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March 2006 Archives
A Common Mistake People Make When Adopting a Rescue Dog
The most common mistake people make when rescuing a dog is feeling too sorry for her. They obsess about what a sad life she's had, what must have happened to her in the past and treat her like breakable china, letting her get away with anything. It's important to remember that dogs live in the moment. They don't retain the past; they don't really care about the past. When two dogs meet, they always relate to each other in how they feel and what energy they are projecting at that moment. Now, that's something our own species can take away from dogs!
Treats and Toys as Training Rewards
There is a school of dog behavior that suggests that treats as positive reinforcement should be used to entice our animals to do what we want them to do. However, in my opinion, while that type of training may work best with "happy, go-lucky"-type dogs, there are definitely instances of hard-to-handle, aggressive, or anxious-obsessive dogs that would benefit more from a firm pack leader than a treat.
With some dogs, treats and toy rewards condition them to rely on the reward and not on the pack leader. When a dog is imbalanced, the practice of allowing treats for behavior often teaches that dog how to manipulate the situation - and you. He'll learn what to do for the initial reward, but after that he'll go right back to the bad behavior. Don't get me wrong, I believe in rewarding dogs, but only once they've learned to follow standard rules, boundaries, and limitations though my pack leadership.
When Little Dogs are Overprotected
Most of the time, when people say they are "protecting" their little dogs, they are afraid for them. They clutch their dogs to their chest to whenever they see bigger dogs, traffic, or unfamiliar people. That's the problem since the energy they are transmitting is fear, which as you know, is negative-type energy in the animal world. Fear creates instability and can actually invite an attack from another dog, so though these owners mean well, they are not really protecting the dog at all. Instead, they are infusing the dog with weak, negative energy.
Whenever I think of an overprotected little dog, I think of Paris Hilton and her Chihuahua, Tinkerbell. Do you think a dog is happy, being carried around like a purse all day? The answer is, no. Dogs need to get around on their own four legs. They need to walk - it's in their genes. Chihuhuas and other miniature breeds that are treated like accessories are example of how overprotecting dogs can be bad for them.
It's important to remember that dog is a dog, no matter what size it is, and if we're really going to protect it, we have to respect it, first as a species. This way he will project a strong, calm-assertive energy that other animals respect.
Chat LIVE with Cesar Millan, April 7 at 9P ET
Attention Dog Whisperer fans and dog lovers everywhere! National Geographic Channel is hosting its first-ever live online chat with the Dog Whisperer himself, Cesar Millan. Log on to www.ngcdogwhisperer.com on Friday, April 7, at 9 p.m., ET, immediately following an all-new episode of Dog Whisperer. From canine aggression to puppy problems to introducing a new dog in to your "pack," Cesar will be on hand to advise you about your beloved canine companion.
Pack Leader=Exercise, Discipline, THEN Affection
So many people write to me describing themselves as "dog lovers," but then think that the term means their dogs should have no disciplinary consequences for anything they do. It's often hard for me to communicate to them that for any dog, "love" must include exercise, rules, boundaries, and limitations first. Affection comes after that.
As hard as it is for us to admit sometimes, often we choose to own a dog for our own emotional fulfillment and forget about fulfilling the needs of the dog. So when people defines themselves as an emotional figure, for example, a "dog lover," without playing the role of the dog's leader first, that dog will automatically compensate for the lack of leadership and become the pack leader. It's impossible for a dog to ever be happy living this way because there's a constant question as to who the true leader is.
The Power of a Dog's Energy
In the animal world, energy equals language and communication. It's the first thing an animal can pick up about another animal. There is a ripple effect throughout any natural environment based on the energy that the animal is projecting. You may notice how one particular dog out walking in a neighborhood can trigger a reaction from seemingly every other dog in the area. That's not your imagination. It's absolutely true that the energy of just one dog can set off a response from all the way down the street.
It works that way in the human world, too. If I am projecting a calm and assertive energy, I can influence other people to also stay calm or follow me. If I am in a crowd acting agitated, I can change the energy of the entire crowd. In the same way, if a dog is walking through a neighborhood projecting intense, fearful, or excited energy, every other dog inside a house or behind a fence is able to sense that instability. If the dog is in a calm, submissive state, those same dogs are also able to read his energy without a desire to challenge it.
Yes, You CAN Train Your Dog
To me, animals are windows into their owners. Because they love their dogs so much, they open up to me because they believe that I can help them. Once they relax and speak honestly, their body language clues me in to how I need to work with them. For example, when people say to me, "I don't think I can do it," that says to me that they don't trust themselves.
If they don't trust themselves and lack confidence, I promise you, their animals know it. My role is to gently remind them, "Look, you CAN do this." So if a client is having problems, I'll try a certain exercise that helps to empower them and turn around their negative beliefs.
As far as dog rehabilitation is concerned, I train from the animal's perspective, which is to live in the moment. In other words, it's easy to solve problems or make things happen quickly if you quit obsessing about what's already passed. I try and help people practice that, and once they've gotten a taste of success, they know they can continue to make strides on their own.
A Pack Leader's Work is Never Done
Like Megan Traver, who you'll meet in the "School for Shelties" segment, many of my clients are successful people who excel at very difficult jobs. Megan is a junior high school teacher who is able to transform whole classrooms of hormone-ridden, pre-teens into calm and submissive students everyday. I don't know about you, but I am in awe of that! Yet when Megan comes home, she is unable to handle her two little shelties. What's up with that?
When people come home from a long day at work, they tend to want to be done being the authority figures. They have spent the day using their physical and psychological energy to the fullest and are usually exhausted. All they want is to relax and fulfilling their own emotional and spiritual needs. And who better to share the soft side of themselves with than the animals who unconditionally loves them?
There lies the problem. I remind my clients, there's no time clock to punch at the end of the day when it comes to being your dog's pack leader. Despite your own mental state, your dog still has his needs - exercise first, discipline second, and lastly, affection. No matter how tired we are at the end of the day, we can't put our own needs ahead of our dog's time and time again and expect them to be balanced and stable.
There are no "Bad Breeds," Just Bad Owners
Remember, human beings domesticated dogs, so we must take responsibility for understanding how even the most powerful breeds can use all their best inherited traits and live peaceful, balanced lives. I don't believe power breed equals "bad breed," though to read the news sometimes, you'd think there were gangs of these "evil" dogs out there, roaming around, chomping at the bit to do something horrible to us.
Cane Corsos, Presa Canarios, Bull Mastiffs, "Pit Bulls", Rottweilers, and German Shepherds. All of these power breeds have inherited certain genetic traits, abilities, and needs, but none have the innate instinct to kill a human being. On the rare occasion there is an attack, it is usually the result of too much negative energy or frustration stored in a very powerful, high-energy body. And all too often, that negative energy or frustration is triggered by abuse or neglect.
We must learn to stop labeling these power breeds as aggressive or mean and instead educate ourselves about their powerful natures and how to best channel their energy. When you make the decision to own one of these dogs, you must immediately become a committed pack leader, dedicated to their physical and mental well-being. If you can not channel their natural energy, it can melt into layers of frustration, which can lead the animal to become depressed or aggressive.
Once again, the needs of all dogs must be fulfilled on a daily basis, but especially for power breeds. This is done through spaying or neutering, and of course, through daily exercise, rules, boundaries, and limitations.
The Importance of Mastering the Art of the Walk
The single most powerful tool we have for bonding with our dogs is the walk. Walking is a primal exercise that awakens all of her pack instincts. No amount of toys or treats will make her happier than a brisk, hourly walk by your side. Yet the walk is one area where dog owners seem to have the most problems. Most people have the dog out in front, pulling them forward. I've asked the reason for this and I usually get, "She loves her freedom." Freedom?
A dog is a pack animal and what she really wants from the walk is leadership and structure. To me, the best role models for great dog walking technique are the homeless and the service dog-using handicapped! Why? They seem to better understand the concept of canine pack leadership. The leader is always in front during the walk. And for many homeless, their dogs often aren't even on a leash - they choose to stay behind or beside their owners.
Of course a dog wants to sniff the ground and pee on a tree during the walk, but it is important that we as pack leaders understand that we should be making the "when and where" decisions for them. Following our rules gives the dog confidence because she's working for every privilege she gets.
Is there a way that you prefer people bring a pack into their home
Many of my cases come from situations where a client thought they had a good enough relationship with their first dog, then after bringing another dog--or dogs--into the household, "everything went wrong." Of course, the client always blamed the new dog(s) for the problem. The truth is, usually these problems began with the first dog and the relationship with his or her owner. If the owner doesn't establish a clear pack leader relationship with the first dog, any other animal coming into the home will be heading for trouble.
When you adopt multiple dogs at different times, you must have a clear understanding with the first dog from the start - the dog is the follower, and you are the leader. Not part of the time - all of the time! Once that is established, only then can you bring in a second dog into the mix. Now because you've established a clear relationship with the first "follower" dog, the second dog should be able to sense that in this household, the human is in control. You will find then that both dogs will naturally try to co-exist with one another as your followers.
Ultimately, it's not about the dogs' relationships with each other, it's about their relationship with you and how you set boundaries and limitations. Once you have the two dogs understanding that concept, it will to be much easier to bring dogs number three and four into the home.
Again, if dog number one is unbalanced from the beginning, there will be no way to balance the rest of the pack because the subsequent dogs will sense a power struggle.
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