The canine communication system is fascinating. Overall, the verbal aspects are much simpler than any human language. Our dogs say so much more through non-verbal means, like body language and posturing. When they do speak, however, we need to pay closer attention to the messages.
All too often, the canine early warning system for eminent threats of aggression are either ignored or misunderstood. In the litter environment, they learn to yelp or cry out when a littermate or mom does something that the puppy wants to stop. Whether the stimulus is painful rarely becomes the issue. Instead, the little one learns through experience to cry out, as if in pain, when it wants to distract the perpetrator from whatever he or she was doing. Of course, we humans immediately make the (often false) assumption that the puppy is in distress and, therefore, must be rescued from the threat that has elicited the cry.
When I demonstrate the assertion of my authority over a puppy that has thus far been given lots of freedom, I point out to all nearby “two-leggers” that I am doing absolutely nothing cruel or inhumane to the puppy. And, usually, about the time the people have the noose ready and the rope slung over a nearby tree for me, young Fideaux begins to hush and accept my authority. Whew! Sometimes it takes so long that the more emotional or sensitive folks even start to tear up before the hardheaded little four-legger acquiesces.
A new pet owner called me about her 10-week-old puppy that the family had acquired less than a week before. Whenever her son would pick up the pup for cuddling, the dog growled. Thinking the growling would stop, the child held onto the pup until it bit him. Mom questioned whether to keep the puppy, and, if they kept it, what they should do to teach the puppy not to bite when handled. That same week, a woman called me about her four-year-old dog that, even after obedience classes, rebelled against human authority and snapped at or bit family members without warning. We decided that the second dog was too high of a risk to the family members and an unsafe candidate for re-homing. In 15 years, I have recommended euthanasia less than five times; so the decision was not made lightly.
The canine early warning system begins with the growl. As they learn to squeal their displeasure, puppies in the litter also can learn that a threatening growl may intimidate an attacker sufficiently to discourage the continuing of the activity. It seems to be quite effective when rebuking humans. And if it fails, the puppy goes to Level 2, which is the snap. There is absolutely no intention on the dog’s part to actually make physical contact at this stage. It is merely an omen of things to come if Fideaux doesn’t get his or her way. If, however, the teeth do make contact, the dog is as surprised as the recipient of the wound.
Standard operating procedure for dogs who feel threatened dictates that when all else fails, bite. It is sad, painful to the bitten, and deeply regrettable; however, from the canine perspective, warnings were issued and not heeded. From here, we could go into the significance of bite levels and their consequences, but that is another subject. In most cases, when the puppy actually bites its perceived antagonist, serious training and behavior shaping are recommended. What about the (usually older) dog that skips the early warning system and goes straight for Stage Three, the bite, without warning? This dog usually got discouraged about the first two steps as a puppy. Growling regularly elicited an aggressive reaction from the human which eventually convinced the dog that growling served no useful purpose. And snapping just phased itself into the biting. Then, when the dog’s aggression merely caused more aggression from the human, each issue would snowball into serious consequences – as in stitches for the person and death for the dog.
Recognition of the signs, and more appropriate handling of puppies can usually prevent regrettable conflicts and help the puppies, as well as their humans, learn how to communicate with each other. After all, communication is the key to any successful relationship.
