The Mind and Body Connection By Dale McCluskey www.k9pack.com "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it is tied to everything else in the universe." John Muir (1838-1914) U. S. naturalist, explorer. Dogs are pack animals. The depth of this pack connection goes further than most people comprehend or understand as it links with mind, body and nature. How dogs communicate with each other through this mind and body connection provides the snapshot for assessing strength and weakness. Dogs know the overall path, intent and characteristics of the owner' mind within this strength and weakness, body and mind connection and framework. This connection is both a proximity one and main influencing agent based on who spends the most time with the dog. This connection begins to take hold and intensify with any dog or human within a few feet. The interplay and reactions are based on the psychological path of the human and level of influence and role of the dog within its pack. Just like how nature is intertwined so are both mind and body. This is where physical strength blends into the will and strength of the mind. It is this intent, character and seriousness of the mind, which represents strength. Physical responses, which are aggressive may not create meaningful influence based on how the overall mind is framed. Often a dog owner reacts from a buildup of frustration through an emotional response. This is where a disconnect happens from how the owner perceives their own psychology and how the dog perceives it based on nature's standard. Through this interwoven mind and body connection a dog knows the mind of the owner, its current path and intent. A dog quickly creates a personality assessment based on these characteristics. To see the unseen and the depth of this pack connection it is only revealed by direct interaction without separation from this pack influence. Recent studies which focus on this intertwined relationship and connection confirm that more is happening than what is seen from the surface. Taken together, the current results show that dogs were highly sensitive to the experimenter’s attentional state. There are still many unanswered questions, and future research on animal social cognition should thus be explicitly comparative and should attempt to establish the full range of social–cognitive skills for a wide range of animal species. Only recently it has been discovered that dogs are interesting to science for another reason. It appears that dogs have evolved specialized skills for reading human social and communicative behavior. (Hare 2005) It is conceivable that dogs may have evolved some special predisposition for interacting with and communicating with humans (Lorenz, 1964; Miklo´si, Polga´rdi, Topa´l, & Csa´nyi, 1998; Mitchell & Thompson, 1986). While recent scientific studies of dog and human interactions hint that a more complex level of communication is happening between dogs and humans the break through moment remains in doubt based on this behaviorist way of thinking being deeply embedded into our scientific studies and academic institutions. (Lee 2009) Modern researchers in animal cognition are in most cases firmly behaviorist in methodology, even though they differ sharply from the behaviorist philosophy. (Hare 2005) While many have been indoctrinated to this behaviorist way of thinking others are starting to question if behavioral science can provide the answers and resolve the discourse happening within the dog training world. Many non-experts in the field, and a small minority of experts, find the scientific approach too cautious, and feel that it tends to underrate the intellectual achievements of animals by insisting on behavioral evidence. (Cognition 2011) One of the main stumbling blocks to this pack connection being revealed fully is associated with behavioral science and more specifically conditioning. Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. According to behaviorism, behavior can be studied in a systematic and observable manner with no consideration of internal mental states. (Cherry 2008) Through the framework created by Watson, Skinner and Pavlov the focus of research shifted almost entirely on how dogs, and humans, reacted to various stimuli based on biology and physical response. (Demar 1989) The decision to rely on the observable was reconciled at the time by the question of whether psychology could be used as reliable science. But if we attempt an approach from this science of psychology to the problem confronting us we shall be building our superstructure on a science which has no claim to exactness as compared even with physiology. In fact it is still open to discussion whether psychology is a natural science, or whether it can be regarded as a science at all. (Pavlov 1927) These ideas and concepts attempted to focus entirely on observable behaviors which makes it is easier to quantify and collect data and information when conducting research. (Cherry 2008) It is clear these ideas and concepts dumb-ed down nature at a level which focused on the body and not the mind. When viewed from the perspective of Nature and how a dog's mind is governed and pulled by the influence of the pack it becomes clear why Pavlov was having difficulty with controlling the dog's reactions to human presence. It was thought at the beginning of our research that it would be sufficient simply to isolate the experimenter in the research chamber with the dog on its stand, and to refuse admission to anyone else during the course of an experiment. But this precaution was found to be wholly inadequate, since the experimenter, however still he might try to be, was himself a constant source of a large number of stimuli. (Pavlov 1923) Dogs are pulled to other dogs and people, it is the pivoting point of how a dog's mind is influenced through nature and the pack connection. Pavlov's difficulties and concerns during his experiments with studying dogs came from this separation. Unless we are careful to take special precautions the success of the whole investigation may be jeopardized, and we should get hopelessly lost as soon as we began to seek for cause and effect among so many and various influences, so intertwined and entangled as to form a veritable chaos. (Pavlov 1927) Whatever was to come from this study based on separation of the dog from pack influence would not be a reliable standard with how a dog's mind is really influenced and governed. The foundation that behaviorists have attempted to build based on conditioning methodology has proven unreliable and inconsistent as a result. Unfortunately this behaviorist indoctrination has contaminated studies, which attempt to push beyond the boundaries of behavioral science to grasp the meaning and depth of this mind and body connection. Many continue to flounder and fixate on what is seen from the surface as it links to devices, conditioning and what is observable. The issue of emotion with how information is filtered and sifted through our cognitive processes only further binds our ability to see beyond the surface. The mind is influenced by emotions and feelings which makes the persons mind susceptible to a certain bias which impacts the persons ability to be objective. Our cognitive process could best be described as the tree from which all truth comes. We all filter information differently based on our beliefs. With the study of living things our cognitive framework is intertwined with certain emotions and feelings which can interfere in our ability to remain objective. What motivates the search for truth or halts its pursuit is determined by the character of the individual. Emotions such as interest, curiosity, wonder, and surprise are inextricable from the cognitive processes of scientific investigation, guiding researchers to generate important questions and to try to produce acceptable answers to them. (Thagood 2006) When our emotions and feelings collide with objective reasoning than critical thinking is not able to move us in the right direction with finding answers. When we feel good about how well our beliefs fit together, there is no way for us to tell whether in fact the coherence is really a matter of the goodness of fit of hypotheses with the evidence, or instead a matter of goodness of fit of hypotheses with our personal goals. (Thagood 2006) A level of bias would explain why many are holding fast onto behavioral science as a means to build bridges within nature, which cannot be built. The agenda of exploitation has allowed the smoke and mirror behaviorist sideshow to remain opened for business. When you consider how conditioning is used combined with the domino effect when meaningful influence grabs hold the behaviorist model appears to make sense from the surface. When you begin testing the waters of the behaviorist model of training with high drive dogs the psychology attached as a life preserver begins to rise to the surface. Unresolved behavior issues get humanized and treated with medications while vets make profit from this self-fueling framework. In the end the real losers in this deal are the dogs and owners. References Alpha Theory;Why it doesn't work (2010). American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. (2008). Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals Bradshaw, John. (2009). Dominance in Domestic Dogs-Useful construct or bad habit? Call, Josep. (2003). Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) Are Sensitive to the Attentional State of Humans, Journal of Comparative Psychology Copyright 2003 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 2003, Vol. 117, No. 3, 257–263 Cherry, Kendra. (2010). The Four Styles of Parenting, About.com Guide, Psychology Coren, Stanley. (2010). Obtaining Status, Rather Than Enforcing Dominance Over Dogs: A Positive Program, Psychology Today. Derr, Mark. (2006). Pack of Lies. DeMar, Gary (1989). Behaviorism Dictionary.com, "influence," in The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Source location: Houghton Mifflin Company. Behavior. 125, 283-313. Dodman, Nicholas (2010). Ethology: The Study of Animal Behavior. Dunbar, Ian (2010). Science Based Dog Training – With Feeling Dunn, Ellen (2010). The Parent and the Pendulum Fact-index.com (2011) Animal Cognition. Frijda, Nico (2000). The influence of emotions on beliefs. University Press, Cambridge. Hackbarth, H. (2008). Comparison of Stress and Learning Effects of Three Different Training Methods: Electronic Training Collar, Pinch Collar and Quitting Signal. Hannover Univ. Hare, Brian (2005). Human-like social skills in dogs? TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences Vol.9 No.9 September 2005, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, Germany Julian Rubin. (2008) Operant Conditioning Kelly, Lee Charles. (2009). Of Mice and Mutts: Is Behavioral Science Failing Our Dogs Kelly, Lee Charles. (2009). Of Mice and Mutts; Why Behavioral Science is Losing the Training Wars. Laurette, Norma Jeanne. (2006) The Dominance Theory Lloyd, Robin. (2006). Emotional Wiring Different in Men and Women, Live Science Lockman, Darcy. (2010). Rehabilitate Your Reactive Dog, The Dog Daily. Mech, L. D. (2008). What Happened to the Term Alpha Wolf? International Wolf, Winter 2008, pp. 8 Mech, L. D. (2010). Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs. Millan, Cesar (2006). Cesar's Way Ogburn, Philip (1998). Comparison of behavioral and physiological responses of dogs wearing two different types of collars. University of Minnesota, Department of Physiology College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University. Pavlov, Ivan P. (1927) Conditioned Reflexes: An Investigation of the Physiological Activity of the Cerebral Cortex, Lecture One Pavlov, Ivan P. (1927) Conditioned Reflexes: An Investigation of the Physiological Activity of the Cerebral Cortex, Lecture Two Perry, Gaille. (1992). Aggression in Dogs: A Complete Review. Plataforma SINC (2009). Dogs Are Aggressive If They Are Trained Badly. Remote (2010) Examining our opinions about dog training and other things. Ryan, David. (2010) Why Won't Dominance Die? Sands, Jennifer. (2002). Social dominance, aggression and faecal glucocorticoid levels in a wild population of wolves, Canis lupus. Department of Ecology, Montana State University. Sprain, Leah. (2006) Sending Signals from the Ivory Tower: Barriers to Connecting Academic Research to the Public Sizer, Sally (2010). Calming Signals in Dogs. Temple Grandin. (2005). Animals in Translation, pp 309 Thagard, Paul (2006). How Cognition Meets Emotion: Beliefs, Desires, and Feelings as Neural Activity, University of Waterloo University of Bristol (2009). Using 'Dominance' To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat. Vetinfo (2010) Understanding dog memory: Associative Memory Versus Real Memory: Negative Versus Positive Associations Waggoner, Brad (2010). Operant Conditioning Welfare in Dog Training. (2010) What's Wrong with using 'Dominance' to Explain the Behavior of Dogs? Wynne, C. D. L. (2001). Animal Cognition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Yin, S. 2007. Dominance Versus Leadership in Dog Training. Compendium Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian 29:4-32 Dominance Theory Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed. ~Francis Bacon - 1620 Dominance has become the core issue, rallying position, and stumbling stone for many when it comes to creating harmony and balance within the dog and human relationship. This critical issue has been ignored and dismissed by many even while nature has been providing us with many clues and warnings that something is wrong with how we are connecting with our dogs. Behaviorists have exploited conditioning by giving it a free pass and using it as a bridge to meet the needs of the dog owner rather than the nature needs of the dog. This exploitation of conditioning happens by those who use behavioral science instead of nature as their foundation. How a dog's mind is influenced ,as it aligns with conditioning, is not questioned by many beyond what is seen from the surface. Goodness of fit has taken priority over unanswered questions, inconsistent results, conflict, unresolved behavior issues and failure. The answer to what dominance really represents, as it connects to strength or weakness, is not found on the surface of the relationship. It is discovered with the unveiling of the intertwined connection dogs share with us through Nature and the pack relationship. Insight into the depth of this mind and body connection comes through intense and direct interaction between dog and owner. Only when the dog owner or trainer begins to challenge, confront and face off on the issues associated with conditioning and what is seen from the surface does nature fully reveal itself. It is exposed through the willingness to allow ones own agenda and beliefs to implode. Only by surrendering fully to nature, both mind and body, is truth revealed. For me this happened by pushing beyond what was seen and connecting the dots with what was not seen. As I took on case after case of what were labeled as hopeless failures within conditioning focused models of training I began to look at how owners connected with their dogs at the psychological level for the answers. The same patterns began to appear over and over again with how owners thought about and connected with their dogs. Strength and weakness took on new depth and meaning within this shared mind and body connection. Devices and conditioning began to fade into the background as this cognitive interplay and dynamic began to firm up towards connecting the final dots between dog and owner. While many are starting to make the connection from behavioral science to ongoing issues between dogs and owners the psychology itself, as it links to the mind and body connection, is the real issue and problem. By seeing dogs as either sophisticated lab rats or as 4-legged mini-me's (or both), the behavioral science approach to dog training seems to be failing our furry friends. (Lee -2009) To better understand what is really causing conflict and issues for dogs and owners one has to look a little closer at the type of psychology that behaviorists align with. Those who lean heavily on behavioral science also humanize dogs at a level which follows a path of weakness via emotional psychology and connection through nature and the pack relationship. Without qualifying the type of influence happening between dogs and owners through conditioning many behaviorists fail to connect any dots beyond the positive at all costs agenda. This critical dot established between meaningful influence and the diminishing of unwanted behavior is lost on those who do not understand what dominance represents as it connects to both mind and body. Behaviorist ideas and concepts, terms and conditions hold back and restrain the mind from expanding to understand what dominance represents as it connects to nature. This restrictive way of thinking is contaminated further with the merging of an agenda which is fueled by feelings and emotions. This owner focused agenda aligns with the type of emotion and connection which is perceived as weakness. When unwanted behaviors fail to diminish than meaningful influence has failed to take hold. This is the true standard and litmus test which behaviorists continue to dismiss and ignore. While many behaviorists express concern regarding the recent re-emergence of dominance theory the same concern has not been shown regarding the many serious issues linked to the behaviorist model of training. Continuing questions remain unanswered regarding the consistency of this model of training as well as a objective audit of the actual failure rates. While some behaviorists admit to owners becoming frustrated with lack of success and so, seek help elsewhere they appear unwilling to seek out the underlying issues and causation (Dunbar 2010). The voices calling out to look beyond behavioral science has come up against stiff resistance from an aggressive campaign to sell this model of training “as is” onto the public. The reasons behind this resistance by behaviorists is directly connected to the positions they have taken regarding dominance. The “pack” and “dominance” theory of domestic dogs is a harmful meme. It prevents many owners understanding their dogs, causes untold misery for both and is perpetuated by well-meaning but uninformed dog trainers around the world. It is proving extremely resistant to extinction. (Ryan 2010) This ongoing and aggressive push for unconditional validation by many does not meet even the minimum standard one would expect from the academic community. While misrepresenting what dominance represents this issue is colored up and used as fuel by many to appeal to the emotions and feelings of dog owners. People who rely on dominance theory to train their pets may need to regularly threaten them with aggressive displays or repeatedly use physical force. Conversely, pets subjected to threats or force may not offer submissive behaviors. Instead, they may react with aggression, not because they are trying to be dominant but because the human threatening them makes them afraid. (AVSAB – 2008) This emotional hijacking crosses over to reveal another agenda at work which plays off the feelings of dog owners. Behaviorists have become the dealer of choice for those seeking to keep this emotional high going as long as possible. They have aligned with the type of psychological connection which feeds this emotional addiction. The mission statements of those who align with these views use the anti dominance message to propel this emotional agenda beyond the reach of ongoing issues and questions which will not go away. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior is concerned with the recent re-emergence of dominance theory and forcing dogs and other animals into submission as a means of preventing and correcting behavior problems. For decades, some traditional animal training has relied on dominance theory and has assumed that animals misbehave primarily because they are striving for higher rank. This idea often leads trainers to believe that force or coercion must be used to modify these undesirable behaviors. (AVSAB – 2008) By ignoring, dismissing or denying the already established forces of nature it changes nothing except our ability to direct, control and influence the path we take and role we adopt within the pack relationship. The type of psychology the model and method of training aligns itself with matters more than people realize. While the owner may be really happy based on first impressions and what is seen from the surface they may ultimately fail based on the amount of psychological change needed to break them out of the follower role. References Alpha Theory;Why it doesn't work (2010). American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. (2008). Position Statement on the Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals Bradshaw, John. (2009). Dominance in Domestic Dogs-Useful construct or bad habit? Call, Josep. (2003). Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) Are Sensitive to the Attentional State of Humans, Journal of Comparative Psychology Copyright 2003 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 2003, Vol. 117, No. 3, 257–263 Cherry, Kendra. (2010). The Four Styles of Parenting, About.com Guide, Psychology Coren, Stanley. (2010). Obtaining Status, Rather Than Enforcing Dominance Over Dogs: A Positive Program, Psychology Today. Derr, Mark. (2006). Pack of Lies. DeMar, Gary (1989). Behaviorism Dictionary.com, "influence," in The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Source location: Houghton Mifflin Company. Behavior. 125, 283-313. Dodman, Nicholas (2010). Ethology: The Study of Animal Behavior. Dunbar, Ian (2010). Science Based Dog Training – With Feeling Dunn, Ellen (2010). The Parent and the Pendulum Fact-index.com (2011) Animal Cognition. Frijda, Nico (2000). The influence of emotions on beliefs. University Press, Cambridge. Hackbarth, H. (2008). Comparison of Stress and Learning Effects of Three Different Training Methods: Electronic Training Collar, Pinch Collar and Quitting Signal. Hannover Univ. Hare, Brian (2005). Human-like social skills in dogs? TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences Vol.9 No.9 September 2005, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, Germany Julian Rubin. (2008) Operant Conditioning Kelly, Lee Charles. (2009). Of Mice and Mutts: Is Behavioral Science Failing Our Dogs Kelly, Lee Charles. (2009). Of Mice and Mutts; Why Behavioral Science is Losing the Training Wars. Laurette, Norma Jeanne. (2006) The Dominance Theory Lloyd, Robin. (2006). Emotional Wiring Different in Men and Women, Live Science Lockman, Darcy. (2010). Rehabilitate Your Reactive Dog, The Dog Daily. Mech, L. D. (2008). What Happened to the Term Alpha Wolf? International Wolf, Winter 2008, pp. 8 Mech, L. D. (2010). Alpha Status, Dominance, and Division of Labor in Wolf Packs. Millan, Cesar (2006). Cesar's Way Ogburn, Philip (1998). Comparison of behavioral and physiological responses of dogs wearing two different types of collars. University of Minnesota, Department of Physiology College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University. Pavlov, Ivan P. (1927) Conditioned Reflexes: An Investigation of the Physiological Activity of the Cerebral Cortex, Lecture One Pavlov, Ivan P. (1927) Conditioned Reflexes: An Investigation of the Physiological Activity of the Cerebral Cortex, Lecture Two Perry, Gaille. (1992). Aggression in Dogs: A Complete Review. Plataforma SINC (2009). Dogs Are Aggressive If They Are Trained Badly. Remote (2010) Examining our opinions about dog training and other things. Ryan, David. (2010) Why Won't Dominance Die? Sands, Jennifer. (2002). Social dominance, aggression and faecal glucocorticoid levels in a wild population of wolves, Canis lupus. Department of Ecology, Montana State University. Sprain, Leah. (2006) Sending Signals from the Ivory Tower: Barriers to Connecting Academic Research to the Public Sizer, Sally (2010). Calming Signals in Dogs. Temple Grandin. (2005). Animals in Translation, pp 309 Thagard, Paul (2006). How Cognition Meets Emotion: Beliefs, Desires, and Feelings as Neural Activity, University of Waterloo University of Bristol (2009). Using 'Dominance' To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat. Vetinfo (2010) Understanding dog memory: Associative Memory Versus Real Memory: Negative Versus Positive Associations Waggoner, Brad (2010). Operant Conditioning Welfare in Dog Training. (2010) What's Wrong with using 'Dominance' to Explain the Behavior of Dogs? Wynne, C. D. L. (2001). Animal Cognition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Yin, S. 2007. Dominance Versus Leadership in Dog Training. Compendium Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian 29:4-32 About the Author Dale McCluskey has more than 20 years experience training and handling dogs. He was a K-9 officer for over 12 years in New Brunswick, Canada and received many awards, accomplishments and distinctions during his service. Dale currently resides in Saint Cloud, Florida with his wife Vianca and children. |