I Hear You, Do You See Me?

I am fascinated and, to be honest, a bit confounded by the fact that we have lived with dogs for an estimated 10,000 years and have expected them to learn our language while we have still not really taken the time to fully learn theirs.  Many of my clients have heard me say this very thing.  I just find it so interesting and also a little hard to believe.  But as with everything, times change and attitudes change with them.  Our attitudes toward dogs have changed very gradually over the years but, in my opinion, quite drastically just over the last twenty or thirty. 

The role our canine companions have played in our lives has been different from era to era and culture to culture.  Some cultures have idolized and worshiped certain breeds and treated them like royalty.  Other cultures have seen dogs as not worthy of human attention and nothing but nuisances.  Some cultures still feel this way, sadly.  But here in the United States, dogs have, in greater and greater numbers, become house dwelling constant companions to us.  More and more often they are no longer relegated to the backyard or tied to the front porch or simply allowed to roam.  In many ways, we Americans are behaving in much more responsible ways toward our canine pals by making sure they are living more comfortably, are receiving proper medical care and nutrition, and are properly tagged with our contact information.  And I am so happy about this! So it seems to me that as our relationships with our dogs continue to become closer and more friendly, it would also make sense that our desire to be better able to communicate with and understand our four legged friends would also increase.

As a dog trainer, I meet lots of different types of people who share their lives with dogs.  And in my experience, very few of these wonderful people have much, if any, knowledge of the many types of communications our furry friends are offering on a moment to moment basis.  Sometimes these communications are for our benefit, sometimes they are directed toward other dogs, sometimes they are 'talking' to themselves, and often times it can be a combination of these.  And as I tell my clients, while dogs do vocalize and these vocalizations each have meanings, much of our pups' communication is done through body language and can often be extremely subtle.  Which means that dogs, in order to be successful in their dealings with other dogs, must be very adept at reading body language.  They are also very good at reading our body language. This is something we use to our benefit by teaching our dogs to respond to visual cues like hand signals.

But back to what our dogs are 'saying' to us.  Does your dog ever yawn a big old yawn?  Does she ever stretch or 'shake it off'?  Most of the time, these behaviors have meaning.  These are types of behaviors that are known as 'calming signals'.  Turid Rugaas, a Nordic dog behaviorist, was the first to use this term for this group of dog behaviors. 

Dogs offer a varied mix of these calming signals in an attempt to calm themselves, us, and other organisms (other dogs, cats, etc).  They also offer these behaviors in some contexts as a way to defuse a possible altercation. And we can use these same behaviors to help our canine buddies to relax and to know that we have only good intentions. Three of the easiest calming signals us humans can use with our pups are blinking, yawning, and lip licking. I have used these visual signals many times and in many different types of situations to help calm an anxious or overly excited dog. And you can use them, too! So next time your young pup is barking at you for attention or is crazy excited, try offering a yawn or some obvious blinking and lip licking. You may be surprised by what your dog will do. Often times, he or she will offer a calming signal back to you.

Some other common calming behaviors include look aways (dog turns his head and looks away from the organism or thing), stretching, scratching, and paw lifts. This is a dog's way of essentially saying 'Everything's cool. I mean no harm.'

Check out the body language of this dog who is curious, yet uncertain about the kitten who has come to visit. Watch for her look away each time the kitten looks at her (after the first encounter). She is doing her best to keep the situation calm and defuse any possible altercation that may occur.



Depending on the context in which one of these calming behaviors is offered, it can be incredibly amazing to see the results! I see it a lot in my puppy play classes. And it's always fascinating to me to watch these young ones using their innate language so well and then watch their playmates respond appropriately. But what is even more amazing is using dogs' native language with them myself and watching them respond appropriately! And in doing so, I am not only learning to communicate better with the dog but also deepening my understanding of this wonderful species I love so much. And with my own dogs I am deepening my connection with them as we are better able to communicate with one another. It's truly a win-win! Try it yourself...you have nothing to lose and so much to gain.

A Reward Far Greater

I've been meaning to start this blog for a while now.  Finding the time to do it has been the tough part.  But I think just taking that first step is always the hardest part.  My intention is to be very regular about posting here.  So I am going to do my darndest to stay true to that intention.

I feel very fortunate to do what I do - work with dogs and people.  I am fascinated by dogs and how they think and learn.  But I am also very interested in people.  So it works out well for me - especially since us homo sapiens aren't all that different than our canine pals in how we learn and in what motivates us.  But one of the best parts of what I do is watching clients start to really see the things their dogs are capable of learning and doing.  And to not only see it, but be thrilled by it.  Success breeds success.  Especially when it comes to dog training.  This is actually true with all types of learning - dog or otherwise.  But that's another post...

I have worked on and off for a few years now with a client named Sallie McWilliams.  She is a lovely woman who has a genuine, kind, infectiously fun type of personality.  I originally met her when she enrolled her Weimaraner, Eli, in my No Jump class.  She then took the Basic Family Dog Manners class.  Sallie and Eli had fun but also worked hard together and 'graduated' the class.  She then brought him through my Better Family Dog Manners class.  This one wasn't easy but, again, they proved to be a great team and were able to get their AKC Canine Good Citizen Certification.  The AKC's CGC test is given on the last class session.  Sallie also worked with me one on one from time to time to fine tune some of Eli's behavior.  

Her goal, all along, was to hopefully one day have Eli certified as a Therapy Dog.  This means that she and Eli would be able to go as a team and visit, specifically, places like nursing homes and children's hospitals.  Sallie, you see, works in the health care field.  And she knows the amazing effect getting to interact with a dog can have on a sick child or a withdrawn elderly person.  It is sometimes miraculous.   I have seen it firsthand.  Sometimes the unconditional loving nature of a canine can bring out things us humans cannot.  In my humble opinion, dogs are the living embodiment of unconditional love so it makes complete sense.  And it is an incredibly beautiful and heartwarming thing to see.  

There was another reason, by the way, that Sallie felt so strongly that Eli would make a great therapy dog.  I'll let her words take it from here in a piece she recently wrote for the Weimaraner Rescue of the South Newsletter.  What follows is one of the best parts about what I do.  I feel so privileged that I got to play even a small role in helping Sallie and Eli.

It has been said that dogs don’t hold grudges against humanity, but become people’s most enduring friends, and are the masters of forgiveness.

Eli was a 3 year old Weimaraner that was found wandering in a small town in Mississippi. He was then taken to a kill shelter that contacted Weimaraner Rescue of the South. Meggan and Chris Reisch went to pick him up and have him checked out by the veterinarian only to find out he was heartworm positive. Meggan nursed him through the heartworm treatment and he was posted on the website for almost a year with only one inquiry on him that never followed up. Meggan's house was then hit by Hurricane Katrina and after 4 days of no electricity and the amazing sweltering Mississippi heat, Eli was then transported to Memphis to another foster home. 

My husband and I had recently lost our dog of many years and decided to start looking for another dog. I was on the WRS when I saw the most magnificent Weimaraner head I had ever seen. When I clicked on the image there was Eli sitting in front of some beautiful flowers in a garden looking very stoic. As I examined the picture and read the story, it described what a good boy he was and could get into his  bed on his own even though he was “missing a leg”. As I took a second look, the description was correct, he was missing his right front leg. After much discussion and consideration we made the trip to Memphis where Eli became a member of our family.

It was very apparent early on, he was very sweet, obedient, and always seemed to have a smile on his face. I had always wanted to do animal therapy and decided he would be a great therapy dog.

I then enrolled and completed a no jump class (his only bad habit), obedience 101, and obtained his Canine Good Citizenship Certificate. Eli then passed the screening and we officially had made it into the Therapy ARC/Delta training program.

After 2 eight hour Saturdays going over Delta policies and procedures without your pet partner, we then started 4 one hour sessions with our pet partners discussing different clinical situations, most importantly how to keep your animal safe during visits and what would be required to pass the Delta examination.

The morning of our examination I was a wreck. As usual, Eli just seemed to take it all in stride, and instead of me trying to reassure him, he was reassuring me! The test is an extensive two part test that consists of 21 different commands and situations. As we completed the second portion of the test the evaluator looked at me and said “Congratulations, you and Eli have passed.” I had to fight back the tears for both of us but mainly Eli. The 3 year old weimaraner, that came from a kill shelter, was heartworm positive, missing his right front  leg, survived Hurricane Katrina, and appeared as though he might not get a forever home  was now a registered Delta Pet Partner!!!

We currently are going to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital to a Pediatric Infusion Clinic. I thought this was where we were meant to be and pursued the opportunity. When I have the privilege of putting his Delta vest on and our ID badges, you can see that he knows what he is about to do. The children in this clinic are very sick, but after our first visit, it confirmed why we go. One little girl undergoing treatment, who had already lost her hair, with amazing big brown eyes danced for Eli, shared her Sponge Bob Square Pants socks with him, and then blew him a kiss. You see she was unable to touch him because of her isolation but was elated at his visit. Eli then got on his back and wiggled around with his feet in the air as she giggled at him and said he made her happy.

Eli is such a blessing to us and everyone who has had the opportunity to meet him. He has endured so much in his lifetime and continues to teach me life lessons every day. He also proves to us that dogs don’t hold grudges and do become our most enduring friends and are masters of forgiveness.

Thank you Weimaraner Rescue of the South for all you do! A special thanks to Meggan and Chris Reisch, Vanessa Brown, Allison Williams, Kat Martin, Ken Walker, Mindy Whitley, Debbie Glover for doing the photos, Sara Reynolds, and the Volunteer Services of Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital.

Sallie and Eli at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital