doggy matters ditch the behaviour not the dog! Andrea Williams - Canine Behaviour Counsellor Associate Member of Canine Behaviour Centre

A Dog’s Eye View

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SEEING THINGS FROM THE DOG'S PERSPECTIVE DO DOGS SPEAK ENGLISH? BODY LANGUAGE PREVENTION BEHAVIOUR DOGS' NEEDS POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT PUNISHMENT DOGS AND CHILDREN

Benji and Spud – dogs need friends too!

Note: Just to make things less complex, and because I have a male dog, I have referred to the dog as “he”. If you have a female dog please forgive me! SEEING THINGS FROM THE DOG'S PERSPECTIVE Did you ever consider what it must be like for a dog who is brought to your home for the first time from from a kennel or rescue centre? Have you ever thought how strange our environment must seem? Did you ever wonder how difficult it must be for dogs to abide by our rules when they don't have the slightest clue what the rules are? Oh yes, and remember, however well behaved a dog may be, he can't take his shoes off and doesn't have access to our toilet! Much has been written about the “dominant dog” and many owners have been convinced that they have to “show the dog who’s boss”, behave like the “pack leader” and in some cases even use physical force in order to keep their dog “under control”. A great deal has also been written about Dominance Reduction Programs (DRPs for short) and although these regimes may “appear” to work it has been shown that they can have a devastating effect on the dog emotionally and in many cases behavioural problems are made worse in the long term. Barry Eaton’s book Dominance, Fact or Fiction seriously questions this method of dealing with behavioural problems, and he’s not alone! How much more satisfying to build a relationship based on mutual respect and love. Much as I agree that guidance and boundaries are necessary in order to help our dogs feel confident, secure and relaxed, I am no longer convinced that we have to behave like “top dog” in order to achieve this. Dominance has been repeatedly diagnosed as the reason for aggressive behaviour but dogs very often behave “aggressively” because they are frightened (in some cases terrified), confused and emotionally frustrated at being unable to act out their normal behaviours,. Back to top
DO DOGS SPEAK ENGLISH? Do dogs understand or speak our language? Of course not! So when we speak to them initially it may as well be Japanese or Russian and they won't have a clue what we're saying, they won't know what we want from them or what's going to happen to them from one minute to the next. If we add to the confusion by shouting at them, just imagine how this must make them feel. It's not too difficult to see where the saying "a dog's life" comes from. That's not to say that we can't teach a dog to understand what we would like from them but we must realise that to expect a dog to respond to us when we simply speak to them or worse still shout at them is somewhat unrealistic! It is possible to teach your dog what certain words mean but sentences will initially go over your dog's head. Eventually he may become familiar with longer phrases or sentences if he has heard them many times and, more importantly, has learned to associate them with certain outcomes. For the majority of the time however he is far more likely to be picking up on other non-verbal cues. These cues may be obvious or subtle but your dog can be an expert when it comes to picking up on them. He will also pick up a great deal from your body language and tone of voice. For example picking up a lead and putting your coat on will most likely signal to your dog that you are about to take him out for a walk and excitement is likely to ensue. The fact that you yelled "walkies" (or something similar) is only a small part of the whole picture. On the other hand if you put on your coat and pick up your car keys and briefcase, he may look a bit despondent as he will guess that you are about to leave him alone. In this case you may be mistaken in thinking that he understands what "see you later" means! Many people will exclaim "my dog understands everything I say" but as you will see, there is far more going on than just words. Eventually it is likely that a dog will form associations between certain words and certain actions or experiences. It is not difficult for a dog to learn words like sit, lie, come, stay and to respond to these command but these are learned words. Eventually these learned words may still be recognised when they form part of a sentence. This may lead people to think that the dog has understood the whole sentence but this is unlikely to be the case. Having said all of the above there are a number of expert animal communicators who claim to be able to communicate with animals in a number of other ways. Amelia Kinkade (author of Straight from the Horse’s Mouth) and Silvia Kent, founder of the A1Harmony program both believe that love and understanding are the key to successful communication with our animal companions. They believe that animals pick up on the energy we give off as well as our thoughts processes and that with the use of visualisation techniques and other practical exercises, we can learn the art of a more subtle form of communication. This is an area that interests me deeply as these ideas and theories blend in well the other therapies I practise Bach Flower Remedies and Reiki. Touch is another way to utilise non-verbal communication. So much can be “said” with a soft touch and gentle stroking movements. Linda Tellington Jones, the founder of Tellington Touch (T-Touch) has written many books on the subject and Getting in Touch with your Dog is just one of many. We need to be mindful however that fearful, shy or traumatised animals may be extremely fearful of any kind of physical interaction and so we need to use our discretion and, if in doubt, seek professional advice. Turid Rugaas’ book Calming Signals will help you to understand how dogs pacify each other to ward off any form of confrontation. It also contains some body language techniques you can utilise to let your dog know that you are non-threatening and have his best interests at heart. Click here for direct links to these books. Back to top DOG'S BODY LANGUAGE We can learn a lot about how a dog is feeling from his body language. The dog's stance, ear and tail positions and the way the eyes and mouth appear give us vital clues. We can see if a dog is fearful or experiencing stress. We can tell whether a dog is feeling playful and happy or becoming aggressive. Some of these signals are obvious to most of us but others are much more subtle and may only be noticed by those with experience of dog behaviour and body language. Picture is a poster from art.com click it to visit the site When we look at things from a doggy perspective, it's not difficult to see why we have so many problem behaviours. In fact it's quite amazing that so many dogs behave as well as they do. Back to top PREVENTING PROBLEMS Prevention is always better than cure so if you start out on the right track with a young pup (or even an older dog) you're less likely to have problems. For many people however it's a case of finding out the hard way. It happened to me with my first dog, Toby. I was a complete novice when it came to dogs! You can read my story here.
BEHAVIOUR IS BEHAVIOUR Behaviour is neither good or bad, it's simply behaviour. We as the owners decide what is acceptable or non-acceptable (good or bad). Some owners are happy for their dog to lie on furniture or beds, others would be mortified! Other owners may like their dogs to show aggression towards strangers or intruders, whilst others may find this worrying or disturbing. Many behaviours that are labelled "naughtiness" or "nastiness" are simply dogs being dogs. The problem for us is usually the fact that they are behaving like wild animals in our lovely pristine home. At times like these, it pays to remember … …WE CHOSE TO PUT THEM THERE!! In the absence of help and guidance from us as compassionate humans, they will behave in the only way they know how. Whilst it is essential to provide outlets for their natural behaviours to avoid a build up of frustration and stress, we can gently encourage and help them to behave in ways that are more pleasing to us. If we make learning an enjoyable process for our dogs and reward their behaviour whenever they make progress, they are likely to repeat the behaviours learned. At the same time it is best to pay little or no attention to behaviour that we don’t want. We can often find a way to channel unwanted behaviour into a less destructive activity by engaging in some form of play with our dog which can be mutually satisfying and can also help to build a bond. Distraction is a good way to ward off any major problems. Most importantly we need to also ensure that their canine needs are met as much as possible. Apart from the obvious needs like food, water, shelter, exercise and playtime, dogs like humans and any other living creature have emotional needs. If these needs are neglected, and a dog becomes stressed and unhappy his ability to learn is impaired and things are more likely to degenerate than to improve. Back to top DOGS' NEEDS Dogs needs are simple: They need sufficient food and water. They need rest and relaxation. They need freedom from excessive heat or cold. They need help if they are sick, injured or in pain. They need sufficient space, freedom of movement and exercise. They need to act out normal behaviours which include playing, digging, chewing and barking. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT/REWARD-BASED LEARNING Dogs, like humans, do what works and if there's no payoff they probably won't repeat the behaviour. Would you go to work if you didn't get paid? I doubt it! Dogs are learning all of the time not just when we are trying to teach or train them. We can inadvertently teach a dog to do something we do not want. Here are some examples:
	BEHAVIOUR		REWARD		RESULTANT LEARNING
	Dog scratches at back door - he wants to come in or go out		Door is opened		Scratch door, great result!
	Dog pulls on lead		Owner walks faster to keep up and the walk continues		Pulling gets me there faster.
	Dog jumps up at visitors		Visitors make a fuss of dog while he is jumping up		Jumping up is great!
	SUGGESTIONS TO ACHIEVE DESIRED BEHAVIOUR:
	Dog scratches at back door - he wants to come in or go out	Wait until dog stops scratching open door immediately he stops			Scratching didn’t work.
	Dog pulls on lead	Stop walking immediately the dog pulls, call your dog back to you enthusiastically. Praise/treat him and resume walking when dog is at your side. Keep your dog’s focus on you in anyway you can, a ball, a toy or a treat can work well.			Dog learns that coming back to you results in something good happening and the walk continues once he is at your side.
	Dog jumps up at visitors	Ask all visitors to come in quietly and not make too much fuss until dog is quiet or sitting down.			Dog learns that sitting or staying calm gets attention.
Benji – isn’t he handsome?				REMEMBER TO ALWAYS: 1 Work in a spirit of co-operation so that your dog will enjoy the experience and will want to please you. 2 Encourage your dog with plenty of praise and good things. Find out what your dog likes most and use it. It can be a game with a favourite toy, a scratch on the rump or a treat. Learn about dog body language so you will recognise any signs of stress. Not all dogs enjoy kisses and cuddles! 3 Reward your dog whenever he makes an effort or does well eg with enthusiastic praise, tasty treats, games, toys etc. Set him up for success – make it easy for him in the beginning by helping him a little.
Back to top These examples may seem rather simplistic and many problems are far more complex than these but this may give you a general idea of how dogs learn. Helping dogs learn something new often requires patience, perseverance and consistency. However, once you have managed to gently establish some ground rules and provided you have made learning a rewarding and fun experience, you may find yourself being pleasantly surprised at how well your dog responds. The bond you build in this way will bring you years of pleasure and enjoyment in the future, not to mention a happy, sociable, well-adjusted pet who you will feel happy to include in many aspects of your life. PUNISHMENT Punishment is inadvisable and does little to build a good relationship between you and your dog. Methods of punishment include smacking, rough handling, shouting and even the denial of something that the dog likes or enjoys eg taking away food or a special toy. In many cases punishment actually increases problem behaviour and can cause many dogs to become highly stressed, particulary those who are already confused, timid or fearful. This in turn can result in defensive/aggressive behaviour and can therefore be counterproductive. Punishment may appear to "work" and get the results you want in the short term but the long-term effect on your dog can be detrimental. By suppressing unwanted behaviour with punishment you could be creating a whole host of future behavioural problems. Stressed animals are more likely to exhibit behaviour patterns that we find disturbing, inconvenient and costly. For example, animals suffering from separation anxiety may defecate, urinate, bark, howl or be extremely destructive when left alone. They don't behave in this way through naughtiness or to get back at us for leaving them alone. They are most likely suffering from extreme levels of anxiety, frustration and boredom. After all how would a human being feel locked up in a room for hours on end, day in day out with nothing to do - Crazy? Manic? Depressed? Suicidal? Sometimes this anxiety is so great that animals resort to self mutilation with horrific consequences. It would be totally inappropriate to punish an animal suffering from this degree of stress. …. to be continued Back to top DOGS AND CHILDREN … coming soon Please Note: All animal treatment will require your Veterinary Surgeon’s approval.