Tracks: Animal Learning & Human Learning
Join Alexandre Rossi as he discusses the findings of his recent scientific study that was designed to shed light on the question "Is there an association between the proximity of dogs to their humans when sleeping and the expression of canine behavior problems?" Many dogs that dwell in our homes experience behaviors associated with separation anxiety or aggression towards humans. These behaviors include excessive vocalization and destructive behaviors when left alone, and growling and barking at people. We might conclude that the closer our dogs are to us, namely dogs that sleep in our homes or beds, might be more likely to exhibit behavior problems. Alexandre Rossi studied this topic to see if dogs that sleep in close proximity to their humans at night were indeed more likely to exhibit anxious or aggressive behaviors. Shockingly, his study found the opposite to be true. It seems counter-intuitive to think that the closer in proximity dogs sleep with their humans the less likely they are to exhibit problematic behaviors when left alone but that's exactly what his study found. This talk will explore the data extracted from the study, and Alexandre Rossi will discuss the possible reasons for the outcomes, explore how trainers can apply this knowledge to their client recommendations, and suggest further studies to gain even more knowledge on this fascinating topic.