Family Dog Mediation - L.E.G.S. Applied Ethology
I am proud to announce that I have completed the L.E.G.S Applied Ethology Family Dog Professional Mediation Course and am now a Certified Family Dog Mediator.
“LEGS - understanding changes everything.”
What is L.E.G.S., you ask? L.E.G.S. stands for all the individual parts that make the dog who he is. (Learning, Environment, Genetics & Self.)
This incredible course validated everything I have always known about what makes Livestock Guardian Dogs thrive (or not) in their role as either working dogs or companions. It also gave me an even deeper understanding of how to help my Maremmas thrive in their future homes and how to best support their owners as they live and work with their dogs. Maremmas can thrive in a variety of settings if we understand their LEGS and work with them rather than against them.
You may have heard of the ABC's (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequences) of dog training. Well LEGS is the A - the hidden part of the iceburg in the ABC model!
This incredible course validated everything I have always known about what makes Livestock Guardian Dogs thrive (or not) in their role as either working dogs or companions. It also gave me an even deeper understanding of how to help my Maremmas thrive in their future homes and how to best support their owners as they live and work with their dogs. Maremmas can thrive in a variety of settings if we understand their LEGS and work with them rather than against them.
You may have heard of the ABC's (Antecedent, Behavior, Consequences) of dog training. Well LEGS is the A - the hidden part of the iceburg in the ABC model!
The LEGS model applies to all types of dogs, not just Livestock Guardian Dogs. It has helped me have a better understanding and appreciation of all of the incredible dogs in the world, including my non-Maremma companion dogs. However, as a breeder and trainer of Maremmas I will be focusing on using the knowledge I've gained from this course to help my Maremma puppy clients as well as anyone who needs help with their Livestock Guardian Dog. Therefore I will present L.E.G.S. from an LGD perspective:
- Learning - Prior and current learning experiences of the Livestock Guardian Dog as it relates to relationships between the livestock it guards and the humans in its life. Positive and proper learning is really important for an LGD to thrive in it's job and in the world it will live in.
- Environment - The environment for a Livestock Guardian Dog puppy should include a setting where it can learn about livestock as well as have positive interactions with humans and varied experiences with sights and sounds. The environment for the LGD in its future home will vary by the individual dog.
- Genetics - The genetics of the dog – what work were they bred for. In this case Maremmas (and other LGDs) were bred to live with and guard livestock. They have certain traits that allow them to excel at that job and which could be challenging for some owners. Understanding and accepting who your dog is will and working with their nature, rather than trying to chahnge it, will set everyone up for success.
- Self - And finally, we look at the Livestock Guardian Dogs as individuals. Male or female, intact or altered, age, health, their unique personality - all the things that make your dog unique.
"In my 49 years (and counting) of working as a scientist with dogs as my primary focus for studies of behavior and evolution, I have never seen such a creative, imaginative and well-coordinated program as the new LEGS initiative."
~ Raymond Coppinger - ethologist and evolutionary biologist 1937-2017
~ Raymond Coppinger - ethologist and evolutionary biologist 1937-2017