All Dogs Think In Black And White

All Dogs Think In Black And White

Dogs are very black and white in the way they think. People on the other hand are very gray. For Example, a person thinks to themselves “I had a bad day. I’m going to make you do this.”  Or, “I’m mad at my wife, I’ll yell at my dog.” Any number of things can change our mood or temperament, things that we are not even aware of.

Dogs act completely on body language; how we act and what we do.  And they are very black and white.  When the mother dog is raising her puppies, and they start getting teeth start sucking on her for milk, it hurts. She doesn’t go, “Please stop that.” She snaps at one of them. And from that point on, that puppy knows. That’s not a maybe. That’s a no. So she doesn’t have to nag them and nag them and nag them.

So if you’re going to ask your dog to do something, you want to be prepared to make it happen. You don’t want to make your dog work just because you’re mad. Even though you can be mad, you have to fake it with your dog. “I’m not mad at you buddy. I’m having a good time.”

And even though at times I may have to be more firm on my corrections of my dog when I am training him, it’s not a personal thing for me. I’m not mad at you, but the second you do it right, I’m happy, happy, just giddy. And then the dog understands!  But they are very black and white in the way they see life.

Say you come home and you let your dog jump on you every time. But today you have to wear a suit. So now, if you come home in a suit today, and your dog jumps on you and you go, “Get off me, damn it,” well, he doesn’t know you’re wearing a suit.

You’re the same idiot he’s known all this time, and he’s going to jump on you!

The same thing applies with giving puppies toys. In the beginning, you think “Oh, I’ll give him my old shoe to play with.  He’ll know the difference between an old shoe and a new shoe.” No they don’t. A shoe is a shoe. A sock with a knot it still a sock.

So if I don’t make things black and white for the dog, it’s easy to confuse them.

Here’s another example.  Say your puppy is allowed on the couch because he’s so cute. When he gets to be 110 pound Rottweiler in Schutzhund training, and you don’t have a couch left, you say “Now you get off.”

You want to start them off that way, so that they are never allowed on it. So that they don’t go, “Why was I allowed before?” They don’t realize they’re 110 pounds. They are still thinking black and white, wondering “Why did you change the rules on me?”

When you are training your dog to compete in a sport like Schutzhund training, you should make an extra effort to be centered emotionally. Don’t get out on the Schutzhund training field thinking “You know, I’m in a bad mood right now, I’m going to really make you work.”

If on another day when you are Schutzhund training with your dog and you think “I’m in a good mood… Oh, you can get away with not doing what I ask today.”

The gray area in your communication definitely stresses the dog!

He thinks “Hey, how do I read you today? Are you going to make me do it or are you not?” And these are usually the dogs that stay in that coward position because you’re not being clear to them, black and white, letting them know clearly what you want out of them. Not with anger, but with black and white.

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Here’s more information when it comes to best schutzhund training techniques or the correct way to work on a certain technique for Schutzhund training.

My white dog’s hair is not healthy on her back, What should I do?

I have a white long haired dog. Her hair on her back is unhealthy looking and short, underneith is fine. I brush her and the brush is full of hair. Hair is everywhere in my house. Could she have allergies? What could be the problem and what do I do?

Worms can cause the outer hairs to become very brittle. You need to first take her to the vet to determine if she has worms. He’ll test and treat if needed. If that is not the problem, What do you bathe her with and how often?. Use a good quality oatmeal dog shampoo, it’s good for the skin and coat, don’t bathe any more than really needed, but brush often. It’s getting time now for dogs to blow their winter coats, if she has a heavy under coat, there’s a rake you can get to help remove it. PetsMart has them or any pet store, you might also look for a book on grooming for dogs with her coat type, or take her to a groomer. Most females shed twice a year, Spring and Fall. Also, what does she eat?, Poor quality (grocery store) food, does not have the nutrition required for healthy dogs or coats. If thats the problem, you might consider a better quality. You can also add a teaspoon of oil over her food, that can help, again, that goes back to poor nutrition, with quality food you don’t need to do that. Get her checked for worms first, that can cause bad health problems, the other is just proper care.