This morning I came across an article on a comedy site I like to read that seemed relevant to the course, so I decided to share it here. One of the major elements of the course has been the (mis)interpretation of animal behaviors by humans, and this article addresses some of the ways we misinterpret the behaviors of our canine companions. While it’s a comedy article, it’s grounded in real scientific study and has some very relevant points about human-animal interactions. The fact that it’s presented in a comedic fashion doesn’t hurt either.
*Potentially offensive language warning, there are some obscenities used in the article although none are particularly pointed
Thanks for posting this link, Alex. Reading the article, I can’t help thinking about all of the “cute” baby and dog videos in which dogs are showing all kinds of stress signals (yawning, lip licking, whale eye, going still) to which humans are oblivious. Here’s one example. Notice all of the stress signs this dog is giving off.