We humans like our dogs to do the things we ask them to do. We used to call this communication, a command. That always seemed too harsh, and army-like. Now we call them cues.
 
A cue is a piece of information that causes behavioural change due to the detection of a reward and is part of a habit-forming chain. See my previous article for information about how habits have formed The Importance of Measuring Progress.   

​We like to think that our dogs understand what we are saying to them.  The truth is they don’t, not unless we teach them what a word means.  If you want to know what verbal communication means to your dog without teaching them its associated behaviour try this exercise.
 

​Find someone to work with

1. Tell them you are going to ask them to do something and it is very important that they do it
2. Tell them you might get angry or frustrated if they don’t do it
3. Now say ‘ Purple’ to them
4. They will most likely look confused
5. Now say ‘Why aren’t you doing what I asked you?’ and say ‘Purple’ to them again
6. They will look more confused and most likely start to smile or say to you that they don’t understand

 
This is confusion is what our words mean to our dogs.  We chat all the time to them, thinking they clearly understand.  They don’t understand our words, so perhaps we should stop talking ‘Purple’ to them.  

​Our dogs understand our tone – a higher pitch is inviting, a lower pitch communicates to leave or stay away.  Why do our dogs understand this? It is because this is the communication that they use with each other.  Our dogs interpret our words by trying to relate them to what they already know. Want to try this out? Stand away from your dog and say ‘Pup, Pup’ in a high-pitched voice and watch your dog run towards you.  They are responding to the tone in our voice.  Now say ‘Pup, Pup’ in a low and gruff voice.  They will look at you with hesitation, trying to work out what you want but keeping their distance.
 
So how do we teach our dogs to understand us? We can use visual or verbal cues.  Our dogs seem to understand more than our words so what have they learned about us and how?

Our dogs react to more than our verbal cues, they are genius at reading our body language. They watch how we move, what we point at, the speed of our movements, the facial expressions that we make.  Through careful observations, they have learned to interpret this.  A hand that picks up a lead means we are going for a walk.  A turn towards that cupboard might mean it is food time.  They can even read chains of events.  Think about your morning routine and what predicts you leaving the house.  These are visual cues.  The signals that our dogs look for to predict events.  Often we won’t even know that our dogs are reading us.  Sometimes they will read our body language incorrectly, after all, unless we teach them what our gestures mean they are guessing.  We can incorporate hand signals into our dog training.  It is to our advantage to teach them these before we teach them words.  Research studies highlight that dogs learn visual cues more quickly than verbal communications.

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If visual cues work so well why do we teach verbal ones?  Humans express themselves with words.  This is how we communicate with each other.  Children learn words by associating a word with an object.  A young adult human understands approximately 60,000 words. Our vocabulary continues to develop as we get older.  As we are exposed to the new subject matter and new technology we learn new words.  A year ago no one used the word coronavirus now it is an everyday word with an attributed meaning.  Have you ever thought about how many words your dog understands and how they have learned these?  Dogs also learn through association.  Dogs learn to interpret our body language and our tone.  Research has shown that dogs are better able to learn when both the left and right side of their brain is activated.  The left side of the brain is involved in understanding words and the right-hand side translates tone.  It is worth bearing this in mind when we are teaching our dogs a new word.  When words are linked to a pleasurable reward-based activity such as food, playing, or affection and a tone that they like they learn faster.  When we do this we increase the relationship bonds between us and enhance communication.
 
We can build our canine vocabulary by:
 

• Behaviour First – teach your dog the behaviour first using a training method e.g. using food to obtain a body position, then marking the behaviour e.g. clicker or ‘yes’, and then rewarding the behaviour with a treat

 

• Add the Word – next we add the cue.  When our dog competently offers the behaviour we will introduce the word before the lure.  This communicates to the dog that the word means the same thing as the lure

 

• Build-in Thinking Time – we next start teaching our dog.  We say the word, create a thinking space, and then use the lure.  This way our dog learns to think about what a word means.

 

• Reinforce Like It's a Party  – as our dog begins to learn the word, we may see them offer the behaviour before the lure is used.  When this happens celebrate with lots of rewards.  Our dog is beginning to understand the meaning of our word.  They are just learning so don’t rush to this stage.  They will get it right sometimes but not all.

 

• Fade the Lure - we begin to remove the need to have food in our hands by phasing out the lure.  Practice 3-5 behaviours using the lure and then use an empty hand. Then commence a training regime using less and less luring.  Randomly very when you use a lure.  Gradually our dog will begin to complete the behaviour from our word and hand gesture.  We can further fade out our hand gestures making them smaller and smaller until we have our dog completely on verbal cue.

​Our dogs also respond to environmental cues – these are cues that do not come from us.  For example, the doorbell rings and your dog goes to the door to see who is there. Or there is sunlight coming through a window so lie down on the floor here.  Pop your dog into the car and drive to a certain place every day and they soon learn that a smell, a rumble in the road and, the swing of the vehicle means they are nearly at their walk.  Using environmental cues can be useful as it takes out the need to always instruct our dogs what to do.  We can teach them that a pavement edge means they should sit and wait patiently or seeing their food bowl means they should wait quietly.  There are a variety of different ways that environmental cues are useful.

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​Dogs are clever and are capable of learning a great deal of information from us.  We owe it to them to try to understand how they learn.  When we are clear with our communication and teach them in a way they can understand a beautiful harmonious relationship occurs.

​If you need help understanding how to teach your dog please give me a call.
I offer individually tailored 1-2-1 Canine Coaching Sessions which may also be helpful.
Each session is 1-2 hours long and includes a follow-up email report and telephone support. Sessions start at £45, packages are available for multiple sessions.

​We often don’t notice that our environment is constantly changing.  We don’t see our progress as we learn new things.  As we gradually evolve into new habits, routines, and behaviours we don’t acknowledge they have happened. We simply accept the latest status quo.  Often we don’t even realise a new habit has developed.

• Cue – the brain receives information that causes it to produce a behaviour. When the brain obtains the cue it predicts that a reward is coming. Our dogs will analyse their internal and external environment for signs of reward location. This step is about detecting a reward.

• Craving – this is the driving force behind a behaviour; the motivation for a habit. When there is no motivating factor for a behaviour none will occur. Every motivation is associated with a desire to alter our dog’s internal state. We teach our dog to carry out a behaviour by pairing it with a reason to do so – e.g. a dog sits because they know they will get stroked when they do.   Being stroked releases a chemical called oxytocin into the dog’s system and this reduces stress and makes the dog feel relaxed. The dog likes feeling like this so they sit so that we stroke them. Each dog is an individual, so they are motivated by different things. Some will be motivated by food, others by toys and opportunities to play. Some will be motivated by affection or praise. It can be a great deal of fun finding out what makes your dog motivated.   This step is about wanting a reward.

• Response - this is the part of the process that causes thoughts or actions to form, producing the habit. A habit will form if there is sufficient motivation to cause it. When our dogs encounter some form of difficulty in obtaining a reward then habits will be blocked from forming. This step is about getting the reward.

 

• Reward – this is the end goal of all behaviour. It must satisfy the desire of our dogs and provide a benefit that makes it worth carrying out the behaviour. When our dogs receive a reward we make it more likely that a behaviour will happen the next time the cue is experienced. Our dogs are pleasure seekers so their brains are constantly looking for opportunities for reward.

 
So now we know how a habit is acquired, we can begin to measure our training progress using objectives.  Setting measurable goals allows us to track our training progress.  It allows us to see whether we need to raise or lower our training criteria, making it harder or easier for our dogs to complete it and form habits. By setting goals we can work out what we want to accomplish and what limitations we may encounter.
 
We can identify how many times we need to repeat a training activity to consider it successful and when we can move on to teaching something else. It helps us set realistic goals. There is no point trying to swim the Channel if you haven’t learned to swim yet. When we set ourselves goals that can be measured we recognise whether our investment of time and effort is worth the outcome. It helps us commit to the purpose of training. Finally, we can acknowledge the length of time it will take to complete an activity. We can remember to set measurable goals by using the acronym:
 
·        Specific (simple, sensible, significant)
·        Measurable (meaningful, motivating)
·        Achievable (agreed, attainable)
·        Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based)
·        Time-bound (time-based, time-limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive)
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​We create habits by training. We are training our dog’s brains to create habits.   Every behaviour is focused on the desire to obtain a reward.  When we measure our training progress we can identify what is blocking habits being formed.

​If you need help setting training objectives please give me a call.
I offer individually tailored 1-2-1 Canine Coaching Sessions which may also be helpful.
Each session is 1-2 hours long and includes a follow-up email report and telephone support. Sessions start at £45, packages are available for multiple sessions.

Complementary Therapies are a useful addition to medical treatment from your vet.  Their usage has grown in the general population in the last 40 years and they are now used widely for both humans and animals. There are many therapies available that are beneficial to dogs.  Here are the most popular:

This therapy works by introducing a substance that is similar to the symptoms being experienced by the animal – therefore treating ‘like with like’. A homeopathic practitioner makes pills, creams, or ointments that have a substance that is highly diluted and shaken at high speed. Each animal is treated as an individual and looked at holistically (mental, emotional, and physical). These preparations are available to buy from health shops in low dosages but for higher potency, a homeopath must prescribe them. It is noteworthy that some of the substances used within homeopathy and toxic in high doses and therefore a qualified practitioner should be sought. ​

This therapy is a gentle and respectful method of training dogs and comprises: bodywork called T-Touch, groundwork exercises, T-Touch equipment, and Intention. T- Touch uses circular movements from the practitioner’s fingers and hands applied over the dog’s body. Linda Tellington-Jones the founder of the system states the purpose of T-Touch is to “stimulate the function and vitality of the cells in an animal’s body and to activate unused neural pathways to the brain.” It is possible to learn the movements from an instructor and there are a number of introductory courses run across the UK. There is some evidence-based research to support that T-Touch does have a relaxing effect on the parasympathetic nervous system and brain wave patterns.
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This is an energy-based therapy and works by the practitioner being able to channel universal energy (Chi/Qi) to promote an emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual balance. The practitioner can lay hands on the recipient or send it via distance. When treating a dog it is usually done without hands-on practice even if the dog and guardian are in the same location as the practitioner.
 

 There are lots of people out there who will happily put you down, criticise you, and make you feel inadequate.  Does our own voice have to be one of them?  A quick scan through social media posts will reveal no end of people being unkind to one another.  When we expose ourselves to negative thinking, it is easy to start believing that we are less than the amazing individual souls that we all are. Why do we do this?  What if we stopped this and started believing in ourselves?  What would life be like if we had unwavering confidence in our own abilities? 

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Most people suffer from little or low self-confidence when they begin something new.  When it comes to training our dogs we need to make effort to learn new skills.  As we learn we become more confident and our relationships with our dogs grow. While some people are naturally talented, most of us have to work hard to become good at these things.  This requires dedication and practice.  But the ability that keeps us showing up to train is a belief in ourselves and our dog.  
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Believe in Yourself
Daily affirmation: ‘I believe in myself’ – our thoughts become deeds so practice this every day.  When you believe in yourself and choose to be a kind, loving, compassionate and generous person you will be more positive and successful.
 
Dare to Dream
Have the courage to dream, to pursue your goals.  Do not limit your thinking – if you want to win at Crufts you can, if you want to become part of a Search & Rescue Team you can, if you want to walk in the countryside with your dog off lead you can, if you want your dog not to react to others you can.  There are no limits and every dream is possible if you put the work in.  We all have capabilities and talents that are not yet discovered, who knows what we may become if we dare to try.
 
 
Expect Good Things to Happen
Set your expectation setting to POSITIVE. If you have positive expectations you will expect good things to happen to you and your dog.  You will be positive and focused on the future.  It is easy to let your thoughts turn negative after you have had a distressing encounter with another dog or a person.  This can cause us a negative bias, an expectation that this will always happen.  If we keep ourselves on track and reframe our thinking to understanding that every day is a mystery – it hasn’t happened yet. Who knows what will happen.  Exciting isn’t it!
 
Change Your Attitude
Stay optimistic.  The trick is to learn to be resilient to life.  Accept that there will be disappointments along the way, it is in making mistakes that the learning occurs.  Learn to bounce back from the trials of your life.  Our dogs need us to be positive and forward-thinking so that they may feel safe in our company.  Stop comparing yourself to other people.  You are a unique individual and no one else can be who you are.
 
 
Put It In Action
When we have belief in ourselves, this must be put into action.  What do you believe you can achieve with your dog?  What qualities do you bring to your relationship? How can you help your dog be the best that they can be? Put these thoughts into action. When we create movement, we create energy.  This moves us forward and when we move forward we grow.  It is only when we sit still, that we paralyse ourselves to believe that we cannot do things.  Remember if you can imagine it, it is possible.  Thoughts become deeds by putting plans into action.

​Do you need help building your confidence – if so I can help?
I offer individually tailored 1-2-1 Canine Coaching Sessions.
Each session is 1-2 hours long and includes a follow-up email report and telephone support. Sessions start at £45, packages are available for multiple sessions.

Do you need to teach your dog to walk nicely on their lead?  Ae you sick of being pulled over?  Do your muscles constantly ache?  Is your dog choking themselves?  It can’t be pleasant for them can it?
 
There is nothing more annoying than being pulled about by your dog on their lead. It is dangerous and we all risk injury – us and our dogs.  So why do they do it?
 

• you follow when they do it – dogs do things that work for them and then repeat it because it worked
• aversive training methods have been used to teach your dog to walk to heel and now they associate a slack lead with pain
• your dog is trying to get away from a collar that is too tight
• your use an extendable lead, which is designed to be tight all the time and encourages your dog and you to maintain tension on the lead
• your dog is too excited by other dogs and is desperate to get to them
• your dog is unable to concentrate because they have a high stress level

It isn’t comfortable for our dogs.  It can lead to health problems later down the line.  Jerking and pulling our dogs about can cause injuries to their thyroid glands and their back and neck.  It can also affect our dog’s mental well-being.  If you have ever been pushed around by someone else or had your way blocked by another person, you will know how it feels to have your movement controlled.  This can cause our dog to have low energy and in turn poor health. 
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We need encourage our dogs not to pull us about.  We can do this by not letting them practice this behaviour and helping them choose to walk nicely.  We reward them for doing the right behaviour.  When we reward a behaviour we make it more likely to occur next time.
 
When we allow our dog to pull us about it can cause us to become frustrated, this changes our body language.  Our dogs can see us as unpredictable and this in turn can undermine our bond with them.  When we invest time and effort into building a bond with our dogs we run into less problems.   Tension can develop between us if we don’t make this investment.  Tension in our bodies can develop in a physical tightness and this can be recognised by our brains as a lack of relaxation.  When our dogs feel like this we often see them become reactive, hypervigilant or frustrated by being on their lead.  It can also lead to sadness and a sense of helplessness. 
 
Sometimes it is not safe to have our dogs off their lead.  In these circumstances it is often better to simply remove our dogs from this environment.  Or in truth not take them there in the first place.  It is better to set our dog up to succeed rather than to let them fail.  Prepare and plan your outings with your dog prior to the event.
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​Our dogs are emotional beings and when they are deprived of choices about their movement their mind, body and spirit will stagnate.  Like us, our dogs need to feel happy and free.  We therefore need to treat decisions about their movement with respect and recognition that we are influencing another individual’s freedom.  Whenever possible allow your dog to choose the direction that they move.  When we do this we help them feel more in balance and their energy flows more freely in their bodies.

There are many methods we can use to train a dog to walk loose lead.  Choose one that is kind and doesn’t frighten or cause your dog to get stressed.  There are plenty of tools on the market that stop our dog pulling – choke collars, prong collars, electronic collars, anti-pull harnesses.  Unfortunately these work and the pulling may stop but at what cost?  When you use one of these devices you are hurting your dog.  Fortunately using positive reinforcement methods work too.  Make a kind decision and use a harness or soft, flat collar, a lead approximately 1 ½ metres long and carry treats with you, so you can reward good behaviour
 
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Here is a quick exercise you may wish to try:

• Stop immediately when your dog’s lead feels tense
• Stand still, do not speak to your dog, wait 2 seconds
• Make a clicking sound or kiss sound with your tongue or lips
• Your dog will turn its head towards you
• When they do, praise them
• Walk a couple of steps in another direction and your dog will follow
• Mark this behaviour and reward your dog for following
• Repeat this quick exercise every time you want to change direction or when the dog is about to pull

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If your dog pulls on their lead and you don't know what to do give me a ring.
I offer individual tailored 1-2-1 Canine Coaching Sessions.
Each session is 1-2 hours long and includes a follow up email report and telephone support.
Sessions start at £45, packages are available for multiple sessions.
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​It can be hard just to keep showing up in a world that is ‘busy’ and demands so much from us.  Our use of technology often means that we are available all of the time.  It can feel relentless.  Too often we just don’t stop to relax. It can feel like we have a never ending to do list that competes against feelings of exhaustion and a sense of guilt that we must keep going.  If we do not take care of ourselves we can end up simply wanting to give up and stop trying.  We know from research that this is a stress response and that our emotions are hijacking us and that this stops us from processing logical thoughts
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​Our emotions come from a primitive side of our brain, called the limbic system. This part of the brain controls our flight or fight response and is responsible for controlling our adrenaline and cortisol levels.  We can feel aggressive towards other people or feel helplessness and full of anxiety anticipating the next threat to our well-being. A dog’s brain is similar.  
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​Our emotions also affect our dogs.  Dogs are absolute experts in reading human emotions, looking to the left-side of our faces to gain information.  This informs them if we are a threat to their safety or whether we are going to look after them.  Often when we are running on empty we become irritated and our body language can become tense as we develop tension in our muscles.  Our facial expressions become less friendly and we can appear aggressive to friends and family.  Our dogs are sensitive to this body language and can learn to distrust our emotions.  Dogs can smell adrenaline and can become sensitised to it - learning that it means we are stressed and best avoided.

Before we walk our dogs it can be really useful to 'ground' ourselves. Particularly if our dogs are reactive to their environment or other dogs. This can help bring our focus to the task ahead and stop us thinking about other aspects of our life. Our dogs deserve us being present in the moment with them. We can do this by:
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• breathing deeply
• square breathing
• eating or drinking something small
• immersing our hands in cold water
• listening to our surroundings
• using the 54321 technique - notice 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste
• visualise growing roots from your feet and sending them into the earth

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Do you need help developing your confidence or relaxing with your dog – if so I can help?  I offer individual tailored 1-2-1 Canine Coaching Sessions. Each session is 1-2 hours long and includes a follow up email report and telephone support. Sessions start at £45, packages are available for multiple sessions.

Do you worry about your dog?  Do they seem uptight or anxious? Are you concerned they are stressed?

Stress affects our bodies physically, mentally and emotionally. ​Some stress can be good for us.  It can help us grow and develop new skills.  When it is positive stress, it is called eustress.  However, the negative kind can cause us distress. It is the same for our dogs.
 
Living in our modern world can be stressful for our dogs and challenge their bodies. Our dogs are exposed to processed food, artificial chemical, environmental contaminants, anti-microbials, sleep disruptions, noise, light disturbance, tobacco, psychological distress, being left alone for periods of time, the list continues.
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1. Hunger or thirst – our dogs need access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour
2. Discomfort – our dogs need an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area
3. Pain, injury or disease – our dogs need us to prevent this happening or rapid diagnosis and treatment
4. Not being able to express (most) normal behaviour – we need to provide sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind
   
5. Fear and distress – we need to ensure conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering

​Our dogs are individuals so each one has a different experience of health and well-being. They do all have a fundamental need to survive and their need to feel safe is all important to them. Emotions drive our dogs to behave in ways that keep them safe and away from danger.  Our dog’s emotions are continually changing as they react to their environment. It is important to recognise that stress is an individual reaction, no two dogs will react the same way to a stressor. 
 
Stress is a biological response to something that makes our dogs feel threatened. When a dog reacts to stress, their brain activates the sympathetic nervous system that controls the ‘flight or fight response’, this causes the hypothalamus to release neurotransmitters that create a negative feedback loop and the immune system activates to prepare for possible infection.
 
 
When our dogs feel out of control, fearful or overwhelmed their bodies produce a chemical cocktail of adrenaline and cortisol. It can take up to 6 days for a dog’s physiology to return to normal homeostasis depending on the dog’s emotional reaction. Short periods of stress are unlikely to affect the dogs health and well-being however when stress becomes long term stress it can be seriously detrimental to health.
 

• Fur shedding
• Coat scurf
• Lip licking
• Stress yawning
• Panting
• Pacing
• Trembling
• Shaking
• Displacement behaviours e.g. scratching or sniffing
• Height seeking behaviour
• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Learned helpless

​A dog will communicate that it is stressed by increasing distance from the ‘threat’.  They will do this by barking, growling and lunging, stiffening up, staring; growling, snapping; and finally biting.  Or they will try to make themselves smaller and less of a target to the threat -  yawning, blinking, nose licking; turning their heads away; turning their bodies away, sitting, pawing; walking away; creeping, ears back; standing crouched, tail tucked under; lying down, legs up.

Wellness is a balance of physical, physiological, psychological and spiritual health.  It is important to have restful sleep, have a good diet, and experience peaceful environments.  Our dogs need to be able to connect to nature and have opportunities to go outside and get dirty. This creates a healthy immune system.
 
Relaxation is key to reducing tension and it aids the natural flow of energy and removes blockages in subtle energy fields.  It is vital that our dogs get to rest and relax in their daily routines.  When our dog does not get enough sleep and recuperation time they will experience low health on all levels – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

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​Healthy dogs have ‘wellness’ at a vibrational, emotional, mental, physiological, physical and nutritional level.  When we remove stressors from our dogs we reduce the impact on their sympathetic nervous system.  Teaching them to relax is key to their well-being and yours!

Is your dog stressed? Do you need help teaching them to relax – if so I can help?

I offer individual tailored 1-2-1 Canine Coaching Sessions.
Each session is 1-2 hours long and includes a follow up email report and telephone support.
​Sessions start at £45, packages are available for multiple sessions.
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One of the commonest reasons for recall failing is the dog’s guardian has become a nag. They are constantly asking for their dog to come back to them. It is important to practice our recall training, but keep sessions short and focused.  If you spend your entire walk getting your dog to come back to you, your recall cue will lose its potency.  Your dog will learn to tune it out, in favour of doing something that they would rather do. We can ask for a recall several times on a walk but don’t become repetitive.  Our cues should predict something good for our dogs.  If your dog needs to be consistently asked to recall, this should act as an indicator that they are not ready for that environment. Use a lead in this environment, it will save you a lot of time and angst. 
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• Pick places or walks that have an enrichment aspect to them – chances are if we are bored walking round the same block that our dog is too
• Mix our walks up and try not to do the same walk twice within a day
• Choose an environment that will keep our dog safe and able to concentrate on us  
• There is no point walking somewhere where our dog is unhappy or where there are too many distractions for them. Set our dog up for success
• We are always more confident when we have knowledge and experience, so it is always worth checking out an area before we walk our dogs there

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Training is the act of teaching a person or animal, a particular skill or behaviour through regular practice and instruction. Getting into the habit of training can be really hard. It takes commitment and a willingness to ‘just do it’.  Do you struggle with it? ​