Here’s a question for all of you dog trainers (and that should be just about everyone who has a dog)… how often should you train a dog? Many of us in this business would, of course, say, “as often as possible… please!” But that is not quite what I mean: from a scientific point-of-view, what… Read More
I have been blogging on the general topic of companion animal behavior for about 6 years now. The earlier (pre-2013) writings appeared as part of the “Behind the Behavior” blog at my former clinical practice home at Companion Animal Solution, LLC. While many of these earlier blogs still appear there, I have moved all of my blogs to this site. My new blogs will only appear here. And the new home for my clinical practice is AdaptiveAnimals.com: check them out! Link to the right.
My applied animal behavior blogs fall (so far) into two broad categories: the general science of behavior and more direct application to dogs and cats. I divide these entries into the two categories you can find to the right of this text. Enjoy! And if you would like to recommend topics, please contact me.
New Scientific Findings about How to Treat Fear in Dogs
An important new research article for dog (and cat) behaviorists who deal with fear, anxiety, and behavior modification was published in the premier journal Science during Christmas week of last year (2011). Let me set the stage, and then describe the findings. Fear and anxiety is one of the most common sources of aggressive,… Read More
Let’s Limit the Tethering of Dogs: Anti-tethering Legislation in Washington State
A bill has been introduced into the Washington State Legislature to limit long-term, unsupervised tethering of dogs in the state. Specifically, the current form of the bill (and these bills change frequently before final passage, so this is just the latest that I understand) seeks to: ban outdoor tethering of dogs for more than 10… Read More
Wild dogs, Feral dogs and Pariahs
I recently gave a presentation on applied animal behavior to a wonderful animal advocacy group on the Micronesian island of Guam. I was on the island on behalf of my wife’s (Dr. Renee Ha, UW Psychology/Animal Behavior) research on the endangered Mariana Crow, and I offered to meet with the local shelter group, GAIN (Guam… Read More
The Behavior Wellness Exam
In dealing with dog and cat behavior cases in the home, I have to attempt to diagnose the cause of a behavioral issue, like aggression, based on the reports of the owners and the assessment that I can make of the pet. In many cases, there is a clear history of a traumatic incident resulting… Read More
Dr Jim Ha 