If Only They Could Talk!

Dogs, like people, live in social family groups and, again just like us, to be able to do this they need to be good communicators. However, being different species we communicate in different ways and this can lead to misunderstandings between us and, potentially, behavioural problems in the dog. If we can learn to listen to what our pets are saying to us, we will have a better relationship with them and help prevent any problems from occurring.

Dogs have several different ways to talk to each other, including scent, body language, visual communication, and vocalising. The weakest of these is vocalising, which is obviously our strongest method and one of the strongest is scent, which is where we are poor. So, it is easy to see how problems arise. Also, through selective breeding and actions such as tail docking, we have inhibited some dogs abilities to communicate with others of their own kind. Breeds with shortened faces often struggle to make subtle facial expressions and dogs with droopy ears, because they cannot move them freely, can be restricted in how they are perceived. One study showed that while Wolves had 16 different muscles they could contract on their faces to make different communicative expressions, Mastiffs had only 4. It is important to remember that the dogs who are limited in their expressions do not realise this, they think they are communicating just fine, which is why they can become frustrated and resort to using more stronger signaling, growling for example, which can give them an undeserved reputation for violence.

In the wild, dogs live in stable family packs where good communication and co-operation is vital for survival. So, dogs are programmed to operate in environments where the rules are consistent, predictable, fair and good for the security and well-being of the dog. This is often where problems arise in family situations as humans are renowned for being in-consistent and unpredictable! Also, predictable rules means that dogs gain an expectation of what they can and cannot do. For example, if the dog is always allowed on the sofa, this is predictable, but when Granny comes round he is told to get off. The dog, whose expectation is therefore not met, may respond and let us know he is unhappy by growling. (It is important to remember that a growl is a very polite way of a dog letting you know he is unhappy – compare it to a snap or bite and you will see what I mean!). The dog may be punished for this but from the dog´s perspective it was a reasonable action, he always gets to do something, he couldn´t do it today, so he expressed his frustration. If this situation is allow to escalate or continue, the dog becomes gradually more and more confused and frustrated and his actions may become more severe.

This is why, in any animal with a behavioural issue it is important to realise that the behaviour that they are expressing is a symptom and not the problem in itself. Successful resolution of these situations is based on understanding this, listening to what the dog is telling you, and addressing the underlying problem. The opposite approach to this is called the ´Symptomatic´ technique, and is popular with TV dog behaviourists as it gives quick, but not necessarily long term, results. (Ask yourself this, have you ever seen these programmes go back a few months later to see how the dogs are doing?) This method aims to simply stop the undesirable actions, which can include; barking, aggression towards other dogs, inappropriate toileting. The aim is to make the behaviour either unpleasant or difficult for the dog to perform. Techniques used to achieve this include bitter sprays, air blasters and rattle cans. The problem is that although these are often effective at stopping the dog, they do not change the underlying emotional state and can cause the dog more stress. Think of it like this; one way for your vet to solve diarrhoea in your pet would be to simply cork its bottom. This would solve the problem, no more diarrhoea, but it doesn´t address any possible underlying causes. However, the faeces still needs to come out and eventually it will, probably in an explosive manner! The same is true of behaviour, by suppressing our dogs ability to express themselves they will become frustrated and eventually the dam will burst and the resulting explosion could be violent.

Another commonly held behavioural theory is that of ´Dominance´. This theory treats dogs as mini dictators, constantly plotting from their baskets to take over the family. However, when you consider that dogs naturally live in stable family packs, it makes no sense. If dogs were constantly trying to push themselves to the top of the pack and be the leader, the pack would never get anything done and would ultimately fail, as the constant in-fighting would mean they never had any time for hunting, bringing up young or defending themselves. In a natural pack hierarchy each individual has a role which is for the good of the group. All of these roles are considered equally important and as long as each dog is confident that they are all behaving in the best interests of the pack, then they will live harmoniously. The pack´s survival depends on all individuals cop-operating and communicating well. This is one of the reasons why it is so important for young pups to remain with their mother and litter until they are 8 weeks old, during this time they learn the vital skills of communication and pack living.

So, behaviour that is deemed ´dominating´ such a growling, snapping or attention seeking, is often exactly the opposite. An attention seeking dog, one which paws at its owner or is constantly under their feet, is more likely to be feeling insecure and wants reassurance. Punishing this behaviour is likely to further increase it´s stress levels. It has been shown that aggression and force are not used at all in a successful pack, so a dog is very unlikely to use it as a way to ´boss you around´. Again, it more likely to stem from fear and insecurity and again, punishment is only likely to make the dog feel even worse.

Dogs and humans are ´socially obligate´ creatures. This means we both have to live in a group to lead happy and fulfilled lives and it is one of the reasons why we get on so well as species. We are both also excellent communicators, you have to be when you live in groups. However, although our dogs will often communicate their desires and feelings to us, we do not always understand what they are trying to say. Obviously it would be better if they could talk ( and they probably think it would be better if we had tails to wag!) but as they can´t it is up to us to learn their language. This will give us happier and more balanced relationships with our dogs and they will be calmer and more fulfilled, and who wouldn´t want that for mans ´best friend´?!