Saturday, February 27, 2010

Serial Killer Whale Strikes Again!!! The Sea World Murderer is On the Loose

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What should we do with this terrible animal? Human animal that is.

I knew this Killer Whale story was harking back in my mind to something else but it took few days for it to surface, and then I remembered!!! This Killer Whale story reminded me of another one, the one about the pig. Hear me out.

Pigs are filthy animals. They eat their own shit, they roll around in it, they fight and can be quite nasty and ill-tempered with each other and generally speaking, calling somebody a pig is a huge insult. But are pigs really all that bad?

Turns out, pigs don’t shit where they live nor are they nasty with each other, as long as –and this part is important- you give them plenty of room to live. All these negative characteristics we’ve attributed to pigs are NOT native to pig the animal, instead, these negative characteristics are brought-on by humans confining the pig in a small area where they are forced to shit where they live, forced to be unnaturally close to another pig, forced to fight for their food and so on. So who is the pig?

Would a human –this supposedly evolved animal- act much different if placed in similar circumstances? I think not.

So the human animal strikes again. Except this time, we’ve confined a Killer Whale for our own amusement and profit. Who owns Sea World? Is it Disney?

It’s funny how corporations will turn a blind eye to anything and everything as long as it keeps making them profit. Whoever owns Sea World should be held accountable for the 3 lives the Whale took and while we’re at it, close the place down. Don’t keep it open on my account if it means that every few years a person is going to die.

How do you suppose this applies to our relationship with dogs?

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Friday, February 26, 2010

Dogs Can Sense Your Fear. But How?

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How many times have you heard someone say “dogs know what you’re thinking”, or “they can sense fear”, and similar assertions that make dogs seam like some magical creatures who can peer into our deepest thoughts and feelings and they just know…but how?

Are they clairvoyant? Well…sort of.

It really isn’t an exaggeration to say that all those old wive’s tales are absolutely true. But let’s apply a dash of logic and a pinch of science and demystify doggy’s spidey sense.

At a conscious level, humans put a premium on verbal communication. Research shows that only 7% of human communication is in fact verbal (words we say). The rest (92%) is voice inflection and posture. It’s not surprising then that we -nine times out of ten- opt to communicate with our canines using verbal commands. The paradox is that just because we think that’s the best way to communicate with our dogs, it doesn’t mean that dogs agree. In fact, while you’re talking, your dog is “listening” way beyond your words.

 

First up, dogs can smell what the Rock is cooking.

Doggy sense of smell is (best science can tell) 10000 times more powerful then human’s.

Consider how powerful YOUR sense of smell is at triggering emotional reactions and memories. Researches assert that human sense of smell is the most powerful memory trigger. Dogs and humans are very much alike in many ways, smell as a memory trigger is one example.

Think about the implications.

Dogs can smell the way you feel. If you are upset, your body will perspire ever so slightly, not enough to be visible, not enough to require a shower, but enough for a dog to smell the sweat on you. Sometimes we sweat because we are exercising, sometimes it’s because we are angry, sometimes it’s because we are scared, etc. Our body will engage in different chemical reactions depending on these circumstances and produce a different smelling sweat. Dogs can then use this smell to associate our actions with the smell in the air. It’s a matter of survival for them.

Furthermore, there is more then anecdotal evidence that dogs can tell what diet you’re eating based on your sweat production (meat based or plant based, and if meat, what kind). What implications does this have for your pack hierarchy at home? I would love to get a large sample of meat eaters and vegetarians and see who -on average- has more issues with their canines.

One way in which dogs determine the relative hierarchical position of another dog from a different pack is by the odor the out-of-towner is carrying. The amount of information they transmit to one another during the initial greeting (sniffing buts and face) is staggering and we are learning more and more amazing things about the process every day.

 

Next up, doggy sense of hearing is ridiculously better then human’s in two ways.

First, they hear further (duh) and second, they hear “wider”.

We all know (I hope) that dogs can hear better then humans. But what we forget is that they can hear a wider range of frequencies as well. This means that they can sense the subtle timber in your voice. If you start paying attention to this, you will “hear” yourself issue commands to your dog with different level of inflection, intensity, conviction, frustration, etc etc. depending on how you feel at the moment. Do you think your dog can tell the difference? You bet.

One thing that dog trainers talk about all the time is consistency. Well, consistency applies to making sure the words you communicate with your dog are at the same frequency level at all times.

To illustrate this, try putting different infliction in your commands and you will notice that your dog will react differently (or not at all).

 

Last but not least, is the posture and facial expressions.

Doggy body language is massively complex. From head to tail, we are learning more and more as to just how complex doggy body language really is. I talk little bit about this in one of my previous articles http://dogandogs.com/the-tail-is-wagging-the-dog

Dogs have lived along side us for thousands of years; and they are very good at reading not only doggy body language but OUR body language as well. They are way better at reading our body language then we are at reading their body language. Let’s change that, shall we?

Your posture will change based on how you feel. If you are feeling proud you will hold your head up high. If you feel sad, you will hang you head…its part of our language.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that your posture can change the way you feel (this is called a feedback loop). 

If you hold your head up high you will start to feel better. If you put a smile on your face, you will start to feel happier. Try it; you’ll see what I mean.

So be aware of the posture and the body language you share with your dog. 

You may have noticed that some dogs are afraid of men folk. Often, this is because men have a more dominating stance and give of a different scent.

 

In summary, our verbal commands and communication with our dogs take a back seat to the scent we give off, the subtle timber in our voice and our posture. Become more aware of these three as you communicate with your dogs as well as humans. 

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Everything you know about dog training is wrong. Here is why - PART NINE

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This article continues our exploration of the second branch of Human-Dog problem tree.

In the first section of the series, I've laid out the misalignment of our biology and its effects on human-dog relationship.
In the second section, I've laid out how modern day living puts us out of balance with our psychology which affect our relationship with ourselves as well as everything and everyone around us. Dogs make this imbalance really apparent.
In this section, I will talk about a transitional nature of today's society.


Let me start by admitting that saying something like "today's society is in a transitional phase" is really easy. We are always in a transitional state and the only thing that's constant is change. Here is how I mean it.

As a species, we've spent 90 thousand years


Then for the next 10 thousand years we've spend our time

  • Settling in larger farming and living communities
  • Planting
  • Growing
  • Building


Note that the second phase (the Aggrecoltural phase of human progression) lasted considerably less time.

Then about 200 years ago we embarked on a new chapter in our journey and the Industrial Revolution began; characterized by the following

  • Massive migrations to more populated areas
  • Change in our work habits (work became more sedentary and results were invisible to the worker) 
  • We started developing entitlement for basic needs and safety


Again, notice that the Industrial age lasted only about 200 years, much shorter than the Agricultural age and shorter still than hunting/gathering phase.

In the last 50 years or so, we've experienced Information age. Some say that the Information age is over and that we are in the Communications age. In either case, this phase looks all too familiar.

  • Our sense of entitlement to basic needs and safety is now a full blown addiction sometime to our own detriment
  • Our work habits are now even more sedentary; our lives are arranged to expand as little energy as possible (cars, escalators, chairs with wheels on'em, etc)
  • Corporation dictate government as well as personal policies. This point deserves its own post, but we'll save it for later.

So first we must presuppose that our biology (both mental and physical) is best tuned for the kind of environment we as species spent most time in. There is an overwhelming scientific data that supports this assertion.
If thats the case, then our biology is best tuned for hunter/gatherer type of living. Let me ask you a question.

If you did live as a hunter/gatherer, what kind of relationship would you have with your dog?

If you answered "a symbiotic one" you would be 100% correct.

If we lived the way of the Paleolithic man, all issues -or what we perceive as issues- we have with our dogs would disappear and this I can guarantee.

So first lets take the responsibility and say that we are at fault and not the dog. Second, lets recognize that our needs have changed. We needed dogs for hunting, tracking, alarm, etc. Now, we need them as baby-replacements and companions.

In some ways, we have made a very clumsy leap "forward" but we cant expect dogs to do the same. If they are to give us what WE need, we must give them what THEY need. In this regard, dogs are perhaps the most important factor in humans successfully transitioning into the next age, the age of Enlightenment. How?

Lets save that discussion for the next post.

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Everything you know about dog training is wrong. Here is why - PART NINE

This article continues our exploration of the second branch of Human-Dog problem tree.

In the first section of the series, I've laid out the misalignment of our biology and its effects on human-dog relationship.
In the second section, I've laid out how modern day living puts us out of balance with our psychology which affect our relationship with ourselves as well as everything and everyone around us. Dogs make this imbalance really apparent.
In this section, I will talk about a transitional nature of today's society.


Let me start by admitting that saying something like "today's society is in a transitional phase" is really easy. We are always in a transitional state and the only thing that's constant is change. Here is how I mean it.

As a species, we've spent 90 thousand years


Then for the next 10 thousand years we've spend our time

  • Settling in larger farming and living communities
  • Planting
  • Growing
  • Building


Note that the second phase (the Aggrecoltural phase of human progression) lasted considerably less time.

Then about 200 years ago we embarked on a new chapter in our journey and the Industrial Revolution began; characterized by the following

  • Massive migrations to more populated areas
  • Change in our work habits (work became more sedentary and results were invisible to the worker) 
  • We started developing entitlement for basic needs and safety


Again, notice that the Industrial age lasted only about 200 years, much shorter than the Agricultural age and shorter still than hunting/gathering phase.

In the last 50 years or so, we've experienced Information age. Some say that the Information age is over and that we are in the Communications age. In either case, this phase looks all too familiar.

  • Our sense of entitlement to basic needs and safety is now a full blown addiction sometime to our own detriment
  • Our work habits are now even more sedentary; our lives are arranged to expand as little energy as possible (cars, escalators, chairs with wheels on'em, etc)
  • Corporation dictate government as well as personal policies. This point deserves its own post, but we'll save it for later.

So first we must presuppose that our biology (both mental and physical) is best tuned for the kind of environment we as species spent most time in. There is an overwhelming scientific data that supports this assertion.
If thats the case, then our biology is best tuned for hunter/gatherer type of living. Let me ask you a question.

If you did live as a hunter/gatherer, what kind of relationship would you have with your dog?

If you answered "a symbiotic one" you would be 100% correct.

If we lived the way of the Paleolithic man, all issues -or what we perceive as issues- we have with our dogs would disappear and this I can guarantee.

So first lets take the responsibility and say that we are at fault and not the dog. Second, lets recognize that our needs have changed. We needed dogs for hunting, tracking, alarm, etc. Now, we need them as baby-replacements and companions.

In some ways, we have made a very clumsy leap "forward" but we cant expect dogs to do the same. If they are to give us what WE need, we must give them what THEY need. In this regard, dogs are perhaps the most important factor in humans successfully transitioning into the next age, the age of Enlightenment. How?

Lets save that discussion for the next post.

Posted via web from Dogan Dogs Video Blogs

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

5 Things One Dog Has Done to Change US History Forever: Can you guess who I am?

Hi, my name is…well, I’m not going to tell you that, but lets just say that I might be one dog that has influenced US history and political landscape more then any other. Can you guess who I am? 

  1. I was directly responsible for one incumbent city council member losing his election by very small margin of votes (16 votes)
  2. I was partially responsible for John F. Kennedy's successful run at the office. To be fair, J.F.K. played a part as well ;-)
  3. I was the reason Navy had to keep an eye-out for service members running for public office while on active duty. 
  4. The largest covert CIA operation under Reagan administration was really all my doing. 
  5. I was the reason Afghan Mujahideen were able to fight-off Russians 

Can you guess who I am? 

Posted via web from Dogan Dogs Video Blogs

Top 3 Craziest Ways to Ride With Your Dogs

Dog On a Hog

 

Dog On a Trike

 

Tow Him To Safety

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Best Exercise for Your Energetic Dog

You have a high-energy pooch? You’re not alone. Most dogs can outwork their owners on any given day. So how do we give them what they need? Before we get specific, here are few general guidelines.

  • Most healthy, adult, high-energy dogs will need at least two hours of vigorous exercise per day, every day, no exception. 
  • Make sure it’s sustainable (physically, financially, etc). Whatever you do you will have to keep doing for the next few years. Keep that in mind when choosing activities for you and your dog.
  • If you miss a day, make up for it.
  • Make it fun for you and your dog
  • Be creative.

 

Let’s take a look at few specific ways in which we can exercise our pooch.

Inside the house

  •  Train your dog to use a treadmill
  • Toss a toy, or treats down the stairs and have your dog run up and down. If there is no stairs, perhaps a long hallway will do. 
  •  Play tug-of-war

Outside the house

  • Walking – it’s a primal activity humans and dogs have engaged in since their first steps together
  • Running – Same reason as above. 
  •  Hiking the trails 
  • Get on a bicycle and ride
  • Agility training Tracking (some training required of course)  
  • Dog park (great time to play some fetch, don’t you think?) 
  • Doggy Day Care – kindergarten for dogs and it doesn’t require you to be present.

Ready to go slightly unconventional?

  •  In the great tradition of sled-dogs, you and your pooch can use a doggy powered scooter. It comes in two flavors, the one where you stand and the one where you sit. Both are lots of fun and great exercise for your bouncy canine. You have to see it to appreciate it so google “doggy powered scooter “ right now, I’ll wait, go ahead. 
  • Now that you’re back, don’t neglect to supply your canine with ample mental stimulation as well. Basic obedience training is the obvious first step, but why stop there? Try going beyond basic sit/stay/fetch and explore other, perhaps fancier commands you and your dog can be good at. You will notice that your dog will naturally gravitate towards certain commands (some dogs take to fetch like fish to water) while others may require slightly more work.

 

Perhaps the most important exercise of all is to try and incorporate your dog into your life as tightly as possible. Some jobs now allow you to bring your dog to work with you. Take advantage of that.

Whenever you go someplace, bring your dog along. Sure, he may not be able to go inside the building with you, but he will be much happier waiting for you in the car then at home.

Last but not least, understand that providing your dog with ample space in the back yard is nice, but it is NOT substitute for human-dog activity involving some form of cooperation. Booth humans and dogs are social animals and they need physical, mental and social stimulation to thrive. 

 

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Everything you know about dog training is wrong. Here is why - PART EIGHT

 

The Nature of Modern Existence… and Dogs – SECTION TWO

In the first section of the modern-life problem tree, we’ve seen how the nature of modern existence puts us in a misalignment with our biology. 

In this section, we will discus psychological factors affecting our existence and how it relates to human-dog relationship. 

One of my favorite psychologists is Abraham Maslow. Why? 

Maslow has come up with an ingenious way of classifying the human psychological condition. Maslow’s Theory of Needs is one of those rare gems that fits into Eastern philosophies just as easily as Greek. Both Buddha and Socrates would have been proud. 

It also fits into modern schools of philosophy. From Kant to Freud, Nietzsche to Frankl. 

Sidebar: These 4 guys are basically 4 different schools of though (sounds familiar dog trainers?) and pillars of modern philosophy and psychology. The root difference between them are in the disagreement as to what motivates us as humans. Is it will to logic, sexual instinct, will to power or will to meaning? But let’s get back to Maslow.

You can “drape” Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs over anything. Here is a non-dog example. My friend Jill asked me once “why do people ride motorcycles?”, so I decided to answer her in my motorcycle blog using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which you can find at http://www.2wheeltips.com/magazine/read/why-do-we-ride-_116.html 

Both people AND philosophies can be entirely classified within Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

The only caveat is that different areas of your life will fit into different parts of the hierarchy, Let me give you an example:

When it comes to Dog Training, you might fit into Level 4 (high esteem), however, when it comes to your finances, you might fit into Level 2 (need for safety). 

We will go over these levels in a moment. 

Also, the same area of your life will fit into different levels as you move through life. 

Example: You might have been born very poor and your basic need for survival wasn’t assured (this is Level 1); however, as you got older, you’ve managed to provide yourself with shelter, safety, money, things, etc. (Moving up to Levels 2 and 3). As you got older, you wanted to give-back, so you’ve started a charity, which moved you into Level 4 and 5 and so on. 

Here is a visual depiction of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 

Lets move through Maslow’s Hierarchy as a 90 percenter. 

I’ve asked my Paleolithic friend Java, to write me a letter from the past and tell me how he spends his days. I also asked him to map it to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs; this is what he wrote.

For 90 thousand years, as a human, I lead a nomadic life, living day-to-day, unsafe, using primitive shelters, and so on. Clearly, I spend most of my time leading a Level 1 existence of Maslow’s Hierarchy. 

I build fire and primitive shelter, sometimes a sleep in a cave; this provides safety from the elements and nocturnal hunters. This mean that I spend the rest of my time at Level 2. 

The fact that I live in a pack, extended familial unit, or a tribe, does offer me some level of safety (Level 3).  

Of course, sometimes I do engage in Level 4 (High esteem) actions. Example: Getting really good at chucking a spear, laying a trap, skinning an animal, and so on. 

Also, someone needs to lead my tribe on a hunt, if I’m able to bring in the biggest animal they will elect me Chief and my chances of procreation will drastically improve. (Level 4 tied into Level 1. After all, procreation is survival)

On a rare quiet night, I like to hang out in my cave and carve pictures on the wall of the animals I’ve killed that day. (Level 5).

Thanks Java, that was very revealing. What can we learn from this?

This part is very important so “listen” closely. 

For 90 thousand years, better part of our day was spent at Levels 1 and 2. Surviving was a full time job. 

Now days, Levels 1 and 2 are all taken care of. 

We have plenty to eat (most people in most countries); water comes out of a spigot which is in our large, safe shelters. We live in such an age of abundance that our lives are fully taken care of at Levels 1 and 2. Remember that Levels 1 and 2 were the levels where we spend almost all of our time as 90 percenters. 

We no longer have to pursue survival and safety, we are free to engage in higher Levels, but do we?

Let me conclude this post by tying psychological factors affecting our existence with human-dog relationship.

Psychologically, we are unchallenged. Our primal instincts have atrophied. We are lulled into a false sense of security and survival-entitlement. We are not extending ourselves (psychologically) to reach Levels 3,4,5 or the “secret” Level 6 (more on that later). 

There are of course biological factors for this. We are evolutionarily predisposed for conservation of energy (mental and physical). 

What I am suggesting is that we can override this safety-mechanism that was embedded in our DNA thousands of years ago and extend ourselves beyond the current levels. How? Dogs of course. 

But before I get into that, let me stress the following. 

Humans of today, have a very peculiar psychological unrest. You feel it, no? 

While I’m the first to question most scientific data, especially data of a statistical nature, all research in the levels of happiness points to the fact that people’s happiness is at an all time low. Why? 

Because this thing we use to do for thousands of years is missing. Trust me, if you had to worry about survival and safety, so many of the things that bring you stress and seem important would be irrelevant to you. 

So what do you do about it? Go live a nomadic life style, hunt and scavenge for food? Build primitive shelters? Hmmm…that’s not a bad idea, we should all be so lucky to be able to fend for ourselves if need be, but that’s not what I’m suggesting. If it’s illogical to go back, lets move forward (or since it’s a hierarchy, let’s move up).

Dog can help us move up this hierarchy, here is how. 

At Level 3 of Maslaw’s Hierarchy is need for Social inclusion. Both humans and dogs are social animals. I know people with social anxieties whose sole contact with other humans is when they take their dogs out to the dog park. If dogs can help people like this, imagine what they can do for you? It is almost trait to state that dogs can fill a very real need for companionship. People with pets are shown to live longer, feel better and so on. If you know someone who doesn’t have a dog in their life, get them one for their birthday. 

At Level 4 of Maslaw’s Hierarchy is need for mastery. This is the level at which life-long martial artists reside; or anyone who is really good at something; someone who has mastered their craft, whether it’s motorcycling, juggling, dancing, dog training? Of course. Mastering the skills required to become a good dog trainer would certainly move us up a level. 

At Level 5 of Maslaw’s Hierarchy is need for Self-Actualization. To borrow army’s slogan “be all you can be” kind of thing. We can enter competitions with our dog (agility, tracking, whatever). Of course, training your canine will require infinite amount of creativity and patience; and more difficult something is the more value it has. 

At Level 6 of Maslaw’s Hierarchy is need for Self-Transcendence. (Maslow added this level later in his life). This is the level at which you go beyond yourself and put needs of others (peoples, dogs, places, whatever) before your own. Maybe you decide to teach someone how to achieve what you’ve achieved. We instinctively have respect for teachers, now you know why. 

Those who volunteer their time, skills, wisdom and share it with others are engaging in legacy-building. We may not live forever but our impact can be felt forever, so make it good. 

Last but not least, the importance of all this is so that we can model our own behavior and “pull-up” other aspects of our life (Fitness, leadership, relationship, spirituality, finances, etc, etc) up the hierarchy. Here are few examples: 

If you are a fan of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), you know that collegiate wrestlers do really well in MMA. Why? One of the reasons is because they know what it takes to get good at something, they know how hard they have to work, they’ve done it before and they put their nose to the grind and do it. In other words, they can model their own behavior to move up the hierarchy. 

I’ve read somewhere that Donald Trump, in his typical boastful style, has stated that he’s not afraid of risks even if it results in him going broke. He is confident that he can become rich again. Why? He can model his own behavior to replicate results. In other words, he can model his own behavior to move up the hierarchy.

Conclusion. 

During the first 90 thousand years of human evolution, bulk of our time was spent surviving and ensuring our safety. Now, our society has evolved to the point where survival and safety is built-into the nature of modern existence. What do we do with our time surplus? If we are to maintain our physical and mental health, we must seek to move up the hierarchy. Nothing less then the survival of our species is at stake. No worries, your dog will be your teacher. He is already self-transcendent. 

In the next post, we will examine the transitional nature of our current society and how it affects our relationship with dogs. 

 

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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Dog Gets His Ass Kicked by a Squirrel

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Never Underestimate a Mother

A dog finds himself a playmate? Or did he find himself a snack?
Oh oh, it looks like the playmate's mom is not very happy about that...

Mom jumps into action

The playmate gets his ass outathere

The dog is left wondering "did I just get my ass kicked by a squirrel?"


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Everything you know about dog training is wrong. Here is why - PART SEVEN

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The Nature of Modern Existence… and Dogs

I want this entry to serve as an introduction to the second branch of the Human-Dog problem tree. 

There are two foundational principles affecting our relationship with dogs that are directly related to the conditions inherent in the nature of modern living:

  1. Our modern lives are misaligned with our biology as well as our psychology.  
  2. We are –as a society- in a transitional phase. 

Let’s examine the biological misalignment first. 

Conventional evolutionary science places the age of human species –in our current form- at about 100 thousand years old. In other words, if you went back in time, snatched up one of the cavemen, shaved him down and gave him a bath, put him in a suit, he would be indistinguishable from any one of us walking down the street. 

Sidebar: I must add that there is compelling evidence that human species are much older then 100 thousand years, by we will follow the convention for now. 

What are the implications of this? 

For 90% of human existence (for 90 thousand years that is), humans have spent their time hunting, scavenging and gathering. They lived in small tribes (up to 150 people); spent their days walking, running, following the game, greener pastures and milder weather. By the way, who do you think was keeping us company during these walks, runs and hunts? 

To deny the imprint this has left on our biology is to deny our nature. In fact, scientists go a step further and now have evidence to show that there is such a thing as genetic memory; memory passed down from generation to generation. 

Let me give you two quick examples. 

Most humans have an unfounded fear of reptiles (snakes, lizards, Godzillas, etc). Why? Scientists believe it’s because the earliest mammals were prayed on by reptiles. This has left an indelible imprint on mammalian brain that humans have inherited from their precursors. 

Here is another example that might hit closer to home.

How do you feel when you walk into a new situation? (A bar or a restaurant, group of unknown people, new territory, what not.) 
If you are like most humans, you feel (more then) slightly unease. How come? 

This is the imprint left by the 90 percenters. Those hunters/scavengers/gatherers who lived between 10 thousand and 100 thousand years ago. 

How do you suppose 90 percenters felt when they encountered a new group of people? (new tribe). Was this tribe friendly or would they kill, rape and steal? 

How do you suppose 90 percenters felt when they walked into a new and unknown territory? Probably more then a little unease, right? Who knows what dangers could come their way from these unknown parts. 

This is why most people have social anxiety whenever they find themselves in new places or with new people. Our rational brain knows that there is nothing to fear, and yet… this is the biological imprint left by the 90 percenters.

...and then

About 10 thousand years ago, humans settled and sprouted some roots. The agricultural age begun and we started growing corn, potato, rice and other staples. Since then, we quickly transitioned into the industrial age and then the information age. 

Do you think our biology has had time to adjust to the changes in our environment? Do you think our biology has had a chance to compensate for the abundance of food for example? Look around, what do you see? Overweight, sedentary, inactive and dare I say unhappy people, right? Why? Let me answer that with a question of my own. 

Do you think they are living in harmony with their biology? Do you think they are living the way of the 90 percenters? 

 

I’m starting to realize that I’m running long with this blog entry so we will make this a multi-part introduction. 

In the next article, we will talk about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, 90 percenter’s psychology and the way in which dogs can help us move back to our core while transitioning as a society to the next level of global awareness. 

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Tail is Wagging the Dog

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We all know that happy dogs wag their tail; but is there more to it? 

There IS a difference between a relaxed, “half mast” wag and a stiff, pointing straight-up wag. The former is good and indicative of a friendly dog; while the latter is bad and indicative of a tense, possibly dominate and potentially aggressive dog. 

Latest scientific research seems to point that the tail-wag is even more intricate then we thought. 

The tail-wag to the left seems to signal to other dogs that “I’m friendly and safe to approach”, while a tail-wag leaning to the right seems to signal that “I’m tense and potentially unfriendly”. Here is the original article http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1247380/The-tell-tail-clue-happy-dog--wag-left.html

This is just another in a long line of evidence that dogs use sophisticated body-language to communicate with one another as well as with unsuspecting humans. Can you imagine what's going though a dog's mind after he bites a human? The dog is probably thinking “man, I clearly indicated to that silly human that I’m not comfortable with his approach, why did he have to try and touch me? Silly humans”. 

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Why Do Dogs Eat Grass?

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It’s the most commonly asked question about dogs in google search database. 

So why do dogs eat grass? There are two things we can say for sure. 

  1. We can’t be 100% sure why. 
  2. There are almost as many reasons as there are dogs. 

With that out of the way, most likely reason is to raise a little bile to aid in digestion. The nausea-inducing properties of grass are well-documented. Just eat a handful yourself if you don’t buy this logic. 

The other theories are:

  • The vitamin and mineral theory: As in, they’re not getting enough, therefore they consume grass.
  • The roughage theory: Because dogs need some cellulose in small quantities to aid in bacterial digestion (sort of like a prebiotic), they sometimes consume the green stuff by way of reestablishing bacterial homeostasis.
  • The angry tummy theory: If you had some excess gastric acid, maybe a little esophageal reflux and no prehensile thumbs with which to grab a bottle of Tums or a little Pepcid AC, you might just eat grass, too.
  • The hungry dog theory: Some dogs just like it. Period. We all know a few who doubtless do.

What do you think?

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Why Do Dogs Eat Grass?

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It’s the most commonly asked question about dogs in google search database. 

So why do dogs eat grass? There are two things we can say for sure. 

  1. We can’t be 100% sure why. 
  2. There are almost as many reasons as there are dogs. 

With that out of the way, most likely reason is to raise a little bile to aid in digestion. The nausea-inducing properties of grass are well-documented. Just eat a handful yourself if you don’t buy this logic. 

The other theories are:

  • The vitamin and mineral theory: As in, they’re not getting enough, therefore they consume grass.
  • The roughage theory: Because dogs need some cellulose in small quantities to aid in bacterial digestion (sort of like a prebiotic), they sometimes consume the green stuff by way of reestablishing bacterial homeostasis.
  • The angry tummy theory: If you had some excess gastric acid, maybe a little esophageal reflux and no prehensile thumbs with which to grab a bottle of Tums or a little Pepcid AC, you might just eat grass, too.
  • The hungry dog theory: Some dogs just like it. Period. We all know a few who doubtless do.

What do you think?

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Monday, February 15, 2010

Everything you know about dog training is wrong. Here is why - PART SIX

Teach a Man to Fish and He Will No Longer Buy Fish From You

If you’ve ever purchased a fitness book, DVD, watched a show on fitness or hired a trainer to help you lose some weight then you’ve probably seen this.

Fitness trainers have a tendency to “teach” correct posture on per-exercise basis.

We all know that correct posture is important and incorrect posture can derail you and put you “on the bench” for a long time. So having your head, neck and back in correct alignment is paramount whenever you perform ANY exercise. Remember the old “lift with your legs, not with your back” advice?

In the next paragraph, I will teach you the correct posture regardless of the exercise performed. Why?
Because, my livelihood doesn’t depend on teaching you correct posture on per-exercise basis. Here we go.

Place your elbow on a flat surface (your computer desk is perfect).
Have your fist point straight-up towards the ceiling.

That’s it, that’s the correct posture regardless of the exercise.

The length of your forearm represents your spine, your wrist represents your neck and your fist represents your head. Try pushing down on your fist and feel how stable and solid that is. If you misalign any part of your setup (forearm, wrist, or fist) and push down on it, you will feel how your “setup” is not as stable.


Btw, this is the correct posture not only during any exercise, but also when walking and running.

Side note: The point of the correct posture is to maintain maximum stability even if you're performing an exercise while laying down, on your side, or some other weird position. Keep it straight and properly aligned and you’ll be fine.

This is what’s called a “principle”.

There is no need to teach correct posture on per-exercise basis so why are fitness trainers and experts alike hell-bent on doing exactly that? It’s simple. They are giving you the fish.

What does this have to do with dog training? Turns out, everything.

Many dog trainers teach individual commands, not overriding principles. This is sometimes out of necessity (it’s what clients need at the time), and sometimes it’s a matter of indoctrination (see Part Three) or limited knowledge and understanding of training principles.

The training principles that I’m talking about are things like timing and consistency, but here is one most people ignore.

There are many opinions as to what “tool” to use during training. Treats, affection, toys, etc.
In the ocean of discussion regarding the “correct tool”; trainers often forget to mention that whatever tool you are using (treats, affection, toys) it’s paramount NOT to use that same tool during non-training time.

So if you are using treats to teach a dog to execute commands then don’t give the dog treats outside the training time. This is doubly-so when using affection to train a dog. I believe you get the idea.


What “tool” do you use?

Looking back, have you had an experience with fitness or dog trainers teaching you individual movements, exercises, commands or did they teach correct principles of movements or commands?

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Dog - Best Professor Money Cant Buy

Since the beginning of the human-dog relationship, dogs were there to sound an alarm for incoming intruders, help us hunt, herd our sheep, search and rescue our loved ones and the list goes on and on.

These days, we no longer need dogs to alert us of incoming intruders because our homes are equipped with alarms; few of us go hunting, and even fewer have sheep that need herding...so have the dogs outlived their usefulness? Of course not.

Now they are helping us become better humans by teaching us the importance of exercise, leadership and even human companionship. Are you learning these lessons?

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Thursday, February 11, 2010

Big Bang and Global Warming – Together at Last

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The term “Big Bang” was coined by the Big Bang Theory opposition, not its proponents?

While the name has a great ring to it, it did achieve the objective. Make something that’s reasonable and open seem ridiculous; but perhaps I’m jumping ahead.


Even the Big Bang advocates speak about it as if there WAS a big bang -to make it seem easier to "digest" I suppose-, if you dig little deeper however, you find out that “big bang” simply means “this is as far back as we can see and we don’t know what happened before”. That’s it and that’s all.

But this article is not about the Big Bang Theory. Great show though lol

It seems that the Global Warming had suffered the same fate. I’m not sure WHO coined the term, but it certainly did the trick. It throws you off the scent and gives room for wild speculation and makes for a great news story every time it snows.


Since it did snow, the news-nudniks have come out in droves to give Global Warming its walking papers. NO ONE, and I can’t believe this, but NO ONE is getting to the bottom line of the Global Warming issue, so I guess its up to me, my two blog subscribers and my mom (she may be the second subscriber under a pseudonym lol)

The term "Global Warming" is a misnomer, a better name would be Global Cooling.

The increase in temperature WILL NOT result in warmer weather, but rather it will result in much MUCH colder weather. How? I'm glad you asked.


Warmer climate will melt the ice caps, ice will turn into very cold water which Gulfstream current will carry across the globe. This will cool the weather across the board and result in yet another ice age. How do we know this? Because it has happened before, many times, and it WILL happen again. So...


The question is NOT who is doing it or what is causing it, the questions is what are we going to do about it when it happens and do we want to be prepared?


What does this have to do with dog training? Nothing. I just needed to vent.

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Everything you know about dog training is wrong. Here is why - PART FIVE

The issue of detachment, or is attachment the issue?

Dog professionals are detached from the process of dog training. This may sound like a bad thing or even an accusation, but as you will see, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Let me ask you a question.

Would you say that your behavior is at least slightly different at work then it is at home?
Perhaps you are more in control of your emotions at work?
Perhaps you are more hyper at work which causes you to veg-out in front of the TV when you get home?
Did you know that dog trainers are at work when they are trying to help you address your canine quandary?

Ok, so that was kind of a snarky remark, so let me back track a bit.

When I’m working with a client I MUST project confidence, high energy and intelligence. I MUST stay on my toes and be at my sharpest. I CAN NOT let emotions cloud my judgment, I MUST think in terms of the best possible outcome. I CANT take anything a dog (or the owner) does personally and to heart. I must “detach” myself from the process and assume a birds eye view of the situation, get the big picture and act in everyone’s best interest. After all, this is what I get paid to do.

Now let’s consider the way a typical owner approaches a walk or a training session or any situation involving his dog.

The dog owner may be quite capable of projecting confidence, high energy and intelligence while at work, but let’s face it, after we get home who can muster enough energy to do all that just for that damn mutt? Besides, I (the dog owner that is) want to relax when I’m with my dog and “be myself”. I’m too tired to think about the outcome, I’m thinking about that thing that happened at work, and that meeting I have with the client. I feed and shelter this dog, isn’t that enough? How dare he be disobedient, doesn’t he know what I go through to keep a roof over his head? Taking care of this dog feels like a job and I don’t even get paid for it…this sucks.

Everything a dog does (to a dog owner) is personal. The dog owner takes everything to heart and often reacts emotionally when facing a misbehaving canine. So let me say this again.

The extent of your success will depend directly on the extent to which you are able to replicate these attributes inherent in the nature of dog training profession.

I maintain that the extent of any dog owner’s success will depend directly on the extent to which a dog owner is able to replicate these invisible attributes possessed by dog trainers. These attributes are inherent in the relationship between a dog, dog owner and dog trainer. Dog trainers get paid to be calm, cool and collected.

I bet that you (the dog owner) would do much better with somebody else’s dog with which you have no emotional attachment all the while making money for doing it. Don’t you think?

How do we get past this? Here are few suggestions.

  • Detach yourself from the outcome.
  • Enjoy the process. 
  • Don’t expect perfection or blind obedience. 
  • Understand that your dog will perform only to the level to which you’ve met his (the dog’s) needs. 
  • Bring MORE to the table (confidence, energy, intelligence, knowledge, etc). 
  • Don’t take things personally, it’s just a dog. 
  • Would you be mad at a human baby for pooping his pants? So why are you mad at a dog for being a dog?


The issue of detachment is a subtle one. I hope I’ve been able to relate it in a useful fashion.

What did you take away from this chapter?

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