One of the things we like most about dogs is their response to us when we talk.
Response? Yes the look we get from our dogs when noise comes from our mouth. Looking at us
with a caring look we are soon hooked. We feel our dogs actually care and are interested in what we have to say. We made them, after all, instant ‘members’ of our pack, our family. OK, its not just noise, its when we tell our dogs how cute they are and they tilt their head in understanding, right? Its when we say their name and they look adoringly at us- that is when nothing more interesting has their attention.
We talk, they look. We *Think* our dogs actually understand us. Fast forward a bit and we actually NEED our dog to do something like move out of the door when we are carrying in the groceries or come to us when at the park, or they are in the yard- OUR YARD-and its raining and muddy and we need them to come inside then they suddenly become deaf. Deaf, totally and completely deaf. It happens in an instant and we become mad, irritated, ticked, pissed that our loving dog, aka family member is suddenly giving us the ‘middle’ paw by ignoring us. We KNOW she hears us. She is choosing to ignore us that’s why were mad.
The Woofing Truth..
Now please Sit DogMa, and DogDa..
Sit, Stay loving dog owner. What follows is the dog’s honest truth about what your dog knows, and understands when you speak…
The simple answer: Not much. The air expulsion you preform that coincides with your dog looking at you is because your dog, in that moment, has nothing else that grabs his attention. You are probably in close proximity to him, In a place very familiar to him (inside your home) where there are not many or no new distractions (at the moment) so when you say his name in a pleasing tone he turns and looks the way we look when a magazine falls from the table when we’re alone.
Remember this: because our dog looks at us does not mean he understands us. Dogs ARE cool, The ARE great family members precisely because they bond with us, hang with us (most the time). They pay a lot more attention when we speak then say squirrels or chipmunks. The fact that they often look at us when we speak is part of their conditioning over thousands of years to be part of our pack. Being part of our pack is no slam dunk that they actually understand, really understand what we are asking of them in the moment. Whether dogs truly understand us is in the moment is a reflection of their training.
Next segment we’ll explain what proper dog training REALLY is, and what, for example, “Sit” Really means to your dog.
Steve Schwartz has been a behavioral dog trainer since 1991. Having helped thousands of dog owners to have better relationships with their dogs through helping people to understand how dogs think and ‘training from the dog’s point of view’. Since 1998 Steve has put his training know how into helping keep dogs safe in their yard with the Contain My Dog Electric Dog Fence.