Dog Whispering - More Consistent and Effective Than Positive Reinforcement Training

The most important rule of dog whispering is to remember that dog whispering is about seeing things from the dog's point of view.

I once heard a child say, "Mommy, does dog whispering mean you whisper in the dog's ear?"

What people don't realize is that by not taking time to observe dog behavior, through positive reinforcement we are often creating dog behavior problems.

Think about it.

If Rusty jumps on you, and you remove the paws gently saying, "No, no," very sweetly, that's not serious. So as far as he's concerned, you agree with the behavior.

It's the same with getting on the bed, or the sofa. If he gets up there and nobody removes him, he sees that as saying he can get up there any time he wants to.

It is for this reason that I do not like positive reinforcement training at all. It sends too many mixed messages.

The biggest mistakes I see made are rewarding bad dog behavior with affection, or simply ignoring it and thinking that with time it will go away.

Behaviors you don't agree with have to be addressed promptly and firmly. I'm not talking about being mean. There's a big difference between being mean and being firm.

Dog whispering means listen!

Rena Murray
DogWhisperWoman