The Mind of Dog

So I recently checked out a book from the library called Cesar's Way by Cesar Milan - known as the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. If anyone has seen The Dog Whisperer show, you know that this guy knows his stuff. He is able to get amazing results with what most people would term problem dogs with serious issues. Often times, he is a last resort for dogs with dangerous tendencies facing euthenasia because no one else has been able to get them to respond.

The most incredible thing about Cesar is that although he is so successful at rehabilitating dogs, you only have to watch one or two episodes to realize that the problems do not rely in the dogs, but in their owners. We as dog owners, create the very problems and behaviors in our dogs that we are trying to get rid of. We create what Cesar calls "issues" in our dogs by unknowingly reinforcing unwanted behaviors and by not understanding our dogs basic needs and instincts as a species. For this reason, Cesar calls himself not a dog trainier, but a dog psychologist.

I know that word psychologist sounds kind of cooky. The term "Dog Psychologist" makes me think of some kind of new age pet psychic who comes in and tries to read your dogs mind or seance with their past lives to determine the original source of their psychological damage. Well far from it. In fact, Cesar himself says that the main source of our problems with our dogs in the United States (interesting perspective coming from someone born and raised in Mexico and viewing our relationship with our dogs from a foreign perspective) is that we humanize them. We try to solve our problems with our dogs using human psychology.

For example, Cesar says that when a dog shows fear around other dogs, possibly cowering or whimpering, many owners' natural responses would be to pick them up and give them affection and a feeling of safety - much as we would a human child. Cesar says that this would never happen in the wild in a dog pack. Weakness is not to be accepted or encouraged. A weak member of the pack weakens the entire pack and threatens the safety of the entire group. Instead of reinforcing the fear by giving affection at a weak moment, in a dog's world, a dog is more likely to gain the benefit of overcoming the fear by its owner maintaining a strong assertive energy that there is nothing to be afraid of and continuing through the dog park as if it were no different than any other situation. If you respond to your dog's fear by catering to it and cooing over it and removing the dog from the situation, you validate their fears and show your dog that you are not in control of the situation.

Anyway, the above is just one example but basically it demonstrates that as a dog psychologist, Cesar is dedicated to understanding dogs from the perspective of their own species, and by understanding the psychology of a dog's mind - how they make connections and associations, how they interact and socialize, what their basic needs and instincts are - we as owners can then interact with them in a way that will help them to be more balanced, better behaved, and more fulfilled as a member of the pack that we have chosen to bring them into.

So in a matter of a couple of days I have already blown through more than half the book and I am already seeing results with Cordy and Seumas. With Cordy being such a nervous dog, I am particularly interested in learning how to be a better pack leader to take some of that pressure off of Cordy who I know often feels responsible for our safety as a family. She shows this through her nervous barking and the body language around unfamiliar situations and especially unfamiliar noises. She has been this way ever since we got Seumas and wanted to protect him from potential dangers. By using the calm assertive energy that Cesar talks and setting more boundaries for the dogs in our household I think Cordy is beginning to relax more and feel protected under my leadership.

The other really important thing that I have learned so far from Cesar's book is how important it is to walk your dog. Yes, everyone knows that all dogs need exercise and there are many ways to exercise your dog. Seumas loves to chase his ball and Cordy would choose the laser pointer over food any day. (That's saying a lot for Cordy!) And those are both good ways to get some activity and mental challenge in for your dogs. But they do not take the place of walking. Dogs by nature are free roaming animals. When we bring animals into our lives as pets, we take away that freedom and we limit their mobility. Even if you have a big backyard, Cesar says that is like having a really big kennel for a dog. Dogs need to be able to get out of the house and explore their surroundings. I noticed that the dogs were very nervous after making the big move down here. They didn't really start to relax until we started getting them out of the house and gave them a chance to explore their surroundings. Now they are becoming more comfortable with their environment. Their "hunting adventures" have taught them that we live in a safe neighborhood with other friendly dogs and friendly neighbors.

Plus, walking a dog is one of the best exercises you can do to establish your position as pack leader. Cesar says always make sure that you enter through the door before your dog and that your dog does not walk in front of you but beside or behind you. This is the proper order of dominance in packs in the wild. If your dog walks in front of you than they are asserting their dominance - they are walking you not the other way around! I have been working with Cordy on her leash manners and she is already starting to show some improvement. Yes, this is Cordy we're talking about! Cesar has a whole chapter in his book dedicated to working with a dog on a leash and I can't wait to read about it in further detail as I can use all the pointers I can get. This is not an area of strength for me but with some new tools and dedication to do the training, I think we can make it work.

Anyway, if you can't tell yet, I highly recommend this book whether you are a dog owner or not. Dogs bring so much joy to so many people's lives. This book gives a lot of great understanding to how to create an environment that a dog needs to be a better balanced dog resulting in better behavior for us and more fulfillment for the dog - a win win situation!