The Key to Better Communication with your Dog E-Book

Barbara Ertel

• Herausgeber: tredition
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 159

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

Just imagine you were looking for your first dog, a puppy, and when you contacted a breeder he would ask of you that you needed to learn everything about dogs from him, before he would trust you with one of his puppies. As a 19-year-old I desperately wanted to own a dog, so I agreed to be taught by the breeder Karl Werner. I was not expecting that what I was going to learn would shape my view on dogs in a very crucial way. Even less did I realise that more than 40 years later I was going to pass on this knowledge to others by writing this book. This is not based on theory, but only on the practical experience from three generations of the Werner family. They possessed a key to a dog communication system which they called the Inherited Pack Position.

Leseprobe

Barbara Ertel

Silke W. Wichers

The Key to Better Communication with your Dog

Inherited Dog Pack Positions:

A Different Approach to Understanding the Social Structure of Dogs

Based on the Knowledge and Experience of Philipp, Josef and Karl Werner (1810-1977)

1 Front Lead Dog (Anchor Point) – VLH

2 Second Front Link Dog (Guide) – V2

3 Third Front Link Dog (Guard) – V3

4 Central Coordination Dog (Anchor Point) – MBH

5 Second Rear Link Dog (Guide) – N2

6 Third Rear Link Dog (Guard) – N3

7 Rear Lead Dog (Anchor Point) – NLH

Copyright 2019 Barbara Ertel

Translation from German by Jürgen Pintaske

3rd Revised Edition

tredition GmbH

978-3-7482-3758-7 (Paperback)

Halenreihe 40-44

978-3-7482-3759-4 (e-Book)

22359 Hamburg

All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, translated, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.

Contents

In Appreciation of the Sources

Acknowledgements

1  Introduction

1.1  Origins

1.2  Explanation of the Term ‘Inherited Pack Positions’

2  Forms of Social Structures of Domestic Dogs

2.1  Structured Packs

2.1.1  Construction and Function of a Structured Pack

2.1.2  Structured Extension of a Pack

2.1.3  Working on the Community

2.2  Loose Associations

2.3  Loners and Structured Small Groups

2.4  Assessment

2.5  An Alternative View

3.  Description of the Different Positions

3.1  Recognising the Birth Position

3.2  Front Lead Dog (VLH)

3.3  Second Front Link Dog (V2)

3.4  Third Front Link Dog (V3)

3.5  Central Coordination Dog (MBH)

3.6  Second Rear Link Dog (N2)

3.7  Third Rear Link Dog (N3)

3.8  Rear Lead Dog (NLH)

3.9  Maverick

Picture Block 1

4.  Dog Keeping in View of Pack Positions

4.1  Position Capability

4.2  Special Aspects of Dog Ownership

4.2.1   Evaluation System for Dogs

4.2.1.1  Assessment of Other Dogs

4.2.1.2  Assessment of Humans

4.2.1.3  Assessment by Humans

4.2.2  Taboo Zones

4.2.3  They Play so Nicely

4.2.4  Compensation Pressure

4.2.5  Encounters with Stranger-Dogs

4.2.6  Working Dogs, Sports and Leisure Activities

4.2.7  Education

4.3  Puppies and Young Dogs

4.3.1  General Information

4.3.1.1  Safeguarding and Providing Boundaries

4.3.1.2  Puppy Taboo Zones

4.3.1.3  Contact with Conspecifics

4.3.1.4  Communication and Conditioning

4.3.2  Particularities of the Specific Positions

4.4  Single Dog Ownership

4.4.1   Lead Dogs

4.4.2  Link Dogs

4.5  Keeping Multiple Dogs

4.5.1  Structured Composition of a Pack

4.5.2  Filling Vacant Pack Positions

4.5.3  Affection and Responsibilities

4.6  Senior Dogs

4.7  Taking on Dogs with Behavioural Problems

Picture Block 2

5.  Breeding

5.1  Litter Categories

5.2  Mating and Handling of Puppies

5.3  Puppy Development-Professionalisation

5.3.1  Perfect Litter

5.3.2  Acceptable Litter

5.4  Maldevelopments

Picture Block 3

6.  Review and Outlook

Additional Notes of a Breeder

Picture Block 4

Appendix

Glossary

In Appreciation of the Sources

Karl Werner, 04 June 1902 to 14 May 1977

I am most grateful to the breeder Karl Werner who taught me his knowledge about Inherited Pack Positions and provided practical demonstrations. I learned from him to understand, respect, and enter partnerships with dogs. This book has been written in remembrance of him, to honour his guidance and to pay tribute to his father and grandfather who handed down their knowledge.

I have to thank Mrs. Anja Martin in particular. As a descendant of Karl Werner, she tracked down and sent me the photos of the Werner family.

I learned from the stories that Karl Werner told me during our joint visits to breeders. The certificates that were displayed on the walls of his office provided confirmation of his expertise.

Philipp Werner 23 February 1810 – date of death is unknown

This expertise began with the work of his grandfather, Philipp Werner a winegrower born 1810 in Rauenthal, Germany, who built up and sold dog packs to be used as work groups.

After Philipp‘s death (exactly when is not known), his son Josef Werner continued to build working packs, while working as the manager of a wholesale nursery.

This photo shows the young Josef:

Josef Werner 1 April 1862 to 11 October 1940

His son Karl Werner, who was born in 1902, was the last member of the family to continue the tradition of selling packs, which ended during the Second World War.

His focus from then on was dog breeding and he is regarded one of the pioneers of developing the Eurasier breed.

The photograph above dates from the 1970s. In 1977, shortly after the picture was taken, he had a fatal accident.

When I met Karl Werner in 1968, he was a master gardener in Niederwalluf. I was only 19 years old, and was very impressed by the large number of letters of gratitude and certificates that were displayed on the walls of his study, some from as far back as 1844. In particular, I remember that the gratitude was always expressed for the harmony and easy management of the Werner packs.

There were also quite a number of black notebooks full of records, labelled sketches of sleeping puppies, and information about breeders and their litters. They were hand written, mostly in the old German ‘Sütterlin’ handwriting.

These documents seem to be lost which is very unfortunate, as these books contain a unique wealth of experience that would be valuable for today´s breeders. I hope that these documents still exist somewhere and will be found one day.

In addition to Mrs. Martin, I would also like to thank Mr. Michel, archivist of Walluf, Mrs. Lippert, also from the Walluf municipality, and Mr. Guhrmann, President of the society ProEurasier e.V. for their support with this research .

Acknowledgements

I want to thank all my critics, whose ignorance towards their dogs made me so angry that I started to write down my knowledge and long experience with structured dog packs. Unfortunately, dogs, as intelligent as they may be, cannot write for themselves and express their innate need for inherited structure.

Also, I would like to thank the dog owners and breeders for the images they provided, regardless of how far they have already implemented the structured life for their dogs.

Furthermore, I want to thank our team ‘book’.

Finally, I would like to thank all users of the chat forum of the website

www.rudelstellungen.eu

who are using their individual talents for their dogs and helping to disseminate this knowledge.

All profits from the sale of this book will go to

‘Verein vererbte Rudelstellungen der Hunde e. V.’

a society for promoting knowledge on Inherited Pack Positions, founded by myself and Christiane Nagel.

Barbara Ertel, Baunach November 2012

Sketch of Pack Positions

1. Introduction

Just imagine you were looking for your first dog, a puppy, and when you contacted a breeder he would ask of you that you needed to learn everything about dogs from him, before he would trust you with one of his puppies.

This is exactly what happened to me, Barbara Ertel, in June 1968, when I contacted the Pflänzerland Kennel in Niederwalluf, near Frankfurt, to buy my first puppy.

As a 19-year-old, I desperately wanted to own a dog, so I agreed to be taught by the breeder, Karl Werner (1902-1977). I was not expecting that what I was going to learn would shape my view on dogs in a very crucial way. Even less did I realise that more than 40 years later, I was going to pass on this knowledge to others by writing this book.

This is not based on theory, but only on practical knowledge from three generations of the Werner family. They possessed a key to a dog communication system which they called the Inherited Pack Position.

Additionally, this book is about my experience with the practical application of this knowledge of over 44 years of dog keeping, particularly the insights I have gained since summer 2011, and the consequences of not taking this knowledge into account.

My decision to write about the Inherited Pack Positions emerged from the desire both to preserve this knowledge and to disseminate it for the benefit of dogs.

The term ‘Inherited Pack Positions’ has attracted criticism that could have been avoided by a more contemporary choice of words, for example ‘naturally inherent position within an association’.

But I refuse to use this zeitgeist language for two reasons:

Firstly, I want to honour Karl Werner, the man I owe this knowledge to, as well as his father and grandfather.

Secondly, it seems unreasonable to me to change my language to avoid offending the people who – supposedly scientifically founded – use expressions to cover up the suffering of dogs.

Some of the terms used here are going to be unknown to the reader. They were passed on to me by Karl Werner. Other words will be used differently to standard scientific and dog related literature. The reason is that I have never dealt with dogs from a theoretical point of view and as a result I selected words from my own vocabulary to describe and explain dog behaviour.

All of these terms are explained when they are mentioned and are listed in the glossary at the end of this book.

The following section discusses the origin of this book. Then it explains the most important basic concepts, before looking into various forms of canine communal structures in the second chapter. The third chapter provides descriptions of the seven Birth Positions, and in chapter four I will share hints and tips for ownership and guidance of single as well as multiple keeping of dogs using the knowledge of the Pack Positions. Chapter five is devoted to various aspects of breeding. The book finishes by looking at the current status of domestic dogs from the perspective of the Inherited Pack Positions.

1.1 Origins

It is not known when and where the knowledge of the Inherited Pack Positions began, how widespread it once was, and where it may still be used – under whatever name.

However, at least parts of this knowledge are used by a few hound pack leaders on the Iberian Peninsula. They apply a system which assembles groups of dogs from six different positions (excluding the dog that is described here as Rear Lead Dog – NLH) which generally resemble the positions described here.

The German-speaking scientific literature does not seem to include this knowledge.

Karl Werner is the only source of this knowledge that is known to me.

Philipp Werner, Karl’s grandfather, who was born in 1810 acquired puppies from breeders who had reared them according to his recommendations. He socialised these puppies in groups based on criteria that he called `Inherited Pack Positions’ and then trained them for their future work in hunting, agriculture, and as human companions. Finally, after briefing the new owners or handlers, the dogs were handed over as a workable pack or Partial Pack. When Philipp Werner died (date unknown) his son Josef Werner (1862-1940) and later his grandson Karl Werner took over the business until it was closed during World War II.

I remember many documents and letters of gratitude on the walls of Mr. Werner’s study. They dated back to 1844 and were from different noble houses, from well-known personalities from all over Europe, and many others, all expressing their satisfaction with their harmonious and easy to handle packs.

These documents and other records of the Werner family, including many about Inherited Pack Positions have unfortunately been lost.

After World War II, master gardener Karl Werner started to breed dogs and is considered to be one of the pioneers of the Eurasier breed.

It was June 1968 when I approached him looking for a puppy. After I had agreed to learn about dogs first, I accompanied him to many different dog breeders of various breeds who were mentored by him. This took until September 1969, and we visited breeders in Hesse, the Rhineland-Palatinate, northern Baden-Wuerttemberg and north-western Bavaria.

Based on nearly 60 litters, each one observed many times over several days, I learned how to recognise a dog’s Inherited Position. Every dog is born into one of seven Birth Positions, and that position is retained as unchangeably as its sex for the rest of its life.

Since I watched the puppies repeatedly from their birth until they were transferred to their new homes, I could follow the continuous development of the particular Birth Position of the animals, and was able to memorise the characteristics that identify each position.

Not only was I guided and corrected by an experienced breeder, but most importantly I learned to recognise litters with Pack Positions that were regarded as perfect or acceptable1.

Mr. Werner explained to me how to evaluate litters based on the existing positions, associating them to one of three categories. I also learned which positions were the best to be mated and what breeders have to do during the first few weeks so as not to disturb the puppies but allow them to develop optimally for their position.

In September 1969, after completing my apprenticeship successfully, I finally got my puppy. It was a Rear Lead Dog2 which I called Wolf. He was from the last litter bred by Karl Werner. Mr. Guhrmann, the president of the Eurasier breed association, ProEurasier e.V., has kindly researched the old stud books for me. These show Karl Werner started to breed Eurasians in 1963. His first registered litter was his E-litter, suggesting that he had been breeding before registering. In 1969 Karl Werner reported the closure of his kennel to the breed association.

Fascinated by the nature of dogs and their organised group structure, I very quickly built a complete pack of seven dogs of different birth positions and different breeds. The starting point was Wolf, and I maintained a pack of seven dogs over decades by replacing a dog that had died with another one of the same position.

I also observed wild street dog populations in Spain, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey between 1970 and 1989. These observations confirmed what I had learned from Karl Werner.

This purely practical knowledge is the basis of my entire life with dogs. During my working life I rarely discussed my experience of Inherited Pack Positions with other dog owners, mainly because I have neither had any problems with my dogs nor because of them. I took for granted that this knowledge was common amongst professionals.

The situation changed when, due to personal circumstances, I had to move and was allowed to keep only one dog. I visited internet sites for dog owners to find suitable contacts for my single dog. When I read about the various problems owners had, it became gradually clear to me, that the knowledge about Inherited Pack Positions in domestic dogs was not only unknown, but people who had heard of it perceived it as strange and sometimes even dismissed it as nonsense.

At the same time, however, some dog owners, trainers and breeders became interested in this knowledge and implemented it into their individual context.

This interest encouraged me and I decided to find a way to preserve and disseminate this knowledge, in order to make life easier for dogs in future. In May 2012 I created an internet site and founded an association. Its aim was to establish and maintain a Structured Pack for teaching and demonstration purposes for anyone interested, and to provide a place for long term preservation of the related documentation on a website.

This book is another step to pass on this knowledge in a comprehensible way.

Therefore, it appears to be necessary to explain the term ‘Inherited Pack Position’.

1.2 Explanation of the Term ‘Inherited Pack Positions’

The term ‘Inherited Pack Positions’ was the Werner´s expression for a certain code of understanding, based on the distinction between seven different types of dogs – the Inherited Birth Positions. Each type is willing and able to take on just one of the seven particular areas of responsibility within this social group.

Mr. Werner referred to this community as a Pack.

The term Position, as it is applied here, has virtually little to do with rank order in terms of outdated dominance theories, it rather refers to the position to be filled as well as the dog occupying it. Each position has specific tasks and all positions are basically of the same value and equally important.

The defined tasks are related to social interaction, especially communication, communal integration, mutual guidance and protection, as well as the distribution of tasks whose execution is vital for the community, such as hunting and defence.

Dogs that form their community based on the structure of seven different Birth Positions have huge advantages over groups that do not.

Conflicts are resolved with little aggression and without the intention or risk of injury, due to the high degree of coordination and discipline.

The energy and other resources that are saved can be invested into efficient food supply, defence and raising offspring.

Inherited Pack Position therefore means primarily the capability and the need to integrate into a specific communal structure. Science seems not to have fully perceived this particular structure in its complexity so far. Although individual phenomena of this structure are described occasionally, to my knowledge there is no appreciation in its entirety. Likewise, descriptions of behaviour that result from Birth Positions can be found. However, these are generally read as an expression of individual talents or qualities of a character, which, in my opinion, is an incorrect interpretation, because the communal knowledge related to Inherited Pack Positions is not considered at all.

The Pack Position is not just one of several other features such as race, gender, individual talents and characteristics, but overlays these to form and maintain the communal structure.

The Werners assumed that the positions were inherited over generations. If one chooses dogs of a defined Pack Position as parents, and has created the appropriate conditions in the existing collective, the Birth Positions of the litter are more predictable than chance alone.

In such litters, it is possible to identify a puppy’s position shortly after birth (Please see chapter 5.3.1 for more detail), faster than determining the breed and just as obvious as the gender. A dog retains this position throughout life.

I would be delighted if science could find a plausible explanation for the origin of Birth Positions. Until then, I continue to use the term ‘Inherited Pack Position’ , if nothing else to preserve the memory of the Werner family.

2. Forms of Social Structures of Domestic Dogs

In this chapter, different ways in which dogs companionise with others will be described. This applies first and foremost, of course, to free-living animals, e.g. feral dogs, but it also applies to dogs that live with humans. First of all, in section 2.1, the composition and operation of a Structured Pack of Inherited Birth Positions will be demonstrated. Following this, more common variants are presented and evaluated in sections 2.2 to 2.4. The final section of this chapter deals with an alternative view of the communal structure of domestic dogs.

2.1 Structured Packs

2.1.1