|
"Helping
you to be your dog's best friend!"
Speak Dog
UNDERSTANDING
YOUR CANINE ...
and
learning how to speak dog!
The best way to understand your dog is to look at things from his
/ her point of view. What may be obvious to you may not be so clear
to your dog(s). It is your responsibility as an owner to learn how
to "SPEAK DOG" since dogs can not speak English! Below are
a list of helpful tips providing insight as to how your dog thinks
and learns. The result, a bond that will last forever!
Dogs are a direct descendant of the wolf. They are pack animals
who thrive on a social environment. Because of this, dogs perceive
relationships as a hierarchy, with one leading and the other following.
Dogs need to be part of your "human pack" , they are social animals
and will be depressed when isolated. Include your dog in EVERYTHING
you do (as long as it is safe for your dog), such as playing, sleeping,
exercising, eating, and socializing!
Dogs must have a set of fair, firm and FUN set of rules to live
by. These "rules" need to be set by you the owner, otherwise your
dog will have no other choice than to make his/her own rules and
become your leader. Dogs need a stable and consistent leader - YOU!
Dogs are selectively bred for specific personality traits. Find
out what your dog was breed for and take advantage of putting their
talent to work! ie: Labrador Retrievers are bred to retrieve ...
organize retrieving play sessions.
Dogs learn in black and white. There are only "yes" or "no" options
in a dogs' minds. They cannot comprehend "maybe". The latter is
a grey area and leads to confusion which leads to a misbehaved dog.
Dogs do NOT have the ability to connect events. They can only make
associations with immediately circumstances. ie: If you come home
and find the garbage ripped open, do NOT yell at your dog, he will
associate punishment with your coming home and NOT the garbage.
Dogs have a strong willingness to learn... take advantage of that!
Play fun games and teach your dog tricks!
Dogs must have consistency in all areas of their lives. That means:
feed them at the same time every morning and night, take them to
the bathroom at the same times every day, use only select command
words to teach your dog, if you allow your dog to jump on you when
you have jeans on, but not when you are dressed up, YOU are not
consistent and are giving your dog unfair mixed signals. Instead,
decide what your dog is and is not permitted to do.
Praise is the key to communicating to your dog. If you don't let
your dog know when he is doing a good job, by saying "gooooood boy!!!"
& giving him a treat, then how will your dog know? Dogs learn by
association and positive reinforcement. If you make learning FUN,
your dog will learn fast and be HAPPY! Be kind to your dog always.
Always use a happy voice to "speak" to your dog; while using a quick
concise verbal reprimand when need be. Dogs just love hearing a
"HAPPY VOICE"!
Dogs are much more tuned into reading body language, than humans.
Use non-threatening body language when around dogs. ie: When you
come home from work and see that "Rover" got into the garbage and
is hiding in the corner, it is NOT because he "knows that he did
something wrong", it IS because he reads your body language which
says to him you are stressed out and angry. Take advantage of positive
HAND SIGNALS! They make the difference between a behaved dog and
a superbly trained dog.
Communicate to your dog with one word commands that are consistently
used. ie: Sit rather than saying "sit" sometimes and "sit down"
other times. It is also important to not repeat commands over and
over, such as "Stay, stay,stay", that will only teach your dog to
ignore you.
A dog's primary concern is identifying the "pack leader" and what
is "his number" in the pack. It is natural and instinctive for a
dog to learn from and obey an "animal" that ranks above him. By
taking your dog to a qualified dog trainer, you as the owner will
be able to learn how to communicate to your dog through obedience
commands! Remember, dogs have a strong willingness to learn!
|
