Ethograms

What is an ethogram? When studying or analyzing animal behavior, one of the most important things that needs to be done is to accurately describe the behavior so that it can be measured. In the scientific study of animal behavior, or ethology, this is done with the...

The science behind tail wagging

What type of body language is most likely to be misinterpreted by people? I think it’s likely dogs wagging their tails. The number of parents I’ve overheard telling children a dog is friendly because their tail is wagging, and the number of people walking past an...

Why does an animal behave that way?

I don’t know about you, but in almost every behaviour consultation, or even talking with someone at the park, I get asked ‘why’ their pet is doing something in particular. Dog owners try to understand why their dog that they have poured all their love and attention...

Animal Welfare Science, Part 2

This is Part 2 of the basics of animal welfare science. If you missed Part 1, you can read that post here! Five domains model A somewhat newer animal welfare model is the ‘Five domains model’. It is more modern in the sense that it incorporates positive animal...

Animal Welfare Science

What is welfare and how does it relate to training and behaviour? Animal welfare is a very interesting area of science, as it combines both scientific research with an ethical component. There are numerous journals dedicated to the science of animal welfare, as well...