Body Talk

I initially wrote this as a handout to owners as a top up or reminder of my theories and common practices. I thought I'd publish it just for the hell of it.

A good pack leader is someone who earns respect and makes decisions for the benefit of the pack.

People have a tendency to communicate with dogs in English. Also, for some reason people appear to think yelling in a rough voice enforces obedience and respect. A well trained dog will obey the handler because he wants to please not because he’s afraid to disobey.

Dogs primarily communicate using body language. For 1000s of years dogs have lived in packs. The packs have survived drought, hunger, fire etc by having strong leadership,stealth and instinct. A good pack leader is someone who earns respect and makes decisions for the good of the pack. The pack leader will not tolerate acts of defiance and will not enter into negotiation when it comes to food, property, mates or pack leadership.

Domestic Dogs also communicate and interpret body language and act accordingly. There are certain fundamentals that owners should acknowledge especially when their dog starts to act aggressively.

Owners have to setup their own human pack. The human pack has a hierarchy and rules in much the same way as a wolf pack. The dog must know his place in the pack. When aggression, anxiety or protective behaviours arise, it’s a sure sign that the humans are sending mixed signals to the dog.

I’ve listed a few of the fundamentals I use to promote and maintain my status of pack leader.

Dogs do not eat at the same time as humans and dogs never share a meal.

• It’s always a good idea to let the dog see you eat and finish your meal, even if it’s just a biscuit, before he gets his meal. If he doesn’t finish the meal in ten minutes the meal get lifted and binned. He must eat when the leader allows him to eat NOT whenever he feels like it. Regular food is a luxury not a necessity.
  
• The pack leader always has the lion’s share of the kill and leaves what he doesn’t want for the rest of the pack. If you share your food, you automatically offer equality which inevitably leads to acts of dominance. Don't demote your position of pack leader by sharing your meal with your dog.
  

Dogs must have their own place in the house. A dog’s place, i.e. a crate or a cage, is the dog’s domain and nobody else should attempt to enter it while the dog is in residence. This could lead to acts of protectiveness and defence.

• The dogs place has to be a happy place.
  
• Never treat the cage as a place where the dog goes to get punished or grounded.
  
• The dog should always receive a reward when he is requested to go to his place. A positive association is paramount.
  

Never allow the dog to jump on you when you return home after being out the house.

• Whenever you go out the house and come back, the dog associates this with the pack returning from a hunt. On their return, the dogs that have been left behind perform a reordering process by jumping up on the returning dogs in an attempt to promote themselves to a higher position within the pack.
  
• It should be noted that the pack leader makes no acknowledgement to the lower members when he returns. He walks to his place ignoring the lower pack members.His position is not up for negotiation.
  
  Dogs will walk along side or behind the pack leader during the hunt.

  The pack leader does not acknowledge the subordinates when he returns from a hunt.

  No dog will walk in front of the pack leader unless instructed to do so. The dog at the front of the group, i.e. the pack leader, will make any decisions necessary to guard, protect or kill.
  
  

• If you allow your dog to drag you through doorways or pull you across the road to see another dog, you’re advertising the pack leader’s job.
  
• All dogs must learn their position within the pack. The human pack is not different. The dog must learn to walk at heel and wait on command.
  
• This can be rehearsed in the house waiting in the living room while you boil a kettle in the kitchen for instance.
  

Toys are MY TOYS. They are not toys for the dog to play with and get possessive with whenever he fancies it.

• Toys can be used as a reward for performing a positive behaviour
  
• Toys can be used in place of treats
  

All this may appear a bit daunting at first but with a little practice you’ll notice the results.

Here are my dog training hints and tips.

It’s the little things that make a great dog.

Promote anticipation not reaction - Don’t wait for a situation to happen then punish the dog - anticipate and deflect the cause of the problem.

Don’t scold the puppy for chewing your slippers, lift the slippers out the room before he gets a chance to eat them.

Don’t let the dog off the lead them scold him when he sees another dog that he fancies playing with. Train him to sit on command, give him a good game of tug for obeying you. Make your game much more interesting than running around with the other dog.

It’s the five minutes attention before you leave him alone in the house that make it tolerable for him to be left for an hour.

Be consistent – all the time – every time.

Each time you allow a bad behaviour to occur you strengthen the changes of it reoccurring. The dog is capable of learning bad habits as well as good habits. It’s up the pack leader to organise activities.

Dont resort to scolding – the dog doesn’t really understand why it’s suddenly being scolded for something it may have got away with previously.

Turn negatives into positives. Don’t scold negative behaviour, praise and reward positive behaviour.

• For example It’s easier to reward him for jumping off a bed than punishing him for jumping up on the bed.

  anticipate weekness and guide - do not wait for failure then react negatively

  
  

• Tell him “well done boy” for taking his smelly bone outside instead of kicking his butt for dragging it across your new carpet.
  

Get into a routine and stick to it.

• Perform the same set of behaviours every day.
  
• Maybe it’s getting him to wait while you put your coat on before you go for a walk.
  
• Maybe include getting him to stay off lead outside the house while you hang up his lead after your walk.
  
• Maybe its asking him to bring your stick or your gloves before he gets his lead on. It doesn’t matter as long as you encompass positive behaviours and rewards into a daily routine.

Here's a video of my bitch Lulu doing her Michael Jordon impersonation