It astonishes me that we can live in step with a totally different species and know what they need and want. The human that has a mutual and respectful relationship with their dog is privileged. Dogs and people work in direct partnership in numerous roles that change between assistance dogs for disabled folks right thru to competitive obedience training.
Communication with a new and unfamiliar dog will take a bit to polish and sometimes it feels like you'll never get to a point of harmony. Those among us that have lived with a dog for several years will say that they know what their canine buddy needs from one gigantic brown eyed stare.
It takes observation and thought alongside basic understanding of common dog behaviours to be in a position to connect to your dog efficiently. It is not overly complicated yet many of us battle with communication to the point of despair. Owners of misunderstood dogs attend obedience training and ask for guidance from behaviourists regularly.
For example if an untrained dog craves attention he can make efforts to claim this attention by jumping up at his human. If the human pushes him off and shouts angrily at the dog to "get down" the dog has managed to get his reward in the shape of attention. Voice and physical contact are rewarding. The dog may not like the tone of voice but if he is craving reassurance, any attention is more rewarding than none.
Put yourself in the dog's head for a minute. You and he are sat together noiselessly at home when there's a change in the environment; perhaps someone has knocked the door. He feels worried and insecure and needs some reassurance. He may feel upset. The dog is anxious and has a decision to make. He jumps up and gets touched and spoken to. He keeps away and gets ignored in the time he must feel safe the most.
If this behaviour is repeated enough the human will have accidentally trained the dog to jump up. This kind of interaction will train into the dog a particular reaction, as categorical as formal obedience training will teach any behaviour. The dog does not know the difference.
Each dog has different experiences and wishes. To communicate well with our dogs we must put ourselves in their paws. Stress. Attempt to work out why they're behaving in a certain way. Choose whether we have accidentally taught them this unhelpful habit and work out how we can reward them for doing something a touch more handy to us instead.
If you want additional help to talk with your dog or mend certain unhelpful behaviours it could be worth looking for a local reward based obedience training class, and look for a credible dog training instructor.
Communication with a new and unfamiliar dog will take a bit to polish and sometimes it feels like you'll never get to a point of harmony. Those among us that have lived with a dog for several years will say that they know what their canine buddy needs from one gigantic brown eyed stare.
It takes observation and thought alongside basic understanding of common dog behaviours to be in a position to connect to your dog efficiently. It is not overly complicated yet many of us battle with communication to the point of despair. Owners of misunderstood dogs attend obedience training and ask for guidance from behaviourists regularly.
For example if an untrained dog craves attention he can make efforts to claim this attention by jumping up at his human. If the human pushes him off and shouts angrily at the dog to "get down" the dog has managed to get his reward in the shape of attention. Voice and physical contact are rewarding. The dog may not like the tone of voice but if he is craving reassurance, any attention is more rewarding than none.
Put yourself in the dog's head for a minute. You and he are sat together noiselessly at home when there's a change in the environment; perhaps someone has knocked the door. He feels worried and insecure and needs some reassurance. He may feel upset. The dog is anxious and has a decision to make. He jumps up and gets touched and spoken to. He keeps away and gets ignored in the time he must feel safe the most.
If this behaviour is repeated enough the human will have accidentally trained the dog to jump up. This kind of interaction will train into the dog a particular reaction, as categorical as formal obedience training will teach any behaviour. The dog does not know the difference.
Each dog has different experiences and wishes. To communicate well with our dogs we must put ourselves in their paws. Stress. Attempt to work out why they're behaving in a certain way. Choose whether we have accidentally taught them this unhelpful habit and work out how we can reward them for doing something a touch more handy to us instead.
If you want additional help to talk with your dog or mend certain unhelpful behaviours it could be worth looking for a local reward based obedience training class, and look for a credible dog training instructor.
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