Figuring Out How Your Dog Thinks By using your powers of observation, you can discover what goes through your dog’s mind. Look for these indicators of what he’s thinking at the moment: The direction of his eyes His body posture His tail position The position of his ears (up or down) The direction of his whiskers (pointed forward or pulled close to his muzzle) The more the two of you interact, the better you’ll get at knowing what your dog thinks. For instance, you know your dog has the propensity to jump on the counter to see whether he can find any food to steal. Because he’s done this counter-attack a number of times, you begin to recognize his intentions by the look on his face: His head and ears are up. His whiskers are pointed forward. He carries an intent stare. The way he moves in the direction of the counter, with deliberate tail wagging, is the final giveaway. What do you need to do? Interrupt your dog’s thought process by derailing the train. You can say, “Just a minute, young man, not so fast,” in a stern tone of voice. You also can whistle or clap your hands — do anything to distract him. After that, tell him to go lie down and forget about stealing the food. What if he has already started the objectionable behavior? Maybe he has his paws firmly planted on the counter and is just about to snatch the steak. Use the same words to stop the thought process, physically remove him from the counter by his collar, and take him to his corner and tell him to lie down.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 10:35:39 +0000
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