The Rosetta Bone , livre ebook

THE ROSETTA BONE
The Key to Communication Between Canines and Humans
Cheryl S. Smith
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright 2004 by Cheryl S. Smith. All rights reserved
Howell Book House
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com . Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4447.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com .
Smith, Cheryl S.
The Rosetta bone : the key to communication between canines and humans/by Cheryl S. Smith.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7645-4421-7 (alk. paper)
1. Dogs-Training. 2. Dogs-Behavior. 3. Human-animal
communication. I. Title.
SF431.S613 2004
636.7 0887-dc22
2003017666
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Sundance, who taught me how bright and dignified dogs can be; Spirit, who introduced me to some serious problems with dogs; Serling, who told me to lighten up and enjoy life; and Nestle, who speaks a language all his own.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 The Mists of Time
Where did dogs come from?
Where did all those breeds come from?
2 Wagging Tongues, Wagging Tails
Why should you want to communicate?
Why should your dog want to listen?
3 Conversation With a Canine
How do you teach English as a second language to a dog?
Why are rewards better than reprimands?
4 Seeing Is Hearing
Why should you listen to what your dog is saying?
If humans are anthropomorphic, are dogs canomorphic?
5 Hands-Off Handling
Why should you rely on more than a leash and your voice?
How do dogs know what we re about to do?
6 Canine Spoken Language
Do dogs really mean things when they make all that noise?
Do dogs from different countries understand each other?
7 Best of Breed
How did we get so many breeds; what are they meant for?
Do you need to communicate with or train different breeds
in different ways?
8 A Touching Experience
Can touch be a form of communication?
Do the benefits of touch flow both ways?
9 Kids Speaking Canine
What should kids know about interacting with dogs?
What should dogs know about interacting with kids?
10 X-tra Sensory
Do animal communicators really communicate?
Do dogs have souls?
11 Solutions to Common Problems
How can you use communication to resolve problem behavior?
When is compromise the right solution?
12 Now We re Talking!
Are you more receptive to what your dog is trying to tell you?
Would you like some more ways to have fun with your dog?
Resources
Some Quotable People
Index
Preface
This book began as an idea for a humorous little gift book for dog lovers that would take a tongue-in-cheek look at human attempts to communicate with dogs down through the ages and explain how dogs see the world. As I played with the idea and wrote notes for what I wanted to include, however, it became clear that this book wanted to be something more. So the idea mutated into this much longer, more comprehensive, more serious (though, I hope, still fun) book that you hold in your hands.
I ve always enjoyed the company of all animals-having at one time or another lived with birds, cats, dogs, snakes, rabbits, turtles, horses, sheep, goats, raccoons and a cow-but I remain particularly attuned to dogs. You can do so many things together, and they like being around us as much as we like being around them. I hope I ve learned some things that will help you and your dog live well together.
There are three different kinds of sidebars used throughout the book. The Try It Yourself sidebars are often actual hands-on experiments to try, or sometimes thought experiments to consider. Please stop and actually do whatever is requested, or plan a time to do so if the procedure involves more than yourself and your dog. You can learn a great deal from these little exercises.
You Can Quote Me sidebars are quotes from trainers, behaviorists and veterinarians that are especially pertinent to the subject at hand. Appendix B, Some Quotable People, provides brief profiles of the people who took the time to provide these thought-provoking statements and other input.
The Think About It boxes are sometimes holdovers from the original gift book idea, but more often encouragements to try and help you practice the skill of thinking outside the box. Being able to see a situation from more than one viewpoint is invaluable in dealing with others, whether those others are dogs or humans. These boxes can help you with that goal.
Unless I know the sex of a specific dog mentioned in the book, I refer to dogs as she. This is not because I favor females-I have shared my home with an equal number of males and females-but because I find s/he and her/him to be unacceptably clumsy and because the male construction has had its turn representing everyone.
Although I put the book in an order that makes sense to me, you may prefer to read chapters out of order. This method should present no real problems to readers, other than perhaps having to refer to another chapter for the explanation of some term or technique. However, as you read The Rosetta Bone , I hope you will stop often to share what you re reading with your dog. That is, after all, the whole point of the book.
Cheryl S. Smith June 2003 Port Angeles, Washington
Acknowledgments
It s taken me a long time to learn the information included in this book, and I ve had a lot of help along the way. To all the trainers I ve ever practiced under, I offer a most sincere thank you. Each one taught me more about what I was doing with dogs. So, to Tom, Rosalie, Emily, Mandy, Mike, Maureen, Terry, Karla and anyone I might have forgotten, I couldn t have gotten here without you.
To APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers), Puppyworks and Legacy, who have invited me to conferences galore as a member of the press, you furthered my education-and through my magazine articles and books, the world at large-probably more than you realize. I look forward to many more years of learning.
To everyone who kindly answered my slew of questions via e-mail and phone calls, my most sincere appreciation for your time and sharing of knowledge. A massive thank you to marine mammal trainers/behaviorists Kathy Sdao and Kerrie Haynes-Lovell; veterinarians Karen Overall and Dennis Wilcox; and trainers/lecturers Mandy Book, Morgan Spector, Terry Ryan, Margaret Johnson, Gary Wilkes, Lauren McCall and Debby Potts.
And finally, of course, there are the dogs who have been in my life. They all so perfectly suited my needs at the time each one appeared that it truly boggles the mind, from the first, who needed scarcely any training and was undoubtedly a more complete creature than I at the time, through all the problem children and hard cases, to the softest dog I ve ever known, you have all furthered my education, my understanding and indeed my path toward enlightenment. Cave canem , indeed-they creep inside you to places you didn t know existed.
C HAPTER 1
The Mists of Time
Where did dogs come from?
Where did all those breeds come from?

It has been 20,000 years since man and dog formed their partnership. That we have altered the dog genetically is well understood; it is hardly known how they changed us. Since dogs could smell and hear better than men, we could concentrate on sight. Since courage is commonplace in dogs, men s adrenal glands could shrink. Dogs, by making us more efficient predators, gave us time to think. In short, dogs civilized us.
Donald McCaig in Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men
The Kato Indians of California have a creation tale like many others . . . up to a point:
The god Nagaicho erected pillars at the four corners of the sky to hold it aloft and expose the earth. With the land exposed, Nagaicho started walking about this new world. He created things as he went, dragging his feet to make the river valleys, bringing forth creatures to fill the spaces. As he walked about, he was accompanied by the dog. Nagaicho didn t create the dog. God had a dog.
THE ANCIENT TIMELINE
Donald McCaig may well be right that dogs c