Common questions about my dog whispering:

 

What am I doing when I am dog whispering?

 

It is quite simple.  I understand what dogs are feeling and communicate with them by reading and using their own natural language and inborn customs.  Communicating the correct type of "energy" is also important in balancing the dog when using this technique.  There is no hocus pocus involved.  Beware of someone claiming to be a "dog whisperer" who can not explain exactly what they are doing and why it works.

 

How did I learn?

 

Formally by studying canine behavior, body language, and watching the interactions of feral dogs.  But mostly by paying attention ever since a child and interacting with thousands of dogs of various temperaments in different situations through my work both as a veterinary technician, where I had to handle and sooth many distressed, fearful, and aggressive dogs, and through my many years of training and modifying the behavior of very difficult dogs. 

 

What does dog whispering have to do with dog training?

 

Dog whispering does not involve formal training, leashes, and all those things but I use it to establish a relationship with the dog during the process of training.  When me and the dog can communicate, the process of training obviously goes much smoother.  I do not have to rely on pure bribery with treats or using intimidation to “muscle” my way through training a difficult dog.  I can see when the dog is confused, needs a break, understands, etc.  It makes a dog feel more relaxed that I can react to what they are trying to tell me.  It gives them no reason to fear me.  It also helps in many ways.  For example, I can read what two dogs are telling each other when dealing with dog on dog aggression cases.  Or, I can see what type of miscommunication between a dog and owner is causing a particular problem.  This helps me create a specific plan to help each individual case. 

 

Who is Cesar Milan and what do I think of him?

 

Cesar Milan is a dog whisperer based on the West Coast that has recently gained fame through his television program on the National Geographic Channel.  I have read that he does not train dogs or consider himself a dog trainer.  He calls himself a dog rehabilitator.   I do believe that many of his rehabilitated dogs would do better with more loose leash style or off-leash formal dog training so they wouldn’t need as much physical restraining to maintain their “rehabilitation”. 

 

Here is a small lesson on dog language for you:

 

What does it mean when a dog wags his tail?

 

Most people think it means happiness or that they want to play.  A better definition of the tail wag is that it means the dog wants to engage.  True a dog will wag his tail when happily engaging a person.  But, some dogs will also wag their tail if they really want to engage the mailman to bite him or while being restrained on a leash as they watch a squirrel.

 

What does it mean when a dog’s tail is tucked?

 

Although a scared dog may tuck his tale, submission is a better answer.  A dog may respectfully be communicating submission to a person or other dog, but may not necessarily feel on the defense.  If the tucked tail is combined with raised hair on the back the dog now feels threatened to a certain degree.  The hair may also be raised with the tail held high.  This is a dog that feels threatened, but is displaying that he is not going to submit to the threat.

 

When a dog bears his teeth does this always mean aggression?

 

No, there is something called a “submissive smile” where the dog curls his lips and bears a large display of teeth.  That in it self may look threatening, but when combined with other extreme non-threatening body posturing such as a dipped head, slouching body, squinting eyes, and lowered tail is a display of extreme respect and submission.

 

Can dogs sense fear from humans?

 

Dog’s are masters of body language and can sense even the slightest of movements about 8 times better than we can.  They notice what you are doing with your eyes, if you flinch, if you shake, if you are hesitant, how you are breathing, etc.  Even when you don’t think you are acting scared, if you are scared the dog most likely knows.  Besides movement there is strong evidence that dogs do indeed smell the change in pheromones released when a human is scared.

 

What is some human (or dog) body language that will be threatening to a dog?

 

Complete stillness, facing the dog directly, direct eye contact, movement over the top of the dog, deep guttural sounds.

 

What are some non-threatening?

 

Lateral movement back and forth, no direct eye contact, squinting, exaggerated blinks if you must look at the eyes, standing parallel to the dog, contact under the chin, lowering self lower than the dog, high pitched sounds.