Chapter 2: Early Education

“Impolite” attention seeking

[1] Puppies are born in a litter. They are rarely single offsprings, so they need to compete for their mommy’s attention. So, they jump, nip and bark as a way to get attention. These are called et-epimeletic behaviours.

Et-epimeletic behaviours

[2]The dog is asking for attention, because the need to establish a connection is a basic survival need for dogs. (Read article, Watch video)

Destruction

[3] Studies on both humans and rats reveal that the chewing action increases endorphins and reduces cortisol.

Chewing and stress relief

[4] I read an article that uses very fancy terminology to explain what we have all experienced as a dog’s loss of interest in toys - “an intense but transient neophilia towards novel objects.”

Neophilia

[5] Animals chew for a reason and that function needs to be met. (Resources COMING SOON)

Hyperactive dogs

[6] However, we must not forget that excitement too increases adrenaline and physiologically has the exact same impact on the body as anxiety. (The Biology of Excitement)

[7] There are studies that show that dogs that participate in sports and show dogs, have higher occurrences of ulcers, perhaps explained by this phenomenon

Ulcers in working dogs

[8] Sadly, these mental problems are on the rise in human populations as well as urban dog populations

Reading recommendations

[9] Incidentally hypothyroidism seems to be on the rise at an alarming rate in modern day pet dogs

The link between the thyroid gland and stress

[10] The dictionary defines learning as, “the acquisition of knowledge or skill through study, experience and/or from being taught.”  (Wikipedia entry on Learning)

[11] Studies show that high volumes of sustained long-term exposure to cortisol negatively impacts explicit memory as neural networks begin to shrink and no longer try to connect or form synapses

Stress and Memory

[12] Also, some parts of the brain (hippocampus) suffer from glucocorticoid toxicity and start to degenerate, due to sustained exposure. (Read article hippocampal vulnerability to stress)

Relax dawg!

[13] Studies show that sniffing reduces a dog’s heart rate.

Resources

[14] Studies show writing to be an effective tactic in reducing stress and dealing with stressful events.

Reading recommendation

Tough love

[15] The idea of using dominance to get a dog to fall in line is now considered an outdated idea that does more damage than good. (Book: Dominance in Dogs, Fact of fiction by Barry Eaton)

[16] Punishments, anger, irritation, intimidation are all now known to have dire consequences on a dog’s behaviour, physical health and our relationship with the dog.

Reading recommendation

[17] A quick search online on the dominance myth will uncover plenty of material that shows that this tough approach is not only non-scientific, but also physically and mentally damaging.

Read what experts have to say