Owner and Dog Communications - Use Body Language and Verbal Commands Combined

Dog communications go well beyond one word commands like sit, stay, and down. There are many other dog training tools to help you, such as non-verbal communications (body language). Teaching your dog the basic commands is a great way to get your dog to understand what is expected of him, but it's just the beginning.

You should not have to constantly give your dog commands. He should know instinctively from your previous training that he should not do things like climb onto the furniture, scratch at the door when you go out, shred your personal belongings or bark at every sound he hears. Body language is a great way to let him know right from wrong.

The right training will enhance the mutual understanding between owners and their dogs. For example, when training is done correctly, he does not need specific instruction if he knows how to interpret your body language.

Like humans, dogs communicate with their bodies as well as their voices, but dogs rely a great deal on body language. A dog will whine, cry and bark to express himself, but he will stand a certain way, hold his tail in a certain position, and tilt his head as well. These body poses send specific messages designed mostly for other canines.

Humans have various ways of speaking that clearly indicate a particular frame of mind, whether the person is angry, relax or stressed. We will stand upright when we are confident, slouch when we are not, put our hands on our hips in defiance and fold our arms across our chests when we are not open to debate an issue.

As you spend time with your dog, you'll come to recognize his poses and how to interpret them, as he will yours. Work on this and you'll soon see how effective it can be, especially when you add it to other positive training methods.

Dog communications benefit best with positive training methods

Perhaps the most important key to effective training is to use positive reinforcement when the dog responds correctly, and being patient and understanding when he does not respond to your commands. This means no yelling or hitting.

Remember that you are both learning each other's language. The training process is for both of you, not just for your dog. The challenge is to overcome that language barrier. Once you overcome it, the rewards are amazing.

If you ever watch herding dogs at herding trials, you'll see trainers using nothing more than hand signals and whistles. Once trained, dogs know what is expected of them and as soon as the signal is given, they will race off to get the job done. Better trained dogs need little else but a certain whistle or hand gesture from the trainer.

This is a perfect example of how non-verbal communications can work between an owner and his dog. It takes many hours of practice to reach this stage. It is not reached with physical punishment for non-compliance. Praise is far more beneficial and helps you to develop a closer relationship with your pet.

Owner and dog communications don't have to be difficult, but it does take time, patience and repetition.

There are many more things to know about dogs that will help you with your training. We have put together a free special report, "How To Pick The Right Dog Training Tools" to help you. . We also offer a Free Trial of our extensive Puppy Parenting Course that teaches you everything you need to know about choosing, raising and training a puppy.