Robin McKinley

Happy birthday boys!!!!

I was just wondering this morning what sort of research has been done on dogs' ability (and other animals' too, I'm sure) to anticipate that some exciting event will happen after a much more mundane one*, like with Chaos and the computer. Every morning, Lola silently appears in the hallway while I'm drying my hair because right after that we have breakfast. She knows the end-of-the-news music is followed by a walk. And just recently, after living with me for about 4 years, she's started going to bed when she hears me brushing my teeth. Maybe it's nothing more than simple conditioning, but it just seems like more than that to me. At the very least, they're paying attention to way more than I think many humans give them credit for.

*Editing to clarify that I DO know Pavlov, which would be the obvious one here. But in that case I think the conditioning was simultaneous--the bell rang while the dog was eating. This is anticipatory.

[Updated on: Wed, 17 August 2011 22:36]

Happy birthday to two very adorable, beautiful dogs

I expect there is research on animals' ability to anticipate. Veterinary behaviorists (and even some of us less-able veterinarians who have a little smidgen of behavior training) use it all the time - the classic being the separation anxiety dog (the true panic-when-left-alone dog, not just the dog who's worried when by himself, though it can progress). Among other steps taken to try to get the dog to a state they can learn to be by themselves, one attempts to desensitize the dog to the signals it's learned that it is going to be by itself. This is because, if you know what to watch for, the dog will start showing signs of anxiety before it's actually alone. Most people have some sort of routine prior to leaving - this may include things like taking shower, getting dressed, doing makeup, finding shoes, picking up purse, picking up keys, finding sunglasses, etc. Some dogs "know" when their person isn't leaving, even though the person thinks their routine is pretty much the same... but when deconstructed, it's not (for example, time spent on makeup or hair, or which shoes are selected).

Mostly this just tells you what keen observers many animals are (the horse that learns which truck is the vet's, even though the vet only comes twice a year... the cat who knows which person is the vet even if not wearing the white coat... what time breakfast is supposed to be... the chinchilla who knows that I haven't let him out for playtime after the cats eat like I usually do... etc). They watch our body language, our actions, our routines. Some animals do very poorly when those routines are interrupted (cats with feline interstitial cystitis, for example), and some animals are infinitely adaptable. If you do something enough times, they learn what's going to happen - but if you want to *teach* (or train) them, you have to figure out what motivates them in order to get them to repeat the behavior. Sometimes this is easier than others... dogs are typically considered easier to train than cats because dogs typically respond to something like food or a toy more consistently than cats. But if you figure out how to motivate your cat, it's trainable too.

Personalities are also very interesting. I've got a litter of foster kittens that are just at the age where they're developing personalities (anybody want a black kitten? ) - and it's quite fun watching them learn to interact with each other and their environment, and how they react. They are all presumably from the same litter but they're all demonstrably different from each other, even at this early stage.

Animal behavior and veterinary behavior are fascinating topics. I always find it interesting to hear about different peoples' experiences with animals and what they can learn to do - sometimes unintentionally taught.

I think I've rambled on quite long enough now...

[Updated on: Thu, 18 August 2011 01:42]

[Updated on: Thu, 18 August 2011 04:32]

Happiest of (slightly belated) birthdays, hellhounds! and many happy returns of the day.

RidingWestward wrote on Thu, 18 August 2011 19:08

Happy Birthday, Hellhounds! I have to say, though, it's encouraging to hear from someone else whose dog(s) are difficult to train. We brought home a basset almost a year ago, and ohmygoodness, the fellow is stubborn. Growing up, my family only had labs and, say what you will about the breed in general, ours were characterized by the overwhelming need to please their people. They were easy to train because they desperately wanted us to be happy with them. Byron on the other hand... he wants what he wants, and it often doesn't coincide with what his people want. And while he's not fast (thank goodness), he's absurdly *strong*. It makes for interesting days.

The first Byron was also a stubborn, opinionated being. Perhaps the dog is channeling something

[Updated on: Fri, 19 August 2011 08:17]

[Updated on: Sun, 21 August 2011 03:23]