Communication

Mac walking (sometimes) to heel

 

I'm stuck by some of the similarities in effective communication between humans and  with dogs.They have said for years that when we communicate with humans we read approx 60% of the information from body(and facial) language. 30% from tone of language and only 10% from the actual words themselves. This is a really useful way of thinking about communicating with a dog - and it works. Humans seem to be rapidly losing the ability to make strong eye contact, being with an animal is a great reminder of what it feels like to communicate powerfully through that particular sense. He must look me in the eye 1000 times a day. And piercingly at that. Always looking for the hint of what is expected of him or what I am going to do next. For dogs that find themselves (as Mac does) distracted easily by any change in his environment - eg a dog 300m away, teaching them to look you in the eye in such circumstances is the best chance you have of maintaining control of the situation. Can't say I have mastered this yet though. It's like his brain has been hijacked and there is no room for any other information other than that dog.
The tone of voice trancends the actual words just as it does with humans. We have a range of verbal responses to bad behaviour. Things that just come out your mouth naturally. No, ah, ah, stop etc. And his repsonse is the same - immediately stopping what he is doing. So it's not the word but the tone and (if he is looking) the body language that counts first and foremost.
I once went into a public toilet with my first dog faithfully following behind - finding another man at a urinal, I - (as men do) went to the furthest uninal from him. Looking to see the dog was right with me, I could see that my dog had decided to take an unhealthy interest in sticking his nose up the back of the mans raincoat for a good sniff. Without thinking I just firmly commanded "LEAVE" at which point the man immediately dissapeared out the door without any hesitation, no doubt with a wet trouser front. See what I mean. Although the word matters, my tone of voice must have suggested negotiation was an option. As it is with humans so it is with dogs.

Feeling at home

Mackenzie (Mac)

Well Mac's been with us for a day and a night and a day - seems like an age ago. They say mental training for dogs is just as good as physical exercise, It's certainly knackered us. Woke up this morning and it was like going straight into some intense management course where ever action has an equal and oppostite reaction. I have never done this with such a young dog - and he is quick to learn. It is astonishing progress. He will come to his name indoors and out, respond to sit and down requests and after 4 shortish walks he is getting the idea of walking to heel. We played a few games of fetch and he will fetch and drop the ball at your feet. Patience and gentle persuasion - namely small bits of food every time he does something good -will it seems, deliver the required result.
Of course there are lots of things he has to learn to undo. ie. Piss on the carpet ( that only happened once - and he has got the idea of the garden now) don't jump up at people, or indeed on the furniture and don't frighten the visitors - to name a few. These are all work in progress.
It is a privilige to have him in our pack - an animal first and foremost - a completely diffrerent species, prepared and willing to learn our ways and integrate into our lives - is there any other animal that this can be done with? Having given it some thought, the only thing I could come up with was : "Perhaps Meerkats", from the little I know about them, they appear to be highly social pack animals - but I've not heard of anyone trying - probably for the best - perhaps they wouldn't be prepared to be in any position other than above humans in the order of things and it would just end up  a terribly humilating experience for the humans involved.
Oh. One other thing. The one place we won't let him go in the house is our bedroom. He seems to respect this completely and will only stand on the threshold. He came once to sniff at the door last night then slept on his bed under the table without any disturbance whatsover - this is not quite what we had been anticipating. We are eternally grateful and looking forward to a repeat performance tonight.

Freedom

We are planning a jailbreak next tuesday from the dog pound at Evesham dogs trust. He's a labrador cross and I have big plans for him. The relationship between dogs and humans is the oldest and most successful working relationship between species ever known. I've had dogs before but they were all older and I never really had a blank canvas on which to write all the training that goes into making it really work for both animal and human. This time it's the real thing, a dog that is more than a companion, but an essential part of life, an indispensible colleague in both work and play. We have already signed up for and attended a dog training class - which drew some interesting looks - since we don't actually have the dog yet. That's how seriously I am taking this - I was willing to learn what he has to know - even in his absence. We already have decided upon 15 common names for commands which are critical in having a dog that knows what is required of him when. He doesn't know it yet but It's going to be fun, it's going to be an adventure, and together we are going to explore just what a man and a dog can achieve through cooperation.

(Photo - a wolf scene I carved into a pumpkin - now it's time for the real thing)