The Dogfather Guide to Stopping Climate Change, Eradicating Nuclear Weapons
AND Get Your Dog To listen To You. All Before
Teatime Today!
I do have a little confession to make here, dear reader. I
probably don’t have any sensible answers as to how to fix climate change before
teatime and I’m not so sure that I know much about weapons of mass destruction
either (just like the politicians!) BUT if you need help with dog training, I’m most definitely your man!
They’re funny things, dogs – and so is dog behaviour. Dogs
have a sense of smell that’s been estimated as a thousand times more sensitive than
ours (who worked that out?) and yet they spent half their time sticking their
noses near each others bottoms and sniffing out vile-smelling dead things. How
does that work? (Actually I know exactly how it works, but I won’t enthral you
with the whys and wherefores here.)
Similarly, their hearing is so acute that it’s estimated
they can hear sounds at roughly four times the distance of humans, so a sound that
you can hear at twenty metres, a dog can detect, pinpoint and interpret at
eighty metres. The well documented exception, of course, is when YOU call them
from three metres away whereupon they are instantly struck with a mysterious
kind of profound deafness. Funny, that!
Have you ever had the feeling that if your dog were a human,
he’d be stood there with his fingers stuck in both ears singing “La la la la”
very loudly in an effort not to hear you? You’re not on your own as when
clients call me for dog behaviour or dog training help one of the phrases I heard most often is
“My dog doesn’t listen to me”. Most dogs can, of course, hear perfectly well, but
it’s more a case of “Talk to the paw cos the face ain’t listening!” (Incidentally,
if you’re worried your dog really is deaf – not uncommon in older dogs – then try waiting until they are facing away from you and make a distinctive
noise such as clapping your hands and watch for a reaction. If in doubt,
check with your vet.)
So, how can you get your dog to listen to you more?
I’m asked this lots, so here are three dog training tips for you:
-
Be
the pack leader. It’s not about
being overbearing or bullying or about never sharing affection but it IS all
about being a good leader, the kind that your dog will respect and want to
follow. A working knowledge of how dogs think certainly helps here and there’s
lots you can do to ensure your dog looks up to you. Suffice it to say that in
any situation you can only be either the leader or the follower – there’s
nothing in-between. If you dog’s not listening, could it be because he thinks it’s
his right as leader to do whatever he wants? You can learn more about becoming
a better leader in my free article “Who's The pack Leader?"
- Think
about your tone of voice. It’s good
to remember that dogs don’t speak English, but instead they do learn to associate
words with actions (E.g. “Sit!”). They are, though, expert at working out that
your tone of voice carries a lot of meaning, so you should use that to help
communicate with them. Would you come running happily to a man calling you with
a flat monotone “Commmm”? Try a loud, clear, happy “Come!” instead and see what
happens. Not working? Don’t rephrase it, that’s what humans do. If your recall
command is usually “Fido come!”, then a desperate “Hey! come here” or “Fido here boy” won't usually work any better.
Stick to a nice clear consistent call and think about your tone of voice. It’s
the foundation of good dog training (It’s not the be-all-and-end-all, but it’s
a good start)
- Don’t get
angry or frustrated. Because, quite apart from the rights and wrongs of it,
the fact is, it just doesn’t work. Actually I’ll qualify that: It’s ok to feel angry and frustrated – or nervous –
but you mustn’t show it to your dog. Good leaders don’t scream and shout to get
things done – It’s the same in our world. You can get firmer, be more
determined for sure, but angry – no! Time and time again I see dogs reading
their owners emotions, realising they’re losing the plot, and decide to do
their own thing instead. Can you blame them? Remain calm and assertive instead
- it’s not easy, admittedly. Think with your head, not your heart if it’s going
wrong for you because there’s a vicious circle you must avoid here: “Dog disobeys,
therefore owner gets angry; then dog disobeys even more, owner gets angrier...” For more on this, check out my article "What Is My Dog Thinking?".
If you’re struggling, get a little professional help to break that habit. Dog
training is as much about training people as dogs!
So there you have it - three ways to have a better
relationship with your dog – and who doesn’t want that? Oh.. One last teeny
weeny confession: Actually, it may take till after teatime today to fix all of your
dog behaviour problems - but if you’re a Dogfather client, you really will
start seeing improvements the day after you start. That’s one promise I can keep.
If
you'd like to hear how I can help you with a dog behaviour problem – or even better
- how to avoid one - please contact me.
Based in Northampton, Graeme Hall (Graham Hall) works all over
Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes and beyond every day. Dogfather offers Kennel Club listed dog training classes, puppy
classes and one to one dog training and puppy training. For more info and
prices, please check out Dog Training - What I Do
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