subdued because of dominance or calm because they're relaxed?
I'm reading a book by Alexandra Horowitz called Inside of a Dog, (excerpts can be found here: http://insideofadog.com/excerpts.php) and the book is basically her interpretation of how a dog feels and reacts based on intense observation and some science.
She was saying how dogs show dominance over each other by pressing down on each other or standing over each other. So the dog dominating would press their muzzle on the dog being dominated, and the dominated dog would either roll over or freeze. She was saying this is also perhaps why dogs are more subdued after being muzzled, and that perhaps dogs "freeze" when we put coats and stuff on them because they feel a dominant figure nearby.
So that got me thinking about why she "freezes" when I put a harness on her or the Thundershirt. Does Hana "calm" down because she's being comforted and is feeling relaxed? Or is she being subdued because she feels like I am a dominant figure?
For me the book is an interesting read, if you haven't read it yet, or if you have, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
She was saying how dogs show dominance over each other by pressing down on each other or standing over each other. So the dog dominating would press their muzzle on the dog being dominated, and the dominated dog would either roll over or freeze. She was saying this is also perhaps why dogs are more subdued after being muzzled, and that perhaps dogs "freeze" when we put coats and stuff on them because they feel a dominant figure nearby.
So that got me thinking about why she "freezes" when I put a harness on her or the Thundershirt. Does Hana "calm" down because she's being comforted and is feeling relaxed? Or is she being subdued because she feels like I am a dominant figure?
For me the book is an interesting read, if you haven't read it yet, or if you have, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
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The way the thundershirt works has nothing to do with dominance. It has to do with comfort from the pressure of the thing. Temple Grandin, among others, has done a lot of work on this. Here's an article from her, talking about comforting effects of pressure: http://grandin.com/inc/squeeze.html
I'm much more at ease or relaxed when I wear a sweater or jacket.. Coarse probably not same thing, but I do think it helps me relax some.I could be wrong.
I want to try thundershirt for Bella see if it relax her..