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Pheromones

Pheromones are often recommended along with behavior modification in both cats and dogs. They're thought to help with anxiety and other behaviours. Some of my clients have found them helpful, while others have not felt they made much of a difference. Let’s dig into...

Clicker training Science

Clicker training is a great way to train, and also fun for the person training and the trainee. Many trainers and behavior consultants use or recommend the use of clicker training and have great success. However, it’s always helpful to know some of the science behind...

Sleep

Sleep is a really important behavior in all animals, and a lot of research in different species has shown that it is necessary. Across species, it’s generally agreed upon that sleep is important for learning, memory, behavior and emotional control, health, and quality...

Food puzzles and toys

Contrafreeloading, or working for food when there is some freely available, is something that we use quite often with animals in our care. This concept is used in puzzle feeders, food balls, games we play, and also in stuffed food devices like Kongs or Wobbls. ...

Ethograms

What is an ethogram? When studying or observing animal behaviour, one of the most important things to do is describe the behaviour so that it can be measured. In ethology, or the scientific study of animal behaviour, this is done using an ethogram. An ethogram is a...
What does a wagging tail mean?

What does a wagging tail mean?

If I was asked what the most misunderstood thing about dog behaviour is, I would probably say tail wagging. I’ve overheard parents telling children that a dog is friendly because it’s tail is wagging, and have seen people walking past a very anxious dog and talking...
Why does my pet…?

Why does my pet…?

Have you ever wondered WHY your pet does something they do? As a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, this is probably the question I get asked the most. Often, we want to know why an animal does something that may worry or bother us, so that it can be changed. In...