SELF CONTROL – KEEP ME CALM (for stressed /highly aroused dogs)

The following are a selection of books that I recommend regularly to clients for training and behavioural purposes. The insight and information provided in these books, when applied will have a phenomenal effect on the relationship you have with your dog and how well he responds to you and your education of him.

I have included a brief description of each book and where you can obtain it from, for those of you with tight budgets I highly recommend Amazon’s used books marketplace.  Many of my books have come via these suppliers at a hugely reduced cost, many of them still look brand new!! If you encounter any difficulties getting hold of any of these books, please email me on michelle@tru-nature.co.uk and I will assist where possible. 

If there is a particular subject or aspect of dog training or behaviour you would like to gain further knowledge of, please feel free to get in touch and I will be happy to recommend other publications relating to your specific topic.

The Culture Clash ~ Jean Donaldson (Amazon) ~ Understanding Dogs Better: A book offering an exciting new perspective on the relationship between man and dog.   Extremely thought provoking and offers practical realistic aspects of behaviour and training based on research and extensive experience of working with and training dogs.

Lets Play with our dog ~ Dee Woodcock (www.crosskeysbooks.com) ~ Great for Winter Games indoors!!! : Practical and realistic advice on a whole range of games to play with your dog. It’s easy, it’s fun and your dog will love you for it!!

Don't Shoot the Dog  ~ Karen Pryor (Amazon)  ~ Improving your relationship with your dog: The principles of the revolutionary "clicker training" method. Eight methods of ending undesirable habits - from furniture-clawing cats to sloppy room-mates. The ten laws of "shaping" behaviour - for results without strain or pain through "affection training". Tips for house-training the dog, improving your tennis game, or dealing with an impossible teenager. Explorations of exciting new uses for reinforcement training.

Have you ever applied these rules? With how much success? Read on to further investigate the truths behind the dominance theory and pack rules….............

There is obviously much more to this topic than can be covered in this short article, more material will be posted on the website shortly for those interested.

The theory of ‘pack rules’ was introduced during the 1980’s and used as an explanation for the motives behind canine behaviour, through the study of wolf behaviour. The findings of these studies were then published as methods of training and behaviour modification for dogs displaying signs of ‘dominance’. They provided information on how to be the ‘alpha male’ ensuring your pet dog would never challenge for leadership of the ‘pack’. There are now more modern day views that offer alternative perspectives on how and why a dog behaves and reacts to it’s environment in the way that it does. Research supports the theory that truly wild wolves do not even exhibit the theory of ‘pack rules’.

The studies of the hierarchical structure and social bonds are what form the basis of the pack rules theory, as it has been applied to domesticated dogs. This research explained the alpha male role within the pack structure, how they exhibit and maintain their dominance and how the rest of the pack fit into the ‘pecking’ order. It explains that the alpha male, is the strongest animal in the pack, controls the entrance/exit to the pack sleeping areas and will lead the hunt. When a kill has been made the alpha male will eat first, and so a structure of dominance and submission exists within the group, which is maintained by the ‘pack rules’.

In order to deal with these dominant behavioural traits, people were advised to look out for dogs that were pushing through doorways in front of people, pulling on the lead, climbing on the furniture, sitting at the top of the stairs or in doorways, rushing down the stairs in front of people and consistently guarding possessions and resources. The owners were then advised to follow strict ‘dominant’ characteristic themselves to de-rank the dog within the ‘pack’. Things such as slamming doors on noses of dog’s trying to rush through first, standing or sitting in their bed, ignoring them at every opportunity, making them move if they were in the way, preventing them from sleeping anywhere other than on the floor and ensuring that no dog ate a meal before the family had eaten.

When applied many of these techniques failed to work and often made the situation worse as the dog became more confused by the fact that the rules kept changing. When perceived from a different angle, surely many if not all these behaviours can be attributed to a lack of consistent education, much like a child that has never been taught table manners, would probably eat with his fingers!

The main problem with the theory is that much of the research it is based on was carried out on artificial captive packs of wolves. These groups would not exhibit a true pack like behaviour. The other more obvious problem is that we are not dogs, how can we possibly believe that another species lives with us, in the same manner as he would live with his own kind? We are not able to speak to them in their own language, so surely the best we can hope to achieve is to be able to understand them (us being the more intelligent species supposedly) and find ways to communicate our wishes to them in ways which they can understand.

Many aggressive displays by dogs were explained away by the ‘dominance theory’ when in fact, the alpha male in a pack of truly wild wolves, very rarely displays any aggressive behaviour at all? It seems that the study of wolf behaviour has relevance to dog behaviour in that it helps us to recognise and understand the behaviours as individual concepts and as intra-species communication. It is without a doubt that we form strong social attachments but we are not a pack.

The rituals, body language, facial expressions, scent communications and behavioural nuances which dogs are able to communicate between each other are difficult for us to either express or interpret, purely because we are not canine. So the problem of so called ‘dominant’ behaviour seems to require a different explanation, in order to be accurately identified and put into context within the mixed species environment our dogs live in.

Like humans, every dog is different, they each have different personalities, different characteristics, some are more timid than others, some more confident and quick to take advantage of opportunities. Every single canine behaviour problem will require a different approach based on the breed of dog, the personality, the individual characteristic traits, the owners personality and character, the lifestyle of both the owner and the dog etc etc. There is much more to consider regarding the cause of behaviour than simply dominance or submission, and the easiest place to start, is to learn how to view the individuality of the situation from the dog’s perspective, rather than assuming he is constantly trying to get one up on his owner or take over the household!