How do you communicate with your dogs? Do you often yell at them just to communicate what your message? If you are currently frustrated with the result of your present communication method, you can try some ways on how to improve it. Having a good relationship or communication with your Huskies is very much important in developing good connection.
Some problems you encounter in communicating with your Dogs
Most of you often yell at your dogs for the purpose of following your orders. But oftentimes this is not an enough or effective way for them to listen. There are also times that you continuously repeat cues, yet nothing still happened. They failed to understand you and you also failed to effectively teach them.
When your dogs don’t usually listen to you, it leads you to frustration. Most of you just chose to surrender in improving your communication method. Giving up should be your last option. You should first try varied ways before giving up on your dogs. When your Huskies don’t listen to your commands, don’t feel frustrated. Instead, be active in learning to comprehend and act as a real trainer. There are several training methods that are vital in shaping your Huskies’ behavior.
The Dog Language
Your Huskies and snow dogs are not just adorable in their physical features. These dogs are impressively adaptable and smart. For you to have an effective communication with your dogs, you should be familiar with their language. This doesn’t mean that you will translate every single sound when they bark and growl.
You have varied clues in learning what your dogs feel or what they are trying to say. The language of your dogs can be determined through the combination of vocalizations, body postures as well as their silent communication network.
Dogs and understanding your Cues
When you give your dogs verbal cues, like you, they are also making an interpretation. They comprehend what you’re trying to communicate through looking for your body language, facial expression and of course, the tone of your voice. There are times that to effectively decipher your message, getting a cue from their environment counts.
Dogs are also observant. People like you have your own routine such as when going for a walk. Some of you may usually get some stuff such as your coat as well as your shoes. This basic routine of yours can be well recorded by these dogs on their minds. But as you do it, your dogs will associate it in walking. But the term walk is utilized in varied ways. Sometimes you use it differently in some of your sentences. In this, there will be misinterpretation on the part of your dogs.
The Miscommunication affects Training
While human beings utilize words to communicate, animals like your dogs utilize their body to send a message. You interpret or decipher their message through the movement of their tails, mouth, eye contact, stance, ears and through their face.
If you create miscommunication or confusion with the use of your body language, the whole training process will be affected. When you are at the middle of a training class, it is important for you to instruct, give command and move with firmness and cohesiveness. Remember that conflicting signals are not good for guiding your difficult dogs.
Learning the Languages of your Dog
If you are just beginning to train your dogs, you should be ready in varied training disasters. Most of the time, the typical mistakes come from the owner. It is due to miscommunication. When your dogs disobey you, you often thought that it’s a kind of stubbornness, willful disobedience as well as dominance problems. You often blame them being like that. But frequently the problem lies on the owners’ training inconsistencies.
Making Training Fun and Not a Type of boring Work
Who would want to have a serious intensive training engagement? This type of training is often tiring and somewhat boring. If human being frequently feels like this, what more if your dogs are put in this scheme. That is why training them with fun is vital. Dogs, like your Huskies, belong to social creatures. It is in their nature to seek attention and interaction. This often leads them to misbehavior. As their guide or trainer, you should always be vigilant regarding this matter.
Your tone of voice is not your only tool in commanding or training them. Noting your body language is also vital. The way you move and your posture should be upright. Your every action should show or reflect leadership, confidence and superiority.
Mediums in communicating your message to your dogs
Tone of your Voice
For effective command or communication, you should pay attention on the tone of your voice. Be very careful in giving cues to your dogs. If it’s verbal, your voice should be in normal and relaxed tone. When giving any cue, it should be done with authority. Don’t give them command in weak, whiney, pleading as well as questioning manner. On the other hand, raising your voice or giving intimidating tone of command can just initiate a challenge to your dogs. Due to this act, instead of obeying you, they might do the reverse thing. Scaring them through harsh tone of your voice will offer you a help. Instead be able to give command with the normal, comfortable and reasonable tone of your voice.
Face
Dogs often look at your face. So you must be firm regarding your facial expression. They get hints or clues on what will be your instructions. So when giving command, gaze at your dogs and pay attention to them. The muscles of your face should be calm and relax. Don’t make your face appear like scowling, grimacing and contorted. Soften your eyes when making eye contact with them because if you stare at them with fierce, they will just perceive it as a challenge. That’s not an effective training.
Energy
Your energy should be the same with the tone of your voice as well as your body posture. Your dogs have the ability to sense the level of energy of a person. If they noticed that your energy level is low, they might not pay attention to your commands. That is why during the training, trainer like you, should always show presence, awareness and focus regarding what you do. This portrays dominance or leadership. In this way, your dogs may become submissive to you.
Body
Human’s body posture is one of the important factors in effectively communicating with your dogs. It is vital for you to note that how you stand and how you move play great part in your training. For you to be an effective trainer, you should pay attention to your body posture. Your dogs should perceived you relaxed, calm and of course confident in your every instruction or command.
Remember that if you have too much movement, your dogs may become confused, which make effective communication impossible. Too much movement will make them assume that you want to play with them. So make little but sure gestures.
Furthermore, the use of hand signal will be effective if you communicate well and do it properly. Any hand signals should be well defined, simple and clear. Excessive movement is also not advisable.
How to effectively communicate with your Huskies?
To effectively communicate with your Huskies, you must take time and effort to try varied ways on how to do it. The following are some relevant ways on how to communicate your message well:
Maintain confidence every time you interact with them
Having confidence enables you to give the message carefully and successfully to your dogs. You could achieve this through avoiding confusing messages. Your voice, body posture as well as energy should be unified or work as one. If you interact with doubt and fear, your dogs may notice it and that’s not good for achieving effective communication.
To achieve an effective communication, you should believe in yourself and in your capabilities.
With this, you are developing great energy and focus, which can be felt by your Huskies. If you manage to do so, you can effectively convince your dogs to follow or obey you.
Retain Consistency
One of the main ingredients why training becomes successful is through consistency. When your dogs observed that your behavior says one thing, then they will get your message. Utilizing different word command during training will mean inconsistency. The approaches that you use should also be coherent. If you use varying training approaches and commands, it will be difficult for your dogs to decipher your message.
When you enforce a rule, you should see to it that it is being followed every time. If not, your dogs may assume that it’s okay for them to ignore it. For example, if you give an instruction and they don’t obey you, take time to correct it. Don’t ignore any disobedience because it will mean that not complying with your commands is fine. Always teach them that compliance is not an option for them. It’s a must. Good leader retains consistency to avoid disappointments and lack of respect. Training will be easier if there are no constant changes.
Give a Sustainable Expectations and Rules
Learning expectations should be appropriate to their level of understanding or age. It is inappropriate to expect great performance in young dogs. Teaching them is just like teaching small children. Remember that adults and teens don’t have the same learning capabilities. This is similar with your dogs. That is why in training them, the objectives should be appropriate to their age. With that, learning will be attainable and measurable. If you give a not sustainable expectations or rules, it will just lead you to disappointments.
Guide them on the right thing to do
Instead of saying stop doing this and that, tell them to do the right thing. It is also evident in people, in which they often criticize mistakes yet don’t exert effort in correcting it. If you want to effectively train your dogs, let them know their mistakes and guide them towards correcting it. When your dogs don’t come to you wherever you call them, don’t run on them and act like chasing them. They will just assume that it’s a type of game. Remember that you are dealing with your dogs. That is why you should portray calmness. Get them calmly. Luring them with treats is also vital.
Do the training with all of your heart and aim great success for your dogs
Throughout training your dogs, you should prepare yourselves for positive or negative possibilities. Maintain honesty within yourselves. Always show natural behavior to them, natural aim and natural you. Accepting your dogs’ whole personality will serve as stepping stone for your dog training success. To create vital change, you must be open to changes and embrace it.
Keep in mind why you begin training your dogs
Throughout the training process it is important for you to stick on your training goals, which is to correct some unwanted behaviors of your dogs.
When the assigned task is accomplished, free them
Whenever your dogs have successfully completed their task, let them go. This will let them know that they followed the cues that you’ve given. It is important to note this, because some of you often forgot to release them after the training.
When you make your confusing command, your dog may encounter difficulty in comprehending your message. This happens when the tone of your voice and your body language don’t match with each other. When they are confused, the next thing is that they will not listen. So it is vital for you to be firm, confident and clear when giving command to your Huskies.
Learning varied ways on communicating with your dogs is very essential in shaping their behavior.
So as dog trainer, you should invest some of your time in managing their flaws and improving their potentials.
