First Case Study – A Grieving Dog
Lots of you liked the idea of doing some case studies, as well as reviewing and discussing photos and videos. I think it’s a great idea, so here goes our first one: Here’s Sleeves on the left, and...
View ArticleWhat’s Happening Here? Here is the Answer!
On Friday I asked you what you thought was going on here, at least as best one could tell from a still photograph. I’m the first to agree it’s hard to say much from one brief moment in time, but it’s a...
View ArticleMeMe Gets Skunked; Kitten Update
Here’s an interesting case for you: A good friend has a lab cross, MeMe, who was badly skunked a few nights ago. This appeared to be a direct hit to the eyes, the poor dog was rolling desperately on...
View ArticleDogs and People Both Achieve the Runner’s High
We’re happy to introduce Karen London, Ph.D. as a guest blogger for The Other End of the Leash this week! Enjoy! If people go running by your home accompanied by their cats, geckos, ferrets, parrots,...
View ArticleRabbits are like Dogs, but Not
So much to learn, so little time! I recently did a guest appearance on Wisconsin Public Radio and didn’t do a very good job answering a question about a rabbit who pottied on the couch instead of its...
View ArticleYou’ve Got a Friend?
If you’ve been following last week’s blog and the comments, you know that there’s been an active discussion about whether dogs can (or can’t) form “true” friendships. This was motivated by an article...
View ArticleDo Dogs Form “Real” Friendships?
I had an entirely different blog written and about to be posted, but there’s a swirl of discussion going on right now about an article that came out in Time Magazine by Carl Zimmer about “friendships”...
View ArticleIt’s the Little Things (Beh’l Regressions Part 2)
Earlier I wrote about Willie’s extreme and fearful reaction to a visiting man about a month ago, speculated about its causes and discussed how to respond. Here’s an update, and a few things I that...
View ArticleBOOKS BOOKS BOOKS
So many books, so little time! Here are a few I’m enjoying: Magnificent Mind at Any Age by Daniel Amen. This is a fascinating book by a psychiatrist who began doing SPECT scans of his patients brains...
View ArticleAnger & Anger Management
CAN DOGS GET ANGRY? Yup, I’m here to say that they can. Do they get angry as often as humans? Nope, and thank heavens for that. If they did, I doubt we’d live with them, given that they have carpet...
View ArticleYour Dog Has a Brain in His Gut
No, seriously. And so do you. No kidding. I’m so interested this, a relatively new discovery about what’s called the Enteric Nervous System, that I wanted to write about it today. I’ll get back to...
View ArticleSee you in Orlando!
Eeeps, where’d the day go? I was going to write about the emotion of disgust, but it’ll have to wait til tomorrow. But before the day is over I wanted to remind you that the Early Registration for the...
View ArticleTOOT TOOT TOOTSIE, HELLO!
Here’s TOOTSIE! Also known as: Little Bit, Mini Me and my favorite, Mop of the Woods. There’s a new kid on the block, or at the farm I should say. Meet Tootsie, a 7 year old King Charles Cavalier who...
View ArticleCat Talk and Cats Talking
If you’re in the area, I hope to see you on Thursday night at the Wisconsin Humane Society for a fund raiser and talk, “Dogs Have Owners, but Cats Have Staff.” I don’t get asked to talk about feline...
View ArticlePart Wild: Book Review and Ode to Dog-ness
You know I love Willie; sometimes I think almost too much. But I’ve never loved him more than I have this morning, after finishing the book, Part Wild, by Ceiridwen Terrill. Willie is a dog. Inyo, the...
View ArticleInbreeding in Dogs
One of the things I’m doing right now is grading papers from my UW students on the “Biology and Philosophy” of one of five topics. They could choose to write their papers on one of the following:...
View ArticleExpectations: Adults versus Puppies
Karen London and I are working on our edits to the new booklet on adopting adolescent and older dogs, and something hit me as I was writing that I thought was worth talking about. After considering my...
View Article“Guilty Dog” Viral Video
Have you seen it, the viral video of a “guilty” dog? A yellow lab sits hunched in a corner while his owner asks if he’s the one who got into the bag of kitty treats. The dog turns his head away,...
View ArticleWillie’s Exercises & Honoring Your Dog
This video tape of me and Willie doing his exercises reminds me how important it is to “honor your dog.” (I think that is originally Kathy Sdao’s phrase, and I just love it.) The video shows us doing...
View ArticleThe Value of Basic Training Skills
Here’s one of the great lessons Ken Ramirez had for us at the Clicker Expo in Chicago last weekend: The basics aren’t really all that basic after all. In his experience, one of the most common mistakes...
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