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fridlyckans0 · 3 years ago

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Training Your Dog Humanely: Part One

Welcome the Dog to the Human World

Have you ever watched The Dog Whisperer and thought, 'Wow, that guy is amazing! What a great way to train a dog!" I know I have many times. Cesar Milan teaches one basic principle about dogs - a dog is a pack animal by instinct. According to Cesar, your job is to become the pack leader, a dominant Alpha male/female with 'balance'. I guess by 'balance' he means you should treat the animal fairly, as they would expect to be treated in a wild pack. He gets very good and fast results with this method. I won't say it's a bad method, but it's not the way I choose to train my dogs and here's why.

There's one thing very wrong with the 'you're the pack leader' concept - it assumes the dog inhabits a dog's world, and for you to control it, you must behave as a dog would, the Alpha male or female of the pack. For the majority of dogs who are family pets this means the owner will treat the animal as though it had only instinctual processes going on in its head, no rational thought processes. To refute that thinking go and watch these two short videos of Lucy's behavior: Lucy Remembers Her Ball and Lucy and The Vacuum Cleaner (links appear at bottom). A dog does not inhabit a dog's world unless it's in a pack of dogs, roaming the wilderness like a wolf, bringing down prey and sharing its kill. This is not your dog. Your dog wouldn't chase its supper if it went hungry for a week! It would no more kill a raccoon and rip its flesh apart than would your six year old child! If you do have such an animal it's a sure bet that it's a dangerous dog, one that causes people in your neighborhood to cross the street to avoid.

If you become the pack leader, you've descended into the dog's world. Having done so, the dog will integrate well with other dogs, live in a pack happily, know its place in the human pack, and generally behave well, but it won't reach its full potential. When you adopted the dog into your family, you didn't decide to become a primeval growler, (which can work if you have the cahones to back up the threats), you decided to introduce an animal into the human world. As the two videos show, Lucy is an animal with human-like tendencies developed to the full potential of her smaller dog brain. She, like 99 percent of dogs today, belongs to a family, has been introduced to human concepts, and lives in a human world. It's better that you train your dog to live well in your world, rather than you in its, for the sake of the dog and yourself. You will have a much better companion, and so will the dog. The dog will learn to love humans above dogs.

Lucy is a thinking dog. Lucy will position herself at the ready depending on where a person places their foot behind a ball. She correctly anticipates which way the ball will be propelled by the positioning of the foot. She also cheats quite badly, arriving at the destination of a tossed toy before it gets there. Her brain has computed where you're likely to throw or kick an object. Lucy knows which way you will kick a ball simply by shifting your weight from one hip to the other, without even moving your feet! Better than a goalie in football (soccer).

Lucy knows several hundred concepts and commands, from Jump In The Boat, to Don't Go In The Street. She rarely plays now but when she was younger I would throw her ball into the street (a rural highway) and when she realized the ball had gone out of reach, rolling into forbidden territory, she would put on the brakes and stop before crossing an imaginary line. That line used to be a piece of yellow rope lying across the driveway about 20 feet from the street. After she learned the concept the rope was taken away, she was allowed to go out to pee on her own; I could trust her not to go past the imaginary line. That concept, Don't Go In The Street, is central to a dog being able to live happily in the human world. It's the difference between a deer or a raccoon crossing the road and your pet's thinking. It has learned that highways (a human construct not appearing in the dog pack vocabulary) are very bad.

Dogs have rational thought processes. Dogs have emotions. Dogs also have a conscience. Dogs learn to love. Dogs have language skills and can understand about five hundred human concepts with words. None of these things are in a puppy when you get them, they are learned behaviors.

A dog cannot do differential calculus, that's obvious, but it can reason out how to manipulate an owner into giving it food. Lucy was given a treat every time she asked me to go pee outside. If she gets slightly hungry, she has learned to ask to go outside, wait for thirty seconds and then come back in the house to get her reward. She will do this every hour or so until I've clued in and watch her. If she doesn't pee, the rewards stop, and so does the manipulative behavior since it's now a waste of time. But that shows you a dog can manipulate people. It isn't surprising really; a dog manipulates its owner many times during the day. If you rattle its leash, it will waken from a dead sleep and circle, pant and bark at the thought of going for a walk. That is doggy manipulation. The dog is saying how happy they would be if they went for a walk, and you're feeling guilty already if that wasn't your plan.

So higher reasoning aside, what can a dog do? It can learn. A dog can learn so many things you'd be surprised. If you simply teach it what it needs to know to function well in a human world, it would knock your socks off. Every day that Lucy and I wake up, we tell each other with hugs and kisses how happy we are that we have each other. Lucy loves humans, so much so that she almost ignores dogs. Can they make her food for her? Can they throw her ball? Her stick? Her little teddy bears?

There's a Border Collie in Germany that can remember any one of two hundred and fifty toys. Alan Alda of Mash fame visited this dog for Nova on PBS. The dog has all her toys in a big pile in one room. In another room she is shown a miniature sample of the desired toy (about one fifth scale). The dog leaves, enters the room with the massive pile of assorted frogs, teddy bears, squirrels, puppets, dolls, devils, Muppets, rummaging around and returning quickly, and surprisingly, with the correct toy. She does this flawlessly, even when it's a new toy that she's never seen before.

But once you've taught that dog human concepts, it's no longer a canine - it's a Canine Sapiens, a hybrid between dog and Homo Sapiens (which is Latin for Thinking Man). It cannot happily go back to the pack. Without wishing to conduct such an experiment, I went to England for two weeks and Lucy went to the kennel. The kennel belongs to a reputable breeder and Lucy had her own 'penalty box' (cage) placed inside a three by six foot kennel. There were other dogs there so you'd think she'd be fine, but these were 'Pack Dogs', dogs that the breeder keeps solely for breeding. One barks, they all bark. One runs around the yard, they all run around the yard. Lucy was having none of it, and their primitive antics had her stressed out. When I returned to pick her up she went wild with joy! She ran around the truck about ten times barking, crying, tail wagging, face licking, and all manner of expressions of love. I began to speak with the breeder about England but Lucy jumped into the truck through an open door and barked her head off so loud that she could not be ignored. "I guess I'm being summoned," I told the breeder. Man, was she happy to get out of there!

This is why several universities in the U.S. have stopped teaching gorillas and other primates American Sign Language in doctoral theses. Once the studies are over the animals are returned to cages in the zoo. No more riding around in cars for you! No more ice cream cones for you! The animals, now capable of reasoning to a degree, are back in cages languishing for the good old days with their human friends, unable to relate to the other primates around them. The universities have decided that it's unethical behavior to abandon them once they've formed attachments to their trainers. You need a PHD in behavioral psychology to figure that out?

It can be frustrating to try teaching a dog an advanced concept. If you find yourself yelling or getting frustrated with the dog simply back off. Stop. The problem is too complex for her present state of understanding and she doesn't know what you want. The solution is to break the problem into smaller steps. You didn't learn algebra before you learned to count, add, subtract, divide and multiply. You didn't learn to multiply until you learned to add the same number three times to itself. Dogs have similar minds to humans, except that they're somewhat limited in potential. But if you give the dog credit for being able to think with the ability of a three year old child, you'll be surprised at what they will learn.

Your dog has a conscience. How do I know this? Your dog dreams, which is a sure indication of a bifurcated mind with a conscious and a subconscious. The dog dreams after having a good day, or a bad day. When they've had a good day, they fall asleep and within five minutes enter the REM phase of their sleep pattern. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, and it happens almost right away in dogs. In humans it takes about an hour and thirty minutes. During REM sleep the dog can be whining, barking, chasing, wagging its tail, eating, chewing, swimming. You'll recognize a dog who is dreaming when you see it, trust me, but what that dream indicates is that it has a subconscious mind that's free to relive the experiences of the day. If it has a subconscious mind then it must have a conscious mind, because you can't have one without the other, unless it's in a coma.

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fridlyckans1234 · 4 years ago

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Training Your Dog Humanely: Part One

Welcome the Dog to the Human World

Lucy knows several hundred concepts and commands, from Jump In The Boat, (fridlyckans) to Don't Go In The Street. She rarely plays now but when she was younger I would throw her ball into the street (a rural highway) and when she realized the ball had gone out of reach, rolling into forbidden territory, she would put on the brakes and stop before crossing an imaginary line. That line used to be a piece of yellow rope lying across the driveway about 20 feet from the street. After she learned the concept the rope was taken away, she was allowed to go out to pee on her own; I could trust her not to go past the imaginary line. That concept, Don't Go In The Street, is central to a dog being able to live happily in the human world. It's the difference between a deer or a raccoon crossing the road and your pet's thinking. It has learned that highways (a human construct not appearing in the dog pack vocabulary) are very bad.

Your dog has a conscience. How do I know this? Your dog dreams, which is a sure indication of a bifurcated mind with a conscious and a subconscious. The dog dreams after having a good day, or a bad day. When they've had a good day, they fall asleep and within five minutes enter the REM phase of their sleep pattern. REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement, and it happens almost right away in dogs. In humans it takes about an hour and thirty minutes. During REM sleep the dog can be whining, barking, chasing, wagging its tail, eating, chewing, swimming. You'll recognize a dog who is dreaming when you see it, trust me, but what that dream indicates is that it has a subconscious mind that's free to relive the experiences of the day. If it has a subconscious mind then it must have a conscious mind, [http://www.fridlyckans.com] because you can't have one without the other, unless it's in a coma.

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fridlyckans123 · 4 years ago

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Training Your Dog Humanely: Part One

Welcome the Dog to the Human World

The conscious mind contains the rules construct - the things I'm allowed to do, as well as the things I'm not allowed, but want to do. The subconscious mind contains the entire spectrum, desires, memories, emotions, autonomic functions, but it's missing one important thing - the rules construct. It's ungoverned. If you accept this, then you accept that a dog's brain is constructed similarly to ours and is capable of many of the same things our brain can do. To love, to feel guilty, to think, to desire, to reason, to manipulate, to trust, to obey, to not break certain rules. A dog learns within four months of age not to pee in the house. Amazing when you consider that it spent the first 10 weeks at its mother's breast. How then, if it did not have a conscious mind with a rules construct? By instinct? By pack mentality? No, from learning, which you will be responsible for.

So that's where it starts: by giving the dog some credit for being able to think. If you don't you'll be treating her just like The Keller parents treated their deaf and blind daughter Helen. Helen Keller became a successful author and public speaker but only after a miracle worker, Anne Sullivan, decided to credit her with a brain that worked. Her parents had written her off as backward. That's your job, to be the miracle worker for your four legged Helen. Don't credit the dog with thinking ability and it won't learn anything useful.

Your dog is handicapped in several ways. The first is that it devotes ten times more of its brain to odors than we do. It devotes one tenth of its brain to visual information than we do. A dog can have a cookie right in front of it, but when it's searching for it using scent, it can't see it. A dog seems to shut off its visual memory in favor of olfactory memory. When they are sniffing you can hear the nose whoot, whoot, whoot, as they sample quickly for a trace. They also move their heads when sampling so they know which direction to go. You'll learn to redirect the dog's brain to become a listener and a watcher while giving your lessons. They'll learn faster when they know they're being taught something. With a visual and verbal clue, your dog will pay attention, "Aha, the Master is trying to show me something important." fridlyckans

Your First Lesson: The Binary Method

I have always had it easy training my dog - I live alone. If you have a family, all of whom suddenly are doggy experts from watching the Whisperer, tell them all to take a hike. If they won't go, then take the dog out for a walk in a private setting. Be alone with the dog, period. No distractions. No other dogs or people. You are the only sensory inputs that the dog will have to deal with. This makes the job much simpler. When you've taught the dog one simple thing, make sure that all family and friends use the same method of communication. The dog has a limited capacity, which is high enough, but it will be wasted if it has to learn three ways to sit, six ways to come here, and so on. If it's your dog, take responsibility and get other people to address the dog in your manner or leave the animal alone.

Your dog learns very quickly and easily using the binary method. With the binary method, the dog learns quite a lot and quite fast. They also learn by association. The binary method is how we begin a dog's training and it works wonders with puppies or new dogs. The association method is for later, when your dog has learned the basics and is ready for more. We'll talk about the binary method first, and association in later parts of this article.

What is the binary method? Binary means two. There are two things that your dog has to learn from you. That's all, just two. Everything else follows from there. Once they've learned those two things, you've got it made in the shade. Your dog will become the most obedient, happy little fur creature on the street. And she'll be ready to learn more. Once a dog has picked up the binary method, there's no going back, she now thinks like a human.

On my walks with my dog, I show her off to people and tell them about the binary method. "There are two things your dog must learn and once it has, she can learn everything else. Do you know what those two things are?" I ask them. I'm amazed at the responses I get, and have yet to hear the correct response. "Patience and humility," one guy says. I haven't taught my dogs humility yet, so I have to refrain from laughing at some of these stabs at a very simple concept. Does he think I'm prepping her for Divinity College?

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store2oldguys · 7 years ago

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Who Are Your Power Animals? (Sometimes A Skunk Isn’t Just A Skunk!)

Summary: Native Americans believe that each animal carries its own special energies and gifts, and that each animal has a gift to give each of us. Do you know what animals are guiding you on your individual journey? Are you aware of the gifts they are offering you?

Imaginary Guides

You can think of your Animal Totems as imaginary guides on your life journey. You might also think of them as Power Animals because each one imparts a special energy, or power, to your life.

By obs…

Article Body: Native Americans believe that each animal carries its own special energies and gifts, and that each animal has a gift to give each of us. Do you know what animals are guiding you on your individual journey? Are you aware of the gifts they are offering you?

Imaginary Guides

You can think of your Animal Totems as imaginary guides on your life journey. You might also think of them as Power Animals because each one imparts a special energy, or power, to your life.

By observing how each animal lived, found mates, located food and protected itself, Native Americans were able to define the animal’s particular strengths and weaknesses. For example, bears hibernated during the winter, so it was said that they possessed the magic of dreams. They were also formidable foes, so Bear Energy was also about physical power and strength.

It’s fascinating to note that different cultures (not just Native Americans) came up with similar interpretations for all individual animals.

Spiritual Energies

Native Americans as well as other cultures used Shamans to help them connect with the Earth around them, and with the power of the animals. Using dreams and visions, these Shamen would connect with the “manitou” of the animals. The manitou of an animal is its primal spiritual energy- wolfness, deerness, foxness…etc.

It was believed that every human being had a particular manitou (or several) which they were especially attuned to. These were their personal animal totems.

They discovered their totems through vision quests, although sometimes the totem made themselves known in other ways. For example, if you were attacked by a wild animal, it was believed that that particular animal totem had chosen you itself.

Physical and Spiritual Qualities

Each animal that exists has several qualities, both physical and spiritual. The qualities in your personal Animal Totems are qualities that you might connect with, feel a deep affinity towards, or simply need more of in your life.

Here are some brief descriptions of the qualities of a few animals. Read carefully. One of them just might be one of your Animal Totems.

Skunk: Self-confidence, self-esteem, self-respect, creative energy, paying attention to intuition and inner knowings

Alligator: Power to survive, keeper of ancient wisdom, clairvoyance

Cat: Magic, mystery, curiosity, independence, healing, unpredictability, inner balance, moving through fears

Frog: Seeing in all directions, physical and emotional cleansing, metamorphosis, creative power

Shark: Peace, solitude, emotional transformation, power of protection

Your Animal Totems instruct and protect you throughout your life’s journey. When you discover an animal that speaks strongly to you, an animal you feel you must draw more deeply into your life, try surrounding yourself with images of this animal. This will let the animal know it is welcome in your space.

Finding Your Animal Totems

One way to “meet” one of your Animal Totems is to do a guided visualization. Create Sacred Space by using music, a candle, incense, or a smudge stick. Sit quietly and very slowly scan your body, paying particular attention to each of the seven chakras. Then choose one chakra to return to and focus your attention there. Ask the animal who resides there to make its nature known to you. Wait. Listen. Watch.

Remember to be patient. Don’t give up. You might not “see” anything the first time you do this.

Sometimes your Animal Totem is nearby, just out of your sight, watching you to see if you’re serious about connecting with it. Continue to do this guided visualization until one of your animals makes itself known to you.

During your meditation, when you do “meet” one of your Animal Totems, look it in the eye and remember to greet it with affection and curiosity. Ask it how it’s feeling today. Ask it its name.

Remember that this encounter is totally in your imagination; therefore it is in your control. There is nothing to fear.

At some point, move from your body into the body of the animal. Look at yourself from the eyes of this sacred animal and notice what you see. After a while, return to your own body and continue your conversation with it.

Ask your Animal Guide the following questions, so that you can learn more about its meaning for you and its place on your journey:

Who are you? What do you have to give me? What do you want from me? How will I remember what you have taught me?

Be sure to give it ample time to respond, and expect to be surprised!

You might be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised by an animal that makes itself known to you. Try to accept the animal who wants to be with you rather than forcing a different one to be there.

Trust the process- My Summer of Skunks

It is generally believed that an Animal Totem chooses you, and not vice versa. The animals you love just might be your totems but then again, they might not! The animals which come to you when you are open and accepting are the ones you need to work with. They will have the strengths and weaknesses that you already posses, and they will have lessons for you to learn.

A few years ago, I was continually seeing skunks in our front yard, even in broad daylight. This is highly unusual skunk behavior, I assure you! A few times I also glimpsed a white skunk with a black stripe!

Later, I learned that skunks are really about self-respect, self-esteem, and inner protection through intuition. And I was seeing them at a season of my life when I felt completely powerless and unprotected regarding some difficult family situations which directly affected my self-respect and self-esteem.

Coincidence? I think not! I haven’t seen them brazenly walk across my front yard since that summer several years ago. I believe that Skunk had a message for me that year, and I believe that if I need him again, he will be there.

Honor Your Animal Guides with SoulCollage®

SoulCollage® is a personal growth tool that is a mystical magical blend of intuitive art and imaginative play. It was created by Seena Frost in 1989 as she worked with clients in her therapy practice in California.

One of the suits in the SoulCollage® deck is Companions, where you can create unique collaged cards to honor your special animal guides. Making a card like this, and working with it within the SoulCollage® process is an excellent way to honor these special animal energies, and to get to know your animal totems in a creative, imaginative way.

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