Dog Behaviour
There are many factors to consider when looking at behaviour, firstly we must be open minded and consider individual breed differences. At Waggy Tails we do not use rank reductions programs or punitive methods when working with dogs, nor do we encourage owners to adopt a ‘pack leader’ approach with their dogs, this is an outdated theory that has no place in dog behaviour.
Firstly we need to look at a dog’s needs, mood and emotional state to help us establish why the dog is showing behavioural problems. When considering changing or learning how to manage established problematic behaviour ask yourself what you would like your dog to offer you instead of the undesirable behaviour, a simple example might be teaching your dog to sit instead of jumping up. This is what we call DRI or differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviour, in other words reducing the undesirable behaviour (jumping up) by reinforcing an incompatible behaviour (sitting). In simple terms this means a dog can’t be jumping up if the behaviour of sitting is being rewarded! Remember, there is no quick fix to changing established behaviour this takes time and commitment.
Our pet dogs of today are domesticated, they have successfully acclimatised to life with us humans on our terms and this is exactly what we treasure in their personalities. Dogs are forever youthful, always curious and reliably responsive to their human ‘parents’.They have an ever increasing need to be part of a social network, the family unit (pack).
Dogs are experts at reading body language and have an extremely fast response time in reacting to what is happening around them, therefore it is very important that we try to learn how to read their signals and interpret their behaviour, to ensure that we are able to provide a safe, secure family network for everyone involved in the household.
The psychology of learning in dogs can be compared to that of other species. A dog will always do what is in his best interests at any one time, they learn through studying us, their human parents, any children and other canine member of the family unit intently, quickly settling into their own place within that pecking order. Just like children dogs are quite capable of testing the boundaries within that family unit and will take advantage if they can, they are opportunists; leave your Sunday roast on the table unsupervised and your dog will most likely help itself! This means in a canine world food is 10 tenths of the law (dogs have had to hunt for food to survive, it’s a natural instinct!) it doesn’t mean that your dog is being dominant! Nor does it mean that your dog is trying to climb the hierarchical ladder to become pack leader!
We have learnt that there is no longer the need to use punitive methods; this creates great difficulty for dogs causing them to quickly become stressed. When the body is under stress it is harder for the dog to learn and absorb new information because the brain goes into ‘shut down mode’ due to serotonin depletion. Serotonin is a hormone that regulates mood, pain and arousal levels, low levels can result in impulsive or aggressive behaviour, anxiety, obsessive behaviour and impaired learning. From a human perspective punitive methods simply interrupt dog behaviour, which is no different than slapping a person who is behaving hysterically to get them to stop! As you can see what punitive methods do is interrupt behaviour, they simply do not teach your dog what you want it to learn. For this we need to take the time to teach our dogs with understanding, patience and guidance so that you can learn on a journey together and build a wonderful relationship based on mutual respect and trust.
Every dog is different, so with this in mind what will work for one dog may not work for another; however we are happy to help you to try to understand your dog and work through any confusion or breakdown in your relationship together.
At Waggy Tails we offer a one to one behavioural counselling service in a relaxed environment for you and your dog.
