Do Dogs Have Feelings?

The subject of dogs and what it is they feel will forever be a topic of interest to us dog advocates. I don’t think I would treat them any differently if I were to find out they had no “feelings” in the sense that we humans do.

A feeling can be like the weather in Seattle. If you don’t like it, wait an hour and it will be different! This is certainly true if our feelings are based on emotion alone. Living with humans, dogs are exposed to our fickle behaviors and moods whether or not they understand or join us in them.

I know when I have asked a client to confine (crate or kennel or keep a leash on their dog) they wonder if it will hurt their dog’s feelings. On behalf of all the dogs I love, NO! We don’t worry about hurting an infant’s feelings if we don’t let them run free and out of our sight before they are trustworthy.

I do believe dogs have feelings, and the rest is my life study.  For instance, I came home from a training session to find that my dogs were frantically going through the phone book looking for a florist so they could send me flowers for my upcoming birthday. You can see their disappointment in my walking in on the surprise. I’d say they have feelings…

I think Melody needs glasses!

Dogs Don’t Have Accidents

I hear people refer to a dog’s behavior as an “accident.”  Dogs don’t have accidents.  Certainly not in the way humans do.

As I walked to my car today and noticed yet another they-had-to-know-they-did-this door ding, I said my characteristic “dog gone it!”  Whatever that means.  Having just said the word dog,  I couldn’t help but think about how different we humans are from  animals.

Dogs, like other animals, live in the moment.  They may be territorial, possessive, aggressive, and any or all of the characteristics that could make them excellent door-dingers; however, it’s not something they would do.  If a dog wants you to know they are feeling threatened, irritated, or any number of expressions, it will be in your presence and applicable to that moment.  They aren’t capable of being passive-aggressive.

Living in the moment may not be so great all of the time; however, it would help to lessen those “accidents” we humans may participate in on a daily basis; i.e., forgetting where we put something, hitting someone’s car because we weren’t paying attention, over-reacting to a situation because of something that happened earlier in the day, etc.

I am coining a new phrase - “WWMDD?”  That’s - “What Would My Dog Do?”  I don’t know that it will help me find the keys I can’t find because I was thinking of something else when I set them down; but, if asked often enough, it may help to keep me in the moment and maybe a little less serious.

Accidents do happen (as they say); however maybe if we asked ourselves WWMDD, they would happen a little less often.

If your dog has mentioned you need behavioral modification or you experience mis-placed aggression, send me an email.  I’m happy to help.  I’m better at understanding dogs, but I do fairly well with humans.

How Long Does It Take To Train A Dog?

It only takes seconds to train a dog.  Really.  Because your dog is constantly observing and responding to you, you are always training them.  What you are training them is the question.  If you provide little to no structure and are inconsistent with what you expect of them, you will receive little to no respect and inconsistent behavior from them.

Some clients admit to having in the past had dogs they never had to train.  The difference was in the dog.  Some dogs want to please us more than others, and it appears they need no training.  They do; however, they are just plain easy!  Unfortunately (or fortunately), not all dogs are created equal.  We make the mistake of labeling a dog that was easy “good” and a difficult dog as “bad.”  They are both good dogs - let’s just say one is more challenging than the other.

So, how long does it take to train your dog?  It could be a lifetime.  Sure, with consistent expectations from you, you will get into a good flow of life where there is peace in the kingdom.  However, and that is a big HOWEVER, they will always and forever be a dog going through cycles of development and may need you to “remind” them of what they know.  I am here to remind you.  =)

Dr. Phil’s Dog Training

In the words of another great dog behaviorist…most trainers train humans and rehabilitate dogs.  I work with a lot of dogs who are, fortunately for them, not so much in need of rehabilitation given their age and history as they are in need of consistency.  And, in much dismay to their humans, they are excellent at being puppies.

In my training of humans, I try to keep things light and also get the point across.  For instance, as I am leash training their dog, the human will get excited when the puppy attempts to chew the leash as they repeat, “see, look what he does, look what he does!” If, when I provide instruction, they don’t want to hear what I’m saying, I’ll ask what they have been doing when Pookie chews the leash.  After they respond, I hear myself asking, “how’s that workin’ for ya’?”

Another example is in the guidance I provide for house training a puppy.  It almost always involves my suggesting crate training and complete supervision when the puppy isn’t in the crate.  By now, they are exhausted from cleaning up poop and pee and not sleeping because of a destructive pup in the house.  They will assure me it would never work and every reason why.  I wait and listen because I do understand their frustration.  Then, if they continue to negate my suggestion, I may hear myself ask, “do you want to be happy or do you want to be right?”

So, you see, this really is about human behavior modification as much as it is canine behavior modification.  As I always say, dogs are great at being dogs.  While it may not be the same in every case, behaviorists have learned what works.  I’m sure there are a lot of other Dr. Phil-isms I could and do use.  If what you are doing, isn’t working or in the way you had hoped, please contact me!

What A Great Dog!

This post is dedicated to all of us who have dogs.  Real dogs.  All dogs are “real” dogs; however, it is easy for us humans to want to think of them as four-legged, unconditionally loving,  furry human wannabees!  They are amazingly wonderful at being dogs.

If, no - when, you have a moment or a day when your dog does nothing exactly as you would like, take a breath, find something positive, and come back later to whatever it was you were doing. If you want a robot, go to Radio Shack.  If you want a companion that will challenge you and just as quickly show their inexplicable love and loyalty, you might enjoy a dog.

For as long as women have tried to make men think like them and vice versa, it is really no different with our dogs.  They don’t think like a human.  I can guarantee you that regardless of their behavior (whether you like it or not) they are just doing what dogs do.  You might as well learn to tell them they are a good dog as you shake your head in bewilderment.  If you will notice, some of this undesired behavior is getting them high-fives from the other dogs!

Dogs and A New Year

I tried and tried to get the dogs to stay awake to help celebrate the coming of the New Year 2010.  As their heads bobbed and soft snoring could be heard around the room, I decided to join them.  This year, I would celebrate like dogs do.

They go to bed every night and wake up every morning without a care.  They sleep when it’s night (and day) and don’t complain when they wake up - whether it’s in the middle of the night or at the dawn of a day.  They don’t get anxious or worry that they didn’t do enough last year or what they will do in the coming year.

While it is not exactly how I see my life going this year, it’s a great way to start every day.  Every day is a new day and every new day makes a new year.  I looked at the dogs and said, “Thanks for that awareness.”  They replied, “What the heck are you talking about…where’s our breakfast?”  Enough said.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Pinch Collars For Every Dog

Locally, I can be known as “The Tender Tutor.”  That’s not to say I’m too soft or that the dogs I work with don’t respect me.  I believe that every dog is different and there are gentle, positive ways to work with most dogs.

Pinch collars (prong collars or power steering collars, as I like to call them) are a great training tool for some dogs who aren’t bothered by choking themselves with a flat collar or still pull when using a harness.  However, I really disagree that a pinch collar is the only solution and best way to train every dog.

I have converted many people who thought for sure they needed to exclusively use the prong-collar approach.  I have had great success transferring them to a Martingale training collar which looks like a regular flat collar but has a small section of material or chain that will cinch and give a correction without choking.  When used correctly and consistently, they work great.

My biggest objection to pinch collars is that they are used incorrectly.  Also, you don’t want a dog that needs to wear a prong collar in order to pay attention to you.  They are a training tool and not a magic wand for a dog that hasn’t been leash trained adequately.   I have found that by using the prong collar, the human at the other end of the leash relaxes because they have the sense of more control.  That is a good thing.  Once the human feels more in control and is more relaxed, they may be able to switch to a Martingale-type training collar with a greater sense of confidence.

It’s important that training be humane and regardless of the type of collar or harness, this takes consistent expectations and a lot of patience and time.  Before using a pinch collar or an e-collar, please contact a trained behaviorist.   I am happy to answer any questions you have on the correct collar for you and your dog.

Dogs Expressing Emotion

It is fascinating to read the studies on the analysis of dogs and their expression of emotion.  We, of course, refer to emotion in the sense that we experience it.  Dogs; however, live in the moment so their emotion may be more raw than ours.  I don’t think they are capable of deceiving us by expressing an emotion they aren’t really feeling at the moment.   They don’t pretend as well as we do!

There are fun photographs of dogs smiling.  And they do!  Some more than others, but it still qualifies as a smile.  I also have seen more than my share of grumpy-doggy face.  The “it’s you again” look on some dogs when I (the trainer) show up for another training session can be very comical - for us humans more so than the dog.

With the cooler temperatures, the dogs seem quite content to cuddle on their beds a little longer than normal.  And, some days, I think they get up on the wrong side of their cedar-chipped, double-organic-fiber-stuffed, memory foam dog beds!  Perhaps they have bad dreams and restless nights too; so, I will cut them some slack.

Regardless, I think it’s fun to notice that much like a little child, a dog’s expression of “emotion” shifts in a nano-second.  In a flash, they go from grump-dog to tail-waggin’-ready-for-a-walk dog.  I wish it were that easy for us two-leggers!  Once again, we learn from our dogs how blessed it is to live in the moment.

Job Opening for Confident Leader

Is this an ad your dog has placed on Craig’s List or CareerBuilder?  Are they looking for someone to be in charge so they can relinquish the responsibility?  Are they acting out and resisting your instruction?

Maybe your dog isn’t yet savvy enough to post such an ad, but if you have a dog, there is the need for a confident leader…is it you?  If not, who is it?   In the words of Cesar Millan, dogs need and respect a calm, assertive leader.

My dogs need to be reminded at times that the position of leader has been filled, and it just so happens that in our home the job belongs to the only one who walks on two legs.  I thought since they need to be reminded, maybe you do to.

The primary purpose and goal of my work as a trainer/behaviorist, is to show humans who their dog is and what they are capable of learning.  Don’t wait for your dogs to fill the position of leader. Most people fill some position in their life where they lead another.  It may take practice, but put yourself in that mindset as you provide (calm, assertive) guidance for your dog.

They may resist at first, but with consistent behavioral expectations from you, they will respect you and remove the job opening!

When Dogs Take Over The Couch

Uh, Mo, we’re busted..get up, I think she wants to sit down.