Hondentraining & gedragstherapie Marlise van Haperen

16/06/2026

THE PROBLEM WITH PUNISHMENT

If you haven’t come across them before, a rattle can is a device for creating noise. It is basically a tin containing coins, stones, or something similar. Their purpose is to startle a dog sufficiently to stop them from doing something undesirable, such as barking. There are many issues with their use, along with other tools such as spray bottles, citronella bark collars, sonic collars, shock collars, prong collars, and so on.

Some might argue that a rattle can is fairly inoffensive compared to a shock collar, but all of these tools work in exactly the same way: they are unpleasant enough to stop the dog from doing something. If that outcome is achieved, then the dog has found it aversive. Adding something unpleasant to reduce the likelihood of a behaviour falls under the quadrant of positive punishment, therefore rattle cans are undeniably punishment-based, and intended to be aversive.

Let’s stay with the rattle can example, and the scenario of using it to curtail barking.

Picture this:

Fido is in the kitchen with his human, who is clattering about, making breakfast, rushing around to get out of the house. Fido is restless, and wanders around the kitchen, getting underfoot. As breakfast is cleared away, he starts to bark, and jumps up at his human. He is pushed down and ignored, so the barking increases, in order to make himself understood. He starts to climb up his human. Annoyed, they grab a rattle can and shake it, just as Fido jumps up again. He is startled mid-bark, and he moves away from his human.

Yes, the barking has stopped, but what was he trying to express?

Possibility number one:
Fido has undiagnosed separation anxiety, and as he recognises the signs that his person is getting closer to leaving, he becomes increasingly upset and begins to panic, barking and climbing up his human, seeking comfort. His behaviour is dismissed as clinginess and “bad behaviour,” and he is punished with a shake of the rattle can.

Possibility number two:
Fido is getting on a bit in years, and is beginning to show signs of cognitive decline, unbeknown to his human. Fido has toileting problems, and needs to go out more often. He tends to wander around aimlessly at times, and gets a bit worried by the feelings of disorientation and confusion. His only way of conveying his needs is to bark and jump up, until he is understood. When he is ignored, and then has toileting accidents, they are viewed as him behaving out of spite because he didn’t receive any attention, and he is punished with a shake of the rattle can. (Can you see a theme building yet?).

Possibility number three:
Despite being a young dog, Fido has started to get some aches and pains due to a sporting injury, but because of his age, his human doesn’t realise. Fido finds it difficult to settle due to the physical discomfort, and struggles with noise sensitivity. The clattering of the pots and pans becomes just too much to bear, and he tries to escape the kitchen, barking and jumping up as he panics. His human feels that Fido is being over-exuberant and a nuisance and, guess what? He is punished with a shake of the rattle can.

These are just a few reasons why the same set of behaviours might occur, all met with the same response, which will be hugely detrimental in each case. The use of punishment only serves to suppress those behaviours, and doesn’t take into account their function, or the emotions driving them. Using punishment creates and increases physical and emotional discomfort, and does nothing to address the needs of the dog.

In all three examples, the use of the rattle can will stop the barking, probably only temporarily, but will increase fear and anxiety in the process, not only towards the rattle can, but there will also be that negative association with the person using it, too. In addition, there is no knowing what else in his environment he might be associating with it. Nothing will change for the dog, and he will learn that asking for help only results in something unpleasant, and from the very person he should feel safe with. This dog is at real risk of emotional shutdown and Learned Helplessness.

The bottom line is that we cannot meet the five freedoms of animal welfare if we expose our dogs to fear and discomfort as a means of trying to teach them something. This also applies to those that say, “I don’t need to use it any more, I just show it to him and he stops”. Intimidation through the threat of use is just as damaging; it is an abuse of trust. There is no need to use threat or punishment when we have more effective ways of coaching which are kind and ethical, and do not carry that risk of fallout; our actions have far-reaching consequences.

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24/05/2026

Dominantie
Een woord dat vaak opduikt wanneer mensen hondengedrag proberen te verklaren, en net zo vaak onjuist wordt gebruikt.

Wetenschapper John Bradshaw, gespecialiseerd in anthrozoologie en gedrag van gezelschapsdieren, deed jarenlang onderzoek naar honden en hun sociale leefwereld. In zijn boek "Dit is de hond" laat hij overtuigend zien dat honden geen gedomesticeerde wolven zijn die erop uit zijn om ons te domineren.
Honden zijn unieke dieren met een rijk, sociaal repertoire. Dieren die juist uitblinken in het harmonieus samenleven met andere soorten, waaronder wij, de mens. Hun gedrag draait niet om macht, maar om samenwerking, veiligheid en sociale afstemming.

Wil je echt begrijpen wat dominantie wel en niet is, dan is dit boek een waardevolle aanrader. En voor wie zijn wetenschappelijke onderbouwing wil nalezen, vind je hier de link:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787808001159

22/05/2026

IS DOMINANCE REAL IN WOLVES OR DOGS?

According to Merch (the originator of the dominance and alpha theories) indicated that wolves in the wild DON'T exhibit dominance or alpha tendencies after all!

In 1958, as part of a research project on wolves, David Mech, a graduate student in wildlife ecology at Purdue, was flying over Isle Royale National Park, on Lake Superior. From above, he saw a wolf pack capture and kill a moose. This was rare. More than nine times out of ten, he had witnessed the wolves’ prey escape. “I wanted to see how old this moose was, and to see if it was ill,” said Merch. He had the pilot drop him off some distance away, and snowshoed in. “I remember arriving to the edge of this clearing, and there were these fifteen wolves feeding on this moose,” he said. He didn’t know how the wolves would react when they saw him. “Long ago, when I started, we knew very little about wolves in the wild. We knew that they lived in packs, that they preyed on large animals, and that they howled. And the standard things from storybooks.” Upon spotting him, the wolves ran off, leaving behind the moose carcass. “They could have attacked me,” he said. “They could have had something more to eat!” The wolf, as he later described it in print, is “one of the wildest and shyest of all the animals in the northern wilderness.” David Mech, The Myth of the Alpha Wolf.

Dogs Are Not Wolves
Wolves and dogs share similar DNA, same number of chromosomes, teeth and behaviours, but they are different – all wolves look and behave the same after 14000 years but not all dogs look and behave the same since dogs have developed and evolved physically, emotionally and behaviourally over 14000 years. Dog’s skull sizes, reproductive cycles, growth stages, coats, gait, brains, coats, tails, ears and predatory motor patterns have changed overtime and resembles little of that a wolf. Wolves hardly bark while dogs sometimes bark a lot. Dogs are bred to do different jobs while wolves remain wolves – there are no working wolves while we have working dogs! In summary, wolves have remained unchanged for thousands of years while dogs continue to change in size, shape, form and behaviours that make them different from wolves.

Where Does Alpha Come From?
Wolves have a nuclear family - a breeding pair and their offspring - or an extended family (uncles and aunts) or a ‘step-family’ (non-related family members). The breeding male is called the alpha because he the only male to retain full functioning of his te**es all year round. The females only come into season once a year. If the male is fit and strong enough to leave the pack, he will go in search of a mate to ensure gene diversity. So, there is no competition with each other. They engage with each other via ritualised behaviours with little chance of injury and do not waste energy on fighting. The same applies to other female wolves who can leave to find a mate so as not to compete with the female alpha. Once the breeding female (alpha) becomes pregnant, the te**es of the beta wolves’ atrophy. There is no dominant and autocratic leader in a pack of wolves. They become involved in taking care off, protecting and feeding the young of the pack.

Alpha refers to breeding and not leadership.
Sometimes wolf pack rules are misinterpreted and applied to dogs which only serve to demotivate, depress, confuse, frustrate and anger them. This could lead to behavioural issues like resource guarding, rage, aggression, anxiety, depression, digging and chewing. Some examples of these are - if food is scarce, the pups eat first and if there is a small kill, the breeders eat first – the alpha doesn’t eat first! Eating first will confuse and depress your dog especially if food is delayed from a time he was used to eating. Alphas lie on higher ground to protect the pack as he can see intruders - your dog will probably lay atop furniture because he is comfortable and not seeking to dominate you. Asking him to move will confuse him and it may lead to resource guarding.

Dogs are not seeking to dominate and rule over humans. Dominance in human terms means to rule, control and have authority over another or a situation, which applies a similar human construct of behaviour to dogs, which implies that dogs have cognitive abilities like that of humans and can make conscious decisions. However, as we understand more of how dogs learn, we realise that dogs make choices based on reinforcement and not by scheming and manipulating people/situations. Since most dogs can be easily trained, it will be better to train them to follow the social rules of the family unit rather than punish them by asserting yourself as a pack leader. Since dogs have a high social, interaction need, they may be depressed, frustrated and confused if some of the rank reduction programme rules (eat first, step in their bed, go through the door before them, roll them over, etc.) are applied to them. They may develop behavioural issues which may result a strained relationship between them and their human.

Dogs don't dominate each other as well. Yes they compete for resources and bully each other for toys, food, attention and beds but the feeling is more primal and less cerebral.

Sadly, many veterinary professionals still believe in these outdated theories and concepts from the 80's, so the next you hear these words from him or her, please respectfully question them about it. Dogs have the emotional maturity of a 2 year old child so I doubt they can take over your home.

They are a part of your family. All that they want is love, understanding and to be accepted. Nothing more.

Do you still believe that your dog is trying to dominate you when even wolves are proven to not be dominant?

22/05/2026

20/05/2026

GETTING THE HUMP

Hu***ng or mounting is a fixed action pattern (FAP), which are innate behaviours. These are behaviours that are common to all members of a species and require no learning. A Fixed Action Pattern (FAP) is a predictable series and stereotypical sequences of complex actions triggered by a cue - www.simplypsychology.org. www.sciencedirect.com.

The motivations for hu***ng or mounting can be difficult to pinpoint but it is definitely NOT:
Dominance
Controlling of the guardian or another dog
Alpha behaviour
Only seen in unsterilised dogs
Only seen in males
Only seen in younger dogs
To cause you embarrassment
To get your attention or get back at you

Many Google searches for this behaviour will bring up the word dominance or alpha. This behaviour cannot be attributed to such simplistic, misunderstood terms. Dogs hump cushions, toys or furniture - they are certainly not trying to dominate those inanimate objects.
Every dog is an individual with unique emotions. The feelings and motivations for the behaviour will differ from dog to dog but it is certainly not about dominance or trying to be the alpha. Don't believe everything you read on Google or the advice from pet guardians on social media pages.

Hu***ng or mounting by male and female dogs of ANY age can be due to:
Excitement
Sexual rehearsal
Burning off pent up energy
General stimulation...yippee, something’s happening!
Stress/anxiety/displacement behaviour
Play
Hyperarousal
A medical issue
Boredom
Frustration
Burning of excessive energy (like zoomies)
Ambivalence about a situation or a dog
Unease
Tiredness

If you are worried:
Make a note of how many times a day this is happening.
Take your dog for a medical check up.
Contact a science-based behaviourist to identify the triggers and the emotions to be able to develope a modification plan to improve the emotional state and hence the behaviour.

What to do in the moment?:
If the dog underneath seems uncomfortable and stressed then please interrupt. It may mean that the 'top dog' is unable to read the body language of the other one.
Redirect that energy to a toy or chew as opposed to scolding them.
Give him something mentally stimulating to do instead or ask for an alternative low arousal behaviour.
If they are having turns and alternating this behaviour with other behaviours like chasing, tumbling, play bows, etc., then leave them be.

Be careful if your dog humps random dogs who he does not know. The unknown dog could become aggressive due to not wanting the attention and behaviour.

Most guardians rush to sterilize their dogs when this happens...this may not make a difference as the motivation may not be sexual rehearsal.



***ngindogs

09/05/2026

While I was walking my dog earlier this week, someone stopped me to ask me to bring my dog up to their gate to greet their dog.
This same person has told me on numerous occasions that their dog is not friendly toward other dogs. 😅

Why does my dog need to be the victim in this situation? I'm not going to risk his well-being knowing that the likelihood of this interaction going well is slim-to-none.

❓Why is there so much pressure placed on dog owners in the city to please other people by letting your dog interact with theirs?

It's not your dog's responsibility to "fix" someone else's. It's not someone else's dog's responsibility to "fix" yours. The chances of one interaction having a resounding positive affect on a dog with behavioral concerns is also incredibly unlikely.

It's okay to say no. If your rejection isn't respected, sometimes it's okay to be a bit rude.
It's for your dog's benefit after all, and we love our pets.🩵

09/05/2026

Understanding aggression means understanding build-up. Aggression isn’t random. It isn’t “out of nowhere.” And it usually isn’t about a single moment.

Imagine aggression like an explosion. Two elements are required:
🛢️ The fuel tank
🔥 The match

The fuel tank is everything that builds over time:
• Chronic pain
• Sleep disruption
• Environmental stress
• Medical changes
• Hormonal shifts
• Hunger or thirst
• Loud noises (thunder, fireworks, construction, etc)
• Changes in routine
• Lack of exercise/enrichment
• Owner’s emotional state

The match is the immediate trigger:
• A stranger entering the home
• A hand reaching toward food
• A dog approaching too quickly
• A collar grab

The match matters.

But without fuel, there is seldom an explosion.

If we only focus on the moment of the outburst, we stay reactive. If we reduce the fuel and manage the matches, we prevent the explosion. And if we help the dog feel safe, we make explosions less likely to happen, even when a match is lit.

This framework is one of the foundations we teach inside the Aggression in Dogs Master Course because prevention starts long before the bite.

02/05/2026

The same is true for your animals.

Image credit: readysetparent

24/04/2026

Hormonen (of een gebrek aan bepaalde hormonen) hebben invloed op gedrag. Waarom is een hond soms down of opvliegend? Wat kun je eraan doen?