Category Archives: News article about dogs

Bone Cancer More Likely in Large Dogs

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Little black dog standing under great Dane with blue sky (Adobe Stock Photo_Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
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This round up of research identifies dog breeds more susceptible bone cancer. UK researchers found that “larger, heavier dogs and those with longer legs and skulls are typically at a greater risk of developing osteosarcoma.” http://bit.ly/3tMagOR

Our connections to this report are the exercises we teach about the dog’s health and wellbeing. Here are two.

The team analyzed health data on 906,967 dogs for this study. This Daily Mail report includes an impressive list of dog breeds and their likelihood of the bone cancer.

How Do Lost Dogs Find Home?

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Cartoon black and white puppy dog in 3d with a magnetic compassAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
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How about a bred-in compass?  This story from the American Kennel Club describes what researchers know of the ‘find home’ options including an internal compass. https://bit.ly/3r9K0fC

Of course, first on the list would be the dog’s tracking capabilities. The dog ‘simply’ retraces the dog’s own scent.  In an experiment described in this article, researchers reported dogs that appeared to use compass-like abilities returned faster to home than the sniffer dogs.

The researchers point out that other species – fish, birds among them – appear to use compass navigation. The article also includes reminders of several famous return to home dog stories.

Regardless of your dog’s capabilities, we can help you build a bond with your dog so the dog will want to be home with you. https://dogschooling.com/virtual-dog-training/

 

Guinness Record – Most Tricks in Minute by Two Dogs

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Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
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This California dog trainer and her two dogs set the record for most tricks in a minute by two dogs. One of the dogs set another record for fastest crawl.  In this video she also explains how she teaches the  tricks. Puppy Learning to hug the hander's arm

Many of the winning tricks are ones our students are teaching their dogs Join our tricks classes  – Great fun for both you and the dog. In this picture (right), the puppy is learning to hug.

Canine Loyalty – Dog Waits for Hospitalized Master

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Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
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A dog in Turkey waited five days outside a hospital for her hospitalized owner. They were reunited January 20.

According to this Associated Press story in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, (http://bit.ly/3phILe0)  the dog followed an ambulance to the hospital and waited outside. The daughter of the patient family took the dog home but said the dog would run off early each morning to return to the hospital.

We can help you build a loyalty bond with your dog. (https://dogschooling.com/virtual-dog-training/)

Greyfriars Bobby grave markerThe story mirrors the story in Edinburgh, Scotland, of Greyfriars Bobby.  Bobby, a Skye Terrier,  spent the last 14 years of his life lying at the grave of his master.

Bobby has books, films, a museum exhibit, a statue, and his own grave marker to celebrate his loyalty. The rules of the cemetery in the 1870s prohibited a dog burial near the master’s grave. So, Bobby’s grave is at the entrance to the cemetery.

The picture (left) shows two visitors to Edinburgh at Bobby’s graver marker.

Is Your Dog Among the 20 Most Popular Breeds in 2020?

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King puppy dog wearing his royal gold crown, 3d illustration render

Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
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According to this survey, the top three – Mixed Breeds, Labs and Chihuahuas. This survey conducted by the pet sitting service, Rover and published on its blog – THE DOG PEOPLE –  is sure to generate some discussion – who’s on the list – who’s not. Here is a link to the details. To generate the list of most popular, Rover surveyed its clients about their dogs.

As Your Puppy Ages, Will Behavior Change?

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Four Border Collies puppies on a tableAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
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The answer is Yes & No – based on a four year research project at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-74310-7

The research used the Vienna Dog Personality Test (VIDOPET) to study the dogs Sociability-obedience, Activity-independence, Novelty seeking, Problem orientation, and Frustration tolerance. They tested  217 Border Collies from six months to 15 years of age.  They retested 37 dogs four years later.

They found, as in human personalities, the more active dogs among their peers at a young age remained the more active as they aged. However, among the five traits, they found individual differences. For example novelty-seeking – that is a dog’s  interest in distractions – did not decline until middle age and continued to decline, and problem-orientation – that is a dog’s interest in and ability to solve problems – increased until middle age and remained stable after that.

Because of the individual differences among dogs, researchers cautioned against over-generalization of global age trends in dogs.

Those criteria used is in this test are important elements of the training activities throughout our school beginning with puppies to introduce them to the human world we’ve invited them into and help them conclude – Been there, Done that, No need to worry about that. https://dogschooling.com/puppy-kindergarten/

 

When Your Dog Talks – Listen

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Border Collie lying on dog bedAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
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This story from the Victoria, British Columbia, newspaper describes the insistent barking of the family’s dog one evening. When the owner, finally did open the door to see what was prompting the barks, she found her elderly mother on the sidewalk near the home unable to get up.  The 80-year-old had tripped.  The story reports the mother has recovered after a few days in the hospital.

The lesson for us – pay attention;  read your dog. The dog may well have important information for you.

Helping humans ‘read’ their dogs is an important part of the training throughout the classes in our school.

 

 

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.

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
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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