“The difference between a mental and physical memory is that while the mental memory is remembered, often erronoeously, physical memory is relived, and the body is never wrong about the past……. …a dog can’t remember yet it never forgets”
….’Your Dog is Your Mirror’, Kevin Behan
Arguments At Meal Time
I was preparing the dogs’ meals and had left some very smelly tripe on the work surface. Archie and Jack were in the kitchen waiting. Archie was excitedly counter-surfing while Jack sat patiently drooling. All of a sudden Jack was attacking Archie. Clearly he was worried that Archie was going to help himself ‘more manners, young-un’!
Things calmed down and I finished feeding them. At the time I was just in from work, rushing about, cooking meals, organising dogs, desperate to be able to just sit down and relax. So taking the principles of Natural Dog Training I had to accept that I had contributed to the energy of the situation. I was worried that the incident had the potential to cause lasting problems between the two dogs.
Aftermath
Later that evening I let them out into the garden and kept a watchful eye on them. Archie was clearly nervous, standing still, ears back, hackles raised, avoiding Jack as much as possible. He had definitely not forgotten Jack’s attack. Jack, on the other hand, was approaching Archie, play-bowing, wagging his tail, sniffing his ears, barking loudly, trying to get the previously boisterous response from Archie. Jack couldn’t remember what had happened. Archie would stand stiffly and then when Jack’s antics subsided, move out the way.
Later the two dogs came across each other at a doorway in the house. Archie tried to sidle past Jack uneasily, hackles raised. Jack’s happy demeanour then changed. His hackles raised and he growled. I could see that Archie was ‘not forgetting’ the experience of the attack. Jack, on the other hand wasn’t remembering but he was just reading Archie in the moment and perceiving a threat.
Everyone Learns
I restricted their interactions to outside for a few weeks, under my supervision, being careful to make sure I was feeling relaxed at these times. Eventually they were comfortable playing with each other again.
Archie stayed wary of Jack in the kitchen, and seemed to have learnt not to counter-surf any more. It made me realise that Jack was holding onto stuff that might be triggered in certain situations . I was given a reminder for myself to remain conscious in the moment.
It reminded me of a quote
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel
Maya Angelou (author of ‘Why a Caged Bird Sings’)
I guess you can apply that to dogs too.
Love the post, love the photos, and love the Maya Angelou quote–very much in line with Kevin’s ideas–and so true.
Thankyou Sweet – you know sometimes everything you learn about seems to join up with everying else and make so much sense ….. and then other times,,,brick walls?! 🙂
When you find the answer to counter surfing let me know !!! Millie is a horror at it 🙂 question is this – how to figure out via NDT because normally would say ‘no’ or ‘bad’
Hi Nicola, my plan is to use something that will enable them to teach themselves – like a spray collar or an electric collar next to some enticing food – and to set it off when he investigates without him knowing it’s due to me, in the same way Kevin talks about teaching heelwork in his book. Don’t know if it will work – Archie (labarador) seems pretty greedy! I haven’t done it yet because I am pathetic at inflicting any sort of discomfort – except on myself 🙂