Dog whispering

When talking about dog training, the hottest and latest thing is dog whispering. We are not talking about just "whispering" and talking softly to your dog, but taking it another step further.

Dog whispering looks deeply into your communication with your dog - understanding its actions and behavior. It is not a traditional way of training, as it relies on intuition and different techniques, and therefore many established trainers do not see it as a training method.

A very strong element which dog whispering is based upon is body language. As the dog is a social creature, it notices and follows body language. And as a trainer, you must know and learn your dog's body language. It can help you understand your dog, and approach it the right way. Observing, understanding and absorbing are very important keys to improving communication with your dog. Respecting and understanding it will diminish any feelings of intimidation or threat.

Dog whispering can be looked at as a humanistic way to understand and reach out to your dog. It has no elements of commands or obedience. This training technique is based on trust and good relations, making it very natural for the dog to follow its trainer. Having a strong connection can do wonders in dog training, emphasizing the fact that there is no need for "harsh" behavior.

Some of the main aspects of this type of training include:

Establishing your role as leader: This is vital if you want to make the dog whispering method work for you and can only work well if you can make your dog feel safe and secure in many different social situations and interactions, but only if you have established your dominance as pack leader.

Don't Shout: Whatever dog training method you use, shouting at your dog should never be part of it and actually reflects more on the owner's lack of self-control. The one exception to this rule would be if your dog was in imminent danger - only shout on such an occasion, and you can be sure of a response when it is most needed.

Using Body Language: By this I mean your body language and your dog's. Your body language can give a very clear message to your dog which is why you need to remain calm, but firm when training your dog. If you exhibit nervous, or fearful body language, your dog will interpret this as there being a reason to be nervous or fearful.

Using Signals: Dogs use a number of signals and gestures to indicate their intentions, defuse situations and send messages of "no threat". They do also try to give us signals but if we don't recognize them, we won't understand what our dog is trying to communicate to us.

Eye-to-Eye Contact: This is one of the best forms of communication between you and your dog and establishing regular eye contact with your dog is one of the first steps to reading each other's facial expressions. On the other hand, avoid direct eye contact when meeting a new dog as this can be read by the dog as confrontational.

Learn more: In Daniel Stevens e-course Secrets to Dog Training you will find a pretty impressive section on dog whispering. Daniel Stevens explains the background of the technique, how to utilize voice and body language to your best advantage, and how to use the technique to calmly, assertively, and effectively correct and train your dog. Step-by-step instructions are included for the common commands (sit, down, come, stay, quiet, etc).

You can visit the Secrets to Dog Training site here: