| Behavior
& Training
Know thy dog, know thyself
… training is a two-way street
 AS
AN ANIMAL ATTENDANT FOR THE SPCA, I often
see dogs surrendered to our shelter because
they are supposedly “untrainable.”
Frequently, the problem lies not in the
tools and techniques people use, but in
the feelings and attitudes they hold towards
the dog. Instead of focusing on the practical
side of training, this article will concentrate
on the importance of the emotions you
bring to your dog when interacting and
working with him.
Dogs are intuitive creatures and respond
to their human companions with acute sensitivity.
They help process our emotions and mirror
them back to us. This is a gift, but dogs
often suffer the consequences of our desire
to overlook some of the more unworthy
aspects of our characters. As in any relationship,
the one you share with your dog can encompass
love, tension, friendship, frustration
– a veritable cornucopia of feelings.
People often complain that their dog won’t
listen or does things just to anger them.
But perhaps the dog is merely mirroring
certain aspects of his guardian. Are you
a submissive person who owns a dominant
dog? Or a “control freak”
with a happy-go-lucky, laugh-in-your-
face husky? How do these relationships
work? Is the dog really untrainable, or
does his guardian lack the necessary patience?
Does the dog “not listen,”
or has he actually listened so well that
he knows exactly what he can get away
with? Is he really trying to anger his
guardian, or does he just want attention?
Most pet manuals will tell you to acquire
a dog that best suits your personality
and lifestyle. Good advice, but we are
still often left with unwanted behaviors.
There is something to be said for sharing
your life with an animal that challenges
your normal state of being, but in order
to benefit we must see the situation as
a gift that offers us an opportunity to
grow and become more self-aware. The following
six steps help us welcome and open up
to this gift, while laying the groundwork
for successful training.
Understanding
It is important to understand that your
dog is not trying to irritate you. If
he is misbehaving, it is because he does
not understand that the behavior is unwanted,
nor what to replace it with. He may also
be receiving some kind of reward for the
behavior, even if it’s only negative
attention.
Taking the dog's behavior
personally clouds our judgment and reduces
our ability to think through the problem.
We need to learn objectivity and distance.
This doesn't mean a lack of compassionate
interaction with the dog, but an ability
to not allow our feelings to color out
thoughts and actions.
Attitude
Understanding leads to an attitude clear
of anger or frustration, and that lets
us step back and properly assess the situation.
With the right attitude, we can stop taking
a victim or aggressor role. Remaining
calm also allows us to see and take advantage
of the opportunity to learn and grow,
both as a person and as a companion for
our dog.
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Published in
the August/September 2003 issue of Animal
Wellness
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