15/01/2025
Simple rules ("always _____" , "never _____" ) underly complex systems i.e., the human-canine system, creating highly complex behaviors and other phenomenon from very simple principles.
You can witness the power of simple rules in a flock of birds. Birds in a flock follow just three rules as described by Wikipedia:
"1. Separation: steer to avoid crowding local flockmates
2. Alignment: steer towards the average heading of local flockmates
3. Cohesion: steer to move towards the average position (center of mass) of local flockmates"
These three simple rules create all of the beauty, order, social cohesion and complexity that you see when you witness a flock of birds in flight.
One of the coolest things is that we can leverage simple rules in our lives with dogs and let the rules do the "training" for us!
I've had incredible success applying these to social interactions across scales (training classes from reactivity to puppy, one on one interactions, multi-dog households etc.)
Two social rules that I've identified and consistenly apply in one on one interactions and in group interactions:
1. Consent
2. No stealing.
Whether you have a single dog, multiple dogs or run a dog daycare, training or socialization classes, these two rules are for you.
When applied CONSISTENTLY (think of what would happen to the bird flock if a bird or two wasn't consistent in applying one or all of the 3 rules) both dog-dog and human-dog interactions, these two rules alone will help to create harmonious social interactions and groups.
As a side-effect, you will likely see the reduction (or elimination) of undesirable social behaviors such as, bullying, reactivity and jumping up. These are serious SO powerful!
The Rules
Special Note: These rules are dynamic. Ypur dog may consent to an interaction in one moment and not in the next. It is crucial to be responsive to what is happening right now.
It is also SO important to apply these rules fairly. For example, if your dog is asking for space from another dog (NOT consenting to an interaction) , they need to see that you will step in and prevent the other dog from approaching or create a means of escape. On the other hand, if in the next breath your dog does not listen to another dog’s request for space, this becoms a teaching moment to gently guide them away.
1. Consent
Consent means the interaction is voluntary, with all parties (dogs, humans, etc.) genuinely wanting to participate and being able to control the proximity and nature of the interaction.
Dog-Human: We need to respect a dog’s signals, such as turning away, moving back, or any other signs indicating discomfort or disinterest. These signals can be subtle and vary from one dog to the next so take time to get to know your dog and their lingo. Dogs can be taught to be aware of human space bubbles and to understand social cues i.e., learn to "read a room".
Dog-Dog: Dogs should have the freedom to choose whether (or not) to engage with one another. For instance, if your dog moves away during play, the other dog(s) should respect this and not chase or push them to interact.
2. No Stealing
No stealing means being respectful of others’ resources, space, and belongings (highly subjective from one dog to the next)
Dog-Human: We should avoid taking (stealing) a dog’s food, toys, or space without consent (there are exceptions to this of course in the event of dangerous or off limits item.) On the dog end of the leash, take the time to teach your what belongs to (and does not belong to) them in a fair and gentle way.
Dog-Dog: Dogs should also be taught not take another dog’s food, toys, resting spots, and not to "cut in" on another dog when they are interacting with their human.
