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greenstormI really appreciate the perspective that ethical animal training literature has brought me with regards to "bad behaviours". When Solly is sharking or Bear is wanting to practice the cat death-bite on my wrist I can see this as trying to fulfill a need for play, much as eating fulfills a need for food. This isn't an animal "acting out", it's an animal who knows what they need and who is communicating that need.
It's also probably one of the more common examples in these articles, but now that I'm not afraid of a dog's growl I am so glad for the communication: it's a request for space. It isn't a symbol of a vendetta or a threat, though I guess for many people being asked for space can be considered a threat. It's just very clear communication of a desire. My cats and myself both are very capable of understanding these communications and responding in a respectful way and in all cases the dogs are relieved and grateful. The dogs trust me so if I need to invade their space momentarily to fix things they actually welcome it, like when I need to pick up a piece of meat Thea is chewing on and put it in her doghouse for her so she doesn't have to protect it from all sides, or when I help Avallu into the safety of the house when there's a stranger he doesn't like.
Solly has had the growl trained out of her a little -- this is typical when folks punish a dog for growling instead of giving them the space or security they are asking for -- and it makes it challenging for the cats to figure her out. I'm starting to train her back into it a little. It's remarkable how similar the whole thing feels to, for instance, a human who's been told what they want isn't ok learning to advocate for themselves, and of course "don't use aversive methods" is starting to be a cause in the autistic community, where there's advocacy around how we treat children.
This post brought to you by my sweetest Avallu and by the teenaged Bear-kitten.
It's also probably one of the more common examples in these articles, but now that I'm not afraid of a dog's growl I am so glad for the communication: it's a request for space. It isn't a symbol of a vendetta or a threat, though I guess for many people being asked for space can be considered a threat. It's just very clear communication of a desire. My cats and myself both are very capable of understanding these communications and responding in a respectful way and in all cases the dogs are relieved and grateful. The dogs trust me so if I need to invade their space momentarily to fix things they actually welcome it, like when I need to pick up a piece of meat Thea is chewing on and put it in her doghouse for her so she doesn't have to protect it from all sides, or when I help Avallu into the safety of the house when there's a stranger he doesn't like.
Solly has had the growl trained out of her a little -- this is typical when folks punish a dog for growling instead of giving them the space or security they are asking for -- and it makes it challenging for the cats to figure her out. I'm starting to train her back into it a little. It's remarkable how similar the whole thing feels to, for instance, a human who's been told what they want isn't ok learning to advocate for themselves, and of course "don't use aversive methods" is starting to be a cause in the autistic community, where there's advocacy around how we treat children.
This post brought to you by my sweetest Avallu and by the teenaged Bear-kitten.
