Inconsistency in ownership style and behavioural problems in dogs.

 A dog that receives contradictory and paradoxical information can be the root to behavioural disorders of a dog.  What this means is two opposite messages are emitted for  the exact same piece of information. The double message is a source of confusion and leads to disqualification of all the information, or a part of it, or the response by its receiver (Bateson 1971;1987). 

For instance the most common communication problem that I  come across is that the dog is rewarded or punished alternatively for recall, given a treat or alternatively shouted at. This alternating double message teaches the dog not to come when called, because he has no idea what to expect when he comes back.  The owner thinks that punishing him for the delay in recall means that he will come back immediately when called the next time.  However when the dog comes back from his adventures, those adventures are forgotten, he is attending to owner so the dog believes he is being punished for returning.  

Human communication involves verbal, vocal, postural, motor and contextual levels, successful communication ensures that these levels are congruent (Gross et al 2004).  If you call a dog in a soft voice, but your posture is threatening there is no congruence, this will result in a dog becoming anxious, because there is no consistency in the pattern of  human behaviour. 

Another scenario of inconsistency I often come across is between a couple and their dog. One owner is permissive the other a disciplinarian.  Although both owners might be consistent in the way they treat the dog independently it becomes incongruent for the dog when one minute he is allowed to do something and the next he is being punished for it. For example: allowed to get on the sofa one minute by one owner, shouted at to get down by the other. Therefore punishment is  more likely to be unpredictable for the dog. The stress response to an aversive event is influenced by its predictability and controllability (Arhant et al 2010; Gross et al 2004). There is a chance the  dog might learn not to get on the sofa in the presence of the disciplinarian, but also become anxious in the absence of the disciplinarian, because the dog is confused.

References

Arhant, C.  Bubna-Littitz,H.  Bartels,A.  Futschik, A. Troxler, J (2010) Behaviour of smaller and larger dogs: Effects of training methods, inconsistency of owner behaviour and level of engagement in activities with the dog. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 133 (2010) 131-142

Bateson G.(1971;1987) Steps To An Ecology Of Mind. Collected Essays In Anthropology,Psychiatry, Evolution, And Epistemology. Jason Aronson Inc.Northvale, New Jersey London

Gross,R. McIlveen, R. (2004) Psychology A new introduction. Holder and StroughtonEducational.:UK.