Even the most adored dog
can try our patience. My dog, Cheyenne, loves to suddenly sit down during
our walks and stare at me to see what I am going to do. Fortunately, she is not
terribly stubborn and so we move on pretty fast.
Year
and a half old Australian Cattle Dog, Becky, has some very strong ideas about what she
wants and when she wants it. Becky is a working dog breed, and in her gene pool
is a long line of herding dogs that are known for their high level of
intelligence and energy. Becky has challenged her human parents to do what she wants and not what they know she needs. This led me to refer them to dog trainer/canine behavior
consultant, Stacie Royal. Stacie has helped me with my dogs on many occasions so I knew Becky and her family would be in good hands. While animal communication is essential in any human- animal relationship to facilitate change, there is often an important place for solid dog behavior work.
Becky is able to tell me her preferences and "why" she is behaving a certain way that might be perceived as simply "naughty" dog behavior. Having this information informs everyone involved and increases the human-animal connection as well as proving an opportunity for moving through issues faster. It also relieves frustration for the animal. Imagine having an opinion, sometimes years, and nobody will listen to what you have to say.
Becky is able to tell me her preferences and "why" she is behaving a certain way that might be perceived as simply "naughty" dog behavior. Having this information informs everyone involved and increases the human-animal connection as well as proving an opportunity for moving through issues faster. It also relieves frustration for the animal. Imagine having an opinion, sometimes years, and nobody will listen to what you have to say.
Stacie provided some insight into the behavioral consultant perspective on dogs such as Becky, who are very strong willed and want
what they want when they want it:
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Stacie
Royal and her dog, Ronan
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Q. What is the first step in helping a dog like Becky, who has a strong will.
A. You have to first
assess if this behavior can be chalked up to being a dominant dog, patterned behavior,
over-reacting or truly aggressive; then you can proceed with the appropriate work.
Q. What do you mean by
"patterned?”
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Becky
|
A. When a dog has been
behaving a certain way over a long period of time and is basically on
"auto-pilot." For example, the dog is so excited to get into the car they may rush and be somewhat out of control, hardly thinking. Sooner or later someone gets hurt, they may trip down the person.
Q. What is the biggest
obstacle that people have when working with their dog on behavior?
A. Patience. For
instance, if you are working on the dog getting too worked up when going out on
a walk, you might have to walk up and down the driveway and then they might
just have to go back inside. The dog might not be ready to proceed and the
people have to be patient enough until the dog gets it. The dog needs to be
calm before proceeding onto the walk. Also, if the person isn't calm, then the
dog might not listen to you.
As Stacie and I discussed on
an archived podcast interview, animals can offer insight into why they are
behaving a certain way. Learning what an animal is thinking and feeling
can help to narrow down the issue at hand and shorten the amount of time it
takes to see change.
Archived podcast interview with Stacie Royal on The Intuitive Touch Animal Care podcast - Dog Training 911: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/intuitive-touch-animal-care/id909500990?mt=2
To learn about Stacie and Royal Canine Dog Training, LCC visit: http://royalk9.com/
What's causing your
pet's behavior issues? Schedule an animal communication session to find
out and solve the problem faster!: http://www.intuitivetouchanimalcare.com/index.html