In order to understand four legged animals better, a human must break him or herself down to simplicity. We must all be conscious of where our food comes from (the earth) and our need to attain territory (a house, a ranch or a condo. on 5th Ave.)
We also must realize that in order to keep warm, we used animal's fur to create clothes, assemble tools, etc.

Dog's still remain connected to these primary instincts in a way that has become quite foreign to people. If it's not foreign, people don't really think too much about it. They still go about their day, on their cell phones at the gym, on Facebook, at their job or driving around in a car. 
Dogs still go out and sniff the ground, chase the cat or bark at the dog passing by their house. They eat each other's poop, mark their territory and growl when they have something that they don't want you to take away.

When they eat food, they see the food coming from the bowl (no longer from a hand or thrown a few extra pieces of meat). They don't have to hunt for this food because we didn't hunt for it (unless you consider going to Whole Foods or Safeway a form of hunting). So in truth, there's no point behind it other than they (and we) are hungry and it tastes good. Food has essentially lost it's meaning to both humans and dogs.

Let's suppose you and your dog had to survive. Dog's have a much better sense of smell- some dogs are even bred to hunt wild boar and the like. Even if you have a Chihuahua, you may be able to catch a lizard or two with a more powerful nose. If you had to rely on your dog to find food, you both would have to assert some form of exercise and travel.

There is something about this primitive excursion which makes the dog more satisfied. Exercise away from the home where both dog and owner travel by foot before meals is key to tapping into getting back to being an animal yourself and understanding your dog on a more profound level.

After spending weeks hunting in the rockies with two wolves and three dogs to find kill sites, I know what this feels like. The satisfaction of working for food is something so bonding and yet so primitive. If you truly want to become close with your dog, exercising before meals and allowing the dog to see you eat first while they cool off is key. Once you hand the bowl over or feed from your hand, the dog realizes the job was well done.

Sleep is another form of becoming closer to our dog's on a ground level and understanding how our best friends view the world. Where you lay your head at night is a key statement of your status as well as your independence. A good leader in a dog pack asserts independence by sleeping alone (within proximity to other dogs) and prefers to sleep inside warmth or on top of something to look out. Your bed is your high point from which to see in case the pack needs protection. Your role as leader (you are the leader simply by giving food) is to protect your pack. This means, dogs sleep on their beds in your room on the floor and you sleep in your bed at the highest point.

It is time we understand animals from their viewpoint instead of assuming they should understand us from ours. It is also time we understand that we are all animals and not to forget that just because we have made advancements in technology, growth and discoveries such as oil doesn't mean we still can't be connected to other creatures and the earth in a more authentic and grounded way.

"What is a man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die form great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to man."
-- Chief Seattle

After spending a long time working with extremely severe cases of dog aggression and aggression in captive wolves, it takes a lot for me to label a dog "aggressive" even though there are a lot of dogs that are deemed so.

Because dogs originated from wolves, in stressful situations, they still hold more fear than aggression towards humans and although something may look aggressive on the surface, most often it's not. With that said, it's important to work with the dogs that are shaking in their runs that everyone is afraid to touch. I should know as I own one of those dogs. Believe it or not, she is the sweetest dog I've probably ever owned once I got her out of the environment.

Some people are quick to determine a dog's state of mind when not looking at all the underlining issues. It's hard to say that a canine that is growling and barking is actually going to retain that when adopted. In most cases of shelter dogs, it is fear that is the ruling factor not dominance.

I always tell people that if you have an intelligent animal, expect that you may experience aggression in times of high stress. I know that if my dogs were in that environment as two German Shepherds for a prolonged period of time, they would start becoming aggressive. All people and all animals can be aggressive given fight or flight or the right circumstance to push them over the edge. It would be hard for a person to sit in a run day after day with all the noise and stress let alone a dog.

Certain tests that are done on shelter dogs to determine their thresh hold of tolerance should be done away from the kennel environment and not on any dog displaying aggression or fear. First you must build trust to get them completely over that hurdle before presenting something that could back fire that on that trust.

I don't believe in testing dogs inside shelter environments because it's not fair and not accurate. If you want to take the dog out for a walk first, that's one thing but doing anything along the lines of testing in a shelter run is like teasing a lion locked behind a cage. You have to remember that all things must be looked at from the dog's perspective.

The stress of a shelter can wear thin on not only the dogs but the people trying to save their lives. It's important to recognize that without these dedicated souls, most dogs in these environments would not make it out alive.

Hopefully, we can continue working on protocols while still establishing the need for individuality as truly, no dog is the same :-)

The farther we go into our role as a supreme thinker, the farther we move away from seeing other creatures psychology. There is also a very big lack in sole responsibilty- taking time to work on our own human issues that effect our best friends.

It is important to recognize that without claiming our own short comings, it is very hard to work honestly and clearly with other animals. I see more and more people these days (without fault of their own), are not having the ability to look at their lives, go into their past and relieve themselves of the hurdles that block them to a more peaceful way of living. This then causes an animal who thinks, feels, smells & sees differently than us to take on these problems through energy, feeling & 6th sense which causes everything from stress, anxiety, fear and aggression.

While seperating animals that have true psychological and physical issues in relation to brain chemistry, genetics, etc. when I see a dog, I first have to see what is going on with the owner.

In relation to my work, I have seen it all from OCD to the loss of a spouse, divorce to alcohol & drug abuse issues, panic disorders, hoarding cases to even anger & rage. In order to make signifigant progress with the animal who is being effected by all of this, I must take into consideration human psychology.

I spend a great deal of time weekly clearing my mind of any anything that will hinder my work in helping a dog, wolf, etc. in need of assistance. If I were to walk into a house with an aggressive dog and carry my own personal issues into that environment, I would likely trigger an attack.

It is very important to me to walk into any environment with a clean slate and a clear mind having no adgenda until I get to know the animal and it's owner first.

I must shake hands with a dog (aggressive or not) and always meet them as an equal prior to proceeding and do the same with any humans in the picture. My approach differs drastically on a full scale as to solve a problem. No dog or person is the same and I must look at every case as individual.

What makes individuality is the sole & personality of the being. Just because Sherpa's hold a slightly different DNA code, it doesn't mean every Sherpa is the same although they may generally be able to breathe better than the average person at high altitude.

It is important in our own evolution to take sole responsibilty, concentrate on the details and not gloss over these things in order to be successful in life as well as with our pets.

I feel that by gaining this greater awareness & knowledge, we would have far less animals being killed everyday due to human issues as well as many less animal related problems if we took time to look at ourselves.