I've just got off the phone from Radio Scotland, discussing the latest research about dogs. This study, from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna's Messerli Research Institute showed that dogs can read our facial expressions.
I was a little worried to begin with that I'd been sent an April Fool's joke in July, but I'll be really fascinated to read the results of this research. I'm sure some trainers will argue that dogs can't make the necessary connections to know that if they paw a control, the temperature goes up or down.
Also, bark controlled privacy screens? - I'm pretty sure some dogs bark to get attention, not to hide themselves away from it, so I do wonder how that will work out. What do you make of the latest news from Dogs Trust?
TAKING PUPPY-STEPS TOWARDS THE SMART KENNEL OF THE FUTURE
I recently interviewed Ben Walton who is a Canine Orthopaedic Clinical Research Assistant at the University of LIverpool Small Animal Teaching Hospital. He is currently researching into the way osteoarthritis in dogs is treated. I was fascinated with how the research is being carried out and how feedback is being gathered, and the interview will be featured in our April show.
Stockholm University research has shown that dogs are getting "dumber". Researchers found that current pedigree dogs are "disinterested, shy and less responsive to commands than their ancestors." They also found that show-quality and "handbag" dogs are the most likely to be affected by this lower intelligence.
