Thinking Like Your Dog
In my research into wolf behavior, I originally wanted to look at the differences between dogs and wolves and how far they've evolved into our family pets. The closer I got to wolves however and the more I observe dogs on a daily basis, I began to reach into a secret language far greater than I ever expected. I think if you are passionate about animals there is one thing that always keeps you mystified but is untouchable- what it is like to be that animal. We can study, observe, research, perform scientific experiments all we want but there's only so far we can go. Every time I learn something new it's like reaching another level- peeling back the onionskin so to speak but I can never get to the center. No one can unless you become a dog in another life. Just recently, I peeled back another layer and it has a lot to do with humans as well. Let me explain…
I believe wolves and dogs think in pictures. Imagining different expectations or scenarios for any given situation and then reacting within what they have imagined in their mind. For example: wolves that have cornered prey. They might not pounce on the prey right a way if it's standing still but they may take the time to observe it. In this observation, many things are happening in the wolf's mind. Watching the animal to see what it's doing, thinking in pictures about what may happen and how they will react to that scenario. Then, there are chemicals that are released from certain areas of the brain to different body parts. For example: The thought of eating the prey, which therefore causes the mouth to water.
Now here's the tricky part, just suppose that if this wolf was imagining in pictures what was about to happen, did happen. He or she would be mentally prepared on such a high level to react. Wow. How about this- What if you have a pack of wolves thinking the same thing… imagining the prey to start running and seeing themselves chase and kill the animal. Could this give them a better advantage? I think so. So, if an animal's thoughts can help create a scenario kind of like sports psychology, what can our thoughts do to animals? Actually, the answer is a lot.
Something I tell my clients to do is when they are attempting a command with their dog is to first visualize the dog doing the command perfectly. When they attempt the command, feel and know that their dog will do it without a doubt in their mind. Most often, it works. Sometimes people wonder why I can take a dog with no previous training and teach him how to do something right away. It's only because I'm speaking to him through my thoughts and feelings, which translates, into my body language.
An experiment was done a while back with human brain waves. They took a number of people and told them to look at an object while monitoring what was happening in their brain. Next they told them just to imagine the object and close their eyes. Interestingly enough, the same brain waves were reacting in the brain when they imagined it vs. looking at it. If we only use 5% of our brain, think of what the rest is capable of.
Your energy, body language, etc. is all a result of what you are visually projecting in your mind and this is a higher level of communication in animals. So the next time you're teaching your dog a trick, see it in your mind first. Know it is happening, believe it is happening and your dog will do it. It might not be the first time, it might not be the third time but your thoughts will create your dog to do it and this is when you'll understand your pet on a totally different level.
To me, researching animals always teaches me a lot more about myself. Through that research, it's ironic that sometimes the dogs and the wolves are the teachers and it makes it seem like what I teach them is in far less comparison of what they've taught me about myself. I feel very fortunate to be able to work with them and it always brings me back to a closer relationship with nature.