We all have different backgrounds and experiences in our lives. Maybe you have had dogs all your life or it’s your first time to care for a pup by yourself.
Either way you might have question with “how do I make my dog understand me better? Is there something missing in our communication?”
Most likely there`s nothing missing but you can always level up communication with your pup!
Of course, I`m going to mention that all the basic needs of a dog should be met: regular health check, food, safe place to sleep, play time, mental stimulation toys/game and physical exercise as walking/running/fetch/hide & seek + your love (obviously).
If you were like “well, I do all of that but is there something else I can do?”
Yes! You can always make your bond and communication a bit better by doing the following:
1. Don’t repeat yourself.
Dogs learn from patterns. Well, how many times do you have to ask your pup to “Sit” and “Stay” before he does it? If it is more than one time, I have news for you. You do not need to repeat yourself for your dog to do the cue! He or she can clearly hear you or see a hand signal (for deaf dogs), or touch signal (for blind & deaf dogs) when you do it once. Just wait a bit, give them time to think. Count till ten before you repeat a cue. Slow count till ten. Dogs are very smart creatures. They learn the pattern super quickly. If you ask once, they do it after you ask once. If you ask five times, they will wait for you to ask five times before they do the cue. It is that simple.
2. Reward for the position.
What? What is that? Another way to make your dog understand you better.
It means exactly how it sounds!
If you work on “lay down” with your pup, only give rewards while she/he is in that exact position. If you will treat after your dog is up, guess what your dog will do more often? Yes, Get up! Instead of laying down.
3. One cue/One signal – One meaning.
Last tip that will make your communication better is if you will stick to
one cue = one meaning.
It is crucial detail that will make dogs understand you much clearly and reliably. Pups connect meaning of your words/body language to things that happen right after. It is important to pick the signals and words and stick to it if you want to have better communication and make it easier for your dog!
Thank you for reading! I hope it will help someone to build better relationships with their dog(s)! Good luck!
コメント