Drives and adjunct
generalized-anxiety lowering measures: Although through selective breeding we’ve done a great job greatly
modifying the physical appearance of our domesticated dogs (take the
English Bulldog for example), we haven’t done as great a job at modifying
their biological make-up. Because of this, dogs are still dogs and come
with an array of wonderful drives, which resemble their more primitive
urges. Remember, your dog is an animal, not dissimilar to his cousin the
wolf!
These
drives include but are not limited to digging, scavenging, chewing,
dissecting, and hunting.
In the
past, it was believed that it was acceptable to turn these drives off
completely. So, if your dog was a digger, we turned the digging off by
punishing it. If he liked to chew, we stopped him from chewing, etc. However, as a
result of turning off natural drives, dogs find other outlets for their
urges, and often these outlets are abnormal or unnatural. A dog
who is not allowed to act out his drives will find himself with an
increased level of anxiety and you may see him begin whirling, chasing
shadows, or acting out in other ways which are more serious.
In
people, this is analogous to us being punished for laughing or crying—our
biological drives!!! Can you
imagine how you would feel if you were always punished for laughing? You
wouldn’t lose your urge to laugh, you’d still have it, but it would
manifest itself in ways like chewing your fingernails, or tapping your
toe, etc. So, we
now know that it’s healthiest for our dogs to allow them outlets for their
drives.
Of course, we’re not going to allow them to run about exercising
their drives at will, so our task is to provide them outlets that are
legal and are also acceptable to us. A dog who
likes to dig, for example, will benefit greatly from a digging pit and his
owner will benefit greatly from keeping her yard intact. Luckily we know of many activities that allow for the expression of
these drives while also allowing us to exist harmoniously with our beloved
canine companions. Environment Enrichment: All dogs require physical and
mental stimulation daily. Some more than others.
Most dogs need at least 30 minutes
of pulse-raising activity a day to remain happy and healthy. Walks are
super, but they don’t satisfy this requirement. The dog park is my
favorite way to get your dog this kind of exercise, but you can also run
with him, take him for hikes, play fetch (long distance), take him to
daycare, etc. Whatever it is
you decide to do, just make sure that he’s panting and getting cardio
exercise every single day. Your dog also
needs legal outlets for his drives such as digging, scavenging, and
chewing. Make sure that Brady’s environment is enriched with all kinds of
chewies such as ropes, bully sticks, pigs ears, Kongs, etc. Audition all
kinds of things and keep his favorites on hand. The
game of Tug is also a great anxiety-lowering game to play with your dog,
but it has rules, which a qualified trainer can teach you in a hands-on
session. Fetch is a fabulous game to play, which also has rules. Basic
Obedience and Nothing For Free: Dogs
operate best and live most happily in an environment in which they must
work for everything. For example, a
dog who eats through work-to-eat strategies such as Buster Cubes or Kongs,
is generally more mentally sound than one who is handed a bowl of food
every day.
A dog who must sit before greeting visitors is generally better
behaved all-around, and has a better relationship with his owner than one
who is allowed to jump and greet visitors at his leisure. By
enlisting work-to-eat strategies (feeding in the Kong, by Buster Cube, or
Tricky Treat Ball, etc.), and requiring basic obedience commands before
your dog is given food or treats, access to friends, play at the park,
anything at all that he likes, he will naturally adopt a more
obedient demeanor and will best bond with you. With a bit of
time, he will learn that everything good in his life comes through
you. It’s
a deal; he can have what he wants if he will do something first for you to
get it. “I can greet friends if I first sit”, “I can eat if
I first lay down”, “I can go
through a door if I first wait” and so on.
Work
to eat strategies also satisfy biological drives such as scavenging and
can help blur absences for dogs who are uncomfortable with being left
alone!!! You gotta love it! For more information about work to eat toys and where to buy, see the resources section of my website or refer to the prop handout received in your training session. Cristine Dahl,
CTC Not for duplication or distribution without author permission.
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