The Dog Listener (Jan Fennell, Collins, 2000, 2004) is a lovely book about dog communication. The author lives in the countryside of the eastern part of England, and she always has a “pack” of dogs. The book is about her attempts to find a “softer way” to be in a relationship with her dogs. She feels that most dog training puts the emphasis on obedience, rather than “forming a cooperative relationship.” Many of her ideas are based on those of Monty Roberts, the Horse Whisperer.
Jan’s fundamental premise is that dogs speak the language their ancestors spoke — the language of the wolf pack, which is completely different than the language humans speak. The language of the wolf pack is body language, and most of the emphasis is on establishing the dominance of the two “alpha leaders” in the pack. So in order to have effective communication with your dog, you use body language, when possible, instead of verbal commands, to establish yourself as the “alpha animal.” For example, if your dog jumps up on you, instead of shouting “down,” you simply turn away and ignore the jumping.
My Doggie Says…: Messages from Jamie. How a dog named Jamie “talks” to her people captures Jamie’s “language” in a collection of photographs. The Dog Listener helps us understand the behavior behind at least some of the messages.
This book makes me wonder if an owner needs to be “all alpha all the time.” I see some of Jamie’s behavior as “dominant” (alpha) and some of it as submissive. For example, “I’m sorry folks, but I need to keep the group together” is clearly a dominant, alpha message. But “Is it OK if I go through this doorway?” is submissive. I was probably in the dominant role most of the time, but not always. And I think it might have been good for Jamie to get to exercise a little alpha. Although someone might say this could cause some wolf-pack confusion.
I really like the idea of building a “softer relationship” with a dog. My Doggie Says… suggests that you can do this by tuning-in to your dog’s body language. The Dog Listener suggests that it helps to understand your dog’s body language in the context of wolf pack behavior.
The Dog Listener raises a question that has been puzzling me. Is it bad to have contests with your dog? Some people think it makes them aggressive. Jan Fennell would say it undermines your dominance. I don’t know. I can see some value in “contests” if they are kept in balance. This will be a subject for another blog.
Regarding your comment about having contests with your dog. My own feelings are this: Dogs understand the concept of play. Pack structure, when a group of dogs are at play, seems to become more elastic. I’ve seen my own pack leader, a 100+ lb. pit bull/bull mastiff mix, happily upside down, tail wagging, big grin on his face, while he is pounced on by a 40 lb. female aussie mix. They both know he’s boss, and when the game is over, he’s boss again, no questions asked. I approach play time with my dogs the same way. Sometimes I’m alpha, sometimes they are. But, when the game is over, I’m boss again, no questions asked. Seems to work for me. Benevolent but alpha are my watchwords, and this floating of rolls during play sessions just feels right in our little world.