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Five Minute Dog by Personable Pets Dog Training
Quick, practical dog training tips in under 5 minutes—because training your dog shouldn’t take all day.
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With over 20 years of family dog training experience, this podcast delivers real-life advice you can actually use. From simple tips and clear explanations to common behavior scenarios, we’ll help you understand why your dog does what he does—and what to do about it.
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Five Minute Dog by Personable Pets Dog Training
#183 What You Said What He Heard
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Why does your dog wag happily when you say "no"? Why does yelling "stop barking" seem to make the barking worse? The answer lies in a fundamental communication gap between humans and our canine companions.
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5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Have you ever told your dog no? And they wagged their tail and got even more excited. Yeah, that's not because they're being defiant. It's because your words and your body language are probably saying two totally different things. So today let's talk about what you said and what your dog actually heard. Example one no, no, please don't jump. Your dog jumps on you. You say no, no, don't jump. You lean down, you make eye contact, you might even push him off with your hands. And you think you told your dog that jumping is bad. But what did your dog hear? Oh, my goodness, she is looking at me, she's talking to me, she's touching me. This is the best way ever to get her attention.
Speaker 1:And the second example yelling stop barking. While you're rushing to the window, your dog barks at a noise outside. You rush over yelling quiet, stop it. You think you told your dog that barking out the window is bad. But what did your dog hear? Yeah, I got backup. She's barking too. She's coming to help, let's go. Yes, you just turned barking out the window into a team sport.
Speaker 1:Example three the leave it. You see your dog grabbing a sock and you cue leave it while lunging toward them to take the sock away. You think you told your dog to leave the sock alone. But what did your dog hear? Wow, she's grabbing for it. This thing is evidently valuable. Wow, she's grabbing for it. This thing is evidently valuable, I'm going to run away with it and maybe she'll chase me. Best game ever.
Speaker 1:And then example four the come cue. You're running late, your dog won't come and you say come here with a tense face and a clipped tone. You think you told your dog that look, I'm not messing around, get in here now. But what did your dog hear? Your dog heard anger. Your dog knows that you're mad. He's thinking uh-oh, I could be in trouble if I go back. And so he turns and goes the other direction. Remember, tone matters. If your recall sounds angry or panicked, your dog may hesitate or run the other way. Remember, your dog doesn't speak English. They speak body language, tone and pattern. So the next time you're frustrated with their behavior, ask yourself did they actually understand what I meant, or was my body language or voice telling a completely different story?