subject: Dog Psychology 101 [print this page] Dog Psychology 101 Dog Psychology 101
Dogs and are smart, aware, affectionate creatures but don't be fooled. Your loving canine companion is actually a wolf in dog's clothing.
For all our efforts at domesticate dogs, they are still very much part of the natural, animal world. We need to accept this, and adjust the way we interact with our dogs.
A Dog's View of the World
A dog's thinking is based on drives and instincts. Their basic needs are food, a place to sleep, and a strong pack for protection. This means they need a pack leader who the trust and are willing to follow. This is where you come in.
The most important job of any dog owner is to provide pack leadership. Do this and he will obey your every command. Fail and you have a problem dog on your hands.
The first key to understanding dog behavior is to remember that dogs do not understand words.Now you are probably thinking about how your dog sits, when you give the command "sit", or looks up when you call his name. But this is word association rather than understanding.
The truth is that dogs have no capacity for understanding words, they mainly interpret body language. Dogs are atuned to associate action and reaction, so as your dog learns that certain actions bring reward he'll be encoraged to repeat them.
As part of this chain of action and reaction, most dogs learn to react to single words, so he may for example learn to associate the word "walk" with going out, but most likely it is the "pre-walk rituals" - putting on his lead, for example - that he recognizes.
How to Think Like a Dog
If you want to learn how to think like a dog, first understand that tone of voice and body language trump voice cues every time. By understanding that your dog thinks in images, and responds to actions you will have a much greater influence over him.
Dogs pay a lot of attention to regular routines. For example, your dog will quickly learn that you come home at a certain time and will look forward to your arrival. If you are caught up in traffic or otherwise delayed the dog may become anxious. The reason is that he has built up an expectation based on his experience of your comings and goings. Based on that he expects a particular result. If that result is not forthcoming he becomes anxious.
How to be the Pack Leader
In the wild, the Alpha Wolf is in control of all activities in the pack - when they eat, when they move, who receives affection. These are the same things you control in your dog's life. By controlling when he receives food, walks, and attention you reduce frustration and anxiety.
Where does affection come into this? Excellent question. Giving affection makes you a strong leader if it is given in the right way and at the right time. Given any other way, it marks you out as a pushover. And dogs are great at exploiting weakness.
Affection should be given as a reward for good behavior, so that it re-enforces that behavior.
Be loving but firm, consistent and fair and your dog will follow your every command.
