Science Fact: Never Hit Your Dog

Even if you're not a dog owner, I'd wager you've heard that aplenty. The firm admonishment is occasionally accompanied by the choking yank of a leash or the stinging whack of a newspaper, and often followed by the guilty canine whimpering down or scurrying away, its tail between its legs. Fido has learned his lesson, its owner might think.

But it probably hasn't.

A select breed of dog trainers, including Cesar Millan, the "Dog Whisperer" on National Geographic Channel, actively recommends the use of what's called positive punishment. This is the classic Skinnerian notion in which a stimulus is applied with the aim of reducing an unwanted behavior.

For example, say you don't want your dog to jump up on visitors. The next time he jumps up on somebody, you could give him a strong slap on the muzzle in the hopes that he will associate the pain with the behavior. Thus, he will be less inclined to jump up on people. Millan euphemistically terms such punishment as "discipline."

"Make sure you offer your dog the complete package when you bring him into your world," encourages a blog post on his website. "Along with exercise, food, shelter, and affection, offer him a healthy dose of rules, boundaries, and discipline. Don't think of discipline as punishment, but just one more gift you give your best friend to keep him happy and balanced," the post proclaims in a sweet, yet eerily dystopian fashion.

But there are a lot of problems with positive punishment. Chiefly, it's not very specific. Dog trainer Pat Miller describes this pitfall in her book The Power of Positive Dog Training. Here's the summary: Say your puppy pees on the living room carpet. Angered, you yell and bark at the piddling pup, causing him to dash away. Congratulations, Miller says, you've successfully scared your dog. But all you've communicated is that he shouldn't pee in front of you or on the living room carpet. Next time, he might simply urinate on a different carpet. The lesson that you wanted to impart -- "don't pee in the house" -- has not been related. Moreover, pioneering research in 1968 conducted by Richard Solomon at the University of Pennsylvania showed that unless you catch and punish the dog in the act, it's unlikely that he will take away any message at all. He will, however, learn to be afraid... of you.

There's no question that if carried out swiftly positive punishment can effectively reduce undesirable behaviors, but it will also give rise to two unwanted side effects: fear and aggression. In 2009, researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania distributed a survey (PDF) to owners who previously brought in their canines to address aggression problems. On the anonymous questionnaire, owners were asked to outline the training methods they had used with their dogs in the past and also to describe their dog's response. Animal behaviorist and University of Wisconsin professor Patricia McConnell describes the results on her blog:

The most confrontational, and I would argue, aggressive, behaviors on the part of the owners resulted in the highest levels of aggressive responses from the dogs. 43% of dogs responded with aggression to being hit or kicked, 38% to having an owner grab their mouth and take out an object forcefully, 36% to having a muzzle put on (or attempted?), 29% to a "dominance down," 26% to a jowl or scruff shake.

"Violence begets violence, aggression begets aggression," McConnell added. Her conclusion is corroborated by additional studies. In 2008, Belgian scientists analyzed the performance of thirty-three dog-handling teams in the Belgian military. They found that the dogs classified as "low-performance" were punished more often than "high-performance" dogs. These sanctions included abrasive leash pulls and hanging the dogs by their collars. The following year, researchers from the U.K. detailed the findings of a study that examined dogs kept in shelters, discovering that attempts by humans to assert dominance over canines resulted in increased aggression.

"We should be teaching our dogs, rather than forcing and threatening them," McConnell urges.

This means trading in rolled-up newspapers for dog treats, roaring yells for happy praise, and hard smacks for soft pats. Positive punishment becomes positive reinforcement, where good behaviour is rewarded rather than bad behaviour being punished. Writing at LiveScience, Lynne Peeples describes a key study that compared the two methods, with positive reinforcement clearly coming out on top:

In February 2004, a paper in Animal Welfare by Elly Hiby and colleagues at the University of Bristol compared the relative effectiveness of positive and punitive methods for the first time. The dogs became more obedient the more they were trained using rewards. When they were punished, on the other hand, the only significant change was a corresponding rise in the number of bad behaviours.

Cesar Millan's "discipline" approach may produce seemingly miraculous results on television. But in the real world, it's neither effective nor substantiated.

Guilty dog Charlie apologises to baby for stealing her toy

A video of an adorable pet that has quickly become the 'must watch' clip of the week has proved that dogs really aren't that much different to humans.

The cute beagle, named Charlie, initially disrupts the little girl by taking away one of the toys in her rocker.

After the baby, named Laura, begins to cry, the dog attempts to compensate by bringing over some other toys.

Four of them actually, including a Playstation controller.

Video:

Britain's naughtiest pets: £1.2bn in damage but we still love them

Meet the cushion killers, magazine manglers and doormat destroyers who terrorise the nation's homes, but we wouldn't be without them.

Meet Britain’s most badly behaved pets which include a pug that climbs blinds, a cat that licks milk cartons, and a Labrador that shreds any doormat in sight.

Three hundred pets contended for the crown, but it was German Shepherd and Keeshond cross Yodie who was voted the naughtiest animal in a survey carried out by online blind firm Direct Blinds.

Owner Laura Vitty, 25, who is a teacher from Newcastle, said her beloved pet had caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to her home.

• Three hundred animals competed to be crowned Britain's Naughtiest Pet
• Yodie the German Shepherd beat off fierce contenders to be named top dog
• Pets cause more than £1.2bn in damage to owners’ homes every year

Yodie, a German Shepherd and Keeshond cross was voted Britain's naughtiest pet after shredding these cushions up.

 She said: ‘When I first saw the mess Yodie had made, I actually thought it was scrambled egg, but it’s the inside of cushions.

‘It was all over the entire house - I was picking up bits of cushions for hours.’
Yodie, who is a rescue dog, has a habit for shredding cushions but Miss Vitty says she loves him all the same.

She said: ‘This particular cushion attack occurred when he was very bored as he had to stay indoors for three weeks on vets orders.

‘Although he has chewed and destroyed his dog bed and countless other items, he is a lovely dog and I couldn’t be without him.’

Laura won a new blind and a £500 prize for her troubles.

Harry came second in the competition to find Britain's naughtiest pet for his newspaper shredding antics

 A recent study found that pets are responsible for more than £1.2bn in damage to owners’ homes every year.

Dogs are the worst culprits, with 52 per cent damaged items put down to mutts wrecking the home when owners are out, with cats responsible for 40 per cent and the remaining eight per cent taken up by hamsters, rats, gerbils, rabbits, birds, snakes and micropigs.

Second place in the nationwide competition was claimed by a dog that loves to shred newspapers and magazines.

Harry, owned by Kyle and Kay Gregory, from Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, loves to leave a paper trail all over the house.

In third place came Stoops, a black cat owned by Sarah Bateman, which regularly opens the fridge and hops in to lick to top of the milk bottle at her home in Burnley.

Stoops the cat came third thanks to her habit of entering the fridge and licking the tops of milk cartons

In fourth place, Dolly the doormat destroyer caught red pawed by owner Sarah Fawcett from West Yorkshire

Lili the pug loves to climb blinds, wrecking them in the process and earning her fifth place for owner Keli Hancock from Manchester

Lucky the sofa savage, who belongs to Nicola Brunt-Wilde, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, sits in the middle of her carnage which won her sixth place

In seventh place is Eddie, pictured seconds after he ruined Mandy Mason's Christmas tree in London

Manny, in eighth place, loves to roll around in the mud and spread mucky footprints around Becky Shorting's home in Norwich

Frank loves to rip Charlie Jones' magazines to shreds when she gets home from work in Cheshire, earning him ninth spot

Tenth place goes to Rocky the parrot, who likes to wreck blinds in the home of his owner Leesa Halton, of Wigan

DeliBakie Dog Snacks: Win one of 5,000 samples

ASDA supermarkets are giving you the chance to win one of 5,000 dog snack samples from Purina. The DeliBakie Snacks are new to Asda. The wholesome range of deliciously authentic oven-baked treats using quality ingredients. There are four exciting varieties to choose from – Hearts Flavoured with Chicken & Beef, Rolls Flavoured with Ham & Cheese, Stars Flavoured with Cheese & Beef and Fishies Flavoured with Edam & Gouda Chees

Simply click the below link and fill in your details for the chance to win so your furry friend can try them out!

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Dog’s Tail Wag Communicated With Other Dog's

When dogs wag their tails, they can convey not just happiness but a wide array of emotions. As Italian researchers reported in 2007, a wag to the left indicates negative emotions; a wag to the right indicates positive ones.

Now the same team of scientists has found that no one knows this better than other dogs.

In a new study reported in the journal Current Biology, the researchers had dogs watch videos of other dogs wagging their tails. When watching a tail wag to the left, the dogs showed signs of anxiety, like a higher heart rate. When the tail went in the opposite direction, they remained calm.

Taken together, the Italian studies suggest that dogs, like humans, have asymmetrically organized brains, said Giorgio Vallortigara, a neuroscientist at the University of Trento and an author of the study. “The emotions are associated presumably with activation of either the right or left side of brain,” he said. Left-brain activation produces a wag to the right, and vice versa.

Still, it is unlikely that dogs are wagging their tails to communicate with one another. “This is something that could be explained in quite a mechanistic way,” Dr. Vallortigara said. “It’s simply a byproduct of the asymmetry of the brain,” and dogs learn to recognize the pattern over time.

FREE Platinum Complete Dog Food Sample

PLATINUM Natural Pet Foods are offering a FREE sample of their three varieties of adult dry dog food. The PLATINUM food made of at least 70 % fresh meat, smells and tastes of meat. Your dog will love it in their own personalised pet bowl!

Simply click the below link and fill in their request form to claim your free sample.

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FREE Cat Neutering and Microchipping

 

The RSPCA London are offering a FREE Cat Neutering Scheme for pet owners who are in receipt of housing benefit, council tax benefit, income support, job seekers allowance and employment and support allowance or a low income. You must live in one of the following postcode areas to qualify: SE1, SE2, SE3, SE4, SE5, SE6, SE7, SE8, SE9, SE10, SE11, SE12, SE13, SE14, SE15, SE16, SE17, SE18, SE19, SE20, SE21, SE22, SE23, SE24, SE25, SE26, SE27, SE28.

The following Veterinary Practices will neuter your cat for free. Please mention the RSPCA London South East Branch when calling to book an appointment.

All animals are microchipped for free whilst under anaesthetic. Donations towards the cost are always appreciated.

Westhorne Veterinary Surgery – 0203 417 6433

Vets4Pets – 0208 654 6400

Goddards Brixton – 0208 671 5566

Goddards Stockwell – 0207 498 6363

Claim your FREE Royal Canin 400g bag for your Cat

The good people at Royal Canin are giving away FREE bags of 400g Cat food. Simply follow the below link and create a profile to receive your voucher.

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Smart Dogs: 21 Must Know Facts About Your Dog

Dog’s brains are specialised for scent, everyone knows that! Here are a few quirky and mind-blowing facts that you probably don’t know related to our beloved pups.

Fact #21: Dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures, can count up to five and can perform simple mathematical calculations. The average dog is as intelligent as a two-year-old child.

Fact #20: Some stray Russian dogs have figured out how to use the subway system in order to travel to more populated areas in search of food.

Fact #19: Dogs don’t enjoy being hugged as much as humans and other primates. Canines interpret putting a limb over another animal as a sign of dominance.

Fact #18: Two stray dogs in Afghanistan saved 50 American soldiers. A Facebook group raised $21,000 to bring the dogs back to the US and reunite them with the soldiers.

Fact #17: The Beatles song “A day in the Life” has an extra high-pitched whistle, audible only to dogs. It was recorded by Paul McCartney for the enjoyment of his Shetland sheepdog.

Fact #16: This pup, Nesbit, earned over one million Delta airline miles in his life and had his own frequent flier card.

Fact #15: One of Michael Vick’s former fighting dogs, Leo, went on to be a therapy dog who comforted dying children.

Fact #14: Service dogs are trained to know when they are on duty. When their harness is on, they know it’s business time. When you take it off, the pups immediately become playful and energetic.

Fact #13: Tiger Woods stuttered as a child and used to talk to his dog until he fell asleep in an effort to get rid of it.

Fact #12: Seeing eye dogs pee and poo on command so that their owners can clean up after them. Male dogs are also trained to do their business without lifting their leg.

Fact #11: In ancient China, an emperor’s last line of defence was a small Pekingese dog literally hidden up his sleeve.

Fact #10: When Lord Byron was informed that his dog was not allowed to come with him to Cambridge Trinity College, he retaliated by bringing a bear instead.

Fact #9: In 1860′s San Francisco, two stray dogs who were best friends became local celebrities. Their exploits were celebrated in local papers and they were granted immunity from the city’s dog catchers.

Fact #8: There is a dog-shaped building in New Zealand.

Fact #7: This dog, Naki’o, lost all of his legs to frostbite in Colorado, but now has four prosthetic legs and can run around like normal.

Fact #6: The wetness of a dog’s nose is essential for determining what direction a smell is coming from.

Fact #5: Hyenas aren’t actually dogs. They are more closely related to cats.

Fact #4: Spiked dog collars were invented in ancient Greece and were originally designed to protect dogs throats from wolf attacks.

Fact #3: Baks the blind boxer has a seeing eye goose named Buttons. Buttons the four-year-old goose leads her pup around everywhere either by hanging onto him with her neck, or by honking to tell him which way to go.

Fact #2: ‘Frito Feet’ is the name of the phenomenon in which the bacteria on a dog’s paws cause them to smell like corn chips. Because a pup’s feet are in constant contact with the ground, they pick up tons of microorganisms in their paws. When dogs cool off by sweating through the pads of their feet, the combo of moisture and bacteria releases a nutty, popcorn-like aroma. Basically it’s dog B.O.

 

Fact #1: Dogs drink water by using forming the back of their tongue into a mini cup.

Missing Moggie: Cat found 200 miles away from home

The Jedi within! A cat named Obi Wan Catobi that had been missing for nine weeks has been found more than 200 miles away from his home. He was found by builders in a unfinished hotel near Euston train station on Thursday.

After the RSPCA caught the wayward moggie they discovered his microchip, which revealed he had travelled all the way from Leeds.

When they got in touch with owner Adam Williams, 32, he told them that Obi went missing in April after he moved house within the Leeds area.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, Adam said: ‘How he got himself down there I have no idea.

‘Some people suggested a train, because the hotel was near Euston train station, but that would have meant him changing several times.’
Adam, who has since been reunited with Obi, said it would be unlikely that he hitched a ride in a vehicle, as the adventurous cat ‘hates getting in cars’.

RSPCA Central & North East London Branch, which is a separate organisation and funded entirely from collection boxes, say this incident highlights how important it is to microchip animals.

Even if Obi did use the train to get to London, he would have had to have Jedi-like powers to try and navigate the Tube.

At 200 miles, Obi Wan Catobi’s epic journey was almost twice the distance of the first stage of the Tour de France

Pet Parents: How we care for our pets more than ourselves

A third of us Brits are better to our pets than we are to ourselves. We arrange play dates for our dogs and 70% allow them to sleep in their in bed. They are loved just like we love our kids.

• One in six owners spend more on pets than their partners
• On average, pets have seven or more toys to play with
• 90% of people buy a Christmas present and 66% a birthday gift
• One in six owners take their pet to the groomers on a monthly basis

When you think about it, it's not much of a surprise.  As a dog owner of 2 Jack Russell Terriers, I can admit to treating both them as much as I would my kids. Both of them do sleep in a dog bed but in the cold winter nights they will sleekly make their way under the covers.

Gone are the days when a biscuit and a bone were considered a treat for our pets. Nowadays, we lavish our four-legged friends with toys, feed them expensive organic delicacies, allow them to share our beds and even take them on play dates.

That's according to a new survey of more than 1,000 owners of dogs, cats and small furry friends such as rabbits and guinea pigs by recently launched online pet boutique, Astar Pets.

The findings reveal pet owners spend on average £70 a month on their treasured friends, which is more than Brits spend on cake, cosmetics and even holidays.

With 65 million pets in the UK and 45 per cent of UK households owning a pet, Britain is certainly a nation of pet lovers.

But the survey found a staggering 88 per cent of owners admitted giving their pets as much care as they give their own children.

CEO Chris Webster, who co-founded Astar Pets with Quentin Griffiths (founder of both Achica and ASOS), said: 'The UK has transformed from being a nation of pet owners to being a nation of pet parents who enjoy spending time with and treating their pet.'

In their role as 'pet parents', 90 per cent of owners buy a Christmas present for their furry friend, 66 per cent give them a birthday present, 84 per cent allow their pet on the sofa and 66 per cent extend the privilege to their bed.

And that's not where the parental similarities end. As many as 30 per cent of pets are taken on play dates with other animals.

On average, our nation's much-loved animals own seven toys and 60 per cent of pets receive a treat each week.

In fact, one in six pet owners revealed they spend more on presents for their pet than for their partner. Almost half spend over £50 a month on their pet, while a generous 5 per cent spend over £250.

Our passion also extends to their health and well-being. Close to half buy their pets specialist or organic food brands, 28% include vitamin supplements in their pet’s daily meals and all 1,000 owners surveyed said they visited the vet at least once a year for an annual check-up.

When it comes to primping and preening, one in six take their pet to the groomers on a monthly basis

The survey also revealed that 'pet parents' feel guilty when leaving their beloved surrogate child for extended periods with a third organising pet-sitters or walkers when they are out during the day and 58% buying a present for their pet if they have been away on holiday.

Soft Dog Kennel Folding Bed

Keep your dog cosy with this stylish fordable kennel style bed just in at Pets Mad. This great addition you any home is padded with a removable, zip roof.

Suitable for small dogs and even cats, the Dog Kennel Folding Bed is a lightweight pop-up bed which is ideal for transport. Available in Brown and Blue colour that will blend in nicely with your house decoration.

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• Colour: Brown and Blue
• Easy to assemble/transport
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• Door approx size: W20.5 x H18.5cm
• House approx size: L35 x W36 x H25cm (lowest point)
• Hand washable

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Andy Murray Rescues a Dog on his way to Wimbledon

Andy Murray's dog Maggie May

2013 Wimbledon Tennis Champion, Andy Murray saved a spotted labradoodle pup that was heading toward oncoming traffic. The Scottish tennis player was on his way to Wimbledon on Sunday when he spotted the dog in danger, Murray pulled over to try and retrieve the lost canine.

Andy Murray said:
"There was a danger that I might not make it to practice at all on Sunday morning when I found myself in the middle of a busy road trying to stop the traffic on the way into Wimbledon," Murray wrote in a blog post.

The current Wimbledon champion described the experience to BBC Radio after a viewer called in and reported that they had seen the tennis star chasing a runaway dog down a busy road. Murray told BBC:

"It wasn’t my dog. I was driving to practice and there was a dog running along the road. So I parked the car at the traffic lights and basically got out of the car and tried to stop the traffic because the dog was running towards the oncoming traffic. So I ran in front of the road, stopped the traffic and then I managed to get the dog."

After rescuing the pup he drove to a local park and called the number the on the pet tag

Brazil World Cup: Dog Style

Belgian Eric, a photographer has found a new way to spice up this year’s World Cup by combining the countries football strips with their national dog.

The series include the American Stafford Terrier, the German Shepherd and unsurprisingly the English Bulldog.

Less iconic breeds include the Argentine Gogo, Italy’s Cane Corso and the Dutch Kooiker Hound.

Belgian Eric pulled together his skill photographing animals and his love of the beautiful game to create these hilarious images.

Eric, 47, usually uses his talents for the Life On White project photographing animals both domestic and wild on white backgrounds.

 He said: ‘A colleague of mine has this great idea to combine our skills and the World Cup in Brazil.

‘We have been collecting animal photos for just under 10 years and we had practically all the dogs needed - just adding the ones we didn't afterwards.'

‘All the breeds are iconic of each country, for example the Bulldog for England and the Alsatian for Germany.

'Some were very easy to match others were a little bit less well known.’

‘Life on White just had its 8th birthday. We are specialised in the photography of domestic and wild animals in front of a white background. We have around 32,000 photos of over 1,000 species.’