FUTURE TRENDS - Technology and Changing Social Norms, Part 1

The Internet, and the changing nature of communication in the digital age, has sparked what MIT’s Technology Review calls “all manner of utopian and dystopian perceptions that, when examined closely through methodologically rigorous empirical research, turn out not to be accurate.”

The fear associated with changing technology is not new; in fact, Genevieve Bell points out that the same types of fear currently circulating about the destructive power of the Internet and social media also swept through society with the introduction of trains, steam engines, electricity, television, and radio.

Conrad Gessner first wrote about the dangers of information overload in 1545, following the introduction of the printing press.

Since then, and even before then, the introduction of technology, particularly when that technology changes the way we communicate and relate to each other, has met with significant resistance.

Slate points out that even Socrates felt some hand-wringing anxiety that new technology and media, such as writing, would harm children’s minds.

Each generation fears the losses associated with new technology - loss of time spent outdoors, of time spent with physical books, or of whatever else is considered sacrificed on the altar of technology.

But are these fears valid?

The digital age has accelerated the pace of change, and some writers worry that technology is rewiring our brains in ways we can’t always predict and may not want.

It is worth noting that all new technology “rewires our brains” – the effect of reading on brain structure is significant, and videogames have similarly significant effects on brain structure.

Television may not actually “rot your brain,” but, as Scientific American points out, sitting in front of a screen does present significant potential health problems.

Fears about social media may have echoes of earlier technology scares, but there are some real differences.

Social media tends to polarize individuals, and the algorithms that work to keep you within your bubble exacerbate this problem.

The anonymity of the internet can lead to behaviour that is disinhibited and aggressive, and the impact of this “trolling” behaviour has already resulted in multiple instances of real-world violence.

Particularly since social media has become such an important part of politics – used to spread true information and the now-ubiquitous fake news – the idea that social media is making it harder to connect with each other is legitimately fear-inducing.

In a world that feels more violent and less safe, finding community is critical.

Being within a community, one that includes membership, influence, integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection, is an important part of the human experience.

Humans are highly social animals, and articles that lament how smartphones are ruining relationships touch on some core vulnerabilities and fears.

But humans are adaptive, and technology moves forward, not backward.

However drastically new technology may impact communication and the sharing of information, adaptation will follow.

Novelists have already begun to adapt, and so has human behaviour in relationships.

The next article in this series will look at how some groups are adapting to new technology, and finding ways to connect across new mediums.

About Tiffany Sostar

Tiffany is a published academic, an editor with the Editors Association of Canada, an independent scholar and researcher, and a self-care and narrative coach. She is particularly interested in the intersection of technology and identity - how our tools shape our selves and change our stories, and in how the nature of work is changing as we incorporate more technology into our daily lives.

BEHAVIOUR - Have Humans Underestimated Animals' Intelligence?

A border collie named Chaser is causing scientists, dog trainers, and just about everyone really, to rethink just how smart dogs are.

Raised and trained by John Pilley, an emeritus professor of psychology at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Chaser knows the names of over 1,000 objects.

She also has the ability to discriminate verbs, such as fetch frisbee, paw frisbee, or nose frisbee, and to understand the syntax in sentences: “to ball take Frisbee” is different from “to Frisbee take ball.”

Pilley is a firm believer in the power of play in successful training - everything Chase has learned is through play.

His research partner since she was two months old and currently 12 years of age, Chase is first and foremost a member of the Pilley family.

Pilley began his work with the remarkable border collie after his retirement and the energetic octogenarian has written a book - Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words.

The book explores the true potential of animal intelligence and the ways in which any dog lover can achieve similar results.

A major point Pilley focuses on in the book and every interview, is that every dog has significant potential and intelligence, not just Chaser.

“The big thing is that Chaser is not special, and that anybody’s dog is smarter than he or she thinks. I’m hoping people will work with their dogs, of course teaching them words, but also getting to know their dogs. Find out what makes your dog happy, and give your dog opportunities to explore its interests,” Pilley told Scientific American.

Want some visuals? Through a series of videos produced by Hill’s Science Diet and featuring Pilley and his border collie, viewers can get a clear idea of just how to teach a dog 1,000 words.

For Pilley and his pup, it’s all about understanding, play, setting the dog up for success, and the incredible human animal bond.

HEALTH - Music Influences Mood and Behaviour

For humans, music is as intimate and integral as a heartbeat. Music can heal, and the beat of a drum can help the heart and mind.

Researchers are still asking why music is so effective in so many therapies.

Music therapy, the intentional use of specific music to assist with medical conditions, is used in treatments as diverse as enhancing the communication of non-verbal children with autism to reducing anxiety and recovery time for patients undergoing surgery.

Music therapy has also been used to treat trauma, dementia, and as a coping and educational tool for individuals with disabilities.

PetSmart’s move to bring intentional, carefully selected music into their stores and PetsHotel boarding facilities no doubt draws on the ability of music to calm stressed animals – whether those animals are humans, dogs, cats, or other pets.

But music is more than simply therapeutic. It also entertainment, communication, and background noise, and people encounter music most often outside of clinical settings.

Wherever it is heard (or played), music has an effect.

Favourite songs can cause the same physical responses as intense emotional arousal, with dilated pupils, rising pulse and blood pressure, and even blood being redirected to the legs and feet.

Music also has an effect on the behaviour of shoppers, and that’s another reason PetSmart is wise to team up with Mood Media for background music in their retail locations. Multiple studies have shown that the volume, tempo, and genre of background music can affect consumers’ behaviour in various ways.

Slower tempos tend to keep customers in stores longer, and in one 1982 study showed a 38% increase in gross product sales in a grocery store.

A 1999 study showed similar results in a restaurant, and also offered insight into how to move consumers through the environment quicker during peak periods, by increasing the tempo of the music.

Newer research has added nuance to the understanding of how music affects consumer behaviour. Mode may be just as important as tempo, and music in the major mode (which is often perceived as “happy”) has the same effect regardless of tempo, but music in the minor mode (“sad”) is significantly more effective when paired with slower tempos.

Music is used for everything from entertainment, to marketing, to therapy for a wide range of issues. Humans have been making music since prehistory, and may even have learned to make music from observing animals.

Research continues into how music can influence mood, health, and behaviour, but regardless of whether the hows and whys are understood, humans will continue making and listening to music.

It’s been part of the human experience for almost as long as there have been humans, and may have been one behaviour that differentiated Homo Sapiens from Neanderthals. It’s clear that this tradition will continue.

By Tiffany Sostar

Tiffany is a writer, editor, academic, and animal lover who came late to her appreciation of pets. At 18, a rescue pup named Tasha saved her from a depression and she hasn't looked back. She has worked as the canine behaviour program coordinator for the Calgary Humane Society, and was a dog trainer specializing in working with fearful and reactive dogs for many years. She doesn't have any pets right now, but makes up for it by giving her petsitting clients (and any dogs she comes across on her frequent coffee shop adventures) extra snuggles.

BEHAVIOUR - Building Resilience in Dogs

(Patricia McConnell, photo by Jeff Miller)

People who adapt well when facing trauma and adversity are considered resilient - and resiliency is a hot topic in human psychology right now.

But have you ever wondered about resilience in dogs?

Dogs are also impacted by trauma and stress and there are science-based methods to help them develop resilience.

The ASPCA Professional is offering a webinar - Building Resilience in Dogs - on Thursday September 15th.

The webinar will provide tools to help dogs who are stressed or traumatized, who have lost their families or homes, or been victims of abuse or neglect.

Patricia McConnell, Ph.D., a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB), author and radio host, will offer practical and science-based ways to help dogs develop resilience, no matter what they have been through in the past.

Professionals, including behaviourists and trainers, and volunteers who work with dogs will benefit from this 60-minute webinar, which has been approved for continuing education credits by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) and International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants (IAABC).

For more information and to register, visit the ASPCA website.

Pet Heroes: Why do They Rescue People?

Pets are known for their many protective ways.

A cat, for instance, can protect an elderly owner from loneliness while a dog can get its owner out for walks, guarding against obesity.

But there are many pets – dogs, cats, birds and even pigs – who take protection to a whole new level, earning them hero status.

Good Housekeeping profiled many such pets including a three-legged, 15-year-old dog who literally took a bullet to protect its owners from home intruders and a mutt who became three-legged after sustaining injuries to protect his people.

A newborn was dubbed 'Baby Jade' after the dog who led its owner to the abandoned infant, while a dog named Ace gave his teenage owner a (face) licking, literally, to wake him up in time to escape a burning home.

The feature on fabulous pets doesn't exclusively extol the virtues of dogs.

There is a cat named Meatball who saved 11 lives by alerting people to a fire, a pot-bellied pig credited with fending off would-be intruders from the family home and a bird honoured for screeching to alert its family to a fire.

While many of the animals, including cats, alerted owners to fires a rescue dog named Max became a rescuer when he woke up his elderly owner just in time to escape a home filling with carbon monoxide and a dog named Buddy led an Alaska state trooper to the scene of a fire.

In other pet heroics featured on-line, a five-pound Chihuahua scared off a rattlesnake while Honey the dog ran and summoned help for his owner trapped in an overturned SUV.

Tara’s feline fury was caught on tape (attracting five million online viewers in two days,) when she attacked a dog which lunged at her young owner, and a dog injured its paw after breaking a pane of glass and barking to get attention of passersby and ultimately help for its ailing owner.

The hero stories aren't just about pets stepping up to save humans.

Scarlett (neatorama.com)

Napoleon, an English bulldog, went for a swim to retrieve a burlap sack full of discarded kittens and a death-defying Scarlett repeatedly ran back into a burning building to save her kittens.

“Scarlett pulled the kittens out one at a time. She was burned and her eyes were blinded by blisters,” states a story about the feline's heroics on Neatorama. “Still, she kept going back to get her kittens until the last one was safe...before collapsing from exhaustion.”

But why do they do it?

People rescue pets all the time but there isn't much literature on why pets rescue people.

No doubt, there is an amazing bond between some pets and their humans – and that might be part of the explanation.

A Georgia Regents University study, published in Anthrozoos, showed forty percent of people more inclined to save their pet over a foreign tourist from an oncoming bus.

And on a daily basis, people adopt pets from animal shelters - they and the shelter rescue them.

“It not only gives them a sense of purpose, I think, but ... really lifts their spirits up to do something good for something suffering,” Karin Winegar, author of 'Saved: Rescued Animals And The Lives They Transform,' told KPBS.

“And, you know, unlike people, I always say animals have all of our virtues and none of our vices. They really exemplify gratitude and joy and love, unconditional love ... and you can never have too much unconditional love.”

There is evidence to show, from a pets' perspective, people are important, too.

Studies highlighted in Science.Mic claims “the most direct dog brain-based evidence they are hopelessly devoted to humans comes from a neuroimaging study about odor processing in the dog brain.”

And that shows the “aroma” of humans and the scent of their owner “actually sparks activation in the reward centre of their brain.”

But before anyone takes pet heroics too personally, consider this; some researchers suggest cats protect people because they consider them property while pack-animal-pooches are intent on safeguarding the pack leader (who supplies food, water and shelter,) against any threat.

By Nadia Moharib

Nadia is an animal lover who has adopted everything from birds to hamsters, salamanders, rabbits, fish and felines. She has written about all-things-pets for years and was a long-time editor of a pet magazine in a daily newspaper which featured a Q & A column, Ask Whit, penned by her pooch (ghost written, of course.) The serial dog owner lives in Calgary, Alberta and most days can be found at a dog park picking up after her rescue pooch, Scoots.

BEHAVIOUR - Alternatives to Dominance-Based Dog Training

In 2009, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine conducted a year-long study on the results of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in pet dogs.

The researchers found that dogs responded more positively to non-aversion, non-confrontational, reward-based training methods. And owners were much more likely to be injured if they used Alpha Rolls or yelled “no” as a correction method.

Confrontational training methods often go hand-in-hand with a focus on dominance in the dog-human relationship. Training methods designed to establish owners as “the alpha” tend to be confrontational, and the more physical of these methods are the most likely to result in injury to the owner.

Not only are confrontational training methods more likely to result in injury to the owner and fearful behaviour in dogs, they are being shown to be less effective than reward-based, positive-reinforcement training.

What is the appeal of dominance-based training, since academics and many professionals believe it isn’t effective?

(Jean Donaldson)

Jean Donaldson, founder of the Academy for Dog Trainers, says, “I don’t know. My hunch is that we are big projectors.”

Humans are animals with a strong tendency towards social hierarchies, and Donaldson told InfoStream, “It’s hard for us to imagine that a species that lives so close to us could possibly not be motivated by this, how could they not be interested in who’s the top dog in the room?”

A more useful and effective model for training dogs is one that allows dogs to be dogs, and humans to be humans. It’s a lot of work trying to mimic wolves or dogs, or trying to enforce social hierarchies that may actually be more about projecting human tendencies onto interpretations of dog behaviour (what a murky mess!).

Working with dogs’ natural tendencies and creating a more positive, mutually enjoyable arrangement may better serve the human-dog relationship.

Every dog is unique, but they all want access to food, water, and social enrichment in the form of toys, attention, and activities. Owners also have unique desires for their relationship with their pets, but they want dogs who are safe, social, and respect the boundaries that are important to the owner.

Donaldson notes, “Dogs do come with some ‘installed software’ – the tendency to bark, the tendency to bury things, and so on. Human society tends to consider all of these behaviours to be problematic. It’s not okay to just train all of these behaviours out of existence, because now there’s the idea of behavioural wellness and enrichment. There need to be spaces where they can be dogs.”

Positive-reinforcement training, or training that rewards the behaviour humans want more of, allows more space for letting dogs be dogs while still allowing owners to have the type of relationship they’re looking for. Using playing, running, digging, and barking as rewards for good behaviour is one way to keep those behaviours under control while still allowing the dog space to just be a dog.

Rather than approaching behaviour from the view that every interaction is about social dominance – a view that can lead to confrontational and exhausting training protocols and that often tries to force dogs to behave too much like humans and humans to behave too much like dogs – the new wave of trainers believe it is safer, more effective, and more enjoyable to approach the relationship more collaboratively.

By Tiffany Sostar

Tiffany is a writer, editor, academic, and animal lover who came late to her appreciation of pets. At 18, a rescue pup named Tasha saved her from a depression and she hasn't looked back. She has worked as the canine behaviour program coordinator for the Calgary Humane Society, and was a dog trainer specializing in working with fearful and reactive dogs for many years. She doesn't have any pets right now, but makes up for it by giving her petsitting clients (and any dogs she comes across on her frequent coffee shop adventures) extra snuggles.

BEHAVIOUR - Dominance in Domestic Dogs: Origins of the Theory

(pexels.com)

The question of how to create healthy, sustainable, mutually beneficial interspecies relationships between humans and pet dogs is critical for pet owners, vets, breeders, trainers, and anyone who works with either end of the leash.

Which species’ social behaviours take precedence? Are humans the alpha of a canine pack, or are dogs the fur children in a human family? Could it be both? Or neither?

And, critically, which approach leads to the most positive outcomes for both species in the partnership?

One prevailing paradigm is that of “dominance,” which is the idea that a human-canine relationship depends on a linear hierarchy and constant vigilance to maintain the hierarchy.

This understanding of human-canine partnership stems from Rudolph Schenkel’s observations of captive wolves in the 1940s and 1950s. The assumption that these observed wolf pack hierarchies and behaviours could (and should) be translated into human-dog interactions formed the foundation for early dominance-based training.

In early wolf studies, the “alpha wolf” was thought to be in constant competition with wolves lower in the hierarchy. This translated tidily over to dog training and ownership, and resulted in training methods that emphasized the need to put, and keep, dogs in their place.  

However, these early studies looked solely at wolves in captivity, and researchers have since discovered that wild wolves, behaving in more natural and instinctive ways, do not have the same heavily dominance-focused conflict. Instead, wild wolf packs are made up of family groupings.

Social dominance is still a factor, and is found in most animals living in groups, but it is much more complex and nuanced than the simplistic idea of a rigid linear hierarchy. Social dominance is often situational, and is more about the relationship between animals than the individual animal.

It took decades to advance the understanding of wolf behaviour from an imperfect interpretation of wolves as a species based on their behaviour in captivity, to a still imperfect understanding based on observations of wolves in the wild.

And research on domestic dogs has been even slower. There are unique challenges faced by researchers of domestic dog behaviour, and although research continues, it is far from complete.

What researchers have found is that dogs and wolves have distinct behaviours. Despite their genetic similarities and a common genetic ancestor with wolves, domestic dogs are a species apart and their willingness to look to humans for help is deeply ingrained.

Researchers are also beginning to look closely into what social dominance among dogs looks like, and how it operates.

This research, both in wolves and domestic dogs, is important.

It informs training protocols and enhances human understanding of canine behaviour and of the human-canine relationship.

Researching intra-species behaviour is helpful, but doesn’t necessarily answer the question of how best to form inter-species relationships with pet dogs.

Mapping the early understanding of wolf-in-captivity dominance behaviour onto human-canine relationships is still common practice for many dog owners and professionals. This has resulted in advice such as always eating before your dog, going through doors before your dog, not allowing your dog on the bed or to be elevated above you (on top of the couch, for example).

The next article in this series will look at these dominance-based training methods – who uses them, who doesn’t, and why. Part three will discuss alternatives to the dominance model.

By Tiffany Sostar

Tiffany is a writer, editor, academic, and animal lover who came late to her appreciation of pets. At 18, a rescue pup named Tasha saved her from a depression and she hasn't looked back. She has worked as the canine behaviour program coordinator for the Calgary Humane Society, and was a dog trainer specializing in working with fearful and reactive dogs for many years. She doesn't have any pets right now, but makes up for it by giving her petsitting clients (and any dogs she comes across on her frequent coffee shop adventures) extra snuggles.

BEHAVIOUR - Don't Forget Your Dog is a Dog

(3milliondogs.com)

As we continue to view our dogs less like animals and more like surrogate children, the trends and marketing fads associated with some of this so-called ‘humanization of dogs’ has even the most committed dog lovers wondering how far is too far.

Options for dog food – once wet or dry – have exploded into non-GMO, Gluten Free, organic and made with high quality cuts of meat; toy options of ball or stick have evolved into automated treat dispensers, ball throwers and virtual pet friends; knitted sweaters for the vulnerable minis have expanded into full-fledged fashion lines for pets.

For many urban dwellers this humanization is simply an expression of love, but when it comes to the training process it is key to remember that humans are humans and dogs are dogs.

According to Barbara Walmer, Department Head of Behaviour at the Calgary Humane Society, the tendency of pet owners to attach human emotions to dogs can be counter-productive in the training process.

“Sometimes people will attach high-level emotion to their dog’s behaviour. For example, they will say the dog is jealous or embarrassed - emotions that we do not know for sure an animal feels. Instead we need to look at the behaviours displayed and simplify our explanation for the motivations behind them.”

According to Walmer, poorly trained dogs may be the result of defying the KISS principle.

“Sometimes we make it much more complex than it needs to be. If there is a concern with an animal’s behaviour, we need to work with that animal to change their environment and enhance their ability to display different behaviours.”

Rather than become frustrated with regressive animal behaviour in the training process, like anything patience remains a key virtue; there is also a benefit to looking at training as a lifelong, gradual process rather than expecting perfection immediately following a puppy boot camp.

“Animals are constantly experimenting with their behaviour. If we are not actively helping them with their behaviour on a daily basis, their behaviour will change. It is never too late to work with your animal on their behaviour and help them acquire new or refresh old skills.

"The relationship with your dog is a journey not a destination. You can train your dog for its entire life and both of you will be enriched and have a stronger relationship for it.”

 

When it comes to the never-ending pet products on the market, Walmer said the essentials are a necessity and that enrichment toys or tools are beneficial.

“First, we would ensure they have the appropriate walking equipment including a leash and harness; the adequate training classes that are most suitable to the dogs’ needs; food, water and shelter requirements and then we would discuss enrichment toys. Depending on budget, the dog’s preference, and safety, there are enrichment options that you can purchase and also make at home. Enrichment is critical to a dog’s mental well-being and depending on their owners’ lifestyle, they may need more or less stimulation.”

While our humanization of four-legged friends has led to more options in the marketplace, a needs assessment appears to be the best way to distinguish a dog’s needs from the human want and unnecessary, gimmicky purchases.

And the most important items for the training toolbox continue to be love and patience, and an understanding that an expectation for a dog to behave like a human will result in frustration and counter-productive training.

By Lindsay Seewalt

Lindsay is an experienced journalist and mother of three whose heart and home is always open to a four-legged friend. With her Corgi, Angie, as household editor-in-chief, Lindsay gives back to the animal planet through the written word on anything and all ado about pets. She is passionate about topics regarding animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, which she aims to instill in both her readers and children to be compassionate animal lovers who are conscious and considerate that furry friends around the globe deserve a voice.