We can divide dog training into two distinct philosophies; and no I don’t mean aversive vs rewarding, I’m thinking of those that divide dogs into active learners and those which favor passive learning. Trainers that create opportunities for the dog to find the answer and trainers that give (often by force) the answer. I thought…
. The study reports curiosity not only makes one a better learner of the target subject but also improves recall of incidental information. With animals the word ‘curiosity’ tends to be avoided in scientific literature, instead we find terms like ‘neophilia’, ‘exploratory’ and ‘novelty-seeking behavior’; probably to avoid charges of anthropomorphism. Despite literature’s reluctance to describe…
I was 10 years old when I poisoned the family dogs. By that age I had decided my older brothers were doing it wrong; they never kept to a fixed schedule. I figured since mom always fed the family at the same time, the dogs deserved the same treatment and I took over the responsibility.…
Since I brought up Darwin in the last post, it seemed obvious I would follow it with one about the nurture vs. nature debate and why it’s misguided and a waste of time. During this period thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Marx argued that experience was the prevailing influence shaping behavior. Locke saw…
Science and Dogs 