DOG LOVER vs DOG LEADER

This is a collection of thoughts from various sources. Read them. Think about them.

Because dogs are so closely bonded with the human species, most humans forget, or never even think about their natural instincts. Some even take it as far as seeing those who do speak dog to the dog as cruel. Dogs have a natural instinct to want structure, rules and boundaries. To know where they stand among their pack and believe it or not, they want to know the rules and they need consistency with those rules. While those who believe it is cruel to use natural dogmanship towards a dog, I am here to tell you that it is more cruel to assume your dog is human, overlooking their natural wants and needs. All dog behavior issues stem from humans who are not practicing natural dogmanship. Not providing what the dog needs in their life, from exercise, both mental and physical, to the leadership they all crave. What one thing means to a human may mean the total opposite to a dog. Dogs all around the world receive mix signals from the humans. Any dog who misbehaves is missing something in their lives. A dog's temperament is a direct result of the owners ability to understand him and give him what he instinctually needs as a canine animal. There are no bad dogs... just uneducated owners. And yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks. It's NEVER too late to turn a dogs behavior around.

The number one biggest mistake dog owners can make with their dogs is to treat them like humans. The human race is such a kind, compassionate species that we tend to look at our canine companions as little humans. When in reality, they are canines and have a very different thought process. This is what differentiates mankind from other species in pack societies; there must be a specific order, from the leader on down to the last follower. Everyone has a place. The leaders are the strength of the pack. The followers need the leader to guide them. A dog has an instinct to constantly test the being above them and an instinct to be tested by the being below them. Instinct tells them that if there is not a strong being in charge their life and the life of the rest of their pack is at stake. This primal instinct keeps the pack secure and happy.

Dogs instinctually need rules they must follow, and limits to what they are allowed to do. When dogs live with humans, the humans become the dog's pack. For the relationship to succeed, humans must become the dogs pack leader. The mistake is made when the humans in the pack only give the dog love, and the other factors are overlooked. To a dog, constant affection without rules and limits goes against every grain in a dog's instinct. While dogs enjoy being loved on it does not satisfy the animal and it is not what makes them well balanced, stable minded, secure and happy. Affectionate love is a human trait, not a canine trait. Affection does not make dogs happy, satisfying their instincts do. You need to provide a proper emotional stability in order to achieve this, and showing you have an orderly pack with rules to follow is what the dog needs. Giving your dog affection is important for the human, and enjoyed by the dog, but must be done at the correct times.
A dog is an animal and does not possess the same reasoning skills as humans. They do have emotions, but their emotions are different than those of humans. They are simple creatures with instincts, and their emotions lack the complex thought process. They feel joy when they know you are pleased, they feel sad when someone dies. However, they do not premeditate; do not plan ahead and do not dwell in the past or future. They live for whatever is happening at the moment.
Lets say for example that you are upset over something that has happened in your life. Your dog will know you are upset, but they will not know why. For example, they are not going to reason out in their head that your boyfriend just broke up with you. Their interpretation of you will be that you have unstable energy and see you as weak.
On the flip side, when a human shares its affection with a dog who is in any other state of mind but a calm, submissive one, (for example aggression, obsession, shyness, skittishness, fear or hyper activeness and so on...) and you give them a hug or pat them on the head and tell them it is ok, it is comforting to the human, but feeds into that state of mind for the dog making it more intense. You are telling the dog it is ok to feel that way. While a human feels they are comforting a dog, the dog sees it as the human being weak, as you are not providing strong energy the dog can feed from. If your dog has a traumatic experience and you show them affection during that time trying to comfort them, rather than letting them work it out in their own mind and being a strong leader they can feed from, you leave them stuck in that state of mind. Later when your dog faces this traumatic situation again, you then comfort the dog, intensifying the situation even more. You are creating the problem. Dogs do not see comfort and affection in the same way we humans see it. Dogs are always looking for a strong stable being to feed from.

On the same note: When a dog is constantly leaning on you, putting his paw on you, using his nose to make you pet them, and always feeling the need to be touching you in some way, this is not your dog loving you, it is your dog displaying dominant behaviors. In the dog world, space is respect. A dog that is constantly nudging you and leaning on you, is not only disrespecting you, they are being the alpha dog.

If you show weakness to your dog, the dog instinctually, in his own head, takes over the role of leader whether he wants the role or not, because there must be a strong leader and an order in a dog's pack. If the dog does not feel he is strong enough to handle the role of leader it can be very stressful and even terrifying for the dog to have such a heavy weight on its shoulders, as it tries to look after all of the humans around them. Humans often give the dog mixed leadership signals, which throws the dog off balance, confusing his psyche, causing many of the psychological/behavioral problems we see in dogs today. Mental tension and energy build up within the dog, which lead to many of your common canine misbehaviors. Eliminating in the house, obsessive behaviors, neurotic behaviors, chewing on themselves, being overly excited, barking excessively, whining, not following their owners commands, not coming when called, running off, getting into the trash, destroying things in the house, obsessively digging, chewing the furniture, tail chasing, scratching, aggression towards other dogs, animals, or humans, snapping, biting, growling, and becoming just plain old uncontrollable (just to name a few). You name it-- we can, more likely than not, trace your problem back to the way you treat your dog. In some cases it starts to appear the dog is just nuts, or psycho, and there is nothing one can do about it.

Taking your dog for a walk is an important ritual in keeping your dog mentally stable. Dog's are walkers/travelers by instinct. Packs of dogs get up in the morning and walk. Simply having a large back yard is not going to satisfy this instinct in your dog. To your dog, your back yard is like a large cage, to where they are trapped. For a dog to be mentally stable, you as an owner must take your dog for daily walks to release not only physical energy, but also mental. The proper way to walk a dog is the dog walking either beside you or behind you, never in front of you. This may seem petty in a human's mind, however it means a lot in a dogs mind. Instinct tells a dog that the leader goes first. The dog is not to sniff the ground and relieve themselves where they please. They are to concentrate on their handler while walking. The person walking the dog decides when the dog is allowed to sniff or pee, not the dog. A lack of exercise and the mental energy a proper walk releases can cause many behavioral problems in a dog. Getting a dog to walk properly on a lead is not as hard as it may seem, yes, even for your own dog(s).
Dogs pick up on the energy of their humans. They can tell if you are hyper, nervous, scared, or calm. You will be able to communicate successfully with your dog if you use your body’s energy rather than excited words. For example, if your dog does something wrong and you yell and scream at the dog or beat the dog it confuses the dog. This is not the way a pack leader corrects his followers. However, if you approach your dog in a very self-assured and calm manner to correct the dog at the moment he is doing the unwanted behavior with an assertive voice correction or a touch to their neck... this they understand, because you are mimicking the way dogs correct one another, with calm, self-assured body language. If you want your dog to do or stop doing something, you need to first convince yourself it will happen. Stay calm and self-assured. Your dog will pick up on your emotion. Remember, the dog must be doing the deed at the moment of correction in order for you to successfully communicate.
We humans have successfully domesticated the dog, but we will never be able to de-animalize a dog and remove their natural instinct. We cannot change a dog into having human characteristics. Sure, we can pretend we can, and satisfy our human wants. However this is where your behavior problems arise. While we think we are treating a dog in such a way that will make them happy, we are in fact doing just the opposite. By not satisfying a dogs natural instincts we create confused and unhappy dogs. To happily coexist with mans best friend, we need to understand our fellow canines and satisfy THEM, rather than only satisfying ourselves.
Dogs do not live in the past or the future, as humans do. They live for the moment.  Because a dog lives in the present, and not in the past or future, it is much easier to rehabilitate a dog than it is a human. If you begin treating your dog in a very self-assured manner, giving love to them at the right times, and correcting your dog at the right moments, you can change your dog into a happy and mentally stable dog. The more stable your dog is, the more calm and submissive he will become and the more you can give them affectionate love. It's a "win-win" situation.

As the saying goes, "Treat your dog like a human and he'll treat you like a dog!"

Speaking Dog. What's your dog saying?

One of the most common mistakes owners can make with their dogs is to misread what the dog is saying into something completely different. We humans do it all of the time. The dog's body language says one thing, and we interpret it into something completely different basing our assumption on what we ourselves are feeling. When in reality dogs see and read the world much different than we humans. If we humans better understood our dogs we could prevent many dog bites and other behavioral issues.

For example lets take a simple act of a hug. To humans a hug means love and affection. When a human receives a welcomed hug from a loved one it makes us feel good inside.

But just what does a hug mean to a dog? Humans are always hugging their dogs and when we do we are giving the dog affection and sharing our love. However what most humans do not realize is to a dog a hug is not affection at all. To a dog a hug symbolizes a social status ranking representing dominance and an invasion of space. Lower members of the pack give space to the higher members as a show of respect. The position of the body is also meaningful to a dog. The one on top represents a higher status ranking. Therefore when you bend down and wrap your arms around a dog you are not only on top, but you are in their space.

Keeping this logic in mind, it makes total sense to not run up and hug a strange dog. Many children are bit every day by hugging dogs and if you look at it from the dogs perspective who would blame them? A stranger comes running over asserting dominance on a dog they have just met and the dog's reaction is to communicate to this being that they do not wish to be dominated. Unlike horses and deer who are "flight animals", a dog is a "fight animal" and will communicate his displeasure with a growl, and or a snap or bite.

That being said, it is not bad to hug a dog that is familiar with you if the dog is calm and in a submissive state of mind, so long as you are hugging them at a time when you are relaxed and happy. As a matter of fact the emotional sensation it gives the humans to hug can be felt by the dog, and that energy radiating from the humans can be very calming to the dog. Not because he is enjoying the hug, but because he is enjoying the calm he feels coming from you.

I watched a little girl come running over to a dog, giving the dog a huge hug. The little girl was overjoyed. You could tell she just loved dogs. I watched the dog's face. The dog's eyes were wide and he went somewhat stiff, as he turned his head up toward the being who was wrapping his arms around him. I saw him flick his tongue in a nervous way. While this dog did not bite this child it was clear the dog was not enjoying it. Had the child been hugging a more dominant dog the dog just may have snapped at her.

Space

I often hear people state that when they correct their dog for a bad behavior the dog sulks, leaves the room or turns his head because the dog is "upset". The humans interpret this behavior as the dog's feelings are hurt. They feel bad and believe they need to go and "make up" with the dog.

What is the dog really saying? If you correct your dog and he turns his head or leaves the room he is giving in to you and accepting you as his leader. Giving space or turning away from direct eye contact are submissive behaviors. When humans try and "make up" with a dog after the dog has given in to you, it sends confusing mixed signals to the dog.

Allowing a dog to lead

Everywhere I go I see people letting their dogs lead them on the leash. I see the dogs being miss-read in the communication. Recently I saw a lady with a fairly large Shepherd/ Husky puppy and she just let the puppy pull her on the leash. pup was in front. That is telling the pup that you are letting it be your leader, then the owners expect the pup to listen to them?? The pup was looking at everyone whining at them. That was anxiety. Probably related to her letting the pup lead. When a dog leads you are giving it the responsibility of taking care of the pack. That is a lot of weight to put on a pups shoulders. The pup was trying to jump on everyone it saw, that's disrespect. Followers do not jump on leaders. Of course this pup was told it was the leader. Her attempts to correct this behavior was by saying the dogs name over and over again. You should not use a dog's name when correcting because it will then associate it's name with something that you are unhappy about. When a pup tries to jump you give a quick tug down and to the side. You can say "down" or you can say nothing at all. It can all be body language. You get the dog's attention, not just yell over and over again. But then she walked away and let the dog lead her. Do you know how confusing that is for a dog to let them lead, but tell them what to do at the same time? No wonder the dog was anxious.

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Humans misread their dogs on a daily basis and on a wide scale of issues. I can't even imagine what it is like for a dog to be constantly misread and how confusing it must be for them. Most dogs do not wish to be the leaders, do not wish to run the show. They only wish to be secure with their pack and clearly know their status. However, they will take over when they do not see the humans as stronger then themselves. We humans would do our dogs a huge favor by trying to better understand them rather than just assume they are just like us.

Dogs are not mechanical creatures, nor are they humans. Their brains do not work in the same way that a human’s does. They lack human reasoning and some of our more complicated human emotions, but this is replaced with their own unique abilities that we would not trade for the world. That is what makes animals so special; they differ from humans. Taking the time to learn how they think and what makes them tick will help you successfully communicate with your dog. Give your dog what THEY need, rather than only taking what YOU want from your dog. Those who do for others are, generally, happier than those who only focus on themselves.

If you had a snake as a pet, you would more likely see the snake as the animal it is and try and give it what it instinctually needs. For example, a hut to hide under. But for some reason people humanize their dogs and perceive them to have human tendencies. In doing so, the dog suffers because he does not get his instinctual needs met.

Dogs do not reason, they react. Dogs never premeditate their actions. Meaning, they never think, "I am going to go and bite that mailman today." When a dog bites, there is a 99% chance it is the human’s fault for not communicating with the dog properly. There are certain things our fellow canines need to be satisfied and happy. When they don't get it they react accordingly.

Dogs and animals in general have a universal language. They read one another's energy/emotions. Humans can also read energy, but most humans have let this ability fall dormant. Your dog knows you are displeased when you walk into the room because they feel your anger and the energy that is produced by this emotion. They do not understand it because you are displeased by them chewing up your couch or that peeing on the floor was wrong. The only way to make a dog truly understand something is wrong or bad is to catch him at the moment they are committing the deed, or the split second before.

Dogs are pack creatures and just because the alpha member is shunning them doesn't mean they know why, they just recognize the fact that you're displeased. The slinking behavior is a generalized plea for forgiveness for crossing over boundaries or limitations the pack places on its subordinates (lower members of the pack), not an acknowledgment of a specific wrongdoing.

Here is an example; if your dog chews something up and in the past you have yelled or corrected them after it was chewed, lets say the trash, your dog now thinks it is bad for that trash to be on the floor. However, if your correction did not come at the right time, your dog may not understand that the act of chewing the trash is the unwanted behavior. Only that it's bad to have trash on the floor. SO, the dog chews the trash, sees trash on floor and suddenly it's BAD. They slink away or display signs because they know you are going to be upset and they will be punished. Yet, they chew the trash again because they do not know that CHEWING the trash is the unwanted behavior. Your dog knows you are mad, but unless you caught him in the act, he does not know why. Consequently, if you throw a piece of paper at the trash, miss and the paper falls to the floor, they may bark as they know trash on the floor is not in compliance with how the world is supposed to be. They will bark to alert you that something is out of place. When you pick it up and place the paper in the trashcan, order will have been restored to the universe and they will settle down.

Tip: Don't use his name when correcting him. His name should only be used for positive reinforcement.

In order for dogs to successfully live among humans, the humans must be the pack leaders. In the wild, pack leaders do not give affection to lower members of the pack unless it is earned by exhibiting wanted behavior. What they do give are rules the pack must follow, limits to what they are allowed to do, and boundaries that the pack must not cross. This social structure makes the dog feel safe and secure. When dogs live with humans they experience a human trait called affection. Love is embedded in all animate creatures and affection is the exhibition of that love. However, affection is not as frequently displayed in the dog world as it is in the human world. An example of affection in dogs is displayed by licking, like when a group returns after hunting and is greeted by the puppies/adolescent dogs that did not participate in the hunt. Affection between two different species is something humans have introduced to dogs and humans must learn the proper times to give it in order to properly communicate.

Affection is wonderful and dogs thrive on this human characteristic. However, too many times we give our dogs only affectionate love and we overlook the most important canine instincts. The thing that keeps the pack solid and the members secure is consistent, firm, confident discipline. When a dog is lacking in the latter, they loose their direction, become unstable, confused, insecure and unhappy. The lower dogs look to the pack leader for guidance and direction. Their instincts tell them that without a strong, consistent pack leader, they will not survive. Therefore, it is instinct for a dog to try to take over if they do not see you as a consistent strong leader.

Note: do not confuse excitement in a dog for happiness. This is another way in which we humanize a dog's behavior. A dog who runs around very excited is more lacking in mental and physical exercise and in most cases leadership as well. Dogs cannot speak words, so they are unable to tell us what they really need.

Dogs also need to be taken on daily walks. As the famous dog psychologist, Cesar Millan says, "By nature, birds fly, fish swim, and dogs walk." For a dog, walking is a migration instinct. Packs walk to find food. The leader leads the way and the lower members happily follow. Taking a dog for a walk is not only for exercise but also for the mental fulfillment of your dogs instincts. Running around your backyard, playing with another dog, chasing a ball, or taking your dog to the dog park is not going to satisfy this instinct.

The biggest mistake dog owners make is that they forget dogs are animals. We humanize dogs, as it pleases the human inside of us to do so. Too many times we humans use dogs to satisfy our own needs, and overlook the fact that our fellow canines, what we call man's best friend, have their own needs. People do not think about what the "animal" in their dog needs. Dogs help people, and it's high time people start helping the dogs by taking a step back and seeing it is an animal, learning what the animal needs and giving it to them. Then, and only then, can we also be our dogs best friend.

BASIC VOCABULARY

BASIC VOCABULARY

We hear wonderful stories about dogs that know 250 words and the following week there will be a report of a dog that has mastered 500 words only to be upstaged by an African Gray parrot who knows and speaks this many and a bunch more.

I’m not here to suggest you and Buddy need to learn quite that many but you need to have about twenty words. Some are a combination of several words but for the most part it’s easier for the dog if we keep things short and easy to understand. Remember when we run off at the mouth, it’s more difficult for him to know for sure just what we want. The following list starts out in order of importance and then adds some that are used regularly but they all fall into an equal importance sorta list.

NAME  if properly taught, the name eliminates the need for those extra words like, attention, look at         me, etc.

NO comes in a variety of flavors from “psst hey don’t do that” to something louder and more forceful, depending on the severity of the infraction.

SIT is everyone’s favorite and introduced very early in the learning process. Sit is forever useful because a dog with his bum on the ground can’t jump up, lunge, sniff inappropriate places etc.

COME is the next of the “no compromise” commands. If you’re only going to teach a few words, these first four and are must do words.

This next group are pretty standard in most dog’s repertoire but not quite as important as the first four.

DOWN is obvious and is a great position to have the dog assume when you want him to relax or cool out and let the air out of tires.

STAY is self explanatory and I also teach WAIT at the same time. Their uses are somewhat different and I prefer WAIT if we want to literally wait briefly before resuming an activity whereas STAY to me is used to indicate a longer duration.

Go to your BED or some other place is extremely valuable in teaching the dog to relocate and sit or down on his bed as opposed to continuing to perform some undesirable activity. Such as barking or begging.

HEEL or the less formal LET’S GO mean let’s go for a walk and the dog is to be beside the handler in the correct heeling position.

Coupled near the Heel category I have to include LEAVE IT and DROP IT. These are two more of the “no compromise “ commands.

These last few are useful but not up near the top of my list.

OFF. Most people put this one up near the top but I personally believe in teaching my dogs that jumping up is never an option so I almost never use the word off.

STAND is useful particularly for your groomer and sometimes at the vet.

JUMP  or HUP are handy when loading the dog into the van.

BACK UP or GET BACK are pretty useful when working with big dogs even if it’s just to get them back from a door.

Some people teach SPEAK. I don’t, but I do teach QUIET.

The last two apply to starting and ending schooling sessions. I start with an enthusiastic, “Are you ready?” and I use a release to tell the dog that we’re done. I use whatever is natural as long as I am consistent. I find myself usually using, “that’s it, we’re done.”

INSTANT INFORMATION

He grabbed my 'round my slender neck, I could not call or scream.
And dragged me to his dingy nest where we could not be seen.
 He tore away my flimsy wrap and looked upon my form,
And pressed his feverish lips to mine. They were so wet and warm.
He drained me of my very self. That's why you find me here.
A BROKEN  BOTTLE THROWN AWAY THAT ONCE
WAS FILLED WITH BEER.

It's an old poem so what's the point? My point is that today we are deluged with a zillion printed messages, all of the instant information category that are designed to fit the fifteen second sound bite category and everyone expects to read four lines and reach a conclusion and declare themselves fully informed.
As the little poem points out, we can make a mistake if we rush to judgement.
With the internet we can be an expert on anything in less than three seconds if we put the right words to Google.
Because my e mail address is in the public domain I am invited to purchase a lot of dog related equipment, information, courses , and whatever else you can imagine. I am constantly amazed what you can achieve with only $19.95  This week I read about a dog grooming home study course that offered a 12 week course that would guarantee a certificate enabling you to start work as qualified groomer. The only problem was they never mentioned anything about a requirement to know which end of the dog was attached to the tail. And a similar dog training course taught you how to enter the highly lucrative field of dog training in only ten weeks. Again no comment about the big E as in experience.
I regularly read blogs etc. from these people that trained one dog and took someone's seminar and set themselves up as experts. It's not that simple folks.
These dogs aren't robots. They don't all react in the same way all of the time. I've been at this business longer than most of you have been alive, I study regularly, looking for a better way, I have my hands on at least ten dogs daily and I'm the first to admit that I can run into a snag that makes me try a different approach to the problem. You have to rely on hands on experience to give you these alternatives and this has to be a reflex reaction.
Quality training comes from lots and lots of hands on experience not from the first two pages of Google answers that popped up in less than 1.873 seconds.
Thanks for reading this far. Just had to get that off my chest.

OLIO

Just a collection of ideas.

A great New Year’s resolution. “I want to be as good as my dog. Loving, devoted,   forgiving, non-judgmental.” 

Make sure your correction doesn’t become part of the command and signal. I often see people give a sit command and at the same time jerk up and back on the leash thereby administering a correction at the same time as asking for a task. It’s also not uncommon to see people say heel and jerk the leash at the same time. The student must have time to react to the command before you administer a correction. 

British dog trainer John Rogerson said, "In order to have a good dog, you have to learn how to become a good dog owner.”

“A good instructor understands basic psychology, learning theory, ethology and animal husbandry. You must understand operant and classical conditioning and how to use them. Study problem behaviors and their solutions. It isn't enough to just know the mechanics. Know how, when and why you would choose specific techniques - and why you would not. Every dog is different, every family is unique.”

Remember what the renowned dog trainer, Pat Miller, says, "Train with your brain - not pain." We’re supposed to be the smart ones here.

When dealing with stress and anxiety check the dog’s environment and have the owners “look in the mirror.” Often the problem is closer than we think.

I’ve just experienced this one with a student. Dogs hit a wall at about ten months and for 4 to 6 weeks you will be convinced that they have forgotten everything you taught. Slow down, train through it but don’t become frustrated. We all experience it.

As I constantly strive to become better at my craft I find I am reminding myself to consider the dog’s perspective. How is the dog thinking about what we are trying to achieve? I’m not suggesting that you spoil the student or compromise the expectations but I think we can always try to better understand the dog/trainer relationship. There just might be a better way. Keep searching. Look how far we have come in the last twenty five years and I for one think we have only scratched the surface.