UPSC Success story: Bihar's Ravi Raj secures AIR 182 despite visual impairment
Their story is a shining example of resilience, hope, and the power of a mother's love in transforming dreams into reality.
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India Today
9 hours ago
- India Today
Yes, stray dogs can be trained. Canine whisperers reveal how
When lawyer Amrita Pratap adopted a retired guard dog, a Doberman, in Varanasi, she thought she was offering a second chance to a soul in need. What she didn't anticipate was the reaction of the four-legged residents of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus. The sprawling university campus teems with cats and first time Pratap took her Doberman out for a walk, a pack of stray dogs pounced on them. Both Pratap and her Doberman had to get rabies shots. The encounters didn't stop, and each walk risked a came the advice from canine behaviourist and vet, Ajay Mukherjee. He suggested Pratap loosen the leash on her Doberman, stay calm, and walk straight to her home without reacting. The trick worked then offered to help not just with Pratap's pet, but also with the colony's strays to lower their was then that Pratap and her family first realised that help was available, not just for pets, but also for stray dogs in India are often seen as untrainable, but experts say they can be taught to manage aggression and coexist with people, just like pet consensus from five households and collective funding of Rs 25,000, around six stray dogs in BHU's Jodhpur Colony Lane were trained to reduce their aggression by Mukherjee and his team over the following stressed that aggression management, not tricks, is their main goal while training street dogs. They said the training process for strays requires skilled behaviourists, consistent community involvement, and regular feeding to build behaviourists like Shirin Dhabhar and Shivani Sharma said the methods for training strays are the same as pedigree dogs, and age is no barrier, though younger dogs learn is a powerful tool. Regular, structured feeding not only tames aggression but also desensitises dogs to human presence, the experts continuous community commitment, trained dogs can revert to old behaviours as feral instincts eventually take over, the experts Delhi-based canine behaviourist Aaron Dsilva told India Today that he had personally put some street dogs in Delhi's Safdarjung area on a routine, where they take a walk of around a kilometre and are regularly fed by locals—a practice that has helped reduce their Dsilva said this was possible only with community support, adding, "RWAs don't have the capacity to do this."Even Mumbai-based Sharma succeeded in curbing aggression in community dogs in Juhu and Lokhandwala. Mumbai-based canine behaviourist Shivani Sharma said age is no bar to make dogs unlearn old patterns of behaviour, but younger dogs learn more quickly. (Image: India Today via Shivani Sharma) CAN TRAINING BE PART OF SOLUTION TO STRAY DOG MENACE?Strays in India are mostly Indian Pariah dogs that make fantastic guards if have served in paramilitary forces like the NDRF, CRPF, and also in police departments, proving their intelligence, resilience, and working training alone can't solve the stray dog problem, experts told India Today Digital that it should be part of the solution, combining skilled trainers, resident cooperation, and policy-level investment to make streets safer for both humans and Supreme Court recently ordered the removal of all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR streets within eight weeks and their relocation to shelters. It came after a surge in dog bite cases and rabies order sparked a massive outcry and is now being reviewed by a three-judge are divided, but experts are united in their view that training stray dogs on aggression and socialisation can be part of the overall what Pratap successfully did in her BHU DELHI GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES ON STRAY DOG PROBLEMIn fact, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) in 2014 had a similar initiative called "May I Help You" in-house home-guards programme to train strays."If these dogs are going to roam the NDMC area, they might as well work," then-NDMC chairman Jalaj Shrivastava told The Hindu."Our plan is to adopt these strays and train them as guard dogs," he plan involved enlisting the services of police dog trainers to train stray dogs and press them into service, according to the trainers India Today Digital spoke to had trained street dogs in their own colonies out of goodwill. But large-scale implementation needs resources and numerous trainers and support said NDMC's 2014 plan was poorly implemented. "I don't remember even one instance where I came across any such (trained) dog in Delhi," Dsilva, a canine behaviourist for 19 years, said. A major cause of aggression in stray dogs is territorial fights triggered when dogs are picked up and relocated to another area. (Image for representation: PTI) CHALLENGES TO TRAINING STREET DOGS: CASH, CONSENSUSTraining dogs at the community level requires patience, money, and most importantly, a consensus among local pet dogs, street dogs cannot be removed from triggering environments, making aggression harder to control. However, aggression can often be availability is another challenge for trainers tasked with training a single dog that is not human- or dog-friendly and has behavioural issues, training may take around four weeks. For dogs with severe behavioural issues requiring rehabilitation, the time extends to six to eight weeks, the experts told India Today pet dogs is costlier, typically Rs 25,000-35,000 a month for basic community dogs, however, trainers said the rates are flexible, as most people in the profession are driven by passion, and are willing to work for the greater good, charging as little as Rs 1,000-1,200 per dog per most communities lack consensus and are unwilling to allocate the necessary should be noted that in this context, "training" refers specifically to aggression management, not full obedience AND QUICK STRAY DOGSIn terms of trainability, Shirin Dhabhar, said, "They are some of the cleverest dogs in the world and very easy to work with. They're smart, they learn quickly, and yes, training is entirely possible even at the community level.""The methods of training are the same as pedigree dogs," said Dhabhar, a President of India awardee in the field of canine behaviourism."If you have a colony with dozens of dogs, you can train them all. It depends on what you want to train them for – whether it's keeping them in certain zones, preventing fights, or stopping them from chasing. It can take a couple of months, but it's doable," said Shivani Sharma, who has been working in the fields of canine behaviourism and rescue since 2014, said age was no bar to making dogs unlearn old patterns of behaviour. However, the younger the dogs are, the better the TO MANAGE STRAY DOGS IN RESIDENTIAL AREASShivani Sharma has helped manage dog aggression in multiple communities in Mumbai, and has also helped societies find common ground during disputes between feeders and non-feeders."Aggression in street dogs can be managed to the point where they are under control," said Sharma, adding a rider."This may not be the case for every stray dog as they live in an exposed environment and they have multiple triggers."The fact that pets can be isolated from triggers is what differentiates them from street dogs when it comes to aggression management."Pet dogs can be removed from a triggering environment, such as constantly moving objects and loud noises; community dogs can't. Repetitive triggers make it harder to control street dogs' exposure to these stressors," Sharma AS A TOOL TO TRAIN AND MANAGE STREET DOGSFeeding is one of the most effective ways to tame aggression in street dogs, trainers and behaviourists told India Today Digital. Most fights or biting incidents happen because of the dearth of food, they said. Another cause is territorial fights triggered when dogs are picked up from one area and relocated to another, something activists have long blamed municipal corporations explained, "I have noticed that, over a long period of regular feeding, some form of desensitisation happens." By this, she means that if food is given regularly by multiple humans, dogs begin to see their association with people as positive and eventually become less reactive. Experts suggest if food is given regularly to a dog by multiple humans, they begin to see their association with humans as a positive one. (Image for representation: PTI) In some societies, she said, dogs displaying mild aggression were also given behavioural modification through structured feeding. "We also asked feeders to alter feeding times, so the dogs don't have to interact with people during busy hours, such as when children are boarding or getting off school buses," said added, "People around must be aware of the dogs' temperament. We have run awareness drives, instructing security guards, shopkeepers, and residents to warn people about certain dogs who don't like too much human interaction."On whether community dogs can be fully trained, she said, "To an extent, yes. You can have a well-managed pack that is desensitised, medically looked after, and fed regularly so they coexist with human activity."PEOPLE AND STREET DOGS: IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO COEXISTMost communities avoid training strays to manage aggression as they believe it is too costly or requires consistent on-ground effort."You can't expect people who don't like dogs to pay for training. Instead of spending money on legal battles, put it into something positive," said Dsilva said, "The key is not just working with the dogs but also with the people living there." Communities that make consistent efforts to care for stray dogs witness significantly less aggression. (Image for representation: PTI) In areas where training and routines were maintained, "dogs became calmer, friendlier, and less reactive", said most trainers India Today Digital spoke to said the problem is multi-layered and cannot be solved through training alone, they agreed it can be part of the solution, especially in areas where animal lovers are ready to take stray dogs isn't just about curbing aggression. It's about creating safer streets for people and giving these animals a chance to coexist peacefully in the spaces they share with humans. From a policy perspective, involving canine behaviourists and allocating budgets for training dogs to manage aggression is one way to address the dog menace across India.- EndsTune InMust Watch advertisement
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
UPSC EPFO recruitment 2025: Registration for 230 vacancies ends tomorrow, details here
Union Public Service Commission will close the registration window for the EPFO recruitment 2025 tomorrow, August 18. Candidates can apply for Enforcement Officer and Assistant PF Commissioner vacancies on UPSC's official website, UPSC EPFO recruitment 2025: Registration for 230 vacancies ends tomorrow This recruitment drive is being held for 230 vacancies in the organisation. Candidates who want to apply for the posts should have a graduation degree in any subject from a recognised university or institute. These are the steps to apply online. UPSC EPFO Recruitment 2025: Steps to apply 1. Go to the official website of UPSC at 2. Click on the " Apply Online link available on the home page. 3. Complete the registration process. 4. Log in to your account. 5. Fill the application form and pay the application fee. 6. Upload documents and submit your form. 7. Download the document and keep a hard copy of it for further use. The selection process will have a pen and paper-based Combined Recruitment Test (CRT), which will be conducted to shortlist the candidates for the interview round for the posts of Enforcement Officers/Accounts Officers and Assistant Public Provident Commissioner posts.. The exam duration is 2 hours and all questions will carry equal marks. There will be negative marking for wrong answers. Every wrong answer will result in a deduction of one-third of the marks assigned to that question. If no answer is marked for a question, there will be no penalty for that question. For more related details, candidates can check the official website of UPSC.
New Indian Express
10 hours ago
- New Indian Express
At 104, Kerala man becomes symbol of state's digital literacy revolution
THIRUVANTHAPURAM: At the age of 104, M A Abdullah Moulavi from Asamannoor in Ernakulam district is incredibly self-reliant in choosing his favourite social media reels and watching important news on YouTube. While searching prayer songs swiftly on his son's smartphone with his fragile fingers and pressing the video call button to talk to his grandchild abroad, Moulavi's wrinkled face beams with pride and happiness. He is one of about 22 lakh persons in Kerala who have become digitally literate through the path-breaking "Digi Keralam" programme rolled out by the state government, which eventually paved the way for a digital revolution. 79-year-old Sarasu, a daily wage earner, was initially averse to digital learning. Later, she became a YouTube channel owner, and 80-year-old Sulochana in Moovattupuzha started to access government services on her mobile without anyone's help. With 99.98 per cent of learners achieving basic digital skills and passing out, Kerala is now all set to be declared as the "first digital literate state" in the country. Launched on 22 September 2022 by the Local Self-Government Department (LSGD), Digi Keralam aimed to attain complete digital literacy in the state in line with the total literacy campaign in 1991, authorities said. As part of the drive, digitally illiterate people were identified and trained in tasks ranging from turning a smartphone on/off to using digital tools and accessing government services online.
