Dog Training and Dog Body Language

ENERGY:
As dogs primarily read energy, it is vital that you always project a calm-assertive energy.
Your dog is your mirror. Any energy you project, he will reflect back. Are you in a calm assertive state of mind? Are you projecting a confident energy?
Bad energy (or vibes / frequencies) from you can translate into nervous or anxious dog. Your body language or tone of voice, and can also affect the energy/behaviour of your dog.
Imagine, if dogs can pick up an epileptic fit 40mins before it happens, do you think they can pick up on your energy?

BODY LANGUAGE: (puppys and yours)
Dogs are fantastic at reading body language. They read each others body language and are ALWAYS reading ours!
Dogs use all parts of their body to give us information; we just have to know how to read it.

Ears:
forward: dominant, threatening (may be accompanied by bared teeth & wrinkled nose)
up : alert, interested (accompanied by slight head tilt & relaxed or slightly opened mouth)
back : submissive (mouth drawn back, forehead smooth)
folded back : intimidated, fearful. Flicking ears can signify indecision.

Eyes & Brows:
glaring: dominant, threatening
averting gaze: appeasement, submission

Mouth:
long: intimidated(lips drawn back) fearful(submissive – drawn back, no teeth)
short: dominant(lips drawn forward) confident
top lip curled: (showing teeth) threatening, stressed

Tail: (a wagging tail is only an indication of willingness to interact)
tail up & moving slowly: arousal, confidence, dominance, threatening
tail up & stiff: aggression present (can be up & curved back)
tail wagging at hip level: very happy or excited
tail tucked: intimidated, fearful

Play Bow:
ready to play

Panting:
if he isn’t tired or hot this usually indicates stress
*most times panting is his sweating or cooling process

Yawning:
is one of many ways dogs calm themselves in exciting or stressful situations.
He may yawn during training sessions or when you’re cleaning up after him.
Pay attention! He’s telling you you need to relax.
Shaking:
Shaking (unless your dog is wet & shaking off excess water) is another sign of stress

SCENT:
Scent is the most dominant canine sense. 10% of the dogs brain is dedicated to scent. In human terms, we only rely on 1%.
When dogs meet, it only takes approx 3 seconds to find out the other dogs:
-Gender
-Age
-Social status(hierarchy)
-Sexual staus
-Friend or enemy
-Confidence levels

MOTIVATION: (your secret ingredient to Dog Training)
Motivation is at the heart of dog training. The secret is finding out what motivates your dog.
Knowing what motivates your dog will mean you can train him to do almost anything.

REWARD: (your dogs paycheck: would you work for no wages?)
A reward is something your dog really enjoys or wants. Some people say that rewarding is bribing your dog, but this is simply not the case. Treats (used properly) are not bribes, they’re a reward – and lets face it, would you work for no wages?
A REWARD is something that you give when something has been well and freely done.
A BRIBE is a more of coercion.

**Remember the theory of positive dog training: Dogs repeat behaviours that are rewarding for them.
**As your dog learns the exercises / commands, the rewards will decrease.
**So dont worry, initially, if your dog will only do what you ask if you have food.
**If your dog isnt a “foodie”, you may need to find a very high value treat.. This would be a special treat he really LOVES but rarely gets. ie garlic sausages, devon meat, bacon, cheese, hot dog etc

REWARD:
Be aware, that a simple “good boy” will generally not cut the mustard. A pat or “good boy” is OK, but not worth working hard for. A reward should be something he REALLY values and is worth working for.

A reward maybe:
*Food
*A Toy
*A Game
*A Walk
*Or anything your dog enjoys

BUT it can also be your ATTENTION. For some dogs, getting your attention is rewarding, even if its NEGATIVE attention….. its still your attention. Bad behaviour should be totally ignored (if safe to do so).
If your dogs is continually doing something you dont want, think about what reward he may be getting for it??
Punishment: Some people will say you need to actively punish your dog when hes done wrong, BUT introducing fear and pain into your dog’s life will have a detrimental effect on your relationship. Your dog will stop trusting you, stop believing in you and will only do what you want because he’s scared not to.
*dog learn far more efficiently by winning than by losing.

SOCIALISATION: is not important, it is critical, in the early development of a sound temperament.

To help prevent a majority of behaviour problems, Socialisation is vital. Puppies have a critical socialisation period from 3weeks to 13weeks. This is called the “CRITICAL PERIOD STAGE”.
The dogs outlook on life is largely determined by its experiences during this period.

This is one of the reasons that Dog Day Care with Houndog is so important. All the dogs that attend regularly maintain vital socialisation skills. Our regular stable group have helped us rehabilitate many “nervous nelly’s” that have at some point been through a bad experience. Within a short period of attending our Doggy Day Care Adventures, they have learnt to trust again and regained their confidence. This is mainly though mimicking and trusting the Pack. The Hound Dog Day Care doggies are calm, confident and social daycare dogs that have a fantastic influence on our nervous nelly’s to help improve their socialisation skills. This by far, is one of the most rewarding parts of our Day Care experience.

Thankyou for taking the time to read, see you next time,
Leah & Angela OMeara
Hound Dog Day Care Owners