Today is a good day to reflect on the way you talk to your dog and whether he understands you or not, because it is the National Dog Day in the United States. If your furry seems to understand perfectly when it is time to eat or play, but does not take for granted when you yell at him to stop biting your shoes or not take out the trash, these tips to communicate with your pet will help you.
Rate the “No!”
“No” is a word that we constantly use in our everyday human communication, in many tones and in many contexts. Shout an energetic “No!” your dog can make it stop at the time of a mischief, but it will not tell him how you are expecting him to behave.
The professional coach Soshi Parks advises in The Dog People that instead of simply yelling “No!” use classic training words that every dog learns in school, such as “Sit!” or “Leave it!” Both words are clear instructions for what you want your dog to do, and he doesn’t usually hear them as much from you or in as many contexts as “No!”
Your voice is the best instrument
Dogs and humans have spent so much time together that we have both developed skills to understand and communicate beyond verbal language, it is even said that they are capable of detecting negative people. Nevertheless, the human voice is still one of the most effective tools for making pets understand what we expect from them.
The key is the tone you use. A study from the University of Lyon found that dogs respond better to high-pitched women’s voices, meaning they understand high-pitched and sweet tones better than bass or bass. And ethologists point out that a dog is capable of understanding about 165 words, which gives you a wide catalog to understand yourself with your quadruped.
Corporal lenguage
Just as dogs express a lot with their body language, humans say everything with our bodies, although we often don’t realize it. A dog that wags its tail insistently is telling you that it is happy, or if at the same time it wags its tail, lowers its front legs and raises its hips, it is telling you that it is ready to play.
In the same way you can communicate with him by adding a signal to the instructions you give him.. For example, if you accompany the “Sit down!” with a movement of your index finger that points to the floor, you will probably help him to understand better; after time you may only need to signal so that your dog understands what you want.
The key to getting your body language working to communicate with your dog is always use the same signs for the same instructions and repeat them as many times as necessary. This will gradually create a code of communication that you and your dog share.
Take care of communication with the leash
The leash is much more than an accessory so that your dog does not escape or to avoid a fine when walking on the street: it can be a powerful communication tool between you and your dog if you know how to use it.
From the outset, forget about wearing collars to punish or injure your dog; better use the length to your advantage. “Dogs are masters at reading our emotions and the leash is like a direct conduit between our brain, our body and theirs,” says Parks. So when leashed out, shorten it if you find a dangerous situation, prolong it if everything is fine and there is no rush, or throw it away repeatedly if they already have to go home, especially when your dog stops to sniff.