13/04/2024
Every year, 13,000 dogs are relinquished and 4,000 are euthanized due to behaviors misinterpreted as reactive or aggressive. Research introduces the "Canine Reactive Framework," illustrating a significant misalignment between societal expectations and natural canine behaviors such as chasing or resource guarding. This study highlights the inefficacy of traditional obedience training in addressing the emotional challenges dogs face, including separation anxiety and fear. Explore how rethinking training methods to accommodate a dog's natural instincts could dramatically improve outcomes for these misunderstood animals.
Audio link - https://youtu.be/j_2APvPidWc?si=pI56i57zcB8MC97C
Obedience isn't normal, give me a cheeky free spirited dog any day of the week. Dogs are not robots or a roomba programmed to do our bidding, they are sentient beings with the brain level of a five to six year old child. They have needs, desires, motivations and emotions just like us. They need love, care and secure connections.
The dirty word anthropomorphism emerged in the 20th century when humans began to unconsciously became closer and formed strong attachment and bonds to animals. (1)
Anthropomorphism isn't a dirty word, especially if you understand what it is. The term comes from the Greek - anthropos meaning human and morphed - form or appearance.
Anthropomorphism can be harmful when the person doesn't understand if they are placing their ideologies and beliefs onto the dog. For example if they think that a dog snarling and growling when being touched is playing. This misinterpretation of animal behaviour can and does lead to human - animal conflicts. (2)
Because we humans in nature gravitate to nature and animals, it is a natural human tendency for humans to identify similar traits that are human-like with animals that they are closely connected to. Especially when they appear child-like and need protecting which sets our human parenting instincts to be triggered. (3)
We as humans can't help it and we are defenceless against the charm of animals, they trigger our empathy when they do behaviours such as covering their eyes, digging at the ground, their big round eyes and dogs ability to demonstrate to us their emotions through big dramatic gestures.
Thanks to our ancestors who began working with dogs and integrating them into our lives, the dog's began to become more human like facial expressions, such as manipulating their eyebrows to express sadness and making their eyes appear larger which connects us as an adult to how we would feel if we were to see a child with the same facial expression. We also have the same brain system where our limbic system and cortical areas work the same as dogs, meaning we can attribute our emotions to dogs. (4)
I am not talking about anthropomorphism where dogs are dressed in clothes or costumes which can be really harmful to dogs, damaging their natural skin properties and thermoregulation (that's for another day, however if you would like to read further on this. You can find the information in the first section of this paper). (5)
Another way in which anthropomorphism can be harmful is when dogs are kept on laps, have reduced exercise opportunities, are carried in bags, satchels or carried. This not only impedes their ability to move but also affects their ability to control environmental stimuli, which can lead to emotional dysregulation and phobias. Guardians know this as “reactive behaviours.”
When they are unable to use their limbs properly this can lead to a condition known as biomechanical and metabolic syndrome. When animals move normally they have a specific trot, gait and form of locomotion at different speeds to maintain the musculoskeletal structure. This isn't just a case of the dog doing this to maintain movement but for three important physiological functions: to keep a correct posture and movement, to store amino acids to be available for the metabolism and to provide carbon to the liver for gluconeogenesis to produce glucose for the body's energy needs. In short this leads to muscle shortening and contraction. (6) (7)
However when it comes to anthropomorphism and emotions and wellbeing of dogs, although there is little research out there to understand this, the main consensus is that in understanding the dogs emotions through anthropomorphism that this may lead to better dog welfare. (8)
When we do anthropomorphise dogs in this way we tend to recognise pain, the perception of altered welfare or suffering or the risk of and our empathy is triggered to want to better their welfare. (9)
A study by Voith et al, set out to find that anthropomorphised dogs had more behavioural problems than that of dogs which were not anthropomorphised and this was not the case. They actually found that the dogs that were anthropomorphised had fewer behavioural problems. (10)
But it was found that dogs that were anthropomorphised in a negative way such as destroying the furniture out of spite for being left alone, were not considered to actually be the emotion of panic and fear of being left alone and an insecure attachment. Or when the dog did something the guardian wasn't happy with, they believed the dog to look guilty rather than the dog actually looking scared because of the punishment. These types of guardians are not a source of safety and comfort but rather a source of distress. (11)
Because of the insecure attachment style and the type of Authoritarian parenting as deemed by human psychology, what we actually see in these dogs who experience punishment and insecure attachments is anxiety, depression, OCD, and panic aggressiveness (known to guardians as reactivity). In humans these conditions are known as psychopathological disorders. (12), (13), (14).
So from all of this research and placing a holistic perspective on this, as a human being who is capable of displaying empathy, the more emphatic you are the more that you will be anthropomorphic. We all are whether we like it or not and we do feel empathy towards animals especially when they are distressed or appear to be distressed, uncomfortable or unwell.
But anthropomorphism doesn't have to be a dirty word, it doesn't have to negatively impact dogs. If people don't dress dogs up, carry them around, impede movement and actually learn canine communications, without the ideology of punishment dogs can actually thrive with a more anthropomorphic based parent. You can read more on this in my previous blog of millenials changing the way that dogs are perceived and treated. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/BdUetCp3mHscV4Nm/?mibextid=K35XfP
Research has found that the main reason that dogs are relinquished is due to reactive behaviours. No amount of obedience will aid a dog in overcoming reactive behaviours because there is a negative emotion driving the behaviour in which they need emotional healing.
Dogs trust reported that 13,000 dogs are relinquished on an annual basis. With 4,000 reportedly euthanized due to perceived reactive or aggressive behaviours. (15)
To understand this researchers developed a Canine reactive framework in which the relation of humans interpret canine behaviour. They found that dogs were being punished in effect for completely normal species behaviour such as chasing or resource guarding because it was not accepted by society. (16)
Concluding that canine guardian relationships need to be re-examined for guardians to be more realistic within their expectations of a dog as a species to be able to exhibit normal behaviours.
This also depends on the type of training that they receive, how good is it, how does this help the dog if at all? (17)
No amount of obedience classes are going to help a dog who is emotionally challenged be it separation anxiety, reactivity, fear, destruction. All obedience teaches is for the dog to seek the handlers cues, gaze and instructions in a controlled setting.
This does not change how the dog feels internally. This does not heal the dog or their emotions and it doesn't help to foster a secure attachment. It just shows that the dog can follow cues as directed.
An independent free thinking dog allowed to learn and figure out problems for example and are authoritative parent led are going to have a much more secure and enhanced connection to their guardian, just like a child with an authoritative parent. Dogs were not designed to be robots who cannot make choices or independently think for themselves. We know that dogs are able to problem solve and think about their own motivations that drive behaviours which just like humans can be ruled by emotions.
So if people say you should train your dog, tell them they should educate themselves. Training should be fun for you both, learning through games and agency is the stress free way for you both to learn and most importantly communicate and learn your dog's needs!
References
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Sueur, C.; Forin-Wiart, M.-A.; Pelé, M. Are They Really Trying to Save Their Buddy? The Anthropomorphism of Animal Epimeletic Behaviours. Animals 2020, 10, 2323.
Horowitz, A.C.; Bekoff, M. Naturalizing Anthropomorphism: Behavioral Prompts to Our Humanizing of Animals. Anthrozoos 2007, 20, 23–35.
Urquiza-Haas, E.G.; Kotrschal, K. The mind behind anthropomorphic thinking: Attribution of mental states to other species. Anim. Behav. 2015, 109, 167–176.
Rojas, D.M. (2022) Anthropomorphism on dog emotions and behavior, Scholar Community Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/17752
Holiday, B. Why you Shouldn’t Carry Your Small Dog. Available online: https://holidaybarn.com/blog/dangers-of-carrying-your-small-dog/
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Ellingsen, K.; Zanella, A.J.; Bjerkås, E.; Indrebø, A. The Relationship between empathy, perception of pain and attitudes toward pets among Norwegian dog owners. Anthrozoos 2010, 23, 231–243.
Voith, V.L.; Wright, J.C.; Danneman, P.J. Is there a relationship between canine behavior problems and spoiling activities, anthropomorphism, and obedience training? Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 1992, 34, 263–272.
Rajecki, D.; Rasmussen, J.L.; Sanders, C.R.; Modlin, S.J.; Holder, A.M. Good Dog: Aspects of humans’ causal attributions for a companion animal’s ocial behavior. Soc. Anim. 1999, 7, 17–34.
Manicavasagar, V.; Silove, D.; Marnane, C.; Wagner, R. Adult attachment styles in panic disorder with and without comorbid adult separation anxiety disorder. Aust. N. Z. J. Psychiatry 2009, 43, 167–172.
Mikulincer, M.; Shaver, P.R. Attachment, anger, and aggression. In Human Aggression and Violence: Causes, Manifestations, and Consequences; Shaver, P.R., Mikulincer, M., Eds.; American Psychological Association: Washington, DC, USA, 2010; pp. 241–257.
Van Leeuwen, W.A.; van Wingen, G.A.; Luyten, P.; Denys, D.; van Marle, H.J.F. Attachment in OCD: A meta-analysis. J. Anxiety Disord. 2020, 70, 102187.
Hargrave, C. (2020). COVID-19: Implications of self-isolation and social distancing for the emotionaland behavioural health of dogs. Companion Animal, 25(4), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2020.0032
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