Pardon me. I have something very specific to tell you.
Can you say the title word of this article three times, very fast? Specifi . . . specie . . . spesh . . . yeah, me neither. I cannot even say it once without sputtering on my computer’s monitor. It is a good word to know because it explains some of your small dog’s behavior. Dogs interpret their environment very specifically. They tie experiences to very precise circumstances. Let’s say for example, your dog learns to fear men in black pants. The “why” part of the equation is not important. No matter why the fear first developed, only men wearing black pants will trigger a fear response. It is likely your dog will not be afraid of men in black shorts, or men in beige pants. Nor will your dog be fearful of women in black dresses. No one knows for sure why dogs are so specific in this manner. It could be a survival strategy, or it might simply be related to a dog’s limited ability to reason. You may say, sure this is very interesting, but what does it have to do with my relationship with my dog? (more…)
(Marlowe & Company, 2007.) Mr. Stavroff is a highly experienced dog trainer specializing in positive motivational training. He has a rather stark caution on what you may be getting into if you adopt a dog from a shelter.