john landry Posted July 25, 2008 Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 I finally got around to reading On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals (by Turid Rugaas). It is a short book, simply written yet very much to the point. After reading it, I was left with a strong desire to put my observation skills to work and most importantly, to use the calming signals to communicate with my dogs. I did not have to wait very long. One of my BCs has this really unmanageable hair – although we groom her frequently, she stills gets these dust carrying (and potentially, disease carrying) knots on her behind. Our land is bordered (no pun intended) on two sides by a small river. Lili just loves swimming, so she’s in the water all summer and therefore wet all the time. We towel-dry her as best we can, but it is never a perfect job. So this morning, I took her to the groomers who had no choice but to shave off a fair share of her behind (the hair that is). Lili is a rescued fear aggressive BC making stupendous progress but having her sensitive behind shaved and by a stranger to boot, brought her fear-induced aggressiveness to the forefront. This is where Turid Rugaas comes into the story. Once on the grooming table, Lili started shooting all those calming signals (especially licking her nose furiously; she had a muzzle on, so she could not really yawn). She was making all these calming signals and I UNDERSTOOD! I started yawning like the sandman and licking my lips like a porn star. SHE UNDERSTOOD! No kidding, she calmed down to the extent that the grooming was over with before we knew it. I was proud of her! And talk about bonding! Three cheers for Turid Rugaas! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted July 25, 2008 Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 That's wonderful! I've tried the yawning trick with mine as well but I can't say I've had as dramatic a result! It sounds like Lili is really making good progress with you Isn't it just the best feeling when you know you're making a difference in her life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted July 25, 2008 Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 It is cool how, after you read that book (or watch the video as I did), you start to see calming signals all over the place! I yawn at my dog a lot when we're at the vet's. I also see my dog doing all kinds of avoidance behaviors when we're out and he is nervous about a doggie meeting: he'll go off the path and just sniff for ridiculous chunks of time, trying to tell the other dog, "Look, I'm too BUSY to meet you right now!" He'll turn his body so he's facing absolutely away from me and the other dog/owner. I feel glad that I can read what he's saying to me. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms.DaisyDuke Posted July 25, 2008 Report Share Posted July 25, 2008 I've just ordered the book, both of my instructors have used her hand outs to show the classes what to look for, this new class I am in has it as "suggested reading" anyway so I may as well get it. I yawn at Daisy quite often and always tell people to advert their eyes and it does quite an amazing job! Now I really want to read the rest of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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