Are You Spoiling Your Dog?
Are you spoiling your dog? To determine this one must first understand what the question is that is being asked.
We need to define the question itself.
What constitutes spoiling? The Encarta Dictionary ( North America) defines spoiling as 1.
To impair something (ruin something in such a way that a quality such as worth, beauty, or usefulness is diminished.
2.
Harm someone by over indulgence (to harm the character of somebody, especially a child, by repeated overindulgence) 3.
Treat somebody indulgently (to treat somebody with indulgence out of a desire to please).
The later being of specific importance because dog owners almost never intentionally spoil a dog with any other motivation other than to please the dog.
The most common driving force in the owner is to sponsor a deeper bond of love and loyalty between themselves and the dog.
Unfortunately just as with a spoiled child, the typical outcome is acting out by the dog in a manner that is then unacceptable to the owner.
The overindulgence on the owners' part often manifests itself in aggressive responses to owners, family members, or visitors.
To understand why this is often the case we need to look at the key question of "Who is being responsive to whom?" In other words "Is the dog asking you to respond the way he wants you to?" or "Are you asking the dog to respond in the manner that you wish for him to?" This is key to communicating with your dog in the manner that he understands.
Why is this? Because in the canine world the leader of the pack dictates the action of the others in the pack.
The way that the pack continues to reinforce who the pack leader is will be shown by ritual behavior in which the pack leader gets to eat first, engage in territorial displays, and decides for itself when to move, hunt, or let others eat.
In addition, the supporting pack members will show subordinate behavior by whining in high pitched tones toward the pack leader while showing subordinate behavior such as bowing, tail tucking, and licking (kissing) the pack leader on the muzzle.
Sound familiar? Many owners unconsciously send these subordinate signals to their dogs.
By responding to the dogs every want, need, and desire, with placating behavior (behavior that pleases the dog) that the dog reads as subordinate behavior.
Therein lies the problem of communication between dog and owner.
The owner reads her actions as caring and causing a love bond.
The dog reads her actions as supporting of his alpha position.
The relationship then becomes stressed when the dog at some point acts out against the owner in a manner that is perplexing to the owner who (in her own mind) has done nothing to cause the dog to act out in an inappropriate manner towards herself or another.
A huge problem with owners is Anthropomorphism (attribution of human characteristics to nonhumans) of dogs.
This phenomenon is fueled by movies and television shows in which dogs are portrayed to have human thoughts.
This is not to say that dogs do not have emotions or a certain amount of reasoning ability (although not complex) or that they should be disregarded in their needs or value.
It is to say that dogs see and act on their world in a distinctly canine point of view.
They have needs and communication skills that are uniquely their own.
For a human to superimpose human needs and communication skills on dogs is fool hardy and often results in disaster.
Dogs require clear leadership from their owners.
This does not mean cruelty in any way, shape, or form.
This means establishing boundaries of behavior in the dogs' life.
This can be as simple as asking the dog to sit before he eats or is given a treat.
It can mean making the dog stop at a door or gate and wait to be released before coming in or out.
Why is this so important? After all it seems like such a little thing! To you maybe! But not to the dog! Remember, you are establishing pack leadership and you cannot do this by giving in to the dogs every need.
You cannot do this by letting him sleep in the bed and sit on the couch and then growl at you because he doesn't want to move.
You have to be in charge! You can give him all the attention and treats that you want as long as they are for behaving in the manner that you require.
If you have already experienced the backlash from spoiling your dog I would suggest contacting a trainer to help put you and your dog on the right track.
I would also suggest purchasing the book: Dog Training 101 by Karen Duet on Amazon.
com or through our web site at: www.
K-9Companions.
com
We need to define the question itself.
What constitutes spoiling? The Encarta Dictionary ( North America) defines spoiling as 1.
To impair something (ruin something in such a way that a quality such as worth, beauty, or usefulness is diminished.
2.
Harm someone by over indulgence (to harm the character of somebody, especially a child, by repeated overindulgence) 3.
Treat somebody indulgently (to treat somebody with indulgence out of a desire to please).
The later being of specific importance because dog owners almost never intentionally spoil a dog with any other motivation other than to please the dog.
The most common driving force in the owner is to sponsor a deeper bond of love and loyalty between themselves and the dog.
Unfortunately just as with a spoiled child, the typical outcome is acting out by the dog in a manner that is then unacceptable to the owner.
The overindulgence on the owners' part often manifests itself in aggressive responses to owners, family members, or visitors.
To understand why this is often the case we need to look at the key question of "Who is being responsive to whom?" In other words "Is the dog asking you to respond the way he wants you to?" or "Are you asking the dog to respond in the manner that you wish for him to?" This is key to communicating with your dog in the manner that he understands.
Why is this? Because in the canine world the leader of the pack dictates the action of the others in the pack.
The way that the pack continues to reinforce who the pack leader is will be shown by ritual behavior in which the pack leader gets to eat first, engage in territorial displays, and decides for itself when to move, hunt, or let others eat.
In addition, the supporting pack members will show subordinate behavior by whining in high pitched tones toward the pack leader while showing subordinate behavior such as bowing, tail tucking, and licking (kissing) the pack leader on the muzzle.
Sound familiar? Many owners unconsciously send these subordinate signals to their dogs.
By responding to the dogs every want, need, and desire, with placating behavior (behavior that pleases the dog) that the dog reads as subordinate behavior.
Therein lies the problem of communication between dog and owner.
The owner reads her actions as caring and causing a love bond.
The dog reads her actions as supporting of his alpha position.
The relationship then becomes stressed when the dog at some point acts out against the owner in a manner that is perplexing to the owner who (in her own mind) has done nothing to cause the dog to act out in an inappropriate manner towards herself or another.
A huge problem with owners is Anthropomorphism (attribution of human characteristics to nonhumans) of dogs.
This phenomenon is fueled by movies and television shows in which dogs are portrayed to have human thoughts.
This is not to say that dogs do not have emotions or a certain amount of reasoning ability (although not complex) or that they should be disregarded in their needs or value.
It is to say that dogs see and act on their world in a distinctly canine point of view.
They have needs and communication skills that are uniquely their own.
For a human to superimpose human needs and communication skills on dogs is fool hardy and often results in disaster.
Dogs require clear leadership from their owners.
This does not mean cruelty in any way, shape, or form.
This means establishing boundaries of behavior in the dogs' life.
This can be as simple as asking the dog to sit before he eats or is given a treat.
It can mean making the dog stop at a door or gate and wait to be released before coming in or out.
Why is this so important? After all it seems like such a little thing! To you maybe! But not to the dog! Remember, you are establishing pack leadership and you cannot do this by giving in to the dogs every need.
You cannot do this by letting him sleep in the bed and sit on the couch and then growl at you because he doesn't want to move.
You have to be in charge! You can give him all the attention and treats that you want as long as they are for behaving in the manner that you require.
If you have already experienced the backlash from spoiling your dog I would suggest contacting a trainer to help put you and your dog on the right track.
I would also suggest purchasing the book: Dog Training 101 by Karen Duet on Amazon.
com or through our web site at: www.
K-9Companions.
com
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