The Dog Sees it, So Why Can't Humans?

Dogs and humans are extremely social creatures. Humans need the comfort and acceptance of other humans, while interestingly; dogs need and desire the acceptance of humans. Dogs look to be appreciated by humans. They always try to fulfill human expectations and possibly even exceed them. Through their keen senses of sight and smell, dogs are able to judge a person thoroughly, understanding that person’s nature. The type of body language a person expresses in front of a dog is extremely telling in what kind of personality they contain. As expressed in the article, “A dog cares, deeply, which way your body is leaning. Forward or backward? Forward can be seen as aggressive; backward—even a quarter of an inch—means nonthreatening.” Dogs can read their owners and other people who they encounter very well. Just a shift in a person’s body can send a signal to a dog, giving off an impression of either being aggressive, or passive. Dogs will act accordingly, corresponding to the attitude suggested by a person’s body. The interaction that dogs and people engage in begins with the posture of the human being. Since humans do not have such an easy time distinguishing the personality of another human being, the actions of a dog can help other humans determine what kind of personality trait he/she possesses.

Exercise is the act of practicing a routine until it becomes habit. Discipline is the act of correcting, or establishing a punishment if the action performed by a human or creature is wrong. Affection is the act of caring and loving toward another creature or human being. Owners must be aware of all three qualities because if all are not used to establish a desired behavior out of his dog, the owner will not be able to successfully train his dog. Throughout this essay, Gladwell focused on the interaction between dogs and humans using these three qualities, but he also provided an underlying message. Exercise, discipline, and affection are all qualities that an owner must seek to establish with their dog, but also with their family and the people around them. Our society becomes too involved with handling other creatures that we tend to forget how to act with other human beings. I am sad to say this, but some dog owners do not associate the triad qualities in their lives. They do not exercise the type of behavior that is necessary to be a strong, core part of a family. Nor do they discipline themselves in order to learn from past experiences so that they can find and sustain true love and happiness within the family. And as affection goes, some dog owners only show affection for their dog and forget about their family. The last case that Gladwell writes about expresses this very problem. After seeing how a mother would defend her dog even though his actions were causing harm to her own son, Ceaser became instantly frustrated and exclaimed, “The hardest part for me is that the father or mother chooses the dog instead of the son. That's hard for me. I love dogs…But I would never choose a dog over my son." Humans have a tendency to lack affection when it is needed most. Ceaser became so distraught with this experience because he knew, from experience, that nothing is greater than a human-human interaction and bond; not even one that includes humans and dogs.