Daily Dog News

DAILY DOG NEWS!!!

If you are anything like us, we just love the news snippets, research, real life stories, updates on behaviour and the amazing things that dogs do! In order to make it easier for us to have all these snippets under the same roof, so to speak, we have started a page whereby we will post (and keep on file) all these great snippets so that you can access them yourself and share them easily - we will update these each and every time we find one, posting latest at the top of the page We hope you enjoy!

Robots could replace real therapy dogs. Robotic animals could be the 'pawfect' replacement for our real-life furry friends, a new study has found. from FOTD - personally, we just can't comprehend this! Read More

21 Christmas Dangers for Dogs. Christmas should be a time of love, family and friends, and the last thing you want to do is to end up taking your dog to the emergency vet at Christmas, Do read through this article to make yourself aware of these common dangers. Read More

10 Undeniable Signs You Are Obsessed With Your Dog During Christmas. We all get a little too into the holiday season sometimes, but dog lovers take it to the next level. If you identify with a couple of these adorable and over the top things, then you're probably obsessed with your dog, that or you really love to make your dog a part of the family! Read More

Aversive Training Methods or even mixed training methods, raise a dog's stress and anxiety levels, a new study confirms.
After aversive training (punishment based training), dogs had a lower behavioral state (higher stress and anxiety), a new study has found. This even applies to dogs where a mixed training method is used, such as part punishment and part positive reinforcement. Read More

Pets, touch and Covid19 - Why our furry friends are lifesavers - A new study points to the lifesaving role that pets have played in 2020 and why governments need to sit up an take notice! Lockdowns, job losses and social isolation have been the hallmarks of 2020 as COVID-19 tightens its grip on the world, not only infecting millions and leaving a mounting death toll, but also denying humans the most basic sense -- touch. Read More

For all of you on the North Coast of SA - Please share with all you know - could save a dog's life! Silent killer - Spiro lupi - has seen dramatic increase in North Coast Dogs. Responsible for an increase in oesophageal cancer in dogs, Spirocera lupi )S.lupi) is a parasitic worm that has become a prime concern to vets and pet owners on the North Coast. Read More

Study of ancient dog DNA traces canine diversity to the Ice Age. A global study of ancient dog DNA presents evidence that there were different types of dogs more than 11,000 years ago, in the period immediately following the Ice Age. Read More

Why Do Small Dogs Have So Many Psychological Problems? - Do little dogs suffer from the Napoleon Complex? Very interesting article based on determining a breed's proclivity for behavioural problems based on research done by the McGreevy study using C-BARQ profiles on 8301 dogs representing 49 common breeds - a good read. Read More

Did Eating Human Poop Play a Role in the Evolution of Dogs? Very interesting article and worth reading. “Poop is central to the story of how dogs came into our lives," write Duke University dog researchers Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods. Read more

Loopholes in the System : Why the profession of pet dog training needs an overhaul. An excellent article by Drayton Michaels's on Dog Star Daily (Ian Dunbar's website)which we think needs to be read by everybody to raise awareness about physical punishment by dog owners and also aversive methods of training. Read More

Oil spill clean-up gets doggone hairy

Researchers have found that dog fur and human hair products -- recycled from salon wastes and dog groomers -- can be just as good as synthetic fabrics at cleaning up crude oil spills on hard land surfaces like highway roads, pavement, and sealed concrete floors. Read More

Dog Breeders see huge surge in demand for puppies during lockdown. Unfortunately, the same thing seems to be happening in SA, and as behaviourists, not only are we worried about many of these pups ending up at shelters, they are missing out on the crucial socialisation period of up to 16 to 18 weeks of age. This socialising period would include puppy school, meeting other dogs and animals, exposure to babies, kids, different people, different situations etc. Pups that miss out on this crucial socialising period are put at a definite disadvantage and tend to suffer from various fears which can affect them for the rest of their lives. To read more

Dogs can detect traces of gasoline down to one billionth of a teaspoon. Trained dogs can detect fire accelerants such as gasoline in quantities as small as one billionth of a teaspoon, according to new research by chemists. The study provides the lowest estimate of the limit of sensitivity of dogs' noses and has implications for arson investigations. Read more

Men's Beards Contain More Harmful Bacteria Than Dogs' Fur- A small European study has found that the average man's beard is more replete with human-pathogenic bacteria than the dirtiest part of a dog's fur. Read More

A St Bernard puppy chasing its tail. Photograph: Christina Gandolfo/Alamy

Dog breeders urged to act over high levels of anxiety in pets
Dog breeders need to take action to improve canine mental health, scientists have said, after research found almost three-quarters of pet dogs have highly problematic anxiety-related behaviour. Read More

Is a Dog's Mouth Cleaner Than A Human's?
It is often said that a dog's mouth is much cleaner than a human's and that a human bite is more dangerous than a dog's but is this true? Interesting article! Read more

Trump signs bill making animal cruelty a federal felony. Fantastic! This bill is called the PACT Act, and Violators of the PACT Act now face criminal penalties of a fine, a prison term of up to seven years, or both. Let's pray that SA follow suit and hopefully dog fighting is included as well! Read More

Blood sport of dog fighting is flourishing! We are all aware that dog fighting is big business, but did you know that it can range from between R25000 - R300000 in a town such as Pietermaritzburg, to millions of rand in main cities such as Durban, Western Cape and Johannesburg?. No wonder this is so hard to stop! Read More

Like Dog, Like Owner - What Breeds Say About Personality. A fun article for you - what does the breed of dog you have say about you? Are they right, we would love to know? A study being presented at a meeting of the British Psychological Society finds that dog breeds reflect certain facets of their owners personalities. Read More

Stray puppy most likely dropped by a bird turns out to be rare endangered dingo, Imagine the surprise when a stray puppy that was discovered in the backyard in rural Australia, turned out to be an Australian alpine dingo – one lucky pup!Read More

Golden Retriever dog gives birth to green puppy in bizarre phenomenon
No, not photo shopped, this really happened, and although a rare occurrence has happened in the past – amazing! Read More

Inside the Very Big, Very Controversial Business of Dog Cloning. Really, have we humans not screwed things up enough with the changes we have made in dogs appearances over the years, and now people are doing cloning - and by a once-disgraced 'doctor' at an average at $100,000 each pup. Personally we feel that these monies could have been better spent in donating to shelters! Just as you can never replace a child that has been lost with another baby, you can't replace a dog that has passed with another. Read More

Dogs Evolved Sad Eyes to Manipulate Their Human Companions, Study Suggests. Those puppy eyes, that just melt us, are actually caused by a powerful eye muscle that seems to have evolved specifically to mimic human emotions. Read More

Dgs who attend puppy school are more trainable and less likely to have future behaviour problems. Trainers, instructors and behaviourists have long known this, and now a study undertaken on 80 dogs has confirmed same. Read More

The hormone that could be making your dog aggressive discovered. Thousands of people are hospitalized every year for dog bites, and aggressive behavior is a major reason dogs end up in shelters. Biologists have studied the biology behind canine aggression, specifically the role of the hormones vasopressin and oxytocin. Read More

HAVE ASTHMA AND A PET? Re-homing your cat or dog may not be necessary. Researchers found that once asthma guidelines are followed, environmental exposures to pets or secondhand smoke were not significant factors in overall asthma improvement over time. Read More

Wolf-dog 'swarms' threaten Europe's wolves "Swarms" of wolf-dog crossbreeds could drive Europe's wolves out of existence, according to the lead author of new research. Read More

Mutation makes bulldogs and Norwich terriers more susceptible to breathing problems Interesting reading and brings to mind a few Bulldogs that suffered from Sleep Apnea and the condition improved when a lot of tiny TTouches, such as Snail and Racoon TTouches were done all around the face and down the Trachea and neck area. Read More

Who should Fido fear? Depends on relationship - Reading about animal abuse is never nice, however correlation between the types of animal abuse committed and the perpetrator's relationship to an animal and its owner is interesting and may supply some clues when a case being investigated. Read More

A dog's color could impact longevity, increase health issues - New research has revealed the life expectancy of chocolate Labradors is significantly lower than their black and yellow counterparts.
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Good dog? Bad dog? Their personalities can change When dog-parents spend extra time scratching their dogs' bellies, take their dogs out for long walks and games of fetch, or even when they feel constant frustration over their dogs' naughty chewing habits, they are gradually shaping their dogs' personalities. Read More

Dogs detect malaria by sniffing socks worn by African children. In recent tests trained sniffer dogs successfully diagnosed malaria infections simply by sniffing samples from socks worn briefly by children from a malaria endemic area of West Africa, according to a new study. Read More

Dogs know when they don't know!

Researchers have shown that dogs possess some 'metacognitive' abilities -- specifically, they are aware of when they do not have enough information to solve a problem and will actively seek more information. Read More

Yes, your pet can tell time
A new study has found some of the clearest evidence yet that animals can judge time. By examining the brain's medial entorhinal cortex, the researchers discovered a previously unknown set of neurons that turn on like a clock when an animal is waiting. Read More

Shock Collars banned in Wales and soon in England as well - YEA! - Come on South Africa, let's be next!
Environment officials said that as well as being misused to inflict unnecessary harm and suffering, there was also evidence that e-collars can redirect aggression or generate anxiety-based behaviour in pets – worsening underlying behavioural and health problems. Read More

Meet the virtual pooch that could help prevent dog bites. A virtual dog could soon be used as an educational tool to help prevent dog bites, thanks to an innovative project led by the University of Liverpool's Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC). Read More

Is your dog lying to other dogs about its size? Don’t mess with me! That’s the signal small dogs seem to be sending when they pee on things, according to a new study. Researchers have found that the smaller a pooch is, the higher it lifts its leg to mark lamp posts, trees, and other objects—and these exaggerated urine streams may fool other dogs into thinking a large canine is in the area. Read More

Optimal age of puppy cuteness optimized The popular meme proclaiming that all dogs are puppies assumes that humans' adoration of canines is not conditional on their age. But a new study led by Clive Wynne, professor of psychology and director of Arizona State University's Canine Science Collaboratory, suggests otherwise. Read More

Therapy dogs effective in reducing symptoms of ADHD, study finds.And of course we, the dog owners, are not surprised – it is nice to see science start to prove things like this though!
Animal assisted intervention (AAI) has been used for decades, however, only recently has empirical evidence begun to support these practices reporting benefits including reduced stress, improved cognitive function, reduced problem behaviors and improved attention. Read More

Dogs understand what's written all over your face. Dogs are capable of understanding the emotions behind an expression on a human face. This study is the latest to reveal just how connected dogs are with people. The research also provides evidence that dogs use different parts of their brains to process human emotions. Read More

Empathetic dogs lend a helping paw. Many dogs show empathy if their owner is in distress and will also try to help rescue them. Scientists have just tested whether there is truth in the notion that dogs have a prosocial and empathetic nature. Read More

Dogs prefer to eat fat, and cats surprisingly tend toward carbs. Dogs gravitate toward high-fat food, but cats pounce on carbohydrates with even greater enthusiasm, according to research into the dietary habits of America's two most popular pets. Read More

Dogs can be a potential risk for future influenza pandemic
The researchers say it is time to think about ways to restrict the circulation of the influenza virus in dogs"There are attempts to restrict influenza virus in pigs through vaccination and one could consider vaccination for dogs." Read More

Pit Bulls Are Chiller Than Chihuahuas. New evidence suggests that in many situations, America’s most feared dog is as docile as other breeds.The Irish Examiner called Rottweilers “time bombs on legs.” The Supreme Court of Kansas called pit bulls “a public-health hazard.” Dostoyevski called the bloodhound “a terrible beast.” But new data suggests that stereotypes of breeds and aggression might warrant a closer look. Read More

How smart is a dog really? Research with a 3 year old Pitti cross, using a MRI are starting to show just how smart our dogs are - which, of course, all dog owners already know! Read More

Vaccine against Atopic Dermatitis (AD) in Dogs - AD is the most common allergic skin disease in dogs, and extensive iteching causes scratching, which in turn, results in loss of fur and secondary infections of the skin, making the situation worse. Read More

Dogs with noise sensitivity should be routinely assessed for pain by vets Dogs which show fear or anxiety when faced with loud or sudden noises should be routinely assessed for pain by veterinarians, according to new research. . Read More

Dogs more apt to bite anxious, neurotic people.
"The association was between the personality factor of emotional stability and having been bitten by a dog," Westgarth told the Daily News. "The more emotionally stable a person scored, the less likely they were to have been bitten." Read More

Pet Food Company Finds Startling Findings — But What Did They Do With It? They did a study to discover how the type of protein affected adult and senior dogs. And followed it with another study focused on declining body composition in senior dogs. What they found may surprise you. But what they actually did with that information is stunning indeed. Read More

Nearly one in three pugs has an abnormal gait. This might be more serious health issue than previously thought, say Swedish researchers. In turn this is linked to other health issues, finds a Swedish study of owners of the breed, and published online in Vet Record. Read More

Owners of seriously ill pets at risk of stress, anxiety and depression. New research suggests that when people care for ill pets, they have more depression, anxiety and caregiving distress: symptoms that are similar to how people report feeling when caring for sick relatives, the study authors say. Read More

Dogs are more expressive when someone is looking
Scientists at the University's Dog Cognition Centre are the first to find clear evidence dogs move their faces in direct response to human attention. Dogs don't respond with more facial expressions upon seeing tasty food, suggesting that dogs produce facial expressions to communicate and not just because they are excited. Read More

Most dog treats exceed recommended daily energy allowance. Just as we need to check the ingredients in packaged food for ourselves, so too do we need to see what is in the treats we give our dogs. In addition to perhaps not reading the labels, the labels need to give more info. Research was done on 32 popular dog treats
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Why not make some New year's Resolutions to make your dogs life happier and healthier - it may make it easier for us to keep them up!
While dogs aren’t capable of resolving anything, December 31 is a good time to take stock of ways to help your dog become healthier and happier. Below, Dr. Trisha Joyce of New York City Veterinary Specialists offers suggestions for pet-centric resolutions. Read More

Homeward bound! Dogs can find their way over hundreds of miles by using magnetic fields to help them navigate dogs are said to be man's best and most loyal friend, and in the case of Pero the sheepdog, the saying rings true. last month, the incredible canine made a 240 mile (386km) journey back to his owner after being handed over to another farm for a trial. Dr Jacqueline Boyd, a lecturer in animal science at Nottingham Trent University, has explained just how animals can navigate long distances in an article Read More

Dogs Have Feelings—Here's How We Know
Scientists find it hard to accept the idea that animals have feelings. Most people who live with dogs understand this intuitively. The confusion comes because we have language and can label those feelings. We have words for things like love, fear, sadness, or guilt. Everything we started doing to elicit positive emotions showed that dogs had corresponding parts of their brains to humans. Read More

Video: Why Does My Dog... Walk in a Circle Before Lying Down?  You’ve seen it before: Your dog looks for a place to curl up then starts turning in circles — and even scratching or digging at bedding or carpeting — before finally lying down. So what’s up with this odd sleeping habit? In the video below, Dr. Sarah Wooten explains why this curious behavior probably has to do with your canine’s ancestry and when this behavior should be cause for concern. Read More

How Much Exercise Does My Dog Need Each Day and how much is too much? Unlike most articles on the topic of exercising your dog, Richard from “The Dog Clinic’ has sent us this which he though we would all enjoy – really good article. He has provided specific guidelines for how much exercise a dog needs based on breed, age and health (all backed by research). He has also included tips for providing mental stimulation for dogs, which is just as important as physical exercise. We have put this on our Daily Dog News for you so that will stay available. Do have a look through their website while you are there. Read More

Are we as owners affected when our dogs are ill? Owners of seriously or terminally ill pets are more likely to suffer with stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as poorer quality of life, compared with owners of healthy animals, finds a study. Read More

Owners of seriously ill pets at risk of stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms

New therapeutic antibody for dog
cancers
Scientists have developed a new chimeric antibody that suppresses malignant cancers in dogs, showing promise for safe and effective treatment of intractable cancers.
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You spy with your little eye, dogs can adopt the perspective of humans
Humans are able to interpret the behavior of others by attributing mental states to them (and to themselves). By adopting the perspectives of other persons, they can assume their emotions, needs and intentions and react accordingly. In the animal kingdom, the ability to attribute mental states (Theory of Mind) is a highly contentious issue. Cognitive biologists could demonstrate with a new test procedure that dogs are not only able to identify whether a human has an eye on a food source and, therefore, knows where the food has been hidden. They can also apply this knowledge in order to correctly interpret cues by humans and find food they cannot see themselves. Read More

Scent of the familiar: You may linger like perfume in your dog's brain. An area of the canine brain associated with reward responds more strongly to the scents of familiar humans than it does to the scents of other humans, or even to those of familiar dogs. Read More

Who is the UK's new favourite dog?
After being the UK’s favourite dog breed for over 27 years, the Labrador is about to lose first place to another breed – you may be surprised which one! Read More

Britain’s Unluckiest Dog Names Revealed, Is Your Dog’s Name on The List? Apparently dogs named called Charlie are more likely to be unlucky, according to pet insurance claims data released by the Co-op Insurance. Heavens, wonder who thought up these statistics! Read More

Dog Rescued off Iceberg. Russian sailors see a dog stranded on an iceberg — and their rescue plan is insane. Read More

Why Does My Dog... Walk in a Circle Before Lying Down?
You’ve seen it before: Your dog looks for a place to curl up then starts turning in circles — and even scratching or digging at bedding or carpeting — before finally lying down. So what’s up with this odd sleeping habit? In the video below, Dr. Sarah Wooten explains why this curious behavior probably has to do with your canine’s ancestry and when this behavior should be cause for concern. Read More

Episodic-like memory in dogs revealed by the Do as I Do method We investigated dogs' ability to recall human actions in unexpected episodic memory tests. Dogs trained to imitate with the Do as I Do method were tested on their memory of previously demonstrated human actions when they did not expect the memory test. Dogs could imitate, although their memory decayed faster with increased delay. Read More

Pets -- not siblings -- are child’s best friends, researchers find Children get more satisfaction from relationships with their pets than with their brothers or sisters, according to new research. Children also appear to get on even better with their animal companions than with siblings. Read More

How Luke and His Dog Jedi Fight Against Type 1 Diabetes Some dogs sleep peacefully by your side at night. Some dogs nudge you and disturb your sleep. When an English black lab named Jedi wakes Dorrie Nuttall from a sound sleep, she doesn’t complain. The dog is doing exactly what he was trained to do. Read More

Dogs proven to engage in moral evaluation of people and animals by observing their behaviour.
A Yale study is shining new light on the complexity of the canine mind. In more ways than one, man's best friend is trying to communicate with his master. Dogs not only observe human behavior but seem to engage in a moral evaluation of the people nearest them. Read More

Homeopathy Proven As Effective For Chronic Disease In Dogs And Cats In the largest-ever study of its type, a 2010 Clinical Outcomes survey has identified a number of clinical conditions in dogs and cats that may be promising targets for future research in veterinary homeopathy. Read More

The Truth about "PET* Cancer
They discuss what causes cancer (which not all doctors and vets will agree with), popular treatments and how they came about (scary)and give a peak at how to prevent and help pets that currently have cancer, which not all people will agree with. The next 4 series do have to be purchased which is a pity, however still worthwhile watching – anything that can prevent and help to treat this disease is worth learning about. Read More

The sniff test of self-recognition confirmed :
Dogs have self-awareness. We love it - the more research that is done on dogs, the more the old view

of dogs changes, and all of us living and working with dogs daily, know that there is so much more to be found out! Read More

The world's rarest and most ancient dog has just been re-discovered in the wild

After decades of fearing that the New Guinea highland wild dog had gone extinct in its native habitat, researchers have finally confirmed the existence of a healthy, viable population, hidden in one of the most remote and inhospitable regions on Earth. The scientific and historical importance of the highland wild dog remains critical to understanding canid evolution, canid and human co-evolution and migrations, and human ecology and settlement derived from the study of canids and canid evolution." Read More

Dogs understand both vocabulary and intonation of human speech Dogs have the ability to distinguish vocabulary words and the intonation of human speech through brain regions similar to those that humans use, a new study reports. Read More

Cortisol-sniffing dogs ease anxieties of special needs children
It's often been said that the act of petting an animal can help reduce a person's stress levels, but what about having a dog sniff you to help you essentially do the same? Bizarre thought? Not so much, according to several school children and those who are advocates of what might be the newest in stress... Read More

Pet dogs go out of their way to comfort humans they sense are sick or depressed
Anyone who has lived with a dog can attest to the fact that dogs can sense when people are sad and will often seek to comfort them. However, evidence suggests that dogs might also be able to sense when people are ill or even dying and increase their comforting attention accordingly. Even when humans. Read More

Disease prevention for your cat and dog, without vaccination
- Disease prevention comes from having a healthy immune system. It does not come from vaccination. Regular readers of Natural News will be well aware of the toxic ingredients of vaccinations, including mercury, formaldehyde, aluminum, cross species tissue, adjuvants and more. It doesn't take much intelligence. Read More

Dogs Are Even More Like Us Than We Thought Dogs can read facial expressions, communicate jealousy, display empathy, and even watch TV, studies have shown. They've picked up these people-like traits during their evolution from wolves to domesticated pets, which occurred between 11,000 and 16,000 years ago, experts say. Read More

Don’t Be Callous: How Punishment Can Go Wrong This post includes discussion of animal experimentation from the 1950s and 1960s using shock.Read More

 UK Agility International Removes the Chute from Competition
UK Agility International made the following announcement regarding the use of the closed tunnel (otherwise known as the chute) at UKI trials:
“Due to the overwhelming evidence of dogs getting entangled and tripping from the use of flat tunnels/chutes, UKI would like to announce that it is suspending the use this piece of equipment in all of its courses including the US & Canadian Opens. In the event that a safer design for the chute is released and tested, we will then re-evaluate the possible reinstatement of this obstacle, although as before, it would not be a required obstacle in any class.” Read More

Can you Identify these 12 dogs by their tails alone? This one is fun, lets see how good you are! Read More

Are Deaf Dogs and Blind Dogs just like other Dogs?
No one knows exactly how many dogs have hearing or vision problems. Congenital deafness and/or blindness occur in several breeds. In some cases this is related to coat colours – for example the double merle gene in Australian Shepherds is linked to deafness and blindness – and at other times not, as with inherited cataracts in many breeds. Very little is known about how dogs with inherited or acquired vision or hearing disorders behave, which was the motivation for this study by Valeri Farmer-Dougan et al (in press) of Ilinois State University. Read More

Doggy paddles helps dogs to stay on the move
Canine hydrotherapy improves the mobility of Labradors suffering from elbow dysplasia. Not only this, it also positively affects the strides of healthy dogs, showing great potential as both a therapeutic tool and an effective way to keep your dog fit. Read More

Dogs Are Even More Like Us Than We Thought
For one, canines shun people who are mean to their owners, a new study says. It's likely no surprise to dog owners, but growing research suggests that man's best friend often acts more human than canine. Read More

Dogs communicate with humans using newly developed wearable technology
NaturalNews) Maybe you're familiar with Cybercop and Cyborg Cop TV shows and movies, maybe not. But you are most likely not familiar with cyber dogs. They're actually rescue dogs in an experimental phase of developing Cyber-Enhanced Working Dog (CEWD) technology. The purpose is to enhance communication between humans and dogs, especially for the service of search and rescue teams. Read More

Dog Carried down the Aisle at Wedding by Bridesmaid. Charlie Bear was too weak to continue to walk down the aisle, so the bridesmaid just picked him up and carried him so he could be with his people at their wedding. There are so many horror stories about dogs that when we can across this one, we just had to share it. Just shows that there are also a huge amount of people that really love their dogs. This is one of these and one worth keeping. Read More

Dogs recognize pictures of their owners
A young girl whose family had one dog and two cats asked her mother, a college graduate and wife of a college professor, "Mommie, do animals have feelings?" Mommie answered, "I don't know dear. Science hasn't discovered that yet." That was a true episode overheard directly by this author. Now, science.Read More

Does your dog love food more than they love you? This article contains a lot more than just the heading and worth reading Read More

Playlists for Pups: The Best Songs for Calming, Health, and Happiness – For Your Dog!
These findings come from a study done in partnership with internationally renowned and respected animal behaviorist Dr. Sands, which explores the effect of music on animals, including variables such as track frequency and beats per minute (BPM)*.Read More

How People Perceive Dogs With Docked Tails and Cropped Ears
Dogs that have undergone medical procedures to alter the shape of their ears or the length of their tails seem to acquire a certain combative appearance and there is some new data which suggests that this appearance causes people to judge the personality of both the dogs and their owners negatively. Read More

Fido Forever? A South Korean company is a world leader in pet cloning and has run a thriving commercial business over the past decade catering to dog owners who want to live with their pets forever...literally. Read More

Is it Important to Attend Puppy Class?
Is a one-off puppy party a suitable alternative to a six-week puppy class? Research says you can’t skip the socialization if you want a well-rounded adult dog.
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Is the answer to the end of cancer contained in this plant?
Chinese medicine has yielded a promising new approach for treating cancer.
Seattle scientists have shown that a compound extracted from the wormwood plant seeks out and destroys many types of cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unscathed. Read More

Pets pick up on cues to comfort the dying, the grieving
For those who are dying, it's clear why all dogs go to heaven . They provide comfort not just in death, but in other difficult times, whether it's depression, job loss or a move across country. Dogs know when people are dying or grieving through body language cues, smells only they can detect and other ways not yet known, experts say.
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Dog Bites A Particular Threat To Young Children, Especially As Temperatures Rise
Young children are especially vulnerable to severe dog bites in the head and neck areas, and there is a correlation between cases of dog bites and rising temperatures, according to new research.
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Dog ownership benefits families of children with autism
Dog ownership decisions in families of children with autism have been studied in a new project. Researchers have found, regardless of whether they owned dogs, the parents of these children reported the benefits of dog ownership included companionship, stress relief and opportunities for their children to learn responsibility. Read More

7 Dog Breeds That Prefer The Company Of Humans
Have you ever taken your pup to the park only to find they could care less about all the other pooches running around and are far more interested in socializing with all the humans?
While it’s impossible to say if certain breeds really seem to lean this way or that, there are some breeds that seem to be more human-centric than others. Read More

Can Every Dog Be Rehabilitated?
I recently came across an article in which a dog who was known to be “nervous, growling, and didn’t like children” was sent away for training. While in the trainer’s care, the dog mauled her. Read More

A shaggy dog story: The contagious cancer that conquered the world
A contagious form of cancer that can spread between dogs during mating has highlighted the extent to which dogs accompanied human travelers throughout our seafaring history. But the tumors also provide surprising insights into how cancers evolve by 'stealing' DNA from their host. Read More

Three Different Ways To Teach A Dog To Relax
Relaxation is something a lot of dogs do not know how to do in many different environments. It is also something most owners do not think they have to teach their dog. Relaxation is important because it helps lower the chance of reactivity when dogs are able to be level-headed in many different environments. Relaxation exercises are also important to help prevent separation anxiety. A dog’s ability to learn is also higher when they are relaxed versus when they are anxious or hyper.
There are many different ways to teach a dog to relax. Here are three techniques to try. Read More

Why Labrador retrievers are more interested in food than other breeds
Dog owners tell their vets that Labrador retrievers are always interested in food, and new work shows there might be a biological truth to the claim. A study links a gene alteration specifically found in Labs to greater food-motivated behavior, describing the first gene associated with canine obesity. The variation also occurs more frequently in Labradors chosen as assistance dogs, and might explain why these canines seem more trainable with food rewards.

500 Basset Hounds Parade Down the Boardwalk to Help Homeless Dogs
It almost sounds too good to be true: hundreds of chubby basset hounds waddling down the boardwalk to kick off the beach season and raise money for basset rescue. It was the 18th Annual BoardWaddle parade on Saturday, as Ocean City, New Jersey was flooded with colorful characters and floats participating in the boardwalk celebration that brought 500 basset hounds to town in order to raise money for the Tri-State Basset Hound Rescue.

Think Dogs are Just Animals? These 14 Pups are about to seriously prove you wrong.
14 examples of dogs that have surpassed many humans in their ability to show emotions. They are, at least in our minds, superhuman canines.Read More

Surface mutation lets canine parvo virus jump to other species
A key mutation in the protein shell of canine parvovirus -- a single amino acid substitution -- plays a major role in the virus' ability to infect hosts of different species. Read More

New Test Can Diagnose Emerging Strains of Canine Parvovirus Veterinary scientists have developed a diagnostic test that can detect emerging strains of canine parvovirus, a severe --- and potentially fatal -- virus that affects. Read More

70 Drowning Horses Saved From Texas Floodwaters
We know not dog related but so good to see how people pull together in situations like this and show how much they care. Flash flooding in Houston, Texas trapped between 70 to 80 horses at the Cypress Trails Horse Stables. The water came up so fast they couldn’t get trailers in to get the animals out. As result, many of the horses were struggling in the high flood waters and became tangled in submerged fences. Read more

Stray Dog Realizes That Humans Have Come To Help. That’s When She Collapses And Starts Crying
Tania Cappelluti was traveling in Costa Rica in search of a stray dog when she unexpectedly came across another one who desperately needed help. Read More

Senior adults can see health benefits from dog ownership
Among adults 60 years of age or more, walking is the most common form of leisure-time physical activity because it is self-paced, low impact and does not require equipment. Researchers have determined that older adults who also are pet owners benefit from the bonds they form with their canine companions. Read More

New tech uses hardware, software to train dogs more efficiently
Posted: 02 May 2016 06:37 AM PDT
Researchers have developed and used a customized suite of technologies that allows a computer to train a dog autonomously, with the computer effectively responding to the dog based on the dog's body language. Read More

Question: Can Dogs Be Allergic to Humans?
Answer: Yes
A dog can definitely have an allergy to human dander. In fact, it's probably more common that you think. Many kinds of allergies are very common in dogs. These allergies usually manifest as skin problems. Read More

Magnetoreception molecule found in the eyes of dogs, primates
This could well explain how so many dogs seem to be able to find their way home!
The magnetic sense in migratory birds has been studied in considerable detail: unlike a boy scout's compass, which shows the compass direction, a bird's compass recognizes the inclination of the magnetic field lines relative to Earth's surface. Now scientists report that dog-like carnivores and some primate species may have a magnetic compass similar to that of birds. Read More

Newly found genomic causes of severe compulsiveness in dogs could aid study of human OCD
Posted: 26 Feb 2016 09:53 AM PST
Research led by investigators in veterinary and human medicine has identified genetic pathways that exacerbate severity of canine compulsive disorder in Doberman pinschers, a discovery that could lead to better therapies for obsessive compulsive disorder in people. Read More

DNA studies reveal that shelter workers often mislabel dogs as 'pit bulls'

DNA results show that shelter workers are often mistaken when they label a dog as a pit bull, with potentially devastating consequences for the dogs, a new study has found.

First Puppies Born by in vitro fertilization

For the first time, a litter of puppies was born by in vitro fertilization. The breakthrough opens the door for preserving endangered canid species using assisted reproduction techniques. It could also enable researchers to eradicate heritable diseases in dogs.
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Increasing and accurately measuring rabies vaccination coverage in Tanzania
Posted: 03 Dec 2015 12:01 PM PST
Canine mediated rabies is endemic in Tanzania despite the fact that the disease can be prevented entirely by mass dog vaccination.
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This 'Prank' of a Dog Rescuer Shows Good Things Can Happen to Good People
It was wonderful to weep tears of joy when I saw and heard the story of Sherri Stankewitz, a passionate but struggling dog rescuer who recently got the "prank" of a lifetime. Read More

Early contact with dogs linked to lower risk of asthma
Scientists have used national register information in more than one million children to study the association of early life contact with dogs and subsequent development of asthma. This question has been studied extensively previously, but conclusive findings have been lacking. The new study showed that children who grew up with dogs had about 15 percent less asthma than children without dogs.
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Molecular processes for targeted dog cancer therapy investigated
Posted: 04 Dec 2015 06:43 AM PST
Dogs get cancer, just like humans. Scientists are now exploring the molecular basis of cancer progression in canine cell lines. Modern cancer therapy has been revolutionized with the introduction of new drugs, so-called ‘targeted drugs’, but the basis for the application of these new agents in cancer therapy is a deep understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the disease, even with pets. Now a research team has investigated the activation of genetic regulatory mechanisms in canine cells and found both matches as well as differences compared to humans.
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A Pit Bull who stood with her injured owner is getting kicked out of town
A pit bull who stood by her injured owner while their house was on fire is now losing her home -- not to the fire itself, but to a law prohibiting pit bulls from living in the county. Firefighters told a local NBC affiliate that the dog stayed calm even after a a fire extinguisher was thrown at her, to get her out of the way so that the owner could be retrieved from the burning house.
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Kids With Pet Dogs Are Less Likely To Suffer From Anxiety
Here's one more talking point for your kids as they try to convince you to get them a four-legged friend: A new study published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease found that having a pet dog at home is associated with a decreased likelihood of developing childhood anxiety.
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This Pet Food Bank Makes Sure Cats And Dogs Don't Go Hungry During Their Families' Tough Times
"The main mission of the Central MA Kibble Kitchen is keeping pets with their families so they don’t have to consider relinquishing them to shelters."
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