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The dog
knows when he's done something wrong.
When I get home, he always looks guilty!
Remorseful dog? ..... or good calming behaviours?
He always turns his head away when a new dog approaches.
Shy dog? ..... or good calming behaviours?
the dog always pushes in between us.
Jealous dog? ..... or good calming behaviours?
I scold him, but he just gets worse.
Disobedient dog? ..... or good calming behaviours?
What Are Calming Signals?
- Canine Language
used to maintain a healthy social hierarchy and resolution of
conflict
- Dogs' method
of calming themselves and other dogs in fearful or stressful
situations
- Signals used early to prevent unfriendly interactions from happening
Turid
Rugaas
(excerpted from an article
in The Ottawa Citizen, March 27 1999)
An internationally renowned trainer who claims to have decoded the body language of dogs will give a seminar in Nepean this weekend - her first appearance in Canada.
Turid Rugaas, author of On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals, plans to give a two-day workshop on how to communicate with dogs and prevent aggressive behaviour.
The Norwegian dog trainer has studied the body language of dogs for 10 years. "We knew a little about communication between wolves," she said, "so, I wanted to see if dogs were just as skilled at it as the wolves are."
She and a colleague started observing dogs carefully, recording their behaviour on video and in photographs.
Ms. Rugaas said she found dogs, like wolves, use body signals to solve potential conflicts. "Violence never does any good to humans, or dogs," she said. "When dogs are giving each other signals like that (calming signals) they avoid getting into conflict with each other."
Ms. Rugaas has recorded 30 different signals used by dogs to communicate, including turning away, which helps calm aggressive dogs, and yawning, which shows nervousness.
She taught a dog to display calming signals, on command, and has tried using the signals herself. "Dogs were actually getting it when we used the signals," she said. "So, we could actually get into communication with the dog."
Carolyn Clark,
director of the Centre for Applied Canine Behaviour in Kanata
helped set up Ms. Rugaas' seminar. She said she met Ms. Rugaas
at a five-day seminar in the United States. Ms. Clark said she
has used the body signals she learned to reduce the amount of
aggression in dog obedience classes at the centre.
"What a fabulous seminar you and your staff organized! I am so anxious to receive the video of Turid."
(a seminar participant)
'Calming Signals' Comes
to Town by Don Hanson
A pilgrimage
My wife Paula and I recently attended the two-day workshop by Turid Rugaas in Ottawa. We travelled 11 hours to see Rugaas and it was well worth it! I would encourage anyone who works with dogs to see her when she is in their area.
The major topic of Rugaas' workshop was 'Calming Signals' as described in her book of the same title. When I first read the book, I found the material interesting and insightful. To hear her present the information was inspirational. Since the audience was a mixture of trainers and dog owners, Rugaas started off with the basics, discussing the evolution of dogs and the dog/wolf connection. She also described instinctive behaviours and their effect on training. Rugaas also emphasized that people need to de-emphasize their preoccupation with rank order and the attitude that they must be dominant over their dog. To that, I say, "Amen!"
Reading the signals
Calming signals constitute a method of communication used by dogs and wolves to resolve conflicts, prevent aggression and reduce stress. They are used between dogs as well as between dogs and any other creature they may see as a threat.
When a dog gives a calming signal, it accepts a signal back — a change in behaviour. When it doesn't get that signal back, it may become more stressed or frightened. Some of the more common calming signals are turning of the head, yawning, nose licking, and sniffing. For example, asking a dog to sit in a harsh tone of voice may result in sniffing rather than sitting. The dog isn't being disobedient, it is feeling stressed and giving you a signal asking you to calm down. The more stressed the dog gets, the less likely it is to respond. Unfortunately, when people don't understand this, they get more stressed causing the dog to get even more stressed — something we have probably all seen happen in our classes.
The second day, Rugaas spent some time talking about teaching a dog to walk politely. She emphasized the standard technique of freezing when the leash goes tight and encouraging the dog to come back to you before proceeding with the leash loose. She explained that while many traditionalists like to use leash corrections for training a dog to walk politely, they are in fact punishing the dog for having a loose leash because, in order to give a correction, the leash must be loose. I never thought about it that way, but it makes perfect sense. Yet another reason not to jerk the dog!
Handling stress
Stress was also a major topic. Rugaas explained what causes it, how to identify it and how to handle it. She explained that strenuous exercise on a daily basis is not good for many dogs as they will be under a continuous state of stress. It is far better to mix an exercise schedule with days that just have low stress activities like walks, targeting exercises, and playing games like 'Find It'.
My recommendation
Anyone who works with dogs can learn a great deal from Rugaas and can make the dogs they are working with more comfortable!
First published in Menagerie Magazine, May 1999
Don Hanson is a dog trainer and owner of Green Acres Boarding Kennel in Bangor, Maine.
Turid Rugaas' book and video, and a video of the Ottawa seminar can be purchased from Carolark
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