Re: [pyrnet]Cindy/When a Dog Bites

[rene1@sprint.ca]

>Sariena, found your information very interesting.  Because I also have
>horses in my life I also found some correlation there.  In much the same
>manner, people peg horses as being, crazy, man killers, need to be
>destroyed etc.  The bottom line is also that it may be more a matter of
>us not working well with what is natural to them.
---
* Funny you should mention this! I too have horses and deal with them in a
much different fashion than my dogs. I mentioned some of the methods used in
conditioning my horses, to my trainer. He said that alot of people said that
his way of dealing with a dog sounds the same as they deal with equine's.
Most people believe that dogs are strong willed, always trying to be
dominant, afraid of nothing, and deal with them accordingly. But there are
alot of dogs with the same Flight instinct as Horses, deer, cows etc.
These dogs need to be handled more carefully, they shut down when pushed to
hard. If pushed too quickly or to hard, they will be quick to withdraw.
Initially the approach should be laid back and the pace casual. A soft
approach to training, without being domineering. Exposure to change should
be gradual. Giving the dog time to check out the situation and finish the
task. Being patient and training slowly and gently with a sense of casual
informality, usually works best. All the while acting enthusiastic and
upbeat. This increase's responsiveness to training and will instill
confidence and security.
By me pushing Zeus into situations that made him uncomfortable,( I thought
just being around something that sacred him, would help him get used to it,
and overcome his fear) and not giving him the right tools to deal with his
fear, I inadvertently showed him that his first instinct( to leave or hide)
was not working, and this in turn made him feel that the only way to protect
himself was to fight.
.
> The fact that 1,000
>lb. animals do not kill more humans, may be more the amazing event.  For
>most of horse/mankind relationship it has been one of dominating or
>breaking the horses spirit. 
.
*You are sooo right! 
Of course I do not belive in "Breaking" a horse, I use the term
"conditioning" instead. I want my horses to work with me, to be in
partnership. 
I don't think that I was overly dominating to Zeus, although, I was told by
my former trainer, the importance of being seen as "ALPHA" 
But I do think that I was overly "Expressive" Wanted him to "Deal" with his
fears, instead of teaching him how to work through them at his own pace. I
so wanted everyone to know the happy go lucky teddy bear, that I knew. But
this was not right for him, at least not at the pace I set.
I must admit I get easily frustrated, and tend to set impossible standards
and paces, even for myself.
.
>  This is a dog list, so I won't go in to
>it as deeply here ( if you want to go off list with this, it would be
>interesting to talk about ). 
*Sure, anytime!
.
>I think we need to understand the dog, move
>with the times in what is being learned about the dog, and adjust
>ourselves accordingly.
.
* I competely agree.
.
>I enjoyed reading about how the trainer looked at things, judged both you
>and the dog and your relationship, and worked at it from there. 
.
*You know how he evaluates humans? He gets you to answer (Honestly, boy was
that hard!) the same questions as the dog has. "Pretend if you were a dog,
what would the answers be?"

 As I
>have said before, I am glad you made the effort!  :-) 
* Zeus was worth the effort. And it has really helped both him and me. With
the way I deal with him, and the way he reacts to any situation.
If I had gave up, and not gone through all of this, my life and the world
would be less one really great (misunderstood) dog.

Sariena
Owned by Zeus (Pyr) & Pepsi (SheppardX)



Cindy
>
>Cindy Henke
>clhenke@juno.com
>Ennis, Texas
>
>"All knowledge, the totality of all questions and answers, is contained
>in the dog."  ~ Franz Kafka
>
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