orientation cue... some signal that causes the animal to turn its attention in one direction or the other. Of course, the quickest method in our example would be to locate the speaker with the middle C tone to the animal's left and the middle G tone to its right. In practical training for dogs, hand movements are usually more effective than physical positioning. For instance, to teach the command SIT, a simultaneous hand movement from in front of the dog's nose to a position over its head (causing it to orient its snout upward and rearward) communicate effectively the idea of sitting.

November 1996 Quiz

Question:

Where dogs are left alone when the owners are away from home appears to have a significant influence on whether or not they will be relinquished to an animal center, i.e., gotten rid of.
Which dogs may be more likely to be given up:

A: Dogs confined in crates, a dog run or the yard?
B: Dogs left free inside the house?

Answer:

Dogs kept in crates are at more than 3 times the risk (odds ratio) of being relinquished to animal shelters; those in runs and yards, at better than 5 times (odds ratio) the risk. Results of a study by experts at Purdue University published in the JAVMA, Vol. 209, No. 3, August 1, 1996.

October 1996 Quiz
Question: A domestic puppy may display submission to a physical threat by his/her owner by:

1. Rolling onto its back or side, sometimes urinating. (True or False)

2. Crouching down, as if about to lie down, growling. (True or False)

3. Crouching down, as if to lie down, not growling. (True or False)

4. Lowering its head and tail, ears back, baring fangs. (True or False)

5. Lowering head & tail, ears back, growling, fangs bared. (True or False)

Answer:

All of the above are true, and can occur in response to a physical threat from the owner, a strangers or another dog. Which submissive mode the dog displays depends on its defensive typology, Active or Passive. Active Defense Reflexes (ADR). ADR dogs of the flight type will try to escape, but will defend themselves from perceived injury if trapped and further threatened. ADR fight types may not try to escape, stand their ground when threatened, and may attack if increasingly threatened. Passive Defense Reflexes (PDR). The dog with PDR will freeze, perhaps roll over, etc.

The most important lesson an owner can learn about growling and/or fang-baring submissive signs from a dog is that it can be dangerous to misinterpret then as meaning the dog intends to bite. As a matter of fact, the dog usually will bite only if the owner increases the threat of physical punishment, or administers it, when the dog is trying to submit. The result is usually a dog/owner fight. Even if the owner wins the battle, the dog learns it can never trust the owner to recognize its submission in the future. As a side-effect, the dog may show uneasiness about other family members, children, visitors and strangers when they inadvertently gesture at or touch the dog in ways that resemble the owner's behavior prior to winning the ensuing fight. While the owner's victory may cause the dog to control its aggression with him or her, no such lesson has been learned about children and adults who have not successfully beaten up on the pet, male or female. This behavioral history is commonly reported in dog bite cases.

September 1996 Quiz

1. Wolves by nature are denning animals, they seek and/or dig dens in which to sleep or escape the elements. (True or False)

Answer: False. Only the pregnant females seek and use an abandoned den or dig a new den shortly before whelping their litter. After giving birth the mother stays with the pups "for the first few days while the others are out hunting, but later she will (with obvious joy and relief) go off to hunt with the pack and leave on of the other adults, sometime a young female, in charge of them." (Quote from WOLVES OF MINONG, 1979, Durward L. Allen, Houghton, Mifflin Co.)

2. Domestic dogs are descended from wolves. (True or False)

Answer: True

3. Dogs, by nature, like wolves, are denning animals. (True or False)

Answer: False. Only pregnant bitches (or false-pregnant bitches).

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Last Updated on November 11, 2007