KNOW THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DOG & HOW TO AVOID A DOG ATTK

1. Inrto. Dogs are basically predators. The psy of an animal is basically dependant

on its basic instinct. To train a dog, one should understand the psy of that very animal. As

humans, dogs also have sense of hearing, visualizing, smell, touch and some sort of

intelligence. Even though dogs re-evaluate and transformed their behaviors according to

their past experiences but they have ltd power of reasoning. Dogs have the cap of

learning, modifying, influencing and a little bit reasoning. Normally the psy of dog is

determined by birth / heredity but they can rephrase it according to their trg &

experiences. Dogs also have the senses of its territory, dominancy, hierarchies, ldrship,

sexuality, maternal instinct, vocal communication and certain postures.

2. A dog may be man’s best friend, but even the most docile one can turn in the blink

of an eye. No matter how much we tame and train them, so long as man is man and

nature is nature, there will always be an underlying threat b/w the two. Nonetheless, dogs

are among the best pets you could own. In gen, they are playful and loyal creature which

can risk their lives to gd their masters. Responsible owners, and non-owners, must

prepare themselves with def techniques in the event when man’s best friend decides to

attk. Every dog is diff and no technique is 100% effective. If you are armed with the rt

info, you will have the best chance of emerging from an attk with little or no injury. The

essay is divided into two parts. Part – I will highlt the Psy of dog and Part-II will discuss

diff methods to avoid a dog attk.

3. Aim. To elaborate the psy of dogs and diff methods of avoiding a dog attk.
 PART – I PSY OF A DOG

4. Hierarchies of dogs. Dogs are packed animals and usually like to remain in

shape of cluster / gp. For which they set perm hierarchies so that relationship may be

regulated among the gp members. In one hierarchy, few dogs are known as dominant

dogs and few are known as recessive / submissive dogs. The dominant dogs are wild due

to their ancestors and few of them become social with the passage of time. The extreme

b/w these two cat of dog is nec to keep the bal in the hierarchy.

a. Leading dogs. Dominancy behavior is in the genes of a dog. It is not

affected by size, shape, sex, str or colour of a dog. But usually the masculine

and aggressive male dominates a pack of dogs. But this dominancy is not a

perm feature. It can be challenge by entry of any new str dog in the pack. A

female in the heat can also create quarrel for dominancy. Some of the breeds

(like some castes in human) have the basic instinct of dominancy e.g. Sledge

Dogs, Fox Terriers etc. sometimes dogs try to become hy on their master too.

They need spec attn. a master str than the dog is req to handle such dogs.

But handling of such dogs should not be terrifying otherwise they will be extra

submissive for the remaining life.

b. Submissive Char. Submissive / recessive dogs are usually threatened by

the dominant dogs. They mov in pack and eat what is left from dominating

dogs. They usually just growl but don’t bark. Submissive dogs display an

infantile type of suppression to human and have parent-child relation with

their owners.
 c. Relationship with Human. There are three types of relationships with

human beings with the dogs:-

1) Submissive relationship – Just like parent & child.

2) Social relationship – Dogs consdr human as pack ldr.

3) Dominant relationship – Dogs dominate over the human

d. First two relations are normal and acceptable for human but the third one is

not desirable at all. The owner should impose its will on the dog firmly and his

orders should be obeyed without question. Refusal to obey orders should be

dealt in efficient manner and should not be tolerated.

2. Territory marking. Dogs have a unique feature of territory marking. They have

special glands in their anal region known as “anal glands”. Anal glands actually secrete

certain secretions with spec scent. Each dog has its own scent. Dog living on one place

owes it and mark it with urinating around the corner of that place, tree trunks, pillars etc.

Usually does check their territory on daily basis once they run freely in the countryside.

While urinating around a territory, they are actually indicating for the other dogs that the

place is already occupied. When some other dog apch that place and sniff it, it comes to

know that it must be keep away. With the help of these indicators, a female dog in heat

also recognizes a male dog to which she had already met during his last heat. Once the

dogs have set their bdrys, they also def them. They try to keep the intruders away from

entering into their territory. Some dogs do not even allow the human to intrude in their

territory. However domesticated dogs take people as their family members. In wild, where

the dogs remain in pack, usually the dominating dog has the responsibility to def the

territory. This instinct of def the bdry has been very well utilized by human to dev Gd /
watch dogs. These dogs have been used worldwide for the safe watch of sensitive instl

with excellent results.

3. Parental Behavior

a. Paternal. Some males, but not all, do care of the puppies. The

phenomenon is not clearly understood whether the dogs have paternal

instinct or not. Gen the males give little attn to the newly born puppies but

they never reported to harm them.

b. Maternal. Just like all other mothers in world, the mother dogs start prep

before whelping (act of birth in female dogs). They start making their nests by

choosing a corner of room. If the cupboard is aval, they will try to take it in a

corner. After the birth, the mother will take all nec precautions which are req

by the newly born puppies. She will lick the belly of its puppies which will

stimulate the meconium (1st stool of newly born). With this rubbing of belly,

puppies will also make their first sound. She will try to keep the puppies near

the teats so that they start sucking the milk. Usually a female dog is a very

good mother. Aggressiveness is in the instinct of the mothers even in those

dogs which are gentle in normal days. Usually puppies remain att with their

mother till the age of six months. The mother will never allow a stranger to

apch its puppies. She can go to any extant to def them. If in open area a

mother feels some danger for her litter, she will take them away to a safer

place. Within a few days, a communication sys dev b/w puppies and mother.

If a puppy gives a call of suffering, the mother will pick it up from scruff of

neck and will bring back near others. She will lick them off & on to feel them
 sheltered. Sometimes a mother can behave indifferently. She can mutilate or

even eat its own puppies. This unusual behavior occurs either due to

frightened by watching blood of whelping, or if she is whelping for first time. It

can also occur in case birth is due to caesarean section. Some researchers

also correlate this un motherly instinct with dietary imbalances, physical,

psychological or emotional constrains imposed on the animals.

4. Ways of Communication. Dogs don’t communicate only by barking but

they also use some other ways of communications like olfactory way of communication,

Vocal Communication, Postures and Rituals. They normally start communicating with

each others at the age of 3-4 wks.

a. Olfactory way. God has gifted the dogs with highly dev sense of smell.

It is thought that dogs can smell 90000 times better than a human being. This

sense plays a vital role while communicating with other dogs. The dogs while

wondering around urinate on tree trunks & around corners to tell others dogs

of the area that the territory is already occupied. It is usually seen that once

the stranger dogs met each others, they sniff the whole body of each other

particularly the anal and genital area (as there are anal glands secretions).

With sniffing the body of each other, the dog tries to recognize the other dogs.

This olfactory sense of communication is in their instinct.

b. Vocal communication. A dog barking is not only barking but it always

has some meaning in it. The vocal communication can be cat into Barking,

Howls, Staccato Bark, Whimper, Whine, Yelp and Growl.

 1) Barking. Barking gives a warning. If the threat is clear, the dogs will

bark. This bark will be dry & short.

2) Howls. If the threat is undefined or un clear, the dogs will howl. As

soon as the dogs start howling or barking, the rest of the dogs in the

pack will also join them to intensify the threat alert. The howling may also

be related with sexuality. If the male is separated from female in heat, it

will start cont howling.

3) Staccato Bark. A sharp, staccato bark conveys a threat and caution to

other dogs, animals or pers to leave the territory. In doing this dog will

not bark severely.

4) Yalp. A sudden short cry often because of fear. When a puppy yelp,

the mother will imed become alert and apch the pup for assistance.

5) Whine. A long high-pitched noise which sounds sad or unpleasant.

Whine may express a puppy’s discomfort.

6) Whimpers. The frightened sound as if the dog is just about to cry. It is

again a sound of discomfort.

7) Growling. A low noise in the throat as if the dog is angry. Growling

is usually associated with the protection of territory.

c. Postures. Dogs have the ability to convey their massages through the

facial expression or postures of their body parts.

1) Tail postures. Fol are the meaning of diff tail postures:-

a) The happy wagging tail means “welcome / playful”.

b) A tail b/w the legs mean “fear”.

 c) Wagging the tail timidly means “lack of confidence”.

d) Tail straightly raised in the air means “ready to attk”.

2) Postures of Aggression. Dogs use their whole body to sig their

intensions to other dogs or human. A dog that wants to look aggressive

will stand in such a way that it will appear larger than its normal size. It

will raise its hind quarters, mov fwd with its tail in the air, shoulders

widen apart, ears pricked & up, lips curled and teeth bared.

3) Postures of submission. When a dog shows submission, it tries to

look smaller, lay its head on its paw, crawls with its tail b/w its legs,

exposing its genitalia, and even urinating.

4) Playful postures. When a dog is playful, it lower its head and fore

paw keeping its hind qtr and tail high. Another way to show its affection

is to nibble the tail of other dog, dancing around and presenting the

flanks.

5. Sexual Behavior. Males are polygamous in dogs. They don’t stick to one female

throughout their life. Male become sexually mature at an age of 7 – 12 months while the

females reached at puberty at 7 – 10 months. Time varies according to the breed. Usually

female shows the signs of heat after every 4-8 months (Avg 6 months). The heat remains

for 6 to 13 days usually or even more in some breeds. During these days female become

restless and receptive to the male. The male is attracted by the chemicals present in the

urine of female in heat from a far distance. Before copulation the dogs perform affection

game (sniffing / loving each other) and then copulation remains for 15 – 20 min. After that

female will lose interest in male in couple of days. Male has continuous & str drive for sex.
They become excited when a female in near vicinity is in heat. But 90% of dogs don’t get

a chance to have sex. Some of them become sexually frustrated and dev some bad

habits of masturbation with the chair or legs of owner. Such sexually frustrated dogs may

also dev aggressive behavior also. Frustrated females usually remain calm / quite but

males try to run away. Sometimes sedatives and neuroleptics are req to con such dogs.

PART – II HOW TO AVOID THE DOG ATTK

6. Avoid the attk. It has been said that prevention is better than a cure, so

before you find out how to def yourself from a dog attk, it’s imp to look at ways you can

avoid one completely. After all, who wants to wrestle with a four-legged beast when, with

a few simple tricks, you could send him packing?

a. Initially, avoid intruding on a dog’s territory. No matter how ignorant you are

willing to be about their chars, dogs are one of the most territorial animals

on earth, and will lash out if they think you are mov in their turf. In this

instance, never apch an unattended dog. If this happens, slowly edge out of

the dog’s space, and don’t make any sudden mov to suggest that you are a

threat.

b. Secondly, make sure that the dog knows who you are before attempting to

handle him. Mov carefully toward the animal and allow him to sniff you.

Many dogs attk on reflex because they have been crept up on. Estb your

presence, make friendship with the dog and avoid this common pitfall.

c. Thirdly, don’t tease a dog or get him excited; let sleeping dogs lie and avoid

a snarling, eating or nursing dog. Dogs that have just become mothers are

particularly on gd; ex extreme caution in her presence.

7. Heed the warning signs. Growling is typically the first sign that a dog is likely to

attk. In addn, if the dog is drooling from the mouth, and his eyes are wild with rage, you

can pretty much assume that man’s best friend isn’t in the best of moods. A dog’s body

func in a similar way to a human’s, in that it can be used to ident his mood and emotions.

Check to see if his body is tense, his hackles (the area between his shoulders and tail)

are up, his ears are erected, and if his tail is held high and wagging faster than normal. If

the signs don’t sit well, you might want to get out of Dodge.

8. What not to do

a. Avoid looking dir into an angry dog’s eyes, which is seen as aggressive

behavior and will almost certainly provoke an attk.

b. Never allow a dog to mov behind you; if a dog begins to circle you, a clear

sign of an impending attk, turn with him. The bottom line is that it’s easier for

the dog to attk you from behind, so don’t make yourself an easy tgt.

c. There’s no pt in trying to run away either, as most dogs can easily outrun

humans. What’s more is that you turn into prey as soon as you begin to run

from the dog; you might as well be a piece of raw steak.

d. If the dog is still a threat and attks, avoid wildly kicking or punching it. This is

because a dog that latches on isn’t going to easily let go, no matter how

hard you hit him. In one case, a large dog was struck on the head with a

baseball bat and still maint his grip, so manpower alone won’t be

successful.
 e. Although running away or lashing out are instinctual reactions, it’s imp to

reign these in; they will antagonize the dog and lessen your chances of

survival or getting away unscathed.

9. What to do

a. If you feel threatened by a dog, stand absolutely still and always face it. So

stand str, put your hands by your side, and wait to see how the dog reacts.

Don't panic.

b. Be like a tree. When a dog apch, stand completely still, like a tree

c. It’s often a good idea to place something b/w you and the animal. Doing this

breaks the dog’s dir line of attk, and even if he does attk, he will get a

mouthful of something other than your flesh. Give the dog something else to

bite.

d. To diffuse the escalating sit, speak slowly and calmly to the dog. Again,

avoid eye contact and focus on his ear or tail while you whisper something

like “good boy” or “go home now.” Ease the dog into a sense of calm and

security, and he’ll hopefully turn and walk away.

 e. If the dog does attk and takes you to the floor, imed curl into a ball, cover

your face and neck with your hands, play dead, and avoid screaming. The

dog will soon lose interest and go on to find something or somebody else to

play with.

f. Bust Its head, break its knees, or choke it.

10. Take up Arms. If a dog attk, it would be ideal if you had something with which

you def yourself. That’s not to say you should hurt the dog though. If local law permits, a

stun gun is recom, but don’t use it on the dog. Instead, use the elec buzzing sound to

deter the dog before he strikes. Alternatively, a cane of deterrent spray can be an eff and

humane way to stop an attk.

11. Concl. To keep and train a dog, it is very imp to know the basic psy of dog.

Dogs are the oldest time tested & faithful friend of human. It is naturally companionable &

social. Like human dogs have certain types of instincts like intelligence, auditory,

visionary, territory, hierarchies, gustatory and tactile. Dogs have the ability to reshape

their behavior as per their past experiences. Although they have the memory but they

don’t have the ability of reasoning. The dogs are very wise animal and have great ability

to get trained in many fds of life. The dogs can learn many things throughout their lives.

Most dogs are not aggressive, but rather just curious or defending what they perceive as

their territory. It is important to be able to tell if a dog is just playing or is being truly

aggressive. Most dog attk are the result of insufficient containment of the dog, poor trg, or

taunting. Unfortunately, the world will never be rid of bad owners, so it is wise to be

prepared. Common sense should tell you not to aggravate any kind of animal.

12. Ref

a. Laura –nAnne, V- Jonkman (2010),. Traditional and Modern Canine

Psychology Theories.
b. Kaminski,et al., Juliane (2004). Word Learning in a Domestic Dog: Evidence
for "Fast Mapping". pp. 1682–1683.
c. Breeding Management and Training Of Army Dogs, Inspector General of
Training and Evaluation Branch, Mil training Directorate, GHQ Rwp.
d. Morell, Virginia (March 2008). "Minds of their Own". National Geographic.
Retrieved 2008-10-13.
e. Kenth Svartberg, Björn Forkman, K (2002-06-14). "Personality traits in the
domestic dog (Canis familiaris)". Applied animal behavior science 79 (2):
133–55. doi:10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00121-1. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
f. Svartberg, K.; Tapper, I.; Temrin, H.; Radesater, T.; Thorman, S. (2004-04-
26). "Consistency of personality traits in dogs". Animal Behaviour 69 (2):
283–91. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2004.04.011. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
g. The ecology of stray dogs: a study of free-ranging urban animals By Alan M.
Beck p. 12
h. Dogstardaily.com chapter "Home alone".
i. Mech, L. David (1999). "Alpha status, dominance, and division of labor in
wolf packs" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Zoology 77: 1196–1203.
 ABOUT AUTHOR
PSS- 48302 Major Muhammad Intizar was commissioned in

RV&FC on 19 Jul 2008. The officer is holding Doctor of Veterinary

Medicine (DVM) and Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) degree in the

discp of Microbiology. He has served as Lecturer in Veterinary

Science in Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan before joining

Army. The officer has remained on various instr & staff appts. He

has served as Vet Offr in Animal Transport Regt ASC, Mtn Regt

Arty, Mil Vet Hosp, and Instr Cl “C” in Army Dog Centre & School.

The offr is qual from USA in Animal Care Splt Course. He has

many pub in national & Intl generals. The offr stood 1 st in Offr Dog

Trg & Emp Course, secured 1st Posn in MCC & topped Army Eqtn

Course. He has vast experience of dealing Expl scene

investigations in FATA. The offr has also topped Expl Scene

Investigation Course & IED Comd Awareness Course. Currently

he is serving in 1st Canine Coy Miran Shah (NWA) as Ops / Trg

Offr.