All dogs have emotional states and many people don’t sufficiently take their needs into consideration. (K. Herrera/Marin Humane)

People come to the behavior and training department at Marin Humane every day with questions and concerns about their dog’s behavior. They sincerely want to understand the whys and hows of “fixing” certain behaviors. They’ve spent time and money training their dogs and now suddenly the dog is barking and lunging on leash, whining and crying when left alone, or growling at Grandma. How do you train these behaviors away?

Short answer: you don’t.

Emotions are not behaviors. A behavior is a response to an emotion. Emotions can’t be eliminated but they can be mitigated and this is where training steps in.

Sarah Stremming, world-renowned dog trainer and behavior consultant, is presenting a two-day workshop at Marin Humane addressing emotional states in performance dogs (that is, dogs that participate in sports like Agility or Flyball). Don’t have a performance dog? No matter; all dogs have emotional states and most of us probably don’t sufficiently take our dogs’ needs into consideration.

Lots of people wonder if their dog can smile, interpret how we feel or have feelings of their own. Recent scientific advances in techniques such as functional MRI have spurred a flurry of research and some interesting theories have been advanced. Neuroscientist Gregory Burns speculates the mental processes of dogs may not be so different from those of humans. And, to no dog lover’s surprise, he believes that dogs experience emotions much like we do. Reactivity (barking at other dogs or people), anxiety, aggression and over-stimulation behaviors are common problems that stem from these emotions.

What does all of this mean for dog training? Hopefully, it means the modern trainer will think of herself as an educator who needs to carefully consider the mental and emotional states of her canine students. A trainer should have a well thought-out training plan that is divided into several behaviors which ultimately build into a complex behavior. This modern trainer will understand what the dog considers rewarding under any given scenario rather than what might be easiest and quickest to use. Rewards should receive further consideration to ensure they support the appropriate mental state most conducive for learning.

Sound complicated? Nope, not really. Just another interesting thing you might learn about how to communicate with another species.

Approaching dog training from an emotional perspective allows more insight into some of our more common dog behavior issues. You might learn that your aggressive dog is actually afraid of other dogs and simply wants them to go away. Right now.

The dog that destroys your house doesn’t actually hate you or your pretty things; rather, it never learned how to be alone and is suffering from anxiety. Ask anyone with depression and anxiety disorders how that feels.

Your dog lunges at people at the outdoor café? Perhaps it’s simply stressed by the multitude of triggers in that environment. At the very least, you can learn to understand your dog’s perspective, increase your empathy and perhaps even fix some of these issues.

What if you can teach your dog impulse control simply by playing with a flying disc (Frisbee)? Would it be worth learning to communicate at a higher level with your dog? How about if you became the student and allowed your dog to teach you? Can you even accept feedback from a dog? Learning how to accept feedback, teach others from the learner’s perspective, and observe and reward behaviors to increase their probability are all worthwhile life skills, regardless of species.

Stremming’s, workshop, “Worked Up,” is on Nov. 18 and 19 at Marin Humane. To register or to stay on top of the science of dog training, check out our schedule of seminars and workshops at marinhumane/oh-behave.

Dawn Kovell is the director of behavior and training at Marin Humane which contributes Tails of Marin articles and welcomes animal-related questions and stories about the people and animals in our community. Visit or email

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