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Writer's pictureShel Graves

Learning for Dogs, Learning for Cats: There's Always More to Learn about Animal Behavior and the Animals We Love


A small dog with her paw on a human hand beside a stack of dog and cat behavior books.
Lily dog gives a high-five, a favorite behavior, by a stack of Shel's dog and cat behavior books.

Remember being in school when there were all those tests with right and wrong answers in a variety of subjects?


One of the things I love about getting older is learning how more changeable than fixed things can be and learning that many of the facts memorized in school are quite different now.


The country I learned my grandmother immigrated from, Yugoslavia, is in the past tense. Maps have been remade. Countries have been renamed. Borders have changed.


It can be disorienting, but fascinating!


This is what I love about science and learning. Science is about exploration and curiosity. It’s about making hypotheses, researching, gathering evidence, finding answers –and then, often, finding different answers!


When you are doing science-based learning, you have to keep up. The challenge is that ideas can be really sticky. If you are not in the field, you may not be aware of new discoveries.


Here are a few things that studies and research have changed or created nuances to you may be aware of:


Dinosaurs are reptiles. Palentologists now say some kinds of dinosaurs have some things in common with birds. Some kinds were small and feathered.


Pluto is a planet. Astronomists reclassified Pluto as a dwarf planet in 2006, because it didn’t meet all of the criteria for planetary status.


Right brain vs left brain thinking. Neuroscientists have shown how we actually use the whole brain together (and not just 10% of it, either!) and we can continue to learn as we age (plasticity). 


These are just some examples of “YES, and…” in fields of study where there is much more to learn, discuss, and research. 


Sometimes the ideas we hold on to aren’t even science-based. They are simply sticky. For example, this poor relationship advice, don’t go to bed angry. Not necessarily.


Relationship experts John and Julie Gottman at our local University of Washington recommend taking a cooling off break when you are amped up or flooded. Not continuing to hash things out when you are tired or overwhelmed. The Gottman Institute researches relationships (science!) and they have been able to determine which couples will and won’t stay together by the way they communicate (argue). See their recent TED Talk, "Even Healthy Couples Fight — The Difference is How".


What does all this have to do with animals? Well, sometimes what we know or think we know can be really harmful to our relationships with animals, too. Sometimes sticky ideas can create a host of troubles. For example: 


Cats are independent, aloof, and lazy. Actually, research has been showing that they like us and enjoy spending time with us. They want our social connection! Check out the research and media coverage at maueyes.com the website of Kristyn Vitale, PhD, CAAB. And while cats do sleep a lot, 12-16 hours a day, and are most active at dusk and dawn (crepuscular), a cat who sleeps or feigns sleep all of the time could also be in pain, depressed, stressed, grieving, or bored.


Dogs need us to assert dominance and show leadership. Biologist David Mech studied captive wolves and it’s from this research that we got the term “alpha”. Later, Mech learned more and updated that information. The “alpha” wolves were actually breeding pairs and the “betas” their children. Wolf relationships are families. 


Of course, there’s also the point that dogs are descended from wolves, not wolves. And that sticky “alpha” idea led to a lot of advice that wasn’t even based on the science. We don’t have to eat before our dogs or go through the door before them to show dominance. It’s OK to let dogs sleep on the bed (if we want them to). It won’t undermine our leadership.


For more: Read the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s Position Statement on Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification in Animals (and the section on Myths About Dominance and Wolf Behavior as it Relates to Dogs).


The sciences of ethology (animal behavior) and applied animal behavior (real-world applications for human-animal interactions) are evolving too. There’s a lot to learn. And, that’s wonderful!


I’m really looking forward to reading Breed Differences in Dog Behavior: Why Tails Wag Differently, the new book by James Ha, PhD, CAAB, and Renee Ha, PhD, my professors in the UW Applied Animal Behavior certificate program, for example. I quickly pre-ordered Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog by Zazie Todd, PhD (and a fellow graduate of Jean Donaldson's Academy for Dog Trainers). Our fearful friends need us to do the best we can!


Here’s another research-based relationship tip from the Gottman’s that I find really useful: In your relationships, it helps to have a 5:1 ratio of positive to negative interactions. This doesn’t mean you can never argue, but relationships work when positive interactions strongly outweigh critical ones.


I love this and I bet it applies to the other-than-human animals we interact with as well.


I like positive reinforcement training and I look for ways to say, “yes!” to animals and tell them what I want them to do instead of saying, “no” and “no” and “no” again.


Does this mean I can never get frustrated or never say “no!”? I wouldn’t think so. I do like rewarding lots and lots of behaviors I want to see more of and building positive associations between people and animals and the things we want animals to like and be comfortable with. 


Absolutely, positive reinforcement means that I need to make sure that most of the time I am teaching and reinforcing the behaviors I’d like to see more of and rewarding those. 


I want to show that I am a safe, trustworthy, and predictable person. 


For more: Read the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s Position Statement on Humane Dog Training. We know that punishment can lead to increased aggression and anxious behaviors including avoidance and excitability.


Positive reinforcement works for people, too. I love Karen B. London, PhD’s book on the topic Treat Everyone Like a Dog: How A Dog Trainer’s World View Can Improve Your Life.


Yes! And, there is always more to learn!

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