Dogs who don't speak Dog

I just read in a forum about an owner who has a six month old dog. He has taken the dog to a park where it has been attacked twice by older dogs.

Without further information it is hard to determine for sure what causes this. But there are two general reasons for this behavior.

The first is that many dogs are dog aggressive. Something happens to dog aggressive dogs that has taught them that they need to attack in order to prevent being attacked. Those dogs do not try to read the intentions of the second dog, they act immediately by attacking. The solution is simple, though not easy to do. A dog aggressive dog must be de-sensitized to the presence of other dogs.

The second reason, which I suspect is the case here, is that the puppy doesn’t speak dog.

Dogs do the vast majority of their communication through body language. But many dogs today literally do not know how to “speak” to each other.

When two well socialized dogs meet for the first time, each dog lets the other dog know what its intentions are. If they intend to come close for a sniff (and a sniff is a handshake in the dog world) the dog approaching negotiates the approach and the other dog gives permission. Normally the dominant dog will ask to approach.

But because many of today’s dogs leave the breeder and go to a one or two dog home, they never develop their body language communications skills. Their humans communicate primarily through the spoken word. And if there is another dog in the home that lacks body communication skills, the two dogs may develop a relationship and body language that does not allow them to deal well with others.

This summer I had a dog in that spoke “dog” the way Yoda in Star Wars speaks English. When he first walked in his entire body language said “hi, I’m friendly” but as soon as he got in range he attempted to bite. Later I had him on a line and was sitting (deliberately) where I could just reach the top of his head with my hand. He walked over with body language that said he would bite. When he got to my hand, he flipped it up with his head so I could pet him.

Your dog began to develop its body language skills as soon as the litter began to interact. But before they develop full language skills they are off to their new owners. During the first few months where skills are developed, the dog spends the vast majority of its time with humans. The skills may not progress.

The human analogy is this. If you left a two year old with normal language skills on an island where everyone else is a deaf mute and then came back two years later, the child would have lost most of its limited skills. If you placed two children there, they would have a language that only they understood.

What is the solution here at Pikes Peak Manners In Minutes? After a dog has finished its private lessons it comes to Neighborhood Pack Sessions. In Neighborhood Pack we sharpen their language skills in a safe and controlled environment.

Doug