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Understanding Your Dog
Dogs work very hard to understand us, and they deserve the same consideration in return. Dogs and humans perceive social interaction as both necessary and desirable, but we express ourselves in distinctly different ways. Failing to understand your dog’s motivations, drives, social signals, and developmental phases can lead to miscommunication and confusion. In order to elicit and strengthen desirable canine behaviors you must learn to effectively communicate with your dog.
A Wolf Inside?
At one time, it was believed that studying the social behavior of wolves would provide insights into dog behavior. There are similarities between dogs and wolves, and wolf behavior can provide some insights into dog behavior. However, there are also vast differences. Observing the behavior of a group of wild animals cannot provide realistic information about coexisting with a domestic species in your home. This idea is overly simplistic and sometimes detrimental.
It was also discovered that many theories about wolf pack structure were inaccurate. Wolf packs are cooperative and complex social structures. Their behavior is designed to ensure the mutual survival of the group. Body language is used to maintain harmony and minimize confrontations. Actual fighting is rare, and active (voluntary) submission is far more common than forced submission, especially for puppies.
Unfortunately, misconceptions about the role of dominance and aggression in wolf packs have become ingrained in popular culture. It has been used to rationalize the use of punishment during training because people continue to accept the idea that properly disciplining a dog like an alpha wolf is the way to gain and maintain dominant status.
Setting and enforcing reasonable rules and boundaries is a far more effective and humane way to become your dog’s leader. Rather than intimidating him with brute force, help him follow the rules by controlling his resources. This way he learns to perceive his family as a support system. Adhering to his family’s expectations becomes his way to ensure his acceptance within his family and access to what he wants.
DANGER!
Training strategies based on the notion of attaining dominance over a dog range from dangerous to pointless. Maintaining control over a dog through intimidation and bullying is unjustified and likely to intensify behavior problems stemming from fear and aggression. Some dogs respond to this approach with justified confusion, mistrust, and fear. In order to protect themselves from further abuse, they may retaliate with any and all weapons at their disposal—including their teeth. Use your brain rather than inflicting pain to lead your dog.
Dominance and Submission
Dominance and submission are two terms that are widely misunderstood, oversimplified, and overused. For example, a host of canine behavior problems are misdiagnosed as attempts to exert dominance. In fact, individual dogs often display both dominant and submissive behavior, shifting from one to the other according to their environment. A dog’s status is regularly influenced by the presence of other animals and people, as well as other environmental factors. For example, an adult dog in a room full of puppies would most likely be dominant over the younger and less experienced dogs and would thereby have greater access to resources. Surrounded by other adult dogs in a park, this dog may behave more submissively in order to get along with the others.
In all areas of life, dogs do what works for them. A dog who mounts his owner might be labeled as “dominant,” but what does that mean? It has become a catchphrase to pigeonhole behaviors rather than examining them. In truth, a dog that mounts his owner might be displaying aggression, playing, or simply seeking attention. Deciphering the motivation for a particular behavior is difficult. Labeling a dog as dominant eliminates the need to analyze the problem. Even worse, the “solution” for a dog labeled as dominant often involves punishment and force, which often intensifies the problem. Depending on your definition, a dominant or confident dog is not necessarily a problem dog. In fact, a less confident dog who is attempting to raise his status can be more troublesome because he will habitually test and challenge boundaries.
Indications of Dominant Behavior
A dog’s posture usually becomes more rigid if he intends to threaten. Typical signs of dominance displays include standing tall, with tail and ears at attention. A dominant dog might also mount another dog or place his head or paws over the other dog’s body. The combination of adrenaline and heightened arousal also causes hackles (hair on the back of neck and back) to be raised.
Raised hackles may be intended to signify a threat. But, physiologically this is an uncontrollable or unconscious reaction that must be interpreted in context. Both neutered and unneutered males and females engage in this behavior with both sexes. Likewise, mounting behavior is context specific. In some cases, it has a reproductive function. But, it also occurs during play and does not necessarily indicate that a dog is trying to reproduce or assert dominance.
Indications of Submissive Behavior
A submissive dog uses his body to express his desire to avoid aggression and intention to do no harm. His ears and tail are lowered, and his gaze is averted. He crouches, turns away, or rolls on his back.
“Good Dog Myth”
Otherwise known as the “Lassie syndrome,” the “good dog myth” refers to the notion that dogs are innately motivated to please us and make us happy. Dogs that seem to have this propensity are considered “good dogs,” and those that don’t are labeled as “bad dogs.” Needless to say, many dogs fail to live up to these unrealistic expectations. Many people hope for a dog that is solely devoted to pleasing them. Unfortunately, this concept completely disregards the laws of nature. A survival instinct motivates most animal behavior, not the desire to please other animals. Most canine behavior is motivated by the desire to gain access to important resources like food, attention, and comfortable resting spots. The basic canine philosophy asks: What is in it for me right now? What is rewarding? What is safe? What is not? They can be manipulative and self-centered when trying to gain access to these resources, which is okay.
BETTER BEHAVIOR
The word “manipulative” has serious negative connotations.
But, it need not imply a malicious intent. We habitually attempt to influence canine behavior, and dogs attempt to do the same with us. There is nothing wrong with this approach as long as it’s done fairly and responsibly. For instance, we use this approach to guide specific canine behaviors in a direction that we consider appropriate. For example, a dog may bark to gain attention or elicit a specific response from his owner, such as fixing his dinner. Essentially, the dog is trying to manipulate human behavior through barking. Alternatively, we can teach the dog to sit rather than bark to elicit the response of dinner service from his owner. In both situations, neither party is acting in a negative way; each party is simply negotiating social mores in order to get what he or she wants.
Well-mannered dogs do want to please people, but this is not
