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Dogs and the folly of Dr Spock
Many years ago Doctor Spock wrote his book about bringing up children. His son tells how he was raised in a household which was the antithesis of that depicted in his father’s book. While some, in my opinion, wrongly regard him as an idol others believe his views to be the product of excessive liberalism, and many believe that the book’s attitudes towards children have played an unwelcome part in the way many children are brought up. However I suppose it was inevitable that eventually a similar movement would try and steer dog training down the same road, and that inevitability occurred during the nineties.
There is no doubt that original dog training methods were not always the most subtle as to a large extent they were based upon allowing the dog to make a mistake so that he could be corrected. This undoubtedly led to much unnecessary heavy handed dog training. In the very early sixties in my first year as a trainer I was lucky to be shown one or two methods of teaching dogs by motivation. Very quickly I built upon this so that I was able to educate puppies to become well trained adult dogs without it ever being necessary for me to correct the dog by lead and collar, even reasonably gently. My whole concept was that, as dogs learned nearly everything by habit, if I was clever enough never to let them make a mistake they could only learn the habits which were those that I wanted. Of course no one is clever enough to ensure that 100% of the time a dog never makes a mistake. Yet if that is the aim then the result may be in the low nineties and that will usually be good enough to produce a happy well trained dog. Therefore since then all my puppies/dogs have been trained almost exclusively by motivation and they have all had complicated competition work to master.
While since almost from the time I started to train dogs I have done so by such methods I recognise that this is fine for those who know exactly what they are doing with their puppies. It can also be right for some adult dogs despite their owners shortcomings as their teachers. Also there are other adult dogs who, being of over average ranking together with a history of not being taught the social requirements of people, will need firmer handling and the way to do that successfully is not with tit-bit or toy.
In the U.K. debate has raged back and forth about whether or not it is right for a parent to smack an errant child. One faction screams "No" while the other faction shouts "Yes". Who is right? For me neither are right for it will largely depend on the nature of the child. To make a black or white decision one way or the other flies in the face of the fact that we are not all created equal and neither are dogs. Therefore sometimes the answer is a shade of grey. Most so called kind dog trainers make a very big mistake by going solely down the road of passivity for inevitably they will do the same harm to dog training as many believe that Doctor Spock’s theories did for children. That will come about by not understanding the material they are working with.
Most followers of so called kind teaching methods ban discipline that might remotely be described as very firm. However, what they have yet to understand is that there are several other factors to take into consideration. One is that as dogs natures differ there is no one way of obtaining the right result. Another is that a pack living naturally in the wild is not a kind place. Then they seem to forget that most creatures who naturally herd together have a hierarchal structure and this means discipline is meted out by higher members to those subservient, if not the subservient become the leaders. Therefore sometimes such pack discipline might be described as unkind.
I am in the front of the queue when it comes to being kind to dogs but my kindness also includes the kindness of appropriate discipline. In the wild, dog’s need to know where their place is within the hierarchy, so do they in the family hierarchal pack structure of our lives. As a race we constantly see the disturbing results of interfering with nature, and trying to make our contrived pack life with dogs devoid of discipline is therefore as misguided as other forms of interfering with nature.
Far better that one first understands the nature of the dog to be trained. For many this will not be easy. However, some dogs will display more obvious signs about their natural canine ranking than others and owners should be aware of them. If the puppy/dog is constantly groveling belly up you can be sure he is pretty low ranking but on the other hand if he is constantly challenging then he may well be of the opposite nature. You have to know just as I have to when working with problem dogs. To successfully train dogs you have to understand the material you are working with and therefore make the best decisions about motivation or dominance or a level between which is right for you and your dog. There is no alternative as a base to start successful training.
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Insecurity and Separation Anxiety Domesticated dogs are still pack animals by nature. Even if there is only one dog in a family of humans he will come to regard the humans as part of the pack that he lives with. Some dogs, particularly those who have thus far had almost unrestricted access to human company for 24 hours a day or even less, can suffer great stress when denied that company. This may be when the family members are all out of the house and it is then, or when they prepare to leave, that stress commences. That stress can manifest itself in the form of whining, barking or even destruction of the furnishings by scratching or chewing. Defecation and urination can also be a symptom of this problem when control is lost by bowels or bladder as a result of extreme stress. A common misconception is that the dog is being deliberately naughty when in fact he is ill and cannot control his reactions. Giving the dog total access to company masks the problem by treating the symptom and only exacerbates the problem. Even worse is that under such circumstances the dog dictates family life by forcing owners to stay at home to give the dog company. This illness, while under most circumstances will be caused by separation from human pack members, can also be brought about by separation from animal members of the family. For instance an older dog that has died. It will largely depend upon whether the dog has had a greater bonding to humans or to other animals which will usually be other canines. However my experience is that 95% of cases are anxiety when parted from human company even when there are one or more dogs living together. The dog may look guilty when he has been destructive but that will only be because of the mess. He cannot associate the act of destruction nor his anxiety with the apparent mess, and therefore any punishment is futile and counter productive. Dogs suffering from Separation Anxiety are not being wilful when they become destructive, it is simply that they become agitated and panic when separated from human company with destruction being the result. Excessive company can lead to addiction This dependency upon company can be likened to drug addiction. It particularly applies where the dog has bonded firmly with one or more persons, and the more company the dog has the more he is able to feed upon his addiction and therefore the greater his addiction becomes. In a typical household the 24 hour period of night and day can be split into three periods of eight hours. There is the normal working period, the relaxing period and the sleeping period. When someone is usually at home during the normal working period it can be said the dog has eight hours company. Add to that the fact that under most circumstances the dog will have eight hours company in the evening, that means two thirds of 24 hours have been with human company. Add again the last period of eight hours by allowing that dog in the bedroom, then he has 24 hours company. Where a family has a member on shift work during the night this can greatly increase the dog’s access to company during the day if the dog is allowed to be close to the sleeping shift worker. With extreme cases the dog may be receiving considerably less than 24 hours company every day yet still have this problem. For example I have attended many cases where the dog sleeps well away from humans at night yet he still suffers anxiety when left. In such cases it will easily be understood how much the dog’s anxiety, when left on his own, would be increased if he were also to have company at night. However, having written that, in the vast majority of Separation Anxiety cases that I see the dog sleeps in the bedroom. Not every dog kept under the above circumstances will suffer from Separation Anxiety. Those dog owners reading this whose dog receives excessive company but no “stress when left” problems will have a dog who is hardly insecure at all and can therefore accept being left on his own. Certainly insecure dogs given excessive company are extremely likely to develop this illness, therefore it is important that symptoms should be understood. If the dog constantly seeks attention, follows owner(s) everywhere and very easily and quickly returns when called, these are danger signs. With dogs already afflicted they will display these symptoms anyway. It is interesting that it is almost impossible for there to be a recall problem with a dog badly afflicted with Separation Anxiety, for the dog’s insecurity will induce a fear of being far from the pack. When owners have told me they have both problems, I know that when exercising the dog off lead they probably follow him. This means he remains secure without an incentive to return close. When rescue organisations make a blanket order that people who, because of working patterns, will leave their dog longer than a certain amount of hours each week should not be allowed to have one they do many dog’s a disservice. While such an order may be in the interests of some dogs it is definitely not in the interests of those that are insecure. At the other end of the scale often company is of little interest to the almost secure dog so to give such dogs company achieves nothing. Therefore the way forward should be for greater attention to be paid to the insecurity levels of the dogs being rehomed with advice about what amount of company is necessary being dependant upon the dog’s level of insecurity.
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Wild African hunting dogs
I recently read an article in a dog magazine about wild African hunting dogs and it brought back to me images of a wonderful time observing animals. It was Kruger National Park in South Africa where I was able to visit on a dogging trip to that country. We had spent two or three days touring around this very vast game reserve and of course top of the agenda was to see all the big or well publicised species. All observation is from vehicles as it is potentially dangerous to leave them and the park rules are that visitors must be back in their camp when it gets dark.
We were on our way back to Skukusa camp at dusk when I was calling out "stop stop"! The others were looking for large animals and couldn’t see what I was so excited about. There they were, wild African hunting dogs on their way out for a nights hunting. There were about a dozen in arrowhead formation with the so obvious pack leader up front leading them out. I suppose it was only about a minute before they were out of sight but that minute has stayed indelibly etched in my memory for it will probably be the only time in my life that I see a truly wild pack of dogs in their indigenous location.
With my problem dog work often that picture returns to my mind when I am explaining to a pet dog owner how the pack operates and about pack leadership.
True love or something else
For a dog lover what could be more comforting than owning a dog who gives a lot of affection. Most of us have either owned or know someone with a dog who is so affectionate that he is always close by and loves to have our attention.
How he can gaze at us with his goo goo eyes. It is a look that says I just worship you and everything about you. Oh that our spouse would react in the same way as maybe happened before that first flush of intense love started to dissipate. How wonderful to know that even if we parted bad company with our human partner in the morning that definitely the dog will still adore us when we get home.
Is it love? Well not as we know it for it really is better described as dependency. Yes, a bitter pill to swallow and something we may rather not know about. Of course not all dogs display constant affection which you must now read as dependency. Some are so aloof that it is all they can do to acknowledge your presence other than when food or a walk is imminent. As independents they are at the other end of the scale.
Why the difference? Well it all depends upon the degree of insecurity the dog has been born with. The greater the insecurity the more the apparent affection. Sad isn’t it! but it has a plus side for the insecure dog is always the easiest to teach a recall.
Web 12-01-02
A dog's sensitivities
When attempting to train a dog it is important to understand the dog’s sensitivities for this is how he will obtain information on everything connected to his life. It is not the intention of this manual to go deeply into this subject but some understanding is necessary.
Smell
A dog’s nose is far more powerful than ours probably because he has to rely on what it tells him for so much information. Obviously food and sex spring readily to the mind but also the smell of people that he trusts. With one of my dogs she will make a point of sniffing my trousers to determine whether those smells tell her that she will be going out with me. She knows that a suit means no luck. She also knows my working clothes have the same likelihood. In her case very cutely she gives the trousers scores by the degree her tail moves and her attempts to talk which is like a pleasurable howl.
We do not need too much reminding that the sensitivity of smell allows us to use the dogs desire for food as a method of rewarding.
Sight
While sight is important to all creatures it has even greater uses for dogs. For instance, because of a lack of the ability to converse with us or each other they will determine far more from the eyes of others than we do. Make eye contact with an unknown dog nervous of strangers and he will immediately be switched into fear mode. On the other hand it is possible to threaten a dog just with the eyes. However unless you really know what you are doing do not try this. You could get it wrong and provoke an attack.
The sight of a certain set up will tell the dog many things. For instance if you teach him a particular thing in one particular place he will more readily respond in that place rather than others. That is unless you have also taught him in many other places. Of course he also makes such a determination with the help of smell as well.
Sound
As with all creatures nature makes each one slightly different. Many facets of the make up of humans differs. For instance the strength of a females maternal instinct differs as does the males desire to mate. That applies equally to dogs and humans. Therefore dog’s sound sensitivities will differ from a dog to dog. Hence we have some dogs extremely frightened of some noises be they domestic appliances, thunder or fireworks. However, where it is of great importance to us is to understand by what amount of volume we need to convey our requests and instructions to the dog. Some dogs can be asked to stop doing something in almost a whisper while others will need a louder of more forcefully delivered command. Now I am not giving readers a license to shout for often volume of voice is overused. What I do want you to understand is what is sufficient volume and what might be the right tone.
Touch
This is very similar for you also need to be aware of the fact that some dogs like light touch while some are happy with more heavy touch. There are those that do not like touch at all. If your dog is of the latter kind then touch as a method of praising will not be that effective and can even have the opposite effect.
Generalisation
As a generalisation you must work out just what are the sensitivities of the material you are to work with and cut your coat according to the cloth. This is what expert dog trainers do and this manual is trying to point you in the direction of having expertise when training your dog.
What games can tell us
Playing with the dog will always improve the relationship between man and dog providing that the game is not all on the dog’s terms. For this reason it is better that often it is the owner that starts the game and ceases it as this helps to convey higher social standing.
What a thrown article may tell us
From the dog’s response we can determine many things:
Possible problems
If he chases it with gusto he could have an over average predatory instinct which means there may be future trouble with a desire to chase things that move. These may be other animals, people or such as cars and bikes.
If the same dog pounces on and tries to destroy it the owner must be wary of a possible killing instinct at the end of the chase.
On the other hand chasing after it tells up he is likely to want to play and is alert to chase and investigate.
The dog that has chased and investigated may now run off and refuse to allow the owner to get near the article. This might indicate a mild desire to obtain and then retain.
If the instinct to retain is much stronger it may a sign of natural higher rank, Particularly if there are any aggressive actions such as growling or snapping and guarding the article.
If thrown for more than one dog in a pack any deference to who picks it up or returns with it will indicate likely ranking order.
Possible benefits
If the dog runs out to investigate the article:-
He is attentive
He is curious
He may have a natural retrieve instinct but this will depend on how easy it is to teach the retrieve.
If he does pick it up then the retrieve instinct is definitely a strong possibility.
If he returns with it and drops it or moves around close to us with the clear intention of allowing us to have it, a strong retrieve instinct is indicated.
Any retrieving that can be encouraged or developed will:
Enhance the bonding between man and dog.
Develop a good retrieve to hand from the dog.
Allow play retrieving as a reward for other training without the owner having the need to retrieve the article himself.
Use a play bow
Use a play bow and gauge the effect upon the dog. (That is slap bend over and slap the ground with stiff arms keeping them there for a few seconds then repeat. This is easier accomplished if already kneeling. If so also try and stick you rear end up high at the same time it will be a pretty good imitation of a play sign. You will find the dog's conformation makes this movement far easier to achieve! If he gives a similar body signal or clearly indicates he wants to play the handler can gauge what type of game he seems most interested in. If it is a game of aggression, albeit playful, care should be taken that this does not develop aggression further.
What a rough and tumble may tell us:
a) The dog may lightly growl with no obvious intention to escalate into further aggressive behaviour. This is not a problem and games can continue as relaxation and fun that might intersperse further training lessons.
b) He may gradually escalate and start to use his mouth, increasing the degree of grip as he does so. This indicates that he is not a submissive dog and such games should not be played for fear of allowing him to reinforce aggressive behaviour.
Tug of war
a) If the dog becomes very aggressive and determined to win the game to the extent that only those strong enough can hang on, it may well be another indication of win and retain instinct which is usually part of higher ranking behaviour. If this is so then such games should be minimal, and when they do occur the human must win and retain the article to prove superiority on each occasion the game is played.
On the other hand if the dog will play tug without becoming aggressive about it, this can used as a reward for approval of behaviour when training.
Using eyes and nose games.
Any of his favourite toys that are hidden in a room with furniture in or in the garden or on a walk will encourage the dog to play a game of find. He will mainly try and use two senses. His eyes and also his nose. This latter sense being what we would wish to develop in a dog who is going to be used for any type off searching or tracking. When this game is taught it is better that a retrieve has already been successfully taught or the dog will learn the wrong associations with the game.
Such a game is also man and dog relying on each other.
It can also be used as a reward for other exercises well done.
There are also the responsibilities of ensuring that your dog is not annoying others by excessive demands to play, drooling on them, or shedding their hair where it is not wanted. Continuous barking or displaying aggression to people are obvious no no’s.
Aggression problems
If you have aggression problems then perhaps you need professional help. Never inflict your dog on people and remember that at least half the population do not like dogs. Never allow your dog to do anything that will reflect badly on dogs in general. Also remember your responsibility of well being and care towards your dog. Finally try and learn how to train him so that he is a credit to you. Hopefully this manual will help you.
Grooming
One of the daily tasks of responsibility should be grooming, for the dog’s coat must be kept in good condition. It is also important that the dog accepts your right to groom him, for many a naturally born high ranking dog has disputed the owners right to so by growling and or using the teeth. You should ensure from day one that he understands this is going to be a daily occurrence and that he must learn to stay still while you carry out this chore.
June 1998