In the last step, you clarified exactly why you own your dog. You defined the specific characteristics of your intended relationship. In the next step, you will explore what your partner on the path wants. You will define your dog's criteria and rules for success.
This is important, because the way to achieve success is to align your values and rules with your dog's values and rules. You first have to be clear about each before you can make any changes.
Dogs are generally lopsided. I'm not speaking of their posture - I'm referring to the way their priorities usually lean in one direction. Like us, their ultimate goal is to improve their life, but they have very dogcentric goals needed to achieve them. The purpose of this step is to understand what makes your particular dog tick. What are his priorities and values? What are his rules about achieving them? Exactly how does your dog go about meeting these criteria, and what are his strate-gies? What are his beliefs? And how does he communicate them to you?
Dogs generally have four main priorities. They are:
- Safety - Your dog cares about his own personal safety, down to the safety of his pack and/or territory.
- Companionship - Your dog focuses on his coexistence with other animals or people.
- Comfort - He cares about everything from a consistently full belly, to full access to the warmest resting spot in the house.
- Adventure - He requires stimulating experiences that range from exploring the back yard, to exploring the countryside with his owners.
What does your dog want to do more than anything? If given the choice, would he choose a game of ball in the yard? Or would he rather lie on the sofa in front of the fireplace? Does your dog get excited about running down the street, investi-gating the neighbor's children? Or does he choose to guard the fence of your front yard?
It's important to figure out your dog's highest value, or in other words, his number one priority. Once you've deciphered this, study him and try to discover what his rules are. List his criteria. When is he most satisfied? What gives him the least satisfaction? What causes him stress? Are there any situations he tends to avoid?
For example, if your dog's priority is companionship, then what is his definition of companionship? For some dogs, it is to follow you around all day, receiving constant attention. For others, it may be a quick game of Frisbee, before he is satisfied.
Some dogs need every person that they see to acknowledge them. Still, others may only feel satisfied when they play with other dogs.
There are an infinite number of variables that must occur for your dog to feel that his priorities have been met. This is what makes your dog unique. Who is your dog? Write down the specifics of your dog's criteria. Study him and you'll know his priorities and rules. But this is not all. There is still one more aspect that you need to know in detail about your dog before you can take further steps. Learn his "M.O." You now know your dog's values and criteria. How does he go about meeting his criteria to satisfy his needs? What are his strategies for success? These strategies are specific behaviors and actions he uses on a daily basis. This is his style. Is he persistent, or does he give up easily? Does he vocalize to you, or is he the more subtle, "sad look" type? When he wants something, how does he go about trying to get it?
The criteria of some dogs mandate that they control every-thing all of the time. Others achieve their results through subtle manipulation. A select few will use outright aggressive intimidation.
Observe when your dog wants to play. Does he shove the ball in your lap, or does he stand by the door and bark? Or does your dog lie down and give you a winsome expression?
You need to become familiar with your dog's communication style, too. You must be able to read how your dog feels. How else will you know if he feels his values are being satisfied or not? If you can't tell when he's happy or sad, you won't know if he's reached his goals. Study your dog's facial expressions and body language. Understand, in detail, how he acts when he's expressing his emotions. This is a critical skill. If you write all of this down, you'll have a "dictionary" of your dog's language.
You now have the components of your dog's personality profile. Knowing this will help you predict how and why he will behave in most any situation. Having a successful relationship with your dog means that his agenda is aligned with yours. If your rules conflict with each other, you need to be aware of them. These are the kinks that must be worked out of your relationship. In addition, look for the similarities. These are great launching points to create rapport with your dog.
Excerpt from "Walking The Path Of Success With Your Dog" by Corey Cohen (c)2002. All Rights Reserved. Corey is a behavior and relationship specialist who teaches owners how to create successful relationships with their dogs. He offers a FREE ebook & ezine at his site. For more info on his book, surf at: http://www.PetRelationships.com/ebook.htm
