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| PUPPY CLASS STARTS SUNDAY: Socializing, Basic Training, Review Issues |
| Boats |
| 03/15/06 |
For registration or more information contact Sasha
510-849-9323
http://www.companyofdogs.com/
PUPPY PREP
Help your pup gain socialization skills with people and other dogs during lots of play time. Humans learn about dog body lanaguage and how they communicate with one another as well as review puppy issues such as housebreaking, crating, chewing, mouthing, home alone, and more. We'll also get started with training basics. Six months & younger with 2 sets of shots. A vet tech will be at one class to teach you how to clip our puppies nails. Positive Reinforcement and clicker training included.
Four Sundays, March 19-April 9, 3 - 4 PM
$100 for advance registration
Classes are held in Berkeley at the North Grace Church (the church that invites dogs to Sunday Service!) in the Community / Labyrinth Room. Located at 2138 Cedar St. near Shattuck Ave, Berkeley.
The article below iby the trainer apeared in the February issue of The Woofer Times.
Dog Talk
Understanding Your Dog’s Body Language
by Sasha Futran
Valentine’s Day and the bliss of sharing love with your significant other . . . by that I mean your dog, of course! Go give your canine Valentine a hug. You’ll probably get a big lick in return, or your dog will bounce off joyfully for a toy and rush back with an adoring look. But wait. Hugging isn’t understood as a friendly act by dogs; they can find hugs hostile and scary. In fact, a safe variation of a hug is used in temperament testing to see if a dog’s reaction is uneasy tolerance or an attempt to escape or even biting. So what made your hug not just okay, but understood as an act of love?
Well, dogs have a lot of time on their paws. They spend it observing us. So your dog knows exactly how you mean that hug. She understands your tone and attitude. She knows you wouldn’t hurt her. That understanding overrides the body language that in “dog talk” would otherwise have made the hug an aggressive act.
Just like bending over and giving your dog a pat on the head. In canine language, bending over a dog is threatening. However, most dogs just come to accept this as a friendly act. It’s something humans do. But don’t try it with a dog that is anxious and scared or sending any other kind of signal that says “Please don’t come near me.” If you were to approach such a dog, your body language had better say you’re friendly. (Check out what to do below.)
Dogs and humans speak different body languages. This makes it easy to send the wrong message by mistake. Since good communication is key to any relationship, it’s important that what you are saying to your dog – or to any dog – with your body is what you mean. It can make a difference in how quickly and solidly you bond. It can affect obedience training. It can play a role in resolving or exacerbating behavior problems.
For example, we humans look directly at one another when we talk. Our eyes pretty much stay connected and engaged and we face one another directly. In fact, we would consider someone who spoke to us without eye contact a little odd. We’d find it rude if a person always had his body turned away. In dog language, however, one dog staring directly at another is an aggressive act. Most dogs understand this.
For that painfully shy or anxious dog, how humans use our bodies can make a difference. Having your side to the dog rather than facing it squarely, and looking at the ground rather than staring at the dog when talking will make him a lot more comfortable. In dog talk, it’s the difference between saying “I come in peace” and “Wanna fight?!”
Dogs communicate with one another using their bodies. And unlike most humans, dogs know that a wagging tail doesn’t necessarily mean a friendly dog. Is the wag relaxed and wide, or is the tail straight out and the wag very slow? The exact positions of their tails and ears have meaning, too. Whether a dog’s eyes are open wide or closed into narrowed slits transmits important information. Small eyes, flattened ears, and a relaxed tail (neither rigidly upright nor tucked down between back legs) are signs of friendliness.
Reading a dog’s body language, of course, also depends on the type of ears, tail, etc. Think about the difference between a Boxer, Chow or Golden Retriever’s tails and you’ll understand the problem. It’s the difference between having basically no tail to observe (Boxer), one that curls over the dog’s back (Chow) and a Retriever’s more easily read tail. However, there are enough other signs to interpret and recognize what is being said. So if you can’t read the tail, just look at what is going on with eyes, ears, mouth, and how the body is being held.
In On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals, Turid Rugaas – a Norwegian dog trainer and behaviorist – reports that dogs yawn when stressed to calm themselves and others. You can yawn and calm your dog. I’ve done it and it works.
Learning how dogs communicate with their bodies can be a lot of fun. Think of it as living with someone who speaks a foreign language. Once you know a few words, the more you listen to them speak or, in this case, the more you observe how they use their bodies to communicate, the more you will understand.
Sasha Futran is a dog trainer and behavior modification consultant. You can contact her at: http://www.companyofdogs.com/ /
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