Keeping Dogs Friendly

In a pack, dogs communicate by barking, whining, tail-wagging, licking, and, once in a while, by biting. The trouble is, most dogs don't live in packs anymore -- they live with us. Yet they haven't learned to communicate the way we do. As a result, every year dogs bite about 4.7 million people, most of them children.

That number is on the rise despite ongoing efforts by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Veterinary Medical Association, and other groups to get the word out on bite prevention. A big hurdle faced by groups like these is that much of the popular wisdom on keeping dogs friendly is just plain wrong. Here are a few of of the most enduring myths and the correct information for understanding dogs and staying safe around them.

MYTH Approach the dog and stick your hand out so it can sniff you.
TRUTH Yes, it is important to let a strange dog smell you, but always let him approach you. Sticking your hand in a dog's face may be construed as a threat. Stand still with your hands at your side or crossed in front of you for protection, says Liam Crowe, dog trainer and head of operations for Bark Busters, an in-home dog training company with branches throughout the US and Canada. Always ask an adult owner for permission to pet before touching the dog. When you pet the dog, stroke him along his upper body or under his chin, which is less threatening than a strange hand coming at his head. Never allow children to hug a dog. Kids think it's friendly but, in a pack, a dog equates covering another's body with establishing dominance. A dog that disagrees may snap.

MYTH A wagging tail indicates a friendly dog.
TRUTH Tail wagging means a dog is excited, says Wayne Hunthausen, a veterinarian at Westwood Animal Hospital in Westwood, Kansas, and author of Handbook of Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat. But that may be a good excitement or a bad one. "It is the quality of the wag that tells you what is going on."

If a dog is friendly, his tail will wag low (horizontal to or lower than his body) and his whole back end will move. Beware the dog that is holding his tail high and wagging stiffly.

MYTH Try to get away from a dog if it starts to attack.
TRUTH Stand tall and still and avoid direct eye contact. Do not curl up into a ball unless you have already been knocked to the ground. If so, stay quiet and cover your ears with your fists for protection. The dog may see this as submission and walk away.

MYTH Your family dog will never bite you.
TRUTH "Parents come into my office and brag about how tolerant their dog is, but all dogs bite when they've had enough," says Hunthausen. Never leave anyone under the age of 12 alone with a dog. Kids' small size and sudden movements can startle a dog into snapping its teeth. Unfortunately, all too many times the dog connects and it results in an injury that was never intended.

-- LORI NUDO, Better Homes and Gardens, May 2006

PACK BEHAVIOR
More and more, dog obedience schools are teaching owners using knowledge of pack behavior. Because these behaviors are hardwired into dogs, this kind of training makes it easier for your dog to learn, says Liam Crowe, head of U.S. operations for Bark Busters, a company that uses such techniques. A whole course can take as little as 2 hours. Learn more at 877/280-7100 or barkbusters.com.

[transplanted from Unclassified Information, 10/13/11]

Dog training tips

a free online book while I was googling Dog Whisperer

[transplanted from original blog, 1/26/09]

The Loved Dog

[5/1/07] Is Oprah abandoning Cesar? In a recent show, Tamar Geller was a guest, demonstrating a kinder and gentler way to having dogs behave.

* * *

Tamar Geller, a former Israeli intelligence officer who became a dog trainer to the stars, says the most important thing animal lovers can do for their dogs is to "empower them."

Geller, who calls herself a "life coach for dogs," offers her philosophy and specific tips for pet owners in her just-published book, The Loved Dog: The Playful, Non-aggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior (Simon Spotlight Entertainment, $24.95).

"I'm completely against the notion of having your dog be submissive to you," she says. "There's a difference between submissive and well mannered. I want them to be empowered and well mannered."

* * *

More dog books while browsing

The Power of Positive Dog Training

[5/2 - see also tamikat's list of Positive Dog Training Books]

and then from a review of above

Playtraining Your Dog

Natural Dog Training by Kevin Behan

In fact, the reviewer is a guy named Lee Charles Kelley who is an author that also trains dogs. His method is based on Behan. Naturally enough, he thinks highly of Behan's book calling it "the best book every written about dogs". On his site, he calls into question the alpha theory and instead favors emergence theory. (He admittedly stands alone in applying it to dog behaviour.)

[transplanted from original blog, 1/26/09]

[7/31/17] a recent article on Tamar Geller [via an email from twitter]