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Can We Know More About Canine Behavior?
© Darlene
Arden
While writing my newest book, “Rover, Get Off Her Leg!” I was determined to cram as much behavior information as I could into a book that could be easily read, helpful and up-to-date.
As a certified behavior consultant I am constantly searching for new information, constantly studying, growing, learning. If we are stagnant we can’t help anyone. I believe in an open mind. I wouldn’t go to a doctor who practices 25 year-old medical methodologies so why would I use 25 year old training techniques for a dog? Many of those techniques work in the short run but not in the long run and there are consequences to be paid. The outdated “alpha roll,” for example, can create an aggressive dog and the owner who tries it will likely be bitten. This isn’t the dog’s fault. It’s his reaction to something a human shouldn’t do. Are puppies held on their backs by owners and cuddled like babies? Often the answer is yes. But that’s a combination of the dog’s trust in the human and the human’s desire to have a dog who feels comfortable under all circumstances. Try that as a response to a dog who is misbehaving and you will trigger an aggressive response. Aggression begets aggression.
Nature or nurture? Depending upon the dog it could be either or a combination of both. Why are small dogs of the Bichon family nearly impossible to reliably housetrain? Is there a genetic component? Until someone does a study, we will never know for sure.
There are so many behavior questions that we can’t answer. Often we simply guess but we need solid research in order to understand the complexities of canine behavior.
Senior dogs are recognized to have dementia like humans. It is called Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. And they are treated with a drug that is similar to that given to humans who have Alzheimer’s. What more can we learn from further studies in this area? Could researchers with a desire to do more research into this area find something that not only helps dogs but humans as well?
Obviously, more studies need to be done but those need to be funded and proposals need to be reviewed by objective, knowledgeable people.
After my mother died unexpectedly last year, I began to think about a way in which I could honor her memory and keep her name alive, something that would be meaningful to her as well as to me. We shared so many interests but, oh, how she loved dogs. All dogs. I remember when the canine musical freestyle members from WCFO (World Canine Freestyle Organization) would bring their dogs to my mother at ringside and she loved them all – purebred and mixed breed, big and small (with a special affinity for the little ones that she could hold on her lap). She loved sitting ringside at shows whether watching a dog that we owned or friends’ dogs or anyone’s dog! And in the last couple of years she adored the therapy dog that visited her day care center.
I began to investigate and found that the American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation, which has an excellent rating as a charity, didn’t have a behavior fund and so I set one up with them to fund research around the world that could help dogs, their breeders, their owners, and maybe have an impact on humans as well.
The Marcia Polimer Abrams Fund for Canine Behavior Studies will, I hope, do a lot of good. It is, I promise you, named for a woman with a heart of pure gold who deeply loved dogs. In fact, she loved all animals and children. If it was small, she wanted to mother it.
If you are interested in this Donor Directed fund and want to make a contribution to honor a dog or human (an acknowledgment card will be sent) to help raise much-needed funds so that we can begin to fund the studies that will help us have even better dogs, dogs that will stay in their homes forever, you can go to: www.akcchf.org, click on the link for donations and write in the Fund’s name or just Behavior Fund. While you’re there, surf around the site and learn about the good work that they do for dogs.
And thank you for indulging me this time in telling you of something quite personal and yet, with the potential for a universal impact.
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