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Before Cesar Milan became a TV star as “The Dog Whisperer,” Paul Owens was using real “dog whispering” techniques - positive reinforcement training - to help dogs and their owners. “The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training” by Paul Owens should be on every dog owner’s bookshelf - or better yet, in their hands, open and being read.

Not just a training book (although there’s plenty of excellent training advice here), “The Dog Whisperer” is a comprehensive overview of everything you need to know to have a well-behaved dog and a wonderful relationship. Diet, play, exercise, stress, communication, leadership: they all affect your dog’s behavior, and Paul Owens explains how to manage these to your advantage.

As for training: from “How Dogs Learn” through “The Lessons” to “Dealing With Problem Behavior” you’ll find everything you need to start you on the path to a better-behaved dog and a happy, healthy relationship with your animal companion.

Originally published in 1999, “The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training” is now available in an updated edition (2007).

Buy this book from Dogwise: Dog to Dog Communication: The Right Way to Socialize Your Dog

When I first picked this book up at a bookstore, I thought it was “yet another book about dog language.” I’m always looking for primers on dog language, and I’m glad there are so many out there (they’ve helped me further my understanding of dog body language and behavior). But I haven’t yet found “the best” primer on dog language, the book that I can recommend to my clients as the way to learn how to understand their dog.

This book is both less and more than “yet another book on dog language.”

There’s info in here on dog body language, especially dog-to-dog communication, and it’s pretty good stuff. Photographs with captions complement the text and illustrate such things as “greeting behaviors” and “common body language of an aggressive dog.” Pictures and descriptions help the reader recognize good play language versus miscommunication and aggressive displays.

But the book on the whole is more about understanding dogs and what they’re saying well enough to help them “play well together” than it is specifically about dog body language.

And that includes an overview of dog behavior and general breed differences, basic “obedience training for good behavior” (foundation behaviors such as “look,” “sit,” “down,” “come,” “heel,” etc.), determining “what kind of dog you have” (tips on understanding your specific dog and especially what may drive any aggressive displays your dog exhibits), and ways to help your dog learn to greet and interact properly with other dogs.

And that’s where the true strength of this book lies. It takes a slightly different approach to addressing dog-to-dog reactivity and aggression than other books I recommend (”Click to Calm” by Emma Parsons and “Control Unleashed” by Leslie McDevitt in particular) in that the goal of the methods is to get the dog actually interacting well with other dogs if at all possible.

Part of that approach is to let the dogs communicate with one another without interference, as long as it can be done safely (with a fence separating them or muzzles on, for example). Using the control established through basic obedience training (especially “come” and “look”), the handler can help the dog through various encounters with other dogs, teaching the dog good social skills in the process.

For someone whose goal is to get their dog to get along well with other dogs, there’s some good information in here that I haven’t seen elsewhere. I see this book being helpful especially when first integrating dogs into a multi-dog household or if doggie daycare or dog parks will be an important part of the dog’s exercise and social life.

This book has some weaknesses, though. One of those weaknesses is that the author tries to cover a lot of material in a short period of time, with the result that the book doesn’t go into things like training and dog body language in quite enough depth for it to work well as a sole source of information. I’d recommend that anyone working with a potentially dog-reactive or dog-aggressive dog start with “Click to Calm” first, and move on to “Dog to Dog Communication” and its dog-interaction exercises only after a good foundation has been built using “Click to Calm” to teach the dog self-control plus a number of foundation behaviors.

Another weakness is that Jamie Shaw, the author, uses a lot of “dominance” and “pack” terminology, which may end up hindering rather than helping understanding what dogs may be saying to each other. Recent research has shown that dogs actually don’t form “packs” in the sense of tight-knit groups with strict hierarchies. Rather, dogs left to their own devices form loose associations and fluid hierarchies that often change with circumstances. And some dogs simply don’t care about status.

She also talks about “dominance aggression,” specifically as it relates to one dog attempting to control other dogs. The term “dominance aggression” is more properly used when referring to an entire complex of anxiety-driven behaviors including aggression directed at human family members.

As I consider the behavior she calls “dominance aggression” more “bullying behavior” driven by anxiety than actual “dominance,” I’d approach it a bit differently than Jamie Shaw does. But Jamie is right in one respect: it is possible to teach even these “bullies” to behave safely around other dogs, and it begins with strong foundation behaviors.

Having success one day and not another is pretty typical when dealing with complex issues such as reactivity. Many variables affect behavior, including the dog’s mood, recent events, environmental stimuli, even diet.

So I advise my clients to expect this type of inconsistency, especially when working with fearful or anxious dogs.

It’s important to work with the dog you have now, in this moment; not the dog you had yesterday (or last year), or the dog you think you have (or hope to have), or even the dog you expect to have in the next moment.

And that dog can change moment to moment — for the better if you’re doing things well and for the worse if your timing’s off or you’re not reading the dog well or external factors intrude.

So observation and flexibility are key.

Analysis of past sessions is also key — if you take a look at what you were doing, how the dog was responding, what changes there were in the environment, etc. you’ll be better able to set future sessions up for success.

Learn to read the body language and emotional state of the individual dog you’re working with really well. This will take some education on your part. There are some good books and videos out there on learning to “read” Dog. I’ve reviewed a couple on my website although I have several others I haven’t reviewed yet that are also really good: http://yourdreamdog.com/wp/category/recommended/canine-communication/

But mostly it will take practice. Observe your dog (videotape is great!), but also observe every dog you come across.

And by “observe” I mean put on an ethologist’s hat, noting behavior and body position but not trying to put a label or interpretation on it at first.

Train yourself to notice things like lip position and relaxation or tightness, breathing, facial expressions and the minute changes in facial muscles, minute changes in eye shape and especially pupil shape and size, and other really tiny signals.

But also pay attention to the overall picture — the center of gravity (is body weight shifted forward or back, or centered), whether the dog’s straight lines and right angles or curves and soft angles and bent joints (especially elbows), etc.

And all those shift from moment to moment.

Once you get good at actually seeing those things, able to focus on specific body parts but also see the picture as a whole, you’ll begin to be able to make judgments about the dog’s emotional state of mind and possible thought patterns.

That may sound difficult, but it’s not really — it just takes education and practice.

For that, I recommend using the “Dog Body Language 101″ information from the Dog Scouts of America: http://www.dogscouttroop107.com/BodyLanguage101.html

Record a session of “The Dog Whisperer” and watch it with the sound turned off, focusing on the dogs.

Make liberal use of the “pause” and “slow” buttons.

Note down every behavior & body posture & expression that you can match with anything from the Dog Scouts’ Dog Body Language 101 list.

Also note down anything in the environment that you can see that may be affecting or causing that particular behavior/body language. Pay special attention to where the dog’s focus may be. (And sometimes that “focus” is actually the very thing the dog’s trying studiously to ignore or tune out.)

Since Cesar Milan works with so many different dogs with so many different issues, his show is great for learning how to read dogs — especially confused, stressed, anxious, fearful, frustrated, or angry dogs.

When you’ve “translated” the dogs’ narration of one or two of his shows in slow motion, try doing it at regular speed.

If you can make these observations without getting yourself all stressed out (this will get harder the better you get at reading the dogs on Cesar’s show, as you’ll become keenly aware of the stress some of his techniques can cause), it’s a good idea to “translate” as many segments with different dogs as you can.

Then start doing the same in real life situations (observing your dog and other dogs) — although of course you’re not likely to have a “slow motion” feature.

This will help you develop the ability to “read” dog body language on a conscious level while educating your subconscious mind as well. With enough practice you’ll stop noticing the “left brain” logical, detailed observations and start feeling the “right brain” intuitive observations — which is when you can truly make real-time observations with an educated “gut feeling” that is probably the closest anyone can come to truly understanding what dogs are “saying.”

And then, if you need to (as I often do with clients), you can point out the specific postures, expressions, movements (or lack thereof) and behavior that led to your conclusion.

“Conflicted” dogs are difficult to read, because some of their body language says one thing while other body language says something entirely different. These are the dogs that you really need to be flexible with, dancing around the line of their conflicts, reinforcing the body language you want (which will affect emotion) and trying to change emotions to something closer to what you’re hoping for (which will affect the body language and behavior).

Once you’re good at reading the dog, you’ll be able to easily tell when it’s time to raise criteria (decrease distance or increase distraction or whatever):

When the dog’s easily handling the current situation.

And don’t be afraid to take a step back if you overstep and raise criteria too quickly! Shifting back immediately will be far more productive in the long run than trying to “push through” the next step if the dog’s not ready for it.)

But behaviorists are moving away from that technique, and most now advise reinforcing appropriate behavior without taking hierarchy into account. As scientists explore more about dog cognition and social behavior, we’re discovering that dog hierarchies are a lot more fluid and complex than the straight alpha - beta - omega designations once used for wolf packs might suggest.

In my experience, the average pet owner rarely understands dog behavior well enough to really know who the “top dog” is. Most think that the dog who fights and snarks at the others the most is the “top dog” — they’ve never even heard of “alpha wannabe’s” (dogs who are status seekers but are not confident enough to actually fulfill the role of “top dog”). So the wrong dog gets reinforced.

Dog hierarchies are also subject to change — especially when other dogs enter the mix (whether that’s adding a new dog to a household or simply having other dogs visiting).

I advise my clients that it doesn’t matter who’s “top dog” within the dog hierarchy, as long as they all defer to the humans in the house, and those humans have the ability to direct and control those dogs (whether that’s through management or good training).

Need some guidelines for good management and training for multi-dog household situations? I recommend “Feeling Outnumbered?” by Karen London and Patricia McConnell.

In my own household, I have two dogs: Nico, a large neutered male mutt who flips between being completely calm and a couch potato to being a high-stress high-energy dog in a heartbeat (the switch back isn’t quite so fast), and Brandy, a medium-sized spayed female mutt who thinks everything should be hers. No resource guarding against humans, but she does resource guard against other dogs — which is fine with me as long as it’s not overdone and the other dog respects the warnings to “stay away from my stuff.” However, in the past Nico has deferred to Brandy, walking away from toys if she said she wanted them. That’s emboldened her to escalate her demands from toys to other things like pigs’ ears, but Nico’s having none of that. So there have been some ferocious-sounding tussles (the latest over a pig’s ear that had slid under a piece of furniture).

It’s hard to tell which dog is “top dog” as each defers to the other in different circumstances. Brandy used to be the only one who cared about toys (and food, for that matter), so Nico would just walk away, letting her have what she wanted. But Nico’s decided he likes toys and food, too, so their relationship is changing so far as “sharing” (i.e. Brandy getting everything) is concerned. Nico still leads when they’re exploring (in the yard or on long walks in the woods), Brandy takes the lead in play a lot of the time. Nico takes the lead in “guarding” the house when people are involved; Brandy’s the one who’ll raise the alarm when there are other dogs on the property.

I don’t think that trying to raise one over the other would work in my situation. So I use management (no more pigs’ ears under furniture) and training (they both defer to me and know “off,” “leave it,” “go
lie down,” and the usual sit, stay, settle, etc.) to keep peace in the house.

One of the panel members asked what it was that authors so often got wrong about wolves, and I replied “Alpha wolves and wolf hierarchy.” There wasn’t time to go into the details of just how wrong the “common view” of wolf culture is. I left it at “A wolf pack is actually a family unit, with Mom and Dad leading their offspring” and invited anyone interested to email me for more information.

Margaret L. Carter, author of “The Shadow of the Beast” (a werewolf novel) was there, and she recently took me up on that offer.

This was my response (edited for clarity and accuracy after I re-read the articles I suggested to Margaret as good sources of information):

Here are some common misunderstandings of wolf hierarchy:

“The Alpha Wolf is the biggest/strongest/meanest wolf “– in most natural wolf packs the “alpha wolves” are simply “Dad” and “Mom,” the rest of the pack are the offspring of the breeding pair. “Alpha” status is really a matter of who gets to breed, and in some packs with lots of resources available there may be more than one breeding female (or even more than one breeding pair, although that’s apparently rare).

“Wolf hierarchies are strictly linear” — This is more often true among captive wolves than in natural wolf packs. And there can actually be two hierarchies, one for males and one for females, and they can be fluid — just as members of the pack can be fluid (offspring strike out on their own to join other packs or found their own when they’re as young as 9 months and usually by the time they’re 3 years old).

“Wolves fight for alpha status” — actually, in both wolves and dogs, fights are usually among “alpha wanna-be’s” — status seekers who lack the confidence needed to truly be “alpha” and who try to dominate others physically. Bullies, in other words.

“The “omega” wolf is the weakest and always picked on and has no real function in the pack” — in actuality the “omega” wolf is more often seen in packs formed by unrelated captive wolves than in natural wolf packs. The omega may serve as an outlet for aggression — the “class clown” who redirects attention from tense situations to himself, and is actually a stabilizing force within the hierarchy. In some cases the “omega” wolf is actually a natural leader and becomes alpha when the alpha wolf declines (this has led to the hypothesis that dominant wolves target the omega because the omega is perceived as a threat to the alpha wolf but I think the jury’s still out on that). Sometimes the omega is simply the newest member of the pack. The important bit is that the “alpha,” “beta,” and “omega,” etc. labels are really only appropriate when describing captive wolves, which do tend to form rigid hierarchies that help “keep the peace” between the unrelated wolves thrown together by man.

It’s all very complex, and the make-up of a wild wolf pack depends a lot on the terrain the wolves are in. Territory size, prevalence of dispersals, pack size, and a whole bunch more are all dependent upon terrain types and prey types and prey abundance. When resources are at all scarce, a pack is usually a nuclear family (the breeding pair and their offspring as old as 3 years old). In abundant resources, or where prey is large game most easily brought down by large packs, a wolf pack may consist of more than one wolf family.

But the long and short of it is that physical contests of “dominance” are rarely seen among wild wolves.

And in both wolves and dogs the vast majority of “aggressive” behaviors are actually agonistic behaviors — ritualized aggressive postures designed to settle conflicts without injury.

As a well-educated dog trainer, I find it frustrating to see so much “alpha” and “dominance” language in popular dog training TV shows and books, since it’s a double fallacy when applied to dogs. Not only are the original notions of dominance hierarchies based on flawed studies of wolves (non-related captive wolves to boot!) and misunderstandings of wolf social behavior, but dogs are not wolves and do not mimic wolf social behavior. In fact, dogs don’t form packs in their natural environment (the outskirts of civilization — do a search on “village dogs” for more info)!

Think “deference hierarchy” (the dominant animal is one that other animals voluntarily defer to) rather than “dominance hierarchy” (it’s not strictly enforced from the top down) and you’ll be closer to the truth for both wolves and dogs. Submissive postures (such as lying on one’s back and exposing the belly) are offered by the submissive animal, rather than forced by the dominant animal. When a wolf forcibly rolls another wolf onto its back, it’s to eviscerate it, not to establish “dominance.”

When in “groups” (dogs brought together by humans as opposed to “packs” where they congregate on their own) dogs do form social hierarchies based on deference, but they tend to be fluid and depend on social context. There may be some fighting (usually ritualized agonistic stuff — it’s like a dance if you watch it on video in slow motion) to establish who’s where in the hierarchy, but again that’s mostly from “alpha wanna-be’s.” Some dogs are status-seekers, some aren’t.

There’s some evidence (studies which Dr. Ian Dunbar was involved in in the 70s, if I recall correctly) that dogs in groups form two social hierarchies — one male, which is usually based on age, and one female, which is very fluid. In this study males often deferred to females — quite possibly because they never knew where they stood with females since the female hierarchy was so fluid.

For general info on wolves:

International Wolf Center: http://www.wolf.org/wolves/index.asp

Wolf Park: http://www.wolfpark.org/ — especially Wolf Park’s wolf FAQ:
http://www.wolfpark.org/wolffaq.html

For scientific research:

David Mech’s work is a wealth of information: http://www.davemech.com/

You can get free copies of some of his papers:

http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/basic/resources/mech_pdf.asp

One example (scroll down to the bottom of the above web page): Leadership behavior in relation to dominance and reproductive status in gray wolves, Canis lupus by Rolf O. Peterson, Amy K. Jacobs, Thomas D. Drummer, L. David Mech, and Douglas W. Smith

Interestingly enough, the pervasive myth of the alpha wolf is in part due to Mech’s earlier work. As he states it:

The concept of the alpha wolf is well ingrained in the popular wolf literature at least partly because of my book “The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species,” written in 1968, published in 1970, republished in paperback in 1981, and currently still in print, despite my numerous pleas to the publisher to stop publishing it. Although most of the book’s info is still accurate, much is outdated. We have learned more about wolves in the last 40 years then in all of previous history.

One of the outdated pieces of information is the concept of the alpha wolf. “Alpha” implies becoming top dog by winning a contest or battle. Most wolves who lead packs achieved their position by mating and producing pups which then became their pack. In other words they are merely breeders, or parents, and that’s all we call them today.

For details, see:
www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/basic/resources/mech_pdfs/267alphastatus_english.pdf

(the above is excerpted from here: http://www.davemech.org/news.html– and the .pdf in the link is “Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs” by L. David Mech)

You can see the original study, a 1947 study by Schenkel, now available in English, that started the whole “alpha wolf” notion here:

http://www.davemech.org/schenkel/index.html

I hope that helps dispel some of the “alpha wolf” and “dominance” myths!

If you only have time to read one book on dog language, this is the book to get. Originally written in Swedish and translated into English by Mogens Eliasen and Pauline Kesteven, “The ABC’s of Dog Language” is currently hard to find unless you go to K9Joy.com (Mogens Eliasen’s website) to purchase it.

Buy The ABC’s of Dog Language from K9Joy.com

In The Other End of the Leash, Patricia McConnell explores the similarities and differences between humans and dogs, how we appear to one another, and the problems that can ensue when we miscommunicate. She explains why hugging a dog may result in a bite; the best ways to use your voice to communicate with a dog; why physical dominance is not the way to establish your social status; how to teach your dog to be patient and polite; and much more.

As with her newer book, For the Love of a Dog, Patricia shares personal stories of dogs and situations she’s known to illustrate her points, and she does so brilliantly.

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Buy Feisty Fido from Amazon.com

Buy Feisty Fido from Dogwise.com

Buy Feeling Outnumbered from Amazon.com

Buy Feeling Outnumbered from Barnes & Noble.com

Buy the new expanded edition of Feeling Outnumbered from DogWise