 | Dog PsychologyA common mistake is that dogs behave motivated by needs or interests similar to our own. Most owners tend to treat them like a child, not understanding that the dog is not human which is why they need to be understood in a more canine way ... a dog psychology. To do this, first of all we need to understand that in our world – although similar to the dog's – is not the same and our values have no meaning in their world. Many people think of their dog as smart, but very few people take into account that this concept does correspond with the way these animals think and react. The dog's intelligence is the ability to respond and react to certain stimulus brought about by what surrounds them. In most cases we judge the intelligence of a dog by its reactions to the owner's commands. The faster the response, the smarter they are considered; the quicker they learn, the more valued is its intelligence. If the dog's intelligence is reduced to its ability to associate, its memory is not less limited. Unlike humans, it can't voluntarily remember images or memories or store a large amount of information to use whenever necessary. The dog memory works more like an image or an instant memory (like a photographic flash) connected to a particular smell or to a pleasant or unpleasant feeling. Similar to the rest of its intellectual activities, they are brought about by the process of association. For example, if the owner goes on vacations and leaves his dog in an unknown dog residence, the owner will leave it memory. In a certain way, he will have never existed. In the first ten or fifteen days the animal will feel totally abandoned, since it wont recognize the territory, nor will it be part of its pack, and if its of weak character or a little sensitive, it can suffer severe depression. Psychology of the dog is such that dogs that are very close to their owners feel utterly abandoned; they stop eating for several days and can get undernourished. When its owner returns, its probable that from far away it recognizes them by their smell or by the car's sound; which become stimulants reminding it right then of their owner. |
