How "Dog Whispering" Works

First there was the horse whisperer, then the ghost whisperer and now there is a famous dog whisperer. What exactly is dog whispering?

Dog whispering is a training technique used to teach your dog obedience as well as creating a communication style between you and your pet. It’s a very specific type of training where you use your own body language to control the behavior of your dog. While the usual type of training involves you actually teaching the pet to perform an action or activity upon cue, dog whispering has more to do with leading and communicating with your dog as if you are the alpha dog and your pet is part of your pack.

It might seem strange at first, but dog whispering utilizes dog psychology, in order to establish the relationship between the pet and his owner. While the owner has to demonstrate strength and control as leader of his pet, it is not accomplished through shouting or loud commands called out to your pet. Hence, the use of the word whisper in the term dog whispering. Instructions given to your dog are communicated in a calm and consistent fashion.

Much like how we make the distinction in the corporate world between what constitutes a leader or a manger, dog whispering has to do with leadership as opposed to dominance. Good leaders, whether human or canine, lead without using coercion or manipulation.

Who is in charge in your home, you or Fido? Think about it. Do you tell him when you’re going to take him for a walk or does he bark and jump around or scratch at the door to tell you when he wants to go for a walk?

Just like training adults, attitude is an important factor, both yours, and theirs. If you approach dog training in a hurry or with impatience, your dog will become insecure or fearful. Respect your dog and he will respect you. Determine what rewards your particular dog enjoys and incorporate those into the training. Again, just like humans, don’t make the training sessions too long or your pet will get bored and dread training with you. Training should be a fun activity that he looks forward to.

Now that we’ve established a basic understanding of dog whispering, what it is, and how it’s different from traditional training, let’s look at a couple of specific training activities.

Remember when you were in grade school and you had that one teacher who used a clicker to get everyone’s attention or as a trigger to get elementary students to perform a certain behavior? It’s the same thing with your dog. What you do is teach a behavior, let’s say it is teaching your dog how to "sit." You show them what you want them to do and then you press the clicker. When the dog performs the behavior, you reward him (positive reinforcement). You continue to repeat these steps at different intervals, switching up timing between clicking and rewarding. It’s kind of like the theory of Pavlov’s dogs, where the stimulus of the clicker triggers the dog to respond in the way that you want him to behave.

Next, we’ll look at how to teach your dog to sit. Whenever you him about to sit, say "Sit" firmly to him. Then when he sits down, reward him. This builds the relationship between you and your dog, of the association between him sitting down and you being pleased. Again, positive reinforcement is a good way to connect with your dog emotionally.

Let’s review. Dog whispering is based on a hierarchical structure, where you are the leader and your dog is a member of your pack. Whispering has to do with leading your dog, as opposed to forcing him through shouts or negative reinforcement. Using dog whispering as a training technique will allow your dog to know his place in the hierarchy and make you both more satisfied with your positions

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By Brian S.