Study: Dogs don’t reciprocate food sharing

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dog behavior, Dogs

Food has long been the currency of the 10,000-year-old friendship between humans and dogs. The rapport started with our ancestors sharing food with wolves, and today, we show our love to our canine pets with treats and train them with goodies as motivation. However close the bond is between humans and dogs, though, food sharing may just be a one-way street: Dogs don’t seem to pay back the hand that feeds them.

That lack of reciprocated food sharing in dogs is the key finding of a study published today in PLOS One by dog researcher Jim McGetrick and his team.

Link: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dogs-dont-return-favor-after-strangers-feed-them-180978170/?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=socialmedia

I hope they didn’t spend too much to figure out something most dog owners already knew 🙂

Why do dogs do “zoomies”?

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dog behavior, Dogs, zoomies

One moment a pup is peacefully eating kibble, and the next it’s running around the house like there’s a fire burning under its tail. These episodes of “zoomies” last for up to several minutes, but they can feel much longer when a dog bulldozes through a crowded home.

So, why do dogs, cats and other pets dash around for no apparent reason?

“They’re just having fun,” said José Arce, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association. These bursts of energy, technically called frenetic random activity periods (FRAPs), are natural and seen in many domesticated and wild animal species.

https://www.livescience.com/why-pet-dogs-cats-race-around.html

Dog pile

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chihuahua, Dogs, rat terrier

Dog pile. Not the kind that has to be scooped from the yard. The good kind, a pile of dogs! Top of the pile is rat terrier Anya, age 15, who has a mellow disposition and is tolerating the 2 youngsters well. An occasional growl lets them know she does not want to play.Judy, rat terrier/chihuahua mix, white with black, age 2. New arrival Penny, chihuahua mix, cream with brown, age 1. Judy and Penny are becoming friends, they run and wrestle then collapse into sleep. Penny learned to use the doggie door in 3 days.

Introducing Penny

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Dogs

We adopted Penny, a 1 year old Chihuahua mix. She’s doing well with our other 2 dogs, playing with Judy who is close in age and size to her.

Penny

Penny (left) and Judy on Gary’s lap

Penny and Judy playing (NOT fighting) in the yard

Video: Judy at the dog park

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dog park, Dogs, rat terrier

Our rat terrier Judy playing at the Willow Creek Dog Park in Prescott, Az. She’s doing much better at the park. When we first took her there she hid under chairs, barked excessively, and snapped at other dogs.