MMilani.com http://www.mmilani.com/ Written by veterinarian, consultant, teacher, and author Myrna Milani, and dedicated to furthering our understanding of animal behavior, health, and the human-animal bond. Copyright 2006 Myrna Milani. This RSS feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. Please contact the author for other use. Feed Update: This feed is moving! This feed is being moved to http://blog.mmilani.com/feed/ as part of an effort to better serve you. On Wednesday, November 1st, this feed will no longer be updated. Please update your RSS readers to point to the new location.

]]> http://blog.mmilani.com/feed/ http://blog.mmilani.com/feed/ Commentary Mon, 30 Oct 2006 09:20:00 EST Good-by Leadership, Hello...IPIM? It's been obvious to me for years that using the term "leadership" to describe the ideal relationship between humans and companion animals was problematic. In my experience, people who lacked knowledge of animal behavior automatically would define the term as used in sports, politics, and corporate structure, i.e., the leader was the winner of the fight, leadership = domination. I got around this by explaining the difference to my clients and students, but using the same word to describe two almost opposite concepts was messy and confusing and I knew it.

Still, I was loathe to coin a new term because the companion animal behavior field already is knee-deep in obscure, often conflicting terminology that undermines rather than enhances quality communication. Adding another seemed like adding another load of manure to a field already so covered that it was stifling any new growth. But then a popular television show sounded the death knell for the term once and for all...

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200610.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200610.html Commentary Thu, 5 Oct 2006 09:00:00 EST Young Kids and Cats: Adding Claws and Other Feline Qualities to the Mix Like the relationship between dogs and young children, that between cats and kids has much to offer—provided the child's parents or caregivers recognize the needs and limits of cat and child alike. Unfortunately, many times parents know little or nothing about normal feline behavior, and what little they do know comes from poorly informed media sources. Other times they may mistakenly perceive cats as little dogs. Both behaviorally and physiologically, the latter approach wouldn't work even if the underlying canine knowledge were sound. But as we saw in the previous two commentaries, often people's knowledge about dogs is pretty iffy, too. In that case, we wind up with misinformation regarding one species being inappropriately applied to members of another. When it comes to cats and kids, the net result of this is that someone could get hurt.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200609.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200609.html Commentary Fri, 1 Sep 2006 08:30:00 EST A Recipe for Human-Canine Disaster: When Dogs Speak "Dog" to Infants and Young Children When a dog bites a person's face, it's not uncommon for someone to attribute the wounds to the dog's predatory nature. However, these bites rarely represent predatory responses. More often than not, these dogs are playing by dog- rather than human rules, thanks to the animal's relationship with humans. And dogs playing by dog rules naturally communicate in the way they communicate with other dogs: they use their teeth. Unfortunately when they communicate this way to young children and infants, the youngsters often get bitten on the face.

"Who cares why the dog bites?" you may ask. Well, I do for one because understanding what is going on will help parents protect themselves and their families from such injuries. And given the number of dogs who are euthanized for biting kids this way, this knowledge could save some dog lives, too.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200608.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200608.html Commentary Sat, 29 Jul 2006 06:30:00 EST Infants, Toddlers, Dogs, and the Human-Animal Bond Among the many presentations I've given are those to new parents regarding canine and feline behavioral-bond problems. And in spite of the fact that the best time to consider such issues is before the baby arrives, there are things that can be done after-the-fact to ensure both the animal's and the baby's well-being. Granted new parents often think that the new arrival leaves no time to worry about Spot or Kitty's little quirks. However, unless something is done to address those behavioral issues, trust me, there's a good chance they're going to get worse. Because of this, this month we're going to begin exploring a few topics relative to pets and kids, beginning with very young children and dogs.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200607.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200607.html Commentary Sat, 01 Jul 2006 08:30:00 EST Animal Learning and Teaching Theory Doggy Style For eleven weeks I was privileged to watch one of my dogs, Frica, imparting those lessons she considered critical to the survival of her three pups. What I learned from her further increased my conviction that we need to reevaluate the way teach animals. It also taught me how little we humans actually know about the animals over who we claim stewardship.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200606.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200606.html Commentary Thu, 01 Jun 2006 08:30:00 EST Less Than Picture Perfect: When Our Beliefs About Health Undermine Our Pets' Behavior This month I want to explore two common beliefs about health that particularly complicate the resolution of behavioral-bond problems: the beliefs that animals with such problems are healthy, and, two, that these problems are like medical ones which, when treated with drugs, are cured in a relatively short time. Of all the issues that those seeking to resolve serious behavioral-bond problems must address before they can make the necessary consistent, meaningful changes, these two often create the biggest stumbling blocks.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200605.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200605.html Commentary Mon, 01 May 2006 08:30:00 EST Flat and Round, Fat and Thin: Human Beliefs and Companion Animal Weight Did you ever read something that made such infinitely good sense that you immediately incorporated it into your personal philosophy? That's what happened to me years ago when I was reading Norman Cousin's Celebration of Life: A Dialogue on Immortality and Infinity. (Harper and Row, 1974). In it he notes that, when we believe that the world is flat, the further apart two people move, the greater the distance between them. But once we realize that the world is round, the further apart they move, the closer they become. So it is with ideas, too, and there are many examples of this in the companion animal realm. For example, consider the flat world of pet weight.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200604.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200604.html Commentary Sat, 01 Apr 2006 08:30:00 EST Reminder: Taking the Bite Out of Canine Aggression Seminar Looking for a comprehensive discussion of behavioral, physiological, and bond factors that contribute to normal and problem canine aggression? Even wonder about how aggression can affect canine health? Interested in preventing as well as treating aggressive behavior?

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/events-with-myrna-milani.html http://www.mmilani.com/events-with-myrna-milani.html#2 Events Tue, 28 Mar 2006 11:30:00 EST Tipping Points and the Human-Companion Animal Bond For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by tipping points, those points at which something superficially appears to change instantly. When I founded an organization to explore the interaction of animal health, behavior, and the human-animal relationship, there was no doubt in my mind that I would call it TippingPoint because so many natural displays conform to this principle. Rather than always plodding along like tortoises or leaping like hares, changes often reflect a combination of the two. Changes within an individual, species, or environment progress linearly and predictably up to a point, but then one more perhaps even seemingly insignificant movement in that same direction suddenly shifts everything in a completely new one.

Unfortunately, for many companion animals and their owners, such tipping points often reflect the collapse of the relationship following some canine or feline misdeed.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200603.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200603.html Commentary Fri, 03 Mar 2006 08:30:00 EST Event: Taking the Bite Out of Canine Aggression

Looking for a comprehensive discussion of behavioral, physiological, and bond factors that contribute to normal and problem canine aggression? Even wonder about how aggression can affect canine health? Interested in preventing as well as treating aggressive behavior?

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/events-with-myrna-milani.html http://www.mmilani.com/events-with-myrna-milani.html#1 Events Mon, 06 Feb 2006 10:00:00 EST Event: Mentoring for Animal Care Professionals Myrna Milani is now offering online one-to-one mentoring for animal care professionals.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/animal-professional-mentoring.html http://www.mmilani.com/animal-professional-mentoring.html Events Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:30:00 EST Wild About the Wild Model Periodically I'll attend a meeting at which someone will passionately pronounce that we should forget about wolf, wild dog, small wildcat, and any other animal studies except those regarding dogs and cats because they're irrelevant to what our pets do. According to them, we should focus all our energy on the behaviors displayed by companion animals right here and right now. I can understand the logic behind this approach, but I can't accept it for one perhaps selfish, but also highly practical reason.

To dispense with the selfish part first, few feelings delight me more than the realization that something that appears mind-numbingly complex and unique to a particular species shares common and quite elegant roots with all others. The highly practical reason is simple: it enables me to better diagnose and treat companion animal problems Three areas of current scientific research on "lower" animals demonstrate these connections quite clearly.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200602.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200602.html Commentary Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:30:00 EST Thoughts on Studies Comparing Species Intelligence Several groups of researchers currently conduct experiments in which chimpanzees and children of approximately the same age are asked to perform an identical task under identical conditions to compare their responses. Some who have interpreted the data thus far suggest that, at least under these circumstances, chimps may be smarter than humans. However, when I read about the experiments, several other considerations occurred to me based on my work with companion animals and experience as the grandmother of an almost 3-year-old.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200601.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200601.html Commentary Sun, 01 Jan 2006 08:30:00 EST True Animal Rights: The gift that keeps on giving In this season of peace and good will, the animosity between those who claim to speak for the animals and those who denigrate them seems more irritating and out of synch with reality than usual. In an attempt to clear the air of what often are more struggles for human power than any concern about animals, I offer the following, updated perspective of animal rights advocated by companion animal veterinarian Jacob Antelyes. He proposed these as the standard for all veterinarians for all animals, regardless of the animal's commercial value and the wealth and status of their owners. I will expand this to include all animals regardless of their emotional as well as commercial value, and propose it as a standard for all animal-care professionals as well as owners. To me, making these considerations part of our daily interactions with animals would be the best gift we could give them.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200512.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200512.html Commentary Thu, 01 Dec 2005 08:30:00 EST Reproductive Emotions and the Human-Companion Animal Bond Two months ago I wrote a commentary about spaying and neutering in which I quoted study results complied by one group that were misquoted by the author of another article. The legitimate confusion this generated as well as some of the highly emotional emails I received about that commentary has led me to think about the role emotions play in this issue. But first, the correction.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200511.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200511.html Commentary Tue, 01 Nov 2005 08:30:00 EST Hurricane Katrina and the Celebration of Companion Animal Survivors When Hurricane Katrina spun through the US in September, it stripped bear two concepts of great importance relative to the survival of companion animals. The first of these deals with leadership, the ideal relationship between human and companion animal, the core of which is the foresight and ability to initiate rather than react to events. I've long maintained that one reason it's so difficult for many Americans to grasp this concept relative to their pets is because such a dearth of leadership examples exists in our society. Any doubts I had about the validity of that observation vanished following Hurricane Katrina as evidence of the failure of leadership from the lowest to highest levels became painfully obvious.

The second concept relates to the emotion- rather than knowledge-driven representation of the companion animals who survived the storm. That they had the wherewithal to survive is, more often than not, shoved aside in favor of portraying them as victims of a horrible fate beyond their control. This saddens me for two reasons.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200510.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200510.html Commentary Mon, 03 Oct 2005 12:30:00 EST More Than Love: Striking the Balance Between Emotion and Knowledge in Human-Companion Animal Interactions Preparation for a recently completed series of seminars and presentations that addressed the role human emotions play in animal relationships resulted in an affirmation of a long-held suspicion: the views and approaches that gain the most attention are far more likely to be those driven by emotion than solid knowledge. Granted, this isn't something new. As the old saying reminds us, "Some people are like foghorns: the less they can see, the more noise they make."

In addition to garnering a lot more media support, an emotion-based approach is very appealing for many pet-owners. However, the pets who fall prey to this kind of thinking may not fare so well.

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200509.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200509.html Commentary Thu, 01 Sep 2005 08:30:00 EST Spay, Neuter, and Cancer: Revisiting an Old Trinity Perhaps no aspect of pet ownership in the U.S. elicits as passionately supportive emotions as the subject of spay and neuter. In fact, this orientation is so well established that saying anything that questions the procedure is akin to blasphemy. However, just as women were routinely relieved of`their reproductive organs with a "La de da, you'll never miss 'em" attitude until studies exploring the nonreproductive effects of reproductive hormones made human physicians rethink this position, so veterinarians and other animal-care professionals are making tentative moves to rethink wholesale sterilization of companion animals, too.

To understand what difference this may make in our attitudes about the procedure, let's consider the subject of cancer. Most dog owners will mention that spay and neuter prevent testicular and mammary (breast) cancer: however is that the whole story relative to cancer or is there more to it?

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200508.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200508.html Commentary Mon, 01 Aug 2005 08:00:00 EST The Bully Pulpit: Getting the Politics and Emotion Out of Animal Legislation When I recently gave a seminar in California, the San Francisco area was in a tizzy over proposed breed-specific legislation that would ban those breeds of dogs certain individuals or groups consider problematic. As always when such legislation is proposed, it precipitated a feeding frenzy in a media community often far more interested in sound bites than dog bites. An old truism has long maintained that animals make good media, but media-savvy politicians and others are now discovering that they can tap into that media base for their own use by using animals (and their owners), too. This, in turn, means that the motive underlying any animal legislation may have little to do with benefitting animals, and a lot to do with benefitting certain individuals or special interest groups.

So, how can you tell whether any animal legislation will truly benefit animals?

]]> http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200507.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200507.html Commentary Fri, 01 Jul 2005 08:00:00 EST Pets As Family Members - Elevation or Demotion? http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200506.html http://www.mmilani.com/commentary-200506.html Commentary Wed, 01 Jun 2005 08:00:00 EST Event: Marin Humane Society Details: A two-day weekend seminar on human and animal emotions as they affect companion animal health, behavior, and human-animal relationship. Myrna will be giving a presentation titled That Lovin' Feeling: Human and animal emotions as they affect companion animal health, behavior, and the human-animal relatioship.]]> http://www.mmilani.com/events-with-myrna-milani.html http://www.mmilani.com/events-with-myrna-milani.html Events Wed, 01 Jun 2005 08:00:00 EST