Dog Psychology

Craig Shaw’s View On Dog Psychology.

It's A Dog's Life

Canis lupus familiaris. The Latin name hides so much of our faithful companions and much professed ‘man’s best friend’, otherwise known as ‘dog’. As any dog owner can tell you, sharing our lives with our canine companions does not always go smoothly. From chewing your footwear and socks, scratching walls and carpets, to chasing the postman and other passing dogs, there are many habits that we would prefer our dogs would not have, despite our best efforts.

It is at times like these that we are reminded that, unlike the fabled Dr Doolittle, we cannot talk to the animals. Despite the long time mankind and dogs have spent together (with the first domestication of dogs being thought to have occurred at least around 17,000BC, if not much earlier), we are as different now as we have always been. In spite all of the ‘tricks’ we can teach our dogs, and any shared empathy or understanding we seem to have, dogs cannot speak English (or any other human language for matter), and never will.
It is with this realisation that we are reminded that our only option is for us to learn how to ‘speak dog’. Enter the wondrous world of the dog behaviour professional, those wonderful people who have dedicated great time and effort into studying the body language of dogs and how they ‘think’, in an attempt to help the rest of us to understand our canine other-halves. With an estimated 7.3 million dogs in the UK alone, there is a lot work to do.

It is worth noting at this point the difference between a dog trainer, and a dog psychologist. A dog trainer is an accomplished and skilled person who uses his or her skill to train a dog to comply to standard commands, like ‘sit’, ‘stay’,’ lie down’ etc. At the same time, a trainer seeks to teach the dog’s owner how to control the dog, and above all to do what the owner wants.
By contrast, a dog psychologist uses similar skills, as well as a greater degree of intuition and study of animal body language, to interpret a dog’s behaviour. Through careful handling of both the dog and its owner, this insight is used to teach the owner to both understand and improve the dog’s behaviour.
Many dog trainers and psychologists have earned great respect in the community. Some, like Cesar Millan (who prefers the moniker ‘The Dog Whisperer’) have gained notoriety and fame through working with celebrity dog problems across in the USA, including appearing in his own television series. He is just one of many dog psychologists who attempt to further the better control and care of animals, though compassion and understanding.

Nikki & Her Pack

Following much of the same philosophy, west midlands-based Nikki Louise Brown, also known as ‘The Canine Angel’, is indeed often considered an angel by those she helps with their dog problems. Although a slender 5’7” thirty –something, she has accumulated a vast understanding of dogs, their behaviour and how to correct undesirable habits. Using body language to determine what your dog is really trying to communicate and feeling, she has an almost uncanny grasp of what your pooch is thinking. Nikki points out the distinction between a dog trainer and a psychologist like herself. “A dog psychologist differs from a dog trainer because dog trainers teach dogs to behave in a certain way. A dog psychologist will try to teach the owners WHY a dog is behaving in a certain way and get the owners to change their behaviour, so the dog in turn changes itself. “

“Nikki became interested in really studying what makes dogs ‘tick’ after a personal tragedy, when she lost her own pet dog Jake, after he ran away and was hit by a car. Her loss was the inspiration she needed to start her on a path she is on today, as a full time dog behaviour advisor – she is on a mission “to help other dog owners understand the mind and the needs of their dogs, so I can help build better relationships with people , their animals and ultimately save more lives.”

After completing a course in dog psychology at the Cumbria-based Canine Behaviour Centre, several years volunteer work in animal rescue homes, and a lifetime’s study of animals and Dogs in particular, she became a full time dog psychologist in 2008.
Nikki is a firm believer in a more modern and compassionate way of training dogs, a far cry from the all the shouting, discipline, and reward and punishment orientated training methods of the past. The popular thinking in dog training circles now is that positive behaviour should be rewarded, and negative behaviour should, where possible, be ignored – or at least corrected with the minimum amount of force and attention. This leads to a faster shaping of a dogs habits, based upon positive experiences, and without any fear or discomfort on the dogs part. By working with animals ‘in their own world’, that is, with body language and using actions that the dog immediately understands, a new level of trust and understanding can be formed with your pet.

Nikki Gives Kane An Energy Balancing Treatment

Nikki is also a strong adherent in the belief that the energy inside all of us (and in animals like our canine family members) can be manipulated and improved, through what is commonly known as Energy Healing techniques. Nikki explains this concept of healing and helping her canine subjects. “Energy healing therapy is about the transferral of energy from one living species to another. If a dogs energy is unbalanced then it will have health and behavioural issues going on”. A belief in different regions, or ‘chakras’, within the human body and their manipulation is not new, going back at to early Hindu and Buddhist cultures in India, or even earlier. But applying these techniques to animals is comparatively new.

For example, Nikki explains how she uses the technique to help aggressive dogs. “Aggressive dogs usually have an imbalance in the solar plexus energy centre, as this is where fear and fire energy comes from. You may find yourself, that when you are angry or upset, your stomach is usually affected. I use my energy to transform calm energy into the animal, relaxing it and rebalancing their chakras – there are 9 major chakras and hundreds on minor energy points within the body, be that animal or human. Calming positive thought creates positive energy and by laying your hands over the affected or unbalanced animal you can transfer your calm energy to that animal and healing takes place”. Nikki has found that energy healing can help with a number of psychological and physical symptoms in her subjects.

So when might you need the services of a dog psychologist?. Signs that your dog sees itself as the ‘pack leader’ vary, from walking through doors before you, pulling when on the lead, to demanding or stealing food. More extreme behaviours might be fear or aggression around other dogs, people or both. Typically, it usually takes 2- 3 weeks of consistent training to break old habits and form new ones, It can then in my opinion take 4-12 months to really establish a set routine and work through any behavioural issues the dog might have.
Above all, it is important to treat your dog like a dog, as Nikki explains. “The single most important thing to remember is to always remain calm and assertive around your dog. This is how the pack leader would behave naturally. If you are upset, tense or of low or negative energy then you dog will pick this up and respond with different behaviours.”
Most successful communication with dogs occurs through subtle body language, and this is the most important form of communication we have, much more than anything else we can say or do. Following this and other simple rules can lead to a happy and respectful relationship between you and your dog, for years to come.

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