Jennifer Arnold, author of last year’s bestselling Through a Dog’s Eyes (Spiegel & Grau), returns to investigating the inner workings of man’s best friend with In a Dog’s Heart. Howard is the founder of Canine Assistants, which trains service dogs, and also the creator of Choice Teaching, a method for training dogs through gentle incentive.
What one thing do you wish people knew about their dogs that remains widely unacknowledged?
The concept of Alpha is simply not applicable to dogs. Dogs do not challenge the authority of humans in an effort to “dominate” them. They already know we are in control—of their food, water, bathroom, bed, and toys. What more control do we need?
What misperceptions do people have about the emotional health of dogs?
Dogs worry about making us happy, but it appears that they do not have the cognitive ability to feel guilt—so they really didn’t know better than to do that thing they did!
How does what you have learned from training service dogs for Canine Assistants “translate” to pet dogs?
I have learned over the years that dogs try a lot harder to understand us than we do to understand them. It is in our best interest to try a little harder to see the world through a dog’s eyes. The only difference between Canine Assistants dogs and pet dogs is the number of behaviors they need to know on cue in order to work well with their humans. They are all animals of wondrous ability and great affection.
Can you briefly describe Choice Teaching?
Choice Teaching is based on the concept that dogs are more likely to repeat behaviors they willingly choose to perform rather than those they are forced to perform. Initially, we use external rewards, such as food, but over time the behaviors themselves become intrinsically rewarding because of the positive memories associated with performance. Then the external reward is no longer needed.
You start In a Dog’s Heart with a question: “What do dogs want in their heart of hearts?” What’s your answer?
Dogs want, as we all do, to live a happy life. What I find remarkable is that they want us beside them as they live it.
