September 13th, 2008

Dog Psychology 101



If you’ve ever watched Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan on the National Geographic Channel on Friday nights you know that dog psychology techniques put pack leadership as the key to developing and maintaining a stable, balanced dog. Most dog trainers will only teach you how to handle one dog at a time. If you have problems with a multiple dog household you will be pressed to find answers. This is where Dog Whisperer provides key training principles for the owners of dogs with problem behavior such as destructive or wild behavior, aggression, fear, insecurity, anxiety, etc.

Cesar Millan, a dog behaviorist, uses real life situations where dogs have gone bad and within minutes corrects their behavior mystifying the humans who have been suffering with their dog’s behavior sometimes for years. How does he do it? Why it’s dog psychology.

 Dogs have their own way of interacting and it is very different than the way humans do. Apparently most dogs are treated as furry four-legged humans and that is what creates all the problems. Well dogs are dogs, aren’t they? When people get a dog to ease their own emotional issues this places a lot of stress on the animal and causes them to act out to be “heard”.

 According to dog psychology dogs need a calm assertive leader and when they have none in their “pack” they must assume the role. Millan says that it is important to relate to the animal first, then the breed and then lastly the name of the dog. It is the animal that must be acknowledged first since animals all have basic drives and instincts traced back to their predecessor, the wolf. 
Millan’s recipe for success includes exercise first and lots of it, then discipline, and that means you must be the leader and lastly affection, “in that order,” he emphatically adds.

Usually dog owners shower their dog with affection, affection, affection, little to no exercise and no rules, boundaries or limitations, which creates a canine monster. And people wonder why their dog is misbehaving. “I rehabilitate dogs and train people,” Millan says. In fact he rehabilitates dogs sometimes in minutes but it’s the people that take a long time to shift. People need to understand to the degree that they meet their dog’s needs of exercise, discipline and affection is the degree that they will have a stable, balanced dog. They often don’t see themselves as the problem and since changing is hard work are reluctant to “step up to the plate” as Millan calls it.

 Millan shows no hesitation when it means confronting irresponsible clients justifiably for the sake of helping the dogs. Millan also teaches people how to read their dogs “energy”. If you can see the beginning signs of excitement before it gets full-blown aggression that is key to correcting it, he says. But once you’ve let it erupt into a full-blown excitement then it is much more difficult to stop. He points out a furled brow or ear and tail placement as key indicators of your dog’s mental state.

Dogs rely on their primitive sense of smell for orienting themselves in the world first before other senses. “Nose, ears, eyes,” he says. It isn’t practical to expect dogs to disregard an overwhelming scent like urine and respond to a sound command. It is smarter for you and easier for your dog to incorporate scent into a training regimen.

Dog psychology and Cesar Millan are popular in America's canine culture, as you will see people walking their dogs using Millan's trademark, "Shhhh" sound everywhere. There are many methods available to train your dog. Please consult a professional for the best method of training for your dog.