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all areas of life, dogs do what works for them. A dog who mounts his owner might be labeled as “dominant,” but what does that mean? It has become a catchphrase to pigeonhole behaviors rather than examining them. In truth, a dog that mounts his owner might be displaying aggression, playing, or simply seeking attention. Deciphering the motivation for a particular behavior is difficult. Labeling a dog as dominant eliminates the need to analyze the problem. Even worse, the “solution” for a dog labeled as dominant often involves punishment and force, which often intensifies the problem. Depending on your definition, a dominant or confident dog is not necessarily a problem dog. In fact, a less confident dog who is attempting to raise his status can be more troublesome because he will habitually test and challenge boundaries.

       Indications of Dominant Behavior

      A dog’s posture usually becomes more rigid if he intends to threaten. Typical signs of dominance displays include standing tall, with tail and ears at attention. A dominant dog might also mount another dog or place his head or paws over the other dog’s body. The combination of adrenaline and heightened arousal also causes hackles (hair on the back of neck and back) to be raised.

      Raised hackles may be intended to signify a threat. But, physiologically this is an uncontrollable or unconscious reaction that must be interpreted in context. Both neutered and unneutered males and females engage in this behavior with both sexes. Likewise, mounting behavior is context specific. In some cases, it has a reproductive function. But, it also occurs during play and does not necessarily indicate that a dog is trying to reproduce or assert dominance.

       Indications of Submissive Behavior

      A submissive dog uses his body to express his desire to avoid aggression and intention to do no harm. His ears and tail are lowered, and his gaze is averted. He crouches, turns away, or rolls on his back.

“Good Dog Myth”

      Otherwise known as the “Lassie syndrome,” the “good dog myth” refers to the notion that dogs are innately motivated to please us and make us happy. Dogs that seem to have this propensity are considered “good dogs,” and those that don’t are labeled as “bad dogs.” Needless to say, many dogs fail to live up to these unrealistic expectations. Many people hope for a dog that is solely devoted to pleasing them. Unfortunately, this concept completely disregards the laws of nature. A survival instinct motivates most animal behavior, not the desire to please other animals. Most canine behavior is motivated by the desire to gain access to important resources like food, attention, and comfortable resting spots. The basic canine philosophy asks: What is in it for me right now? What is rewarding? What is safe? What is not? They can be manipulative and self-centered when trying to gain access to these resources, which is okay.

      BETTER BEHAVIOR

      The word “manipulative” has serious negative connotations.

      But, it need not imply a malicious intent. We habitually attempt to influence canine behavior, and dogs attempt to do the same with us. There is nothing wrong with this approach as long as it’s done fairly and responsibly. For instance, we use this approach to guide specific canine behaviors in a direction that we consider appropriate. For example, a dog may bark to gain attention or elicit a specific response from his owner, such as fixing his dinner. Essentially, the dog is trying to manipulate human behavior through barking. Alternatively, we can teach the dog to sit rather than bark to elicit the response of dinner service from his owner. In both situations, neither party is acting in a negative way; each party is simply negotiating social mores in order to get what he or she wants.

      Well-mannered dogs do want to please people, but this is not motivated by an innate, altruistic drive. Through training, they learn that doing as we ask will increase their access to the things they find rewarding.

A Dog’s Eye View: Scents and Sensibility

      Dogs and humans share the same major senses, but the scope of information gleaned through these senses is quite different. Your dog’s senses greatly influence his behavior, motivations, and responsiveness to your guidance. They can lead him to be distracted from the task at hand and can also be used to reinforce desired behavior. For example, you can reward your dog for walking nicely by your side by stopping and allowing him to enjoy an interesting scent he may encounter. Alternatively, you can let him pull you toward this enticing sidewalk scent, thus rewarding him for dragging you along for the ride.

       Smell

      This is where dogs truly shine. Dogs are far more attuned to and affected by smells than we are. They receive a vast amount of information by air scenting and sniffing the ground. It is believed that the area of the dog’s brain devoted to analyzing smells is approximately forty times larger than the same region in the human brain. The dog’s sense of smell opens up a vast realm of olfactory experience and can seem to dominate their brain and their behavior.

      It is impossible to truly understand the importance of scent for dogs and how this sense affects their behavior. Humans have used the canine sense of smell to their advantage in hunting, search-and-rescue work, and bomb and drug detection. Dogs have been trained to detect everything from cancer cells to bed bugs, and they deserve our gratitude for the many ways we have benefited from their scenting abilities. They also deserve our consideration for the amount of information they process via this sense, and the fact that they can be distracted by things we can’t perceive. Rather than being frustrated, consider how to best motivate your dog to pay attention in a distracting environment.

      TRAINER’S TIP

      Because of preconceived notions, some breeds, types, or sizes of dogs rarely get to meet friendly, calm people outside of their family. Try an accessory that will accentuate your dog’s friendly nature, such as a brightly colored bandana. Or teach him to do a couple of cute tricks to encourage social encounters.

       Sight

      Dogs also see differently than we do because their sense of sight is tailored for hunting. They have superior motion sensitivity and can detect slight changes in the environment at great distances. This is why they easily react to a small, fast moving object I such as a ball or rabbit. On the other hand, they have I less ability to discern details of stationary objects. For instance, your dog may not easily detect you if you stand still 500 yards away. But, the moment you begin to move, he will recognize you.

      TRAINER’S TIP

      Although we are comfortable with verbal communication, dogs find this form of information processing most challenging. In order to effectively communicate with your dog, get into the habit of using words consistently and keeping them to a minimum, especially in the initial stages of training.

      Dogs have superior night vision, and need only about one-fourth of the light we do to see in the dark. They also generally have better peripheral vision, but less ability to differentiate colors. A dog’s ability to perceive colors is the equivalent of a red / green color-blindness. They see green, yellow, and orange as yellowish, and blue-greens as grey.

       Hearing

      Dogs can detect sounds far higher on the auditory spectrum, from far greater distances. This explains why they react to things we cannot hear. Dogs often tilt their heads in order to better locate the source