Canine Body Language

Roger Mugford, probably the UK's leading animal behaviourologist, has invented a device which fits onto a dog's back in order to measure the wag of its tail by using sensors attached to the tail.

The idea is that the 'wagometer' will allow you to tell what sort of mood the dog is in and whether it's likely to attack or not.

Although I've never met Roger Mugford I have an enormous amount of respect for him. I've read some of his writings and am familiar with a number of dog training products he's invented in the past. His way of thinking has undoubtedly shaped my own approach to dog training and over the years his influence on me has been significant.

In spite of all that I can't help find myself questioning the need for this latest gizmo. A device to measure the wag of a dogs tail? I've always found my eyes were more than capable of telling me what a dogs tail is doing.

I suppose it might be useful for a complete newcomer to dog ownership, but unless you're completely insensitive to it I should have thought that once you've had your dog for just a few short months you ought to be perfectly capable of reading its signals for yourself.

To my way of thinking it's one of the most fundamental aspects of training. You absolutely *must* get yourself onto the same wavelength as your dog.

That might sound like some sort of mystical gift, kind of like 'horse wispering' for dogs, but trust me - it's nothing of the sort.

All it takes is for you to be observant. When you're out for a walk with your dog, watch it.

Watch for its reactions to different things.

The most obvious example of an easily identified behaviour pattern is what your dog does when it needs to go to the toilet. I'd be prepared to bet that even if you don't think you're on the same wavelength as your dog, if you've had it for any length of time you can spot the signs when you're out for a walk that it needs the toilet.

When she needs a 'dump' my current bitch creeps along in a kind of hunched up fashion whilst lashing her tail vigorously from side to side . Yet Ripple used to run about 20 yards with her tail held dead straight, then suddenly come to an abrupt halt.

Two totally different behaviour patterns, yet they both meant exactly the same thing - "I'm absolutely bursting and I've got to drop my guts right this second". Once either of them had begun that behaviour sequence the end result was inevitable - even if I'd wanted to stop them going ahead and doing it, it would have been virtually impossible for me to do so.

The same principle applies to just about any behaviour you care to think about. Just watch your dog to see how it reacts to things.

How does it behave if it sees a cat? What about if you see a cat walk across the road up ahead that the dog doesn't see. When you reach the point where the cat crossed what does your dog do when it scents the 'line' the cat took?

What does your dog do if you see someone coming towards you with another dog? Or how about if it knows there's someone walking along *behind you* with another dog?

What about if you see a jogger? Or someone on horseback? Or a cyclist?

What does your dog do when it sees a puddle? Walk around it? Or go through it?

How does it react to rain? Act as if it's hunching its shoulders to just grin and bear it? Or does it charge forth in delight?

What's it like in a high wind? Spooky and nervous? Excitable? Or maybe it seems completely unbothered?

I could go on and on for pages like this, but I'm sure you get the point. Every single minute of every single day just as your senses are being bombarded by different smells, sounds, feelings etc, so too are your dogs'.

There are bound to be certain tastes or smells you adore which your best friend can't abide. Same with dogs - they're all different. And until you learn to 'read' your dog like a book you're never going to be truly on its wavelength. And you'll never get the best out of it.

Once you know what motivates your dog you'll be able to take intelligent decisions about its training.

What I mean by that is that you'll know instinctively what's likely to work and what isn't. For instance if your dog gets very excitable and 'hyper' in a high wind I suggest you don't bother trying any training exercises in windy conditions until you've already got a considerable degree of control over the dog. Otherwise you're just setting yourself up for failure before you even begin.

You know full well the dog's not going to be concentrating on you, so why on earth fight against that?

So much of dog training comes down to nothing more than common sense. Simply do what's appropriate for your individual dog. And because they're all different what works for one won't work for another. And the only way you're ever going to get an instinctive feel for what's right for yours is by getting right inside your dogs' mind.

So my advice to you is to forget all about 'wagometers' or other such gizmos, and just start being observant instead. Spend the time to really concentrate on your dog and learn what makes it 'tick'.

Once you've achieved that not only will you find training it becomes more intuitive, but you'll also find your relationship with your dog begins to become more intimate and fulfilling.

It's precisely because dogs *are* all different that you need to be flexible in your approach to training. One size does *not* fit all. In my book "Dog Training Blueprint To Success" I list FIVE different ways of teaching a dog to sit. And for every training exercise described I tell you how to deal with all the likely behaviour patterns your dog might exhibit.

So if your dog doesn't respond in the way you'd hoped it would there's no need to panic - I give you plenty of ideas and suggestions as to how to get the desired result.

Do you feel confident that you are on the same wavelength as your dog? Do you think you intuitively know the right way to handle any given training exercise with your dog?

If you answered 'yes' that's excellent. You're well on the way to achieving great things with your dog.

If you answered 'no' or 'not sure' then you can shortcut your learning curve by getting hold of a copy of my complete dog training package. It really *will* help you get inside your dogs' mind - "Dog Training Blueprint To Success"

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