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Communicating with your dog..
The pack structure and why dogs need it:
Dogs are inefficient as individual predators, unlike the cat, which is a self-sufficient predator; the cat can quite easily hunt by itself and does not need a pack to survive.
Dogs are designed to live in a pack. Hunting and protecting the pack is always performed in numbers, If a cohesive pack structure is not in place, the dog believes it will not survive, in the dogs mind the pack will die. They require a leader who communicates clearly and consistently who is in charge of the pack on a regular basis.
If you did not have a job or any means of income to provide you and your family with food, shelter or clothing, how would this make you feel? Most people would react with anxious or fearful emotional responses; it may lead you to become destructive or aggressive to your immediate environment.
This example reflects how stressed your dog may feel and can become when you are not in charge of the pack. Most dogs are not designed to be the leader and cannot cope with this responsibility. Provide a solid pack structure and your dog will love and respect you for it. When you are in charge of the pack your dog’s emotional needs are being met, this is by far the most precious gift you can give your dog. By exhibiting a leadership role for your dog it means that he/she can relax and feel safe in your presence or absence.
The permissive or authoritarian dog owner will  not be meeting the dog’s needs. The difference in Authoritarian or Authoritive ownership styles are huge. Which one you choose is very important. Authoritarian owners have a tendency to dominate their dog; they use corporal punishment or threaten to strike as a method to instill respect and to discipline their dog. Corporal punishment will deteriorate the bond and trust of your dog. By hitting your dog in frustration you may actually be teaching your dog to be aggressive.
Dogs are used to many warning signals before being reprimanded by another dog. The canine species use body postures, stares, growls and facial expressions to warn another dog of their intentions prior to engaging in aggression. Hitting your dog without any warning signals will only confuse your dog. Your dog will actually perceive you as being mentally disturbed, as you are displaying in their mind, erratic behaviour. The key to leading the pack is with patience, consistency, clear communication and an attitude that commands respect; these are the qualities of an Authoritative dog owner.
Many of the aggressive dogs in our community  are result from poor leadership structure and inconsistent handling by their owners, they suffer from the equivalent of a human nervous breakdown. The swing from being permissive in one instance and then authoritarian in the next is the classical recipe for a very confused and emotionally unstable dog.
Children cannot cope with this type of parenting style and neither can your dog.
The importance of leading your dog:
If your dog is pulling on the lead when you take it for a walk then your dog will automatically perceive itself in a leadership role. This occurs by letting your dog choose direction and speed. Most dogs and all puppies will not be able to cope with this enormous leadership responsibility! What can occur from this emotional overload is a multitude of behavioural problems. Your dog can develop destructive, anxious, fearful and also aggressive behaviour.
A puppy at 4 months of age is approximately the  equivalent of a 10 year old child. A child is not emotionally developed to cope with responsibility at this age neither is a puppy’ If a puppy perceives itself as the leader why should it adhere to your commands? If you do not command respect in your home from your child it also will not listen to you. The dog simply sees no reason as to why it should please and obey you.
If dog owners simply take charge of the pack then the puppy/dog can relax. Maintaining control during your regular walks will reaffirm that you are in charge. This is done with choosing direction, speed and distance of travel. The leader decides when to stop and when to restart the walk By changing direction unpredictably you are emphasizing the relevance and necessity for your dog to follow you. It is your dog’s job to keep an eye on the leader.
Yanking, tugging or snapping the lead does NOT demonstrate the relevance for the dog to follow you.
Attention seeking behaviour:
Learn to recognize when your dog is demanding your attention. The leadership role is maintained by ignoring this behaviour. Rewarding attention seeking behaviour will deteriorate your dog’s perception of you as a leader. Protect your personal space; allow them in to your space only if they are invited.
Make some time to observe dogs while they interact, you will notice that the more dominant dogs claim space with their sheer presence and body language, these dogs do not appreciate their space being invaded.
Ignore your dog if it jumps up on you. If you turn your face away this will ensure that you are not rewarding this attention seeking behaviour and this body language clearly tells your dog that you are not interested. Do not push your dog down with your hands as you are inadvertently rewarding your dog, this a/so mimics play behaviour and your dog will think it is a game.
Your zones, your space, teach your dog to respect it!
Two important rules of dog training:
• When you ask your dog to do something make sure you always get it. Otherwise your dog will learn to ignore you.
Children do not possess skills at their age to follow through. For example: Children will usually tend to overdo training as it is a novelty to see a dog sit on command. If a child asks your dog to sit ten times and the dog is quite bored after the ninth time, your child does not posses the skill to make the dog sit Therefore the dog learns that a child’s commands can be ignored. This is one of the reasons dogs do not respect children. Also be aware that if your child is training your dog then your child must be consistent. If you child is not consistent then this creates confusion for your dog.
• Be in a position to get what you ask for. If you are not in a position to get what you ask for then DO NOT ASK for it. I.e.: if your dog is running away from you towards something much more interesting, refrain from angrily shouting ‘Rover come’ You are no longer in a position to get what you asked for. This will only set you and your dog up for failure and teach your dog that your commands can be ignored.
Keep your commands succinct.
Canine Species communicate predominantly via body language and their sense of smell. They simply do not understand English but can be taught the meanings of certain words.
If Rover is running away from you to a more interesting place then the appropriate correction for that behaviour is a REPRIMAND. A sharp sound is more effective. Either a short “AH” or “NO” delivered in a tone of voice that commands respect. This will let your dog know that it is doing something wrong.
Reprimanding your dog with a command or their name will only lead to confusion which usually results in lack of respect and trust from your dog; it may also deteriorate the bond between you and your dog. If your dog stops and then turns around to look at you, this is a positive reaction! Praise your dog for stopping (good dog!) and then ask your dog to come to you in a happy tone.
When your dog is running towards you keep up the praise, this will encourage your dog to keep coming in your direction.
Refrain from calling “come’ç your dog is already on its way to you! Just keep PRAISING!
Your dogs name should always be used in a  friendly way If you are reprimanding your dog use either the word h”or “no” never your dog’s name. When your dog hears its name being called in a friendly tone, a pleasant emotional response will occuc it will encourage your dog to willingly come to you.
The command “HEEL” is often misused. When a dog is not in the heel position (parallel to your legs by your side) then using the word heel in a harsh way is very confusing for your dog. Heel then becomes one command for three different meanings: 1) you are doing something wrong 2) come back to me 3) follow me. A more precise way of letting your dog know it is doing something wrong is to say “ah” or “no” followed by the command “here”. This lets your dog know you want it to come back to you.
One word should have one meaning. This will improve communication and trust between you and your dog.
Repeating commands will teach your dog to ignore you. Becoming a broken record is as boring for dogs as it is for humans! If it is absolutely necessary for you to repeat the command then make sure there is a reprimand in between the commands.
Training toys and why they are yours!
A toy will always outclass food when used as a motivator to train your dog. A dog can hold its attention for a far longer time in the anticipation of a game. The toy also becomes extremely attractive to your dog if it is yours and they are allowed to borrow it. If your dog is not toy motivated then try food or physical and verbal praise.
If your dog decides to run off with “your” toy then the game must end promptly If your dog is not playing by your rules, you simply walk away If you engage in the “chase me game” you are giving the leadershiri role to your dog.
Leaders instigate and end games.
Playing with your dog after a training session will let your dog know it has done a good job. Play will alleviate stress and is a necessary ritual after each the training session.
Humans reward themselves with play after wor*; it magically relieves the stress and makes us feel good.
Importance of attitude and body  positioning:
A policeman will in still authority and respect from a rowdy crowd through his attitude and body posture. A Policeman would not be able to control a crowd if his back was stooped over and he pleaded for the people to disperse.
Keep this in mind when living with your dog. Your dog requires a leader and it will be watching your body language for any flaws in attitude. Remember, observing is what a dog does best, they read body language!
Operant conditioning using Positive reinforcement:
To teach your dog a command you must reward the action immediately When your dog has learnt the command then the action needs to be rewarded intermittently. This will ensure that ths behaviour remains permanent. If you continue to reward the action every time you will be eroding the permanence of that behaviour.
SUMMARY
Establishing and maintaining leadership in the pack structure:
• Lead your dog.
• Learn to recognize attention seeking behaviour, ignore it!
• Invite your dog into your space, protect your personal space.
• Follow through on commands.
• Don’t set yourself or your dog up for failure.
• Instigate and end games.
• Maintain a leader’s attitude and body posture.
• Train your dog; teach commands so you can communicate effectively.
Article by
Article by
Susanne Bark
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