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Dogs: You and Your
Dog
There are reviews of several good books
on dogs in Books on Animals.
Your
relationship with your dog is unique, between two individuals. You
spend a lot of time with your dog, so have some rapport with him, that you
can build on. You can learn from observing your dog about what
motivates him. This helps you to get him to do what you want, and helps you to
convince him that it's what he wants too! You can become the best kind
of leader, one that is followed with pleasure. A good leader initiates
activities, provides guidance for the dog, and protects him from
dangers, like bigger dogs with bad tempers!
Getting to know
your dog helps you to anticipate and deal with potentially tricky
situations, which might otherwise trigger bad behaviour. For example your dog
may be friendly with dogs of certain types, and only react badly to
those of a certain size, colour or sex. Check this out, and it can help you
to avoid confrontations. If you know what worries him, whether it's
other dogs, bicycles, or men with funny hats, you can anticipate his
stress, and help him ignore what worries him. You can get him to focus on
you instead of what he fears, and to see you as a safe haven. You can
also reward him for being calm when faced with whatever he fears. Rewards
for good behaviour help channel your dog's energy into those activities
that you want him to do.
You can also observe your dog to see
when he behaves well. Perhaps he's nervous of other dogs, but behaves
well with calm, older bitches. You can help him by making sure the
stress he has to cope with is at a level that he can tolerate – and in this
case, socialise him first with dogs he feels comfortable with. This
helps you achieve your goal of a well-behaved dog.
What is a well-behaved dog?
A well-behaved dog is a dog that does what you want it to
do, and which does not annoy other people and their dogs. There are a
number of things you might want your dog to do, like walk nicely, greet
strangers politely, and walk quietly past other dogs. For some people,
good behaviour includes barking when the door bell rings, while others
want their dog to be quiet. There are owners who have very high
standards of 'good behaviour', especially if they go in for competitions, but
it's a personal thing. It can be fun seeing what your dog is capable
of, and can be fun for the dog to be given interesting things to do. But
it isn't necessary to turn your dog into a 'robot' that will instantly
obey a lot of fancy commands that are usually only used in
showrings.
What is a behavioural
problem – does my dog have one?
Behaviourists often see dogs that aren't really 'problem dogs', and are just
doing what dogs do, like scavenging, and chasing prey, 'normal' things
that may be problematic for the owners. Something that's normal for a dog
may not be acceptable for humans. The dog doesn't think he's doing
anything wrong, so if we find what he is doing unacceptable, we need to
teach him what we'd like him to do instead.
One way to look at
dog behaviour is to see it as a continuum, from the desirable to the
unacceptable, with grey areas in between. Some owners won't let their
dogs on the furniture, for example, whereas others are quite happy about
this, and even have their dogs sleep on their beds. This is fine if you
don't mind muddy paw prints and hairs everywhere! Some owners want dogs
to obey them to a very fine degree, others are happy if their dogs obey
basic commands.
What's important is that the dog has a
consistent set of rules, and that the rules mean that you, the dog, and other
people and other dogs are safe, plus other animals he may meet on a
regular basis. Playbiting in pups should always be discouraged, since it's
very easy to stop pups biting, and they are much less likely to bite
and cause serious damage when they are older. Chasing should also be
discouraged. Children especially may be terrified if they are chased by a
barking dog. A dog that chases traffic may be killed, or cause an
accident. You can use your knowledge of your dog to improve recall, by
finding out what most makes him want to come back to you - whether it's a
particular tone of voice, lots of praise and a cuddle, a treat – and using
it. Anticipate danger, and keep your dog on the lead if he is likely to
be tempted. It's also useful to practise basic commands at a distance,
like 'sit', 'stay' and 'lie down'. They could save your dog's life, for
example if he is the other side of a road and you need him to keep
still until you can get to him.
Remember, though, the rules are
your rules, not the dog's. You are teaching him how to live in a human
world, and need to motivate him to do many things that mystify him.
Just saying 'no' and expecting him to understand he has done wrong is not
enough – he may know you are annoyed, but does not see he is 'wrong'.
If he looks 'guilty' it's just that he sees you annoyed, and that
worries him – he doesn't feel 'guilt' in a human way! Try giving him
something that's more rewarding for dogs to do, in place of what you don't want
him to do. It's a challenge, especially if your dog's 'misbehaviour' is
linked to something dogs really like doing, like chasing small furry
animals. You need to study your dog and work out what else he really
likes!
Check with your
vet
Veterinary advice is essential if
your dog is especially hyperactive or aggressive, especially if the onset
of the behaviour is sudden. There may be a medical or diet problem.
Brain tumours or hormone imbalances can also affect behaviour. Abcesses
and other painful injuries can make a dog tetchy and reluctant to be
touched. High protein foods, some additives, and red meat, may be linked to
some types of undesirable behaviour.
Will neutering help improve a dog's
behaviour?
Some people believe that castration will solve
many behavioural problems, but it is no cure-all. Castration may help
curb wandering, and fights with other males, but it does initially impose
stress on the dog. Hormone levels take a while to go down, though
female injections can be administered at the time of castration, to counter
the male hormones. Castration may make training easier, but training is
still essential. What castration won't do is suddenly make your dog see
you as leader – you have to earn this position!
Spaying
bitches won't make them less pushy, but does mean that you don't have to
worry about seasons, and it gives protection against certain types of
tumours. There are also too many unwanted pups in the world, and you can
help tackle this problem by making sure you don't add to it. There is
some risk of incontinence, which varies from one breed to another, so
discuss this with your vet.
Going out with your dog - pockets and bags
You can help improve your dog's behaviour by building training into daily
walks. And you need lots of pockets, or a bag that leaves your hand free,
for training aids, like treats, balls, frisbees, and leads of different lengths.
You may find it useful to take two leads, a short lead for walking in traffic,
and an extendible lead to walk your dog in the park. Poo bags are essential
too! It's in our interests as dog owners to pick up our dogs' poo, if we want
to be allowed to take our dogs out.
Using Flexileads safely
Flexileads are extendable and retractable leads that can either be played
out to allow dogs a great deal of freedom, or shortened and put on lock to
keep the lead short. They can be very useful if dog owners are careful, but
they can also be lethal if used unwisely. Some trainers even believe they
should be banned. So what is the fuss about?
The main problem is that they can diminish the amount of control a dog owner
has over the dog - the opposite to what leads are meant to do! The leads themselves
can also cause injuries, because they can become tangled up, around human
fingers, or around dogs. More specifically, there are times when owners need
to be especially alert when they use flexileads. Here is a guide to some of
the key situations when it's safer to be especially alert.
1) Around traffic. There is a serious risk of dogs causing fatal accidents
or being killed themselves if the flexilead is not on lock when a dog is walking
along the road, or in any area where there is traffic. Motorcycles and other
loud vehicles can appear suddenly and startle dogs, and many dogs will rush
towards the threat. It's really safer to swap your flexilead for a short lead
if you are walking along a road, because it's very easy to forget to put the
flexilead on lock.
2) Around other dogs. Flexileads may give dogs too much freedom to approach
each other at times when control is needed, and worse than that, dogs and
owners can get caught up in the lead. Dogs can dance about, chase each other,
and scrap if the lead is too long. A long flexilead can allow them to tangle
the cord or belt round owners' legs, and also get caught up in the lead, which
can cause friction burns and cuts to dogs' legs, which sometimes take a long
time to heal. It's safer to keep your eyes peeled for other dogs, and shorten
the lead if you approach any. The belt leads are also much safer than the
leads that use cords, in terms of avoiding injuries.
3) Drawing in the lead. Inexpert users often cause themselves serious injuries
trying to draw in the lead suddenly. Friction burns can be very serious, especially
for children, and it is safer never to allow young children to use a flexilead.
Novice users need to practise drawing the dog in, when they are somewhere
safe, like an enclosed back garden. It's a knack, which comes automatically
after a while, and involves putting one's hand towards the dog, then locking
the lead, an action repeated until the lead is short enough. Because this
takes a little while, it's safer to stay alert and shorten the lead well before
it's absolutely necessary. Otherwise, it's easy to panic and try to pull in
the lead by grabbing the rope or belt, which can be dangerous.
4) The whiplash effect. A flexilead that has become detached from the dog
can whip back suddenly and catch an owner or dog in an eye, or other vulnerable
spot. There are safety loops that can be attached to collars to prevent this.
5) Pulling. Flexileads can encourage dogs to pull, because they exert a constant
slight pressure, which means that the dog has to pull a little to go where
he or she wants. Owners may also release the lock while the dog is pulling,
which is effectively rewarding the dog for pulling, and reinforcing the habit.
It helps to ensure that dogs are walked daily on a short lead, and aren't
just walked on a flexilead all the time. Dogs should also be asked to sit
before the lock is released, and before they are allowed off the lead, so
that they are rewarded for good behaviour, rather than for pulling as hard
as they can!
6) Walking more than one dog. Some owners can safely walk two dogs on flexileads,
but this takes some skill, and is not recommended for novice owners, people
with very lively dogs, or people walking dogs in the dark! It's very easy
for the leads to become tangled, and virtually impossible for
owners to disentangle flexileads in the dark! It's safer to have one dog
on a flexilead, and the other(s) on a short lead.
7) Sudden tugs. It is far more difficult to control a dog which takes off
after a cat or other interesting attraction if the flexilead is extended,
It's especially difficult if the dog is large and powerful. It's really safer
to restrict the use of flexileads to smaller dogs, and only extend the lead
in safe places where there are not likely to be serious consequences if the
dog does jerk the lead out of your hand.
So why do people use flexileads if they can cause so many problems? They
are in fact very useful in certain specific situations, mainly where owners
need some control over their dogs, but there is little risk of skateboarders,
cyclists, joggers, screaming children, or other hazards suddenly appearing.
An example is a large playing field or park area where you have a good line
of vision, so can anticipate any trouble, and can safely allow the dog some
freedom. Some people also use their flexileads for training. This is a skill
best learnt with the help of an experienced trainer.
Flexileads are much safer if you can trust your dog to come back if there
is a mishap, and they are no subsitute for good recall. This means repeating
recall exercises in all sorts of situations, until your dog comes to you automatically,
and then continuing so that he or she doesn't get out of practice. Flexileads
can be a very useful supplement to a training programme, when used sensibly.
Enjoy your
dog
We have dogs as companions because they
are fun. They get you out of the house taking healthy exercise and
meeting people. They can act as hot water bottles, confidants, and give us a
fellow creature to hug. Their daftness and enjoyment of life can make
us laugh. Even toy dogs can be a deterrent to burglars. Train your dog
well, and enjoy.
Acknowledgement
Thanks to Helle Haugenes for
comments on this article.
References
- John Fisher deals very well with dog-owner relationships, and ways in which
the same behaviour may be perceived differently by different people, eg Fisher's 'Think Dog' and 'Why Does My Dog', both of which provide help with training
a dog.'
- Farley Mowat's 'The Dog Who Wouldn't Be', and Mark Wallington's 'Travels
With Boogie' are fun to read as real-life accounts of dogs as companions
for humans having adventures.
 Top of page
See also:
 Dogs: Choosing
a Dog
Dogs: Basic Training
Dogs: Behavioural Problems
Dogs: Dogs and Diet
Reviews of books on dogs
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