Fun times last night - not

[Bulletdog]

I took the girls to this Vet clinic a few weeks ago to get them weighed and forgot to bring a face diaper so they would not let me come inside and do it myself.

No big deal, They sent a couple of girls outside to get the Dober girls and take them in for me to get their weight.

The one Vet tech / assistant girl asked me if the girls would listen to commands. I explained to her that they would IF she gave them 'correctly' and gave her a demonstration. More or less - Say it like you MEAN IT and not like you are playing around.

Even with the demonstration both of those (human) girls screwed it up and got drug like they were the bitches both in and then back out of the clinic. Both Dober girls blew off every word those girls said to them. If they had used the correct 'tone' as you describe there would have been zero issues.


I was in that same clinic a few weeks later getting blood work done on one of the girls and remembered my mask so was inside with them. Packed lobby, Both humans and dogs of all sizes. I sat next to a little old lady with a 10lb rat dog while waiting.

Zero issues with pulling, obeying commands, or anything. When I said 'SIT' - Those asses hit the ground. When I said 'CALM' - Those girls calmed and never so much as even considered screwing with anyone or any other dog there...

Had two different customers comment about how well behaved they were and then the little old lady next to me asked me about the pinch collar on one of my girls but not the other. She was wondering why the collars were different. I explained it to her about how that particular dog was hard headed sometimes and that that collar allowed me to 'pinch' her neck a little if she got out of line.

You illustrate a common problem I encounter. The person on the end of the leash has everything to do with how well any dog behaves. Its not just tone of voice. Its body language, posture, position, and leash handling skill too.

When clients are having an issue, I frequently ask them: "If I were holding the leash, would we be having this issue?" For 30 years the answer to that question has unanimously been "no".

I call them "prong collars" and there is nothing wrong with them. Used correctly, they are more humane than a choke chain or flat collar. I've set more than one person straight on that topic. Same with electric collars. The are a powerful tool, and when used correctly they literally save dog's lives.

[DG23]

You illustrate a common problem I encounter. The person on the end of the leash has everything to do with how well any dog behaves. Its not just tone of voice. Its body language, posture, position, and leash handling skill too.

Absolutely.

Had a pair out front one day (off leash, boundary trained adult Dober girls) and looked up to see Animal Control truck driving down the street in our direction.

Guy stops in front of the house, gets out and asks if he can say hello to the girls. Let him know its not a problem and he walks right up to them and pretty much acts as if he has known them forever. Those girls picked up on his 'vibe' right away and knew he was not a threat but a buddy! Not much doubt in my mind that if that guy had wanted to take them for a walk down the street with no leash at all that they would have gladly followed him...

Pretty much exactly as you describe. Was not just his tone of voice, but it was a lot of other things that the dogs could see right away. (Body language, posture, etc.)

Dogs do a ton of 'communicating' without any sounds ever being made. In the same way they can look at another dog and pick up things from the body language (what is the tail doing? what do the ears look like?) they can do similar with humans.

[Adrenaline_6]

Yes...Dogs are incredible empaths.