Roberto Barata's Social Feed
Anthrozoology | Ethology | Behavior Modification
The views expressed in this social feed are entirely the author’s own, and responsibility for them rests solely with him. Read more about the author.
Punishment in Science
Punishment in Science I usually only comment privately with colleagues on some content that circulates online. Most of it is predictable, and most of it is harmless. From time to time, I receive some content under the authority of science, although there is almost no science in it, and sometimes I almost feel a responsibility to clarify some points and bring it back to the literature, not to win an argument, but to give anyone who is curious the chance to read the sources for themselves. The level of public discussion in this field is now so low that I sometimes find myself preparing disclaimers before I even begin, because I am not endorsing anything or defending any side. Then I remember that the people who follow my work are intelligent enough to know it, so I don’t need to.The origin of this post is that someone sent me a...
Read MoreReflection: Dog Training State
Reflection: Dog Training State This will probably be my only post on this matter, and I will inevitably repeat myself about what I have already written in my books, but I feel it is necessary to leave this reflection here for future reference and to start the year by closing certain chapters in my career. I have been speaking with several colleagues, some of them with solid academic backgrounds, and we share a deep concern about the current situation in the dog world. We all have different approaches, and we diverge in many others. But that also means there are common bridges we explore and share our experiences on, even if, in the end, we disagree entirely, without the need to mock online, adopt childish attitudes, or have our integrity held hostage to the illusion of an algorithm. If life crosses our path, it means we have the opportunity to...
Read MoreDogs vs. Wolves Trend
Dogs vs. Wolves Trend Once in a while, we read the familiar claim that “dogs are not wolves and therefore dogs are not pack animals”. I call it familiar because the discussion tends to follow the same predictable path. In my first book, I did a brief review of the debate and noticed something somewhat paradoxical, because many of the people who insist on “debunking” the so-called “alpha dog theory” end up keeping it alive repeating it, and framing it as the decisive lens through which dog behaviour must be interpreted, usually with the word “violence” as an emotional appeal. I have no interest in discussing it on social media, as I have already addressed it in my book, which includes extensive references and a critique of the assumptions that often operate more as ideology than as science. However, there are a few points I want to leave here as...
Read MoreHappy 2026!
Happy 2026! This will be my last publication of the year, and allow me to say, “Boy, what a year!” I’ve noticed that time feels like it’s moving faster than before, and for me, this year was mostly about “cleaning the house” in my career. This year, I created a book series to close some chapters in my work. The third book in that series will be launched at the beginning of the year (you can have a sneak peek here: https://etologi.dk/anthrozoology), and the last one, perhaps the most important, will come later. After that, I’ll refocus on interspecies communication and help families and professionals as much as I can, because it has always been my main work. I can also share that I’ll be launching a book about it, and that more projects are coming next year with an educational, inspirational, and informative focus, far from the time currently spent...
Read MoreStress System Response
Stress System Response I have mentioned this paper in my book series, just as I have referenced Cobb’s 2016 systematic review and meta-analysis of salivary cortisol in domestic dogs. That review documented important limitations in using salivary cortisol as a single measure, and it raises significant questions about studies that compare training methods using cortisol alone. The findings showed that studies based solely on salivary cortisol often lacked control of substantial sources of variation, such as age, sex, neuter status, environment, and sampling method, reducing the confidence with which their results can be interpreted. The image below is from a paper by the same author published this year, which classifies current stress physiology into stress, sustress, eustress, and distress. It shows that, when appropriately introduced, moderate challenges can enhance learning, foster behavioral flexibility, and help develop effective coping mechanisms. Cortisol regulates aspects of the immune response, homeostasis, circadian rhythm, and metabolism. Since...
Read MoreBrief Thought on Social Media
Brief Thought on Social Media Social media is no longer a healthy place, nor one where you can expect much clarity. The pace of scrolling pushes people into a kind of tunnel vision, as if they were glued to the wall of their own cave, convinced the shadows are the whole story. Anything that challenges the frame they already carry is treated as heresy, not as an invitation to examine the belief behind the reaction and leave their comfort zone, ironically, as many defend. The result is less thinking and more reflex, and once that pattern settles in, reason has no room to do its work. I’m deeply disappointed, though hardly surprised, by the tone of certain discussions I come across. Some individuals wander into profiles to borrow a bit of attention, while others seem more in need of comfort than of dispute. When I sift through all the noise dressed...
Read MoreBeliefs and Knowledge
Beliefs and Knowledge The more I research and write my next book, the more I see how easily authority in dog training is granted to people who rarely work with real dogs. They articulate their views through selected papers, position statements, and emotional rhetoric, accompanied by numerous labels and slogans, but I cannot find videos of the same experts and scientists applying their words in practice. The current situation became a kind of paradox, where belief is treated as if it were knowledge, even though knowledge requires justification that can stand on its own in the real world. I believe that if someone positions themself as a guiding figure for the profession, even behind an institution, title, or ideology, the minimum standard should be visible work that shows their handling of genuine cases, especially the difficult ones that test every claim they make. With so much “expertise” and ad nauseam superficial...
Read MoreReflection: Don’t Look Forward!
Reflection: Don't Look Forward! Don’t look forward, people!The so-called “modern world” is built on scrolling. People wait for others to act, handing out “likes” as if the fleeting rush of dopamine could solve any problem in the world. They remain unaware of the power they hold, the knowledge they could reach on their own. Instead, like in many cultures before, they glorify pseudo-messiahs, idols, and useful idiots. People don’t act, only react. People are not looking forward anymore. Yes, it is an analogy to the film Don’t Look Up. Their gaze is fixed on glass, where light replaces life, their new reality. The screen has become their theater, their altar, their mirror. Like spectators in a theater, they watch deaths, hatred, governments drafting laws that intrude into every corner of life, unelected figures shaping decisive choices, elites banning or imposing from behind a desk or a screen. All of this...
Read MoreShould We Go Against Someone?
Should We Go Against Someone? I read somewhere the suggestion that “we should go against the force-free.” Allow me to disagree. We should not position ourselves against anyone. Opposition for the sake of opposition only mirrors the very behavior we claim to critique. If our purpose is to stand apart, then we cannot afford to reproduce the same combative posture. The real struggle, if there is one, lies not between methods but against extremism itself. On both sides of the debate, we see the same patterns of weaponized studies, biased data, inflated rhetoric, and personal attacks dressed up as science. None of this furthers understanding or fight, but only promotes division. Neither extreme wants to change by example, but rather through force. The transformation we need comes from what is often disregarded: a commitment to precise terminology (the most important, as I’ll explore in one of the book series), the use of...
Read MoreReflection: Progress in Dog Training
Reflection: Progress in Dog Training Progress does not come from repeating the same ideas in different voices. It comes when perspectives meet that do not readily agree. Diversity is not a matter of counting how many people speak with the illusion of other opinions. The presence of unsettled questions, the real disagreement kind, encourages us to think again and leave our comfort zone. When talk becomes an echo, it feels safe, but safety without tension is not evolution. Where there is uniformity, the bridge is an empty slogan.Study and expertise are important. They give us knowledge and understanding, but they are not enough alone. Without practice, they float on rhetoric. Real training is messy and does not wear a suit. It is the long hours, the failures, the quiet progress, and the unpredictability of working with other species and people. Lessons earned in that space cannot be replaced by words...
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