In general, I work better with adult dogs than puppies. Puppies are, on the whole, quite confused and don't understand very much – in all fairness they are mostly pee- and poop machines that are basically only cute when they're sleeping. 😀 Boyo is slowly starting to get a brain, although at the moment it has blown out through one ear and it is highly uncertain when it will blow back in again.
But from that not having heard or understood anything at all, he has to my great delight, started to calm down a little in his teenage spite. Although it is a two-way communication, undeniably. I have, As said was, quite short patience, which does not always favor either communication or the relationship with Boyo. But I have rediscovered something that is incredibly effective (and not only with Boyo, It works on any dog).
Look.
Look, and the patience to keep looking and not give up.
This is a form of correction I use. Some probably think that it is a mean and cruel way of correcting, Because it – if done correctly, makes the dog uncomfortable.
This is how I do it;
The dog does something i don't like. For example; Boyo and Lilo persist in continuing to fool around, even though I told them repeatedly to stop because it sounds so bad and they sometimes have a tendency to knock things over. Boyo is a teenager and refuses to listen, and Lilo – there, she is Lilo and a real tease. 😀 So they don't stop.
Men – if I get in the way, or penetrates the one (or both) in a corner* and stands and looks straight at that particular dog… believe me, after a few minutes the dog will back off, calm down and do your best to avoid my gaze. And I do nothing but look intently at the dog. I don't say anything, but is completely silent.
That which can be smart in this situation – and which I myself can forget, with my sometimes short patience, is to hold out and keep staring until the dog gives up. It may take a while, depending on who you have in front of you, but it is extremely effective. If you don't hold out until the dog relaxes and “surrenders”, has not been completed (follow through) and the whole exercise was a complete waste.
Now have not I myself, personal experience with this (than!), but there are some breeds that this may not be the best way to do it. By that I mean mainly European and Asian guard dogs, såsom Caucasian Shepherd, Coil, Tibetan Mastiff, Star, and more – and perhaps even dogs that are heavily trained for, for example, protection. Some dogs are provoked by eye contact in this way, and you may not want to be attacked unnecessarily.
But for them most companion dogs, I find this to be an extremely effective way of showing that you mean what you say. For Boyo who thankfully is starting to grow up (although it is not particularly noticeable at the moment, for now he is mostly stupid in his head) this will be one of my best tactics, I think.
.. and just to give you a challenge; have you tried being quiet for a whole day, or maybe a whole weekend, together with your dog? Just to see if and how you communicate with your dog without using your voice?
Testa – it can actually be really fun. 🙂
*to corner the dog – then I don't mean that the dog sits with its back pressed against the wall and I right in front of the nose, without me standing a few meters away, but that the dog is clearly in the corner and cannot get past me without me being able to stop him/her