Gifted word-learning dogs can remember the names of their toys for years

This is a study which confirms perhaps what some lucky people might already know namely that gifted dogs can remember the names of their favourite toys for two years or more and therefore have excellent memories.

And almost all dogs can learn words linked to actions as we also know because they are very trainable. They understand words such as "sit" and "down". But only a small group of gifted dogs described as "gifted word-learners" can learn a wide range of words associated with particular objects.

The research was carried out at Eotvos University. In this study, the researchers challenge the owners of six border college to teach their pets the names of 12 new toys within seven days. The study showed that the dogs were able to learn the names and retrieve the correct toy when requested to do so.

Once the tests had been completed the owners were asked to hide the toys and store them out of sight. They then waited two years to see whether the dogs could remember them.

"We waited two years and then decided to test the dogs again to see if they still remember the toy names."

There was no rehearsal as I understand it. One of the six dogs had died so the remaining five were tested. And in some instances some toys had been lost so in all three dogs were tested in respect of 12 toys with one tested on 11 toys and one dog on five toys.

"After two years, we had a hard time remembering the names of the toys but just the dogs. They did not seem to struggle."

Four dogs remember the names of between 60% and 75% of the toys. They confirmed this by naming the toy in the spoken word followed by the dogs picking up the correct toy out of a line-up of toys. They did this correctly on 44% of attempts.

This was "significantly above chance level". The report is that a dog faced with 12 toys "would be expected to get it right 8.3% of the time if it was simply guessing, while a dog faced with five toys would get it right 20% of the time based on chance alone". That quote comes from the Times newspaper of September 4, 2024.

The study is published in the journal Biology Letters.

It said that "When comparing the dogs' group performance in the present two-year memory test with that of the one and two-month memory test, it appears there was no significant reduction in their recall of the labelled objects."

The head of the research group, Dr. Claudia Fugazza, said: 

"We know that dogs can remember events for at least 24 hours and odours for up to one year, but this is the first study showing that some talented dogs can remember words for at least two years."

She added that: 

"The findings are our current study cannot be generalised to other dogs because we only tested gifted word-than dogs i.e. individuals that show a special talent for acquiring object words." 

Border collies were found to be the most gifted breed when it comes to vocabulary and the naming of objects. German shepherds, Pekinese and the mini Australian shepherd dogs may have the same talents.

There was a global search for gifted dogs to conduct the test apparently. They were all found to know more than 28 toys by name with some being able to recognise more than 100 toys, remarkably.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Putin is good at 2 things: warming the planet and making devastating weapons

This is a quick note because this news has got my goat! I have decided that Putin is good at three things: producing oil and gas and manufacturing devastating weapons. The oil and gas significantly contribute to global warming which is an existential threat to humankind while the devastating weapons he produces kills, maims thousands of people including children and destroys their homes and vital infrastructure including hospitals, schools and libraries et cetera.

So, Putin is good at making things which destroy humankind, damage humankind, damage the planet and therefore he is an incredibly negative presence on the planet. He is a menace to humankind, world peace and stability. He needs to be stopped as soon as possible.

The world in general is too tolerant of him. We simply react to what he does by for example helping Ukraine defend themselves against his illegal invasion of their country to try and annex it to Russia.

But why does humankind tolerate this man? In fact some countries support him like China, North Korea and India. This is highly immoral behaviour. It is a behaviour which damages the prospects of our very existence.

Today, in my newspaper, there is the story of Vladimir Putin visiting the leader of Mongolia which might strike some people as very strange because Mongolia is a signed up member to the International Criminal Court. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Putin for the forced deportation of Ukrainian kids. And yet, the leader of Mongolia has failed to ensure that Putin is arrested under that arrest warrant. And therefore Mongolia is supporting Putin's criminality. How does the world view that?

By newspaper also tells me that Ukrainian officials, human rights groups and Russian opposition figures have all urged Mongolia to honour its legal obligations and arrest Putin during his two-day visit. But he was greeted by the Mongolian Foreign Minister before walking down a red carpet flanked by guards. There was a guard of honour to welcome him and shepherd him through the main square for his meeting with the president. The Kremlin had earlier brushed away any speculation that Mongolia could detain him. Putin's spokesman said that there "are no worries. We have a great dialogue with our friends from Mongolia".

As I said, too many leaders in this world are supportive of Putin despite the fact that he is a persistent and serial murderer and criminal of the highest order. He needs to be stopped as stated. It appears to me that the world simply lacks enough integrity to do what is right and necessary. Mongolia's behavior also fatally undermines the ICC.

In the newspapers today, to make a point, there is the story that Russia is developing a nuclear powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile, that could, in theory, circle the earth for an indefinite period of time. It has been nicknamed "the flying Chernobyl". No doubt he is very proud of it. Another armament which threatens humanity. How can you be proud of that?

The weapon is apparently stored in a bunker in Vologda about 295 miles north of Moscow. He wants to develop invincible weapons and the most devastating weapons possible. He's constantly pronouncing to the world in shocking declarations that he will push the nuclear button if the West threatens Russia beyond a certain threshold.

These are idle threats but they are unpleasant threats. And they are getting worse. He has changed the nuclear policy of Russia. It is more likely he'll use them because he perceives a threat from the West. He is inherently hostile to the West. He can't see straight. His deeply ingrained hatred and disdain of Western values colours his thinking and behaviour.

And he's used illegal armaments against Ukraine. He has killed children in their hundreds. He is killed hundreds of thousands of animals and left many more homeless. He's killed grandmothers in their beds. He's done the most horrifically objectionable things and yet we tolerate him. 

He is a threat to humanity and he must be stopped. It needs courage and bold behaviour from the West to do this. Let's see it.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Another cat-abusing trend on TikTok which veterinarians have criticised

It seems that TikTok is famous for animal abuse and in this instance a mild or perhaps in some cases quite severe example of domestic cat abuse from which the TikTok channel owners achieve an increase in viewings and revenue and also some celebrity.

It is a simple example of exploiting the domestic cat and abusing the domestic cat in order to achieve some fame on social media and this has been going on for many years. It is very unfortunate. 

In this instance, specifically, TikTok channel owners are carting their domestic cats off to the pub to join the throngs of people there which is all very well if the cat is very outgoing and entirely used to it, socialised to it and acclimatise to it and possibly enjoys it.

But that kind of domestic cat is going to be exceedingly rare. It seems to me - and this is what is being reported - that many of these cats are going to be stressed, anxious and worried about being manhandled by their owners to accompany them into a public house where people are going to be talking noisily, where there will be lots of people and where there will be lots of booze which makes people more noisy and sometimes irresponsible in terms of cat caregiving and cat care.

More: A good example of domestic cat exploitation on TikTok showing a grossly obese cat

I'm not criticising in anyway people going to the pub for a good time because people need some fun nowadays in a stressful and difficult world. But it must be the case that these people are taking a domestic cat companion to the pub to achieve more views on their TikTok account. That's the objective. And that is a misplaced objective if it requires there cat is stressed and upset.

More: TikTok: a hotbed for companion animal cruelty crazes.

It appears, according to the Daily Mail that it is Gen Z cat owners (up to 27) who are doing this. One TikTok user, Lara, from the UK, took her cat to the pub and her video that she made from the exploit went viral.

It is a 16 second video which opens up with the social media user carrying her cat who appeared visibly stressed we are told in a blanket to her car. This is the first picture on this page (above). She has a white cat and a pink blanket.

After enduring a car journey her cat then spent the entire evening being cradled by Lara in a pub garden as she socialised with friends. Her video garnered over 262,000 views and is captioned: "Lola loves a pinot now."

There is a reference to Pinot Noir wine which no doubt Lara loves.

In another TikTok video another owner is seen bringing his pet to the pub fully kitted out in a black harness and a £240 Prada bag stop those the picture below.

You can see that the cat is anxious with her eyes wide open and her ears pinned back against her head. These are signs of anxiety which you must expect in this situation. It is very rare for a cat to accept being carried into a noisy interior full of strangers. Some do as mentioned but I would reckon about 95% of domestic cats would hate this.

There is a picture of a Scottish Fold as well taken into a boozer in London while wearing a harness. The cat rides the underground as well and is called Six Beans. That's the picture with the pint of lager on its head below. The cat looks quite calm actually and I suspect that this cat has been taken up for and has got used to it.

Veterinarians are complaining because it is ultimately likely to be an abuse, and the cats are going to be stressed normally. They argue that some cats can be trained to become more resilient in these busy environments but they need to be introduced to them slowly and positively from a young age they say. Correct.

Battersea Cats & Dogs Home recommend that cat owners take at least five or six weeks to ensure that their cat gets used to the outdoors and this difficult environment giving plenty of treats on the way and at all times using a harness because of a domestic cat becomes anxious and scared and runs away then you've got chaos and the cat becomes endangered.

And if you keep a cat in I harness you got to train the cat to accept a harness so all in all to do this kind of thing with a cat requires a lot of preparation and training and it appears to me that these people are not doing that.

Source: Daily Mail.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Statewide cat containment desired in Western Australia

In Australia, there appears to be a clash between the Cat Act 2011 of Western Australia (WA) which provides powers to local governments regarding domestic cat management and federal laws which are able to demand state-wide cat confinement. WA wants a more harmonious approach across WA regarding cat confinement with a complete ban on indoor/outdoor cats.

Perth council will ban cats from going outside with $5000 fines

Councils including the cities of South Perth, Bayswater, Fremantle, Canning and Vincent have long been pushing for cat containment laws, with claims free roaming cats kill up to 340 million native animals each year. Fremantle councillor Adin Lang — who has been petitioning for cat containment laws since 2019 — said WA was lagging behind the rest of the country.

The Western Australia Cat Act 2011 provides limited jurisdiction over cat confinement. Correct? Yes, that's correct. The Western Australia Cat Act 2011 provides a legislative framework for the management and control of domestic cats in Western Australia, but its provisions on cat confinement are indeed limited.

The Act primarily focuses on issues such as the registration, microchipping, and sterilization of cats. It also grants local governments the authority to create and enforce local laws concerning the control and management of cats within their jurisdictions. However, it does not impose strict statewide requirements for cat confinement.

Instead, local governments can use the powers given by the Act to establish their own rules regarding cat confinement, including curfews or restrictions on cats being allowed to roam freely. As a result, cat confinement regulations can vary significantly between different areas in Western Australia, depending on the local laws put in place by each local government.

Western Australia has the power to confine domestic cats to their homes across the entire state. At the moment there is a patchwork of local laws governing the containment of cats to their homes under local legislation. Local governments can enforce laws only about the registration and impounding of cats under the Western Australia Cat Act 2011. The local governments cannot enforce laws across the entire state which has resulted in disharmony regarding legislation on cat confinement.

It is argued by advocates of domestic cat confinement that the debates that took place before the Cat Act 2011 came into a force, indicate that the act was intended to allow local governments to make their own laws for cat containment.

As this is not happening, there are demands that the act is reviewed and amended to allow local governments within the entire area of Western Australia to create a unified approach to domestic cat confinement which they regard as the best method of cat ownership because it is better for the cats and better for wildlife. And the underlying reason as you probably know is that Australians want to protect their precious native species from domestic, feral and stray cat predation.

That's why, the Australian continent is the home of cat confinement. They been pushing for it for a long time in conjunction with killing feral cats as fast as possible. There will come a day in Australia when all domestic cats are confined to the home and when that day arrives I sincerely hope that cat caregivers have taken on board the responsibility to ensure that the interior of their home is suitable for a cat meaning mentally stimulating because at the moment they aren't. Very far from it.

Confining a domestic cat to their home is okay provided environment is enriched which requires an investment in time and money but this, as mentioned, isn't taking place. And therefore local and federal governments are driving cats to a poorer environment and lifestyle which will probably inevitably lead to poorer cat health due to stress and obesity.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Five dogs attack woman in her kitchen almost killing her. Why?

An unprovoked attack by multiple dogs on a woman could be attributed to several potential factors. We are not told if the woman, Heidi, was the owner or was looking after the dogs for someone. Or if the dogs were seized and put down because they were dangerously out of control. It seems that technically Heidi might have been in charge of the dogs but someone else might have been there. We are not told about that either. She was very gravely injured almost losing her right leg plus many other serious wounds.

Heidi. Image: Channel 4.

Here are some potential reasons for the attack:

1. **Pack Mentality**: In a group, dogs can sometimes exhibit a pack mentality, where they may collectively engage in behaviour that they wouldn't normally display individually. Once one dog initiated aggression, the others might have followed suit.

2. **Dominance Issues**: If the dogs perceived the owner as weak or not in control, they might have challenged her position in the household hierarchy. This could lead to an aggressive assertion of dominance.

3. **Resource Guarding or Competition**: There could have been underlying tension among the dogs over resources like food, space, or attention, which escalated into aggression directed at the owner.

4. **Stress or Fear**: The dogs might have been experiencing stress, anxiety, or fear, which could have triggered an aggressive response. This could be due to environmental factors, lack of proper socialization, or previous negative experiences.

5. **Medical Issues**: One or more dogs might have been suffering from a medical condition that affected their behaviour, such as pain, neurological issues, or hormonal imbalances, leading to unpredictable aggression.

6. **Lack of Training or Leadership**: Without clear boundaries, training, and leadership from the owner, dogs may become confused or insecure, potentially leading to aggression as they try to assert control or deal with their uncertainty.

This tragic incident highlights the importance of understanding canine behavior, providing proper training, and ensuring a stable environment in multi-dog households.

In a home where there are five dogs if the owner is not the alpha dog can the five dogs get it into their mind to attack the owner?

While it's uncommon, in some cases, dogs in a multi-dog household can develop behaviors that may lead to aggression toward their owner, especially if there are issues related to hierarchy, dominance, or a lack of clear leadership. However, the idea that the owner not being the "alpha" automatically leads to an attack is more complex and nuanced.

Here are some factors to consider:

1. **Hierarchy and Leadership**: Dogs are social animals and often look for a leader, especially in a group setting. If the owner is not seen as the leader, or if there is confusion about the hierarchy within the pack, it can lead to instability and insecurity among the dogs. This could manifest in challenging behavior, but not necessarily an attack.

2. **Resource Guarding**: In some cases, dogs may become aggressive if they feel they need to compete for resources like food, toys, or attention. If the owner is perceived as a competitor rather than a provider or leader, this could potentially lead to aggressive behavior.

3. **Pack Mentality**: In a group, dogs can sometimes feed off each other's energy. If one dog becomes aggressive, others may follow suit. This is more likely to happen if the dogs are highly aroused or stressed, and the owner is not able to effectively intervene.

4. **Lack of Socialization or Training**: Dogs that are not properly socialized or trained may be more prone to aggressive behavior. In a group setting, poor behavior in one dog can influence the behavior of others.

5. **Fear or Stress**: Dogs may become aggressive out of fear or stress. If the owner inadvertently causes fear or stress in the dogs (through harsh discipline, for example), it could lead to defensive aggression.

To prevent such situations, it's crucial for the owner to establish themselves as a calm, confident leader through positive reinforcement training, setting clear boundaries, and ensuring each dog feels secure and knows their place within the household structure. Consulting with a professional dog trainer or behaviorist can be beneficial in managing a multi-dog household and preventing aggressive behavior.

P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.