Diva Dog Training

“Appropriate” Dog Behavior

Animals, like us, are beings of energy. There is kinetic energy. This is energy in motion. I am not referring to that, but rather the energy that is the basis of everything — the stuff that we’re all made of.

You’ve probably heard that what you feel travels down the leash to the dog. More importantly, as dogs they convert whatever energy we are experiencing through our thoughts and actions into an “appropriate” dog thought and action. In other words, they respond in the “dog equivalent” to our human emotion, thought, and posturing.

It is through awareness and observation that we can make subtle shifts in what we are feeling and in how we are using our bodies. This transfers to a different and what we humans would call a more desirable reaction from our dog. Let’s just say, we are more likely to get the response we want and have a much more attentive and content dog.

Dogs are never intentionally responding inappropriately nor are they ever bad in the way that we may interpret the word. They are just acting in a way that is natural for them at that particular moment in time. We spend a lot of wasted energy trying to get the dog to understand human thought rather than it being the other way around.

I’m not saying that we should just accept whatever the behavior is. It is difficult not to transfer our emotional expression to our dog. We assume that they are thinking as we are. By humanizing our dogs, we miss the opportunity to see what’s really going on.

Chances are, your dog is responding appropriately given their history, genetics, training (or lack of), and maybe most importantly, their instincts.

As a side note, I think it’s fair to say that we humans tend to forget that we also live a lot of our life based on instinct – human instinct. We should remember to understand and work with our dogs based on their instincts and not ours.

For a related article on humanizing your dog, check out: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/articles/humandog.htm

What Do Dogs Think?

Oh how I wish I could answer that. We observe, we study, we listen, we assume, and sometimes we cry or laugh until tears are running down our cheeks.

I was training a black lab, Maxi-B, who was having issues with being timid. She seemed to be hardwired this way. She was adopted as a pup and had no known traumas. She was in a very playful mood this particular day and heeling nicely but with a bit of a spring in her four-pawed step.

The visual I’d like you to get is that there was nothing smooth or simultaneous about her gait. I think that goofy is a good word for her enthusiasm.

I was thrilled because she seemed to be making progress with briefly letting go of her timid nature. If a dog can express being pleased with herself – she was pleased.

Labs in particular are good at maintaining a semblance of control and somehow staying in a perfect heel while their body wiggles with motion (and perhaps emotion).

I stopped and she sat but with a bit of an extra twist of the hips. Then, I said “down” and she looked up at me and began to move and wiggle like she was dying to let me in on some secret but wasn’t supposed to say anything!

Have you ever told a child to do something and they know they are supposed to do it and will do it but they say “okay, but I want to show you something first?” It’s an obvious diversion for a child.

Could that be the case for a dog? I think so. I think that she was feeling so good and so confident that the girl would rather just have danced a bit. So, I let her and then like a good trainer made sure that she followed through with the command.

She made me laugh, and I think that on this particular day, Maxi-B laughed too.

Should dogs be allowed on the furniture?

My answer to that question – it depends. I don’t allow my dogs on the furniture because there would be no room left for a human. If you have dogs with aggressive or dominant tendencies, I would suggest that they not be allowed on the furniture.

If through training and behavior modification they have a change of attitude, then you may allow them on the furniture but by invitation only. This also applies to allowing them to sleep with you. It’s YOUR bed and you might allow them on it and you might not.

Consistency is extremely important while your dog is being trained. It is also important to give them a place (bed or crate) where they can be a part of the family. Remember, when a new puppy or adult dog comes into your home, they need to be shown that they are living with you and that there are rules and guidelines that they must abide by.

You won’t hurt their feelings. It’s quite the opposite. By expecting and demonstrating mutual respect, you can share your home with your canine companion and maintain peace in the kingdom.

The Best Dog Command for Consistent Results

As a dog trainer and behaviorist, I would like to openly admit that my favorite at-home command is “whatever.” It’s beyond reason how quickly my dogs learned to respect the power of the word “whatever.”

If I say it with a slight 1980’s Valley-girl tone, they are happy to respond. I find it particularly beneficial to use this command when all five of them are at the door waiting to come in and I am attempting to limit the entry to two of them.

As they are lined up at the door, I may say “Zoe and Moby, stay! Olive and Najiv, ok.” As Zoe starts to move, I ask her politely if her name is Olive? She will sheepishly back off. Okay, so it doesn’t happen exactly like that.

As I select who may enter and who may not, I will – with much authority – release all of them with the respect-gaining “whatever” command. It always works! This is really taking dog training to another level, so I advise that you proceed with caution when incorporating this strict form of structure in your own home.

Do not attempt to use the “whatever” command without proper instruction and guidance from a professional dog trainer. Results may vary. =)