By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A friendly dog can make older people feel less isolated -- and it appears to make little difference if that wagging tail belongs to a robot doggie or the real thing.
Researchers at Saint Louis University in Missouri compared a 35-pound (16 kg), floppy-eared mutt named Sparky with AIBO, a far-from-lifelike robot dog, to see how residents of three U.S. nursing homes would respond.
"The most surprising thing is they worked almost equally well in terms of alleviating loneliness and causing residents to form attachments," said Dr. William Banks, a professor of geriatric medicine who worked on the study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
Banks said pets have been shown to help older people feel less isolated. "It really improves loneliness considerably," he said in a telephone interview.
But many senior citizens are too frail to care for a pet or have had to give up their own animals when they went to the nursing home. "They really miss that bond," he said.
Banks and colleagues decided to see if a faux fido might offer some comfort.
The researchers studied 38 nursing home residents who were divided into three groups. One got regular visits from Banks' pet Sparky, another got visits from the AIBO Entertainment Robot, a shiny robot dog formerly made by Sony Corp that used artificial intelligence to interact with its environment and express emotion.
The third group got no visits from either dog.
Banks said he had been sure Sparky would have the edge, but to his surprise, both dogs provided virtually equal comfort after seven weeks of visits.
While AIBO has been discontinued, Banks thinks similar robots could offer companionship for older people and might even be programmed to keep tabs on their owners, alerting emergency workers of a sudden fall.
"Loneliness is common in nursing homes. Robots may be very useful for people who cannot for whatever reason have access to a living dog," Banks said.
Thursday, 28 February 2008
The Dog Health Problem Licking Excessively
By Wade Robins
Almost every dog licks himself or herself at some time or another. This can irritate owners if it becomes excessive and persistent. The explanations for this problem are many as some reason are health related and some may be physiological. Different breeds of dogs lick because of the characteristics of the breed; others do it because they are frightened or have a health condition. Determining the reason can be time consuming for the dog owner, but a vet might find the reason quicker.
The Dog Health Problem Licking is Biological
Female dogs lick their puppies to keep them clean and free from fifth. When pups are born, the mother cleans them after birth and removes the film and body fluids that are common after birth. This also helps to arouse breathing in the newborn puppies. Another reason for the female to lick the newborns is to get the puppies to pass urine and feces. The puppies will sometimes lick the lips of the mother to persuade her to vomit so they can eat, this does not always happen if owners help with the care of the puppies.
Dog Health Problems Licking due to Psychological Reasons
Signs of stress or fatigue will cause a dog to lick excessively. If you compare human behavior to a dog’s behavior, you will see that people twirl their hair or something like that when they are bored or stressed and dogs lick themselves for the same reason, they only have this to do. Dogs react to different situations by licking and sometimes chewing on their paws or legs.
In some cases, excessive licking may result in other health problems such as dermatitis. Dogs make lick walls, floors, and anything they can find. Around this same line, some dogs eat fuzz off the floor as a way of expressing stress or displeasure. If you have ever seen a dog with hair or fuzz in their mouth and the continued mouth movement trying get it swallowed or out of the mouth is just as irritating as excessive licking. Treatment can only be given if there is an underlying health problem.
Some believe that behavior training corrects the problem, but punishment is not the answer. Rewarding the dog for not licking may take some time, but some dogs respond to this type of training to correct the licking problem. Some breeders believe in treats for curing excessive licking behavior.
If you notice any skin problems resulting from excessive licking, you need to contact a vet to correct any conditions arising from this behavior before a serious condition results. Some dogs will lick and lick until they have bald spots, this can cause other health complications such as dermatitis or skin infections if the lick the shin raw. The dog health problem licking condition may be something like adjusting the diet or providing a quiet room for the dog to get away from all the commotion that can cause stress. Either way, whether it is biological or psychological, your dog needs some kind of help.
By Wade Robins
Almost every dog licks himself or herself at some time or another. This can irritate owners if it becomes excessive and persistent. The explanations for this problem are many as some reason are health related and some may be physiological. Different breeds of dogs lick because of the characteristics of the breed; others do it because they are frightened or have a health condition. Determining the reason can be time consuming for the dog owner, but a vet might find the reason quicker.
The Dog Health Problem Licking is Biological
Female dogs lick their puppies to keep them clean and free from fifth. When pups are born, the mother cleans them after birth and removes the film and body fluids that are common after birth. This also helps to arouse breathing in the newborn puppies. Another reason for the female to lick the newborns is to get the puppies to pass urine and feces. The puppies will sometimes lick the lips of the mother to persuade her to vomit so they can eat, this does not always happen if owners help with the care of the puppies.
Dog Health Problems Licking due to Psychological Reasons
Signs of stress or fatigue will cause a dog to lick excessively. If you compare human behavior to a dog’s behavior, you will see that people twirl their hair or something like that when they are bored or stressed and dogs lick themselves for the same reason, they only have this to do. Dogs react to different situations by licking and sometimes chewing on their paws or legs.
In some cases, excessive licking may result in other health problems such as dermatitis. Dogs make lick walls, floors, and anything they can find. Around this same line, some dogs eat fuzz off the floor as a way of expressing stress or displeasure. If you have ever seen a dog with hair or fuzz in their mouth and the continued mouth movement trying get it swallowed or out of the mouth is just as irritating as excessive licking. Treatment can only be given if there is an underlying health problem.
Some believe that behavior training corrects the problem, but punishment is not the answer. Rewarding the dog for not licking may take some time, but some dogs respond to this type of training to correct the licking problem. Some breeders believe in treats for curing excessive licking behavior.
If you notice any skin problems resulting from excessive licking, you need to contact a vet to correct any conditions arising from this behavior before a serious condition results. Some dogs will lick and lick until they have bald spots, this can cause other health complications such as dermatitis or skin infections if the lick the shin raw. The dog health problem licking condition may be something like adjusting the diet or providing a quiet room for the dog to get away from all the commotion that can cause stress. Either way, whether it is biological or psychological, your dog needs some kind of help.
Barking dog problems
How To Quickly Understand And Fix Your Dogs' Barking Problem
By Elise Rogers
View all articles by Elise Rogers Do you have a dog that enjoys barking constantly? There are a few ways to certainly get the noise to lessen, if not completely go away. You will first need to determine what is causing your dog to bark. Then, according to the cause, you will want embark on this training journey.
The first common kind of barking is barking spurred on by boredom. With owners away most of the day with full time jobs, your pet can only nap and play by himself for so long. So, what sounds like a good idea? Barking of course. How do you go about fixing this issue? You will want to make sure you provide your pet with enough toys to keep him occupied for some time. You can teach your dog how to play hide-and-seek with his toys, and when you leave for work in the morning, hide a few toys. This gives your doggie ample time to search for his toys throughout the day and in between naps. You can also buy “puzzle” toys for Fido that take up time, and dogs usually love these kinds of toys because there is a challenge and it stimulates their brain.
Another cause of barking is alarm barking. This is when your dog barks to alert you to something that is going on. Some examples of this would the mailman, someone at the door, or another dog walking by in the street. Your dog probably sees this as helpful, and they keep barking in efforts to make you aware of it. One of the best ways to help this is when your dog barks to alert you of someone he hasseen or heard, let them know that you are aware of the situation, and thank them. What you will later want to do is to train them to stop barking on command, using cues such as saying “quiet” in a soft commanding tone. This will take time and effort, and you may want to take a training class for you and your dog or check out a few barking books from your local library.
A third kind of barking is attention barking. Your dog barks because he is hungry; he barks when he needs to go outside; he barks when he wants you to play with him…the list endless. If your dog is barking because he is hungry or needs to go outside, these are basic things that do need to be attended to. However, if you still want your dog to stop barking, you will need to teach Fido alternative ways of communicating. For example, if your dog is hungry and wants food, teach him to walk over to his food bowl and sit silently. Alternative means of communication take time, but it is well worth the effort!
Finally, remember that it is never too late to train your dog in the area of barking. As a dog gets older and more set in his ways, it may be a little more trying, but it is possible. Also remember to reward your dog abundantly when he does things right. If you feel you must punish your pup, a harmless and safe way to do so is by keeping a water spritzer nearby. If your dog barks, simply spritz them with water on the nose and say “No.” Good luck training your barky dog! If you need additional information, libraries and pet stores offer excellent training resources.
By Elise Rogers
View all articles by Elise Rogers Do you have a dog that enjoys barking constantly? There are a few ways to certainly get the noise to lessen, if not completely go away. You will first need to determine what is causing your dog to bark. Then, according to the cause, you will want embark on this training journey.
The first common kind of barking is barking spurred on by boredom. With owners away most of the day with full time jobs, your pet can only nap and play by himself for so long. So, what sounds like a good idea? Barking of course. How do you go about fixing this issue? You will want to make sure you provide your pet with enough toys to keep him occupied for some time. You can teach your dog how to play hide-and-seek with his toys, and when you leave for work in the morning, hide a few toys. This gives your doggie ample time to search for his toys throughout the day and in between naps. You can also buy “puzzle” toys for Fido that take up time, and dogs usually love these kinds of toys because there is a challenge and it stimulates their brain.
Another cause of barking is alarm barking. This is when your dog barks to alert you to something that is going on. Some examples of this would the mailman, someone at the door, or another dog walking by in the street. Your dog probably sees this as helpful, and they keep barking in efforts to make you aware of it. One of the best ways to help this is when your dog barks to alert you of someone he hasseen or heard, let them know that you are aware of the situation, and thank them. What you will later want to do is to train them to stop barking on command, using cues such as saying “quiet” in a soft commanding tone. This will take time and effort, and you may want to take a training class for you and your dog or check out a few barking books from your local library.
A third kind of barking is attention barking. Your dog barks because he is hungry; he barks when he needs to go outside; he barks when he wants you to play with him…the list endless. If your dog is barking because he is hungry or needs to go outside, these are basic things that do need to be attended to. However, if you still want your dog to stop barking, you will need to teach Fido alternative ways of communicating. For example, if your dog is hungry and wants food, teach him to walk over to his food bowl and sit silently. Alternative means of communication take time, but it is well worth the effort!
Finally, remember that it is never too late to train your dog in the area of barking. As a dog gets older and more set in his ways, it may be a little more trying, but it is possible. Also remember to reward your dog abundantly when he does things right. If you feel you must punish your pup, a harmless and safe way to do so is by keeping a water spritzer nearby. If your dog barks, simply spritz them with water on the nose and say “No.” Good luck training your barky dog! If you need additional information, libraries and pet stores offer excellent training resources.
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