|
 Did
you know that ...
30% of all pups adopted from animal shelters are relinquished by
their owners within the first 12 months?
After two years, 70% of those dogs will no longer be with their
original adopting families?
90% of owners with dogs they have had for 5 years or more have
one or more behaviours they would like to change in their dogs?
There
are running debates within the veterinary behaviourist community
about whether undesirable behaviour in dogs is a result of nature or
nurture. Many behaviourists are strongly in the nurture camp,
insisting that most all dogs can be turned into good pets with the
right training and environment. Others lean to the nature side,
insisting that dogs are born with most of their personality traits;
training and environment will merely shape what's already there.
Dogs are
indeed born with certain characteristics that will be expressed to
some degree regardless of how they are raised. Some dogs are more
extreme in the expression of their inborn characteristics. However,
almost all behaviours can be accentuated or reduced, depending on
how one interacts with the dog. While we don't know the exact mix of
how much genetics versus environment contribute to a dog's
disposition, we know environment will have a major impact on certain
areas such as how confident your dog is (rather than timid or
fearful), how well-socialized she is, how well she follows your
directions, how trustworthy she is around other people and children,
and whether she is well-mannered.
FIRST
RULE OF DOG TRAINING
Dogs speak with their bodies. Unfortunately, humans are very good at
misinterpreting what dogs are saying. We often ascribe our own
thoughts, feelings and values to our pets. That is often not
accurate and can cause some real confusion for the dog and us.
SECOND RULE OF DOG TRAINING
Dogs live in a pack. Dogs living with humans interact with the
family members in the same fashion they do with other dogs. To a
dog, where they are in the pack (that is, are they the top, or
alpha, dog [dominant] or the bottom dog [submissive]) is a primary
concern at all times. The dog interprets your behaviour as your
indication of where you are in the pack, too. Bearing this in mind,
let's look at some examples.
A dog
that keeps trying to put his paw over your arm is saying:
A) I like you.
B) Please pet me.
C) I want to dominate you.
D) I have to go outside.
Most
people guess A or B. The real answer is C. This dog is trying to
control interaction with you. If you allow the dog to determine the
starting or stopping of games, you may enable certain dogs to
dominate you. Dogs express dominance to each other by putting their
heads, paws, or entire bodies over each other. So by gently placing
your hand over your puppy's head and shoulders frequently, you let
him know that you are the leader. That gives him a comfortable place
in his family "pack", which he craves. If you allow him to put those
paws over you, and reward him by petting him, you've reinforced the
idea that he's in charge and does not have to listen to you. This
does not mean you should try to dominate dogs by forcing them to the
ground. To do so is to endanger yourself and the dog. If you are
working with a dominant, aggressive animal, you should call a
veterinary behaviourist.
A
strange dog is greeting you with ears erect and forward. He's
standing very tall with all his weight shifted to the front of his
body. His tail is erect, and moving slightly from side to side. He's
staring at you directly. Would you walk up and pet him?
A) No of course not. He's showing me assertiveness or aggression.
B) Of course, there's no problem. He's regarding me with friendly
curiosity.
The
answer is A. These are direct physical indicators of a dog telling
you to leave him alone.
When
your dog greets you, she slinks toward you with her head lowered and
her tail tucked under her legs. As soon as you lean over her, she
rolls on her back and keeps looking away from you. What's going on
here?
A) She's done something naughty and is looking guilty.
B) She's a wimp.
C) She's acknowledging your leadership and is soliciting attention
respectfully.
The
answer is C. Instead of being grateful that they own a dog that has
automatically accepted their leadership, some people are convinced
this properly respectful dog has done something wrong and is acting
guilty. The poor dog has no idea why you, in their mind the alpha
dog, are yelling. As far as the dog knows, you're yelling at her for
greeting you. So the next greeting will be even more submissive and
the dog may even start urinating submissively on greeting to show
you that she's really no threat so you, the alpha dog, won't yell.
If your dog chews on objects during your absence, punishment after
the fact will not stop her from doing this the next day. You have to
determine the causes (separation anxiety, puppy chewing, etc) in
order to treat this successfully. If you punish this submissive dog,
this becomes a self-perpetuating problem, unless you break the cycle
by recognizing your dog's behavior as submissive.
You
have a 1-year-old Irish Setter. You take her for a walk on a leash
for at least 30 minutes each morning, and for 45 minutes every
night. You walk fairly briskly. During the day, she's alone in the
house. You now have to keep her in the bathroom because she's
destroyed every other room in the house. Now she's started to lick
the skin raw on one of her paws. What's happening?
A) She's just a bad dog. Send her back to the breeder
B) She may suffer from a behaviour problem, like separation anxiety.
C) She's being spiteful, to make you feel guilty for working all
day.
D) She needs more exercise.
Both B
and D are correct. This is a very high-energy dog, bred to go at a
brisk pace for hours. She needs a job compatible with her high
energy level. Walking by itself is inadequate exercise for her and
most dogs, especially working breeds. Your brisk walking pace may be
slow plod for her. Dogs may develop a variety of behavioural or even
health problems if they are not given a lot of vigorous exercise
daily. In addition to the daily walks, allow off-leash exercise in
safe and designated areas, encourage play and social interaction
with other dogs, and/or train the dog to provide additional physical
and mental stimulation (obedience, tracking, agility, etc.).
Talk to
your veterinarian, go to obedience training clubs, and find out from
veterinary and behavioural experts what normal behaviour is for your
dog and how to interpret what your dog is doing. That's the first
step to getting your dog's behaviour and your relationship with her
back on track. Work with the experts or join an obedience-training
club to learn how to effectively communicate with your dog, how to
prevent problems, and how to work through problems that already
exist.
Source: Dr. Petra Mertens, Peggy Root
Kustritz
www.petcare.umn.edu
Edited by Heather George
|
