All dogs are not created equal. They are one of the few species that have evolved into a huge variety of specialist breeds.
The characteristics of their breed and breeding give them aptitude in a wide range of behaviours. This specialization is what makes dogs look as they do, but it also can contribute significantly to how a dog behaves. Making the most of what your dog does best, and giving your dog the opportunity to develop those natural abilities that are the hallmark of his breed is a great way to build an enduring relationship with a dog that loves what he does. Late last year, I had the good fortune to share a couple of months in the company of a delightful young dog who came to us for day-care 4-5 days a week.
This dog was a kelpie with a massive caninality – while she fitted well into her breed’s stereo-type, she also brought much of her own character to our relationship and I feel the richer for having known her. But she was one hell of an active dog who demanded huge amounts of time and opportunity to run and herd and bark and be all things kelpie. 
This dog no longer comes to stay because her family made the very brave decision to rehome her with someone who could give her the attention and training she needed to continue to develop in the ways that were best for her. While I believe we can come to adapt to the needs of any dog who shares his or her life with us, and they too are adept at adapting to suit our style, in the initial stages you need both time and opportunity to achieve this. My kelpie friend’s family had neither and so the decision to find her a home where she could have both was to the benefit of all concerned.
Knowing what you want in a dog, and thereby leveraging your dog’s natural aptitude, is the secret to building a lasting relationship with your dog that will withstand separation, change and long periods of inactivity. Once you know what your dog does naturally you can use these behaviours as part of your daily training plan.
If your dog loves toys, use their favourites as your training motivators. Start and end every session with a game. Just as you would with a child, put your dog’s special toys away for special occasions. Bring them out when you need a strong reinforcer or you want to keep your dog occupied for a time while you engage in some other activity. Invest in toys that challenge your dog and get him thinking. Hide his toys and encourage him to seek them out.
If your dog is strongly food motivated, develop your dog’s natural gift, his sense of smell, and make him work for every morsel he receives. Hide his treats in toys or in his crate, under blankets, or in out-of-the-way places. Encourage him to “seek” or “find” his treats. You can use his everyday food in this way as well. Measure out his daily allowance, being sure to include “special” treat food in that calculation as well, and set about creating opportunities for your dog to be reinforced continually for preforming appropriately throughout the day. Catch your dog in the act of being calm and relaxed, reinforce; notice when your dog is quietly playing with one of his toys, and reinforce; simply approach, tell him he’s a good fella and slip a morsel of food between his legs for him to enjoy and then pass by. No big deal, but hugely reinforcing for a dog to know that “hey I get rewarded for just lounging around”.
If your dog loves to run, take up running, or get that bicycle out of the garage and have him run alongside. Our son’s first dog was a Husky, Zak. Here was a dog that loved to run, and run, and run and run. My husband was competing in triathlons at that time and Zak was the perfect training partner; together they clocked up hundreds of miles each week. Perhaps you don’t have to go to that extreme, but dogs that are bred to run, need to run, so find a way for them to do that as part of their daily routine.
If your dog is a swimmer, get him swimming. Most swimmers are also retrievers and will brave any temperature to get that favourite stick or toy. Swimming also develops those muscles so important for keeping a swimming dog fit and healthy and is the best exercise ever for an over-weight dog.
If your dog is a jumper, and drives you crazy with his high-jump antics in the house, move him outside and get those jumping muscles into action and sate that desire with plenty of jumping games. Start throwing a Frisbee, ball or have your dog jump obstacles. Put that jumping behaviour on cue and use it to build a repertoire of jumping tricks.
Once you know what your dog’s strengths are focus on them and turn them into an occupation.
Start with a Plan:
In 2011, when my husband adopted Beau, we knew very little about the Beauceron breed. I made Martin do all the necessary research as he needed to be sure that this was the right dog for him.
At the time I was working with other clients who were also contemplating adopting dogs and a couple who had recently purchased a new puppy. As primarily a thought-provoking exercise, I had them all describe their perfect dog. I wanted to encourage them to project into the future the type of dog they were after. Not all were to be pet or companion dogs; we had hunting dogs, guard dogs and even a “best friend” dog. So the needs of the dogs’ owners were significantly different.
I specified two criteria for the exercise:
- state what it is you want in positive terms
- describe what this looks like
For this exercise to be of value, this wish list needed to be measurable. I soon discovered that this was not an easy exercise for people to do. After several iterations, this is what Martin came up with. 
As it happens this exercised turned out to be a pretty good predictor of how the dogs would turn out. Because we get what we focus on, clearly describing their dog of the future helped these dog owners to shape their dogs into a pretty close approximation of their ideal. Now nearly three years on we can go back to that list Martin created and check off just about everything he wanted for Beau as having been achieved to one degree or another.
By setting a clear plan at the start of what we wanted in our dog, we were able to set the focus on what we were creating. One thing I did notice though, was that not one thing on that list was contrary to Beau’s natural instincts.
Key Factors to Consider:
Analysing your dog's attributes is a most worthwhile endeavour if you decide you want to start shaping your dog into the best dog that he or she can be. There are two main ways you can do this:
- Study information on the breed that is available on the internet or in books;
- Observe your dog in action in a variety of situations.
In the first instance, you want to list the behaviours that make the breed what it is. Make notes of what the breed is typically used for both in a working context and in terms of dog trials and activities. List those characteristics that are important aspects of the breed.
For the latter, make a list of what you see: Does your dog sniff the air a lot, or is she always nose to the ground? Does your dog like to run? Chase things? Does she pick up her toys and chew them or does she shake them to pieces? Is she fleet of foot, able to turn quickly, or is she slow to turn, frequently over-stepping herself? Is she continually on the go, or a bit of a couch potato?
Whatever you determine to be the characteristics of your dog, make a note of them all. Every dog can be put to work in some way and the best option is to match up your dog to an occupation that best suits its characteristics and strengths. This does not mean that we have to turn our pet dogs into working dogs or show dogs. Dogs, like people, need something meaningful to do or they get bored, frustrated and destructive. Having said that though, some dogs love doing stuff with their owners so much that they will try their paw at anything and so it is equally important that you select something that you are also interested in.
Your dog’s job might simply be to be with you all day, and it is great if you work in the kind of job where your dog can come along with you, but even then your dog will need a certain amount of training so he understands the boundaries of that occupation and what he is allowed and not allowed to do.
Generally though most people work outside the home and their dogs often have to stay behind. This makes it all the more important for you to have an occupation you both can share during the times you are together.
If you've observed your dog well, defined your own needs with regard to the relationship and selected activities that your dog has a natural aptitude for, you can enrich both your lives by playing to your dog’s strengths.
In my book, that’s the definition of a win-win situation. |
