In my last post I touched on how dogs process the information we give
to them. Basically, our praise and touch and treats say yes to
whatever behavior was just offered by or asked of the dog. On the
other side, the withholding of praise,touch,treats, or issuing a
correction, says no.
By focusing your training on not just saying yes to the behaviors that
you ask for, but also being able to say no to behaviors that you don't
want or could be unsafe for your dog you're able to have a full
spectrum conversation with your dog.
When thinking about having this sort of conversational relationship
with your dog it's important not too take the word "conversation"
literally. One of the first things that I tend to address with new
clients is the issue of "chattering". Dogs generally learn language
through association, i.e. we repeat the word sit every time they sit
on their own or by command. Before long they learn that sit means to
put their butt on the floor.
What happens when we constantly chatter at them with every thing that
flows through our stream of consciousness is they learn to disregard
our voices as having nothing important for them. We essentially turn
ourselves into the teacher from the old Peanuts cartoon spouting an
endless stream of nonsense words.
Teach your dogs yes, teach them no, and teach yourself to communicate
both to them clearly and fairly.
Communication Breakdown
Anthropomorphism is a word I bring up in almost every first lesson. Simply put , it means projecting human characteristics onto non-human objects. From designing cars and houses to ascribing gender to all manner of random objects , we love to anthropomorphize. For the most part it's just another in the endless stream of human quirks, a little mental game we all subconsciously play to make every day a little more fun and comforting.
Where we get into trouble though, is when we start projecting our thought processes and emotions onto other living creatures. Specifically, on our dogs. A dog who barks at another dog or person walking by their house or yard, or passing by on the street is often regarded as aggressive or defensive by their owners, when in all likelihood it's just another over-excited and under-socialized dog attempting to engage with the world going on around it.
Our worst case of it is when we attempt toconsole our dog's through petting and talking to them like we would a small child. How many times have you seen someone with a barking, restless dog at the end of their leash try to manage the situation by reeling the dog in towards them and start softly cooing and caressing the dog? What they're doing in that moment, despite the noble intentions, is telling their dog that they are doing the right thing and they should by all means treat every similar situation in the future the way that they're treating this one. Most dogs process our touch as praise and reinforcement that they're on the right track, so when we use these behaviors to try to calm an anxious or reactive dog what we're actually giving them is fuel to continue exactly the behavior we wish to eliminate.
Even worse is the attempt to physically dominate or intimidate a dog out of problem behaviors through pinning, rolling, tackling, or holding down. Rather than calming any aggressive behaviors this sort of action is much more likely to exacerbate those conditions by communicating to the dog that certain humans are also to be feared, eventually turning a dog that is possibly just under-socialized and under-trained into a dog who will bite if feeling threatened.
A good step for all dog owners take, aside from hiring a professional trainer of course, is to take a little time to familiarize themselves with some of the more common expressions of canine body language. Dog's primarily express themselves through physical actions, so having a basic understanding is only going to help you understand what your pup is saying and how best to address it.
I've included a link to a fantastic poster made by Lili Chen showing many of the more common body language expressions . This is a great place to start for any dog owner. Another wonderful resource are the books on canine body language by Brenda Aloff , you can find all of her material at http://brendaaloff.com/.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lilita/5652847156/sizes/z/
If you don't lead, they will.
Your dog needs a leader. If you don't do it, they will. In most cases, they'll do it badly. Over the thousands of years since we first started domesticating the grey wolf into all the modern variations of dogs they've only become more and more a part of our lives, homes, and families.
They now exist in a world that has rules and circumstances that are far removed from what their instincts and impulses tell them to do.
Your dog may not understand why you ask them to sit when you reach a curb, come to you when called, or wait patiently before diving in to tasty smelling meal, but we know that we do these things to keep them safe, healthy, and happy.
It should also never be discounted how much our dogs are still pack animals who thrive when there is a clear leader in their lives. If their humans don't provide consistent structure and leadership dogs will seek to fill that void themselves. This tends to lead to all sorts of behavioral issues, from anxiety to aggression and all points in between. One of the most important pieces of advice that I always pass on to new clients is that every moment we spend with our dogs is training, whether we intend it to be or not. How you respond when your dog jumps up on you, scavenges the counter, barks at the mailman, or loses their mind about another dog walking by is a little training opportunity dropped into a random part of the day. By setting rules and expectations with clear rewards and consequences we enable our dogs to make decisions that both make sense to their instincts, and work in our world.
