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Artificially intelligent Dr. Doolittles can understand dog barks as well or better than humans do. These findings suggest computers might significantly help people comprehend animal communication. Scientists tested artificially intelligent software on more than 6,000 barks from 14 Hungarian sheepdogs. After analyzing digital versions of the barks, overall the computer program correctly identified the kinds of barks the dogs made 43 percent of the time - about the same as humans' 40 percent, said researcher Csaba Molnar, an ethologist at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary. The software identified 'walk' and 'ball' barks better than people, although people identified 'play' and 'alone' barks better than the software.
The small group of veterans gathers at Riverside's March Field Air Museum once a year, traveling from all corners of the country, to mourn forgotten heroes of battle. They come to honor the dogs that saved lives by detecting booby traps and watching over military camps, dogs that became trusted friends in times of loneliness. The meeting point is the 16-foot-tall West Coast War Dog Memorial, which holds a bronze statue of a soldier and his German shepherd. For years, veterans have sought to have the contributions of war dogs recognized with a national monument. The West Coast memorial, designed by Denver-area sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg, was to have been placed at Riverside National Cemetery, but a national Veterans Affairs advisory committee argued that doing so would be disrespectful. The museum agreed to take it, and the veterans to meet there every year on the Sunday before Memorial Day.
Shih Tzu dogs are highly intelligent creatures and many pet owners do not give them enough credit when it comes to the way they can read and understand our body language. Some people have no idea that the body language that we display has a major impact on how well a Shih Tzu dog will listen to us and obey our commands. Using the correct form of body language can also quickly stop your Shih Tzu dog from displaying an improper behavior. Let's use a very common example, such as the overexcited Shih Tzu dog who likes to jump on every guest that comes to your door. We all go through this with our puppy or adult Shih Tzu dog at some point in time. As soon as the guests arrive your Shih Tzu is overwhelmed with happiness and excitement about who is at the door and whether or not they are going to play with him.
'If you do what you love, you'll never 'work' another day in your life," says Connie Pinkerton, who left a corporate job after 22 years to become a dog trainer. The first step toward Pinkerton's career change began four years ago when she became a volunteer at Human Haven Animal Shelter (HHAS) in Bolingbrook. Bark Busters, a company comprised of dog behavioral therapists and trainers, demonstrated their training methods to HHAS volunteers and Pinkerton was sold on their mission to enable clear communication between owners and their dogs. Shortly after the demonstration, Pinkerton enrolled in the Bark Buster "boot camp" and became a certified trainer. Pinkerton's training makes her a valuable resource as an adoption counselor at HHAS, since she is able to provide assistance if problems occur after a dog is adopted. She uses non-physical training methods in the owner's home that teach the owner how to "talk to your dog in a dog's language," and has trained ...
The Rev. Laurence Mancuso, the founding abbot of the Monks of New Skete, whose hilltop monastery in upstate New York is renowned for breeding German shepherds and teaching a holistic approach to dog training, died on June 10 in Framingham, Mass. He was 72 and had lived in Natick, Mass., since his retirement in 2000. In 1969, a kennel in Morristown, N.J., donated a German shepherd to the monastery. But one winter night, the dog ran away. The monks had become so attached to the dog, Brother Stavros said, that they soon replaced it with two others, and then began breeding more. Soon, visitors who drove up the road to buy produce at the monastery began begging for puppies. With Father Laurence's approval, but under the supervision of another monk, the brothers studied veterinary medicine, animal nutrition and breeding techniques. The monastery's pack of German shepherds continued to grow, with one dog at a time assigned to each monk for training.
