Euro Puppy BLOG

Those looks so many of us have seen in the eyes of our dogs are just tricks of our imagination, apparently. New research reported by the BBC suggest that the expressions we see on our dogs faces are simply projections of our own feelings.



A study was carried out by Alexandra Horowitz, assistant professor at Barnard College in New York, who looked at how dog owners interpreted their pets' expressions, when they believed that the dog had stolen and eaten a forbidden treat.
Horowitz and his team weren’t always truthful with the owners, however. Sometimes the dogs hadn’t eaten or stolen the treats.
Yet when owners were told their dogs had misbehaved, they ivariably reported seeing the guilty expression, even if the dog hadn’t really done anything wrong.

The conclusion was that there was no link between what owners thought they saw in their dogs’ faces and their behaviour.

We all know it’s true, but now there is more evidence that dogs are smarter than cats.
A new study, reported in the Guardian newspaper suggests cats don’t understand cause and effect as well as dogs do.

Tests were carried out by a Psychology lecturer Britta Osthaus. She set a group of 15 cats a simple task: attaching fish and biscuit treats to one end of a piece of string, placing them under a plastic screen to make them unreachable and then seeing if the cats could work out that pulling on the other end of the string would pull the treat closer.

The test was conducted using three different arrangements of string: a single baited string, two parallel strings where only one was baited, and two crossed strings where only one was baited. Cats had no problem solving the problem with a single string. With the other two tests, however, they fared much worse. No cat correctly chose between the two parallel strings.

Dogs, on the other hand, performed much better, especially in the parallel string test.
Osthaus, of Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, said: "This finding is somehow surprising as cats regularly use their paws and claws to pull things towards them during play and hunting. They performed even worse than dogs, which can at least solve the parallel string task. I am not trying to say cats are stupid, just they are different.”

We all second that final thought, I'm sure.

"Do not make the mistake of treating your dogs like humans or they will treat you like dogs." - Martha Scott

A skateboarding Japanese bulldog called Bazooka is the latest internet sensation. Some very entertaining film of Bazooka riding his board in aTokyo park is proving a huge hit at places like this BBC website.

The only problem Bazooka's owner has is that Bazooka loves to eat his skateboard too, which is proving rather expensive.
This is far from the most unusual eating habit we've heard of, however. Dogs can get cravings to eat the most bizarre things.
This need to eat non-food items is known as pica and can involve dogs consuming anything from linoleum to electrical cords, coins and clothing to kitchen knives.

Scientists think the condition is the result of factors such as stress, obsessive-compulsive disorders and brain damage. It can also be caused by sheer hunger.

Needless to say, this can be dangerous. Among the stranger things dogs enjoy consuming is anti-freeze, which many dogs lap up when it leaks from car radiators on to roads or garage floors. Antifreeze contains a sweet-tasting chemical called ethylene glycol, which is a powerful stimulant to the dog's sweet taste buds. Small amounts of antifreeze can cause "drunkennessa", vomiting, depression and diarrhoea.

"You may have a dog that won't sit up, roll over or even cook breakfast, not because she's too stupid to learn how but because she's too smart to bother." - Rick Horowitz, Chicago Tribune

Dogs may be able to sense natural disasters - in particular, earthquakes.
The Greek historian Thucydides was probably the first to notice this ability.

He described how, days before a cataclysmic earthquake flattened the city of Helice, dogs abandoned the place in their droves. Thucydides was convinced the dogs knew what was coming and had run for their lives.
This has been borne out by scientific studies. One American study found that 17 out of 50 homes near the scene of a Californian quake in 1977 reported odd behaviour in their animals. Evidence ranged from a dog pacing around and fidgeting during its normal nap time to a normally placid dog whining excitedly. Studies in the Mojave desert in the US also found that dogs barked at small aftershocks unnoticed by humans but picked up by seismometers.

The most convincing recent evidence of this came before the Asian Tsunami struck on December 26th, 2004. In the hours before the tsunami many dogs refused to go for their daily walks near the sea. Many dogs were also seen running for higher ground minutes before the lethal tidal wave struck land killing thousands of people, who - unlike their pets - had been oblivious to the threat they faced.

For more odd and interesting scientific facts about man’s best friend you should read ‘Play It Again Tom: Curious Truths About Cats And Dogs’ by Augustus Brown.

We all know that dogs love sweet things. Given half a chance they will gobble down any sugary treat that is lying around. But why?

Scientists think it is linked with their genetic ancestry. In the wild, dogs and wolves eat a diet that is 80 per cent meat. The other 20 per cent of their diet comes from plant and fruits. The sweet tooth has developed because dogs react positively to the sweet tasting chemical furaneol which is present in many fruits and especially in tomatoes. This explains why - after a tasty plate of meat - our dogs' next favourite meals are sweet tasting ones.

This sweet tooth can get dogs into trouble, of course. Chocolate can be poisonous dogs, for instance. This is because it contains high levels of theobromine which is a cardiac stimulant and diuretic. Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are particularly bad for dogs. A 10kg dog can become seriously ill by eating half of a 250g block of cooking chocolate. It may experience nausea, palpitations and even a heart attack. So owners should always be careful to ration the amount of sweets and chocolate they feed their dogs, giving them healthier treats and snacks, like those shown below, instead.

Here are a few products that your dog will love!

Vitakraft Healthy Snack Drops, ChocoMilk Vitakraft healthy snack drops is a wholesome between-meal snack that gives your pet nutrition and is also deliciously tasty. This enriched treat contains several valuable minerals and other essential vitamins.They are easily digestible and therefore good for the pet’s health.

Exclusively Dog Cream Sandwich Cookies, Carob Exclusively Dog Cream Sandwich Cookies are a specially designed, all-natural treat for your pet. Made with wholesome, high-quality, kosher ingredients, they look just like regular cookies, and come in several tempting flavors, such as carob or peanut butter. They are a healthy snack option for your dog, containing no chocolate, animal proteins, parts, bi-products and fillers, no preservatives, and no cholesterol, and using unbleached, whole wheat flour.