Get into his mind! - Are you out of yours?
Jonathon writes: Please tell me I’m not going crazy.
One of my co-workers was telling me that if I want to train my dog then I need to understand his mind. Is that possible? I mean I know my dog is smart and inquisitive but if I want him to behave better, come when I call, and start listening, do I need to understand the psychological depths of his mind?
I really love my dog. He’s my buddy, a medium-sized dog I obtained from the local shelter. He’s great but sometimes I wonder if we’re on the same page.
He will come sometimes and he does most of the time but I want to trust him to behave appropriately all the times. It’s not that he’s a bad dog, just not a well-trained one. Can you provide me with any information on dog psychology to make training more effective?
Kingdom of Pets replies:
No one really knows for sure what dogs are thinking, we can only study the complex behaviors, interactions and reactions of both wild and domestic dogs and then use this information to make educated guesses as to how a dogs brain works, what their motivations and needs are, and how they communicate.
Getting on the Same Page as Your Dog
A dog's mind is much less complex than that of a human – they use instincts as opposed to emotion. Despite what some owners may believe, dogs do not feel the emotions that we do, or view situations in the same way. For example, if a dog nudges at an owners hand seeking a pat on the head or a scratch under the collar, the owner applies his own human feelings to the situation and assumes that the dog is being loving or affectionate when in actual fact, the dog is displaying dominant behavior.
It is a mistake to treat a dog as you would another human being. In many situations problems can be made worse by not having a good understanding of how a dog's mind works. For example if a dog barks at another dog, some owners may pick their dog up to get them to stop. Unfortunately this only reinforces the dogs behavior by giving him attention and physically elevating his position.
Understanding Pack Life
In the wild dogs live in packs that are usually highly organized. Each dog is ranked from highest (alpha dog) to lowest. The highest dog gets first access to resources and controls their release to lower pack members. This is an important concept to understand, because as the dog owner you need to act like the alpha dog! Your dog needs to feel secure, and if he is confident with you as a leader he will allow you to make decisions for the pack, and will be more inclined to follow those decisions.
If your dog understands that you are the pack leader he will obey your commands and be a lot less prone to aggression problems.
Communicating in a Way They Can Understand
Remember, dogs do not actually understand English or any other language. They simply learn to associate the sound of a word with an action or object. This is why a dog will often respond to a word that rhymes with a command, because the overall sound is similar. For the same reason a dog will often not respond to a command that is said in a tone, accent or volume that it is unfamiliar with – it simply does not realize it is the same word.
For these reasons it is important to use short words with a distinctive sound when choosing commands to teach your dog. Try to always say commands in a similar tone and don’t use several words interchangeably for the same thing.
When you are communicating with your dog, make sure first that he is aware that you are speaking to him by calling his name to get his attention. Your dog hears a constant string of sounds he does not understand and he must pick out the familiar ones from all of that background noise, and often when he is not concentrating directly on you he can miss out sentences directed at it.
Dogs can also pick up on your body language so it is important to consider your body language and what message it is sending your dog.
Understanding your Dog’s Motivations
An adult desexed dog has five main motivations or needs; food, attention, play/exercise, exploration and social interactions with other dogs. Providing for these needs will help your dog become a well-balanced happy and healthy canine citizen. You can also use these to help with your training. Work out which of these things your dog is most interested in and use this as a reward during training to keep him motivated, for example if your dog just loves playing with toys use this instead of treats as a reward during training.
Right From Wrong?
Finally, it is also important to remember that dogs do not have an understanding of right or wrong nor do they have the ability to be malicious. Whether or not a dog does something depends on the reactions it has had when it has done it previously. For example if your dog chews on your furniture and you put it outside for a time out it will learn that chewing on the furniture leads to punishment by being ignored and therefore they are less likely to do it again. They have not learned that chewing furniture is wrong per se but rather that it doesn’t turn out well for them.
These insights into how your dog thinks should help you and your dog communicate and understand each other better but don’t expect to understand everything your furry friend does, like people sometimes they’re just a mystery.
All the best,
Daniel Stevens and the Secrets to Dog Training Team
"Secrets to Dog Training - STOP Dog Behavior Problems!"
http://www.kingdomofpets.com/dogobediencetraining/
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