PDTE 2016 July Newsletter

Commands:
Verbal communication
Are we talking our way out of problem solving? Je-an Shields from UK examines the effectiveness of
verbal communicaiton with dogs and offers alternatives.
Iwas walking in the park some
months ago, and I must have
heard the name “Bailey” called
over a hundred times during the
course of half an hour! If the poor
dog went more than ten feet away
from it’s owner, he was repeatedly
called, and would eventually go back
to his human. But what was actually
in it for him? Understandably,
he went off to do his own thing,
and would only respond when
he was called four or five times in
succession.
Not long after this, I attended a
seminar with Turid Rugaas, and she
said, if you instruct your dog more
than three times, you’re talking too
much. In summary, “SHUTUP”!!
This got me thinking about just
how much I, and other dog owners
talk to their dogs, particularly on
their walk. I’ve spent a lot of time
observing this, and I’m amazed at just
how many words we do use (a vast
majority of them unnecessary and
meaningless).
At the seminar, Winkie Spears spoke
about doing silent walks, so I thought I
would give this a go, and I have to say,
I’ve not looked back.
I walk a client’s dog twice a week, and
have spent a lot of time building up a
relationship with him, as he isn’t without
his issues. The one thing I became
aware of, is how he shuts down from
verbal communication. Even if I used
a limited dog-vocabulary with him, he
appeared to struggle with it, and there
were times that I couldn’t get him on
the lead to go home. This resorted in
my having to call his owner’s dad, who
does his infamous whistle, that Rufus
responds to.
I’ve been doing silent walks with him
Photo Credit: Laura Evans, Spain
Photo Credit: Je-an Shields, UK
Rufus, the dog that taught Je-an all about
silent walks
for quite some time now, and our
relationship has deepened further,
as we both communicate purely with
body language. He loves to explore,
so he will go into the trees, seeking
out squirrels, but will check in with
me frequently. Not using my voice,
has made me look at myself, and how
I interact with Rufus, and I spend all
my time observing his body language,
to guage how he is feeling in his
environment. When it’s time to return
to the van, I simply stand still, with my
body turned to the side, not engaging
in any eye contact. Rufus will then
approach me, and sit, ready to have
the lead put back onto his harness.
Absolutely no verbal exchange is
made, from the time I collect him,
to the time I take him home, and the
quality of our walks has changed so
much. I have a better understanding of
his needs now, and “listen” to him. He
is very clear on occassions, that a walk
is not for him, so we do treat searches
in his garden (in total silence). We
have an equally lovely time in each
other’s company.
I do silent walks with all my client’s
dogs now, and with my own dogs,
and have recommended it to lots of
people too. Some people look at me
like I’m crazy, but I guess this is a
lack of confidence in themselves and
their dogs, to believe it’s possible to
achieve a much more enriching time.
Those who have tried this technique
have said it’s made such a positive
difference to the experience.
Photo Credit: Winkie Spiers, UK
Dogs do not need words to build friendships and communicate. Should we not reconsider
our use of words as well?
10
PDTE Newsletter PDTE Newsletter 11