Behavior as a response.

We've written about the 2 categories we break "behavior" into before ("classroom" and "real world/ functional" behavior); both speaking to very different, yet connected, aspects of the dog (mental and emotional). This is like the difference of what children learn in school (brain training) vs. what they (should be) learning at home (manners, self and world concept development, etc).

In our business, we focus more on "real world / functional" behavior. We've long defined this type of "behavior" as a "manner of expression". The "external manifestation of an underlying internal driving force". "Behavior", then, is merely a "response" to any associations, seeds, learned or adopted "truths", traumas, etc. being activated and triggered.

"Aggression", then, is an aggressive "response".

"Reactivity" is a reactive "response".

"Social anxiety" or "separation anxiety" is an anxious "response".

...and so on. The key to helping a dog move through and beyond this is to understand what is being triggered underneath the response. What is activating it. And work to redefine and reprogram... even heal.

While we may not have all the details of a dog's past (e.g. whether or not they were taken from their mother and siblings too early, if they lacked feelings of safety and security, etc.), it doesn't matter. It goes back to learning about, then meeting and fulfilling, a dog's needs (instinctual, individual, and breed-specific~ even if a mix), and this doesn't include overflowing baskets of toys, tons of treats, etc.

The two biggest needs any socially oriented and inclined animal needs is to feel safe and secure. To develop healthy attachments. It can be a scary or a safe world to exist in. Many dogs, and countless humans, miss the boat on this, sadly, and at no fault of their own. Because of this, they develop coping and survival mechanisms, tactics to try and get these needs met, which usually results in certain behaviors, manipulations, responses to feel safe, relief, comfortable, secure, etc.

Behavior is information, and needs understanding, patience, compassion and attention.... not judgment. The dog is not his or her behavior, just like a human is not his or her behavior. A dog is not an aggressive dog, a dog has an aggressive response; just like a human isn't an addict, a human has an addiction response. *To what* and *why* are the questions, and *to what* and *why* lies the answers. Behavior is response.