Anthropomorphism: Does your Dog Like You?
If you have to ask that question, the answer is: Probably not. LOL!
Most of us have had several dogs cross our paths. Based on experience we usually know how a relationship with any particular dog is going to turn out. This of course is not because of any “special” communication skills one may possess; it is simply from the familiarity of circumstances in having dogs throughout your life. Is this knowledge from dealing with dogs, or knowledge from dealing with humans applied to dogs? If you haven’t heard of the term, anthropomorphism, this is what it means: any designation of a human characteristic applied to canines.
We have seen people communicate and interact with their K9 as if they were of the same species. Common knowledge dictates that no human speaks dog, and no dog speaks human…at least fluently. It is difficult not to get caught up in the mindset that our canines think and interact as we humans do. I know, at one time or another, we have accused our dogs of looking guilty.
If an instructor/handler/trainer manages some sort of training success with a canine, doesn’t necessarily mean that the feeling or feelings are mutual; it may not feel “successful” to the dog, depending on the exercise, it may be defeat. What something means to you, may mean the total opposite to your dog. Dogs often receive mixed signals from humans, hence, why we spend a lot of time problem solving in the canine industry. A dog's temperament is a direct result of the owner’s ability or inability to understand him and give him what he instinctually needs as a dog.
It is common knowledge that dogs are pack animals. In a pack, the relationship between each pack member is clearly defined and enforced. Most dogs are good in relationships with other pack members; on the other hand, most humans are notoriously bad at relationships--period. The amounts of “relationship variables” that exist in human society are the demise of humans and their relationships. Humans often fail in relationships with