|
||||||||||||
|
|
Proper Human to Dog Communication
The lack of proper human to dog communication can lead to many behavioral issues including dog aggression. Owners often mean well, however they are misreading what their dogs are saying and their dogs are misreading what they are saying back. So many mixed signals on both sides of the fence.
One of the biggest mistakes I see is the way people correct their dogs. Especially those little dogs and puppies. Correcting a puppy the wrong way can create an unstable adult dog. Sometimes to the point of aggression.
I witnessed a 3 month old puppy growling at the other dogs at the dog park. The owner was making an attempt to correct her puppy. Puppy growled and the owner picked the pup up, swaddled the dog in her arms, patted the dog in the rear end, pointed at him and had a human conversation. "That was bad boy, don't do that anymore. You are so bad. I am going to put you down now and I want you to be a good dog. You hear me?" She spoke to the pup as if he was a 2 year old human baby. She had a conversation in human words about how that was bad of the pup. This was the wrong response on so many levels. Dog's do not understand human conversations. Everything the owner said to the dog was not understood by the dog. Giving affection to a dog who is in a dominating state of mind only intensifies the frame of mind the dog is in and tells the dog that you agree with the dog's mood. It is as if she just said, "good puppy for feeling dominant". Once the owner picked up the dog and removed them from the situation you can no longer correct the behavior because the dog is not doing the behavior anymore. Dogs live in the moment and whatever the dog is doing at the moment of the correction is what the dog will believe you are referring to. I heard her say to someone, oh don't worry about him. He is so little he can't hurt anyone. The puppy was a large breed dog. At the time the pup was the size of a Chihuahua, however in about 6 months the dog would be about 50 pounds and growing. I also witnessed the pup jumping up on all of the humans. Another behavior that appeared harmless from such a small dog, however it was actually a dominating gesture on the puppy's part. All of the other dogs at the dog park knew what the pup was saying, however the owner did not. This is a very common mistake owners of small breeds and puppies make. Allowing the dog to engage in dominating behaviors, not seeing it as a problem because the dog is small and believed to not be abel to hurt anyone (Small Dog Syndrome). When the puppy growled at another dog the owner should have walked over to the puppy, leaned forward without picking the dog up and told him, "No". Blocking him from going after the other dog and poking him in the neck if need be to simulate a bite. The owner needs to speak firmly and feel very confident inside so the dog takes them seriously. Less words, more body language. Timing is everything. You cannot correct the dog for a behavior if the dog has moved onto other things. If you wait until it intensifies into a full fight it will be very hard to break it up as a dog at that level of dominance is not focused on anything but the thing they are going after. I also witnessed three dogs going after another dog who had just entered the park. Someone who is unfamiliar with dog behavior may have mistaken the dogs for playing, however their body language said otherwise and the new dog knew it. These three dogs surrounded the new dog from all sides. The new dog laid down telling the dogs who were dominating her that she was not going to challenge them. This was a very good response for the new dog. Submitting and not challenging them back. This behavior on the new dogs part prevented a dog fight. The owner saw her dog laying down, walked over and yelled at the dog to get up and go play. I then heard her state that her dog gets scared at the dog park and sometimes does not want to play. Little did this owner know, she just told her dog that she did not agree with the dog's decision not to fight. I often witness people at the vets office who have nervous, unsure, scared dogs or dogs who are barking or growling at other dogs. I see people reach down and pet their dogs trying to comfort them. When you do this you are actually telling your dog that you agree with their mood. Intensifying how the dog is feeling. Learn more about this common mistake by reading The Human Dog. Too often I hear owners state their dog's temperament and attitude changes after they bring their new baby home. The dog is reported to become protective of the baby, because the dog loves the baby. Some say their dogs become demanding for attention because they are jealous. Both of these assumptions on the reason for the dog's change in temperament are false. In actuality the dog has either claimed and now believes they own the baby, owns their owners and/or owns the home and are trying to control what is going on around them. Dogs need to be taught to give the baby space and respect, especially during feeding time. The baby needs to be seen as above the dog in the pack order. Read more Bringing Home the New Human Baby.
Treating a puppy like a baby instead of giving them structure, and rules creates an unstable adult dog. Picture your puppy full size and do not allow the pup to do anything you are not going to want them to do when they are adults. When people walk their dogs in front of them while on a lead, or let a dog enter through a door or gateway first they are communicating that the dog is in charge. A dog running over to a human and jumping on or nipping at them is a dog who is being disrespectful and dominating. The dog is reminding the human that they are still in charge of things. People who are upset at a dog and call the dog over to them for punishment are communicating to the dog that coming to them is bad. It is associating the act of coming with something negative. Read more Run Away Dog. Never correct your dog out of anger. Read more Alpha Humans - What does it mean to be dominant?
Do not laugh when you are correcting your dog, no matter how cute they are. It sends mixed signals and the dog will not take you seriously.
Do not use a dog's name when correcting a dog. It associates the name with something negative.
Corrections must be made at the moment the deed is being done or the second you realize the dog is thinking about it. Not after. Remember that whatever the dog is doing at the moment of correction is what the dog will think is bad. People often confuse a dog's possessiveness with love. Read more Recognizing Dominant Behaviors in Dogs To learn more about dog psychology and what makes a dog tick, we strongly suggest Cesar Millan DVD's
Written by Sharon Maguire © Dog Breed Info Center® All Rights Reserved |
|
||||||||||
|
All Breeds > Purebreds > Hybrid Dog Info > Find the Perfect Dog > Pets > All Creatures > Care Training+ > Photos > Submit a Picture > Free Desktop Wallpaper > Adopt a Rescue Dog > List Your Rescue > Puppies for Sale > Find a Breeder > Classified Ads > Place An Ad > About the Ads > Spike the Bulldog > Maguire Farm > Dog Products > Link to DBI > Scam Warning > Contact Us > Login > Site Updates
Advertising Advertise on DBI > Advertising Rates > Advertising Help > Place a Banner on DBI > DBI Advertiser Policy > Media Coverage > Advertiser Comments > DBI Traffic > Classifieds/Breeders > Place an Ad > Login Rescue
|
||||||||||||
and or 
