Can you Read your Dog?
I’m always a bit surprised that monitoring, or learning to watch your dog, does not get more of a mention in all the training books. I reckon it’s one of the most critical skills you can develop and something you should start working on the minute you first see the litter of puppies you are hoping to choose from. It can be great fun and will give you a deeper insight into your dog.
The basics of monitoring are the simple things – like paying attention to how much water your dog drinks and when, how much food he eats and how often he takes a crap (and what they look like). He can’t tell you when he’s sick but watching just those things will give you a good idea when something is not right in his world. In fact try asking a few other dog owners and you’ll be amazed by how many people don’t know (ask enough people for long enough and you’ll probably have plenty of spare time to watch your dog because you’ll be spending a lot of time at home by yourself too).
The more interisting and fun aspects of monitoring relate to his behaviours and character. While learning to “read” his facial features and his body postures, you’ll almost certainly develop a better understanding of what situations he feels confident or threatened in. That gives you the ability to predict how he is going to react in situations and an opportunity to avoid or assist him with problem situations (invaluable in some potentially dangerous off lead encounters).