by Chance Googling | on July 7th, 2009 | in Time Wasters
Found this on New Scientist, this morning. Dogs apparently sniff each other to see who’s been eating lately and then figure out where the food is based on where that dog has just been. Pretty clever.
by Grayson Schaffer | on April 2nd, 2009 | in Books, Syllabus
Excel-erated Learning
This one’s a must-read for anyone interested in training dogs. Pamela J. Reid’s 1996 Excel-erated Learning ($16; James & Kenneth Publishers) explains what’s going on inside that dog’s head, whether you use a clicker, e-collar, or rolled up newspaper as your primary training tool. Reid brings you up to date on some of the behavior research that’s been done over the years and then applies it (for the most part) in plain English to practical training methodologies. No, it’s not a training manual, but it will help you read other training manuals and quickly discern the good ones—all based on operant conditioning, whether they advise positive or negative reinforcement—from the outright junk.
