Tone of Voice and Focus

This past week this topic came up for discussion in one of my group classes, so I thought it would be a good one to share with you…my Training Tribe peeps.

Remember that tone of voice your mom used with you when you did something wrong? When you heard it, you k-n-e-w you are were in trouble.

Dogs also respond to that “mom voice”, which can be handy when you are in a pinch, but if you use it all the time, for everyday cues when asking for something …. that will diminish the value of your voice.

Dogs think of life as a game, they want to have fun, and their fun does not always equal our fun. Here is an example …. Your dog is outplaying the yard, he finds a fun critter hole and is now digging away. We see yard destruction and work in our future to fix it, your dog is having the time of his life.

You then call your dog with a stern “come”, what does your dog do?

Most are so into their zone that they keep on digging. Some may pause their actions for a split second, then continue with their fun. A few may stop and come to you, but honestly, that is not the norm and is generally done out of fear of punishment.

I often get the question, “well, then how do you get your dog to stop?”. My answer may surprise you….

You have to be MORE FUN than the hole that your dog is digging in. Yes, I know some of you are rolling your eyes right now. But hear me out.

Remember when I said life is a game? If your dog knows he/she will have more fun when they come to you, they will leave what they are doing and happily come on over. For those of you who will now say “that does not work”, I challenge you to be more fun!