We humans can barely handle accurate criminal interrogations. Human interrogators can induce innocent people to confess to crimes they didn't commit.  There is an eerie parallel to canine behavior evaluations. The dog is, in effect, on trial for their life. The stakes for the dog and the community are high.  We are faced with two problems: (a) a dog who is shown to be innocent during a behavior evaluation, and subsequently turns out to be a danger to society; and (b), a dog who is shown to be a danger to society who would NOT have been a danger if placed. Behavior evaluators (i.e. interrogators) make assumptions about guilt or innocence in a process that is rife with guesswork and biases.

My underling point here is that animal shelters/trainers should/must start making a serious effort to seriously investigate the accuracy of the common behavior evaluation processes. Read between the lines on these studies regarding guilt/innocent/deception and put on your critical thinking glasses.

I know, from painful and quite personal experience, the danger inherent in making assumptions predicting future behavior  during canine behavior evaluations.

• Read More »

See http://nccam.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2010_may/

This is the newsletter of the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NIH's - NCCAM)

The NCAM was funded by the government to research what value, if any, is provided by complementary or alternative medicine.  The nccam.nih.gov website publishes results of many studies, or studies of studies.

This issue covers a number of topics addressing nutritional supplements commonly marketed to the public in consumer products.  Ginko, pro-biotics, anti-oxidants, cranberry, chamomile.  The newsletter presents findings; everything from 

I'm interested in comments about this newsletter, as well as the NCCAM itself.

"Issues in Dog Training/Critical Thinking" students may enjoy scrutinizing this newsletter.

As you read, keep these questions in mind:

1. What's the Claim?  (What does the study hope to test?)
2. What's the Evidence?  (How does the study go about testing the claim?)
3. What else can you conclude?  (Does the study support the claim? Are there possible biases/confounds/fallacies in the material presented?)

• How big are the samples?
• Are there controls (placebo groups, etc).
• Are there long-term studies of a sample of individuals?
• Are there any weasel words?
• Who funds or provides the means to do the studies?
• Are the intentions of the NIH/NCCAM clearly defined?
• Who provides the materials/products for evaluation?
• Are conclusions based on original research, or literature review?
• How certain are the researcher's statements about the findings?
• Does the newsletter make it easy to locate references/abstracts?
• Do the researchers accept or contest the results of their research?
• How does the tone/approach to the articles in the newsletter compare to educational/marketing materials found on NCCAM websites?

A Toronto dog trainer has been fined $2,000 for apparantly injuring a dog in her charge. The local SPCA says the dog showed signs of being dragged and over exercised, as well as sufferering symptoms of heat stroke.

read more

• Read More »

From  www.sfspca.org:

San Francisco, Nov 19 2009:

The San Francisco SPCA Board of Directors today announced that Jan McHugh-Smith will resign as president, effective upon completion of her contract in March 2010. Jan has decided to return to Colorado to be closer to her family and accepted a leadership position with a regional humane society.

Corrected, see highlights

My various electronic devices have been beeping steadily and are packed with messages expressing concern about the Academy’s future, and mine. I appreciate your support. I will attempt to personally thank everyone who has contacted me.

I will teach in the October Academy, but will move on shortly after that. You've already learned of Jean's and Janis's plans to continue developing new programs as announced in Thursday's Press release. I'm as eager to see what's next as you.

While the SFSPCA is focusing on efforts to improve the health of animals with the new veterinary hospital, I will invest my time exploring different ways to increase the use of humane- and evidence-based training.

I am forever grateful for the opportunities given me by the SFSPCA, and the Academy for Dog Trainers, Jean Donaldson, and Janis Bradley for the opportunity to join them in enriching the lives of 500 students and countless dogs. With a staff of five including Abby Draper, Gladys Chan, the SFSPCA Academy has been a mind-boggling success.

Teaching at the academy proved our students were the future of dog training. While weekdays were tightly scheduled, Saturdays were not. You shared experiences from around the world, and discussed plans for the future. You thought outside of the box. The lessons of the week gelled. Saturday sessions launched new ideas and improvements, and also helped me improve my own teaching. It was my favorite aspect of my job.

Some have complained that I made you think. That you can no longer look at a commercial or go into a store without reciting the “four questions.” That you apply evidence- based thinking every time you buy toilet tissue.

That’s the best thank you can give me! If I didn’t make you think, I failed.

So, what’s next for me?

My goal is encourage evidence-based thinking everywhere, but most importantly when working with animals.

I will spend a couple of months finishing my book and plan to incorporate it into trainer education.

I may do some behavior consulting.

I am considering going back to school to get some letters to put after my name.

I may visit grads in Europe, Japan, or Hong Kong.

I will revive my stagnant CivilPooch website.

I will meet with interns about various research projects to discuss ways to continue the work.

I will teach Preston and Dax something besides their “drool on knee for food” trick.

A short list? Maybe, but it’s way too much for one person.

As I explore, I will remain in contact and pass ideas and opportunities along. I am available by email to answer questions about training.

I sincerely believe Academy graduates are the future of dog training. I will do my part to make that happen.

I wish to continue the work I began when Jean and Janis invited me work at the Academy.

Thank you.

John Buginas
10/2/2009

P.S. Feel free to forward this if anyone asks who isn't on facebook. I'm also posting it on civilpooch.com.

According to researchers, a dog’s gaze trig­gers release of ox­y­to­cin in own­ers. Oxytocin is refered to as the "Trust Hormone," or the "Hormone of love."

Researchers found "in­creases in the hor­mone lev­el that were highly cor­re­lat­ed to “the fre­quen­cy of be­hav­ior­al ex­changes in­i­ti­at­ed by the dog’s gaze,” in the Dec. 14 is­sue of the re­search jour­nal Hor­mones and Be­hav­ior. They concluded “in­ter­ac­tions with dogs, es­pe­cially those in­i­ti­at­ed by the dog’s gaze, can in­crease the uri­nary [ox­y­to­cin] con­centra­t­ions of their own­ers as a man­i­festa­t­ion of at­tach­ment be­hav­ior.” (World Science)

Other research has found that "having this hormone "available" during positive experiences, and not being depleted of it during negative experiences, is associated with well-being in relationships." From Oxytocin - the hormone of love.

• Read More »

Lisa Clifton-Bumpass, CTC, CPDT, CDBC, CAP

Lisa Clifton-Bumpass, CTC, CPDT, CDBC, CAP

Lisa Clifton-Bumpass is a dog trainer in transition. She spent 10 years developing her career in teaching group dog training classes, private consultations and public speaking for shelters and rescue groups. Facing career burn out, Lisa happened to see the fruit bat training sessions at the Oakland Zoo and immediately fell in love with the program. She signed up to volunteer in the animal management division for the Zoo. The zoo staff soon learned that she was a trainer and Lisa was put to work helping in the training and behavior modification of several different species. In the past three years, Lisa has gone from pushing a broom and dicing food in the kitchen to coaching and training of several species. Lisa’s background allows her to consult on many levels of animal training, training mechanics, behavior management and research projects. Additionally, Lisa served on the Board of Directors for the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, is the Chair for the CCPDT Examination Development Committee and is a member of the Board of Advisors for Animal Behavior Professionals.

A downloadable version of the Pit Bull Placebo (The Media, Myths
and Politics of Canine Aggression) by Karen Delise is available for download. This excelent book answers the questions:

How have Bulldog-type dogs, in only a few decades, been transformed from nationally celebrated heroes to “persona non grata” in hundreds of cities across America? How has thelandscape of America and the mindset of Americanschanged so dramatically in only a few decades? Is it canine behavior that has changed so drastically? Or have we, with our growing ignorance of dogs, become so unreasonable that any flaw found in
an individual dog is taken as ample justification for vilifying all their innocent brethren? Have we, in morbid fascination, concentrated so intensely on
emphasizing the bad that some dogs do that we can no longer recognize the myriad of good and positive things that most dogs contribute to our lives?