A Modern Dog's Life by McGreevy, Paul -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Praise Title Page Dedication 1 - For the Love of Dog

What is “natural behavior” for a dog? A note of caution

2 - The Challenges for the Modern Dog

Negotiating a shifting physical world Who is that dog in the mirror? Television: What’s all the fuss about? Humans and their ever-changing ways How dogs perceive the world How dogs communicate—with each other and with others

3 - What Dogs Value

Consumer demand theory The good stuff: food, drink, fun, company and comfort Learn from your dog and be an opportunist, too A bowlful of training opportunities Bones and chewing Toys and possessions Water is a reward Fun is the optimal reward Happiness is a tired puppy Dogs are social animals Grooming: transporting your dog straight to heaven Relaxed and comfortable Dogs love to work for a living

4 - What Dogs Dislike

Bad eating habits Malnutrition Resources under threat Experiencing pain Modifying behavior Fear Deception Punishment Shame

5 - Networking Among Dogs

Relationships between dogs Leaving home Staying with the pack Sibling rivalry Canine communication Face-licking Barking Marking Establishing contact Grumpy old dogs Wanderlust Coming back to the family group Accommodating the new member of the family Do dogs treat humans as other dogs? Understanding rank The folly of domination Leadership without domination Are there differences in leadership? Dealing with disobedience Understanding aggression Understanding separation-related distress Providing consistent companionship Enriching our dogs’ lives Playing the networking game Enemies and alliances

6 - Sex, Disease and Aging

Sex Disease Aging

7 - What Motivates Dogs?

What’s in a name? Do I have your attention? Tapping into the joys of a walk What keeps a dog motivated? Changing motivation Does the change of seasons affect motivation? The rebound effect when motivated behavior is restricted Revving-up and restraint Learning when motivation has dropped Conflict of interests

8 - Bonding with Non-dogs

The role of the human-dog bond Dogs love social contact Over-bonding and the risk of separation anxiety Some bonds are established early Dogs make us feel safe Encountering new faces Language barriers Dogs are ever optimistic and resourceful Aggression to humans Being a life-coach rather than a leader Life on the leash

9 - Learning about the World

Some helpful definitions Changing an animal’s behavior: rewards and punishers Dogs learn despite us This goes with that Classical conditioning and Pavlov’s dogs Turning a negative into a positive The importance of timing The importance of consistency

10 - The Dogs of Opportunity

Trial-and-error learning Shaping for success Paychecks for dogs Use of rewards Timing of rewards Adding value to stimulus and target training Capturing good behavior Clicker training Getting dogs to behave appropriately even when humans aren’t around

11 - The Artful Dodgers

Bad experiences (aversions) Repeated exposure to pain makes dogs withdraw Unfamiliarity sharpens a dog’s fear response Generalized fear Eliminating fear Using unpleasant experiences in training Learned food aversions Does punishment work? Punishment can be extremely mild The problems with punishment Weakening the effectiveness of punishment Negative reinforcement and negative punishment Avoidance learning

12 - Fine-Tuning

Obstacles to learning Who’s training whom? Removing rewards Partial reinforcement A strong recall response can save your dog’s life The importance of context Discrimination training Verbal commands and other signals Ending on a high note

13 - The School of Life

Social skills Puppy preschools One-on-one Having a variety of playmates Formal training Learning with others Learning by copying Mimicking humans Do dogs know what another dog is thinking? Choosing a command Ignoring commands Confusion and conflict Inconsistency Hands-on, hands-off Off-leash does not mean feral

14 - All Dogs Are Not Equal

Breed differences Dogs in packs Sight-hounds and scent-hounds Individual differences The importance of temperament Temperament differences reported by carergivers Temperament testing Breed-specific legislation Rescue shelters Laterality (left- and right-handedness) Breaking news

15 - Working Alliances

Canine workaholics Working dog welfare Motivators and reinforcers Feeding Housing Exercise Lessons from working dogs

16 - The Next Generation

Greedy backyard breeders How much is that doggy in the window? Inherited disorders Aural health Bred for the show-ring but not for life Baby face—the selection for neoteny Problems with current breeding practices The wrong priorities? Dangerously shallow gene pools The challenges Steps in the right direction

17 - Rex in the City

The dogs of yore Modern dogs City living The drawbacks of dog ownership Dogs versus cats The benefits of modern companion dogs The roles of modern companion dogs Urban animal management Dangerous dogs Networking among dog owners In the future Conclusions

Acknowledgements Index About the Author Copyright Page