What Would Your Dog Say About You?

There are so many books out there about dog training that it's easy to be overwhelmed, and I have picked up many a book (even bought it for my Kindle) and decided after about a chapter or two that it just wasn't for me. It didn't apply to my dogs, or it seemed to conflict with what I think makes sense.  I have read some books that made me think if I followed their advice my dogs would laugh at me.  Then there are other books (and there are many) that make us stop in our tracks.  They strike a cord and make us say, "now that's what I'm talking about."

One of those books is William E. Campbell's Behavior Problems in Dogs (1999, BehavioRx Systems).  You can read more about it on this Amazon link.

Bill Campbell helps us to begin to question how much of our dog's dysfunctionality begins on the human side of the dog-people relationship.

I am not writing about answers because I don't have all the answers.  I am writing about questions.  Questions to ask ourselves.  What would your dog tell you about you?  What would he tell you about your communication skills?  About your method of teaching him things?  What would your dog say about you as his guardian?

The answers probably lie somewhere in the middle.  We all have good days and bad days, and even the best dog owners feel guilty for not spending enough time with their dogs.  If we foster or have a Good Buddy, we (I) sometimes walk through the door after a busy day of errands and volunteering and see the happy eyes of our own dogs and realize they have been waiting for us to get home and spend time with them.  Gulp.

So, here are the questions that are offered by Mr. Campbell about what type of dog owners we are.  None of them are desirable and perhaps the truth lies in the possibility that we all possess at least a little of a combination of them (of some I hope none) ....... 

• Are you a domineering/physical type of owner who insists on subservience and uses excessive force and/or punishment to gain obedience?  How much force is too much?  I am still haunted by the sounds of my grandfather's dogs being whipped into submission outside the farmhouse where my grandparents lived when I was a little girl.  I remember waiting and watching for the dogs to come back into the house and to see their tails wagging and then I knew they were OK.  Or at least I thought.

• Or are you a domineering/vocal type of dog owner who yells and uses stern tones to gain obedience from your dog?  What do our dogs think when we are at the end of our rope and we yell at them?  How often does it really produce lasting results?  
  

• Do you try to gain cooperation or other favorable responses from your dog by coaxing or bribing or seducing them into doing what you want, or what they should be doing?

• Are we sometimes a little too permissive because we are insecure about our relationship with our dog?  We want their love and loyalty, but we don't follow through on any form of discipline because we are fearful of losing some connection with our dog?

•  Are you an ambivalent owner/guardian?  Do you have mixed emotions about the animal that ultimately lead to problems that seem overwhelming to you?

• Do you project emotional and intellectual abilities onto your dog that only humans are capable of possessing?  This type of dog owner often misinterprets the dog's behavior and usually already "knows" all the reasons the behavior exists.  For example, did you know that a dog is not developed enough to act out of spite?  That their brains never develop enough to feel hate or contempt?  
  

• Some people love dogs but they know little about them and follow everyone's advice, no matter how ridiculous or outrageous.  Or they don't give their dog enough credit for needing good, solid leadership, so they don't seek advice at all.

•  Have you ever used "common sense" suggestions or methods, even in the face of poor results?

• Have you ever been too rigid or extreme in your attitude about guidance or advice and got in your own way of helping your dog to solve a problem?

Yep, lots of questions, just as I promised.  But just like I promised, there are no answers here.  They are in what you read, in what you experience with your dog, and in what you learn from other dog owners, shelter staff, experienced trainers, and trusted "dog friendly" friends. Pay attention to what makes sense to you and what works for your dog.

The reason this information struck me so strongly is that I see myself at various stages of my life with dogs in little bits and pieces of some of these questions.  Not the hitting ... NEVER the hitting.  But the rest I think we can honestly say to ourselves that we have either been there at some time along our journey with our dogs, or we are moving through some of these blind curves right now.

The answers?  You will find them.  Keep holding your dogs (and your Good Buddies) close to your hearts and look for answers.  Read good books by great authors like Sue Sternberg, Jean Donaldson, and Bill Campbell.  Victoria Stillwell and Cesar Millan have great training tips and advice for all types of dog owners.

One thought before we go ... no dog is going to continue exhibiting the same behavior over and over again if he/she is not somehow rewarded for it.