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Ask Yvette

A little bit of Hollywood glamour came London's way at the motivational conference, “The Power Within.”

Of course many people are asking, “Is this not supposed to be a pet column?” Yes. But many of the topics presented can help you train your dog better.

The conference focused on using the power inside each of us to be successful. Attendees were told to laugh more and plan for success. Comical interludes and presentations poked a lighthearted yet honest reflection of the hurried lifestyle many of us are trapped in.

ALL of these valuable lessons apply to your ability to train and relate to a pet. Let's look at how.

Some obedience exercises are performance based while others fall into the realm of everyday life. Jim Fannin went through some key strategies for obtaining top performance. Both pet owners and competition handler benefit from this advice, but those in the ring should consider Jim's book as a must read.

For example, it is important that one be relaxed if you want to achieve exceptional performance. Pet owners often miss this. Have you ever watched a novice dog owner struggle to control a dog? They are so stressed by the process that they pull back on the leash until the dog's legs are six inches off the ground. The human's face is twisted into something that resembles a dried prune. It's no wonder the dog is struggling to get away. Relax and you'll get further quicker. Your dog might even want to be with you. Heck your dog will probably relax too.

Realistic plans were also discussed by many speakers. You begin by identifying the end result and creating steps to get you there. Yet how many people subject a dog to a little of this, a little of that? The dog is lucky if he ever figures out what is going on. Not really surprising since the owner probably couldn't tell you what they are doing either.

What about laughter? Laughter is what keeps expert dog handlers sane. Dogs do crazy things and those things can make you day. Have you ever watched a dog try to outwit their human? My female, Kiki has figured out that the quickest way to get attention is to stand in front of the television. Every time she does it, my husband calls her over for a head pat. It makes me laugh every time. There are enough big things in life to worry about. Don't let misery suck the joy out of life.

Herb Cohen spoke on negotiation. That may seem an odd fit in the pet world. Many people think you need to force a dog to submit. Why when you can create win-win situations? As a human, you can take a, “my way or the highway,” attitude. For example, you could simply demand that a dog not chew furniture. Or you could understand that dogs enjoy chewing. The compromise becomes, “Chew a bone and I'll teach you not to chew furniture.” Both parties win. There is no power struggle because both come out on top. The dog submits willingly and the furniture stays intact.

There is an art to being a great leader. Great leaders, teachers and coaches all have a lot in common. People who command respect from their dogs do so because they carry the skill and authority within themselves.

Yvette is an award winning pet writer and pet behavior columnist. She also is the author of Meeting Milo, a North American dog bite prevention program to reduce the approximately 2 million children bit by dogs annually. She is the owner of AwesomeDogs.ca and works as a behavior consultant in London, Ontario.

This column was originally featured in The Londoner
See more of Yvette... www.awesomedogs.ca
www.meetingmilo.com

Yvette has 2 dogs of her own, KIKI and KAYA. Take a look...

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