Early bird tickets through February 28th! Canine Science Symposium April 14-15, 2018 in San Fransisco

In its 6th year running, the Canine Science Symposium returns year after year to the San Francisco SPCA because nothing about the dog is stagnant. Not only do itty bitty puppies inevitably grow, but so does our understanding of dog behavior and cognition. This, in turn, can affect their welfare and wellbeing -- how we care for and interact with them.

As a past and present conference participant, I (this is Julie) always look forward to the Canine Science Symposium for two simple reasons: I learn from my colleagues, and I learn from audience participants. It's that simple. I can't think of a better way to serve dogs. 

Also, this year I hope to meet Officer Edith -- who I follow closely on Twitter (you should too!). She's next door at San Francisco Animal Care and Control; so many dog people in one spot!

The Canine Science Symposium was recently featured among the Top 10 Animal Behavior Conferences for 2018, and here’s why. This year’s two-day conference features 15 speakers and 2 tracks (view speakers, abstracts, and symposium agenda). Themes include dog behavior, shelter enrichment and adoption, training, working dogs, play, and the dog-human bond, and more.

More specifically, talks focus on the efficacy of clickers and other reinforcement methods, offer a constructional approach to playgroups, explore the effect of temporary fostering on shelter dog welfare, dive into K9 scent work and its applications, look into dogs in animal-assisted interventions, consider behavior-based euthanasia decisions, explore the role of neuropeptides in mammalian emotions, social behavior, and cognition, detail adoption and enrichment interventions, and take on the art and science of the shelter meet-and-greet, among other topics!

Clive Wynne and I kick off and close out the conference, respectively (we’re not giving the same talk, promise. We checked). Clive argues, “that how people care for their dogs is not keeping up with the best practices that science is developing,” and I wonder whether more research is really needed. Yes, scientific question begets scientific question, but does this suggest we’re entirely in the dark about dogs What do we know now?

Participants can receive continuing education units, and the early bird special is through Wednesday, February 28:

See you in San Francisco?

Canine Science Symposium ticket and conference info. 

Follow on social media: #CSS2018

Conference dates: April 14-15, 2018

Conference location: 

SF SPCA's Education & Training Center

243 Alabama Street

San Francisco, CA 94103

Stewing On It !

The end of February is around the corner...and soon spring will "march" in - pun intended.  In the cold winter months, I love a hearty stew, you know, the kind grandma used to make or the kind you make on a New England "snow day" when the kids are home from school and the roads are shut down, the kind of day when you light a fire in the woodstove and start to cook.  

Cats, come to find out like a good hearty stew as well... who knew -- that this stew was totally a treat for my cats...Thanks to chewy  I found out that my Tonkinese, Sabu, especially loves stew, it is his favorite and I was excited to try Hartz Delectables Stew, Tuna and White Fish from www.chewy.com.

First of all the packaging says "lickable" and I can assure you...that is just what Sabu did...he licked that scrumptious deliciousness all up.  I liked the fact that it comes in a single serve pouch that is easy to open and throw away.  I did add a bit of water to this just to make sure I got everything out of the package. Hartz Delectable Stew is also a good alternative for a senior cat that has a hard time eating solid or dry food. 

The thick (lickable) sauce is mixed with real whitefish, imitation crab meat and real tuna that has loads of protein for your cat.  It is the perfect (wanted to say purrfect)  reward for the end of the day when winter is almost over and Sabu cannot explore his kingdom on his leash.   Looking at the chewy.com website this product got 4.7 stars out of five with most people noting that their cats loved this "stew".  As you can see  Zivaha is  stepping out for stew!

My cats love this as a treat and as a supplement to their dry food.  My advice, don't "stew" on it...  check out Hartz Delectables Stew!

Be Mine...Feline Every Day is Valentine's Day --- And Tiger Update!!

According to a recent survey, twenty percent of Americans are spending millions on Valentine Day gifts for their pets!  After all, Valentine's Day is a holiday to share your love and affection with those that you love.  Last year American shoppers spent about $18.2 billion on Valentine's Day gifts.  And, about 20% of US consumers are going to give their pet or pets a Valentine's Day gift -- or gifts this year.  And, yes, did I get some great inspirational ideas from chewy.com for Valentine's Day and every day and one great item I had to try is Wishes Filets by Honest Kitchen.

Even though I consider every day Valentine's Day because it is always important to show appreciation to our four-footed (and two-footed friends) -- each and every day...  I am really excited to share a very special treat from chewy -- they really find such great things at such great discounts.  So, this Valentine's Day, I wanted to show the gang of five just how "pawsome" they are and  Wishes Filets is a "Fishtastic Treat"!  Once opening the package, my gang of five wanted to dive right into it -pity I could not get a photo of that chaos!

Human Grade

What impressed me most is that Wishes Filets by The Honest Kitchen is 100% human grade which means that the entire supply chain and production process has been reviewed by the FDA on two separate occasions, earning the Honest Kitchen and Wishes Filets human grade status.  The long and short of it is that wishes filets are fit for human consumption and my Tonkinese thinks it is scrumptious!   I also like the fact that Honest Kitchen is a family-owned company out of California that makes food for dogs and cats from minimally processed human grade ingredients that provide pet parents with a more natural option.

The Snap Perfect for Multi-Pet Households!

I love the snap and crackle of Wish Filets that are light, crispy and easy to break apart so you can use tiny morsels of this deliciousness for a cat's smaller mouth...dogs love these treats as well and gobble them up too.

Wishes Filets are made of dehydrated white fish that is rich in protein and Omega-3s that is so important to improve the overall health of your cat or dog.  Interestingly this dehydrated treat also includes skins.   This treat is made from a variety of sustainable wild caught white fish so the company, Honest Kitchen can help maintain a healthy ecosystem in our oceans.  I really like this philosophy, so it is a win-win in my mind when purchasing this treat and watching the Tonks dive into them!

• Omega -3 fatty acids acts as an anti-inflammatory and will help with arthritis.
• Omega-3 will help to ease inflammation due to allergies and reduce itchy skin and dandruff.
• Like other fat supplements, it promotes a shiny healthy coat and reduces shedding. For cats, this also may mean fewer hairballs.
• Omega-3 is important in brain and eye development in puppies and kittens. Feeding a nursing mother can also benefit babies once they are born.
• 
  

STAR Quality

Looking at www.chewy.com  reviews this high protein snack got  89% of those that bought this product recommending it!  The only complaint was that this treat has a strong fish smell... I can assure you... that smell didn't bother my Tonkinese... they loved it!  And, truth be told, the smell of these treats is no stronger than any of the other dehydrated treats that we have reviewed.

Connecticut Beardsley Zoo Tiger Update

The two rare Amur or Siberian tiger cubs were born in November at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport have received worldwide attention. Unfortunately, the Tiger cubs, Reka and Zaya are too young to be viewed by the public, however, a Connecticut Company, Blue Buffalo has sponsored a live streaming webcam in their nursery and chewy.com sent these two stripped sweethearts Valentine's Day treat!  

The webcam offers animal lovers a close-up view of these two stripped sweethearts at play from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Watching the live feed also gives the public a chance to see how hard the zoo staff is working to care for these little ladies that are genetically so important to sustaining their breed. The Beardsley Zoo is an accredited zoo that does much more than just display animals. Accredited Zoos play an important role in conservation, saving animals and breeding them that are on the verge of extinction in the wild, like Amur Tigers. In late spring, the Beardsley Zoo will move the tiger cubs to a new tiger exhibit where the public can actually watch them frolic... but for now get ready to ohhhhhh and awwwww when watching the webcam!

Is Your Dog a Social Butterfly?

Please welcome today’s guest contributor, Dr. Erica Feuerbacher, an Assistant Professor of Companion Animal Behavior and Welfare at Virginia Polytechnic and State University. And check out Erica’s earlier DYBID post, Less Talk More Touch: What's Your Dog Saying to You?

Sandra Tilkeridisová, Unsplash

Hello Dog Believers! 

We dog devotees have an abundance of tales about our special relationship with our dogs. These anecdotes seem backed by the fact that dog lovers often can’t use the bathroom alone, and our dogs are incredibly excited when we come home. The good news is that science backs this up: owners do have a special relationship with their dogs. 

In my own research, I have asked dogs simple questions about their preferences. For example, I present them with two alternatives and ask, “Which do you like better?” The answer is given by the dog’s behavior—which alternative do they spend more time with, and how much more time do they spend with it? I have investigated dogs’ preferences for petting compared to food delivery, and petting compared to vocal praise. In some of this research, we observed effects of the presence of the owner, but I hadn’t looked directly into dog preference for their owners. 

To explore whether dogs display a preference for their owner, Clive Wynne and I gave dogs a similar choice: do you want petting from your owner or petting from a stranger? And does this choice differ if we ask the question in an unfamiliar setting  (an unknown laboratory room) or in a familiar setting (the dog’s home)? 

For 10 minutes each dog was free to interact with either owner or stranger (both of whom were seated), or neither. Dogs spent about 80% of the session near a person, but with whom they spent the most time differed by location: in an unfamiliar location, dogs spent significantly more time with their owner (by a 4 to 1 advantage), but in the familiar setting, they spent more time with the stranger (by a 2 to 1 advantage). Interestingly, dogs tested in the familiar location (the home) still approached their owners first—nearly 70% of the time—before then going to chill with the stranger for the rest of the session. And dogs tested in the unfamiliar location approached their owner first at an even higher rate!