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It started when two canine scientists decide to become pen pals in an era of digital media...

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21 January 2014

2014: Canine Science For All

2014: Canine Science For All


Wendy74ca's photostream used with permission via Crazy and Little
Hi Mia!

I couldn’t agree with you more! It has been a long time since we chatted about what we’re up to. 


2014 is off to a great start, apart from the fact that it is your summer and my winter. I will always see that as unfair. Keep in mind you started us on this path of “weather comparisons” by posting  that covetous picture of the dog chillin’ in the sun with lemonade. 

Life on the East Coast couldn’t be any different. I raise you with a video of dogs playing in the snow. ;)


These are the cards I’m playing with in 2014:

Playtime at the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab

Last year we started Project: Play With Your Dog looking at inter-specific play behaviors between dogs and their owners. We received oodles of videos (because that’s a scientific number) from around the globe and are getting a handle on the nuanced behaviors of dogs and their owners. More to come on that this year!

Project do-the-PhD is a GO

You’ll be getting full-on PhD support from me; I want to see those salivary cortisol meta-analysis results! I recently jumped into the PhD boat at the Animal Behavior and Comparative Psychology program at CUNY. My supervisor is Diana Reiss who investigates animal cognition and communication in a number of species, although dolphins have been her focus. Looking forward to all that’s to come in this area!

Writing dogs
I’m keeping the pencil to the paper as much as possible and writing for The Bark, Dog Spies at Scientific American and most recently The Dodo with Think Your Dog Has A "Guilty" Look? Think Again. I’ve written a lot on this topic, and I’m happy it seems to be reaching more hands. And there’s also the audio version 'Anthropomorphism: Are we guilty?' thanks to you all at Human Animal Science! 

My first piece for The Dodo
Talking dogs
Interest in canine research has only grown since we met at the 3rd Canine Science Forum in 2012. Last year, I got to cover The Science and Politics of Anthropomorphism and Contextualizing Canine Behavior and Cognition Research at APDT 2013

This March, I’m looking forward to speaking at the 2nd Canine Science Symposium: A Day of Dog Research in San Francisco with other researchers from UF Canine Cognition and Behavior Lab / the Canine Science Collaboratory at ASU. 


Excited to keep trucking along in canine behavior and cognition and see what 2014 brings. As you said, we’ve been meeting a lot of researchers in the field, and highlighting others’ research here at DYBID? has been very well-received. Looking forward to more of that.
 
Here’s to a dog-filled New Year!

Julie
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9 January 2014

2014: A Great Year for Canine Science

2014: A Great Year for Canine Science


Hi Julie,


Hope your festive season was fun and full of laughter. 

Happy new year to you! 

I've decided that 2014 is THE year for canine science! 

It's been a fairly long time since we compared notes on what we're doing at the moment, so I thought I'd start 2014 with a bit of an update for you.


Project finish-the-PhD is GO
It's well and truly time to get this baby fledged! PhD's are not easy at the best of times, and doing mine part time (hello, year seven of working towards this!) has felt a bit like a marathon at times. Luckily, I'm still incredibly excited by my research questions, feeling enthusiastic and looking forward to writing up the results of my research and sharing it with the world. 

source (PhD comics)

My top priorities towards achieving a completed PhD right now are:
  • 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?
It kind of blew my mind when I realised we've been pen-pal-ing here about dogs and science for a year and a half already! 

I'm looking forward to sharing and discussing more of the latest findings in our field with you as 2014 unfolds around us .

I'm also excited to learn more from exciting guest posts by other canine researchers, like Dr Bradley Smith and Clare Browne.

Canine Science Forum
15-17th of July 2014 has already been highlighted in my calendar and hopefully in yours too, Julie! It marks the 4th Canine Science Forum to be held in Lincoln, UK and teamed for the first time with a Feline Science Forum as well. I'm excited about all the new research that will be shared at this conference and also thinking ahead about which aspects of my research I'll be submitting abstracts for in March. I'm intrigued by their call for 'controversies in canine science' presentations - should make for some fun viewing! 


I'm also very much looking to a reunion with YOU - funny to think this blog started on a whim after our very brief encounter at the last CSF.
Human Animal Science
I've been involved in a new science communication project, Human Animal Science. Set up by the Anthrozoology Research Foundation and Anthrozoology Research Group, this podcast series interviews different experts about their research across a wide range of human-animal science topics. 

It's been fun getting the first six episodes recorded - especially the one with you about anthropomorphism - and we've got more interesting people lined up to chat with in 2014.

Working Dog Alliance
Luckily, the Working Dog Alliance is having a quiet few months right now, allowing me to focus on all of the above. The website is a rich resource hub for the Australian working dog industry. Most of the sensational content from the first conference, including the full-of-awesome keynote addresses by Dr Nicola Rooney and Steve White, can be seen/listened to here: http://www.workingdogalliance.com.au/conference2013/ 


Hope you're keeping warm - we've heard it's a very cold Winter in the USA right now. Hard to fathom when our forecast for next week is floating around the 38-40 oC (100-105 oF) mark!

I'd love to hear what you have on the cards for 2014,

Mia
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23 December 2013

Is It Okay To Give Pets As Gifts?

Is It Okay To Give Pets As Gifts?


Hi Mia!

By now, the world is well aware that a major benefit of an international pen-pal blog is presents! You introduced me to TimTams (a delicacy that I am beyond obsessed with), and just today I got Aussie Toast Stamps and an "ugly" Christmas sweater that is not ugly at all!!

But in all seriousness. I love packages. I love mail of any kind. I get very excited when I hear the crazy mailman in the hallway (although lately he has been putting our mail in other people’s mailboxes so I have to wait until our kind neighbors pass it along). Anyway, I love all mail. Mail is like a present.

All this talk of gifts actually relates to our favorite topic (dog science!) because there seems to be a subtle shift in the thinking about pets as gifts. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had the idea that it’s not a good idea to give a pet as a gift. A quick look around the Internet reifies this belief:

PAWS: “Giving a pet as a gift is usually an ill-advised decision that can end tragically.”

Dogs Trust: “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.”

Dr. Andy Roark, VetStreet: "Friends Don’t Surprise Friends With Commitments. Pets = Commitments."


Dr. Karen Becker: "5 Reasons Not to Give a Pet as a Christmas Gift This Year."

(Source)
But there's a new conversation brewing, and a few studies point in a different direction. A recent survey by the ASPCA found “no significant relationship between receiving a dog or cat as a gift, whether a surprise or not, and the receivers’ self-perceived love or attachment toward the pet.” Additionally, “receiving a dog or cat as a gift does not negatively impact that pet, either by altering the human-pet bond, or by shortening the time the pet is kept in the home.”

Maybe there is more to the story than, Don’t Give A Pet As A Gift! And if that’s the case, we should consider how pets could be gifted in ways that benefits both people and animals. 


I also wrote about this topic on Scientific American. If you're going to gift a pet, I highlighted two suggestions by Wisconsin Humane Society Executive Director, Anne Reed: 1) Carefully think about what the gift recipient wants and not what you want, and 2) Think about giving an adoption kit with all the necessary animal accouterments, and then take a trip to the animal shelter together. 

I'm excited that this topic is on the table for discussion. At the same time, we should keep in mind that this study comes from a small survey of 222 people scattered across the USA who received a dog or cat as a gift in the last 10 years. I would love more details into what makes for successful or unsuccessful pets as gifts. 


Speaking of presents, I'm off to eat some Tim Tams! Happy Holidays and Happy Belated Birthday to you!!

Julie

Reference 

Weiss et al. 2013. Should Dogs and Cats Be Given as Gifts? Animals 3, 995-1001. Open Access

More Reading On Pets As Gifts 
Julie Hecht: Should Pets Be Given As Gifts? Scientific American 
Jessica Pierce. Giving Pets as Gifts: Should You or Shouldn't You. Psychology Today
ASPCA Blog: Pets As Gifts—Wrap ‘Em Up!
ASPCA Blog: Give a Gift of a Dog or Cat This Holiday Season!
Andy Roark: Video: Think Twice Before Giving Pets as Gifts. VetStreet
 
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15 December 2013

Dogged in December - wait, December?!!

Dogged in December - wait, December?!!


Hi Julie,
Photo by Mel Travis | What About Charlie?


goodness me, what happened? I was at the amazing Working Dog Conference 2013, then launching the Global Poo Power! Challenge, I blinked and suddenly it's mid-December already? Huh?! Gosh!

Sorry for being absent for a few weeks, I've been focussed on getting as much content from the #workdogs13 event up on the Working Dog Alliance website as possible, so that everyone can access the fantastic content that was shared by a wide range of speakers. From the conference proceedings, to PDF of presentation slides, audio and even You-Tube clips combining them all, you can now share in everything from Dr Nicola Rooney's keynote presentations, to fresh new research on working dogs; unique stories about dogs used in conservation programs and rescue groups working to provide positive endpoint outcomes; practitioners views on breeding and rearing working dogs and insightful facts and figures about areas like greyhound racing and thoughts on why there is such high 'wastage'. 

The half-dog selfie movement took off at #workdogs13

The Poo Power! Global Challenge went off with a bang... 


(or is that a fart? LOVED your Scientific American Dog Spies pieces on why dog farts stink, Part 1: What are dog farts made of? here, Part 2: How to make dog farts less stinky here - captivating area of research and I do not envy the 'odour judge' who to had to decide if dog farts were scentless or unbearable, or somewhere in between!) and we enjoyed watching the photos get logged on the Global Poo Map



Science For Life 365

The student competition part of the Challenge is now over, but don't worry - it's not too late to download the free App and start to map the crap! It's super quick and easy to do and I know the Poo Power! team would really love to see some international 'contributions', so to speak. All details about how to participate as a citizen scientist can be found here.

SciEngage
As for me, well, I'm looking forward to closing out 2013 with the fun times in the sun with family, friends and reviewing results from the meta-analysis - as you do. 

What's on your list, Julie?

Mia

p.s. In case you were wondering, that gorgeous photo at the top of this post (it's my legs with my darling old dog Caleb, and my mother's dog, retired Guide Dog Haidee) - taken as part of a shoot done for this Dumbo Feather article 


© Mia Cobb | Do You Believe in Dog? 2013

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22 November 2013

Poo Power! Global Challenge

Poo Power! Global Challenge


Hey Julie,
it's not every week I get to issue an invitation to the entire world, but that's exactly what I'm doing today!

Mia
Students invited to compete in global dog poo competition:

Poo Power! Global Challenge launches Monday 25 November 2013


Students and classes will be pitched against each other to see who can identify the most and largest dog waste 'hotspots' in their local neighbourhood in the 'Poo Power! Global Challenge'. Participants use a GPS-enabled iPhone to download the free Poo Power! App from the App Store. Their task is to identify and map dog poo 'hotspots' in dog parks and public spaces from their neighbourhood from Monday 25 November 2013. 

While the initial competition is being run for students and schools, anyone, anywhere can participate and contribute to this citizen science initiative.
Duncan & Diesel from Poo Power!
This eyebrow-raising project is a collaboration between dog poo entrepreneur Duncan Chew from Poo Power! and me (!), as a way to say thanks to all the students who voted for me to win I'm a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here! in Australia recently. The collected information will be uploaded onto the Global Poo Map and provides a platform for students to discuss the scientific, social and environmental issues of dog waste. The students are then encouraged to write a letter to their local Government representative of their findings and recommendations. Citizen science at it's finest! 

Scientific American are currently featuring Poo Power! on their Citizen Science website

"From our research only 3% of Australians see uncollected dog waste as an environmental concern," explains Duncan Chew. "When it rains, uncollected dog poo gets washed down drains, effecting water quality and habitat for native animals, as well as making rivers and creeks unpleasant for us to visit."  

I just think this is a great way to utilise the prize money from winning the I’m A Scientist – Get Me Out of Here! competition; it raises awareness of new sustainable energy sources, environmental issues and responsible dog ownership, all while increasing student engagement in a citizen science activity.
The collated information has the poo-tential to identify sites for biogas-powered lights for parks as proposed by the Melbourne-basedproject, Poo Power!, currently in development. The methane that is released from the dog waste as it breaks down inside a 'biogas generator' can be used as a viable renewable energy source.
Photo: Steven Pam

Competition prizes and giveaways are up for grabs for students whose submissions are received between 25th November and 9th December 2013. After this initial competition period closes, the project will continue to run, collecting ongoing hotspot data worldwide.
Check out everything you need to know at www.poopower.com.au
Download the full instructions to participate here

To contextualise the material for classroom lessons, teachers can download the Poo Power! Study Guide

Competition details

Individual student prizes include 2 iPod Shuffles (for the two students who log the most hotspots) and 4 Doggie Doo games (random giveaways to people mapping hotspots) during the two week competition period.
For each competing class, teachers will receive a copy of the 'Dog Poo - The Truth At Last' on DVD. For contextualising the material for classroom lessons teachers are encouraged to download the Study Guide from the Poo Power! Resources page.
Download the full instructions to participate here
Further reading:

Okoroigwe E.C., Ibeto C.N. & Okpara C.G. (2010). Comparative Study of the Potential of Dog Waste for Biogas Production, Trends in Applied Sciences Research, 5 (1) 71-77. DOI:  

Nemiroff L. (2007). Design, Testing and Implementation of a Large-Scale Urban Dog Waste Composting Program, Compost Science & Utilization, 15 (4) 237-242. Link: click here to view PDF

© Mia Cobb | Do You Believe in Dog? 2013
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14 November 2013

Accessible animals for your viewing pleasure

Accessible animals for your viewing pleasure


(source)
Dogs are a big thing for us here at Do You Believe in Dog?, and if you’re visiting us, they’re probably a big deal for you too! 

We watch them, study them, talk about them, talk to them, heck we even write about them. And while dogs occupy much of our lives, a wide variety of non-human animals creep into our daily lives, particularly through YouTube.

While Mia wraps up the post-event details for the inaugural Working Dog Conference (which went exceedingly well, details to come!) we want to share a few animal videos that we've recently come across. Down the road, we’ll discuss how videos featuring animals, particularly those generated by the general public, can be incredibly useful to animal behavior (behaviour!) researchers. 

And! If you had to select a favorite video from those below, which would it be, and why? We'd love to hear your preferences and thoughts in the comment section below.











Milley on DYBID? Let us explain! Over on Vimeo, check out David Attenborough like never before. Click here to watch Attenborrowed
by wreckandsalvage
(Twitter/Facebook), a creative union between the world of natural birds and pop music "birds." 

Scientific American blogger, Jason Goldman reminds us that it’s not only the general public who are making videos of animals. To capture footage of the rarely seen African golden cat, scientific researchers set video camera traps.

The lure: Meat? Nope. More Meat? Nope. Calvin Klein Obsession For Men. That isn't something you can make up, and Goldman explains why the researchers decided on this, uhm, fragrance.  


For more animal videos, check out the post Ten Special YouTube Animal Videos by Dr. Hal Herzog, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals. You'll get an answer to the question, "Should birds and cats hang out?"

Enjoy!

Julie & Mia

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3 November 2013

Hours Away! Steve White and Nicola Rooney Inaugural Working Dog Alliance Conference

Hours Away! Steve White and Nicola Rooney Inaugural Working Dog Alliance Conference


 

Hi Mia,
This is clearly not an announcement for you. Instead, it is an internet broadcast that the first Working Dog Alliance Australia Conference is almost here, Nov. 4-5 in Sydney!



You and many others have put months into this initiative, and tomorrow (or your today!) people involved in every aspect of working dogs will come together to share ideas, network and learn! Attendees to include working dog breeders, trainers, handlers, veterinarians, facility managers, research scientists, advocacy groups and government representatives.

I want to make sure everyone knows what’s happening, and how they can follow along!

Conference dates: November 4-5, 2013 Australia time ;)

Conference Twitter Hashtag#workdogs13  

Twitter hashtags are awesome because anyone can follow along with the conference, even if you aren’t on twitter! Hear that, mom? ;) 

Conference Program: Click here  

What Should People Expect at the Conference? 
If I didn’t have to go watch the New York City Marathon I would profile each of the excellent conference speakers, but I have to go watch people mash their feet up, I mean, do an awesome job running so many miles!!  

Here's a taste of what people can expect from the keynote speakers at the inaugural Working Dog Alliance Australia Conference

KEYNOTE
Welfare of working dogs and its impact on performance: research so far
Nicola Rooney, University of Bristol, UK

Rooney has a PhD in dog behavior (I’ve read her work on play behavior many times) and for the past 14 years she has headed a team studying working dogs (see her bio for specific areas they’ve covered). So many factors can affect working dog performance, and welfare -- defined and measured -- can play a huge part. 

(Source: Rooney)
Border Patrol Dogs Need to Sniff: Here in the States, the Penn Vet Working Dog Center also prioritizes welfare in terms of performance. They list dehydration as a common hazard for working dogs. A recent (and ongoing) study with the Sarita Texas checkpoint Border Patrol agents examines the effect of different hydration strategies on dogs working in hot and humid conditions. The Sarita checkpoint averages 95°F in July with around 84% humidity. Eep!

They are examining different hydration strategies like water delivered orally, an electrolyte solution delivered orally and a subcutaneous electrolyte solution. No data released yet on which fluid best impacted parameters like core body temperature, search behavior and activity and looking forward to more! Maybe this will come up at the conference? Penn Vet Study details here.

KEYNOTE

Your dog ain’t so special
Steve White, ProActive K9 & Seattle Police Canine Unit USA
 

White and McConnell Seminar
Excellent title. Steve White covers a lot of ground, from working dogs to companion dogs (he recently gave a seminar with Patricia McConnell in Chicago). Steve is a Military Police Working Dog Handler, has presided over the Seattle Police Canine Unit, and is a consultant for K9 academies around the world. His hands-on work is a big deal. 

Here is Steve in action, combining clicker training and scent work and discussing the 8 rules of Punishment.





Enjoy the conference everyone!

Julie
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27 October 2013

When equipment fails: paws and assess

When equipment fails: paws and assess


Photo: Steven Pam
There is an industry in Australia that relies on an integral piece of equipment, but the system behind product development process is flawed, and lives are at stake. From farm dogs to military explosive detection dogs, guide dogs to greyhounds, Australia’s working and sporting dog industry claims a 50-70% fail rate as normal. The welfare of these dogs is intimately linked to their working performance. 

It can be an emotive topic, so let’s take the emotion out of it and objectively consider current practice.

A diverse industry, with four sectors operating in different domains, is dependent on one key piece of equipment. A tool that can vary in price from free to $40,000, can be purchased new or second hand, but is unequivocally required to get the job done. Hundreds of thousands of units are currently used daily throughout Australia in government, human health, sporting and private operations.

Source
Practitioners invest resources in this equipment, only to find that the tool doesn't work. It’s unsuitable. It operates at the wrong speed. It breaks. It just doesn't do the work it was meant to - at least half of the time! In some industry sectors, the equipment fail rate is estimated as high as eighty percent. Waste units are disposed of and new ones sourced. Perhaps from a large scale manufacturer, perhaps from a private artisan, or some people go ahead and take a crack at making their own. Recycling within the industry is extremely low, at less than ten percent. The production of this equipment is currently inefficient; the industry has no validated minimum standards in place and the product lacks quality assurance.

From an industry business and performance perspective, what should be done? A review of the purpose and production life-cycle analysis for this tool seems indicated? Absolutely. A review of how the equipment is being employed, handled, maintained and stored by practitioners? Yes. Perhaps a review of the training courses and educational materials available to the practitioners and the people who train them? For sure.

Source
Without objective review and subsequent improvement, this industry is leaving itself open to scrutiny by the media and risks losing public support. Review of this kind is common. In industrial design and quality management fields, validation of product integrity, ongoing review and updating of evidence-based best practice are standard. Re-purposing of surplus or malfunctioning stock into other areas rather than directly to landfill may require additional resources. However, this extra spend is important as tolerance for unnecessary waste in the 21st century is limited. Indeed, the sustainability and economic viability of this industry into the future relies on improved accountability, higher transparency and demonstrated responsibility.

We owe this commitment to review and refine the production, management and education surrounding this device to the industry, the people involved and the tasks they achieve. It’s sound business practice. And we owe it to the dogs.



Hi Julie,

I wrote this because I wanted to consider if there was a good case to be made for improving the welfare of working dogs, without the emotion or emotive slant often inherent in animal welfare discussions. 

This came about after recent conversations with people who have suggested my work towards improved working dog welfare is based on me 'loving dogs' or having bleeding-heart, idealistic expectations about the way dogs should be cared for. I hope I have been able to demonstrate that this is a) not about me, and b) that a good argument for objective review and assessment of how working dogs are produced can be made, even before adding consideration for the fact these are sentient animals with capacity to thrive or suffer as a result of how we manage their lives.

I'm looking forward to continuing these conversations at the Working Dog Conference 2013 next week.

Wish you were here,

Mia

Further reading:
Branson, Cobb, McGreevy (2010). The Australian Working Dog Survey Report 2009. Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 

Branson, Cobb, McGreevy (2012). The Australian Working Dog Industry Action Plan 2012. Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 

Kruger J. & Dunning D. (1999). Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77 (6) 1121-1134. DOI:  

Dunning D., Johnson K., Ehrlinger J. & Kruger J. (2003). Why people fail to recognize their own incompetence, Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12 (3) 83-87. DOI:

Ehrlinger J., Johnson K., Banner M., Dunning D. & Kruger J. (2008). Why the unskilled are unaware: Further explorations of (absent) self-insight among the incompetent, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 105 (1) 98-121. DOI:

Dunning D. (2011). The Dunning-Kruger effect: On being ignorant of one's own ignorance, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 44 247-296. DOI:

Source
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