Inside Your Dog’s Mind - Prevent Dog Behavior Problems BEFORE They Happen by Understanding Dog Psychology

Dog psychology? What drugs are influencing this blog author?

Yeah, so you think I’m losing it by getting into the minds of my 2 dogs Simon and Alvin. Maybe, but I’m all for preventing dog behavior problems, or at least figuring out how to stop them as quickly as possible.

An example - although I use the picture shown above as Alvin's Evil Eye expression, it turns out he uses it whenever he's protecting something like a piece of food, a bone, or a toy. It's clearly a sign of dominance, so I'm researching how to stop the protective behavior because he can become aggressive toward a person or Simon.

I want you to know upfront – I’m not the Dog Whisperer. I consult Kingdom of Pets' Secrets to Dog Training whenever I need help. The author of this dog training “bible” publishes a newsletter available to those who have purchased the program. A recent newsletter addressed dog psychology and how to prevent dog behavior problems.

Here’s the condensed version of dog psychology from the Kingdom of Pets recent newsletter:

A Dog’s Mind

• No one really knows for sure what dogs are thinking.


• A dog's mind is much less complex than that of a human – they use instincts as opposed to emotion.


• It is a mistake to treat a dog as you would another human being. Example: your dog barks at another dog, so you pick him up to get him to stop barking. This reinforces the dog’s behavior by giving him attention and physically elevating his position.

Pack Life

• Your dog needs to feel secure.


• If he is confident with you as a leader he will allow you to make decisions for the pack (you, your family members, and the dog), 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 with Your Dog

• Dogs do not actually understand English or any other language, but they can associate the sound of a word with an action or an object.


• 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.


• 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.

What’s Right or Wrong?
Dogs do not have an understanding of right or wrong nor do they have the ability to be malicious. Example: If your dog chews on your furniture and you put him outside for a time out he will learn that chewing on the furniture leads to punishment by being ignored and therefore they are less likely to do it again. Note that the concept of “it’s wrong to chew the furniture is NOT learned.

Explore Secrets to Dog Training by Kingdom of Pets to learn more about how to solve housebreaking, behavioral, aggression, and obedience issues. And a LOT more about dog psychology.

In the Moment - Dogs Are Truly Opportunists!

After caring for two puppies for the past several months, I've discovered they can teach you something new every day.

Dogs use their senses to take advavantage of NOW and enjoy every second of it. They do not worry about what happened the day before or what'll happen tomorrow. The only second that counts is this one!

In this series of pictures above, Alvin initially plays with the ball and then bites into it. Of course it deflates. But he is an opportunist, and he and Simon turn the delated ball into a tug-of-war toy.

Wow - people can learn a lot just by observing dog's in-the-moment behavior!

valmillsy

Are YOU Training Your Dog or Is HE Training You (5 of 6)?

Victoria Stilwell is the
Queen of Overcoming Aggressive Behavior in Dogs

This is the fifth in a series of blogs about dog training:

Introduction
Training Foundation
HouseTraining
Obedience Commands
Overcoming Aggressive Behavior (you are here)
Advanced Commands/Tricks

Overcoming Aggressive Behavior

First question under this topic - just what is aggressive behavior?

Here's a sampling of what's considered aggressive behavior in Kingdom of Pets Secrets to Dog Training:

• Dominance
• Dog-on-Dog Agresssion
• Biting
• Chewing
• Jumping
• Digging
• Disobedience
• Leash-Pulling
• Whining
• Barking
• Thieving
  

Each of these sections in the Secrets to Dog Training guide explains why the behavior is exhibited and what you need to do to overcome it.

An Example -Whining

Whining is a common problem that humans reinforce by responding to the whining. So the dog gets a payoff - over and over again. Once you start ignoring the behavior, the payoff is gone.

Easier said than done, especially when someone just can't handle the whining and always responds to it. Now the dog has trained that someone to cater to his slightest whimper.

Puppies are notorious for whining. Simon has developed whining into an art form. Alvin (who is now Alvin the Patient because he's a liver shunt suspect) makes one little whimper and a family member is at his side petting and cooing. As soon as we begin to ignore their whimpering, it will disappear.

The Secrets to Dog Training guide gives you insights into how to address each of these forms of aggression and case studies as examples. And the ones I tried seem to work. Alvin pulls on the leash and frankly, I really did not know how to stop it until I read the section in the guide on leash-pulling. It details the step-by-step procedure to train the dog to respond to where you are going versus deciding where to go on his own. It does work and requires effort, but the ease in walking Alvin was worth it.

When Your Training is Not Working

What do you do if no amount of effort redirects the dog's aggressive behavior? Here are three suggestions:

Dog Forums
Although people on dog forums may sometimes act out their own aggressions in the forums (it's easier when you're not talking face-to-face), you still may get valuable advice from people who are actual dog trainers or have a lot of experience with dogs. A dog forum versus a pet forum is the best way to go.

Your Vet
Some vets (like mine) are knowledgeable about dog behavior and will spend the time to explain how to address an issue.

A Certified Dog Trainer
Sometimes you need to bring in an expert. I hired a trainer to observe Simon and Alvin in action in one of their dog playfights. To me, it seemed the dogs were trying to kill each other in what looked like growling, snarling, attacking, and biting battles. What was the point of giving Alvin a companion if they appeared to be attacking each other?

The trainer explained each action from the puppy perspective and concluded their "battles" were play. I just need to make sure I stop the playing when it's clear the smaller puppy is to tired to continue. And he gives plenty of clues when he tires out.

These aggression issues need to be addressed sooner or later. Make it sooner - YOU need to train Your Dog and quit letting him train you.

valmillsy