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Shay's Dog Blog
by Shay Kelly MSc BSc FdSc
7M ago
Often in the dog world we discuss how to get the dog to do this that or the other, or even, how to get the dog to stop doing this that or the other. That’s not always a bad thing, I’m not suggesting that dogs should be left unguided to participate in whatever they want. But, quite often we are so preoccupied with what we want the dog to do or not to do, that we fail to consider the dog’s needs. Who are they as individual sentient beings? How do they feel about our behaviour when we try to shape their behaviour. For some, this is wishy-washy dribble, worthy of only scorn and ridicule. I cannot ..read more
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When does dog training become animal abuse?
Shay's Dog Blog
by Shay Kelly MSc BSc FdSc
7M ago
This is a difficult subject. It’s difficult to write or speak about it without upsetting a lot of people on either side of the debate. It’s difficult because humans often think in absolutes, all or nothing. It’s difficult because humans are very susceptible to confirmation bias. It’s difficult because humans are often outraged at any perceived criticism. It’s difficult because we are, by nature, quite an aggressive species. But hey, let’s give it a go. There’s an almost constant argument about compulsion vs none compulsion-type training. Many of the same arguments/insults come from each camp ..read more
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WHY WRITING DOG BOOKS IS A TOUGH GIG?
Shay's Dog Blog
by Shay Kelly MSc BSc FdSc
11M ago
Writing books is a tough gig. You might spend a year or so writing. Then rewriting and editing. You will spend a ridiculous amount of time looking for errors. You may have spent years, as I did, acquiring the knowledge. You can put everything you’ve got into producing an excellent book, but then what? The average book only sells around 300 copies in its lifetime. For the average self-published book, the figure drops to just 100. Oh, and self-publishing doesn’t mean you get to keep the money instead of the publisher taking it. By the time you pay the printing costs out of your cut, then taxes ..read more
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Enrichment: It’s not all about food
Shay's Dog Blog
by Shay Kelly MSc BSc FdSc
1y ago
It can be very easy to get the impression that enrichment is all about food. Don’t get me wrong, food can be an amazingly good tool for enrichment. This is because dogs obviously need to eat, dogs usually find food enjoyable and reinforcing, and dogs usually don’t get to go hunting or scavenging their own meals. This gives us the opportunity to fill the behavioural void and make feeding times more interesting and rewarding. However, the purpose of enrichment is to fulfill the dog’s behavioural needs, not just to keep them busy. Imagine this: you’re locked in a room with no TV, internet, radio ..read more
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When is a reinforcer not a reinforcer?
Shay's Dog Blog
by Shay Kelly MSc BSc FdSc
1y ago
Positive Reinforcement Positive reinforcement occurs whenever an appetitive stimulus makes a behaviour more likely to be repeated (Mongillo et al., 2014); for example, giving the animal food each time they enter a particular area may positively reinforce the behaviour of entering that area. The internal mechanism of positive reinforcement involves complex interactions of neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin and opioid) and receptors (Sudakov, 2019). Although positive reinforcement is often considered from an operant perspective, the animal also learns, through classical conditioning, to asso ..read more
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Is human intelligence superior to animal intelligence?
Shay's Dog Blog
by Shay Kelly MSc BSc FdSc
1y ago
It has traditionally been believed that the cognitive abilities of humans differentiates them and makes them superior to other animals. Charles Darwin is often credited with reducing the notion of human superiority by identifying the mechanisms of biological evolution (Erdos, 2020). However, this is somewhat overstated; for example, although Darwin believed that humans had evolved biologically in the same way as other animals, he also held the view that humans had risen to the summit of the organic scale (Darwin, 1871) and are, therefore, superior. Furthermore, the idea that humans have reache ..read more
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Are shock, choke or prong collars ever a good option?
Shay's Dog Blog
by Shay Kelly MSc BSc FdSc
1y ago
The notion that, when used correctly, choke chains, prong collars and shock collars are good options, is common. We only need to take a look around social media to see these arguments raging on a daily basis. Aren’t we all just animal lovers trying to do the best for our pets? On the whole, yes, I think we are. There are, of course, exceptions but let’s stick with the premise that most of us care for our dogs and want the best for them. If there was a way of training the dog without discomfort or pain, wouldn’t we want to do that? The behaviour scientists have been showing us the way for yea ..read more
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The other end of the comment
Shay's Dog Blog
by Shay Kelly MSc BSc FdSc
1y ago
Putting yourself out there is difficult. No matter how well-meaning or uncontroversial you think it is, if you post on social media, you open yourself to the possibility of being vilified. Can you think of a single successful person who isn’t ridiculed or insulted by someone? Politicians, actors, musicians, scientists. You just need to spend 5 minutes on Facebook or Twitter to witness the amount of people willing to hurl personal insults at others – no matter who they are. This makes us incredibly vulnerable; how are we to ever feel worthy or good enough with this constant barrage of criticism ..read more
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What’s the point of a dog’s life?
Shay's Dog Blog
by Shay Kelly MSc BSc FdSc
1y ago
In the bigger sense we could conjure up several different answers. Perhaps the point of life is to pass on genetic material to the next generation; perhaps some might think there are religious reasons, or maybe we’ve been looking for reasons for 6 million years where there are none.  But what about at a smaller scale? What’s the point of an individual animal’s life? The main point (or benefit) of being an animal, as opposed to being a tree, is surely the freedom to move around and choose where the best nutrients or shelter might be. Such a system of allowing individuals to perceive, calc ..read more
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Sniffing walks and loose leash walking are not mutually exclusive
Shay's Dog Blog
by Shay Kelly MSc BSc FdSc
1y ago
Whenever I post about allowing dogs to sniff, one of the concerns I hear is that sniffing will prevent the dog from walking nicely with the handler. It’s not unreasonable to want the dog to be able to walk with us; however, it may create a conflict of interests between what the human wants from a walk and what the dog wants from a walk, particularly if we’re pulling them away from scents every 2 seconds. It doesn’t need to be this way; we can teach the dog to walk with us when required but also allow them lots of sniffing time. Firstly, we should appreciate that asking the dog to walk at heel ..read more
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