5 Things Youre Doing that Drive Your Dog Crazy As seen in episode 2 of “Cesar 911,” canine misbehavior can be directly connected to things that humans do to make their dogs insecure, fearful, anxious, or aggressive. Here are five common mistakes people make which make their dogs act in unacceptable ways. 1. You Try to Communicate with Your Dogs through Words Dogs don’t care much whether you speak to them in Spanish, or English, or Chinese, because they don’t hear words as words, just as sounds. It’s like the way that people spell out words so they think their dog won’t understand. Well, they may be fooling themselves but they certainly aren’t fooling the dog. You can’t lie to a dog. When you speak to a dog, it doesn’t hear your words. It senses your energy. 2. You Treat Your Dog like a Child. This was the big issue for Takis. He babied his dogs, and so they took over his home and his business. But no matter how much we treat our dogs like children, they are dogs, and they want to behave like dogs — that is in her DNA. Your “baby” is also a pack animal and needs rules, boundaries, and limitations in order to feel fulfilled and not become frustrated. There is nothing wrong with showing your dog love, but remember: first exercise, then discipline, and finally affection. 3. Your Dog Doesn’t Have a Job and He’s Bored. So your dog has developed an aggravating habit. Maybe he’s chewing the carpet, or racing in circles around the house, or showing surprising aggression. And so often the answer is the same: Your dog is getting bored — he wants something to do. In the wild — from the time they are babies — dogs have to work for their food. They have to hunt it down or go hungry. When their natural instinct is denied, they become frustrated, and that is when they start to show signs of aggressive behavior. So do what your dog asks and give him a job. Put a pack on his back when you go for walks or create obstacle courses so he can put his scent-tracking abilities to good use. You’ll see right away how happy it makes him. 4. You Act like Your Dog’s Playmate, not Pack Leader. You should never reward your dog when she is not in a calm submissive state, but it can be tempting to buy into her excitement and start playtime when she wants it. But by doing this, you’ve given up being the pack leader instead of making it clear that play begins only when she is calm and responsive. So now she is all turned around about who’s the boss. Remember: Being a pack leader is not a part-time occupation; it’s all the time. Your dog is always looking for consistency and structure, and without it she is going to become confused about when she is supposed to follow your directions and when you two are just buddies. 5. You’re Tense and Nervous around Your Dog. Our dogs are incredibly finely attuned to us — we’ve been living together almost from the beginning of time! That is why they need calm, assertive energy to relax. Remember: Dogs are predators in the wild, so if they become nervous, their fight-or-flight response is almost always more likely to be fight. Nervousness in dogs will soon come out as aggression. It is how they deal with a problem. And if you’re tense and nervous, then your dog will be, too. Listen to your dogs carefully. They are trying to tell you what they want. Their needs are really very simple, and if you satisfy those, you will have a happy and harmonious relationship. Find articles from Cesar Millan and a wealth of interesting content about dogs on CesarsWay.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 12:32:29 +0000
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