Category : Science and Education
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EXCELLENCE IN DOG TRAINING BASICS (C)1992 Bob Eden


READING AND UNDERSTANDING K9 BEHAVIOR

- The Secret of Communicating With Your Dog -

Your job as a trainer is to properly read and evaluate your
dogs behavior language. This phenomenon of canine communication
enables you to use your dogs ability to sense things, read very
subtle clues from the dogs behavior, and pick up things which are
often overlooked. In police work, a K9 Officer might be very
cognizant of different ear directions in his dog. For example,
this subtle clue can warn an alert officer of two different
suspects, each who is heard by the dog. The dog can only work on
one suspect, but if read properly before the dog acts, can often
warn of hidden dangers.

Whether you are a law enforcement officer or someone train-
ing your dog as a jogging companion for personal protection, or
simply training a home pet, this canine behavior can make the
difference between success and failure during your training. To
fully understand your dog and his actions enables you to communi-
cate with each other as friends and partners rather than just a
handler with a trained animal.

There are various aspects to language behavior which occur
separately, or together in a combination. These components will
tell the handler everything he requires to ascertain the animals
demeanor, and what it means in a given situation. This is par-
ticularly important during training. If you misread your dogs
physical signs you may unknowingly correct him or guide him at
the wrong times. For example, if you attempt to teach the dog to
track before you have started out with obedience training and
taken the time to complete it, you may very well fail as the dog
does not yet understand the basic movements which are required to
control him during tracking phases.

By starting with basics and spending the time to polish the
dog on them you form a bond. The dog learns to understand your
particular style of command and movement, and at the same time
you learn to read your dogs reactions. After you have formed
this bond the animal will have a better understanding of what you
require of him and he will pay particular attention to you, and
try harder to please you.

This attentiveness comes naturally during the first phases of
training. Therefore, although it can be done, do not attempt to
combine different phases of training until you have mastered your
basics and both of you are fluent in your abilities. This will
very likely prevent the task of looking for a more "suitable
animal" when your animal was more than adequate. Without realiz-
ing it you failed to instill the attentiveness and perserverence
in him the basics are designed to do. Therefore go step by step
and learn to read your partner very carefully. Learn the various
language components.

The first of these components is the dogs eyesight. It is a
common belief that the dog has poor and limited vision. On the
contrary, although they may see differently than you or I, tests
have shown that dogs can in fact focus very clearly on objects in
excess of over one hundred meters. They can in fact see as
clearly as we do, although it is uncertain as to whether they can
distinguish colors or whether they see the world as shades of
black and white. The animals keeness of sight can be sharpened
by simple games such as throwing a ball. The dog can see and
identify articles or suspects which move, even at considerable
distances and in fact it is believed that canine night vision far
exceeds that of human beings. This ability to see slight move-
ment is the concept of sight the dog utilizes most.

The second component is the animals keen sense of smell. To
fully understand this seemingly phenomenal ability we should
first understand how the animals olfactory system is built.

By looking at the dogs nose, it would appear that it is
built with two long tubes for nostrils. Each nostril is in fact
full of scroll like passages which are lined on both sides by
millions of receptor cells. These scroll type receptors are
called the turbinate bones and are built into the upper part of
the nasal area. The air and its components which is inhaled by
the dog moves into the upper part of the nasal area through the
turbinate bones. This allows the dog to distinguish specific
scents. The size of the olfactory system on a human being is
approximately one inch in area as compared to that of a dog which
can be close to one yard in area. The dog also has a powerful
ability to store and recall scents from memory and will be dis-
cussed in more depth as we progress.

The sense of hearing is the next aspect of behavior language
we must be aware of. Sit down and watch your dog for awhile.
Make a habit of it. You will note that sometimes he carries both
ears very erect and forward. Sometimes one ear forward and one
back, sometimes both will be back etc., according to what is
happening around him. This in itself can reveal many things to
you as the trainer.

The dog can utilize his ears like a directional antennae
system. He focuses towards the sound with each ear and has the
ability to sense, localize, and discriminate sound with extreme
accuracy. His use of the ears in the same direction shows that
he has pinpointed the sound he is after and is paying close
attention to that sound. For a dog who has been trained for
protection or to seek out criminals both ears forward is a defi-
nite signal that indicates to you that someone or something is
out in that direction. Similarly, while the dog may be paying
close watch to an apprehended suspect, and his one ear keeps
moving in another direction, beware, there may be a second sus-
pect in close proximity to you.

The hearing capabilities of a dog are much greater than the
capacity of human hearing. By using his senses and understanding
what his ear position can reveal information that may be perti-
nent to your training situation.

The next component of communication is the dogs use of
barks, whines, yelps and growls. The position of his jowls, and
stances which he assumes when voicing all combine to indicate
some form of instinctive message. A steady rhythmic bark may be
considered a warning to danger. A bark which is two or three
sounds and then quiet may be the dog attempting to communicate
with someone and then stopping to listen. Deep throated growls
show anger or warning and sometimes fear. High pitched yelping
usually shows excitement, playfulness or anxiousness. Crying or
whining may show injury or pain, concern, loneliness or even
fear.

Physical posture also plays an important role in reading the
animal. A submissive animal will cower, ears back , tail between
its legs. A dominant dog will hold his tail high above his back,
carry his ears forward and erect. His hackles may go up and the
forehead may furrow when he is being dominant. The handler can
read the degree of aggression on his partner when he is being
dominant by watching how far the lips are retracted from the
gums, and how intense the dog appears from his forward ears,
hackles, and degree and type of bark.

The animals tail, when over his back, shows complete domina-
tion. When it is held half way out from the body this is a ready
or danger signal. A tail which is held down is showing a non
aggressive or relaxed state, whereas the tail which is held down
between the legs expresses fear.

All of these components may appear at some time in different
combinations. For example a very dangerous and unpredictable dog
is the fear biter. He shows aggression, hackles up, feet firmly
placed, steady snarl or bark, and the tail out from the body.
The difference which shows him as a fear biter is that his ears
are held back against his neck. They are not forward as they
would be in a confident protection dog who shows the same basic
physical signs otherwise, during the threat or attack stage.

Take the time to sit back and watch your dog and to learn
his ways of reacting to different situations. Study him careful-
ly and observe his body language. That body language is going to
be how he communicates to you. He reacts instinctively and does
not intentionally communicate with you all the time. Therefore
it is up to you to learn his little idiocyncrocies and to pay
close attention to what your partner is saying with his body
actions. It will not be long before it will seem that his body
language is telling you things that you were previously unaware
of.

One last word on communication between you and your partner.
You will find that your dog will start to cue to certain actions
you take, automatically. For example every time you pick up the
car keys, he gets excited because you're going for a drive, or he
gets excited as you are preparing to go for a jog or getting your
uniform on for work. Our dogs learn to read our body language
and actions just as we learn to read theirs. This should be
remembered as you start training. Each time you do an excercise
it should be done exactly the same way. For example, everytime
you command "HEEL" always start on your left foot. Everytime you
command "STAY" start on your right foot. It won't be long before
your partner will clue in automatically without being given a
verbal command. Remember, whether you realize it or not, commu-
nication is going both ways.

TELEGRAPHING

Telegraphing occurs when you as the trainer indicate by some
subtle movement that something is about to occur. You must learn
to catch yourself or it will set back your training drastically,
and yet by all appearances it is your dog that is failing. In
fact you are probably enforcing the problem and making it worse
by unwittingly telegraphing things to your dog. The easiest way
to explain is to give an example of a dog which I trained.
During its young life this dog had a bad experience with a car
and his fear of traffic was awesome. I would take him onto a
local city traffic island and heel up and down as traffic passed
by. Every time a vehicle would approach from behind, the dog
would break heel and force his way to the center of the island,
nearly always forcing me over with him. I would vigorously
correct him with the lead but I never seemed to break him of his
fear until I realized what I was doing. Everytime I heard a
vehicle approaching from behind I would carefully brace up on the
lead to prepare for my partner to bolt. All I was doing was
telegraphing to him, at the same time he was hearing the offend-
ing vehicle approach, that I too was tensing up. He could not
have any way of knowing that I was tensing up because of his
anticipated reaction, and not because I too was afraid. Once I
learned to cease telegraphing to my dog and enforcing his fears,
I was able to take him into traffic, and with patient perserver-
ence and controlled corrections I was able to succesfully build
his confidence in high traffic areas.

Keep this in mind in all aspects of your training. Whether
you know it or not your dog is always aware of your slightest
changes from the norm. Whether it is something as subtle as a
change in your pace of breathing, your body tension, or the way
you hold the leash, he is aware of it, and it will affect the way
he acts or reacts, to a given situation.