With summer right around the corner, I’ve been thinking about ways my family and I can enjoy some fun in the sun while including our pup. As I thought of ways to include our furry family member, I stumbled upon these great tips regarding how dog lovers can build a stronger connection with their four-legged BFFs.
These fail-safe tips come to us from OneMind Dogs , a revolutionary dog teaching method out of Finland used by some of the world’s top agility trainers and their four-legged competitors.
Here are OneMind Dog’s’ tips on ‘how to speak dog’ – creating a deeper connection between people and their dogs:
> TIP #1: DOGS DON’T MAKE ‘MISTAKES’:
A dog’s behavior is a direct response to the signals they get from us humans. Instead of blaming your dog, consider why the confusion or accident occurred. Remember, the behavior that is reinforced (consciously or not) is the behavior your dog will continuously display.
> TIP #2: BODY LANGUAGE COUNTS:
While voice commands are useful in training, body language is what your dog naturally understands and responds to first. For example, If you teach your dog to sit and lie down using words and accompanying hand gestures, and then you tell your dog to “sit” but use the gesture for “lie down,” your dog will lie down – following the gesture, not the word.
> TIP #3: SMALL TREAT PORTIONS WIN:
When training with large treats as rewards, your dog will become full and lose motivation quickly — so treat often using smaller bits of treats. To keep your dog interested, spend time finding what treat works best as incentive.
FRENCH CAMP, Calif. – Jack Russell-Cattle Dog-Terrier Crazy Confetti shows off her “pawstand”.
> Tip #4: EMOTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS:
Dogs automatically associate the emotion surrounding an experience with the event itself – so if you’re having a bad day, it’s probably not the best day for a training session. However, you’ll find that keeping an upbeat attitude will lengthen your dog’s attention and eagerness to learn. Also, the tone of your voice is always more important than your words.
I’m excited to try out these great tips to better connect with Marley. I’m really diggin’ all the doggy insights OneMind Dogs has to offer. To find out more regarding training and agility check out their website.
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