People use the word personality every day. We use it with the people we know and sometimes even make attributions about people we don’t know. We also label animals with personalities: “Happy” “Grouchy” “Shy” “Outgoing” … even “narcissistic.” If you were to look up the

definition of “personality” from the people who study it in humans, you would find that there are almost as many definitions of personality as there are authors of personality studies. However, almost all the definitions attempt to use “personality” to help predict and explain people’s behavior. The same is true in animals.

Personality psychologists have found that there is, in general, some degree of continuity in an individual’s personality.  Another commonality in most definitions of personality is the studying of the consistency of behavior across time and situations.

Please note that this does not mean an individual’s personality never changes. The degree of behavioral consistency is influenced by more than personality. Situational factors, personality, thoughts, feelings, emotions and past histories, as we all know, also influence behavior.

So the study of Personality in humans, is not yet at the point where everyone has agreed: “Yep, this is “personality and this is what it means!” Perhaps it never will be.  Up until rather recently, the idea that an animal could have a personality would have been laughed upon. Not so now! There is strong evidence that animals from fish to chimpanzees have personalities.

So why  do we care about animal personality? The hope is that in understanding personality theories, research, development, and assessment, we can help individuals/animals lead happier, healthier, more productive lives.

E-Training for Dogs is very excited about the September 2012 Ethology and Canine Behavior lecture presented by Dr. Sam Gosling:

Animal Personality: What do we know and where shall we go?

Sam Gosling, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas in Austin, began studying personality in animals with his dissertation where he focused on personality in spotted hyenas. His non-human research has also examined dogs, cats, chimpanzees, and squid. In 2005 he founded the Animal Personality Institute, an interdisciplinary organization dedicated to understanding personality and temperament in non-human animals. Dr. Gosling presents the major discoveries from the field of animal psychology, focusing on the challenges the field has faced and those that lie ahead. For example, questions about measurement have long dogged the field, with concerns focusing on three basic issues: (1) that personality cannot be measured reliably in animals, (2) that the assessments are overly subjective, (3) that the methods required to obtain valid assessments are impractical. Using data from his studies of spotted hyenas, dogs, chimpanzees, squid, and humans Sam will address each concern and evaluate the viability of personality assessments in animals. He will discuss some major challenges that lie ahead for the field of animal personality and also consider the implications of this work in science (e.g., understanding the genetic bases of personality) and applied settings (e.g., identifying dogs well suited to explosive-detection work).

When: To be presented Live ONLINE through our Ethology and Canine Behavior lecture series on September 6, 2012 at 6:00 PM EST. Register HERE.

If you miss the live lecture, you can always check out the OnDemand version HERE.

Cost is $25

Length: 90 minutes including a 15 minute question and answer session.

Horses!!!?? SO why would a dog person want to know anything about working with horses?

For me, horses are proof that it isn’ t necessary to be cruel or strong-arm an animal to elicit a behavior or change a behavior. After all, do you really think a 100-200 pound 2-legged being (human) could MAKE a 1000 pound animal do something out of pure force…no. Learning how a horse learns something is an experience every dog owner or trainer should have. It reveals the importance of fair, clear and consistent communication. A horse would have no part of anything less.

Most horses live their lives in some sort of confinement. Some are lucky enough to live in herds in large pastures. This is the normal environment for a horse. Others, are kept in smaller areas of confinement such as a “run” a corral, or even a stall.  Their only contact with other horses may be through stall walls or a fence. For horses in any type of confinement outside of that huge pasture in a herd, stress or boredom is often the result. There are ways for their human care-takers to enhance these horses’ lives and this lecture emphasizes these. Just as dogs who are confined without physical, emotional or mental stimulation develop unwanted behaviors, so too do horses. Learning through cross-species studies will help the dog owner, enthusiast, trainer, behaviorist or other professional learn more about the canine.

Yes, this presentation is relevant for any species who spends time confined. With dozens of photos and video demonstrations, Barbara Handelman, author of the top-selling book,  CANINE BEHAVIOR – A PHOTO ILLUSTRATED HANDBOOK, will show the student how to identify the behaviors a stressed horse exhibits. She also will present a range of training challenges that can occupy horses and their trainers during a period of confinement along with introducing a variety of food-dispensing toys that provide mental stimulation and simulate foraging for food.

Presented through the Ethology and Behavior Lecture Series, this 90 minute Live lecture will be recorded for OnDemand viewing as well.  The date of the Live lecture is Thursday, August 9, 2012 at 8:00 PM EDT.

Cost: $25

To register for this lecture either Live (online) or OnDemand go here:

https://e-trainingfordogs.com/2011/03/ethology-and-canine-behaviour-series/

Dr. Reid to describe the story behind the exciting research that demonstrates that dogs, like children, can learn that certain words represent individual objects, and other words represent categories of objects, independent in meaning of what they are asked to do with those objects.

Register HERE:  https://e-trainingfordogs.com/2011/03/ethology-and-canine-behaviour-series/

Press Releases:
PitEngine
PR.com-Dr. Alliston Reid Discusses the Science Underlying Chaser, the Border Collie Who Knows the Names of 1,022 Objects, in Online Webinar Brought to You by E-Training for Dogs

May 25, 2012 – Windsor, CO – E-Training for Dogs, the most extensive online dog training educational site on the Internet and provider of a wide selection of webinars for the dog owner, dog trainer, breeder and canine enthusiast, will hold an online webinar featuring Dr. Alliston Reid, who will share the rigorous science underlying the story of Chaser, the Border Collie, who knows the names of 1,022 objects, on (June 7, 2012 at 6 PM EST). NOTE: This webinar will be recorded and available for viewing OnDemand anytime after the Live lecture.

The research with Chaser, by Dr. John Pilley and Dr. Alliston Reid, has received worldwide attention this past year. Chaser’s incredible language abilities have been featured in a wide variety of news outlets around the World and are demonstrated on NOVA ScienceNOW where Dr. Neil Tyson tested Chaser’s knowledge of 1022 names of objects.

The webinar will feature, Dr. Alliston Reid describing the story behind the exciting research (published in the journal Behavioural Processes)  that demonstrates that dogs, like children, can learn that certain words represent individual objects, and other words represent categories of objects, independent in meaning of what they are asked to do with those objects.

About Alliston K. Reid, Ph.D.  Dr. Reid received his B. S. degree from WoffordCollegein 1975 with a major in psychology. As a student, he was passionately involved in research in experimental psychology and neuropsychology, working closely with Dr. Pilley and Dr. Scott on several research projects. Dr. Reid received his Ph.D. degree from DukeUniversityin experimental psychology with a minor in zoology. He came to WoffordCollegein 1996 when his favorite mentor, Dr. John Pilley, decided to retire. Dr. Reid served as chairman of the psychology department from 1998 to 2004. At Wofford, Dr. Reid was awarded the Governor’s Distinguished Professor Award by Governor Mark Sanford in 2004. At graduation in May 2005, Dr. Reid was awarded the Roger Milliken Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Science, which provides $50,000 over a ten-year period to promote faculty development. For three years, he served as Program Chair for the Society for the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior (SQAB) and special editor of the journal, Behavioural Processes, which publishes the proceedings of the SQAB conference as a special issue each year. Currently, Dr. Reid serves as President of the Society for the Quantitative Analyses of Behavior. In 2010 Dr. Reid was appointed Reeves Family Professor of Psychology due to the continued generosity of Ed Reeves and his family.

The Pet Loss Companioning course at E-Training for Dogs is our newest offering in quality and informative webinars.

This is an 8 session webinar course co-taught by Coleen Ellis and Joe Dwyer. Each lesson is in lecture format designed to provide real steps and actions that will teach the student how to help others, or yourself, through the loss of a beloved pet.

As more and more people are acknowledging that their pets are more than just animals and that they are members of the family, they are demanding the same types of services that we would want and expect of our human family members.  While Pet Parents did all they could for their furry children during life, they also want to make sure that the same can be said in death.  Furthermore, they will feel comforted in knowing that, most of all, their feelings of grief are validated.  As Pet Care Professionals, while it’s our responsibility to help pet parents with the loss of their pet, it’s also an area that many people are uncomfortable with.  In the eight Pet Loss Companioning webinars, many different aspects of death and grief are explored as the attendees learn the intricacies of one of life’s inevitable events.

In the eight Pet Loss Companioning webinars, many different aspects of death
and grief are explored as the attendees learn the intricacies of one of life’s inevitable events: Death.

Each session will consist of a lecture, a quiz, and reflection homework that helps the student to absorb the material. This course is OnDemand (available at any time for the student’s participation).

To learn more and to register, go HERE.

This course is co-taught by Coleen Ellis, the first awardee of the Death and Grief Studies Certification specializing in Pet Loss Companioning by Dr. Alan Wolfelt at Colorado State University and Joe Dwyer, a graduate of Emerson Theological Institute as a certified Animal Chaplain and pet parent of Daniel, the Beagle who survived the gas chamber.

RACE CEU credits available.
CCPDT and IAABC CEU’s pending