Many owners, handlers, and even very good trainers have pets or working dogs that struggle to acquire a clear understanding of the human world and exactly what is expected of them. I call this lack of clarity, a “state of gray”. I try to explain to owners/trainers that the mental state the dog is in is comparable to a person being dropped in a foreign country and unable to effectively communicate. Although the person could get their needs met, they would lack a certain amount of comfort security and confidence. They would survive, and may enjoy some experiences but would not truly be settled or satisfied.
Another way to explain the phenomena is that the dogs in this gray state seem to be confused by expectations of its owner or unsure of its environment. At times this confused state will present with the animal not focusing on its handler/owner and it will often appear to be “constantly searching” for something. (Do not confuse this searching behavior with the natural curiosity and inquisitiveness that most dogs possess)
The dog in this gray state is constantly in motion and seems to have an abundance of energy! Owners and handlers of dogs in this state say, I exercise him often but he is always like this! (Once again, do not confuse this energy with working dogs that have endurance and drive. This animal can literally run, move and work from sun up to sun down!)
The animals that I am referring to will often require repeated commands to get it to execute what it clearly knows. Further, these dogs will have limited concentration, and it will not maintain or “hold” a stay position for any length of time. In this state, the dog seems to need the owner to physically control its every move. There is or seems to be a constant tug of war between owner and dog! Although the animal is not totally out of control, it never seems to be calm or understand its place particularly when in a new or distracting environment. Often, these dogs have been in obedience class after obedience class but have not made real reliable progress!
The dog in this state will often be excessively friendly to strangers or it may be shy and lack confidence, and in some cases it may even present with a level of aggression. (The aggression is usually because the dog has not been effectively taught and corrected and has been allowed to become overly protective, and dominant. These dogs have not been taught how and when to defer its leadership to the owners!)
Most times, these animals will have a (social pack) or home setting that is chaotic, unpredictable and one that lacks consistent order and rules.
In fact, most owners of these dogs do not recognize that the environment is impacting and influencing the dog’s behavior or that the animal is in need of something from them! Some owners/handlers believe that this is just the animal’s personality or drive and demeanor and that it can not be changed.
Others do not even notice that there is a problem! These owners do not understand that the home setting could and should be different, calmer or more controlled. In short, what these animals lack mostly is leadership, dominance and consistency!
It can often be observed that the handlers of these dogs constantly nag the animal and do not apply one clear and concise message. Instead of giving one definite collar correction they will often give several inadequate and unfair ones. It is also observed that many of the owner’s scream, yell and talk to the animal constantly but they do not get any results because the dog does not yet understand the language! There are still other owners who simply ignore the animal’s behaviors and do nothing!
Furthermore, we humans will also add gray to the animal’s outlook on human life by not ensuring that the animal executes a direction each and every time a command is given. I call this the remote control trainer. Owners that remote control train, will give a command but will not ensure that it happens!
This inconsistency is the basis of the gray state. Owners that do this leave the dog in a state of problem solving trying to determine if the owner really means sit this time! In order to prevent this confusion, the primary rule is do not give a command unless you can and will ensure that it is done! Repeating the command to an animal that already understands what is expected teaches it not to comply! Inconsistency is one of key most important contributing factors to a gray state of mind!
There are other subtle messages that the owners may be unaware of that contribute to the “gray state”. Dogs, are masters of observations, therefore, correct or incorrect body posture, voice and tone all send a major message to the dog. Handlers must always be aware of their posture.
Commands must always be given in a straight up right position or posture. Crouching and touching the animal while asking it to execute a command is unfair because touch communicates satisfaction to the dog. Crouching is telling him that you are pleased and that it should come to you. It can not discern if it should do what it is told verbally or if it should respond to your body language.
Touch should be reserved for praise when the dog has done what is requested of it and during calm moments. We should try never to touch the dog when it is in an excited state, or when it is demonstrating problem behaviors such as aggression, or while the animal is exhibiting shyness or when it is in an uncomfortable situation. Each owner must do his or her best to be crystal clear in both their verbal and non-verbal language.
Regarding commanding the dog, commands, are just that, commands and instructions to the dog. Similar to the parent child relationship, the parent is not the friend of the child. The parent is the parent, or leader. The parent leads because of their experience and because the child is not self-sufficient. Similarly, in the dog human relationship if the dog were autonomous and independent there would be no need for a human leader. The two would work cooperatively for a common goal but remain independent of one another. Furthermore, in theory, the two could become equals at some point.
However, this is not the case with the dog human relationship. No matter how old or how “trained”, the dog will always be dependent on his human for its life’s necessities.
Therefore, the searching that is often displayed by the dog in this gray state has a need that he or she be lead. It desires a strong confident leader who will not show remorse at discipline. The true leader will show no remorse because he or she will not make decisions based on emotion and will therefore not make mistakes due to the lack of fairness. They also understand that even corrections and discipline is a process for teaching and not a means to get even with or dominate the dog.
The leader that the dog desires will correct him or her swiftly, clearly, and consistently and will not dwell on the past. In fact, this fair clear leader also understands that they must also respond immediately with praise to indicate and to teach the dog when correctness is achieved. This method of reinforcement allows the dog to fully understand what they have just been communicated through a correction. By implementing this consistent type of leadership, the dog always knows what to expect based on its own choice of behavior. As the leader, we simply positively reinforce the appropriate decisions and make it accountable for the inappropriate ones.
It is also important to note that not all dogs have a dominant personality type. As a result, some may not know what to do when they are in a leadership role! Or when they are not given any guidence. More accurately put, in these cases these dogs struggle greatly when leadership is not provided. They are in this state of unpredictable flux!
Conversely, a truly dominant, intact animal will leave no doubt that he or she is in total control! These dogs strive to be the boss or in charge because that is what their blood and character tells them to be! These dogs need an even stronger willed, more consistent, fair and confident leader. These dogs will accept nothing less!
Finally, each owner and handler of a dog must make daily attempts to enrich the relationship between dog and human. The most effective way to begin is through knowledge, providing a supportive nurturing environment that has structure, discipline and of course TRAINING!
Remember, each of us should maximize our time and relationship with our pet or companion, because there will never be another one exactly like it ever again!
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