b'In Dog Training,Jerk Is A Noun,Not A Verb. by Anna CookeThere are many techniques available tosafely and effectively train a dog. One ofthe keys to positive reinforcement trainingis finding out what motivates the dog.It could be praise, toys or food.AGROWING COLLECTION OF RECENT STUDIES is proving that relationship between people and dogs, which considers only thepositive reinforcement training of dogs is much more effective needs of the human.andultimatelysuccessfulthantraininginvolvingdominance AccordingtoDr.KarenOverall,AppliedAnimaland punishment. Behaviorist at the University of Pennsylvania, The entire con-cept of dominance as applied to pet dogs is almost always basedon a profound misunderstanding of the shared history of dogsand humans.D OG /H UMAN R ELATIONSHIP H .ISTORYCanines have relationships with humans that stand alone amongallrelationshipsbetweenpeopleanddomesticanimals.Anthropologicalevidenceshowsthatdogshavelivedcloselywith humans for at least 30,000 years and have been engaged indifferent tasks alongside humans for at least 15,000 years. For thepast 2,000 years there have been specific breeds of dogs of vary-ing shapes and sizes that engaged in specific tasks helpful tohumans. In fact, many of the physical differences among dogbreedsdevelopedasadeliberateeffortbyhumanstomatchdesired behaviors to physical attributes.Dr.OverallusestheexampleoffieldtrialorworkingEnglish Springer Spaniels and show dogs of the same breed.Theseanimalslooklikecompletelydifferentbreedsbecausetheyve been bred for different behaviors and jobs. She theo-rizes the relationship between humans and dogs developed ini-tially to take advantage of the power of collaboration. Then overtime, changes in actual brain function may have occurred withthe result that todays humans and dogs truly rely on each other.N ORMAL D OG B EHAVIOR D OESNT I NCLUDE A D RIVE FORD OMINANCE .Dr. Karen Becker and Roscoe. Tobedominantistohavetheabilitytocontrolaccesstoresources, and to keep that control by winning out over com-Most behavior problems in dogs involve either normal petitors who also want to control access to the same resources,canine behaviors owners dont like or understand, or undesirable said Dr. Becker.behaviors rooted in anxiety, said Dr. Karen Becker, an integra- Dominance is often expressed as aggression. Dominancetive wellness veterinarian, author and blogger for Huffington shouldnt be confused with having a higher status in a relation-Post. Unfortunately, dog trainers, veterinarians and other canine ship. A higher status individual achieves the ranking not by hisexperts have been conditioned over the years to believe bad own behavior, but by the behavior of the lower status individu-behavior is driven by a dogs desire to be dominant over his als in the group who subordinate themselves to him. In a socialhumans. So owners receive the message that exerting control hierarchy where there are higher and lower status individuals,overtheirdogshowinghimwhos bossisthekeyto dominance rarely leads to aggression or fightingjust the oppo-improving behavior. This is an anthropocentric focus on the site, said Dr. Becker. ( Continued on following page) g46 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'