Before the first day of a new year unexpectedly rolls over the horizon I wanted mention 2013 was the year zoosemiotics turned 50 years old. In 1963 TA Sebeok introduced the world to the field of Zoosemiotics with this paragraph: “The term zoosemiotics – constructed in an exchange between Rulon Wells and me – is…
Understanding animal behavior often requires knowledge of physiology. Without an adequate knowledge of involved processes, less informed dog trainers resort to story-telling involving “energies”, “magnetism” and “submissiveness”. Case in point, Emily the pitbull; here Cesar Millan mistakes physical exhaustion – and probably hypoxia from the leash on the trachea – with submissiveness and relief. For…
Walking dogs through the woods displaces wildlife, resulting in decreased bird diversity and abundance. A walk through the woods with our faithful 4 legged companion….a familiar pastime shared by dog owners all over the world. And yet this seemingly idyllic activity is not without it’s ecological consequences. Researchers in Australia (Biol. Lett. 22 December 2007…
To me the arrow is the dog and the song the friendship. Many times you lose track of a friend, but all it takes is a reunion to reforge that friendship. Especially with a dog. I used to be a puppy raiser for potential service/seeing eye dogs. The usual protocol is to take a puppy…
In the production of science, experimental design is one of the hardest steps in the chain. It’s really where a researcher sets himself up for success or failure. In “How To Avoid Seven Deadly Sins in the Study of Behavior” Manfred Milinski [Advances in the Study of Behavior, Vol. 26 (1997), pp. 159-180] offers his…
Science and Dogs 
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