ourwully Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 I have received a great deal of valuable advice on this forum yet somehow I missed what some of the people were trying to say. I can be a bit thick. Now that I look back on some of the threads I can see that one major piece of advice that was given over and over was to do things with enthusiasm and to make yourself more interesting than anything else. I am not a rah rah type of guy so it wasn't easy for me to get real excited when giving a command but now that I am trying to be super enthusiastic everything seems to be working a lot better and especially the recalls. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMP Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 Oh yeah. Even a dog who has been bad will come to a recall if its done with positive enthusiasm. You really notice it a lot when you go through an injury with a dog. The natural inclination to adopt a bedside manner ("oh poor dear") actually seems to translate sort of odd to dogs - they buy into your mood, I guess is the best way to put it. They will even go to crates cheerfully if you're sort of cheerful about it (general rule, exceptions occur). Tone of voice and body language are the very best, most powerful tools a dog trainer has, in my opinion. You get those two things figured in relation to your dog and you're made in the shade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 I'm not a guy and this is something that I have had problems with. When we took puppy and family dog classes, and even agility, my manner was certainly not the "cheerleader" approach that the teachers wanted to see. But when the pup/dog realizes your enthusiasm (and mine know it even though I'm not *that* obvious about it), they will respond. They are sensitive and read voices, expressions, and movement very well. Generally the younger they are, the more encouragement they need for you to get the response you want. Good for you! I have received a great deal of valuable advice on this forum yet somehow I missed what some of the people were trying to say. I can be a bit thick. Now that I look back on some of the threads I can see that one major piece of advice that was given over and over was to do things with enthusiasm and to make yourself more interesting than anything else. I am not a rah rah type of guy so it wasn't easy for me to get real excited when giving a command but now that I am trying to be super enthusiastic everything seems to be working a lot better and especially the recalls. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rushdoggie Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 I tend to think of it less as "enthusiasm" and more about being engaged and genuinely happy to work with your dog. Like others have said, your enthusiasm and mine may be radically different, but if you are 100 engaged with the dog when working with him and show genuine happiness when he works with you, then in most cases you will get better results. I'm very glad that things are going well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 One can do so very much with their voice. Excite a dog, soothe a dog, engage a dog, calm a dog. If you're not getting the result you're hoping for then you need to evaluate what you're communicating with your *tone* (and body language) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted October 1, 2014 Report Share Posted October 1, 2014 One can do so very much with their voice. Excite a dog, soothe a dog, engage a dog, calm a dog. If you're not getting the result you're hoping for then you need to evaluate what you're communicating with your *tone* (and body language) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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