Are you a Dog Whisperer?

golok

golok

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Some people have this affinity with dogs that belies logic. It's the way, they talk to the dog, or tickle it behind the ears or under the jaw. The animal sort of wags its tail and they become instant chums.

Dogs and I can't don't get along that well. We look at each other and the canine either runs away or it bares its sharp teeth.

So I thought if there are horse whisperers in this world, there are bound to be dog whisperers, too.

So how do you get on the good side of a ferocious-looking canine?
 
Extend your hand, palm side down; let him sniff your hand; no sudden moves; slowly turn your hand over & scratch his throat. Now bring your other hand slowly into play as you scratch his head. Do not, under any circumstances, try to grab his ears in your hands - they may be a tender area for an unknown dog! Give him a little more time to size you up and get comfortable. Now comes the important part: whisper in his/her ear that you can hook him/her up with a fantastic bitch/stud. They're like 'putty' in your hands after this treatment! :D
 
I dont know about a do whisperer but I do seem to have a gift for getting along with dogs. They seem to sense that I like them better than I like most people. I have the sense not to mess with an attack dog unless the owner is standing right there. Of course they smell my 2 dogs on me too.Dogs definitely seem to sense whether you like them or not.
A dog will never stab you in the back or lie to you.
They are always glad to see you come home.
 
Dogs are not people. Extend your hand and you may lose a couple of fingers. Instead of risking your future as a pianist, extend your fist fingers down.
 
Treat the dog like you would a 2 year old child, if you wanted to get its attention... They are just kids all wrapped up in fur! :D
 
I'm a cat and gun- whisperer.

(In a low tone) "So, kitty, how do you like that Swedish Mauser?!"

Being a well-behaved cat of refined tastes, he rubs against the rifle leaning against the wall, and purrs.
 
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Originally posted by blastjv
I'm more of a Dog Poop-Picker-Upper...
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LOL!!! The sign of a true urban dog-owner is that they always have plastic bags in their car and jacket/vest/pants pockets in case their canine decides to "take care of business" on someone's lawn.

Actually, I am more of a Dog Whistler, not a Whisperer. When I whisper, our dog doesn't come over to me. Of course, when I whistle she still may not come over to me. It depends on how she feels at the moment. Personally, I think our dog is a cat in disguise. Either that or she listens like a brick.

Well, time to go let someone who thinks she is the Princess Of The World outside.... ;) :D :D
 
I love dogs and have always had fun training them. Friends will often give me their 'problem' dog for 2-3 weeks of boot camp so they can learn some obedience. Of course when I re-unite the people with their dog there is always half a day of training for the people - because they are usually the problem. Some lessons I have learned.

1) If a dog is acting aggresive - ie; baring it's teeth with it's shackles up. Then and there is not the time to try and make friends. Sounds obvious but I'm amazed at the amount of people who will try and approach a dog that is telling them in no uncertain terms to *$#* off.

2) To make friends with a dog it's best not to make direct eye contact and expose the full font of your body - this can be interereted as aggresion. It is best to crouch side on to the dog and slightly extend the had (palm down) for it to sniff. Once it has smelled you then move away. Once a dog has seen you enter and then exit it's territory without aggresion it will begin to entertain the idea of trusting you. Once it follows you for a few yards then crouch again and be ready to say a proper hello, with a scratch behind the ears etc.

3) Speaking is very important. I mumble all sorts of inane drivel - the content doesn't matter as longs as it's in a low, deep soft voice. Dogs, like horses, seem to be able to instinctivey sense your heart rate and state of arousal. So I try to breathe deep and be as relaxed as possible myself when meeting a new canine friend.

I'm thinking of writng a book on dog training so I won't bother trying to turn this post into one. But the key to training dogs is understanding their pack oriented psychology with it's desire to belong, being firm and consistent.

If you want to make friends with a dog Golok, get it's owner to give you a friendly greeting with a handshake or some other form of contact first and then try the above steps - Good luck.
 
Now Ming65 is someone who knows dogs! Sounds like you have trained a few dingoes in your time! I'd be interested in your book if & when you publish.:)
 
Thanks Clydetz. I'll keep you posted on it's progress. Like all such things I'm doing this book because I can't see anything around like the one I have in mind. Very much inspired of course by Monty Roberts - the original horse whisperer.

Just like in sports training - the systems that work with elite performers (in this case show dogs) don't always translate to the person who just wants practical obedience. I'm interested in putting together a simple training system for people who want a dog that comes when it is called, stays when you want it to and walks at heel when you need it to (ie: close to roads and other people). I can get a dog doing these three things in 7-10 days with about an hours practice per day, just by tapping into the dogs natural instincts rather than forcing obedience by trying to dominate the animal.

Dingoes - Don't have any experience with pure bred ones but I know they have been domesticated in some cases. I think owning them was once illegal but understand that this law has been changed.

There is a breed of Dog in our North West that has grown out of some dingo, ridgeback, rottweiler, german sheperd, kelpie hybrid. They are beautifull, calm & friendly dogs. Usually with short golden hair, golden eyes and long legs. Well suited to the heat and can run for miles. I see heaps of them around but I don't think anybody has decided to give it a name yet. The North West Aussie sheperd would be a good one.
 
Get a dog of your own. Ever since I've become a dog owner, street dogs treat me better. Really. I guess they smell "Ozark The Wonder Dawg" and figure that I'm an OK guy ;)
 
I have Akita dogs and love them dearly. They in return watch over my home and family. They watch the way I interact with people and people with me. If someone is friendly towards me they can sense it and allow the person to contact them. So the morale is be nice to the owner and let the owner introduce you to the dog. Always offer the back of your hand to smell. If the owner has no idea how to handle his or her dog stay away! You will end up in a situation you shouldn't be in. I always felt if my dog attacked someone I put them in a position they shouldn't have been in. If you notice I take responsibility for my dogs. I owe it to them!

Sad note my oldest Akita has bone cancer too sad.

Joe:( :(
 
You do kinda have to learn to "speak dog."

I was always a cat guy, and never wanted a dog. I got a 95-lb German shepherd, and all that changed.

I worked through a great book, "How to be Your Dog's Best Friend" by the Monks of New Skete ( http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/books/bk.html ). I learned about training and dogs while he learned how to heel, stay, etc. The level of nonverbal communication you can have with your dog is really amazing.

So anyway, agressive dogs.

You have to first learn to "speak dog" - no way around that. Second, you ABSOLUTELY have to refuse to be number two when relating to a dog. Be nice, and respect their territory (you'd want to bite too if I was rude to you in your house), but don't let them control you. 99% of what dogs do is bluff, to see how you react. They can tell if you aren't going to back down. 99% will back down when they realize you won't. If you do present submission or fear, fewer will back down.

The 1% that will go for it probably won't be prevented anyway.

I'm no expert on fighting dogs, so I won't go there. But that is serious business, so you better be ready to do some damage if you get into it with one.

Scott
 
The level of nonverbal communication you can have with your dog is really amazing.
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This is sooo true.
My Cairn Terrier will respond to facial expressions as well as hand signals.
I've learned alot about canine body language from him as well as his different barks.

One thing that all dogs seem to understand is a loud firm "NO!"
Then again it doesn't mean that they will always listen.
 
Originally posted by Ming65

2) To make friends with a dog it's best not to make direct eye contact....
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So true! Do not hold a staring contest with a dog! Even a friendly one can become nasty when this happens! I know of several cases where the family pet 'snapped' when stared at for to long. My own mother had her Scottish Terrier nip her on the nose for staring! As a matter of fact, 3 seconds was about the limit that any other dog could go nose to nose & staring with 2 different Scotties I had before they got their noses bit.
 
I wish I knew how I do it. I've only met one dog that didn't like me from the start, and that dog HATED me, and I could never get NEAR it

I think it's a matter of understanding what each moan, grumble and head tilt means

That said, I haven't had a dog in years. My wife doesn't like them, and I never had the space. I really thing one is a year or 2 off however.

What's real fun is when you walk into a house with the alpha person, and within a few minutes the dog is following YOU around and sleeping on your feet. Doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's funny
 
golok - here's some quotes that may help you understand the workings of dogs:

Edward Hoagland: 'In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open onesself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog.'

John Steinbeck: 'I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts.'

Sholom Aleichem: 'Barking dogs don't bite, but they themselves don't know it.'

Corey Ford: 'Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.'

Unknown: 'When the dogs are barking at your heels you know you're leading the pack.'

Clydetz: 'A dog will never bite the hand that feeds him, unless it's raised in anger.'

Unknown: 'The slowest barker is the surest biter.'

Anonymous: 'When a dog wags his tail and barks at the same time, how do you know which end to believe?'
 
Groucho Marx: "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, its too dark to read."

Anonymous: 'When a dog wags his tail and barks at the same time, how do you know which end to believe?'
Click to expand...

...by looking at the myriad of other cues. Are the ears back? Are the teeth bared? Is the head lowered? Dogs have very expressive faces and body language. They also have a range of barks, from "Hi! How ya doin'?" to "take one more step, and I rip your throat out". The more dogs you get to know, the better you can read these cues.
 
I've found that dogs respond best to you when they know they are not the top dog. Sometimes dogs don't quite get this fact and have to be told in no uncertain terms. Every male dog that I have ever owned challenged me over who was the owner of who.

My current dog is a 5 month old pit bull. I have never seen a dog with as much attitude as him and he had a hard time understanding who was who in the relationship.

One day he was doing terrible things to my African Goose, I pulled him off, and he tried to bite me. Let's just say he lost and leave it at that. Now he still loves me to death but when I walk up to him he rolls over on his back in classic submission.

Don't ever be afraid to put a dog in submission by force when he challenges you. With most dogs you will never have to do it again. Mac
 
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