Have you ever wondered what Dog Listening is actually about? Think it sounds like, well, fluff? What can you really hear when listening to a dog? Barks or whining, right?
But if you have ever experienced issues like your dog jumping up on visitors or on family members coming the house, or you have a dog with separation anxiety that tears up the house when you’re away, or why not a dog that’s a fussy eater and has to be handfed with lobster, dog listening is definitely something you want to know more about.
As it turns out, dog listening is far from haphazard and dubious , and can help you solve all of these very common problems!
It is actually based on scientific studies of how wolves interact and communicate in the pack.
But dogs and wolves are not the same you might argue. Looking at the exterior of many dogs, it’s easy to relate to that argument. When comparing a Chihuahua or a Chinese Crested with a wolf, it’s hard to see the resemblance, right?
But take a Siberian Husky or an Alaskan Malamute and you immediately spot the superficial resemblance to a wolf. And yet, they belong to the exact same species as the Chihuahua.
Although dogs do display some behaviors different from those of wolves, they are in all significant ways still the same species. Wolves and all kinds of dogs can interbreed and have pups that can also breed and have pups.
So, what does this mean when it comes to living with dogs from a Dog Listener’s viewpoint?
First, dogs live in a very confusing world built by us humans. They have no internal reference points whatsoever when it comes to common human activities. To go for a walk, stop to chat, go for a ride, or always having food available at all times are all unknown concepts to a dog.
On the inside, dogs are still wolves. To truly understand how they interpret the world around them you have to realize they are in no way humans. They do not interpret what’s going on around them the same way humans do. This is an easy trap to fall into.
On that same notion, we cannot interpret a dog’s behavior using human behavior as reference.
You know how a dog that has done something to anger its owner is often said to be ashamed?
That statement is based on how the dog hunches down and lowers its head. But that is a sign of fear and submission, not shame. Dog’s don’t do shame, that’s a purely human concept.
But it’s much more convenient for us humans to say the dog is ashamed than to realize it’s afraid of us. The former explanation puts the lime light on the dog, making it the culprit. The latter puts the lime light on ourselves and our behavior causing the dog to be afraid.
This is an easily understood and much cited example that gives a pretty clear understanding of what Dog Listening is all about.
A Dog Listener strives to understand dogs and how they behave from the biological standpoint that dogs are wolves living in a pack. For dogs, the pack is the humans they live with.
Our dogs are dependent on us being reliable leaders making all the important decisions around the pack’s everyday life.
So, what are the important things to consider here? In short, it’s the safety of the pack, hunting for food, understanding who’s who in the pack and who’s in charge of the food. These are the basic survival issues for the dog.
Dog Listening is all about making it clear to your dog, that you are capable of taking responsibility and making the decisions in the pack. And that in a way it can actually understand.
It’s not a training method, but a way of living with dogs and making their lives stress free and happy. And, it’s also a way of making your life with your dog or dogs stress free and happy!
Dog Listening can solve all those common issues so many of us dog owners have with our darling dogs. Incessant barking will stop. Separation anxiety leading to destroyed furniture or a howling dog will be cured. Your dog will quit jumping all over guests or family members coming home.
That’s the beauty of this method.
There are two main reasons to why I decided to become a Dog Listener. First, there is never any violence involved in any form, not psychologically and certainly not physically. No evil gadgets are used!
Second, the Dog Listening method is a way of empowering you as your dog’s owner to become the natural leader of your pack. You don’t need a trainer working with your dog. In fact, a Dog Listener very rarely works directly with a dog. Instead, the focus is on teaching you, your dog’s owner, how to understand and interact with your dog. You will grow to become the reliable leader of your dog’s pack.
This is why I love Dog Listening.