PREFACE
As any pet parent will tell you, the sheer breadth of information available about teaching dogs can be overwhelming, contradictory, and therefore, utterly confusing. Trust your own instincts regarding the logic of any advice. Consider the potential side effects, both positive and negative, and how you suspect a specific approach might affect your dog and his relationship with you.
At the core, the process of teaching your dog should be about great friends sharing time together in an effort to facilitate better communication and understanding of one another. Being a good canine parent requires some education. Sometimes just a little will do, and sometimes people need what amounts to a Ph.D. in Dogology. Whichever the case, this book ensures you are on the right path—one where you can obtain the knowledge required to teach your canine companion in the easiest, most effective, and most enjoyable way possible.
This is not a book that needs to be read cover to cover. By all means, turn first to the pages that best apply to you. However, whether you are teaching basic manners or aiming to resolve behavior problems, have a puppy or senior dog, I also hope that you read the material that may not at first seem to be relevant to you and your dog. The behavior of resource guarding, for example, may never be an issue with your dog. But, every pet parent should know what it is and what signs to look for so they know if trouble is brewing on the horizon.
Perhaps most importantly, the next time your dog looks longingly into your eyes, consider that he is trying his best to understand you and what you want. The goal of this book is to equip you with the knowledge to respond to your dog with a better understanding of his unique perspective, needs, and motivations.
Take great pride that you have endeavored to learn more about the heart and mind of your dog. He will surely thank you with a bond and friendship like no other.
Andrea Arden
1
The Fido Factor: Raising a Companion Dog in the 21st Century
The evolution of the relationship between people and dogs is a commentary on our existence, our evolution, and our desire for companionship and unconditional love. Dogs can improve the quality and duration of our lives, and they have surely earned the title of man and woman’s best friend.
The simple daily pleasures that dogs bring to our lives consistently confirms their role as helpful, tolerant, and forgiving companions. Canine loyalty and affection often surpasses our expectations of our best human friends. There is no doubt that life is never the same once you have welcomed a dog into your heart and home.
Yet, for all the ways dogs positively influence our lives, this inter-species relationship can also pose unexpected complications. The challenges of raising a well-mannered, sociable canine companion can lead to frustration, guilt, and disappointment. But that doesn’t have to be the case. With a solid understanding of canine needs, these feelings are easily replaced with patience, realistic expectations, and the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing goals with your dog. You can provide your dog with the skills to become trusting and compliant. This will result in one of the most rewarding relationships you could hope for.
The Evolution of the Canine-Human Bond
In the beginning, dogs most likely chose to be close to people because this proximity provided opportunities to scavenge leftovers. Therefore, in some ways this became a process of self-domestication. People wisely recognized the benefits of accepting canine companionship in their lives. Dogs aided man’s struggle for survival, and they were ultimately employed for many purposes, including guarding, hunting, hauling, and providing warmth. Like humans, most dogs were required to multi-task, and as such, they became invaluable members of what could be deemed a mutual admiration society.
The enduring friendship between dogs and people is based largely on the fact that both are highly social creatures. Dogs understand that it is much easier to survive as a member of a group rather than on their own. In the wild, these relationships are formed with members of their own species, known as packs. Through the process of domestication, dogs also learned to form cooperative relationships with other species, and they were superbly suited to aid people in countless ways. At this point, it might be more accurate to say they have become members of our families.
Selective Breeding
As this mutually beneficial relationship progressed, people began to prize dogs for specific qualities. Some were valued for their alertness, while others were valued for speed, or responsiveness to learning. This was the beginning of selective breeding for desired traits. It has resulted in hundreds of breeds that encompass a vast array of distinct characteristics. In every breed, certain traits are accentuated to improve their ability to assist us, and in some cases simply to be beautiful, enjoyable companions. For instance, the sighthounds were bred for extreme speed and keen eyesight, to hunt fast game over the flat open terrain of the Middle East. On the other side of Asia, the Pekingese was developed in China’s Imperial Court to resemble a lion, guard the palace, and act as a loyal, dignified companion to the royal family.
TRAINING TRUTH
Focus on Companion Dogs
People certainly valued canine companionship during the early stages of the canine-human bond. But at that point in time, no one had the resources to keep dogs solely as friends. People were far more concerned with the contribution that dogs could make toward everyone’s survival. As a result, they became more specialized for particular jobs. We have spent thousands of years accentuating, appreciating, and benefiting from every breed’s unique working function. Our world has changed, and our reliance on dogs as working companions has decreased. There are still plenty of dogs with day jobs such as bomb, drug, and cancer-sniffing dogs, as well as police and service dogs—to name just a few. However, the focus of our relationships with our dogs has shifted from work to companionship. Regardless of their original function, most dogs now live their lives as our companions. Some breeds adapt to this modern role more easily than others. In some cases, it is at odds with the breed’s underlying behavioral traits.
Every Dog Needs a Job
All dogs need a job, regardless of their size, type, ancestry, or age. The goal in creating a job description for today’s pet dogs is to provide them with an outlet for their physical and mental energy. The easiest way to do this is by teaching skills that will become your dog’s job. Dogs that are occupied with doing the things we want have little time or energy for activities we don’t want them to do. As a result, the