No matter how much we domesticate, love and trust our dogs, it’s amazing how natural instincts can still take over...

Firstly, I need to apologise to my regular readers. This year has just been flying by and I have been very slack with my blog. But I promise I have some exciting content coming up. I have been very busy with my facebook group, Dog Lovers Melbourne (www.facebook.com/groups/154099731434125/) and my facebook page, Dog Lovers Australia (www.facebook.com/dogloversaustralia). Please join them if you haven’t already. Cooper is doing amazingly and we have had a beautiful summer with him. He is very slowly starting to mature.

Me and my gorgeous boy

We had a little bit of an interesting experience with our Mr Cooper when we were down the coast in Phillip Island in February and I just wanted to share it with you all. It was a very good reminder that no matter how much we domesticate, love and trust our dogs, it’s amazing how a dogs natural instincts can still take over.  

Having fun in Phillip Island

The house we stay at in Phillip Island has a massive garden and Cooper absolutely loves it. He looks like a lion roaming around his jungle when we are there. He collects sticks and can entertain himself for hours at a time. One slight issue we have up there though is an abundance of wild rabbits.  Cooper has developed a little obsession over them and as much as we've tried to to teach him not to, he LOVES chasing them! It’s his natural instinct. You see Golden Retrievers were originally bread as hunting dogs who would collect ducks after they had been shot.

One night we were taking Cooper out to go to the toilet before bed and as we opened the door, there were about 4 bunnies sitting in the back yard - Coop went charging. His natural instinct completely took over and to our shock he actually caught one of the bunnies!!! All we heard was the little bunny squeal and jase ran over and grabbed Cooper and the bunny got away. Jase literally had to pick him up and carry him inside (he weighs 32kg).

When we got Coop inside his adrenaline was pumping so hard and he was revved up like we'd never seen before. It took him over an hour of pacing up down wanting to go back outside until finally he calmed down. His natural instinct to hunt was in full flight!!

It was definitely a strange feeling seeing your beloved pet in a state like that. Coop honestly does not have a mean bone in his body and to this day we've never seen the slightest hint of aggression EVER! However it does provide us with a strong reminder that no matter how much we try and domesticate and humanise our dogs, they do have strong natural instincts that can take over.

Coop loving life in Phillip Island

We have been back to Phillip Island since and Cooper still continues to chase the bunnies – although thankfully, he hasn’t caught another one! Maybe the bunnies have learnt how to out smart our pooch! 

Coop at the beach in Phillip Island

Dog Listening – a different approach to training your dog

Jase, Cooper and I have just completed a four week Dog Listener training course so I thought I would share our experience with you all and hopefully inspire you to take on this concept yourselves.

Jase, Coop, Hayley, Tony and myself at training

Cooper has become such a good boy when we are at home. He is calm and obedient and comes when called. But when we go out, that is when things change. His biggest issue is pulling on the lead and his overexcitement at times. I can walk him in a quiet street with a slack lose lead if there are no dogs around, no problem. But bring dogs or young kids in the mix or any other big distractions, and he is strong, persistent and hard work to control. There is no doubt Cooper is a boisterous dog. He is also still young (almost 16 months) so with age, he will calm down, as long as we give him the correct information to do so.

Cooper and his girlfriend Abby. Abby has also done this course and they get to practise together a few times a week. Once they have calmed down, they get to play with each other and they love it!

Jase and I both read Jan Fennell’s book ‘The Dog Listener’ and we just loved the idea behind her approach. We had tried chock chains, gentle leaders and the harness and were not seeing great results. We then saw Tony Knight (Jan Fennell’s son) speak a couple of months ago. And after taking on some of the ideas behind this concept, we decided that we needed to see it in practice. Hayley Wright from Taking the Lead (https://www.facebook.com/takingtheleadtraining) and Tony Knight ran the course and they were fantastic.

The idea behind Dog Listening is that good leadership needs no force, gadgets or dependence on exercise to change a dog's mind. Good communication at critical times is what’s required. Every pack needs a leader and if you do not show those leadership skills, your dog will take on this responsibility and this can become quite stressful for your dog. Dog Listening looks at it from a dogs point of view. Dogs descended from wolves and are pack animals; so all the ideas behind this approach are focused on how a dog establishes its leadership in a pack. Amichien Bonding is the approach we use to get there. “'Amichien Bonding’ gives you a full understanding of why a dog does what it does and a simple way to shape desired behaviour and quietly corrects undesirable behaviours without the use of force, fear, frustration, drugs or gadgets.” (source: http://www.janfennellthedoglistener.com)

Cooper and his cousins - Roxy and Harley. We did a lot of Stop Start Change Direction with Cooper before letting him off the lead to play with them - and he was so much calmer because of it.

Amichien Bonding uses the language that all dogs already understand and all humans can learn.

There are four key elements that are the prime motivators in your dog’s life:

(1) Status - Do you fuss your dog when it comes to you for attention, without its first being asked or invited?

(2) Food -Are you deciding when and where your dog eats?

(3) The Hunt -Does your dog pull on the lead when or walk calmly by your side?

(4) Perceived Danger - Does your dog trust you to take care of anything it perceives as danger or does it over react and try to take control of the situation?

I actually posted a couple of months ago, when I first heard Tony speak, about how you can establish yourself as the leader of the pack using these ideas so feel free to have a read of this too - http://mydogjourney.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/are-you-leader-of-your-pack.html.

After completion of the course, we have learnt that we need to be patient and really see this as a lifestyle change. Plan ahead, get to places earlier so you have the time to calm your dog. When he pulls you, go the other way. If he wants to say hi to another dog, he can, but as long as you get there first. Stop Start Change Direction has changed the way we do things. Everywhere we go, if Cooper pulls on the lead, we turn around and go the other way. It needs to be your decision. You need to show your dog that you are in charge of all aspects in life for your dog to understand that you are in charge. You need to decide when to feed your dog, when to play with your dog, where you are going, if something is dangerous, when the walk starts and finishes, etc.. This approach also teaches you to appreciate your dog for who they are and why they do the things they do – they are dogs after all and dogs bark, dig, roll in mud and pick up dead animals.

 

Cooper interacting with another Golden during the course. The lead is slack and we have walked him over to the dog, not the other way around.

Through the course, we have really been able to see the behaviours that Cooper uses to try and establish himself as the leader. He pulls on the lead, he always tries to get that first bit of eye contact when we walk in the room, he brings us the ball when he wants to play, when we call him to us – he sometimes stops a meter in front so we have to go to him, when we call him over to put the lead on him he ducks his head, the list goes on.  But Jase and I now feel that we are equipped with the right knowledge and skills to stop these behaviours and make Cooper believe that we are the leaders of the pack.

Cooper nudging me with a ball to play with him. I need to initiate play, not the other way around, so i just ignored him.

Another one of Cooper trying to initiate play. It is hard to say no to that face - but you really need to be tough for them to get it. Wait till he has left you alone and then you can initiate the play.

From our experience with Cooper, I can tell you now that Amichien Bonding is not an easy quick fix. It is more of a life style change. You need to be patient and persistent and you really will see a change for the better. Just remember, your dog is always testing you and asking you for answers to establish who is in charge, so you really need to know how to read these signals and give your dog the right answers all the time. Once your dog knows that you are the leader of the pack and can protect and provide for your pack, they will be a much happier and relaxed dog. And you will form an even more beautiful relationship with mans best friend then you ever imagined.

Cooper calm and relaxed, taking a dip in his doggy pool after a walk in the hot Melbourne weather.

It is a fact that caring for a dog can actually make you happier and healthier

When I was at university, as apart of my psychology major, I studied a subject called positive psychology. For my major assessment, my group did a study looking into the correlation between happiness and dog ownership. At the time, there wasn’t much information on this. But I found the topic so interesting that I have recently been looking into it again.

Obviously from personal experience, I know that my life is much more complete with a dog. But recent studies have actually shown that there are physical and mental health benefits that actually come with playing with or snuggling up to our pooches.  

 

Here are a few reasons of my favourite reasons why dogs make people happier, healthier and even thinner:

 

They provide the best companionship.  The unconditional love we get is just the best thing. They make us so happy and are always there to keep us company. When we come home, they are always happy to see us, even if we have just been out for five minutes. When we are sick or sad, they just know and will stay by our side. Studies have actually found that pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.  I work from home some days and having Cooper’s company is just the best. There are times when I think I would be a bit lonely and unhappy without him.

They take the focus off us and make us take care for them. Dogs require a regular feeding and exercise schedule. No matter what mood we are in; depressed, anxious, or stressed, we still always have to get out of bed to feed, exercise, and care for our pets. Caring for a living animal can help make us feel needed and wanted, and take the focus away from our problems. Owning a dog can help teach your children about responsibility, spread the chores around and make them get involved. Plus, studies have found pet owners over the age of 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets. I just love that fact!

They encourage us to exercise more. People with dogs are forced to get out of the house and go for a walk more often than people without dogs. According to the "American Journal of Preventive Medicine" the average duration of walk per week for dog owners in the study was close to 300 minutes while those without dogs only walked for 168 minutes per week. That large difference is especially beneficial for those of us who walk to lose weight!  Cooper is a high-energy dog so we try to take him for two walks a day. There are some days where I know I wouldn’t have gotten up and exercised if it wasn’t for Cooper.

They help us meet new people. Dog owners frequently stop and talk to each other on walks, in dog parks, in pet stores and in training classes. In fact, a study found that a person walking with a dog had three times as many social interactions than when they walked alone. Through Cooper I have made some amazing friends and now actually have some regular doggie play dates with some of them. We love it!

They can actually help to reduce anxiety. The companionship of a dog can offer comfort, help ease anxiety, and build self-confidence for people anxious about going out into the world.

Patting and walking your dog can provide sensory stress relief. Touch and movement are two healthy ways to quickly manage stress. Studies have found that lying with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax. Even just patting your dog can lower your blood pressure, according to a study done at the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine, and dog owners have been shown to have lower triglycerides and cholesterol levels as well. But this could also be from all that walking since exercise is the best way to lower cholesterol.

They are great at cheering up the sick and the elderly. Therapy dogs are used to visit old aged facilities, many hospitals and sick children. They help to calm them down, lower blood pressure and help to put a smile of their faces. We hope to one day get Cooper trained up to be a therapy dog. I am sure the smile on his face would help make others smile.

So all in all dogs really are just the best (can you tell I am slightly biased). They make us happier and healthier and just provide the best companionship.

In saying all of this, owning a dog is not for everyone. Please do your research. Do not rush the decision. They can be costly and take up a lot of your time. If you are thinking about getting a dog, please make sure you choose the right dog for you and your lifestyle.

 

Sources: 

http://www.helpguide.org/life/pets.htm 

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-owning-dog-happier-healthier-and-11460828.html?cat=53

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