Communication
Communication is a huge problem among us, humans. We often don’t say what we really wanted to say to avoid being rude or politically incorrect. We smile when we feel like crying and vice versa. There are a lot of violence in human world as well, way more then in animal kingdom.
Pack animals, such as dogs and wolves, have excellent communication skills. They use their body language to communicate with each other and prevent fights within their group. Big, strong and healthy pack would have better chance of survival and any injured animal would decrease that chance.
Dogs live in human world and we have very high expectation of them. However, many people, including dog owners, don’t understand dog’s language. I see videos of a child jumping on a dog, pulling dog’s ears or even simply hugging a dog with parents laughter on the background and a dog in distress. If only people cared to look for all the warning signs the dog in distress give there will be less bitten children and euthanized dogs. Only very few dogs will not give any indication of aggression and impending bite.
Dogs that growled labeled “aggressive”, dogs that jump in happiness called “badly mannered”. While these behaviours are normal communication skills in dog’s language, we often shut down their voice. I acknowledge and encourage my dogs to “speak” to each other and to me and I listen. I watch them eat together, play together and sleep together. The harmony within my pack can be seen by invitations to play and acceptance or refusal, growls and teeths of a warning and the other dog’s head turned away in “apology” and many other “conversations” I witnessed living with such a fabulous pack.
To become a dog with a great communication skill a puppy has to learn it. That is why there is a law prohibiting to rehome a puppy before 8 weeks. During the first 8 weeks, puppy develops rapidly from a deaf and blind, helpless ball of fur to a little dog who can “speak” if raised right. I follow Puppy Culture program to ensure that my puppies have the best start in life. Puppies learning canine language by playing with siblings, their mother and other dogs and human language by communicating with me, my family, our friends and many new people and children. Puppies learning to use their sharp little teeth with care during play and taking treats from humans. Puppies learning to avoid conflicts while eating together by “talking” to each other. All the growling and posturing among puppies is very normal and very important behaviour used to prevent a real conflict. My job during this time is to monitor and make sure puppies understand each other and adults and no one is hurt.
Little Penny cuddling with Rub
Guarding food from humans is normal behaviour too but it is not acceptable. I reverse it with every puppy by shaping positive emotional response during food exchanges. All puppies look at me in happy anticipation when I take away their bone or whatever else they have in their possession because they know they will get something better and will get their bone back. You can change how a dog feels about something using the same technique called CER (conditioned emotional response).
By understanding how dogs communicate and the way they interpret your verbal and body language you can learn how to speak to your dog. Many problems arise from misunderstanding our canine friends and I would encourage you to learn more about canine language and how dogs see the world.
https://positively.com/dog-training/understanding-dogs/canine-body-language/