Dogs Nature
Dog Training - A Dog's Nature
Dogs are surprisingly complex creatures.
Some official estimates of the number of breeds reaches as high as 800 in Western countries alone. Even given that distinguishing one breed from another can be carried to absurd extremes, the variety is astonishing from a human perspective, who have, perhaps, a dozen 'breeds'.
Complicating the picture still further is the well-known fact that dogs have descended from wolves but began domestic interaction with humans over 10,000 years ago. As a consequence, there are behaviours that develop regardless of circumstances and some that are as unique as the human the dog is paired with. Still, some common traits stand out.
Dogs are predators.
That doesn't mean they necessarily hunt and attack every passing cat or rat, but the capacity is always in them. With acute hearing and head muscles that allow precise orientation of their ears, dogs can pick up a range of sounds and locate the source quickly and with high accuracy.
A dog's field of vision is higher than that of humans. Their field of view has been estimated from 180-270 degrees, by comparison to a human's 100-150 degrees, allowing them to track events better.
And, of course, there's that famous sense of smell. Citing figures such as having 25 times as many scent-receptor cells or being able to sense concentrations 100 million times smaller than humans conveys the fact one way.
Another is to report behaviour. Golden Retrievers, for example, can smell gophers through two feet of packed snow and a foot of frozen earth. And, they'll dig through it to get to the gopher. That's predatory behaviour.
Dogs are social animals.
That's common knowledge, of course. But, though known, it's often ignored. Individuals will often lock a lone dog away in a garage or pen, or on a rope in the yard for long periods. This isolation from contact with humans and other animals invariably leads to fear and/or aggression and other forms of maladjustment. Dogs need companionship in order to develop healthy behaviour.
Isolating a dog for brief periods can be a useful training technique. Fear of expulsion from the pack can incense overly assertive, alpha-status seeking dogs into alignment with the trainer's goals. In any human-dog pair, the human must be the alpha (leader). The alternative is property destruction, human frustration and unsafe conditions for people and dogs.
But excessive time devoid of social interaction with another dog, the human, or even a friendly cat harms the dog's psychology and leads to unwanted behaviour. Even guard dogs have to be able to distinguish between external 'threats' and members of its own 'pack'.
Dogs are exploratory.
Like the two-year-old humans at roughly their same mental level, dogs learn by exploring their environment. And like those humans, they can engage in destructive behaviour. Dogs are no respecters of property. Training and an appropriately selected set of objects and suitable area can channel that behaviour into something acceptable to humans and healthy for the dog.
Providing toys with characteristics very distinct from human property, such as rawhide bones rather than rubber balls that are hard to tell from children's, leads to less confusion and misbehaviour. In many cases, however, the problem is solved by scent. The dog's toys may look like the child's, but smell very different.
Some amount of digging may be inevitable as part of the dog's exploration. Be prepared to patch holes in lawn if the dog is unsupervised for very long. Plants can usually be protected with cayenne pepper paste, bitter apple and other preparations.
Dogs are scavengers
Dogs will eat deer droppings, even when they have perfectly sound and ample diets. They'll chew on dead rats, eat grass and ingest a wide variety of things that their own experience shows causes upset stomachs. And they'll repeat the behaviour day after day.
Acknowledging their limited ability to connect cause and effect when those are separated in time is a must in order to keep them healthy and safe.
Recognizing a dog's nature, and working within in it rather than against it leads to less frustration for both human and dog. Enjoying the beneficial aspects, such as spontaneous dog hugs (leaning into a leg), paw offering and a head laid on the lap are just a few of the rewards.
Valerie Dancer - I have owned dogs for 42 years. Learning to train from my mother who trained to county level. Over the years I have found that the old ways of training are not always the best, that praise is the best form of training, and the younger the dog, the easier it is to train. ...dogtrainingproblems.biz.Training A Dog
Canine Training
Dog Training Tip Online Free
Dog Kennel Club
Guard Dog Training
Buy Dog Online
Dog Behavior Tip
Premium Dry Dog Food
Dog Daycare
Dog Breed
Nashville Dog Training
Therapy Dog Training
Top Dog Training
Dog Training
Dog Training Basics
Dog Training And Obedience
K9 Dog Training
Crate Training A Dog
House Training A Puppy
Country Dog Home Remedy Vets
Rescue Dog Training
Potty Training Your Dog
Can Dog Fast Run
Remote Dog Training
Dog Behaviour
Become A Dog Trainer
Dog Forum
Dog Training Denver
Dog Housebreaking
Dog Behavior Training
Canine Behavior
Dog Training Reward
Therapy Dog Training
Police Dog Trainers
Puppy Obedience
Home Remedy For Itching Dog
Show Dog Grooming Supply
Dog Training Treats
Dog Training Products
Residential Dog Training
Dog Breeding Tips
Training A Dog
Pet Training
Dog Training Barking
Dog Gift
Tip On How To Train Your Dog
Dog Training Tip
Small Dog Training
Bach Flower Remedy For Dog
Dog Agility
Dog Activities
Breeding A Dog
Free Dog Training Tip
Dog Constipation Remedy
Mans Best Friend Dog Training
Dog House Training
Dog Housebreaking
Housebreaking Dog Tip
Dog Grooming Training
Dog Like Look Worm
Arthritis Dog Home Remedy
House Training Dogs
Boxer Dog Training Tip
Dog Obedience
Dog Obedience Collar
Dog Trainer
Dog Like Look
Anxiety Remedy Dog
Dog Fight Pit Underground
Craft Dog Hot
Car Dog Look Seat
Dog Types
Dog Ear Infection Remedy
Arthritis Remedy For Dog
Dog Schools
People Training For Dogs
Buy And Sell Dog
Dog Agility Training Tip
Dog Look
Buy Dog Puppy
Guard Dog Training
Dog Names
Dog Training Advice
Professional Dog Training
Potty Training Your Dog
Dog Care Health
Housebreaking Puppies
Home Remedy For Smelly Dog
Dog Behaviour Training
Dog Groomer Tip
Dog Fence Installation Underground
Dog Health Tip
Blue Dog Training
Agility Dog Trainers
Dog Training Los Angeles
In Home Dog Training
Dog Get Rid Tick
Home Remedy To Get Rid Of Flea On Dog
Dogs are surprisingly complex creatures.
Some official estimates of the number of breeds reaches as high as 800 in Western countries alone. Even given that distinguishing one breed from another can be carried to absurd extremes, the variety is astonishing from a human perspective, who have, perhaps, a dozen 'breeds'.
Complicating the picture still further is the well-known fact that dogs have descended from wolves but began domestic interaction with humans over 10,000 years ago. As a consequence, there are behaviours that develop regardless of circumstances and some that are as unique as the human the dog is paired with. Still, some common traits stand out.
Dogs are predators.
That doesn't mean they necessarily hunt and attack every passing cat or rat, but the capacity is always in them. With acute hearing and head muscles that allow precise orientation of their ears, dogs can pick up a range of sounds and locate the source quickly and with high accuracy.
A dog's field of vision is higher than that of humans. Their field of view has been estimated from 180-270 degrees, by comparison to a human's 100-150 degrees, allowing them to track events better.
And, of course, there's that famous sense of smell. Citing figures such as having 25 times as many scent-receptor cells or being able to sense concentrations 100 million times smaller than humans conveys the fact one way.
Another is to report behaviour. Golden Retrievers, for example, can smell gophers through two feet of packed snow and a foot of frozen earth. And, they'll dig through it to get to the gopher. That's predatory behaviour.
Dogs are social animals.
That's common knowledge, of course. But, though known, it's often ignored. Individuals will often lock a lone dog away in a garage or pen, or on a rope in the yard for long periods. This isolation from contact with humans and other animals invariably leads to fear and/or aggression and other forms of maladjustment. Dogs need companionship in order to develop healthy behaviour.
Isolating a dog for brief periods can be a useful training technique. Fear of expulsion from the pack can incense overly assertive, alpha-status seeking dogs into alignment with the trainer's goals. In any human-dog pair, the human must be the alpha (leader). The alternative is property destruction, human frustration and unsafe conditions for people and dogs.
But excessive time devoid of social interaction with another dog, the human, or even a friendly cat harms the dog's psychology and leads to unwanted behaviour. Even guard dogs have to be able to distinguish between external 'threats' and members of its own 'pack'.
Dogs are exploratory.
Like the two-year-old humans at roughly their same mental level, dogs learn by exploring their environment. And like those humans, they can engage in destructive behaviour. Dogs are no respecters of property. Training and an appropriately selected set of objects and suitable area can channel that behaviour into something acceptable to humans and healthy for the dog.
Providing toys with characteristics very distinct from human property, such as rawhide bones rather than rubber balls that are hard to tell from children's, leads to less confusion and misbehaviour. In many cases, however, the problem is solved by scent. The dog's toys may look like the child's, but smell very different.
Some amount of digging may be inevitable as part of the dog's exploration. Be prepared to patch holes in lawn if the dog is unsupervised for very long. Plants can usually be protected with cayenne pepper paste, bitter apple and other preparations.
Dogs are scavengers
Dogs will eat deer droppings, even when they have perfectly sound and ample diets. They'll chew on dead rats, eat grass and ingest a wide variety of things that their own experience shows causes upset stomachs. And they'll repeat the behaviour day after day.
Acknowledging their limited ability to connect cause and effect when those are separated in time is a must in order to keep them healthy and safe.
Recognizing a dog's nature, and working within in it rather than against it leads to less frustration for both human and dog. Enjoying the beneficial aspects, such as spontaneous dog hugs (leaning into a leg), paw offering and a head laid on the lap are just a few of the rewards.
Valerie Dancer - I have owned dogs for 42 years. Learning to train from my mother who trained to county level. Over the years I have found that the old ways of training are not always the best, that praise is the best form of training, and the younger the dog, the easier it is to train. ...dogtrainingproblems.biz.Training A Dog
Canine Training
Dog Training Tip Online Free
Dog Kennel Club
Guard Dog Training
Buy Dog Online
Dog Behavior Tip
Premium Dry Dog Food
Dog Daycare
Dog Breed
Nashville Dog Training
Therapy Dog Training
Top Dog Training
Dog Training
Dog Training Basics
Dog Training And Obedience
K9 Dog Training
Crate Training A Dog
House Training A Puppy
Country Dog Home Remedy Vets
Rescue Dog Training
Potty Training Your Dog
Can Dog Fast Run
Remote Dog Training
Dog Behaviour
Become A Dog Trainer
Dog Forum
Dog Training Denver
Dog Housebreaking
Dog Behavior Training
Canine Behavior
Dog Training Reward
Therapy Dog Training
Police Dog Trainers
Puppy Obedience
Home Remedy For Itching Dog
Show Dog Grooming Supply
Dog Training Treats
Dog Training Products
Residential Dog Training
Dog Breeding Tips
Training A Dog
Pet Training
Dog Training Barking
Dog Gift
Tip On How To Train Your Dog
Dog Training Tip
Small Dog Training
Bach Flower Remedy For Dog
Dog Agility
Dog Activities
Breeding A Dog
Free Dog Training Tip
Dog Constipation Remedy
Mans Best Friend Dog Training
Dog House Training
Dog Housebreaking
Housebreaking Dog Tip
Dog Grooming Training
Dog Like Look Worm
Arthritis Dog Home Remedy
House Training Dogs
Boxer Dog Training Tip
Dog Obedience
Dog Obedience Collar
Dog Trainer
Dog Like Look
Anxiety Remedy Dog
Dog Fight Pit Underground
Craft Dog Hot
Car Dog Look Seat
Dog Types
Dog Ear Infection Remedy
Arthritis Remedy For Dog
Dog Schools
People Training For Dogs
Buy And Sell Dog
Dog Agility Training Tip
Dog Look
Buy Dog Puppy
Guard Dog Training
Dog Names
Dog Training Advice
Professional Dog Training
Potty Training Your Dog
Dog Care Health
Housebreaking Puppies
Home Remedy For Smelly Dog
Dog Behaviour Training
Dog Groomer Tip
Dog Fence Installation Underground
Dog Health Tip
Blue Dog Training
Agility Dog Trainers
Dog Training Los Angeles
In Home Dog Training
Dog Get Rid Tick
Home Remedy To Get Rid Of Flea On Dog
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