Principles for establishing a respectful and compliant relationship between humans and canines

There are many systems of establishing varying levels of communication between humans and our canine companions and working partners. However, after many years of observing dogs in their natural pack environment, I firmly believe that the principles that THEY utilise to communicate with each other are what they understand with most clarity. After all, these ARE the basis of the instincts and communication system they are born with. The many and varied systems created by humans, based on human values appear to have many flaws and shortfalls.

Human to canine communication

Sadly, many humans do not understand how dogs interact and communicate in a natural inherited way. So, it becomes most common for humans to associate a dog’s natural behaviour with human values and interpretations. As a result, humans respond to dogs in a manner that they simply cannot understand. They are not designed to process these human values and cues, which leads to an unnatural and confusing upbringing for pups and young dogs. This is where the communication process between humans and dogs often ends in a great many problems for both handler and dog. It also does not set a dog up well for dog to dog social skills and communication. It’s a lose, lose situation for our dogs.

Surely it would make sense for humans (with ultimate intelligence) to make an effort to understand how dogs communicate and operate. This concept has been proven to work with other animals. As an example, you will find that the best horse handlers have an intimate understanding of how horses communicate and operate. So too for good livestock handlers.

So why do we so commonly fall horrifically short with our canine companions.

I would think it is because they are one of our most common pets/companions and due to this, they fall into many hands that have simply no understanding of their requirements as dogs. We mess their minds with human values. It is a form of killing them with kindness…

Righting the wrongs of dog ownership

If we were to be true to ourselves and our dogs, we would make it a priority to understand more about their developmental and ongoing management requirements - many of which are mentally based, not simply revolve around more exercise or freedom like many people think. We are the only ones in this relationship that have the intelligence capacity to truly understand more about their true requirements, however we continue to be ignorant to the fact. There are some basic principles and practices that we can adopt that will ensure our dogs understand us more and inevitably lead to a far better relationship between us - and most importantly, give our canines a far better life.

The basis of these principles is leadership. Dogs crave good leadership. It actually has a calming influence on them as they then understand that THEY don’t have to be the leader and therefore worry about all goings on. When we become good leaders to our dogs, they put trust in our leadership and feel settled and content, just as their instincts tell them to live with a good dog pack leader.

Good leadership in a dog pack is delivered through the alpha members as a range of rules and boundaries. We see this when we watch an established pack interact. There is constant learning being delivered. From being respectful of personal space through to who eats or drinks first. Unacceptable behaviour is corrected constantly via physical and vocal cues which deliver chastisement or acceptance.

It is a process of pressure being applied to unwanted or unacceptable behaviour, and relief when that behaviour has stopped, and a desirable behaviour adopted. Herein lies the key to communicating and establishing our own set of rules boundaries and guidelines with our dogs while also gaining their respect and trust. This leads to well behaved and controlled dogs that are safe and happy, which in turn allows us to do far more with our dogs and both human and canine enjoy more content and fulfilled lives.

Basic Dog Psychology

◊ Dogs live in the moment - they are not concerned with what happened yesterday, nor what might happen tomorrow. Their focus is on what is happening now.

◊ Their memory system is based on ‘conditioning’ rather than the type of memory system that humans are gifted with. They quickly remember situations or places related to food/ water, comfort/discomfort.

◊ Bad experiences will be stored with a negative association, which relates to the survival portion of their conditioning system. And good experiences will of course be stored with a positive association.

◊ Dogs communicate amongst each other with vocal and body cues that are clear and concise. They are born with instinctual reactions to these cues.

Canine Communication

◊ All modern-day domestic dogs share DNA with the grey wolf. Understandably, they are then born with varying degrees of naturally inherited pack management instincts and survival mechanisms.

◊ This communication system is largely a combination of body language (visual) and limited audible cues. Often a combination of both. Both cues are delivered in a form of pressure and relief that clearly indicate to a dogs’ instincts good/bad, right/ wrong, do/don’t.

recovery?

◊ There is a system of hierarchy within any dog pack that begins with an alpha male then, an alpha female and continues all the way through the pack with each animal on a different level. These levels of hierarchy are established via communication using their inherited visual and audible cues. These cues begin for pups at only a couple of weeks of age and are delivered by their mother in both subtle and obvious ways.

◊ As pups mature and interact with the pack, they are delivered cues by other pack members and the pecking order is established via a number of rules, boundaries and guidelines that are enforced by the other dogs in the pack.

◊ Dogs thrive on good leadership, and a pack with a firm but fair leader that sets the ultimate rules and guidelines is a happy and harmonious pack.

Some basic rules and guidelines for the best human to canine communication;

◊ We need to set a clear list of rules and guidelines along the lines of what occurs in a dog pack and what our canines are programmed to understand. These must be consistent and delivered in a manner that they would be delivered by the pack hierarchy.

◊ With young dogs and new dogs, the best start is to teach them manners about personal space. Dogs constantly enforce it in a pack environment. Don’t allow pups and newly acquired dogs to jump or push themselves into your personal space. It is bad manners in the dog pack and should be bad manners in ours. It’s the basis of rules and guidelines. The pup/dog can only enter your immediate personal space if invited by you and in a calm and responsible manner. This can be delivered via a growl, clap of hands, strong body posture or a hand pushed out to the dogs’ face to stop the dog entering your space until invited. Make it sit or stand calmly looking at you just at the extremity of your reach until it is calm.

◊ Most people need and want a dog to walk on a lead in a calm and soft manner. Never allow a dog to persist with pulling on a lead. If it goes to the end of a lead and pulls, pull back on it with a series of continuous jerks in an effort to make it uncomfortable when it goes to the extremity of the lead. The delivery of this should vary with the dogs’ temperament. Start softly and step up the severity of the jerks until the desired result is achieved - a loose lead and the dog roughly beside or behind you. Continue this until the dog walks freely on a lead and giving you a big loose loop in the lead.

Do not allow your dog (pup or adult) to walk through a doorway or gateway ahead of you - unless you instruct it to do so. If you constantly allow it to push ahead of you in these situations it will see itself as the pack leader which will lead to confusion for the dog.

When getting your dog to jump in or out of your car/ ute or its pen if it lives in one, ensure that it does not just do it habitually, rather when it is asked to. Letting dogs barge ahead to get in or out of a car can lead to very ignorant dogs and dogs starting to set the rules. These situations are great places to do micro-training sessions on a regular basis and are wonderful for a dogs mind.

◊ Our dogs will naturally test us at various times and situations, but by being on top of this and maintaining a leadership role we actually create much calmer and settled dogs knowing the rules and guidelines. Consistency in enforcing those rules and guidelines is essential!

◊ Enforcing these rules is based on applying pressure and then relief once the desired behaviour/result is achieved. This pressure should be delivered via body language and other physical cues. THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THIS IS TO GIVE RELIEF IMMEDIATELY THE DESIRED RESULT IS ACHIEVED. That is the key to clear communication!

◊ When you pat your dog encourage it to make eye contact with you and to sit or stand calmly with its focus on you for short periods. Praise it and release it when you are satisfied - not when it is ready.

The above guidelines WILL allow you to reach levels of communication and understanding between you and your dog that you most likely thought unachievable. These are only basic examples of how to put things into a perspective that dogs will understand. There are a great many more things we can implement in our everyday lives and movements that can help our dogs and improve our relationships with them. Keep it simple, keep it clear and stick to your rules and guidelines and you will establish the closest possible bond with your canine companion.

This document is simply a very basic guide to setting your dogs up for their best possible life. Like children, they have more far-reaching requirements than simply companionship. If you are having troubles with your dog, it usually relates back to you the handler.