There is much confusion of what the term holistic means. Most people think of the term as something related to herbal remedies, natural diets or massage. Others believe that the term holistic is a form of mysterious ways to delve into the psyche of individuals and animals. Managing dog behavior in a holistic way is not about using food rewards, feeding your dog a raw diet or giving him flower remedies when he is stressed, such confusion may lead the public to skepticism or misunderstanding of the term. To clarify the concept, lets start with a simple and essential definition:
The word “holon” comes from the Greek olos which means whole.
Although complementary therapies, nutrition and health are part of the holistic formula, it is necessary to understand that the terms holistic dog training or holistic dog behavior management refer to a whole lot more. Holism is a philosophy in which the properties of a system cannot be determined or explained by the sum of its components alone. Training a dog holistically is about gaining insights into the whole dog by understanding the relationships and interactions between the elements that comprise the dog’s whole system. This type of training offers an alternative approach to helping dogs overcome behavioral and emotional challenges by gaining a balance in the dog's life and developing a positive creative perspective to manage challenges.
Holistic vs Conventional Practitioners
Scientists across several disciplines are moving away from reductionism, conventional dog trainers and dog behavior consultants, however, are locked into BF Skinner's behavioral tradition of controlling behavior with either rewards or punishments. Skinner's radical behaviorism has been under attack for years for presenting animals and human beings as mechanistic. From a Skinner's point of view animals are reduced, as Paul Weiss put it, to 'puppets operated by environmental strings" with no soul, emotions, consciousness or internal mental processes.
Holistic practitioners recognize the need to move away from this reductionist approach and address the whole instead. A truly holistic practitioner does not rely on learning theory and operant conditioning, but instead facilitates emotional and behavioral balance and general wellness. Holistic dog behavior counselors integrate different disciplines into their practice and strive to bring a greater quality of life to their clients and their pets. By moving away from cause-effect relationships and towards interrelationships, practitioners are able to open channels of communication between dogs and human beings.
Main differences between conventional trainers and holistic dog counselors
Conventional Dog Trainers:
Focus on controlling behavior
Goal: dog behavior modification
Reward systems and/or punishment
Dog's mind
Emphasis on individual behavior problems
Holistic Dog Trainers:
Focus on exerting cooperation
Goal: dog's global well being
Integrative and alternative therapies
Dog's mind, body and spirit
Emphasis on balancing emotional, behavioral and physical wellness
The more we try to understand dogs, the more we come to realize that their behavior cannot be explained in simple terms. Dogs are not only living organisms, they are complex systems embedded in our life and our society. By definition a system is a group of elements, units or subsystems that form a complex and unified whole. The essential principles of an organism, or living system arise from the interactions and relationships among the other systems or parts that constitute the whole. These principles are impaired when the system is analyzed or reduced to isolated parts.
The beauty of the holistic philosophy is that we can understand dog behavior by applying techniques that are based on natural laws found in all living systems. The basic principles of holistic thinking give us a new perspective of our dogs and ourselves.
In order to have a happy, healthy and well behaved dog we need to move in a holistic direction and create a strong foundation on which dogs and humans are able to interact, form a bond and be in harmony with the environment.
1. Focusing on the whole dog when managing behavioral imbalances, rather than on the particular problem alone;
2. Exerting lifestyle changes that promote awareness, emotional and behavioral balance as well as wellness for pets;
3. Establishing respectful, cooperative relationships between pet dogs and humans.
Focus on controlling behavior
Goal: dog behavior modification
Reward systems and/or punishment
Dog's mind
Emphasis on individual behavior problems
Holistic Dog Trainers:
Focus on exerting cooperation
Goal: dog's global well being
Integrative and alternative therapies
Dog's mind, body and spirit
Emphasis on balancing emotional, behavioral and physical wellness
Thinking About Dogs as Living Systems
The more we try to understand dogs, the more we come to realize that their behavior cannot be explained in simple terms. Dogs are not only living organisms, they are complex systems embedded in our life and our society. By definition a system is a group of elements, units or subsystems that form a complex and unified whole. The essential principles of an organism, or living system arise from the interactions and relationships among the other systems or parts that constitute the whole. These principles are impaired when the system is analyzed or reduced to isolated parts.
The beauty of the holistic philosophy is that we can understand dog behavior by applying techniques that are based on natural laws found in all living systems. The basic principles of holistic thinking give us a new perspective of our dogs and ourselves.
In order to have a happy, healthy and well behaved dog we need to move in a holistic direction and create a strong foundation on which dogs and humans are able to interact, form a bond and be in harmony with the environment.
The three main goals of Holistic Dog Trainers and Holistic Dog Behavior Counselors are:
1. Focusing on the whole dog when managing behavioral imbalances, rather than on the particular problem alone;
2. Exerting lifestyle changes that promote awareness, emotional and behavioral balance as well as wellness for pets;
3. Establishing respectful, cooperative relationships between pet dogs and humans.
