Tues 9th Jan: What would your dog say if it could talk?

This time it's Romy's turn 

 I hadn't mentioned it before because the adoption wasn't confirmed until today, but now I'm happy to say that Romy is no longer available.  She had seen other puppies come and go while she was waiting at our Kennedy Town Homing Centre and I was never sure why she wasn't chosen, but that's in the past now.

Pretty Elfie on Sunday 

Elfie is also almost certainly not on the waiting list any longer after she was taken home by our long-term volunteer and regular at Whiskers N Paws on Sundays.  Resident "failed foster" Cookie has to make the final decision, but I'm pretty sure that everything is fine after seeing lovely videos of the two pups playing.   Having a friend makes such a difference.

I've written before about why HKDR don't use or recommend crate training for puppies, or the use of closed crates/cages for dogs of any age.  It's a concept that started in the USA and spread to other places, and now it seems that keeping a puppy confined in a cage/crate is considered the right and normal thing to do.   

However, modern scientific research into dog behaviour and development proves the opposite is true, and underlines the importance of giving dogs the opportunity to make decisions, something that they can't do when locked inside what's essentially a small prison.  It makes sense that a puppy's brain needs stimulation to develop properly and healthily, and that means experiencing daily life with the choice to explore and learn, just as any wild baby animal would, or indeed a human child.  

Another factor in crate training, or the use of crates/cages for adult dogs, is that a dog who is kept confined in one space can become reliant on the cage, and may develop fear and anxiety outside of that small space.  It makes sense when you think about the fact that if a puppy is not allowed to move about freely at the age when it's learning about life, and the brain is soaking up information that will shape its future, then accepting being confined becomes normal.  The dog's reality becomes the inside of a cage, making big outside spaces confronting and scary. 

Taking dog intelligence and the ability to think logically a step further, I'm sure some of you will have seen the videos of dogs using "talking mats", or buttons which they step on to convey their thoughts.  There are several examples of this on Instagram which I've been following with interest, wondering at first if it was just random choice but then accepting that the dogs really understand the meaning of the words they use.  It's a fascinating development in dog-human communication, and it makes me wonder what so many dogs would say if they all had access to such tools.