ANTHROPOMORPHISM means attributing of human features to things and objects that are not humans.
During the last years Hollywood described dog's behavior using human morals and ethics. Thus, Lassie saves life of the rabbit, Benjie detects a crime, and Rin Tin Tin protects the fort from robbers. These movies are really interesting, because the actors were very well trained, though these movies might give the wrong idea of the dog's ability to think and reason.
As a result, many dog owners begin to consider their pets could be wiser. In fact, an inexperienced person often expects things the dog is unable to do in any case. When training his dog such person is inconsistent and unsteady. This results in slow learning and unreliable obedience, which is the most often cause of really malicious, non-trainable and stubborn animals. But this is not the dogs' fault. These are their owners who are guilty.
Each time you try to estimate the dog's behavior from the human point of view, you cause damage to it. But the tragedy is not that you are an anthropomorphist. The tragedy is that you don't make an effort to understand your dog.
Sometimes anthropomorphism is harmless and even pleasant. For example, when you prepare a birthday food for your dog or give her a Christmas present. But as regards to "education" an owner should be very careful with such way of thinking. For example, looking at the "guilty expression" on a dog's muzzle the owner shouldn't consider the animal realized its' guilt and knows what its' guilt is. The dog DOESN'T KNOW and can't realize that today is Christmas or its' birthday.
Here is another clear example of anthropomorphism. Many owners of juvenile animals say their dogs like to chew everything they can get. Many owners come to me and complain their dogs chew furniture, carpets, shoes, etc. They moan like "he knows that he does wrong" and say they tried anything but nothing helped. When I ask what they did to improve the dog's behavior, they reply: "I scolded him and pushed his nose into the thing he spoiled" or "I said he is at it and slapped him with a rolled paper".
And so it happens time and again, but the dog continues to damage the house. The only thing the owner gets is that the chewer gnaws when there is nobody at home and slips away at the moment when the owner comes back. Some dogs may even stand in front of the owner with an "awfully guilty" look on the muzzle. If a good course of events, the person from time to time comes home and sees no mess. He praises himself and the dog and everybody is happy. The owner thinks - "he did it from bitchiness" or "He comprehended, because he is as smart as I am".
In other words, such dog's behavior strengthens the owner's confidence that the dog "understood what was good and what was wrong". This statement is based on human emotions. And such owners are extreme anthropomorphists. They analyze everything from the human point of view. But what about canine point of view?
Let me tell you about the day when I first realized I was seriously ill with anthropomorphism.
Jason was an Irish setter and one of my best teachers. He was two years old when was awarded his first diploma "Companion Dog" and at that time he was the Best Garbage Eater in USA. But actually Jason was a good dog. One day we saw a show with the professional trainer from Empire State and his dog. We were astonished. After the performance the trainer gave a short talk-session. Some asked "How to teach a dog to approach at a command" or "What should I do to cure him from stealing?", or "How to break the habit of jumping on people and me?" At last I asked:
"How can I train my setter away from getting the garbage out the trash can?"
"Catch him, when he is inside the trash can and correct his behavior", the trainer replied.
"Actually, I did it couple of times, I said, - Now he doesn't touch the garbage when I'm home, but he persists when I leave. And believe me he knows he must not do this. At the time when he only started to make contacts with the trash can, I proceeded. - I came back home and used to see garbage on the kitchen floor. So I took the dog, wherever he hided and dragged him to the kitchen. I used to say "Bad dog!" and pushed his nose into the garbage. Jason was very upset and looked guilty. I think he realized why I had punished him, but he does it again and again. Some days he didn't behave wrong and each time I praised him for that. I'm sure he knows he must not get in the garbage, because he hides each time when I come back and there is a mess on the floor. When everything is in order he meets me joyfully and happily. He behaves wrong only from stubbornness".
"I don't think your dog knows he does something wrong when get in the trash can. I'm quite skeptical about this, - said the trainer, - Make an easy experiment, - he suggested, - through the garbage on the floor, bring your dog to the kitchen without saying a word and watch what he will do. Leave for five minutes and then come back and estimate his behavior".
I made a dump in the kitchen, as the trainer advised and invited my dog. At the sight of disorder Jason got panic. Saying no word I left the house and when came back saw Jason exited and guilty. I was sure that during the short time that I was absent he didn't touch the trash can, but as I tried to approach to the dog, he ran out to the room and hided. I called up the trainer and told him what had happened.
"If your dog knew he was wrong, why then he looked guilty and ran away when saw the garbage you had scattered", - he asked. I could say nothing in response.
"Because your dog KNOWS that if there is garbage on the floor when you come home, there will no good for him. Unfortunately your dog can't understand that his affair with the trash-can will cause your anger in the future. Dogs don't think about remote future and are unable to plan it. But they have enough experience and are able to use it. That's why Jason quickly computed that the garbage on the floor associated with your return creates problems. He didn't understand that SCATTERING of the garbage is bad. Quite the opposite, the dog considers getting in the garbage as a good behavior, because he gets satisfaction enjoying food waste. At that moment there is nothing unpleasant to reverse his opinion".
I saw the light: I must do something (in the absence of household) that would create a negative experience at the moment when the dog is busy with the garbage.
In return, the trainer suggested several versions of shaping the behavior. For example to put a mouse trap inside the trash can. When the dog puts his nose inside, the trap will suddenly snap and frighten him and he will get a negative experience. Most likely the animal will keep off any trash later. (Though this method is efficient the trap may injure the dog).
The second advice was to spray Chilly Pepper on the food waste. After tasting this dish the dog will also get a negative experience. Though this method works only if the dog is silly. My Jason very quickly learned to distinguish soused wastes.
The above mentioned types of behavior shaping are called "behavior modification". There is another type of modification - "environmental". In case of Jason and Garbage this implies I should have put the trash can in the place the dog couldn't reach, when I was absent. This of course, didn't teach my dog not to get in the trash can, but it was the only effective way to solve my problem.
Don't esteem your dog's behavior as good or bad, right or wrong. If it has got some new type of behavior and you allow the pattern to be repeated, this type will become habitual, or "conditioned". If the new pattern causes negative consequences for the dog, it will avoid repeating. At repeated troubles the "conditioned prevention" will be formed.
Of course, a single display of the new behavior is not enough for the habit, or "conditioned response" to be formed. There should be a fare number of repetitions to fix the behavior. Thus if your dog has repeated some action once or twice this doesn't mean it has got a new habit. You should do so as the dog to repeat the needed pattern many times before you can expect a "safe" effect.
At last I'd like to add that when you meet a sad Dachshund look at his ears. They indeed make the muzzle sorrowful. This is only you, who think the dog us unhappy, because the dog himself, from his canine point of view, might be the happiest dog in the world.
by Vladimir Gritsenko, Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).