Dogs live by rules and have a
social structure.
The entire pack cooperates under a
single leader.
Lines are clearly defined which means there are
rules, boundaries, and limitations!
The leader of the pack eats first, and then the rest of the pack can eat. When your dog growls at you when he is eating, he is saying "I am the leader, and you must wait."
Let’s unpack the simplicity, but tremendous importance of what has been said.
1. Dogs are hardwired for
social structure.
2. Dogs are hardwired to be lead by a
single leader.
3. Dogs are hardwired for
rules, boundaries, and limitations.
This means when you get Fido from the pound or pet store, whether you understand it or not, your new dog is hardwired to live a certain way. This will NEVER change!
99% of ALL behavior problems with dogs are because they are out of balance!Every pet owner has failed in understanding the above. So, we are all in good company. The issue isn’t how you messed up, it is how will you change…TODAY!
The GREAT thing about dogs is they are not complex like humans are. They live in the moment and can change relatively quickly.
As a former school teacher, I taught primarily 4th and 5th grades (9-10 yo). The first day of school I assessed behavior and learning styles. I did this by watching the students simply walk into class. I
wrote a book to help parents understand the social structure of the elementary classroom. Like working with dogs, a few minor adjustments can make RADICAL changes!
When you know what to look for,
IT shines brightly!Some students had confidence, some cowardly. Every student reflected their home environment. So in this sense, I knew the family (social structure) as well as the students.
Changing human behavior can be very complex. Damaged emotions create hurts, habits, and hang-ups which can be very difficult/complex to unwind.
Rescuing dogs is very similar, and even more drastic than students entering my classroom, but much easier to rehabilitate. Yet, at the core is the same essence:
You must have a proper foundation in order to live a balanced life.A student who misbehaves is out of balance. Same with a dog. Pretty simple to understand, but how do you correct? That is the million dollar question!
We correct with one important habit:
Seek first to understand, in order to be understood!This means asking the right questions.
The problem with learning is having the answers given to us.
Almost every article or book states the questions, then immediately gives the answer. We do not learn that way!
So I ask, what are the correct questions to raising a balanced dog? I’ll let you do the human questions on your own…much more significant in the big picture and part of the dog question as well.
The Challenge:If you’re serious about learning dog behavior, then take some paper or start a Word document and jot down whatever you know about dogs or think you know...JUST GO!
Create core questions.
Don’t focus on categorizing the data…just get it out and organize later,
but not needed.
Take no more than 15 minutes.
After you are done, go here:
Gonna be dogsittin' again this week.
Unexpected gift.
This looks like a Target ad, right?
I took care of Sparky over the summer and we
I believe this is the best short story EVER!
Who was the voice of the ghastly Grinch?
Why the Grinch looks so familiar?
The musical FAME connection:
All about the amazing Dr. Seuss
Chewy got away and I never found him again.
TOTO died from diarrhea
Like Chewy, Amp got away and I never found him.
Crazy Ivan--my rescue adopted 8/08
