Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals

Grandin asserts that dogs are unique among animals because of their orientation toward humans. Dogs are genetic wolves who, through the process of domestication, evolved to be deeply attuned to human behavior and human emotions. Unlike other animals, dogs can be trained using the promise of human happiness alone. Cats require treats to be trained, but dogs will learn behaviors just because doing so makes their owner visibly happy.

Dogs evolved from wolves, but the author was surprised to learn that much of what humans thought they knew about wolves is inaccurate and has been based on flawed research that has since been debunked by the very scientists who first conducted it. It is not true that dogs, like wolves, live naturally in packs in which one dominant male controls access to the pack’s female. That model for dog and wolf behavior was developed based on observations of wolves in captivity, and even wolves behave differently in captivity than they do in the wild. In the wild, wolves live in small family groups. Typically, a mating pair raises pups together, but that unit also accepts other wolves if the need arises. For example, the sibling of the mating pair might be absorbed into their group if a mate dies. The study that gave rise to the alpha-male theory was developed using a group of unrelated captive wolves that developed a dominance structure to deal with a situation that was, for them, a very unnatural grouping.

Some individuals still argue that dogs are pack animals and therefore need their owner to be the pack leader. Cesar Milan, a celebrity dog trainer who lives in a compound with more than 30 rescue dogs, is chief among the supporters of this view. Grandin acknowledges that although dogs are not pack animals and do not need pack leaders, Milan’s dogs do function as a pack for the same reason that the captive wolves in the now-disproven wolf study did. She contends that just like the captive wolves, Milan’s dogs are unrelated animals with different backgrounds, and they have been forced to live together in one of the most unnatural social formations for modern dogs. As such, they need a rigid dominance hierarchy in order to keep the peace. However, this does not mean that all dogs need a pack leader or that humans should try to dominate their dogs.

Because of the domestication process, dogs ultimately came to resemble wolf puppies in their behavioral patterns, emotional response systems, and cognition. For this reason, thinking of domestic dogs like children might be a better model for dog owners than thinking of them as pack animals in need of dominance. Humans need to establish behavioral expectations, rules, and boundaries, but this is also true for human parents raising children. Grandin therefore concludes that domestic dogs do not need to be dominated; they need to be guided toward acceptable behaviors.

After researching dogs, wolves, and their history, the author has developed a set of best practices to help dog owners give their dogs happy lives. The ideal number of dogs for the average dog owner is either one or two. Solitary dogs do well with their humans, and dogs can also be happy in pairs. Beyond that, the dynamics become tricky. Some dog breeds, like huskies, have retained more typical wolf behaviors than other breeds. By contrast, spaniels, toy poodles, and other small dogs are the least “wolfy.” Although the trait dubbed “wolfiness” correlates positively with aggression, it also provides dogs with a genetic predisposition for problem-solving. Thus, huskies live together in groups relatively happily, while toy poodles struggle in groups larger than a dyad. Unless a human is particularly dog-savvy, the author recommends adopting only one or two dogs.

Dogs evolved to be free-roaming. During the author’s childhood, most people still allowed their dogs to have liberal access to the neighborhood. Now, however, social conventions and fears about safety have put leash laws into practice, and dog owners typically only allow their dogs unfettered outdoor access in fenced yards. The author worries that these changes have adversely impacted dogs’ well-being, leading to increased aggression.

Dogs are social and need the company of either a human or another dog. The author worries about dog owners who are out of the house all day long and only have one dog, as that dog will likely have its panic drive activated by separation anxiety. The author advises people who work outside of the home to either not adopt a dog or to adopt two dogs in order to keep the dog’s panic drive in check. The company of other dogs also helps with socialization. Dogs need to learn appropriate behaviors, both as juveniles (younger than one year) and then again during what most researchers label as a “teenage” phase between the ages of one and two. 

Puppies must be taught to manage frustration, otherwise they overdevelop their rage impulse. Positive reinforcement works better than punishment with dogs, and dogs naturally learn frustration-tolerance and impulse control through the “stay” and “wait” commands. Teaching a dog to remain in one spot until they are prompted to move helps them to self-calm and learn to tolerate delays in getting what they want.

Dogs can have both fear-based and dominance-based aggression, and it is helpful to understand the difference. Emotions drive action, and dogs who want to control their environments (e.g., stealing a toy from another dog) might display aggression. Other dogs respond to fear with aggression, snapping or biting when they feel threatened by a person or another dog. Dealing with these behaviors is easier if the owner abandons the idea of acting as the dominant pack leader. Dominance aggression can be managed when the underlying anxiety is dealt with; if a dog becomes aggressive when they believe that their food bowl will be taken away, feeding them in the same spot each day and rewarding non-aggressive behavior will help address the issue. Fear-based aggression (reactivity) can also be dealt with using positive reinforcement. If dogs are afraid of new people, Grandin recommends giving slow introductions and treats whenever they encounter a stranger. 

Dogs can also develop fears and anxieties that do not lead to aggression. Many dogs are afraid of inclement weather, loud noises like fireworks, or even other dogs. The author describes the use of anxiety-reducing wraps to help these dogs and notes that similar approaches are used to calm anxious cattle. After learning about the use of squeeze chutes to calm cattle, Grandin developed a squeeze machine to calm herself. As a person with autism, she often experiences anxiety, and she also feels a greater kinship with animals. Like animals, she often thinks visually rather than linguistically, and many tools developed to help animals are also useful to her. It does not surprise her to learn that squeeze-technology can be calming to dogs, and she urges owners with anxious dogs to try it.

It is important to remember that dogs are individuals. Additionally, while there are breed-specific traits, it is also possible to selectively breed for particular traits. Pit bulls are a result of this kind of breeding, and they now have a reputation for being violent dogs. They were originally bred to fight other dogs, not to attack humans, but unethical breeders crossed dogs showing dog-aggression with dogs showing aggression toward humans; the resulting offspring were hyper-aggressive and ruined the breed’s reputation.

Dogs’ seeking need must be met. While this can happen through games and access to a yard, walks are the best way to address a dog’s seeking need because this activity most resembles the free-roaming lifestyle that dogs are designed to have. Dogs also need social contact with either another dog or humans so that their panic system does not get activated. They should not be left alone all day. 

Dogs also need to play. Especially as juveniles, they should have a wide variety of toys that should be rotated in order to maintain the dogs’ mental stimulation. At minimum, dogs need an hour of attention from their owners each day, during which they are the sole focus of their owner’s attention. Play should be dog-directed. If a dog enjoys playing fetch or tug-of-war, the owner should engage in those activities for their play time.