Serena Dracis

If I told you that you and your pet could communicate, would you believe me?

If you’ve had pets, you already know what I’m talking about but – are you new to the pet thing? Did you just get your first dog or cat and wonder how you’re going to get this critter to understand you?

tl/dr – you can.

You mean like, psychic?

Nope. That’s a whole other topic. What I’m talking about is animal training.

Many new pet owners struggle with understanding their new friend. The bad news – it takes a bit of time and practice to get there.

The good news – you can do it!

Because –  Animal training is animal communication. You communicate what you want your animal to do.  And, your animal will respond.

The best news – it’s one of the best ways to build a deep and lasting bond with your animal companion.

“But animals can’t talk!”

Again, tl/dr … lots of animals communicate. I’m going to focus on dogs, but a lot of my training tips and techniques can be adapted for other animals like cats, or rabbits, or chickens.

So … 

Dogs do communicate. Obviously, we all know a growl or snarl is a threat, but a dog’s bark can be warning or welcoming. The catch? Telling the difference relies on often subtle cues in body posture and facial expressions.

It’s probably no surprise to learn animals have emotional states as well as degrees of awareness, but maybe it’s challenging to understand what your dog is telling you?

More bad news – the opposite is not true. Your dog is supremely sensitive to your moods, postures and actions. Whether you notice it or not, your dog is watching you and learning your every action.

What all this means is – Your best chance of success is to engage with your new friend, and introduce training as way to develop clear communication. 

Right. How?

A good place to start – Spend some time just observing your dog, or a pack.  Try to do it without them being aware of your attention. 

• Watch heads, ears, and tails; are they perked high or held low? 

• Where are the eyes focused, is the expression strong, confident, or wary and tense? 

• Is there a ridge of fur standing up along the spine, or is his coat slick, and flat with skin tight and twitching? 

What do you think those mean based on what you know about your dog?

 Then, watch your dog’s facial expressions and postures when he’s interacting with you.  Learn to recognize when your dog is paying attention to you vs focused on other things.

Take some time to research what different trainers and behaviorists say about your dog’s behavior. How does what they say align with what you observed?

The more you learn about your dog’s individual behavior and dog behavior in general will give you a solid foundation for beginning training.