Our dogs have gone mad. Behavioural problems in dogs have gone through the roof; more people are being bitten by dogs than ever before and large numbers of dogs are going into rescue because owners can no longer cope with their intolerably bad behaviour.
So what is causing this deterioration in our ability to mould our beloved companion into an acceptable member of our family? The answer lies in that very sentence; we are treating our dogs as “a member of the family” instead of as the family dog. I love my dog; he is a good companion, and a loyal and trusted friend. However, he has a leg on every corner and a ready-made fur coat. This means that he cannot possibly be a member of my family. If he were, I would send him off to the circus to make his fortune. What he can be though, is a wonderful DOG. But for him to achieve his canine potential, I have to allow him to be the animal he was designed to be – at least to as far a degree as our society allows.
I am thoroughly dismayed when I see dogs carried around in designer bags, or wearing ridiculous coats when they already have one that nature gave them and which is perfectly capable of doing the job. One dog owner I met during my time as the behavioural trainer on BBC’s Dog Borstal show had given her dog his own room, which contained among other luxuries – a plasma screen television, a games console and a fountain, as the owner believed that the gentle babbling of the water would help him to sleep at night. Not surprisingly, her dog ended up on the show.
The majority of dogs that I am called to see have their owners at their wits end. They are aggressive, cranky, anxious creatures that are either incredibly clingy, or want to just be left the hell alone for a while. The one thing they virtually all have in common is that they have been spoilt rotten. Owners wait on their dogs hand and foot, allowing them luxuries their predecessors wouldn’t have dreamt of, and seem to believe that somehow all of this will make their dog grateful and love them. But of course it doesn’t quite work out that way. Instead, the dog sees them as horribly weak and then exploits them mercilessly. The owners then call me sobbing about how betrayed they feel by their ungrateful pet.
Here are some simple rules on how to avoid having the hound from hell:
Choose carefully
Think very carefully about the breed that you choose long before you bring your new charge home. Look at what the breed was designed to do, and expect that behaviour to be predominant in its behaviour. I get so many clients who buy a terrier and are then surprised that he wants to eat the kid’s rat or guinea pig. Or that their Siberian Husky pulls on the lead and won’t come back when it’s called. And when researching a breed, don’t just read the breed books, as they are written by people who are obviously very biased towards that breed. It’s like talking to the parent of a very naughty child. They will often ignore or make excuses for the child because they love him. Instead ask dog trainers, vets, groomers and rescue centres for info on the type of problems that they see with your chosen breed. You will often get a very different picture.
Don’t say it unless you mean it
Say what you mean, and mean what you say. Any dog trainer that tells you that you should reward good behaviour and ignore bad behaviour is sadly lacking in knowledge. This belief is largely responsible for so many dogs being out of control. If you are pleased with something your dog has done, reward him with something he really likes. But if you are not pleased, give him something he really doesn’t like, or remove something he really values. These two principles used consistently will push him towards making the right choice more often. However, if you still give him the treat for taking twenty minutes to come back, what is the incentive to come straight away? Either way he still gets the same reward and no punishment. And be careful of ‘trainers’ who claim to only use positive methods. I have never met a dog trainer who could in all honesty claim to have done this. What they really mean is that you should only use punishments that they approve of. I know an awful lot of these people who can’t even control their own dogs because they haven’t taught it effective boundaries. If it doesn’t work on their dogs, and they are supposedly experts, why will it work on yours?
Rescue Dogs
If you take on a rescue dog, stop thinking of it as a rescue from the moment you first bring it through the front door. I get so many clients who make excuses for him. “Well he’s a rescue dog” they say. I then ask them when they rescued him, and they reply “Five years ago”. Do they think that the dog sees himself as a rescue, and is grateful to them for saving him? Instead, treat him as though you have had him all of his life, and treat him the way you would have treated him if you had him from puppyhood.
Don’t expect too much
Remember how he thinks. He is a dog, and although he may be the Einstein of the dog world, he can nonetheless only ever see the world through the eyes of a canine. Don’t expect gratitude – it’s a dog!
Create boundaries
The dog bed is his – your bed is yours. As is the sofa, the armchairs and the dining table and chairs. By claiming some things as yours, your new pet will quickly learn that you have some authority and are not easily manipulated. It is unlikely that he will ever invite you to share his resting areas, so don’t feel obligated to have to share yours. But if you do want him to share with you, make it by invitation only. Contrary to popular belief, the vast majority of dogs do not use furniture to ‘dominate’ their owners’, they simply find it more comfortable. So teach him that it is yours but he can have access by permission only.
Is your dog getting enough exercise?
Look at the exercise your chosen breed would normally have as a working animal. Then decide how you can best replicate that. Many owners of gundogs or herding breeds say that their dog is hyperactive, but they chose a breed that was designed to work all day, and they think that walking it around the block before work and half an hour in the park in the evening (weather permitting) will be sufficient. These owners will definitely learn the hard way that it is not. But too often it is the dog that ends up in rescue as a result of the owners’ poor choice and lack of thought.
What’s on tonight’s menu?
Pick an appropriate diet. Diet can seriously affect a dogs’ behaviour in the same way that we know it can affect ours. Astonishingly, many popular pet food brands contain a cocktail of wheat, gluten, artificial colourants, preservatives, sugar, engine oil, antifreeze wood shavings, heads, fur, feathers, heads, beaks, and claws. Feed your dog food like this and don’t be surprised if Bonzo spends his days doing the Wall of Death around the living room. And having found a suitable, balanced diet, don’t then unbalance it by adding all sorts of things to it. Fresh meat, for example can significantly increase the protein of the food, and this may make the dog much more energetic.
Dogs evolved legs for a reason – let him use them
Your designer bag is NOT your dogs’ friend. You are preventing him from being a dog in so many ways. Think of all of the exploratory behaviour he is denied while being trapped in your Gucci or Prada pride and joy. Do not try to make him anything other than a dog. As soon as you do this, you set him up to fail. Take a minute to look at your spoilt dog right now and ask yourself this – if he could talk, would he say that he was truly happy with his life?
Take him for a walk
Standing gossiping in the park while he and the rest of his park pack exercise themselves is not good. While it saves you from doing any walking, it also means that you and your dog spend no time interacting in his favourite place. All you represent is the person who drags him away from his sparring partners. This is unlikely to strengthen the bond between the two of you.
In summary
A dog is a wonderful animal, and deserving of respect. Dressing him up so he looks like a little human, and carrying him around for the same reason demeans him. Rejoice in his beauty, elegance and pride. To reach his full potential, your dog needs you to fully support him, but support doesn’t mean buying a bigger, more expensive bag.