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Pets find that pestering pays off (article)
Many pets find that pestering pays off
Dogs and cats learn that making noise catches owner's ear Sophia Yin, DVM SF Chronicle, Saturday, February 7, 2004 URL: sfgate.com/article.cgi?file=3D/c/a/2004/02/07/HOGCM4OQ1F1.DTL It's wonderful to come home after a long day of work to relax and spend quality time with your pet. But when quality time includes the following pet owner's predicament, relaxation is far from the picture. "My springer spaniel barks constantly at the table when we eat dinner, and it's annoying," says the perplexed pooch owner. "He gets table scraps occasionally, but he always has dog food available. Any ideas or thoughts?" At this point, cat owners are gloating over their choice of a more peaceful pet, but before you feline fanciers let it go to your head, listen to what another reader has to say. "My neighbor's cat visits us often. She is very sweet and loving. The problem is, she meows constantly. She literally never shuts up! Nothing seems to satisfy her -- food, water, holding her. What would make her 'talk' constantly?" Why do dogs and even some cats blabber on? One clue comes from observing their next of kin. The closest cousin to the dog, the wolf, rarely barks and when it does so, it's more of a breathy "huff." Similarly, wild cats rarely meow and their meows are more of a throaty "erk." So somewhere during domestication meows and barks became the main mode of vocalization. The second clue comes from observing domesticated cats and dogs. Extensive observations reveal that gabby cats and dogs are primarily owned by humans who carry on with their loud, seemingly pointless, conversations. A study on free-ranging dogs in Baltimore in the 1970s showed that dogs that were owned but allowed to roam barked boisterously on many occasions. Dogs that grew up in the absence of humans and that were not tame remained relatively quiet. When animal control officers searched for these dogs in abandoned buildings, rather than barking to defend their territory, these dogs stayed silent. On a somewhat similar note, while all cats can meow, cats rarely meow to one another. Rather they reserve this aspect of their vocabulary for speaking to humans. In fact, both dogs and cats rely more on body language as well as the proverbial urine spray and other scented "post-its" to communicate with their own kind. It's not until we add in the human element that barks and meows become a major form of expression -- and sometimes a nuisance. The phenomenon may puzzle some, but it's clear to me. Cats and dogs quickly learn that we humans are blind to their visual signals no matter how pronounced, but it's hard for us to ignore a constant meow or ear-shattering bark. So cats and dogs may have developed the herculean ability to bark and meow for hours on end because it's a great way to get our attention. One study by Michael Owren and Nicholas Nicastro from 2003 even indicates that cat meows are tailored to influence the human ear. The study showed that cats can produce pitch-modulated meows and the more modulated the meow the more urgent it sounds to human listeners. Since cats are poor at detecting variations in pitch, this adaptation isn't useful for conveying urgency to other cats, but it's perfectly suited for calling humans to action. So now that you know that cats and dogs meow and bark excessively because they're training you to respond appropriately, you should be able to plot a successful behavior modification plan -- one that involves ignoring the noise and rewarding quiet behavior. For Skippy, the springer who demands caviar instead of his kibble and will bark through an entire meal until he gets it, treat him as if he's not even there. Then when he's quiet for about five to 10 seconds toss him a little treat. He'll start barking again but just wait it out repeatedly and reward him when he's quiet again. After he gets the idea that it's the quiet that's earning him the treat, expect him to be quiet for longer periods before giving him a treat. Build up this quiet time as rapidly as you can until you reach the duration of an average meal. Remember that Skippy has a history of getting what he wants if he just barks a little longer so it may take a while before you get your first periods of silence. If you're extremely consistent, training will go quickly and you'll be able to enjoy a quiet meal within several days to a week. In the case of the social cat, Sylvester's ploy may be a bit sinister. Maybe she wants food, maybe she wants to be petted, maybe she just wants to see you do a little dance? Regardless of the intent, the treatment is the same. Ignore all meowing and treat her as if she doesn't exist. Then pet her only when she's quiet. If you're consistent she'll learn quickly. If you're not, she'll just learn to cry louder and longer. |
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Excellent article! Thanks, Joyce, for posting it.
I'd go further, and say that Cats actually *speak*. I know several Shmogg phrases. I recognise "Hello", "I want", "I want *NOW*", "just reminding you that I'm still here", "I'm frustrated" and the very rare "help?". And these are very different meow-types than my friend's cats, and I recognise some of their meows as well. All I can figure is that Shmogg and I must have worked out a language together that we both understand, there is no other explanation of his meows being different to my friend's cat's meows, expecially when I know exactly what they mean. Yowie wrote in message ... Many pets find that pestering pays off Dogs and cats learn that making noise catches owner's ear Sophia Yin, DVM SF Chronicle, Saturday, February 7, 2004 URL: sfgate.com/article.cgi?file=3D/c/a/2004/02/07/HOGCM4OQ1F1.DTL It's wonderful to come home after a long day of work to relax and spend quality time with your pet. But when quality time includes the following pet owner's predicament, relaxation is far from the picture. "My springer spaniel barks constantly at the table when we eat dinner, and it's annoying," says the perplexed pooch owner. "He gets table scraps occasionally, but he always has dog food available. Any ideas or thoughts?" At this point, cat owners are gloating over their choice of a more peaceful pet, but before you feline fanciers let it go to your head, listen to what another reader has to say. "My neighbor's cat visits us often. She is very sweet and loving. The problem is, she meows constantly. She literally never shuts up! Nothing seems to satisfy her -- food, water, holding her. What would make her 'talk' constantly?" Why do dogs and even some cats blabber on? One clue comes from observing their next of kin. The closest cousin to the dog, the wolf, rarely barks and when it does so, it's more of a breathy "huff." Similarly, wild cats rarely meow and their meows are more of a throaty "erk." So somewhere during domestication meows and barks became the main mode of vocalization. The second clue comes from observing domesticated cats and dogs. Extensive observations reveal that gabby cats and dogs are primarily owned by humans who carry on with their loud, seemingly pointless, conversations. A study on free-ranging dogs in Baltimore in the 1970s showed that dogs that were owned but allowed to roam barked boisterously on many occasions. Dogs that grew up in the absence of humans and that were not tame remained relatively quiet. When animal control officers searched for these dogs in abandoned buildings, rather than barking to defend their territory, these dogs stayed silent. On a somewhat similar note, while all cats can meow, cats rarely meow to one another. Rather they reserve this aspect of their vocabulary for speaking to humans. In fact, both dogs and cats rely more on body language as well as the proverbial urine spray and other scented "post-its" to communicate with their own kind. It's not until we add in the human element that barks and meows become a major form of expression -- and sometimes a nuisance. The phenomenon may puzzle some, but it's clear to me. Cats and dogs quickly learn that we humans are blind to their visual signals no matter how pronounced, but it's hard for us to ignore a constant meow or ear-shattering bark. So cats and dogs may have developed the herculean ability to bark and meow for hours on end because it's a great way to get our attention. One study by Michael Owren and Nicholas Nicastro from 2003 even indicates that cat meows are tailored to influence the human ear. The study showed that cats can produce pitch-modulated meows and the more modulated the meow the more urgent it sounds to human listeners. Since cats are poor at detecting variations in pitch, this adaptation isn't useful for conveying urgency to other cats, but it's perfectly suited for calling humans to action. So now that you know that cats and dogs meow and bark excessively because they're training you to respond appropriately, you should be able to plot a successful behavior modification plan -- one that involves ignoring the noise and rewarding quiet behavior. For Skippy, the springer who demands caviar instead of his kibble and will bark through an entire meal until he gets it, treat him as if he's not even there. Then when he's quiet for about five to 10 seconds toss him a little treat. He'll start barking again but just wait it out repeatedly and reward him when he's quiet again. After he gets the idea that it's the quiet that's earning him the treat, expect him to be quiet for longer periods before giving him a treat. Build up this quiet time as rapidly as you can until you reach the duration of an average meal. Remember that Skippy has a history of getting what he wants if he just barks a little longer so it may take a while before you get your first periods of silence. If you're extremely consistent, training will go quickly and you'll be able to enjoy a quiet meal within several days to a week. In the case of the social cat, Sylvester's ploy may be a bit sinister. Maybe she wants food, maybe she wants to be petted, maybe she just wants to see you do a little dance? Regardless of the intent, the treatment is the same. Ignore all meowing and treat her as if she doesn't exist. Then pet her only when she's quiet. If you're consistent she'll learn quickly. If you're not, she'll just learn to cry louder and longer. |
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wrote in message ... One study by Michael Owren and Nicholas Nicastro from 2003 even indicates that cat meows are tailored to influence the human ear. The study showed that cats can produce pitch-modulated meows and the more modulated the meow the more urgent it sounds to human listeners. Since cats are poor at detecting variations in pitch, this adaptation isn't useful for conveying urgency to other cats, but it's perfectly suited for calling humans to action. This is very true. When Vino wants something, he comes up with an amazing range of meows, one after the other and each one different from the one before. Impossible to ignore! Besides, we think it's so cute. Usually picking him up and holding him over the shoulder while we are talking to each other does the trick. He just wants to be up there with us, part of the circle of conversation :-) For food, he doesn't use the amazing meows. He just does the plain insistent wailing and the hoomin-tripping herding toward the fridge. When he wants out, he also wails insistently and then scrapes his claws on the window glass. It's always futile though because we're such *mean* slaves who never let him out ;-) -- Britta Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album |
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I'd go further, and say that Cats actually *speak*. I know several Shmogg
phrases. I recognise "Hello", "I want", "I want *NOW*", "just reminding you that I'm still here", "I'm frustrated" and the very rare "help?". My cat Patches knows two words, "ham" and "out." When he wants snacks I generally ask him if he wants ham and he goes "haaaaam?" and then I ask him if he wants to go out and he goes "ouuuuuuut?" I've been meaning to record him because it really sounds like ham and out. When Mimi wants out she bangs this metal heart that hangs on a string on the door. That's her doorbell. The scratching drove me nuts so I gave her the heart thing. I have a cat door but she just loves to make me get up and open the door personally. My house is completely enclosed with 8' fences so out isn't out at all, just out into the enclosed yard. |
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On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 19:12:50 -0800, badwilson wrote
(in message ): This is very true. When Vino wants something, he comes up with an amazing range of meows, one after the other and each one different from the one before. Impossible to ignore! Besides, we think it's so cute. Usually picking him up and holding him over the shoulder while we are talking to each other does the trick. He just wants to be up there with us, part of the circle of conversation :-) For food, he doesn't use the amazing meows. He just does the plain insistent wailing and the hoomin-tripping herding toward the fridge. When he wants out, he also wails insistently and then scrapes his claws on the window glass. It's always futile though because we're such *mean* slaves who never let him out ;-) Maya, who is mostly Siamese used to speak a lot more to me than she does now. She was my first cat and I needed the verbal instruction I guess. Most of the time when she talks now she is mad about something, generally Bruiser I think. Sometimes she is trying to get my attention about something but generally she communicates with looks and body posture. She does talk to other cats though it doesn't sound at all like when she talks to me. This is pure threat sound with no trill in it at all. When I hear that sound I come running, violence is about to happen very soon. The first few times I heard it I could not believe this sound was coming from her and it doesn't seem to be, either. Its almost as though she is throwing her voice like a ventroliquist. Its very disturbing, an almost supernatural sound, if you were in an old house for the first time and heard it in the dark you would be heading for the door. I've read somewhere that a lot of Siamese are deaf in the higher sound ranges, the ones we can't hear. Which is why they are more vocal, they live more in our sound range. There are theories that cats do meow to each other, but its in a range we can't hear. Pretty amazing really how little we know about cats considering how long they lived with us. Bruiser doesn't meow. He sort of chirps. I've read that is pretty common with Maine Coons and that they do this to other cats as well. |
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