Author Archives: RogerGafke

Can Dogs Sniff Out Covid?

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University of Helsinki research dog sniffs samples in test to identify corona virusAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
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Researchers at the University of Helsinki think so.  At least their preliminary research suggests that can happen. Researchers taught the dog’s to differentiate urine samples of  ill and non-ill persons. The sniffer dogs are now employed at the Helsinki airport to identify illness among passengers.  This article describes the more complex research agenda to test this early success. https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/life-science-news/the-sharp-noses-of-covid-dogs-are-utilized-at-the-helsinki-vantaa-airport

g their sense of smellThe scent discrimination work at our school begins in Levels 3 and 4 with dog’s finding treats inside  identical metal boxes. Later the dogs identify boxes their owners have touched among the other boxes.  Later the training moves to metal, wood, leather and cotton items.

Earn AKC Recognition for Your Puppy

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Funny dog holding gold, silver and bronze medal. An Adobe stock imageAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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Our Puppy Kindergarten prepares your puppy for the first certificate exam in our school. It also qualifies your puppy to earn the American Kennel Club’s Star Puppy Recognition and to begin work on the AKC Canine Good Citizenship Certification (CGC).

Will the Robot Replace the Live Dog for Therapy Visits

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Robot and Dog Look at each other (Adobe Stock)Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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Those of us with therapy dogs would say “No way a robot could replace the benefits my therapy dog brings to people we serve.”

But this research study published on the web portal, Big Think, suggests the answer may be – Yes in some situations.  Researchers at the University of Portsmouth in England observed children interacting with live dogs and robotic dogs.  The children ages 11 and 12 interacted with the robot more.

The researchers suggested robotic dogs might be useful in situations where live animals are not appropriate  –  for example, with allergy sufferers and in places were live animals are not permitted.  The researchers also speculated that the robotic dogs might have  service roles too – suggesting it would be easier to bring one’s robotic emotional support creature onboard an airplane.

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/emotional-support-robots?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

Where Does Your Dog Rank Among the Smartest

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Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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In week’s edition, Newsweek publishes a list of the 63 smartest dog breeds. The article ranks them from 63rd to first – An interesting read.

The rankings come from the primary book on the subject, The Intelligence of Dogs, my Professor Stanley Coren.  Coren based his ranking on obedience, working and adaptive intelligences. He described adaptive intelligence as a dog’s ability to problem-solve on its own. His research included surveys among dog owners, rankings from obedience trail judges and collaboration with the American and Canadian Kennel Clubs.

The article has pictures of breed representatives and brief descriptions. It provides an estimate of how many repetitions it takes for a dog to learn a command and what percent of the time the dog complies with a command given the first time.

https://www.newsweek.com/these-are-63-smartest-dog-breeds-1554265

 

 

Dog Takes Break From Dog Class

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Dog rests on sofa with computer open on dog's rear legsAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet,
325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
Register Online for our winter class session.

Dog class can be exhausting – but one can learn a lot.  Register now for our winter session that begins the week of January 4.  Get one-on-one coaching, video critiques, online tutorials and small group classes. Here is a description of our virtual dog training services during this virus crisis:

Use this contact form to get more information: