Cat Herding

The expression, "like herding cats" didn't come from nowhere. Training pets can be a huge undertaking. In many ways, it may even seem more challenging than training children. Of course, a big part of the challenge is that dogs and cats (and other domesticated animals that have become popular as house pets) don't speak English. So, you literally are unable to tell your dog or cat what you expect of them and when they have strayed from that expectation. Hence, you have the concept of training. Many pet owners spend a lot of time and money on conditioning their dog or cat, although dogs are probably the number one most trained domestic animal, to do what they want them to do. Training, when it comes to animals, refers to the cues that an animal receives which then elicits a desired response. The formal term for this is "conditioning". These cues usually consist of verbal and/or visual signals.

Just as someone who desires to learn how to become a famous singer, cues from the body and the voice must be learned through training of your pet. Singing tips include best practices for keeping the diaphragm strong and active. In fact, there is a lot of overlap between the tips you get from learning how to sing and learning how to train your pet. Training then consists of a practiced exercise that becomes more and more precise over time. A lot of the verbal cues that you give to your pet will be based in your diaphragm. This is because dogs, especially, respond best to deep and steady sounds. These vibrations resonate more powerfully, and, therefore, with more authority than other less deep sounds.

Nonverbally, the body of the person training the pet must match the command. Indeed, training a pet is also a training that the owner must undergo. One cannot tell a dog "no" very firmly but have a lax posture and be smiling. The dog may or may not recognize a smile, but the dog will recognize the overall posturing of the owner's body as not conveying the same authority as the verbal command. So, for example, the body must be upright and confident, and the expression should be firm in the same way that the tone of the voice is firm. At the end of the day, it is good practice in communication for both parties. The owner learns more about presentation, and hopefully the pet learns more about what to do and what not to do!

Lizbeth White writes about trainging pets and intricacies of other species as well as on many inspiring and empowering subjects such as on learning how to sing - http://www.TheSingingZone.com