Johnson: Love best tool to train your dog

They sit with adoring eyes trained on your every move, nearly bursting out of their skin in anticipation and excitement as they wait for a sign from you that it is their opportunity to show how good they are — a chance to make you happy.

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They are the dogs whose sun rises and sets on the idea of pleasing their people and they live for that moment of confirmation when they get an “atta boy,” a quick pat or an all-out rub down and lots of praises.

Every dog is different, and some are more inclined to show their need for approval, eager to follow commands and hanging on their people’s every word and expression.

But not all dogs are as cooperative.

Some dogs exhibit absolutely no eagerness or drive to please, hanging back, ignoring or outright refusing to perform tasks and giving no indication that they care whatsoever what people think.

Just as unique as dogs themselves can be, people can be equally diverse in their approach to working with them and likewise, training programs and guidance on interacting with pets varies tremendously.

There are those who are always positive, quick with treats and gentle in all approaches, while for others, firmness, stern or even harshness is believed to achieve more results from their dogs.

Add to the different philosophies an infinite number of tools and devices on the market that claim to be the key to training the perfect dog, and working with Fido can get overwhelming.

In fact, when it comes down to it, the spectrum of methods that work best, the personality types involved — both canine and human — and a variety of other factors can make it a little tricky if not impossible to pin down a single foolproof method that turns all dogs into well behaved and well-integrated pets.

It may be, however, that the answer is much simpler than it appears and humans already hold the ultimate key to motivating their pooches.

In simple terms, scientists think love just might be the thing to make dogs perform at their best.

A group of 62 dogs were tested in two sessions using oxytocin nasal spray to simulate the physiological state of love and bonding. Oxytocin has long been known as the hormone associated with bonding and previous studies have shown that in the relationship between mother and child, romantic partners and even people and their pets, oxytocin levels rise.

After some of the dogs were administered the hormone and others received placebos, the dogs were asked to perform tasks and rated on their performance.

In both the first and second sessions, researchers found that those dogs that received oxytocin doses outperformed the dogs that did not and even continued higher performance patterns 15 days after receiving the hormone.

Having feelings of affection and bonding, scientists concluded, motivated dogs to be more perceptive and responsive to human cues and improved their performance levels significantly.

Oxytocin may not be the answer for all dogs, however, and one theory scientists are now looking into is that some dogs may be genetically more receptive to the hormone than others.

In the meantime, since oxytocin nasal spray isn’t exactly sold at the corner store, to achieve the same result, dog owners will have to go about things the old fashioned way. The good news is, just a couple of loving pats on the head can cause a surge of the hormone in both you and your dog.

Available to anyone willing to put forth the effort, who knows, a little love might be just the magic you’ve been looking for.

Sharna Johnson is a writer who is always searching for ponies. You can reach her at: [email protected]