GM News - August 2024

Have you been watching the Olympics?! We ran a canine version of the Olympics in Play+Train.
Big sporting events are often scenes of big emotions on the field and in the stands, and [tenuous segue here! :-] that's the subject of this newsletter - emotion.

Enjoy the increasing amounts of sunshine :-)
Amanda, David, & Ruth
Gentle Modern School of Dog Training

Top Tip: Prioritise Happiness

"If your dog is happy and wants to play your games, you can teach anything really fast. If your dog is unhappy, it doesn't matter how good you are teaching the skills, you're going to have a really hard time keeping your dog in the game. So I think that's my number one piece of advice: learn what happy looks like and make sure your dog stays there; otherwise, stop [and] reevaluate. Same for the handler too; you both have to be happy." [my emphasis]
Denise Fenzi from Ask Me Anything with Denise Fenzi (and Crystal Wing), 4/7/2024

Body Language: Displacement Behaviour

Recognizing Displacement Behavior in Dogs by Kate Basedow (Whole Dog Journal) considers this topic in-depth. Here are some excerpts:
"Displacement behavior is when your dog does something normal, but at a weird time . . . your dog is experiencing conflict or frustration.
Conflict is when your dog feels pulled between reactions to a situation. . . . [ e.g.] Wants to go to the person calling him, but is scared of an obstacle, such as a shiny floor.
Frustration is when your dog wants to do something, but is blocked or otherwise prevented from doing it. For example . . . Wants to approach another dog, but is behind a fence.
There are many things that a dog might do as a displacement behavior. These include excessive licking, yawning, circling, sniffing, eating grass, scratching . . .
If your dog quickly bounces back and is relaxed and happy . . . after showing displacement behavior, it just means he was temporarily unsure about or frustrated by the situation. . . . [ e.g.] he started eating grass as he approached another dog, but then they greeted each other politely and started playing. This is nothing to worry about. . . . if your dog continues to show signs of distress even after the initial conflict has resolved, or if frustration can’t be addressed, this could be problematic in the long term." [my emphasis]
The article includes guidance on how best to respond when you see displacement behaviour.

Human Emotions & Dogs

In The Scent of Happiness by Linda P. Case, The Science Dog, Linda reviews a research study led by Dr. Daniel Anielo on dogs' ability to detect human emotions from chemosignals present in our sweat.

"The researchers found that responses to [human] fear odors were pronounced and relatively consistent in both adults and puppies ["dogs demonstrated stress-related behaviors"]. The major difference between the two groups was that adult dogs showed moderate (but not highly consistent) positive responses to the happiness odors ["the dogs tended to show more exploratory behaviours, were less dependent on their owner, and were more willing to interact with an unfamiliar person"], while puppies' responses to the scent of happiness did not differ significantly from their responses to no scent present (i.e. the control condition)." These results suggest that young dogs must learn happiness human smells. Linda makes the point that "We can do our puppies a great service by paying attention to our own attitudes when we spend time with them." - Happy people nurture happy pups :-)

Interested in Animal Emotions more generally . . . ?

Zazie Todd is running a free Book Fest in September and one of the discussions will be with Marc Bekoff who will be talking about animals' experiences of joy, empathy, grief, anger, and embarrassment. Marc is the author of The Emotional Lives of Animals (2nd ed). The live webinar is not at a convenient time for Australians, but a recording will be available to all registrants.

Your Reward for Reading to the End . . .

Hyatt Centric Melbourne in partnership with Australian pet accessories brand Oscar & Friends is offering an accommodation package that allows your dog (or cat) to stay with you! (Pets must be on a leash or in a carrier whenever in public areas, including lobby and elevators. Pets are not permitted in food and beverage outlets or leisure facilities. Max of 1 pet per room.)