When we’re talking about canine behaviour and response too, what are we actually looking at?
What are we witnessing?
What are we working with?
Who are we attempting to communicate with?
The above questions are vitally important if we are to understand the forces of nature we are attempting to:
Get a response from
Build a relationship with
Have confidence with our control in any given environment
Dogs are sentient beings who have evolved over thousands of years in a chronological timeline which has shaped behaviour accordingly, to the dogs who inhabit our homes and work with us today.
This evolution means that there has been significant change and has also been heavily influenced by humans.
The short version of this wonderful story is dogs have originally realised an opportunity for survival by living alongside humans,
(grey wolf - proto dog - canis familiaris) humans have seen an opportunity in an animal for many different purposes.
We are often finding through scientific research new and quiet often amazing superpowers in these animals.
For now though let’s go back to training and building relationships with our dogs.
Many people will have their own experience of caring for dogs and relationships with them.
We are looking at a domestic animal deriving from an Apex predator who respond to, and is extremely curious about:
Movement
Smell
Sound
Taste
Texture
Vibration
Energy
Any one or combination of the above will have a profound effect on your dog’s state of mind and focus.
When we are working with juvenile dogs, or dogs with potential behavioural issues this is particularly relevant due to ether everything being new and a thing of wounder for a puppy, or there is a massive trigger and overload of drive in the environment. For some dogs, they can’t deal with or find a sense of grounding (EXCEPTENCE) when presented with areas of life which can cause massive overloads of anxiety, or desire to control – prey upon.
Hardwired behaviour such as guarding or dominance, fight, or flight responses.
Dogs are animals who operate through instinctive behaviour, there is no reasoning as we know it, just a desire to respond to and deal with what’s Infront of them, or not!
This is where our fair leadership comes into play and evolves with our dogs learning.
So, looking at training behaviours such as reliable recall, try to think about what elements will affect your dog’s mindset, and where the learning will take place for your dog, then you can look at your approach to training.
We are working with an animal who has undergone a natural evolution, but also has been shaped by humans by selective breeding for certain traits.
In some ways we have enhanced certain behaviours for our own purpose. Knowing breed traits and characteristics helps to enhance our training and realise what is possible from individual dogs.
The hardwired behaviour is there in all dogs, we classify these behaviours as drives, which stem from a desire to survive.
Dogs have an emotional intelligence which has led to them being an amazing human companion.
This curiosity and desire to form relationships has led to a powerful human/canine bond.
It’s no surprise when you look at the evidence of how dogs have coexisted with humans for so long.
This desire to have a job goes all the way back to their origins of the wolf pack, still observed today in the wild where every animal has a job to help ensure the survival of the family.
This is a general example of what we are working with and how to start to set yourself up for dog training.
Knowing that dogs love to work, even the ones extended in horizontal fashion on a couch for long periods of time require mental stimulation as well as exercise.
A great reason for ongoing training and development.
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