nowing how dogs think requires dedication and observation to understand that they are creatures that reason, feel and suffer. In addition to canine educators and ethologists, we are the owners who discover the ways in which they reason and think in their day to day.
Although they are often governed by instincts, dogs are animals that can repeat basic commands, understand and differentiate between different orders, and are even capable of detecting when we feel sad or excited.
Body and verbal language allow our dog to understand and respond to certain stimuli found in its environment. You want to know more? Keep reading this AnimalWised article to find out how dogs think .You may also be interested in:
How Horses Think
dog psychology
Although it has come a long way behind it, science has not yet determined in depth all the processes that take place in the dog’s mind, that is, we are talking about a field that has yet to be developed. Even so, we currently have canine educators, trainers and ethologists to help us understand certain dog behaviors. These are trained people who can more or less effectively treat certain problems that we as dog owners encounter.
We must know that dogs are innately organized to live in a pack , a natural hierarchy in which one of them predominates and that they carry out in the wild, thus facilitating their survival. Domestic dogs show this behavior, although we can see that it is a more social behavior due to the years of training and selection behind them.
Studies confirm the dog’s mental abilities: understanding, memory or communication. The dog responds to social stimuli through an area of the brain responsible for perception and learning. The mind of dogs goes further than that of other animals, their brain can be compared to that of a small child, capable of feeling empathy, love and sadness.
But let’s go directly to talk about psychology, how does the dog really think and how can we understand it?
The dog has the ability to recognize people and other animals, as do many other species. They have the ability to develop friendship or love, they are also capable of memorizing and repeating commands that we teach them and some can remember up to more than 100 different words.
Each dog has a specific mental capacity and that is that even if we decide to adopt a border collie, one of the most intelligent dogs in the world , it will not always show a higher level of intelligence. It will depend on each particular case.
Dogs understand the environment through a highly developed sense of smell as well as through colors, shapes and music. Once understood, they are able to communicate with gesture language, position, orientation of the ears, position and with the movement of the tail.
dog education
Dogs have a different language from humans , for this reason trainers from all over the world look for different methods to promote communication.
Educating a dog not only consists of teaching tricks that make us laugh, but also in the communication of guidelines through which we understand and respect each other within a social group. Through education, coexistence becomes harmonious, positive and creates a bond between dog and family.
To promote good communication between dog and human, ExpertAnimal provides some advice:
- Dogs require a socialization process when they are puppies, that is to say: for a dog to develop its full potential and not show behaviors inappropriate for its species, it must know its environment, other people and pets, objects and vehicles. It is essential to achieve a mentally healthy adult dog.
- When you communicate with your dog you must use verbal and non-verbal language , this way your dog will better understand the commands that you teach him and in case of suffering hearing deficiencies he will be able to understand you better.
- Do not scold your dog if he has committed a crime hours before, we can use a firm “No” if we observe an attitude that we do not like but we will never exceed the punishment or use physical aggression (even if they seem mild to us, it should never be done ).
- Using training methods such as the choke collar or electric shocks can generate a very serious stress situation in the dog, which does not understand why its physical discomfort occurs. Using this type of training leads to a negative reaction from the dog and even a redirection of his anger towards a person or pet.
- Dogs take 5 to 20 times to learn a command or an indication, it will depend on the particular dog. For this, it is essential that if we apply a rule we are consistent and always apply the same level of demand, otherwise our dog will be disoriented and will not understand what we expect of him.
- If what you want is a stable and calm dog, you should encourage it to be so. The dog learns from the family and its environment, for this reason, if you are a calm and calm person, our dog will probably be too.
- Finally, we recommend that you use positive education to educate him: it consists of offering treats, caresses or kind words in the face of behavior that we like from our pet. It is the ideal form of education, in addition, it allows them to better remember what you expect of them.
Understanding canine psychology or knowing how dogs think is complicated and particular in each case. If what you want is to understand the psychology of your dog in depth, it is essential that you pay attention to how it reacts or communicates, since no one can understand your dog better than you . The love, perseverance and affection that you can offer are basic tools to understand the behavior and attitude of a dog.
If you want to read more articles similar to How Dogs Think , we recommend that you enter our Basic Education section .