A comment that I hear from clients and others that I talk to is that when they rescue or adopt a dog they want to make the dog’s life easier. They don’t want them to have a care in the world. This is an altruistic endeavor, but does a disservice to the dog.
We as humans tend to humanize everything in our environment. We look at our dogs as little humans or children. We believe that they understand what we say and everything we try to communicate to them. This unfortunately is very far from the truth. Even though we have been working and living with dogs for thousands of years, they are still basically just domesticated Wolves. So in order to be fair and provide our dogs with what they need to adjust to living with humans is to remember that they are wolves first.
There is a big difference between our dogs and their cousins the Wolves. Lets look at that difference. The Wolf has been around for a longer period of time than man and Wolf have been partners. I will refer to the Wolf as the big “W” Wolf and that part of our dog’s that is most wolf like the little “w” wolf. Some trainers refer to this as the “animal” first in our dogs.
Wolves are born with instinctual drives that influence their behavior. One of the most important drives is the “pack” drive. This drive makes your dog want to be part of the family. Dogs seek out a pack or family to be part of. The great thing about pack drive is that it also comes with some unspoken guidelines for your dog. The first is, follow the leader. Most domestic dogs are more than willing to follow you as leader. However most of us have no clue what being the leader is. Being the leader is not being over bearing or cruel. It is just setting the rules and having your dog follow them. The thing about rules is that you must be consistent and fair with them from the beginning. If your dog is confused about the rules you will not have success.
My next post will discuss the “rank” drive and how it influences “pack “ drive.
Hello to everyone
I am starting this blog to offer family, friends and clients a place to ask questions and provide answers to dog related issues. This also gives me a chance to put my thought into print for future use. For those that have taken my classes you know where we start, leash behavior. For me leash behavior is the foundation to all of my training. To start there are a couple of things that I stress. The first is that the goal is to always have the leash loose when you walk your dog. The second is that you are consistent with your expectations.
I teach that when you walk your dog that you hold the leash in your right hand, thumb through the handle. This allows you to move the leash around you as needed. I don't like to use retractable leashes because they are hard to handle. I find that a 6 foot leash woks best.
Now find an area that is large enough for you to walk your dog in a straight line for about 20 yards or more. It does not matter what side your dog walks on at this point. When you begin to walk I want you to start off with your left foot. Also, we do not talk to the dog during this exercise this is a requirement not a request. Now walk in a straight line. If your dog bolts out in front of you make a 180-degree turn (about turn), lock the leash into your chest and continue to walk. If your dog bolts about again, repeat the about turn. The key to this exercise when your dog hits the end of the leash because he is not paying attention he corrects himself. After repeating the about turn several times stop. As you stop drag your heels a step or two. Your dog should stop when you do. Repeat this exercise every time you take your dog out for a walk. If he pulls, make a quick about turn then again and continue on your walk using this exercise when needed. Your dog is rewarded by your confidence while walking him.