I’d seen a lot of references to this book by Dr. Karen Overall � but its high price tag (about $70) kept me from actually buying it. But I finally bit the bullet - and boy, am I glad I did! This book is incredible, a real gold mine of information and protocols for dealing with behavior problems in dogs and cats. It starts out discussing normal canine and feline behavior, and goes into increasing detail from there. There’s a chapter on taking a behavioral history, extensive information on aggression (both canine and feline), and discussions of management and behavioral modification techniques for a variety of problem behaviors. (more…)

If you have a deaf dog, or are thinking of adopting a deaf dog, the Deaf Dog Education Action Fund (DDEAF) has a great website with information on living with and training deaf dogs.

Their FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page includes information on causes of deafness in dogs, testing your dog for deafness, special health considerations for deaf dogs, and the role of white coat color and unpigmented skin in causing deafness. (more…)

This article, published in The New Yorker (2/6/2006 issue), explores the logic behind “breed-specific legislation,” especially as it applies to pit bulls.

Using anti-terrorism and law-enforcement “profiling” techniques as an example, the author points out the problems with profiling. Relying on generalizations and categorizations very often misses the mark. In many cases, profiling targets generalizations that are actually unstable (based on a trait that actually varies among the population the profiling is meant to target). Racial targeting of Islamic terrorists is a good example, as Islam is a worldwide religion with adherents from many races. Not every Islamic person is of Middle Eastern descent (and vice versa). (more…)