Expectations of a 21st Century Dog

With this week’s set of Hubs I am writing about current canine affairs, looking at the various issues concerning our furry friends in the year 2012. For this Hub I am going to look into what we expect of dogs in the 21^st century and outline how such expectations may have an effect on how the dogs of today think compared to the dogs of years gone past.

One thing that has become apparent is that more and more owners are talking to their dogs as if they can understand what they are saying. As the 21^st century has crept in some owners have begun to talk to their dogs in a way they would talk to their baby, often molly-cuddling them and expecting them to understand. It is true that our dogs are part of our family and so it is only natural to treat them as such by including them in family activities and covering them with pet insurance. However, whilst canines are indeed very intelligent, they do not have the ability to understand or form thoughts from the meanings of the words we are saying; they respond to the tone of the word, our body language when saying the word and act upon learnt associations to that word.

Anthropomorphism plays a key part in putting pressure on the 21^st century dog. By assuming that dogs think like us and have the same drive, motivations and emotional capabilities, we are making it harder for the canine population to communicate in a natural and instinctive way. Dogs have had ways of communicating with both humans and others of their kind for centuries; by treating them as humans we are blurring the boundaries between having a pet and having a baby/small child. If a dog owner cannot communicate what it is they are asking their pet to do and continues to talk them like they are a human, then there will be a huge breakdown in communication which can lead to all sorts of behavioural problems; is it any wonder that some dogs can become confused and act up?

Of course it does not help that pet dogs have become something of a fashion accessory amongst high-level celebrities that treat them as the next ‘must-have’. Many people who look up to these celebrities may see dogs in the same way and so dogs will continue to be put into strange and unfamiliar situations that goes against their nature, such as going to world premieres with lots of camera’s flashing in their face.

Dogs are creatures of habit and routine, it will take time for them to initially learn something but once they have done they will usually never forget it. There are many dog owners that have an ‘on-the-go’ job and so hardly have time to train their canine friend. As a result these dogs will usually be trained by an expert or not trained at all; meaning that many pet dogs of our era, whilst well behaved, are not forming a strong bond with their owner. This can also put extra pressure on a dog and their owner’s relationship.

When talking about the pressures put on dogs in the 21^st century, it is vital to note that we live in a world where information and communication can travel around the word in literally seconds. The internet and the press have the ability to create, leak and break a story concerning a dog attack, meaning that the general public can be ill-informed upon certain breeds of dogs.

Thankfully, this expansion of communicative channels works both ways and so people can combat any misinformation and make their voice heard. A great case in point is that of ‘Lennox’, the dog that was taken from its family by authorities in Ireland after he was deemed ‘dangerous’ due to the type of breed he is. Lennox had never hurt or acted aggressively to anyone and so the online dog world took to social mediums such as Twitter and Facebook to petition against the proposed destruction of the dog, arguing that the authorities were acting out of ‘breed discrimination’. The case is still on-going and the process of putting Lennox down has been severely delayed whilst more and more people rally for him to be saved.

Throughout the month of January I have been writing about the topic of dog psychology and in doing so I have found that I have come to understand dogs a little better. This is not to say that I am an expert in the matter, more that it has dawned upon me how vital it is for humans to communicate with their dogs in a way that the animal can understand. Dogs have a very specific way in which they think and whilst some of their behaviour may seem strange to us, it is key to accept that they have their own instinctual way of doing things.

Trying to treat our dogs as humans is causing a lot of relationships between canines and owners to break down. Whilst our dogs are indeed part of our family and love to be so, we really must be aware that they are not human and so will not always understand how to behave in every situation, especially in circumstances that are strange or new to them. The onus falls on us as responsible and caring dog owners to help and develop our dogs’ understanding of the world.

To achieve this takes a great deal of patience, determination, love and respect. Whilst it is true our dogs should respect us and respond to our commands, it also true that a happy dog will be able to learn and interact a lot more successfully than an unhappy or confused dog. Respect between owner and dog should flow both ways; if a canine behaves well out of pure fear of the owner then the chances are that they will not have learnt to behave well all the time, rather only when the domineering owner is in their vicinity.

The psychology of a dog’s behaviour is a complex topic to tackle and I hope that anyone who has read my hubs over this past month has found them interesting. As a dog owner myself I have learnt quite a few new things whilst researching this topic and I have thoroughly enjoyed writing these hubs. I will be starting my new topic of hubs at the beginning of February. Thank you to all my followers for reading.