Skip
to content

Skip
to main navigation

Skip
to 1st column

Skip
to 2nd column

Cliffview Pilot

Home

News

Bergen

Hudson

Beyond

Public Safety

Opinion

Editorials

Op-ed

The Good
Life

Beauty

Being Well

MOMIC RELIEF

Here's Johnny

Journeys

Shout
Outs

About
Us

Jerry DeMarco

Contact Us

Advertise

News Tips

Pets

Deborah Jack

The Woof Gang

Pet News

Home Pets The Woof
Gang The
Woof Gang: 'Demythifying' dog behavior Pt. II

The

Monday, 21 December 2009 13:47
Jerry DeMarco

A client once described to me how her MaltiPoo,
whom we’ll call Fidget, looked her square in the eye as she squatted proudly in
the middle of her favorite furry rug, peed, and then gleefully gave chase.
Fidget was being spiteful, said my client ruefully.  How could she be so
stubborn and recalcitrant? My client committed the cardinal sin of
anthropomorphism, the granting of human thoughts and motivations to non-human
beings.

Today’s pup
culture surrounding dog behavior is steeped in myths that are doing anything
but promoting greater understanding between our two species.  This
is the second part of an article examing how we can understand our dogs'
motivations and, hopefully, reestablish trust with them.

Retribution Myth

We
concoct in our heads why we would behave in such a way and then attribute it to
our dogs.  Unfortunately it leads to nothing but misunderstanding,
miscommunication and, worst of all, misplaced punishment.

Laura Garber

In Fidget's case, this punishment usually results in her
displaying appeasement gestures – low body posture, low tail wag – all of which
looks to us like guilt or apology.  It’s a body language dialogue gone
terribly awry.

In fact, Fidget yearns for attention and, through trial
and error, discovered that there’s no better way to get a rise out of her
humans, and even to start a fun game of chase, than to pee in the middle of that
nice rug.  So she happily offers her invitation to the game, giving a
come-hither look as she squats and goes, a look that she might just as easily
have used while grabbing a toy for a spirited game of tug.

My
prescription?  Give Fidget plenty of exercise, initiate play on her terms
rather than the dog’s, reward Fidget for pottying in the right places as well as
for quiet, independent activities, and offer the pup interactive puzzle toys to
entertain and stimulate her mentally.

The Dominance
Myth

A great many dogs have a tendency to jump up on people
during greeting. They pull on leash and rush through doors ahead of us. If given
the opportunity, they’d happily gobble down their meal before we’ve even tucked
ourselves into our seats. A dominance play?

We have no problem assessing
a human loved one invading our personal space or pushing out the door first as
rude, but give the family member fur and sharp canines and suddenly we see more
sinister motives.

We need for our dogs to understand that all the things
that they value in their lives are generously granted by us.  We control
everything and will share richly, provided we are shown polite, respectful
behavior.

To do this, take stock of the things that your dog considers
valuable in his life: food, petting and affection, going for walks, playing with
toys, being on the furniture, even chasing a paper bag blowing in the wind or a
squirrel scurrying up a tree.

Require polite behavior from your dog in
order to earn these life rewards.

Build impulse control when putting down
his food or going out the door for a walk, and while playing games with
him.

Incorporate obedience into your day, and insist on four-on-the floor
at all times.

Finally, teach your dog to loose-leash walk and hold a
solid down-stay.  These respectful behaviors enrich the ways in which we
can share our lives with our dogs.

The Alpha
Myth

Someone once communicated to me that a trainer had told
them that German shepherds tended to be alpha dogs with other
dogs.

Having a GSD myself, I know what the trainer was alluding to. They
do tend to be stiffer and more serious in their interactions with other dogs,
and more hierarchically motivated (These are, of course, generalizations – there
are some perfectly lovely GSD players!).

My own dog, Trista, is the
poster child for such behavior. There’s nothing soft, bouncy or playful about
any of her play moves; she’s always weighing in her mind who’s smaller (someone
she can push around) and who’s bigger (someone she should handle with greater
respect).  Dogs who bound into her playfully get a pretty intense response
– a purposeful chase.

Where I think the trainer went astray was in
calling this behavior that of an alpha dog. In fact, this is behavior typical of
a dog who is not confident in her social standing.

Trista’s an
alpha-wannabe. Alpha dogs are confident in themselves and rarely need to push
the point.  They can assert themselves with little more than a look and can
be generous with resources because they know that ultimately they can get them
back whenever they want.

So when you notice squabbles at the dog run,
those are more than likely alpha-wannabe dogs jockeying for position amongst
themselves.  The alpha dogs are calm and quiet and will finish a dispute
with the calm assertion one would attribute to kings and natural-born leaders.

Dog trainer Laura Garber, CPDT, is committed to deepening the bond
between dogs and their people. For this reason, she regards training as an
exercise in building relationship rather than obedience. Such an approach
promises greater understanding and symbiosis within our family packs, and this
is what inspires much of her writing. Laura lives in Hoboken, NJ and works with
private clients in Hudson County and beyond.  For more information, log on
to www.myWoofGang.com or contact her at

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript
enabled to view it

.

Set as favorite

Bookmark

Email this

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

You must be logged in to post a
comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.

Search

Search

Move

Close

Connect

Site design by the special services division
of Jaffe
Communications, 200 North Avenue East, Westfield, NJ