The dangerous dog’s debate continues as more innocent people victim to neglegent owners. Has the governement helped the issue? Or made it worse? What is the overall problem? Listen to this radio link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQgQes-GoEg to hear a lively debate with me(Nigel Reed) and Nicky Campbell.
Are dogs like wolves?
A common question when training our dogs is “Are dogs similar to their ancestor the wolf and can we learn from their ancestors?”
The answer will vary hugely depending on the sources opinion. The dog evolved from the wolf around 14 000 years ago. The reason how this sub species was created was due to human intervention. As a few brave wolves came close to our ancestor’s territory in search of a free meal in our leftovers, a friendship evolved over time. The relationship made sense with wolves helping us to hunt with their superior tracking abilities and provided us with protection and we delivered the most precious commodity, food.
These wolves that had us as their allies were no longer subjected to the tough world of natural selection and so their brains shrank in size along with their jaws. Over time these ‘wolves’ bred with each other time and time again and humans then saw the benefit in selective breeding to produce the huge varied species we have of dog today.
Are they related?
Dogs have in fact ‘devolved’ from the wolf. There is no match between the wolves’ strength and the dogs. Even a Pit Bulls bite pressure is not as strong as a wolf’s. But it was through domesticating the dog with their infectious personality, friendship, loyalty and character which secured their places in our homes.
Through domestication we bred dogs for specific purposes to help us work/hunt and live. As we played God by selective breeding to produce the breeds of dog that exist today, we have bred a few breeds with severe health abnormalities that are questioned by many vets and experts. Their appearance has dramatically changed and as a result their health has suffered in many cases e.g. British Bulldogs pelvises are too small compared to their heads, which often leads to many caesarean births.
It is hard to envisage that “theoretically” a Chihuahua could breed with a Great Dane and produce offspring but we all know it can as it is the same species.
Similarly the Gray wolf can breed with any dog and produce fertile offspring, again the definition of the same species or at least the same genus.
How much has changed?
Wolves have existed for roughly 4 000 000 years. This is an inconceivable amount of time to understand how long they have been successfully surviving as nature’s perfect design. As we took them into our homes comparably in a short amount of time we have produced one of the most diverse species on earth.
Although their appearance had dramatically changed, dogs like humans and all other animals are instinct led. Dogs are pack animals and in every pack situation such as a family/business/education etc there needs to be someone in charge to ensure a smooth running.
In the wild wolves operate as a strict hierarchy with the alphas being at the top of the pack. The pack is often made up with the alphas as the parents and the siblings as the subordinates. The alphas’ have three jobs to for fill.
As pack animals ourselves you may notice that these are three main responsibilities that human parents also share.
Wolves’ body language is imperative in staying alive. They communicate with howls, whimpers, growls, whines, smell, eye movements, posture, tail, stance, height, heckles, mouth, teeth, active/passive submission etc etc.
Dogs also communicate by whimpers, growls, whines, smell, eye movements, posture, tail, stance, height, heckles, mouth, teeth, active/passive submission etc etc.
The domestic pack
Dogs also form a pack and once again there has to be a leader. The problems that arise from the dogs’ behaviour is when the dog has the three responsibilities of a leader/parents.
The dog cannot comfortably for fill this role in our human world because they do not have the same informed perception as we do. We understand our world, we know what the postman is, what fireworks are, what joggers are doing, where other dogs seem to be heading, but the dog does not. Then if the dog believes he is leader he has a problem as his first responsibility to protect the pack from these “perceived dangers” will result in the defence response of flight, freeze or fight. This will cause the dog unnecessary stress as they will never be equipped to understand the world like YOU do.
The way to help a dog is to become the leader of your pack so the dog looks to you for the decisions to help him assess the world that he does not understand. Then when a potential threat approaches the dog will look for your reaction. Your reaction will be ‘its fine’ so he will think, if they are fine then I trust them, so I’ll be fine.
Being elected the leader
Your dog must elect you leader by his own free will, he will not like being bullied but prefer, that like all great leaders you will stay calm, convincing and consistent in times of trouble and lead by example.
The good news is that if you can communicate to your dog in his language, that you can do a great job in areas where he asks questions, then the dog will happily step down.
Wolf language is gentle, admittedly it can become heated as it does in nature when there is a limited amount of food and death can be the price for not competing but this is a small part. The alphas rule with 95% responsibility and 5% authority. It is often the 5% which makes television as people would become bored watching the 95 % gentle nurturing and bonding that takes place. It is the 95% that should be practised with your dog and you will see amazing results.
“Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better” Albert Einstein
Some people passionately believe dogs are not like wolves but remember they are still 99.8% genetically identical to wolves. That is a huge percentage and to disregard that fact will result in never being able to explain some of their behaviour. It is common practice to anthropomorphise (placing human characteristics on animals) but remember they anthropomorphise u Understanding the communication, ecology and life cycle of the wolf and then domesticate and integrate into our alien society and you will understand why the dog acts as he does. Like us some are born leaders, followers and all perceive life differently through their internal representation of the world.
However, one thing in common we all want and need are great leaders to help us when we need guidance!
Psychology of the dog
The psychology of the dog has been misinterpreted by many ‘experts’ in the past, present and will continue into the future. All animals on the planet have a psychology from the ant to the elephant. The psychology of these animals can be understood by observing them in their natural environment whilst asking ‘ what drives these animals and why do they act as they do?’
Attempting to understand the dog in the domestic environment can be observed but will never be mastered. This is due to the domestic environment being a very recent advancement in the dog’s existence; hence this environment is not ingrained in the dog’s nature. The true nature of the dog can be observed by studying his most common ancestor, the wolf.
The dogs closest ancestor
The wolf has been on this planet for many years before people. In the last 14 000 years humans accepted wolves in their communities for the purpose of aiding hunting and protection. As these wolves grew by our sides their brains shrank and appearance changed due to them no longer using their natural abilities. The wolves that were first accepted were then bred with other wolves in a similar situation again and again creating a sub species known as the dog.
Although the wolves’ appearance changed dramatically and quickly in to the dog due to human intervention, the instincts that have been around for millions of years could not be altered.
The wolf is an intelligent animal and has mastered a set of rules in which they live by in order to survive. These rules have to be reinforced on a daily basis through communication. This communication can be subtle or very obvious. The subtle part of their communication is the massive majority of their language. Understanding this subtle language is the key to understanding your dog’s behaviour.
The art of communication
This language is a gentle language, often reinforced with affection and kind teaching. Mimicking this language in the domestic environment will be a language that the dog understands. This language can then be used to communicate effectively, ensuring a great friendship with your dog. Humans often do not understand or are not aware of this language so are unable to use it.
Due to humans not understanding this lost language encourages them to rectify the problems often with frustration. As a result gadgets and tools have been created to solve these problems. Unfortunately gadgets and tools will never understand the psychology of the dog. Gadgets and tools will only service to restricting a dog from doing what he thinks he should be doing. The dog is supposed to be man’s best friend, so is administering shocks or choke chains in order to control, a friendly thing to do?
Attention to detail is paramount to becoming an expert with the dog. If you are using gadgets and tools to solve dog problems would you say this was attention to detail? Or would you rather use the psychology of the dog to understand WHY?
Look around and question which methods are cruel and which are kind. This way we will learn more, we owe dogs that.
By Nigel Reed
How long does it take to train your dog?
A common question when training the dog is ‘How long will it take to train the dog?’ An understandable question! However one which will be different with every dog due to every owner, dog, problem, environmental factors and situation being different.
Common problems
Dogs display all sorts of different problems from aggression to nervousness, separation anxiety to running away. In these typical situations, if the dog has been given the wrong signals and believes he is in charge, then he will do what is deemed necessary to keep the pack safe, which then causes him to act in this manner. The fact that the dog does not understand the world like we do does not come into the dogs thinking process, and only serves to confuse him.
The dogs’ decision
The best way to help this is to take the decision making process off the dog so he looks to you, the person who does understand this world to make sensible decisions and reassure him that everything is okay.
Dogs ask us questions
However, the dog has to find out if you are good enough to rule the pack so he will question you in many ways E.g. If a dog pulls on the lead or jumps up, becomes aggressive, toilets in the house, whines, steals food, runs away etc etc it is in fact a question. The amount of questions he asks is not important. What is important is how you answer and then these answers then become lessons
One step at a time
The more correct lessons you put in the quicker the dog will get it. However, once again other factors can ruin it for you e.g. other people not listening to your requests when dealing with the dog, a dog with a very strong will, a shortage of time to put lessons in, going off course etc.
Compare these lessons to learning to drive a car, we all do it at different speeds, it took me a while. A few of my friends did it in a two week crash course and some of my friends gave up for a number of reasons. One pattern emerges and it’s those who are determined and do not give up always get there by having patience and self belief. It is these traits that the dog wants in a leader, so he then feels reassured, happy to step down and let you make the decisions for him.
www.dogtraininginlondon.co.uk
Toilet training your puppy should begin the first day he arrives into your home. An eagle eye is needed in the beginning to identify the signs of when your dog needs the toilet. Do not think you will recognise the signs on every occasion but you can prepare yourself.
Typically, a dog needs the toilet after he wakes up or just after eating or drinking. At these times you should accompany the dog outside so he can associate going to the toilet with being outside.
How to teach him
You should also think about the other times your dog has needed the toilet in the past. What behaviour was he displaying? By recognising these signs you can anticipate when your dog needs the toilet and lead him to the designated area outside. Be patient it may take some time!
When you see your dog squatting outside, reward him with some praise, for example, ‘good boy’, and give him a treat. He will quickly learn that going to the toilet outside will receive a positive response. Dogs want to please us so we invite and show them how to do exactly that.
Finding sollutions not problems
If you live in a flat and cannot make it outside on every occasion, set aside an area you can wet proof, for example, by laying down newspaper or absorbent padding. Be prepared to change it however many times necessary. Be positive every time he gets it right in the flat and be even more positive when he goes outside.
If your puppy gets it wrong inside the house or on his way outside, then clear it up without a word. The dog is just a puppy and will make mistakes like we all have and negative training in such early stages of life are not productive.
www.dogtraininginlondon.co.uk
A lesson in nature and subtlety
When a canine communicates, its action can be missed by the human eye but the reaction can mean life or death. Understanding the subtlety of their communication is key for your canine to have faith in your rections to a problem. A good leader does not get angry and he stays calm, when the leader is calm the others follow.
www.dogtraininginlondon.co.uk
Every dog in our home has descended from the grey wolf and was originally bred for a specific purpose. Small dogs such as Jack Russells were bred specifically to fit down holes to catch rabbits. Huskies were bred strong with thick coats so they could pull sleds and survive in freezing temperatures. Most dogs now however are bred for aesthetics and no longer work. So what does this mean for dogs in our home? Does this affect their behaviour?
Does having a certain breed of dog act as a psychological barrier with regards to training?
Too often I hear that certain breeds of dogs cannot be trained. When the truth is that they were bred for a specific purpose over a period of time, this time scale was very small in comparison of their history. So has this had such an effect on their DNA and personality that it has been passed down through generations? I appreciate certain breeds of dogs tend to be better at certain things e.g. border collies are generally the experts when rounding up sheep, there bodies are designed to do the job and there breed has had much work and attention in doing this that it has become natural. However they are all not capable of rounding up sheep.
All dogs have different personalities
Dogs all have an individual personality; some are born shy, courageous, pushy, soft or even jokers. So can we stereotype a whole breed? We can’t with people! It will be wrong to say that all English people are hooligans and all French people wear berets. Using Staffy’s as an example the answers are found behind the distorted human perception. Is it coincidence that Staffy’s are involved in tragic cases? Or is it more the type of people that wants such a naturally strong and tenacious dog? There are thousands of responsible Staffy owners out there and then there are a minority of people on the street who want to look hard who lack in the downstairs department. It is not coincidence that on a recent trip to Battersea I saw that Staffy’s made up 75% of abandoned dogs, so what does this say?
There are many considering factors to take into account
To me this says, people’s perceptions are responsible again for creating hype to specific breeds, it a combination of the media, irresponsible owners and anthropomorphising, I say that a Staffy and a Yorkshire Terrier do not think any different like a black person or a white person doesn’t. Its down to fundamental nature, nurture and environment. The only difference is when one of them bites you, it is about the size of the hole it leaves in your skin.
