Hi folks, I have received a fair bit of correspondence about my "guess the Dog Listener error" blog of last week, and as usual with Dog Listening, the answer is obvious (if you step outside the box, so to speak).
In fact, the comment put on the YouTube video clip about people not thinking like dogs was as close to the answer as it was actually way off target. If you add a few words to what they put, and it reads, "... people do not THINK they think like dogs." you are there.
The truth is, there are two animals (not one) whose nature we deny - dogs and humans.
Society is a thin layer of wallpaper, trying to cover up the crack in the wall that is our Nature. We may not like the idea that we are animals, but all it takes is one natural disaster, or famine (or Easter holiday if you found yourself in a supermarket just before Good Friday!) and our nature is revealed.
Have you ever looked up and seen somebody you don't know staring at you? How does it make you feel? That feeling in your stomach is your adrenaline coursing through your body, ready to run away from, or fight off, the predator that is looking at you. Your instinct takes over and prepares you to avoid getting eaten, and YOU CAN'T DO A THING ABOUT IT.
In denying dogs nature, we make it so much harder to understand our dogs behaviour. But, once you understand this, you can start to appreciate the true nature of our amazing relationship with dogs.
Or you could try putting up another layer of wallpaper... the crack is still there though, isn't it? Cheers, Tony Knight.
Hi folks, I'll keep this short as it's my birthday today and too much work is not on my schedule... although some would agrue that it never is!
That said, Dog Listening is very much on the agenda this week as filming begins on Friday for Channel 7, and I have a radio interview with Bay FM tomorrow, as well as a meeting with a famous vet at his practice about working alongside them. Exciting times ahead for yours truly.
As some of you will know from listening to this week's audio, I have just got back from a fantastic time in New Zealand, staying at a bache (holiday home), where I attempted wakeboarding for the first time (and nearly the last as my friend forgot to give me the spare lifejacket at the beginning!).
Being surrounded by breath-taking scenery and messing about in the water reminded me of the film I did a while ago when in the South Island of NZ, where I talk about our view of Nature and of course dog behaviour, and I realised that I had been VERY wrong about something that is vital to Dog Listening!
Watch the clip here http://youtu.be/MhZ5jBATLLA and leave your ideas as to what you think I have missed. I will give the answer next week so keep 'em peeled. Cheers, Tony
Hi folks, a couple of things have intrigued me recently about how we view dogs behaviour. I am just back from my first trip to Finland to give a Dog Listener talk. As usual, great feedback and as a result the Dog Listener by Jan Fennell is to be re-printed, and the Seven Ages book will be out there in 2011. Not a bad bit of work...
At the talk, we always run a Q&A to discuss dog behaviour problems and dog training problems and one dog owner asked me how to stop her dog from "stealing" bread from the kitchen worktop while she was not there.
This reminded me of a TV show of which I caught a few minutes last week. Not sure what channel (I was surfing - it's a man thing apparently), but it was a programme in which contestants have various tasks to perform with dogs, in front of judges.
This particular test involved the dog ignoring a LOT of sausages on the floor. This is a tricky one - as asking a dog not to at least be tempted by food lying around is like expecting a cow to obey the "Keep of the Grass" signs.
A dogs nature tells them that abandoned food is an opportunity to eat, and therefore survive. If food has been left, it means that the coast is clear to behave quite naturally and eat it. If there is someone already at the food, it is a different situation (do not even get me started on the food test sometimes used to determine the "aggression" of the dog in rescue centres etc.)
My quick and easy dog training advice to the lady in Vaasa was - make sure the bread is out of the way. When she said she liked the look of the bread out on the surface, I suggested a glass container over it. Attractive and functional...
We have to understand - and therefore manage - the nature of these animals. Cows can't read, fish do not survive out of water for long, and dogs are opportunist eaters. Why spend a lot of time and effort correcting dog behavior, when there is a simple solution.
I have this at the moment with my old girl Pru. If Mr. Dyson wants another revolutionary idea for his vaccuum cleaners, he is more than welcome to study her. At the moment there are loads of nuts and fruit on the ground, and although this could be seen as a healthy diet, the fact that they are rotting means Pru has been getting sick.... or drunk, whichever it is.
The solution is again simple - I keep her on the lead so she can't go off hoovering (should that be Dysoning now?) the ground clean. I could spend hours teaching her that she should not eat them, but I am lazy and choose instead to manage my dogs behaviour .
Of course, knowing that a dog is an opportunist eater - and that this dog behaviour is driven by natural instincts, it is a good idea to discourage dogs from eating when outside, in case of possible poisoned food laid out, but once again the lead is the quick and easy solution to any doubt you may have, and I prefer quick and easy to long and complicated.
It's a national crisis in France. People are up in arms about it. The newspapers are full of stories about it. The President is unavailable for comment.... That's right, it seems that cats are now more popular than dogs among the French. Zut alors!
Now, as I often say, never trust an animal with 20 flick knives. Especially when the owner of said weapons will attack you with them should the mood suit them. I once did a talk in Holland, and when I asked the cat owners in the room to raise their hands, they were all wearing long sleeves (I rest my case).
Apparently, the main reason is that cats are more affectionate. However, I reckon that the other reasons given in the article are more valid - they are cheaper to feed, and more independent.
A cat can disappear for three days and there is not the same panic there would be if a dog went missing for three minutes. Once again, this shows how people will let cats be cats, but dogs are not allowed to be dogs.
Cats take less maintenance - in people's minds - because they believe that dogs need to be walked everyday. Of course, the enlightened ones like those who follow the dog listener methods know this is not true, but it is amazing how strong this belief is.
Then again, we used to believe so strongly that when there was a thunderstorm, it meant that the gods were angry and only a human sacrifice could appease them.
One other item of interest in the newspaper article - the most popular breed in France for so many years has been knocked off the number one spot. The French poodle is now in second place, behind.... you guessed it, the Labrador.
That is of course, because all Labradors are perfect....!!! Tell that to the woman who had her face chewed off by one here a few years ago. Tell that to the New Zealand electric meter readers, who have the Lab at the top of their list of dogs to avoid.
When we stereotype a dog breed - for good or bad reasons - and expect the same dog behaviour from that breed, we deny them their nature and individual personalities. Labradors are dogs, and should be treated with the same respect as you would a German Shepherd (number 4 in the French pup charts).
Trust me, not all French people wear berets... Cheers. Tony Knight
Hi folks, I have just been reading a report into the possibility that dogs can be "pessimistic".
For some reason it brought to mind hearing a conversation between Ricky Gervais and his mates Steve and Karl about experiments liquidising leeches in order to convince their sponsors that they were carrying out scientific work, to justify more money...
The simplified version is that the research was based on whether a dog went up to a bowl when it was put down, to see if it contained food. In my mind, dogs who don't go up to the food bowls are not neccessarily pessimistic, but perhaps the ones who have realised it is not worth wasting their energy. Clever dogs.
The main thrust of the article seems to be that dogs with "pessimistic" qualities are more likely to display separation anxiety behaviours that are obvious, such as barking and destroying the house.
So here's an intriguing question - why is it that it's much easier for most human beings to have many negative thoughts, yet consistently maintaining a positive thought for more than 15 seconds takes effort?
Try this little exercise - make a list of the things you don't like about yourself, then one with the things you do like, and see which one is easier and longer... I have though about this for a long time, and recently I wondered if I was over-complicating the whole thing by looking at the nurture/society we experience.
Once again, if we look to our Nature it is obvious. Our instincts are still very much with us, and if we were still living in the wild we would know that at any moment we could be in danger, therefore it is a very good survival trait to be ready for it in a heartbeat, and to expect SUDDEN DEATH. We see it in the rest of Nature, so why pretend that we do not fit into that world too?
For me, the more worrying part of the research was some of the other findings:
"Up to five million pet dogs in the UK (∼50% of the population) may, at some stage of their lives, perform undesirable separation-related behaviour (SRB) when left home alone, including vocalising, destruction and toileting.
Some owners perceive their dog to be ‘fine’ or even ‘happy’ when performing SRB, a few seek professional help and others relinquish the dog."
The report goes on to explain the need for the research "given the magnitude of the issue and the varied perceptions and behaviour of owners".
Taking a practical approach to the whole issue as a Dog Listener, another question is, what difference does it make to the owner even if their dog is 'pessimistic' by nature? They still have the same behaviour problems to deal with.
Of course, when it comes to dealing with Separation Anxiety, the solution is simple to understand and to put into practice. Show the dog that it is not responsible for the safety of the owners.
Find out how by clicking on the link to get your FREE report on the 7 signs of Dog Separation Anxiety and learn how to help your dog to relax... and see the glass is half full (!).
Cheers, Tony PS We often think dogs act just like little people... as the clip here shows (and just check out how many hits this film has received!). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXo3NFqkaRM
Hi folks, forgive the "Bah Humbug" bit, but we're only just in October and I just saw an advert on TV for Christmas 2011.
I hasten to add that this is UK television and that not every country is as obsessed with this one day as the Brits seem to be, but it did remind me that in Britain the start of Autumn means the arrival of another annual event, which like Christmas is no longer confined to a mere 24 hours.
However, unlike Christmas which as the song goes 'tis the season to be merry', the next few months 'tis the season to be noisy'!
The 5th November is Guy Fawkes Night, where the British commemorate the failed assassination of the King and Parliament by Mr. Fawkes and his gang. These days, this means that for the next few months, people will be letting off fireworks every where, and in some cases every night.
This of course is a time that a lot of dog owners dread, especially if they have a dog scared of fireworks, as it means living with a nervous wreck for a while. If I were to give owners one piece of advice to help them immediately, it would be to RELAX and try not to react to your dogs behaviour.
Easier said than done I can appreciate, but if you try to reassure your frightened dog that there is no problem, you are actually raising your own adrenaline level. The dog senses this and thinks that there must be a problem.
So, if your dog is losing the plot, don't join in. Staying calm is the best way to get other panickers around you to quieten down.
For anyone out there who wants more excellent tips on how to stay cool and calm your dog Jan Fennell is offering her audio CD on Fear of Noise at a special reduced price until the end of the "fun".
Hi folks, yours truly here in a slightly frustrated mood.
Yesterday two little things made me realise just how much of an uphill struggle it can be as a dog listener to educate people on the obvious.
Firstly, while accessing my emails, I noticed an article entitled, "10 ways that animals think like humans" or something along those lines.
The first example was of meerkats and how they give younger members of the clan lessons on hunting scorpions. Now, while this is just like the behaviour of senior wolves giving lessons to their juniors, the conclusion drawn was that the meerkats are "every bit as clever as those on the car insurance adverts" (for those who don't watch TV, the ad features a computer-generated meerkat talking English with a Russian accent, asking people not to confuse their website, where they compare furry creatures with a site for finding cheap insurance - so obviously EXACTLY like meerkats in the wild). Sigh...
Then last night a comedian accused a psychic of having no real abilities after the psychic claimed that the dog told him it wanted to go for a walk. The comic stated that this was not valid, as ALL dogs want to go for a walk... I changed channel. Sigh...
It was then that I remembered something that Arnold Schwarzenegger said when asked if he thought he could become President of the United States, even though he was not born there so according to the constitution could not apply.
He said he liked to set himself impossible targets, as the climb was the interesting part, and ONCE HE ACHIEVED THE TARGET he would set himself another one. So in his mind, an impossible target is certain to succeed.
For anyone who currently cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel with their dogs behaviour or their dog training - know that it is there, even if you just haven't come out from around the corner yet.
That includes me too.
I mean, what is next in this humanising of animals - a head-banging penguin??
Continuing the dog behaviour versus human behaviour thread, I often get asked how I would react as a Dog Listener should my dogs ever get attacked by another dog.
Dog on dog aggression is not that uncommon and many of you may have experienced it yourselves or witnessed dogs fighting while out for a walk. As we all know, having the best trained dog in the world isn't going to stop someone else's aggressive dog from having a go at yours.
But trust me, if that ever happened I know that I would not stand back and wonder why it was happening. I would get in there and get that dog off mine as soon as possible.
Adrenaline is a powerful chemical in our bodies that rapidly increases our speed and strength to almost superhuman heights. Logic takes a definite back seat in times of crisis. Take the case of the dog owner in Montana, USA.
When her dog was attacked by a 200lb bear, she rushed to the rescue and fought off the huge beast with.... a courgette (zucchini to some). The point is that it may not have been the most sensible choice of weapon, what had to be done was done.
Sometimes life gets in the way and things can go off-track a little. The main thing to realise is that as long as you can remind your dog that all is well when the dust settles, the occasional "hiccup" does not mean that all is lost... although you may have to re-think dinner plans... Cheers, Tony
Hi folks, while on a short break in Ireland I visited Belfast, a place that for the majority of my life was synonymous with violence.
Fortunately in recent years the situation has calmed down a lot. However, you don't have to look far to see that feelings run deep still.
Check out my short video below to see how spending time there gave me another valuable insight into the true relationship between dogs and dog owners and how it shows in our behaviour:
In a dogs nature, the biggest threat to you is the nearest pack to you which means dogs will scent mark the boundaries to remind other packs that this is their territory and to keep away. It seems we too can be tribal, territorial creatures. Cheers. Tony Knight
