About dogs

The dog (canis familiaris) is perhaps the widest spread domestic animal that has a special role in human society ambience. From 20.000 years it has established such a tight relationship with the man, that it shares with him many aspects from every day life: food, home, ply and consequently, high and low moments in life. We don't meet such an intimate involvement and such a deep collaboration at any animal, not even at the horse.

Since the beginning of the taming period, the dog did for the man a different series of services with a developing progress for the animal. The dog doesn't have only guarding, protecting and helping hunting roles but its also a guide and help for blinds or invalids, a police dog, a message carrier during wars, a saviour for the persons under rocks or avalanches, not to speak by the fundamental role, that a of a friend.

Regardleess size or abilities, the dog in our society has to be considered most of all a companion, a collaborator, that not only helps but it also offers under no conditions its love and faith. It doesn't ask but to live according to its nature and exigencies; but these, except for the right food, the fresh water and the warm place to sleep, mean an affective role. A dog is not "just a dog", and less a toy which can be taken and left after our own pleasure : it is a living being, with high sensitivity, that goes a developing way in which the man has an important role. When a dog bites, it is aggressive; there is no doubt that this unnatural behaviour is given by a violent and strange behaviour from the man.

The dog has a high intelligence coefficient, superior to other animals like: cats, parrots, horses, he has a high talent for association and learning. Due to its sociability, it also has the extraordinary ability to interpret the smallest signals, including those related to smell coming from other subjects, dogs or human beings. These qualities help it establishes a real communicative relationship with people and become its friend. As the dog doesn't speak but it can signalize through body language, it is fundamental or the man to learn these signals to "answer" them properly. Even if the dog is very intelligent and able to have a real affective relationship, the dog mustn't be too "humanized" and its behaviour to be interpreted in a canine, not human way.

CRISTIAN O. - international trainer in dog training,
specialist in recovering dogs with behaviour
problems and canine education