JOIN US! #SPARCS2015 - INFO & TICKET GIVEAWAY

SPARCS is an initiative to promote research and education in canine science. Their profits fuel research grants and education in canine science.

Each year, SPARCS holds a three-day canine science conference with each day dedicated to a different dog behavior topic. This year's topics are: Learning & Memory, Dogs Around the World and Stress: Physiology, Cognition & Behavior. The wide range of excellent speakers can been seen, along with their bio's in detail on the SPARCS website:

19-20 June  |  Phoenix Convention Centre  |  Arizona, USA

We want you to! We're thrilled to have two free registrations for the 3-day #SPARCS2015 event to give away to members of the Do you Believe in Dog? community. 

To enter, let us know why YOU want to attend this major canine science event, 

and who will benefit if YOU attend.

You can make your submission here on the blog, or over on Facebook, or Twitter.

Mia and Julie will select who receives a free registration to #SPARCS2015 at the Phoenix Convention Centre, 19-21 June 2015.

Tag your comment with #SPARCS2015

Competition closes: 07 June 2015

Winners announced here: 08 June 2015

Competition is for SPARCS 2015 conference registration (valued US$399) only.
Travel and accommodation expenses to attend not covered. Judges' decision will be final. 

If selected, but unable to attend, please contact doyoubelieveindog@gmail.com so another person can be selected.

DYBID? gets to know a #NYC dog

perspective that researchers wear white lab coats and hole up in university laboratories muttering to themselves as they putter around with experiments until all hours of the night. While we might mutter to ourselves and putter around, the field of canine science very much has collaborative and collective elements. Researchers regularly meet to discuss methods, approaches and findings, and in recent years, scientists also share their findings with an increasingly interested audience.

• To learn more about the SPARCS conference: http://caninescience.info/

• Link to the Free Conference Live Stream: http://caninescience.info/live-stream/

• Read about what will be covered: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/dog-spies/2014/05/19/youre-invited-to-a-canine-science-conference-with-ticket-giveaway/

• See who will be speaking: http://caninescience.info/speakers/

Every dog deserves play!

We Work!

Cats are invited, too

This year's line up looks amazing! Presentations from leading canine scientists -- based around the themes of "Aggression" and Conflict; Temperament and Personality and Applying Science in Training -- will take place over the three days:

1. Join SPARCS: GOLD membership gets you a free ticket to the conference and unlimited access to the recordings of the broadcasts for one year. SILVER membership gets you a 10% discount on tickets for the conference and unlimited access to the recordings of the broadcasts for one year.
   
2. Attend the conference: You can buy tickets directly through the SPARCS website here
   
3. Tune in to the FREE live stream of the conference from ANYWHERE in the world: You can sign up to be notified when the live stream is active here: http://caninescience.info/live-stream/
   
4. Follow the conference on social media: We'll be making sure people can follow the action on Twitter (follow #SPARCS2014)

Watching SPARCS2013 couch-side with friends on opposite sides of the globe!

source (PhD comics)

• interpreting the canine salivary cortisol meta-analysis results
• writing up papers about the perceived welfare of dogs and people's attitudes regarding the importance of various kennel management practices and their relation to canine welfare. Once these are fully drafted (and redrafted x 83), they'll be submitted for publication in a scientific journal

 
Do You Believe in Dog?

Human Animal Science

(source)

(Science Seeker)

"The rest of the world doesn’t know it yet, but because of the Australian Working Dog Alliance’s efforts, Australia stands ready to set the new standard for working dog welfare and effectiveness. There will come a day when we who attend this inaugural Working Dog Alliance conference will have the distinct privilege of being able to say, ‘I was there when it all started.’  I am humbled to be a small part of what will surely be a big thing." Steve White

"There is obvious and substantial  value to be gained by sharing knowledge and expertise surrounding their training, welfare  and use. However, I believe that it is vital that  such knowledge is evidence-based, to ensure  we derive proven best practises which truly optimise productivity as well as dog welfare. This inaugural conference will provide an ideal forum for discussion amongst the Australian working dog stakeholders  and I am delighted to be able to share some of my ideas and research findings with the working and sporting dog community." Nicola Rooney

(image thanks to AWDRI)

• Presentation about breaking down the inter-disciplinary barriers that have for too been a drag on the working dog community's progress toward maximizing effectiveness, efficiency, and the dogs' well-being.
• Every year thousands of greyhounds are bred in Australia for one thing only: speed, with the ongoing challenge being how to care for those that are not fast enough. Re-homing programs are a commendable initiative, however the current approach is plagued with inefficiencies, prolonged waiting times and often put the needs of the dog ahead of the adopter, making it a public safety issue as well.
• Australia has a long and successful history of producing champion (human) athletes. In this presentation the scientific and research support for Australian sport will be explored and parallels drawn with the working dog industry.
• Otway Conservation Dogs is a unique conservation project developing detection dog teams utilising community volunteers to help protect the endangered Tiger Quolls.