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Learner Reviews & Feedback for The Truth About Cats and Dogs by The University of Edinburgh

4.8
stars
2,263 ratings

About the Course

What is your cat revealing to you when she purrs? What is your dog expressing when he yawns or wags his tail? Understanding your cat and dog’s behaviour and the way they communicate with you, will enable you to better understand their needs and strengthen your relationship with them. This MOOC is divided into five topics, the appliance of science; behaviour and body language, senses and perception; challenges for the human-animal relationship, including pet problem behaviour; and how to improve the quality of life for cats and dogs in our care. At the start of the course we ask you to consider what you feel is important to your cat/dog and what your cat/dog means to you? We explore the world of cats and dogs and how our relationships with them vary around the world and have changed over time. We ask if we can really know what our animals are thinking or trying to communicate through their facial expressions and behaviours. From our beloved pets to street dogs, shelter dogs/cats and welfare challenges, we explore the world from their perspective and examine how their genetic make-up may influence their behavioural responses and choices. We dispel common behavioural myths by looking through a scientific lens, asking questions about the function and development of their behaviour.. We explore how their senses help them to interact with their world and how they communicate with each other and us! Finally, we ask whether we impose unrealistic expectations on our cats and dogs and how this affects their ability to live alongside us. We ask, what can we do to be more responsible pet owners and to ensure the welfare of all cats and dogs in society? This MOOC explores different scientifically validated methods that can help you to better understand your pet, to enrich their lives and help you to be a more educated and confident pet owner. We hope you enjoy the course!...

Top reviews

AA

Jun 23, 2021

It gives you the basics about owning a pet and what you need to know for their welfare.

I don't see a need for certification for this course.

Recommended for general knowledge and resources

LR

Mar 26, 2020

I learned so much about how to decrease stress for my pets and increase their happiness. I also learned how to better communicate with them. Thank you for helping improve my pets quality of life!

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76 - 100 of 636 Reviews for The Truth About Cats and Dogs

By Ratanon H

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Apr 18, 2020

The course is fun to learn and has many facts about cats and dogs, what they need, what human expect them to be, common behavioral problem problems, root of the problems and how to manage it. And the quiz here is quite comphrehensive and catch up in the must-know contents.

By ADRIENNE H

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Aug 9, 2020

This is my second University of Edinburgh MOOC through Coursera and like the first it was excellent. I really enjoyed it and learned so much. I was astounded by the plight of the metro dogs and the survival techniques they had learned. Congratulations to all involved.

By Jennifer S

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Jul 19, 2017

Very insightful, especially the myths of the alpha dog theory. The lecturers were very engaging as well as the videos where we see examples and reinforces what you learn before taking the assessments. The resources were also really interesting and I checked out a few.

By Yris M C

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May 7, 2023

This course is useful, it allowed me to know many new things about my favorite animals, dogs and cats. Now I can see them differently and I can be more effective with their care. Being able to correctly interpret their emotions and behavior is very motivating for me.

By Sarah R

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May 31, 2018

Very interesting course with a lot of great insight into the world of our pet cats and dogs, and well as street cats and dogs that we should be responsible for within our communities. This is a great foundation class for anyone who owns or wants to own a pet.

By Marco M

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Aug 17, 2020

Really enjoyable mook, rich in notions and clarifying explanations of many common challenges and myths about cats and dogs. I truly recommend it to anyone who wants to broaden their way of thinking and bring his/her relationship with their pet to next level.

By Dr A H

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Apr 30, 2020

awesome learning course to know about canine and feline behavior. Before this course, I don't know anything about how to entertain a pet but after completing this course I have that much knowledge that I can easily understood the dog or cat body language.

By Ya H C L

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Mar 24, 2019

I have great time while watching all the videos with very cute dogs / cats there, and surely i had 5 cats before, they were family, but i didn't know we should give each one food container and even spread apart, so now I learn and really very informative!

By Emily L R

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May 25, 2020

really enjoyed this course, found out somethings I didn't know. this would be such a useful resource for someone thinking of getting a cat or dog as it provides the basic information on care and up to date research on the animals cognition and behaviour

By Gabriela M

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May 30, 2020

Es un curso excelente que te da una visión bastante amplia para lo poco que dura sobre cómo podemos ser mejores humanos para nuestros perros y gatos y qué comportamientos y medidas podemos adoptar para mejorar la calidad de vida humana-canina-felina.

By Andrea V A A

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Sep 18, 2022

Me encanto el curso!

Me encanto aprender sobre etología basica de los gatos y perros.

Yo antes de este curso queria aprender de etología, pero ahora gracias a este curso me encanto muchisimo más la etología, y quiero aprender mucho más de etología.

By lucia c p

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Aug 3, 2021

He aprendido mucho en este cuero acerca de los perros y gatos, esta experiencia tan enriquecedora me ha hecho verlos de otra manera y ahora puedo comprenderlos mejor. Invito a todo el que tenga curiosidad a hacer el curos, no se van a arrepentir.

By LaTonia W

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Jul 15, 2019

This was a great course full of valuable information about cats and dogs. It includes lots of truth dispelling the myths about them. I'd recommend this course to anyone wanting to know more about these creatures we chose as our companion animals.

By Sophie P K

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May 28, 2018

I loved The Truth About Cats and Dogs and I want to take this course again sometime! It was a very inspiring course and I can say my dog will now love my company! I highly recommend this course to people who want to improve their pets' welfare!

By Chill P

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Apr 4, 2021

I enjoyed the course. As a dog trainer and behaviourist, I want to be on top of all the latest technique and discoveries and this course was pleasurable confirming the positive things I already do and know and giving me a few ideas to improve.

By Mrs L B

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May 12, 2020

I found this course was really helpful in reinforcing some of the knowledge I already have but also I have learnt so much more. I would definitely recommend this course for anyone who is working with animals or looking to work with animals.

By Kaustuv B

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Aug 17, 2021

This is a very informative course. I would say a must for dog and cat parents. The ideas mentioned here will help you understand your pet and hence ensure a good life for them. Thanks to the creators and Coursera for this wonderful course.

By L G

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Dec 1, 2019

It is really helpful to learn and understand our dogs and cats physical and emotional needs, which often are different from ours, and understand their verbal and non verbal communication to build a healthy and happy relationship with them.

By Lyliah H

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Jun 28, 2020

This was a very enjoyable MOOC. It was easy to understand and very engaging. I have had animals my entire life and I still learned a number of things. If this group was to do another MOOC I would certainly take it. Thank you to all.

By Cheryl H

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Aug 11, 2017

Really great course! I learned a lot and I feel like a lot of what I have learned can be used in my career. It was great to hear everything put into a clear and understandable way and the additional resources/websites were very helpful!

By Vanessa M C

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Oct 8, 2019

Excellent introductory course to learn more about ethology and continue learning. Updated, practical and very, very interesting, that has refreshed my previous knowledge and added others that I did not know (I love the acronym PETS!)

By Tony S

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Nov 27, 2017

Very well structured and easy to follow with key issues consistently emphasised and opportunities for discussion. Quiz assessments were a great way of checking understanding of the materaisl and videos were clear and well presented.

By Daniela A C L

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Apr 29, 2020

I really had a good time learning dogs and cats. This course helps me to understand more my pet. I totally recommend to you. Also, I like that in this course they teach you to be more aware of your pets and with animals in general!

By Patricia J

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Apr 24, 2020

Loved the course, lots of beneficial info from experts. Learned importance of ignoring bad behaviour in dogs. Better understanding of what stresses cats eg other adult cats. Excellent videos and would love to do more about animals.

By Muhammad F A

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Aug 25, 2019

This course helped me acquire a basic understanding of cat and dog behaviour, a topic I'm very interested in exploring. Thanks to all the instructors who put in their effort to deliver this course. It was easy and interesting both.