Resources

Canine Body Language

iSpeakDog is all about helping humans read dog body language http://www.ispeakdog.org/ and http://www.ispeakdog.org/lets-speak-dog.html

Victoria Stillwell is best known for her role as the star of Animal Planet's hit TV series It's Me or the Dog https://positively.com/dog-training/understanding-dogs/canine-body-language/

Dr Sophia Yin was a world renowned animal behaviourist. One of the resources she developed is an excellent canine body language poster http://info.drsophiayin.com/free-poster-on-body-language-in-dogs/ and this blog entry talks about how dogs want to be greeted http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/preventing-dog-bites-by-learning-to-greet-dogs-properly

Information on canine body language aimed specifically at children may be found at https://doggonesafe.com/dog_detective and https://doggonesafe.com/Bite-Prevention

Canine Health

General Health

Dr. Bruce Syme (BVSc, Hons.) founded Vets All Natural, a company focused on natural diets, treats and supplements in 1995. Dr. Bruce writes on a range of canine health issues, including allergies and arthritis https://vetsallnatural.com.au/dr-bruce-articles/

Nutrition

Diet and its influence on behaviour is an active area of interest for many scientists.

Dr Bruce Syme is one Australian practitioner investigating the possibilities https://vetsallnatural.com.au/does-good-nutrition-affect-behaviour/

Australian Dog Lover has also considered the issue http://www.australiandoglover.com/2018/04/how-your-dogs-food-affects-his-mood.html

General Feeding Tips

Suggestions on selecting and storing dog food:

Ten Safe Feeding Tips for Dog Owners By Nancy Kerns, Whole Dog Journal Blog August 23, 2018 https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/blog/Ten-Safe-Feeding-Tips-for-Dog-Owners-21911-1.html

Dog-Dog Interaction

Letting Dogs Meet: The Three Second Rule, Chad Culp http://www.thrivingcanine.com/letting_dogs_meet_the_three_second_rule

Like a Handshake, Sara Reusche http://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/like-a-handshake-but-with-noses-and-butts/

Food Puzzle Toys

Food puzzle toys (toys that release food as a dog plays with them) are available in pet shops, some vet clinics, and of course online. For an idea of the various options see the Australian Dog Lover review of 13 such toys http://www.australiandoglover.com/2018/02/12-boredom-busters-for-your-dogs.html

Puppies

Dr Ian Dunbar is a well-respected dog training expert and he developed a number of free resources for dog owners. Resources by Dr Dunbar specifically for puppies/young dogs may be found at https://www.siriuspup.com/resources

Podcasts

Your Family Dog – a podcast by US dog trainers, Julie Fudge Smith and Colleen Pelar https://www.yourfamilydogpodcast.com/

Episodes cover topics such as

What Does Supervision of Kids and Dogs Really Mean? (Episode 85, December 31, 2018)

Teens and Dogs with Jen Shryock of Family Paws Parent Education (Episode 82, November 13, 2018)

Indestructible Toys, Playing with Dogs (Episode 69, 15 May 2018)

Private or Group Lessons, Which is Best for You (Episode 66, 3 April 2018)

Warning Signs in Puppies: Recognizing Behaviorial Problems (Episode 65, 20 March 2018)

More than One Dog

Good resources on the multi-dog household are

http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/multi-dog-households

http://rspcavic.org/health-and-behaviour/dogs/managing-a-multi-dog-household

Theory

Dominance - Discredited Theory

Ideas about dominance, based on the study of captive wolves (not wolves in the wild), are used by some trainers to guide their approach to training domestic dogs. But domestic dogs, while descended from wolves, are now very different creatures. They have been modified by 1,000's of generations of selective breeding to be able to live and work with humans in human society. As such while wolf studies can provide valuable insights into modern dogs, they can not be used as a literal template for how modern dogs behave socially, since in the main areas that we have bred and selected dogs for is their social behaviour to enable us to live closely together. The following articles explore and explain why many trainers today believe that dominance theory is not relevant to training our domestic dogs, and can be downright dangerous.

by John Bradshaw, of the Anthrozoology Institute, University of Bristol https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/pets-and-their-people/201603/dominance-in-dogs-again

by Victoria Stillwell, Dog Trainer, Author and Television Presenter https://positively.com/dog-training/myths-truths/pack-theory-debunked/

by Meghan E. Herron, DVM, DACVB https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/decoding-your-pet/201712/why-not-alpha