Dog Care From The Heart

A dog with short, tight lips is expressing tension or a low level of stress. Becker notes the importance to take heed thus avoiding the dog becoming aggressive or potentially dangerous. He says that, “In order to recognize when your dog is anxious, it is important to be familiar with how he behaves when he’s relaxed” (How to Tell If Your Dog Is Anxious or Stressed). If there is no visible cause for the stress in your vicinity it may be the result of an ailment (Clarke, 2017). The tight mouth is accompanied by other changes in the dog’s posture including: the ears moving partially backwards; a slight narrowing of the eyes; a tense body, possibly lowered into a submissive position; a partial lowering of the tail; accompanied by a low whine. The dog may try to appease the other dog or display displacement or avoidance behaviour. Some of this is to alleviate the stress (eg yawning, tongue flicking or having a curved tongue (Stilwell, n.d.) and some is to move itself away (eg turning the he...

Dogs instinctively want to avoid uncomfortable, stressful, or dangerous situations. These could also be because they have had a bad or adverse experience in a similar situation previously and so, according to (Farricelli, Understanding Approach-Avoidance Behaviors in Dogs, 2017)”… feels relief when he's presented with an unpleasant situation and removes himself from” it. By understanding a dog’s body language, one can recognise the signs and take appropriate action before matters escalate. Jolanta Benal describes this as “taking care both of the dog and of ourselves”. (How to Tell When Your Dog Is Stressed). Essentially the dog is telling us that it would like to get away from the situation. This could be as simple as a whistle to get to the dogs’ attention and in doing so bring the behaviour that is causing stress to a stop. Remember always to act without force or dominance, and to manifest the qualities of a benevolent leader. Avoidance behaviour can start with simply by looking...

A dog’s facial expression allows us to see into and understand its mind and state of being. DogFACs (Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, n.d.) have identified 11 action units (the groups of muscles in the face used in expression) and 5 ear action descriptors to provide a framework to facilitate this understanding (Dahl, 2016). Where dogs have been selectively bred for certain characteristics the ensuing features can obscure these movements. A Bichon Frise with floppy ears has a very different relaxed ear position to a German Shepherd, nevertheless the ears do move with the underlying muscle groups, pinching in when fearful. According to Udell, founder of the Canine Cognition and Behavior Lab at the University of Florida in Gainesville, “the hackles of dogs bred for their coats, such as poodles, have their hackles or eyes obscured by their coats”. (National Geographic, n.d.)  similarly, the underbite of the bulldog means that the teeth are always showing and where ta...

The dictionary defines benevolent as well-meaning and kind. Being a benevolent leader forms part of the Hierarchy of Dog’s Needs ( Linda Michaels ). A benevolent leader is a care giver who connects with the personality and essence of the dog, inviting positive transformation, through force-free training. It is a practical philosophy which modifies, reinforces or reduces behaviour without force or dominance but instead works through rewarding and reinforcing positive behaviour alongside effective but non-physical consequences to discourage other forms of behaviour, enabling a dog, to grow, flourish and express their needs within a wonderful relationship and at the same time meeting its emotional needs of the dog: to feel secure, loved; to be able to trust; consistency. According to Lisa Tenzin-Dolma , “positive reinforcement works through setting up new patterns of behaviour through conditioning; rewiring the connections within the brain.   (Why Positive Training Works Best with y...

A puppy’s critical learning period takes place during its first 14 weeks of life. This is the time during which the brain is developing, and it is their experience during this period that will have the most impact on their personalities and behaviour. Scott and Fuller (Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog) carried out the 1st influential study in this field. They concluded that “dogs should be introduced gradually and sensitively to the circumstances that they are likely to experience during their lives.” (Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog, 1965) The critical learning period divides into a series of stages:   the neonatal (birth to 2 weeks) in which their mental capacity has yet to develop, the eyes and ears are still closed and nearly all their time is spent sleeping and feeding. Mild stress through gentle handling is very beneficial for the stimulation of the brain, and accelerates the development of motor and problem-solving skills as well as hair growt...

The Hierarchy of Dogs Needs was developed by Linda Michaels in response to the return of dominance-based training and collar devices which caused pain. It takes Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and adapts it as a tool to understand the needs of dogs to create “a unique model of wellness and behaviour modification.” (The official website for HDN Dog Psychologist on Call.com). It is a layered pyramid in form with the basic needs at the base and secondary needs above. One must satisfy the needs at the base level in order to satisfy those above as the latter is dependent upon the former. At the base are the biological needs which are the fundamental requirements needed to survive: proper nutrition, air, water, sufficient exercise, sleep, indoor shelter, temperature control, gentle grooming and veterinary care. “If dogs are sick, undernourished and sleep deprived there’s little space for learning…” (Using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in Dog Training, 2016) The 2nd layer addresses the emot...

The dominance theory originates in the work of Rudolph Schenkel who studied captive wolves in Zoo Basel in 1947 in which he proposed the existence of an alpha wolf, that had fought his way to dominate the pack. He also drew on many comparisons with dogs to support his hypothesis as well as giving personal anecdotes about his own dogs. Further weight was given to this theory in 1970 when Meech published “The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species” based on studies of wolves in Michigan's Isle Royale National Park. However as time went on studies moved onto wolves in the wild, and began understand that the wolf dominance theory was fundamentally flawed as wolf packs in the wild were related by blood, that is to say a male and a female would form a partnership and their off-spring would become the pack, so leadership was on the basis of the parental bond rather than domination. As the cubs grew up they would move on, find a mate and begin their own packs. On the oth...

In today's blog am I am going to run through the physical differences between my dog, Shadow (a Bichon Frise) and the modern wolf. The most striking difference is in size: a wolf measures c.80 - to 85cms at the shoulder, Shadow only 30cms. The Bichon Frise has been selectively bred for a soft, curly, white coat which is hypoallergenic. It has a double coat. Its tail curls upward. The wolves coat has evolved through natural selection to blend with its surroundings. Its tail is straight. The Bichon’s head is rounder, with a “stop” and the muzzle shorter (brachycephalic) which enhances abilities to follow human gestures (Effects of selection for cooperation and attention in dogs. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 2009), further humans are more attracted to this shape. The wolf retains the dolichocephalic skull. The wolf’s skull and brain are relatively larger than the dog’s. The Bichon’s ears flop downwards, the wolf’s are erect. Dogs and wolves have the same number of teeth, t...

The human/ canine relationship is thought to have begun between 40 and 60 000 years ago when man began to use wolves as a “tool” in hunting. It is thought that these would have been raised from cubs or be marginalised individuals who would be more inclined to form a mutually beneficial relationship (food, care and shelter in exchange for “work”/hunting). Both natural and artificial selection played their part in the diversion of the two species. Larson et al made a study of comparing the DNA of 700 modern dogs with that of the Newgrange series to suggest a dual-origin for the dog at each end of Eurasia, though as the eastern Asian population grew with time it replaced the European population so became the root of the modern dog. It should be noted that the modern dog does not descend directly from the modern wolf but from the east and west Eurasian wolves that are now extinct. We have to go back approximately 20 to 30 million years ago to find the common ancestor of the dog, the east...

Meet Jasper, a 6 month old Pomeranian for whom I am caring for today.