WUFF NEWS
From Wolf to Woof
Canis familiaris. Man's Best Friend.
Welcome to Paws for Assistance's very first blog!
Since our cave days dogs have lived with humans. They shared the same habitat and hunted the same prey. The close ties between people and their pups are the result of the sharing of their lives and food. Most of the time dogs are happy to fit into the family "pack" of humans and other animals that they live with. However sometimes the relationship is not harmonious.
As a Behaviourist I see lots of different dogs and families who are coping with some of the issues that can occur when humans and dogs live together. It is a huge privilege to be able to work with them to help them to improve their relationship, and we really do work with both the dogs and their owners to teach, explain, and to build skills and confidence.
We all buy a dog with the best of intentions to enrich our own lives and often to give something back to the thousands of dogs who have been handed in to rescue centres.
However, there is still so much incorrect information about dogs out there, including on many very popular websites and outdated methods used by trainers. So I wanted to use this blog to share current practice and research and to debunk myths about our canine companions and how they live their doggie lives in this confusing human world.
I will update this blog weekly, at first going through the most common problems that I see and maybe in time.. well who knows!
Today's blog is about that old chestnut....... Drum roll!
Dominance
This is perhaps the most misunderstood theory about dogs that I hear about. There is in fact no clear linear pack structure or hierarchy that dogs follow. Dogs are clever, subtle and change tactics with different people according to the response or rewards they get.
Dogs fear people who are aggressive towards them, and opportunistic where food, cuddles and strokes are available. They have no conscience, don't feel guilty and really learn best through cause and effect. They need lots and lots of repetition to learn new words, actions and behaviours. They also cannot associate a poop they did 30 minutes before in the kitchen with a frustrated owner who steps in it!
Below are some of the most common problems that I see that could be thought to be due to "Dominance"
🐾Often people feel that their dog challenges their authority in the home. Different members of the family have better or worse results in getting the dog to do what they ask.
🐾Owners feel that their dog is "dominant" and controls territory (places it likes to sleep and sit) and food and toys with growling and snapping when they try to take it from them.
🐾Theories about "dominance" in dogs are widely understood to be outdated and other than a few websites and some famous TV dog trainers there has been a huge movement to address dog behaviour without using fear, smacking, intimidation, electric collars or alpha rolls.
There is a better way - When I say better I mean more effective!
Work with your dog rather than against him
🐾 Dogs are not wolves they have been domesticated over thousands of years and do not require an “Alpha Wolf”
🐾 You do not need to keep your dog “subordinate”. Rather, think of your dog as you would a toddler, lovely and full of fun, but needs clear rules and boundaries to stay safe and learn to behave appropriately in a human household
3. 🐾 Dog’s relationships are built on trust, not on dominance.
4. 🐾 The first, most basic rule in your dog’s world is “No real aggression.” Most dogs will put other dogs (Particularly puppies) in their place and teach them doggie manners. They will do this with snaps and snarls but most well socialised dogs do not actually bruise or break skin.
5. 🐾 Most dogs are complex and flexible creatures
6. 🐾 Dogs just want to live in peace with you in your home.
Should we be leaders and help guide our dogs to make the right choices as much as possible?
ABSOLUTELY!
We all agree some dogs need leadership and guidance some of the time. Some people call that ‘Being the pack leader’. However, dogs know we are not dogs, if we want to be true leaders, we must lead non-violently without domination or intimidation, regardless of dog breed, drive or behaviour issue.
Dogs follow three simple rules as they interact
Rule 1: No true aggression – they will give growls, lip curls and snarls as warning. For most dogs a bite is a last resort.
Rule 2: Your dog wants to communicate with you and will try endlessly to do this.
Rule 3: Once we understand where we stand, what our place is, (Rules and Boundaries) we will try to keep the peace.
Remember!
Dogs are very like small children and are very secure and happier with clear rules and boundaries. Inconsistent rules make dogs feel insecure, imagine if the rules at your workplace changed constantly, you would feel the same way.
Older dogs always sort out the behaviour of younger dogs and teach them with firm corrections when they get it wrong. You need to be the older and wiser "Dog" in your family pack. As humans we can correct our dogs without causing fear, pain or intimidation, and this where your friendly local Behaviourist comes in to show you the best way to do this 😊
Teaching your Dog Human Manners!
However, some dogs do misunderstand their role and without loving leadership, seem to think that it is their job in the home to treat other members of the household a bit like a puppy. If your dog snaps, snarls or just ignores you… there are plenty of things we can do to teach him some house rules.
What your Dog Thinks…
In your dog's world, the most important people control the food and the environment. As humans we can use this to our advantage!
A dog needs leadership, guidance and gentle correction. This does not mean you can’t love your dog, and cuddle them and play with them and do all the things you love about having a dog.
When a dog is rewarded for his behaviour, he is likely to repeat it.. this is why timing is really important when working with your dog. If you reward too quickly or too late and the dog is in the wrong position, or has the wrong energy level, he will repeat this thinking this is what gets him the reward.
Reward the Behaviour you want to see
When a dog is rewarded for his behaviour, he is likely to repeat it.
🐾Train your dog to follow basic commands and then reward your dog whenever he does something you want him to do. This could be a SIT, STAY, DOWN, HUSH etc
🐾Short training sessions are very important for dogs, using their brain uses up lots of excess energy and you will see that even after a 15-20 minute training session most dogs want to go and snooze. A training session is as good as a walk and prevents the dog from getting bored or having excess energy.
🐾Always end on a positive note with your dog, if he just isn’t getting what you are trying to teach and is getting frustrated, finish with a few things he does know and reward, then let him chill out with a well deserved rest!
🐾Another benefit is that as your dog achieves success, his self-esteem and confidence will grow HUGELY! His world will change from one of being regularly told off or shouted at, to one where he is getting regular rewards and success. This in itself can help a dog to feel less like guarding his toys and places he likes to sleep. A confident dog is also less reactive to other dogs and people and has less fears and phobias.
That's all for today folks! I really hope you enjoy the blog and find the information useful. Please forgive any "clunkiness" social media is a big learning curve for me!
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