Communication

Mac walking (sometimes) to heel

 

I'm stuck by some of the similarities in effective communication between humans and  with dogs.They have said for years that when we communicate with humans we read approx 60% of the information from body(and facial) language. 30% from tone of language and only 10% from the actual words themselves. This is a really useful way of thinking about communicating with a dog - and it works. Humans seem to be rapidly losing the ability to make strong eye contact, being with an animal is a great reminder of what it feels like to communicate powerfully through that particular sense. He must look me in the eye 1000 times a day. And piercingly at that. Always looking for the hint of what is expected of him or what I am going to do next. For dogs that find themselves (as Mac does) distracted easily by any change in his environment - eg a dog 300m away, teaching them to look you in the eye in such circumstances is the best chance you have of maintaining control of the situation. Can't say I have mastered this yet though. It's like his brain has been hijacked and there is no room for any other information other than that dog.
The tone of voice trancends the actual words just as it does with humans. We have a range of verbal responses to bad behaviour. Things that just come out your mouth naturally. No, ah, ah, stop etc. And his repsonse is the same - immediately stopping what he is doing. So it's not the word but the tone and (if he is looking) the body language that counts first and foremost.
I once went into a public toilet with my first dog faithfully following behind - finding another man at a urinal, I - (as men do) went to the furthest uninal from him. Looking to see the dog was right with me, I could see that my dog had decided to take an unhealthy interest in sticking his nose up the back of the mans raincoat for a good sniff. Without thinking I just firmly commanded "LEAVE" at which point the man immediately dissapeared out the door without any hesitation, no doubt with a wet trouser front. See what I mean. Although the word matters, my tone of voice must have suggested negotiation was an option. As it is with humans so it is with dogs.